Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of nervous systems : a comprehensive reference

All biology only makes sense when seen in the light of evolution, and this is especially true for the nervous system. All animals have nervous systems that mediate their behaviors, many of them species specific. Yet, these nervous systems all evolved from the simple nervous system of a common ancestor. To understand these nervous systems, we need to know how they vary and how this variation emerged in evolution. Over 100 distinguished neuroscientists have assembled, for the first time, the current state-of-the-art knowledge on how nervous systems evolved throughout the animal kingdom. This four-volume overview is rich in detail and broad in scope, and outlines the changes in brain and nervous system organization that occurred from the first vertebrates to present day fishes, reptiles, birds, mammals, and especially primates, including humans. The basic principles of brain evolution are discussed, as well as mechanisms of change, which involved gene expression and altered the courses of embryonic development. The reader can select from chapters on highly specific topics as well as those providing an overview of current thinking and approaches. This unique major reference promises to become the gold standard for those interested in evolution and in nervous systems. It is also available online via ScienceDirect (2006) featuring extensive browsing, searching, and internal cross-referencing between articles in the work, plus dynamic linking to journal articles and abstract databases, making navigation flexible and easy. It broadly covers topics ranging from genetic control of development in invertebrates to human cognition. It incorporates the expertise of over 100 outstanding investigators who provide their conclusions in the context of the latest experimental results. It presents areas of disagreement as well as consensus views.
TLR4-Mediated Survival of Macrophages Is MyD88 Dependent and Requires TNF-α Autocrine Signalling1

Modulation of macrophage survival is a critical factor in the resolution of inflammatory responses. Exposure to LPS protects innate immune cells against apoptosis, although the precise pathways responsible for prolongation of macrophage survival remain to be fully established. The goal of this study was to characterize the mechanism of TLR4-mediated survival of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages upon M-CSF withdrawal in more detail. Using a combination of knockout mice and pharmacological inhibitors allowed us to show that TLR4 and TLR2 stimulation promotes long-term survival of macrophages in a MyD88-, PI3K-, ERK-, and NF-κB-dependent manner. LPS-induced long-term, but not short-term, survival requires autocrine signaling via TNF-α and is facilitated by a general cytoprotective program, similar to that mediated by M-CSF. TLR4-mediated macrophage survival is accompanied by a remarkable up-regulation of specific cell surface markers, suggesting that LPS stimulation leads to the differentiation of macrophages toward a mixed macrophage/dendritic cell-like phenotype.
Effects of Aging on the Useful Field of View

Previous research has shown that the useful field of view (UFOV) is a useful tool in predicting driving ability, and the UFOV also seems to decline with age. The goals of the current study were first, to examine UFOV changes systematically as a function of age (15-84), and, second, to determine the effect of dividing attention on the UFOV. Our results show that the deterioration in the UFOV begins early in life (by 20 years, or younger). This deterioration is best conceptualized as a decrease in the efficiency with which observers can extract information from a cluttered scene, rather than by shrinking of the field of view per se. The diminished efficiency among elderly observers is exacerbated when conditions require the division of attention between central and peripheral tasks.
Biogeography : space, time, and life

Preface. 1. An Introduction. 2. Some Basics. 3. Physical Environment and the Distribution of Life. 4. Biological Interactions and the Distribution of Life. 5. Disturbance and Succession. 6. Communities, Formations and Biomes. 7. Changing Continents and Climates. 8. Dispersal, Colonization and Invasion. 9. Evolution, Speciation and Extinction. 10. Realms, Regions and Provinces: The Biogeographic Subdivisions of the Earth. 11. Evolution, Extinction and the Human Story. 12. Biogeography and Modern Biodiversity. 13. Biogeography Distributions and Reconstructing of the History of Life. 14. Biogeography and Conservation.
Influence of the Mineral Potassium Permanganate on the Biochemical Constituents in the Fat Body and Haemolymph of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori L.

Oral supplementation with potassium permanganate (30, 50 and 100 ) to fifth instar larvae of the race of the silkworm, B. mori resulted in a significant increase in the glycogen content of the fat body and haemolymph trehalose. The protein content of the fat body is also significantly increased in all the potassium permanganate treated groups where as that of the haemolymph is significantly increased only in the 30 fed group. The total lipids content of the fat body increased significantly in all the potassium permanganate treated groups. This indicates that the potassium permanganate may stimulate metabolic activity, there by influencing the biochemical contents in the fat body and haemolymph of the silkworm, B. mori.
A scalable infrastructure for teaching concepts of programming languages in Scala with WebLab: an experience report

In this paper, we report on our experience in teaching a course on concepts of programming languages at TU Delft based on Krishnamurthi's PAPL book with the definitional interpreter approach using Scala as meta-language and using the WebLab learning management system. In particular, we discuss our experience with encoding of definitional interpreters in Scala using case classes, pattern matching, and recursive functions; offering this material in the web-based learning management system WebLab; automated grading and feedback of interpreter submissions using unit tests; testing tests to force students to formulate tests, instead of just implementing interpreters; generation of tests based on a reference implementation to reduce the effort of producing unit tests; and the construction of a product line of interpreters in order to maximize reuse and consistency between reference implementations.
Odorant Detection by Biological Chemosensor Arrays

The antennules of many marine crustaceans enable them to rapidly locate sources of odorant in turbulent environmental flows. The antennules are typically flicked through the water, causing the animal to take spatially and temporally discrete odorant samples. A substantial gap in knowledge concerns how the physical interaction between chemosensory appendages and the chemical filaments forming a turbulent plume affects odorant detection and filters the information content of the plume. The research presented here is focused on using numerical models to simulate the flow of odorant-laden water around arrays of chemosensory aesthetascs, and the transport of odorant molecules to their surfaces, during a plume sampling event. The time-varying odorant flux signals generated during these events are of key interest, since they are the lens through which a plume tracking agent will perceive its odor environment.Simulations of infinitely long arrays of sensory hairs indicate that there are likely to be design tradeoffs between maximizing the sharpness of an odorant flux signal versus the total amount of odorant mass detected. It is also clear that the duration of odorant flux during a sampling event similar to a flick downstroke is not long enough to enable detection of 0.6 mm wide odorant filaments by crustaceans such as lobsters, or by engineered chemical sensors currently available. This suggests that the return stroke and interflick pause may be critical if these animals are to detect fine-scale plume structures.Models of hair arrays with a finite number of hairs reinforce the above conclusions, but because this more realistic geometry allows water to flow around the array of hairs in addition to through, it reveals additional behaviors that the infinite array simplification cannot capture. Fundamentally different trends in metrics describing the sharpness of the flux signal are observed for rapidly flicking, sparse arrays of hairs versus slowly moving, densely packed arrays. These surprising transitions are not well predicted by simple parameters describing only the fluid velocity field, pointing out the importance of explicitly modeling or observing odorant transport in addition to the flow of water.A tomographic scan of a real aesthetasc array morphology, that of the spiny lobster P. argus, reveals substantial variation and deviation from any simple, idealized geometry, and 3D effects are likely to be important to its odorant sampling dynamics. Nonetheless, numerical simulations of an idealized version of P. argus morphology indicate that on average, odor-laden water is effectively channeled into the aesthetasc array as compared to a simple straight row of hairs. A simple row, however, still achieves greater odorant flux in most regards, again emphasizing differences in properties of the flow versus properties of passive scalar transport. Crustacean antennules might therefore best serve as starting iterations instead of optimal solutions for the design of engineered chemical sensor arrays for use on plume tracking robots.
Chemical composition of the surficial sediments in Lake Licheńskie

The study revealed that the surficial sediments of Lake Licheñskie were mineral with a low organic matter content. The main components of the chemical composition were calcium carbonate and silica. Phosphorus in the surficial sediments occurred in small amounts not exceeding 2 mg P g d.w. Higher values (maximum to 6.232 mg P g d.w.) were observed only in the outlet zone of the Licheñski Canal that carries post-cooling water into the lake. The majority of sediment phosphorus was of fractions that are nearly insoluble residual P (res-P) and those that are moderately soluble (NaOH-P) and difficult to dissolve (HCl-P), which means that phosphorus is more or less permanently bound in the surficial sediments. The Lake Licheñskie sediments will remain a phosphorus trap under the condition that the pollution load from the catchment basin is limited.
Formulation and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activities of Herbal Cream Containing Ethanolic Extracts of Azadirachta indica Leaves and Aloe Vera Gel

The antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract of dried leaves of Azadirachta indica (Neem), fresh gel of Aloe vera , combination of the two extracts and the creams formulated with these extracts were evaluated. The preliminary in vitro antimicrobial activity of the extracts at various concentrations and those of their creams were determined against some microorganisms using the agar cup plate method. The growth inhibition zones of the extracts on the microorganisms were noted. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was also determined by agar dilution method. The physical properties of the creams formulated with these extracts were evaluated using standard procedures. Gram positive bacteria were more susceptible to Neem extract of which Staphylococcus aureus was the most susceptible with the lowest MIC value (2.5mg/ml). The fungal strain Candida albicans had the lowest MIC value (2.0mg/ml) for the Aloe vera gel extract. The MIC values (mg/ml) of Neem leaves against Bacillus subtilis , Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeroginosa , Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger were 5.00, 5.00, 2.50, 10.00, 2.50, 5.00 respectively, while MIC of Aloe extract were 8.00, 8.00, 4.00, 8.00, 2.00, 4.00 respectively. Among the formulated creams, the formulation containing equal concentrations of the extracts (1:1) showed the highest antimicrobial activity, however the commercial brand Funbact A Â® had better antimicrobial activity. Most of the creams showed comparable physical properties. The study showed that the creams containing equal concentrations of the two ethanolic extracts have high potentials as topical antimicrobial agents especially against skin infections due to the tested Gram positive bacteria and Candida albicans .
Rejoinder

This text represents an important personal milestone. I am very pleased for having the book reviewed by the authors who laid the foundations that allowed me to develop my own investigation. The reviews provide the joyful perception that the book was taken seriously by the discipline, while the compliments suggest that the research enhanced knowledge on a political phenomenon of which we know as little about as we do about ‘black holes in outer space’ (Williams 2015). Moreover, the critiques highlight new venues for future research and provide the unique opportunity to engage with prominent scholars regarding one’s own ideas. I am very grateful for the reviews provided by Art, Messina, Perlmutter and Williams and I seek to provide satisfactory answers to their critiques of my book, Impact of Extreme Right Parties on Immigration Policy: Comparing Britain, France and Italy (Carvalho 2013). Drawing on the points raised by the reviewers, this essay is structured according to four main analytical topics: the use of the extreme right party (ERP) label; measurement of ERP impact; identified levels of ERP impact; and explanations of this political phenomenon.
The Relevance of Fair Value Concept Compared to Historical Costs in Indonesia

The aims of this study were to examine the usefulness of fair value concept compared to historical cost. The population of this study was financial statements of all companies which were listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2014 or earlier. The sample selection method was not probability sampling with purposive sampling technique. There was 734 observation of panel data for 367 financial statements in 2014 and 2015. We analyzed the data using multiple regression in panel data. Our results found the relevance of fair value was significantly higher than the historical cost of Economic Value Added (EVA) (p < 0.05). The relevance of fair value was also proven in stock return, while historical cost had a negative correlation with stock return. Another finding of this research was that the size of the public accountant firm had in significantly negative with to the accuracy of fair value disclosure. This finding provided a signal that public accountant who verifies fair value disclosure was not acting in their capacity. Base on this result, Indonesian Institute of Accountants should reconsider the strategic role of the appraiser for fair value disclosure like a public accountant in audit services. In addition, financial statement need verification from appraiser was needed for all Levels of fair value measurement (Level 1, 2 and 3). These had not been regulated in Indonesia Financial Statement Standard (PSAK 68), which appraiser verification is needed in fair value measurement in Level 2 and 3. The role of the appraiser in fair value measurement at Level 2 and 3, indicated that the role of appraiser had not become a priority for fair value disclosure. Evaluation of this standard could balance the roles of the appraiser and public accountant. Particularly, because currently, all companies which listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange have an obligation to use independent professionals such as a public accountant to audit their financial statements.
When Organisations Deinstitutionalise Control Practices: A Multiple-Case Study of Budget Abandonment

Abstract Drawing on a framework of deinstitutionalisation, this study explores the abandonment of budgeting through a multiple-case study of four companies. The findings illustrate how a number of antecedents to deinstitutionalisation acted in each setting and show that abandonment was only achieved through skilful agency by dominant insiders to construct the need and manage for change. In addition, a finding of the study is that two of the four companies reversed the deinstitutionalisation and reintroduced traditional budgeting. This is explained by highlighting the role of remnants of formerly institutionalised practices and by demonstrating the importance of administrative and cultural controls which can support the abandonment of a central accounting control practice in the first place. Overall, this research extends previous studies of deinstitutionalisation by analysing a taken-for-granted practice at the micro-level and by giving a more agentic account of its processes.
KATP Channel Phosphorylation: Mechanisms and Contribution to Vascular Tone Regulation by Vasodilating and Vasoconstricting Hormones and Neurotransmitters

Contractility of vascular smooth muscles (VSMs) in resistance arteries determines systemic blood pressure and blood supplies to local tissues, in which ATP sensitive K (KATP) channels play a role. The KATP channels that couple metabolic state to cellular activity are activated by multiple hormonal vasodilators and inhibited by vasoconstrictors. To understand the molecular mechanisms for the channel regulation by vasodilators, we studied the effects of β-adrenergic receptors on Kir6.1/SUR2B in HEK cells. Stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors activated the channels, which relied on the GS-protein, adenylyl cyclase, cAMP and PKA system. Using mutational analysis, we scanned all the putative PKA sites on Kir6.1 and SUR2B subunits and identified two residues (Ser1351 and Ser1387) in SUR2B critical for channel activation. In vitro phosphorylation experiments confirmed that Ser1387 but not Ser1351 was phosphorylated in isolated SUR2B peptides. Molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that phosphorylation at Ser1387 causes interdomain movements in SUR2B subunit. Blockage of the movements by engineering a disulfide bond across NBD2 and TMD1 eliminated the PKA-dependent channel activation. We also studied the molecular basis for the inhibition of vascular KATP channels by PKC. In the HEK expression system, we found that the Kir6.1/SUR2B channel but not the Kir6.2/SUR2B was drastically inhibited by PKC stimulation. We constructed Kir6.1/Kir6.2 chimeras and identified two critical protein domains for the Kir6.1 channel inhibition by PKC. The distal C-terminus was the direct target of PKC where multiple phosphorylation sites were identified. These phosphorylation sites were located in a short sequence with stereotypical sequence repeats. Mutation of any decreased the effects of PKC. Joint mutation of all of them prevented the channel inhibition by PKC. The proximal N-terminus is also involved in PKC effects without phosphorylation sites, suggesting it may play a role in channel gating. Thus, this thesis provides experimental evidence for the vascular KATP channel modulation by PKA and PKC. Phosphorylation of the Kir6.1 and SUR2B subunits by PKC and PKA produce inhibition and activation of the vascular KATP channel, respectively, which appears to be one of the molecular bases contributing to vascular tone regulation by both vasoconstricting and vasodilating hormones and neurotransmitters. INDEX WORDS: Kir6.1, SUR2B, ATP-sensitive K channels, Vascular tone, Protein kinase A, Protein kinase C, Vasodilators, Vasoconstrictors, Adrenergic receptors KATP Channel Phosphorylation: Mechanisms and Contribution to Vascular Tone Regulation by Vasodilating and Vasoconstricting Hormones and Neurotransmitters
The Use of Help-Seeking by Chinese Secondary School Students: Challenging the Myth of ‘the Chinese Learner’

Abstract This article aims to investigate reasons underpinning academic help-seeking behaviours of Chinese students in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Data were collected from 23,563 secondary students. The study found significant differences both in attitudes and reported behaviour among secondary school students from the three locations, however, the effect sizes were all very small. Importantly, it was found that no matter which location, students considered grade enhancement to be the least important benefit of help-seeking. Rather, the most important benefit was that help-seeking enabled them to solve their learning difficulties or to solve their learning problems. The study also found that losing face was the last deterrent for the students not to seek help. Instead, Chinese secondary school students refrained from seeking help because they were afraid to disturb others in the act of help-seeking. In addition, a high proportion of students reported seeking help in the past two months in order to get advice on problem-solving approaches. Comparatively, a much smaller proportion of students reported seeking help in the last two months in order to improve on their grades. These results were discussed in light of the previous images of Chinese students.
The pineapple: botany, production and uses.

Like the first edition, this second edition is intended to be an all-inclusive publication for those interested in pineapple production or just wanting to better understand the plant. This second edition builds on the accumulated experience of the first edition authors by including new authors from a wider number of producing countries, including new chapters and new developments and by taking advantage of new publishing technology. It contains 13 chapters dealing with topics on pineapple history, distribution and world production; morphology, anatomy and taxonomy; origin and evolution; varieties and breeding; biotechnology; plant growth and physiology; cultural system; plant nutrition; organic production; other uses (e.g. ornamental, source of fibre and enzymes, animal feed); inflorescence and fruit development and yield; pests, diseases, weeds and their management; postharvest physiology, handling and storage.
Investigating genome wide patterns of natural selection in eukaryotes

Mutations are the ultimate source of new genetic information and they can be neutral, harmful or beneficial. The ultimate fate of all mutations is either to be lost or to eventually become fixed in a population. In this thesis I investigate genome wide traces of natural selection in eukaryotes. I focus on the most common type of mutations, point mutations, in protein coding genes. I investigated whether there is adaptive evolution in 11 plant species comparisons by applying an extension of the McDonald Kreitman (MK) test and found little evidence of adaptive evolution. However, most of the investigated plant species have low effective population sizes (Ne) and the rate of adaptive evolution is thought to be correlated to Ne. I therefore extended my study using additional data from mammals, drosophilids and yeast to investigate the relationship between the rate of adaptive evolution and Ne. I found a highly significant correlation between the rate of adaptive evolution relative to the rate of neutral evolution (! a) and Ne. It has been proposed that evidence of adaptive evolution can be an artifact of fluctuating selection. I simulated a model of fluctuating selection, in which the average strength of selection acting upon mutations is zero. Under this model adaptive evolution is inferred using MK-type tests. However, the mutations which become fixed are on average positively selected. The signal of adaptive evolution is therefore genuine. Ne can not only vary between species but also across genomes. However, how much variation there is, and whether this affects the efficiency of natural selection, is unknown. I analysed 10 species and show that variation in Ne is widespread. However, this variation is limited, amounting to a few fold variation in Ne between most genomic regions. This is never-the-less sufficient to cause variation in the efficiency of selection.