Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total dose radiation response of CMOS compatible SOI MESFETs

Metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETs) have been fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS process. The MESFETs make use of a TiSi/sub 2/ Schottky gate and display good depletion mode characteristics with a threshold voltage of -0.5 V. The drain current can also be controlled by a voltage applied to the substrate, which then behaves as a MOS back gate. The transistors have been irradiated with 50 keV X-rays to a total ionizing dose in excess of 1 Mrad(Si). After irradiation the threshold voltage of both the top Schottky gate and the back MOS gate shift to more negative values. The shift in threshold is attributed to radiation induced fixed oxide charge at the interface between the SOI channel and the buried oxide.
Inadequate corpus luteum function after the induction of ovulation in anoestrous ewes by LH-RH or an LH-RH agonist.

Scottish Blackface ewes were given LH-RH (3 x 30 micrograms i.v., at 90 min intervals) or D-Ser-(But)6-des Gly10 LH-Rh ethylamide (LH-RH agonist) as a single injection (8 or 40 micrograms) during anoestrus. Ovulation as judged by laparoscopy occurred in 8 of the 27 animals. Despite the fact that the LH-RH agonist induced a greater release of LH and FSH the different treatments had no effect on the number of ewes ovulating and within each treatment group there was no apparent difference in the amounts of gonadotrophins released between the ewes that did or did not ovulate. All ovulations resulted in the formation of CL associated with plasma progesterone concentrations of less than 1 ng/ml (1--5 ng/ml in the normal luteal phase). In comparison with CL of the normal cycle the induced CL were of lower weight and had reduced progesterone content and ability to secrete progesterone in vitro. However, the binding of hCG was equivalent to that of normal CL. These results suggest that the inadequate CL formed in anoestrous ewes after a single LH-RH injection have not developed the ability to synthesize and secrete progesterone in spite of the presence of normal amounts of LH receptors.
Acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on hamstrings’ response times

Abstract The main purposes of this study were to (a) investigate acute effects of static and dynamic lower limb stretching routines on total response time, pre-motor time and motor time of the medial and lateral hamstrings during maximal eccentric isokinetic knee flexion; and (b) determine whether static and dynamic routines elicit similar responses. A total of 38 active adults completed the following intervention protocols in a randomised order on separate days: (a) non-stretching (control condition), (b) static stretching and (c) dynamic stretching. After the stretching or control intervention, total response time, pre-motor time and motor time of the medial and lateral hamstrings were assessed during eccentric knee flexion movements with participants prone. Measures were compared via a mixed-design factorial ANOVA. There were no main effects for total response time, pre-motor time and motor time. The results suggest that dynamic and static stretching has no influence on hamstrings response times (total response time, pre-motor time and motor time) and hence neither form of stretching reduces this primary risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Plasminogen Is a Complement Inhibitor*

Background: Plasminogen regulates the coagulation cascade. Results: Plasminogen binds to complement C3 and to C5. Activated plasmin inhibited complement as demonstrated by hemolytic assays. Conclusion: Plasmin is a potent complement inhibitor that inactivates complement at the level of C3 and C5. Significance: This complement-inhibitory activity of plasmin provides a new explanation why pathogenic microbes utilize plasmin(ogen) for immune evasion and tissue penetration. Plasminogen is a 92-kDa single chain glycoprotein that circulates in plasma as a zymogen and when converted to proteolytically active plasmin dissolves preformed fibrin clots and extracellular matrix components. Here, we characterize the role of plasmin(ogen) in the complement cascade. Plasminogen binds the central complement protein C3, the C3 cleavage products C3b and C3d, and C5. Plasminogen binds to C3, C3b, C3d, and C5 via lysine residues, and the interaction is ionic strength-dependent. Plasminogen and Factor H bind C3b; however, the two proteins bind to different sites and do not compete for binding. Plasminogen affects complement action in multiple ways. Plasminogen enhanced Factor I-mediated C3b degradation in the presence of the cofactor Factor H. Plasminogen when activated to plasmin inhibited complement as demonstrated by hemolytic assays using either rabbit or sheep erythrocytes. Similarly, plasmin either in the fluid phase or attached to surfaces inhibited complement that was activated via the alternative and classical pathways and cleaved C3b to fragments of 68, 40, 30, and 17 kDa. The C3b fragments generated by plasmin differ in size from those generated by the complement protease Factor I, suggesting that plasmin-mediated C3b cleavage fragments lack effector function. Plasmin also cleaved C5 to products of 65, 50, 30, and 25 kDa. Thus, plasmin(ogen) regulates both complement and coagulation, the two central cascade systems of a vertebrate organism. This complement-inhibitory activity of plasmin provides a new explanation why pathogenic microbes utilize plasmin(ogen) for immune evasion and tissue penetration.
Effect of signs of oestrus, disease stressors and cow activity on pregnancy rate following artificial insemination

The objective was to examine (a) how pregnancy rate on one farm (500 cows) was affected by signs of oestrus and disease stressors and (b) whether pregnancy rate could be maximised by considering cow activity. The signs of oestrus and timings were recorded at artificial insemination (AI), and cow activity was monitored by neck collars. Pregnancy rate tended to be higher in animals that displayed standing oestrus (35 v 26 per cent; P=0.06) but was 10 per cent lower in those cows with an elevated somatic cell count (SCC; >200,000 cells/ml milk) within 0–4 or 4–8 weeks prior to AI (P=0.01 and 0.05, respectively), irrespective of the incidence of clinical mastitis prior to AI. Cow activity data were available for 525 inseminations (from a total of 1299). The mean interval from increased activity to AI in all cows (11 hours 32 minutes; 95 per cent CI 10 hours 40 minutes to 12 hours 24 minutes) was not different for cows that did or did not establish a pregnancy (P=0.90). The pregnancy rate improved to the average of unaffected cows if AI was delayed by about eight hours in animals with an elevated SCC 0–4 weeks prior to AI (P=0.025), indicating that, in cows with prior elevated SCC, AI could be repeated approximately eight hours later to achieve maximum pregnancy rates.
Drug Resistant Mechanism of Diaryltriazine Analog Inhibitors of HIV‐1 Reverse Transcriptase Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation and 3D‐QSAR

Diaryltriazine inhibitors have highly potent and effective bioactivities for the wild type of HIV‐1 reverse transcription. To design new drug of antimutant HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase, the mechanism of drug resistance for four types of mutants was revealed. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that Lys101, Leu100, Lys103, Tyr181, and Tyr188 are key residues. Different mutants of key residues may have different interaction modes and lead to different drug resistances. Then, CoMFA and CoMSIA methods were employed to construct 3D quantitative structure–activity relationship models. These models were evaluated by test set compounds. These models can be used to make quantitative prediction of their bioactivities for lead compounds before resorting to in vitro and in vivo experimentation.
Criminology of Corruption: Theoretical Approaches

This book uniquely applies theoretical approaches from criminology and sociology to the problem of corruption. Theoretical thoughts have future consequences on how we treat, punish and deter and corruption policy illustrates that theoretical approaches affect what laws and techniques are implemented. Theoretical approaches, however, are not developed in a social and political vacuum; they are a part of the changing social world and understanding why corruption occurs is a preface to developing strategies to control and prevent it. Criminology of Corruption analyses corruption on an international scale and uses numerous case studies to help explain why individuals, organisations and states are corrupt. The book charts the development of the most relevant theoretical approaches and uses them to help explain acts of corruption and prevention. It will be of great interest to scholars researching these issues across criminology, sociology and other disciplines.
A Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy neural network-based predictive coding scheme for lossless compression of ECG signals

In this paper, we present an efficient lossless ECG compression method for real-time applications. The proposed method hybridizes ECG predictive coding algorithm based on R-wave identification and Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy neural network. The ECG signal is predicted and encoded by using the periodicity of the electrocardiogram, the correlation between the electrocardiogram signal and the adjacent heartbeat, as well as the continuous characteristic of the ECG waveform. By recording the original prediction errors, non-distortion compression of the ECG signal can be achieved. In the experiment, we used MIT-BIH arrhythmia ECG database as the test data. According to the experimental results, the proposed algorithm can have a compression ratio up to 3.25 in average, which justifies the usefulness of the proposed approach.
Reproducibility of a Laboratory-Based 40-km Cycle Time-Trial on a Stationary Wind-Trainer in Highly Trained Cyclists

The purpose of the present study was to examine the reproducibility of laboratory-based 40-km cycle time-trial performance on a stationary wind-trainer. Each week, for three consecutive weeks, and on different days, forty-three highly trained male cyclists (x +/- SD; age = 25 +/- 6 y; mass = 75 +/- 7 kg; peak oxygen uptake [VO (2)peak] = 64.8 +/- 5.2 ml x kg (-1) x min (-1)) performed: 1) a VO (2)peak test, and 2) a 40-km time-trial on their own racing bicycle mounted to a stationary wind-trainer (Cateye - Cyclosimulator). Data from all tests were compared using a one-way analysis of variance. Performance on the second and third 40-km time-trials were highly related (r = 0.96; p < 0.001), not significantly different (57 : 21 +/- 2 : 57 vs. 57 : 12 +/- 3 : 14 min:s), and displayed a low coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.9 +/- 0.7 %. Although the first 40-km time-trial (58 : 43 +/- 3 : 17 min:s) was not significantly different from the second and third tests (p = 0.06), inclusion of the first test in the assessment of reliability increased within-subject CV to 3.0 +/- 2.9 %. 40-km time-trial speed (km x h (-1)) was significantly (p < 0.001) related to peak power output (W; r = 0.75), VO (2)peak (l x min (-1); r = 0.53), and the second ventilatory turnpoint (l x min (-1); r = 0.68) measured during the progressive exercise tests. These data demonstrate that the assessment of 40-km cycle time-trial performance in well-trained endurance cyclists on a stationary wind-trainer is reproducible, provided the athletes perform a familiarization trial.
Novel Split Intein for trans-Splicing Synthetic Peptide onto C Terminus of Protein*

Conventional split inteins have been useful for trans-splicing between recombinant proteins, and an artificial S1 split intein is useful for adding synthetic peptide onto the N terminus of recombinant proteins. Here we have engineered a novel S11 split intein for trans-splicing synthetic peptide onto the C terminus of recombinant proteins. The C-intein of the S11 split intein is extremely small (6 amino acids (aa)); thus it can easily be produced together with a synthetic C-extein to be added to the C terminus of target proteins. The S11 intein was derived from the Ssp GyrB intein after deleting the homing endonuclease domain and splitting the remaining intein sequence near the C terminus, producing a 150-aa N-intein (IN) and a 6-aa C-intein (IC). Its trans-splicing activity was demonstrated first in Escherichia coli cells and then in vitro for trans-splicing between a synthetic peptide and a recombinant protein. The in vitro trans-splicing reaction exhibited a typical rate constant of (6.9 ± 2.2) × 10–5 s–1 and reached a high efficiency of ∼80%. This S11 split intein can be useful for adding any desirable chemical groups to the C terminus of a protein of interest, which may include modified and unnatural amino acids, biotin and fluorescent labels, and even drug molecules.
Expected lifetime range ratio to find mean reversion: Evidence from Indian stock market

Abstract We use the expected lifetime range (ELR) ratio based on the extreme values of asset prices to detect the presence of mean reversion in stock returns. We find that the actual cross-sectional average of the ELR ratio is significantly less than its bootstrap means, thereby indicating a considerable amount of mean reversion. We argue that ELR ratio is more conclusive in detecting mean reversion when compared to the traditional Lo and MacKinlay variance ratio variance ratio. On the empirical side, we find that mean reversion is a robust feature among the constituents of India’s BSE SENSEX stock index.
Perceived intensity and pleasantness of sucrose taste in male alcoholics.

AIMS The aim of the present study was to evaluate a possible relationship between taste responses to sweet solutions and alcoholic status. METHODS The rated intensity and pleasantness of sucrose taste was compared in male alcoholics (n = 45) and non-alcoholic controls (n = 33). RESULTS The rated intensity, but not pleasantness, of water taste (0% sucrose) was higher in the alcoholics. The two groups did not differ with respect to the rated intensity or pleasantness of sucrose solutions (1-30%). The proportion of sweet-likers, i.e. subjects rating 30% sucrose as most pleasant, was similar in both groups (the controls: 57.6%, the alcoholics: 62.2%). A subgroup of alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (n = 22) rated the highest sucrose concentration as more pleasant compared to alcoholics without alcoholic fathers. The proportion of sweet-likers among the alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (77.3%) was significantly higher than that found in the alcoholics without a familial history of alcoholism (47.8%). CONCLUSIONS The present results suggest the following: (i) alcohol dependence is not associated with any major alterations in taste responses to sucrose solutions, (ii) sweet liking is a phenotypic marker of male alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism.
Genetic variation amongst biotypes of Dactylopius tomentosus

The tomentose cochineal scale insect, Dactylopius tomentosus (Lamarck) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae), is an important biological control agent against invasive species of Cylindropuntia (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae). Recent studies have demonstrated that this scale is composed of host‐affiliated biotypes with differential host specificity and fitness on particular host species. We investigated genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships among D. tomentosus biotypes and provenances to examine the possibility that genetic diversity may be related to their host‐use pattern, and whether their phylogenetic relationships would give insights into taxonomic relatedness of their host plants. Nucleotide sequence comparison was accomplished using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. Sequences of individuals from the same host plant within a region were identical and characterized by a unique haplotype. Individuals belonging to the same biotype but from different regions had similar haplotypes. However, haplotypes were not shared between different biotypes. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the monophyletic D. tomentosus into 3 well‐resolved clades of biotypes. The phylogenetic relationships and clustering of biotypes corresponded with known taxonomic relatedness of their hosts. Two biotypes, Fulgida and Mamillata, tested positive for Wolbachia (α‐Proteobacteria), a common endosymbiont of insects. The Wolbachia sequences were serendipitously detected by using insect‐specific COI DNA barcoding primers and are most similar to Wolbachia Supergroup F strains. This study is the first molecular characterization of cochineal biotypes that, together with Wolbachia sequences, contribute to the better identification of the biotypes of cochineal insects and to the biological control of cacti using host‐specific biotypes of the scale.
Wing Shape and Size of the Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is Related to Sex and Resistance to Soybean-Maize Crop Rotation

ABSTRACT The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is a major pest of maize in the United States and more recently, Europe. Understanding the dispersal dynamics of this species will provide crucial information for its management. This study used geometric morphometric analysis of hind wing venation based on 13 landmarks in 223 specimens from nine locations in Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, to assess whether wing shape and size differed between rotated and continuously grown maize where crop rotation-resistant and susceptible individuals are found, respectively. Before assessing differences between rotation-resistant and susceptible individuals, sexual dimorphism was investigated. No significant difference in wing (centroid) size was found between males and females; however, females had significantly different shaped (more elongated) wings compared with males. Wing shape and (centroid) size were significantly larger among individuals from rotated maize where crop-rotation resistance was reported; however, cross-validation of these results revealed that collection site resistance status was an only better than average predictor of shape in males and females. This study provides preliminary evidence of wing shape and size differences in D. v. virgifera from rotated versus continuous maize. Further study is needed to confirm whether wing shape and size can be used to track the movement of rotation-resistant individuals and populations as a means to better inform management strategies.
Early manganese‐toxicity response in Vigna unguiculata L. – a proteomic and transcriptomic study

The apoplast is known to play a predominant role in the expression of manganese (Mn) toxicity in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) leaves. To unravel early Mn‐toxicity responses after 1–3 days Mn treatment also in the leaf symplast, we studied the symplastic reactions induced by Mn in two cultivars differing in Mn tolerance on a total cellular level. Comparative proteome analyses of plants exposed to low or high Mn allowed to identify proteins specifically affected by Mn, particularly in the Mn‐sensitive cowpea cultivar. These proteins are involved in CO2 fixation, stabilization of the Mn cluster of the photosystem II, pathogenesis‐response reactions and protein degradation. Chloroplastic proteins important for CO2 fixation and photosynthesis were of lower abundance upon Mn stress suggesting scavenging of metabolic energy for a specific stress response. Transcriptome analyses supported these findings, but additionally revealed an upregulation of genes involved in signal transduction only in the Mn‐sensitive cultivar. In conclusion, a coordinated interplay of apoplastic and symplastic reactions seems to be important during the Mn‐stress response in cowpea.
'Juggling the glass balls ...': Workplace spirituality in women leaders

This qualitative study explored workplace spirituality in women leadership in higher education institutions (HEIs). Interviews were conducted with women leaders of the Higher Education Research Service network across eight institutions. Observations were made in one organisation. Findings show that women leaders are highly aware of their spirituality and religious affiliation which influence their work and work spirituality. Workplace spirituality includes how women leaders approach life and work, how spirituality expands their concept of religion and how the interwoven concepts of spirituality and religion help them to manage their work optimally. The study was limited to a relatively small sample size of 23 women leaders and was further bound to the qualitative research methodology. This study provides valuable insights into workplace spirituality regarding women leaders in South African HEIs. The findings provide a base for future research on women leaders in organisations and for leadership training of women within HEIs.
Testosterone Cannot Activate an Adult-Like Stress Response in Prepubertal Male Rats

The pubertal maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has received relatively little experimental attention. The present set of experiments sought to extend our understanding of the pubertal stress response by measuring corticotropin (ACTH), corticosterone, and testosterone levels in prepubertal and adult male rats exposed to a single 30-min session of restraint stress. We show that ACTH and corticosterone levels in prepubertal males take significantly longer to return to baseline after termination of the stressor compared to adults. These data indicate that prepubertal males demonstrate a more prolonged stress response compared to adults after a single acute stressor with both psychogenic and neurogenic components. As testosterone has been shown to reduce the stress response in adulthood, we next investigated whether the relatively low levels of circulating testosterone in prepubertal males mediated their protracted stress response. Data collected from additional experiments revealed that prepubertal males treated with adult-like physiological levels of testosterone still exhibited an extended stress response compared to similarly treated adults. These results indicate that the stress response demonstrated by adult males cannot be mimicked or activated in prepubertal males by mere supplementation of testosterone. Thus, we conclude that the HPA neuroendocrine axis is further shaped during pubertal development to allow for the emergence of a more tightly regulated stress response in adulthood.