Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Capacity for Generating Information by Randomization

Response selection was studied independently of the stimulus by asking subjects to generate random sequences of letters or numbers. Experiment 1 varied rate of letter generation from ½ sec. to 4 sec. per item and showed that the redundancy of the sequence increased linearly with rate. Experiment 2 added random generation of letters as a secondary task to paced card sorting. Information load per card was varied from 1 through 2 to 4 to 8 alternatives, with sorting rate held constant. As predicted, the redundancy of the sequences generated increased linearly with sorting load. Experiment 3 varied number of items to be randomized. Rate of random generation increased systematically from 2 to 4 to 8 alternatives, but levelled out beyond this point, showing no difference between 16 and 26. In general, these results suggest a response-selection mechanism of limited informational capacity.
Inductors and regulatory properties of the genomic island‐associated fru2 metabolic operon of Streptococcus agalactiae

SUMMARY The fru2 metabolic operon of Streptococcus agalactiae encodes the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) enzyme II complex Fru2 (EIIBFru2, EIIAFru2, and EIICFru2); Fru2R, a transcriptional activator with PTS regulatory domains (PRDs); a D-allulose-6-phosphate 3-epimerase; a transaldolase; and a transketolase. We showed that the transcription of fru2 is induced during the stationary phase of growth in complex media and during incubation in human cerebrospinal or amniotic fluids. D-allose and D-ribose are environmental signals governing this induction. PTSFru2 is involved in the activation of the fru2 promoter, and the histidine-67 of EIIAFru2 and the cysteine-9 of EIIBFru2 are important for this function. The activation of fru2 is also controlled by Fru2R. The histidine-243 in the PRD1 domain, the histidine-323 in the PRD2 domain, the cysteine-400 in the EIIB-like domain, and the histidine-549 in the EIIA-like domain are important for the function of Fru2R. Fru2R binds to a DNA region containing palindromic sequences upstream of the identified transcriptional start site. EIIBFru2 interacts physically with the C-terminal part of Fru2R (expressing the EIIB-like and EIIA-like motifs) and with EIIAFru2. We propose a model of regulation of fru2 depending on the presence of an activatory carbohydrate in the growth medium. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A crevicular washing method for investigating immune components of crevicular fluid in man.

A technique was developed to collect crevicular fluid from clinically normal gingiva by washing out the gingival crevices with a microsyringe. The leucocytes were well preserved and sequential washings 12 times showed that the viability, determined by trypan blue dye exclusion, increased from a mean (±SE) of 81.4(±6.8)% to 99.3 (±0.7)%. Whilst the viability increased the total number of leucocytes decreased from 805 (±188) to 95 (±25) cells after 11-12 washings. The minimal rest period required for the leucocyte count to exceed 50% of the initial value was about 25 minutes and this was decreased to about 5 minutes on biting. Differential leucocyte counts showed 91.5 (±1.1)% neutrophils and 8.5 (±1.2)% mononuclear cells which included monocytes, lymphocytes and blast cells. It is suggested that this technique enables the functional cellular and humoral immune components to be investigated.
Performance Limits for Envelope based Automatic Syllable Segmentation

In this paper the upper performance limits of automatic syllable segmentation algorithms using single or multiple frequency band envelopes as their primary segmentation feature are explored. Each algorithm is tested against the TIMIT corpus of continuous read speech. The results show that candidate matching rates as high as 99% can be achieved by segmentation based on a simple envelope, but only at the expense of as many as 13 non-matching candidates per syllable. We conclude that a low total error rate requires an algorithm which can reject many candidates or which uses features other than those based on envelope alone to generate fewer, more accurate candidates.
Soy Pulp Extract Inhibits Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Activity In Vitro: Evidence for Its Potential Hypertension-Improving Action

ABSTRACT Soy pulp, called “okara” in Japanese, is known as a by-product of the production of bean curd (tofu), and expected to contain a variety of biologically active substances derived from soybean. However, the biological activities of okara ingredients have not yet been fully understood, and the effectiveness of okara as a functional food seems necessary to be further evaluated. Then the effect of okara extract on angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity was examined in vitro, and the extract was shown to cause the inhibition of ACE activity in a manner depending on its concentration. Kinetic analysis indicated that this enzyme inhibition was accompanied by an increase in the Km value without any change in Vmax. Further studies suggested that putative inhibitory substances contained in the extract might be heat stable and dialyzable, and recovered mostly in the peptide fraction obtained by a spin-column separation and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation. Therefore, the extract was speculated to contain small-size peptides responsible for the inhibitory effect of okara extract on ACE activity, and could be expected to improve the hypertensive conditions by reducing the production of hypertensive peptide.
Coastal freshwater runoff is a risk factor for Toxoplasma gondii infection of southern sea otters ( Enhydra lutris nereis )

The association among anthropogenic environmental disturbance, pathogen pollution and the emergence of infectious diseases in wildlife has been postulated, but not always well supported by epidemiologic data. Specific evidence of coastal contamination of the marine ecosystem with the zoonotic protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, and extensive infection of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) along the California coast was documented by this study. To investigate the extent of exposure and factors contributing to the apparent emergence of T. gondii in southern sea otters, we compiled environmental, demographic and serological data from 223 live and dead sea otters examined between 1997 and 2001. The T. gondii seroprevalence was 42% (49/116) for live otters, and 62% (66/107) for dead otters. Demographic and environmental data were examined for associations with T. gondii seropositivity, with the ultimate goal of identifying spatial clusters and demographic and environmental risk factors for T. gondii infection. Spatial analysis revealed clusters of T. gondiiseropositive sea otters at two locations along the coast, and one site with lower than expected T. gondii seroprevalence. Risk factors that were positively associated with T. gondii seropositivity in logistic regression analysis included male gender, older age and otters sampled from the Morro Bay region of California. Most importantly, otters sampled near areas of maximal freshwater runoff were approximately three times more likely to be seropositive to T. gondii than otters sampled in areas of low flow. No association was found between seropositivity to T. gondii and human population density or exposure to sewage. This study provides evidence implicating land-based surface runoff as a source of T. gondii infection for marine mammals, specifically sea otters, and provides a convincing illustration of pathogen pollution in the marine ecosystem. q 2002 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
JC virus DNA load in patients with and without progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Objective: To determine the clinical value of JC virus (JCV) detection in various anatomic compartments for the diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Methods: CSF, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), plasma, and urine samples were evaluated from HIV-infected and uninfected individuals. JCV DNA was detected by PCR and was quantified using a competitive PCR ELISA. Results: JCV DNA was detected in one-third of the urine samples, regardless of HIV serostatus or clinical evidence of PML. JCV DNA was detected in five of eight PBMC and three of seven plasma samples of HIV-positive PML patients, in 13 of 103 PBMC and 7 of 32 plasma samples of HIV-positive persons without PML, but in 0 of 18 PBMC and 0 of 13 plasma samples of HIV-negative control subjects. There was no correlation between the presence of JCV DNA in the PBMC and plasma, but the detection of JCV in either compartment was associated with low CD4+ lymphocyte counts. JCV DNA was not detected in the CSF of 27 of 27 HIV-negative persons and 64 of 65 HIV-positive persons without PML, but was found in the CSF of three of three HIV-negative immunosuppressed individuals and 10 of 11 HIV-positive individuals with clinical and radiologic evidence of PML, confirmed by biopsy in four of four tested patients. PBMC harbored 10 to 90 JCV copies/μg DNA, and the CSF of the PML patients contained 3.65 × 104 to 2.04 × 105 JCV copies/mL CSF. Conclusions: JCV viruria was found as frequently in HIV-positive individuals as in control subjects, suggesting that its detection has no clinical value. JCV detection in the blood correlates with immunosuppression and not with PML. The presence of JCV in the CSF is highly sensitive and specific for PML, and a high CSF JC viral load was associated with poor clinical outcome in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. JCV quantification in the CSF constitutes a potentially important tool for monitoring clinical PML treatment trials.
Crystal structure of CcdB, a topoisomerase poison from E. coli.

The crystal structure of CcdB, a protein that poisons Escherichia coli gyrase, was determined in three crystal forms. The protein consists of a five-stranded antiparallel beta-pleated sheet followed by a C-terminal alpha-helix. In one of the loops of the sheet, a second small three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet is inserted that sticks out of the molecule as a wing. This wing contains the LysC proteolytic cleavage site that is protected by CcdA and, therefore, forms a likely CcdA recognition site. A dimer is formed by sheet extension and by extensive hydrophobic contacts involving three of the five methionine residues and the C terminus of the alpha-helix. The surface of the dimer on the side of the alpha-helix is overall negatively charged, while the opposite side as well as the wing sheet is dominated by positive charges. We propose that the CcdB dimer binds into the central hole of the 59 kDa N-terminal fragment of GyrA, after disruption of the head dimer interface of GyrA.
Comparison of evoked cortical activity in conscious and propofol‐anesthetized rats using functional MRI

Changes in cortical activity during foot shock were assessed under conscious and propofol‐anesthetized conditions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Increases in signal intensity were observed in the contralateral somatosensory cortex in response to electrical shock of the hindpaw under both conditions. These increases in cortical signal ranged from 6% to 26% while awake and from 1% to 6% under propofol anesthesia. In each of the six animals studied, the largest increase in blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD)‐based signal intensity was observed during consciousness. In three of six animals, propofol anesthesia depressed signal intensity by as much as 10‐fold, showing that the level of cortical activity during foot shock is dampened by anesthesia. These results indicate it would be advantageous to use fully conscious animals to maximize BOLD‐based MRI signal in certain behavioral studies using MR spectrometers with modest field strengths (1.0–2.0 T). Magn Reson Med 41:412–416, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Test for Escherichia coli enterotoxin using infant mice: application in a study of diarrhea in children in Honolulu.

In a new test for detection of Escherichia coli enterotoxin, supernates of broth cultures were injected into the stomachs of infant mice and fluid accumulation in the intestine was measured after 4 hr by weighing. Results with known positive and negative strains were comparable to those obtained with the rabbit-loop test, and the mouse test was easier to perform. Cholera toxin, unlike E. coli enterotoxin, did not dilate infant mouse intestine significantly, even in high concentrations. Use of the infant-mouse test in a study of 37 children with diarrhea in Honolulu revealed no enterotoxin-producing coliform bacteria in the stools. This is in contrast to studies reported from India, where such strains were found in a large proportion of undifferentiated cases of acute diarrhea in adults. None of 15 stock strains of E. coli serotypes generally thought to be enteropathogenic produced significant amounts of enterotoxin as measured by the test in mice.
A high-impedance surface based antenna — Lose the antenna

In this paper a high-impedance surface based antenna is designed by using only the high-impedance surface structure itself. No horizontal dipole antenna, commonly used in such antenna structures, is used at all. By utilizing two characteristic resonance modes of the surface structure, namely the plasmonic resonance and the structural high-impedance surface resonance mode, two separate resonance bands are formed. The frequency range of the modes can be determined from analytical models of high-impedance surfaces. Furthermore, we study how to excite the modes separately in order to produce orthogonal radiation patterns for a transmitting antenna. It is found that the modes can be excited without any additional matching elements with good matching levels and the resonance frequencies of the antenna follow the values estimated by the analytical models. Also, the possibilities to further improve the bandwidth of the antenna structure and the properties of the two resonance modes are discussed.
CONSIDERATION OF MULLER'S RATCHET MECHANISM THROUGH STUDIES OF GENETIC LINKAGE AND GENOMIC COMPATIBILITIES IN CLONALLY REPRODUCING POECILIOPSIS

The generation of all-female offspring can provide a twofold reproductive advantage for an asexual lineage (MaynardSmith, 1978). This reproductive benefit should be most pronounced in the low fecundity, higher organisms, such as birds and mammals; therefore, the absence of asexuality in these groups poses a paradox for evolutionary biologists (Williams, 1975). Most theoretical considerations of the costs of asexuality are extensions or debates of the argument that clones lack evolutionary flexibility because they must rely only on the rate of beneficial mutations for adaptive evolution. Since harmful mutations occur far more frequently than beneficial ones, a species without genetic recombination might also be subject to genetic deterioration (FeIsenstein, 1974). Both sexual and asexual lineages, initially free of detrimental genes, will accumulate mutations at the same rate, until a mutation/selection equilibrium is reached. At this point, an asexual lineage has a "rachet mechanism" (Muller, 1964) such that its load of mutations cannot decrease below that already present in its least loaded clones, but the load can increase. The effectiveness of the ratchet mechanism in causing genetic deterioration depends upon the size of the genome (more loci to mutate) and the size of the population (Maynard-Smith, 1978). In small populations, random processes can result in the
A MATLAB toolbox synthesizing reconfigurable delta-sigma modulators for multi-standard wireless applications

This paper presents a high-level synthesis MATLAB toolbox for reconfigurable delta-sigma analog-to-digital converters used in multi-standard wireless communication terminals. The main algorithm synthesizing the reconfigurable delta-sigma modulators finds an optimal discrete time architecture which can be reconfigured for different considered communication standards and predicts the parameters of the modulator to achieve the required resolution for different operation modes. Estimating the requirements of analog blocks, combined with power consumption evaluation and extracting an area factor for different delta-sigma modulator architectures makes the proposed toolbox an advantageous alternative for reconfigurable delta-sigma modulator synthesis. As verification, the toolbox is used to verify some of the reconfigurable analog to digital converter (ADC) chips proposed and made for multi-standard wireless applications.
Overproduction of laccase by a monokaryotic strain of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus using ethanol as inducer.

AIMS Laccase production by the monokaryotic strain Pycnoporus cinnabarinus ss3 was studied using ethanol as inducer in the culture medium. METHODS AND RESULTS The effect of ethanol was tested at 10, 20, 30, 35 and 45 g l-1 and compared with that of ferulic acid, known until now as the most efficient inducer for laccase expression by P. cinnabarinus ss3. In the presence of 35 g l-1 ethanol, laccase activity (266 600 U l-1) and productivity (19 000 U l-1 day-1) were nine and fivefold higher compared with ferulic acid-induced cultures, and 155- and 65-fold higher compared with non-induced cultures, respectively. In vivo, ethanol added to the culture medium of P. cinnabarinus ss3 favoured a continuous and high expression of laccase gene. Under these conditions, P. cinnabarinus ss3 produced preferentially the isoenzyme LAC I. Ethanol added in vitro to the purified P. cinnabarinus ss3 laccase typically inhibited the enzymatic activity. CONCLUSIONS In spite of an initial inhibitory effect on mycelial growth, ethanol was shown to be a very strong inducer for laccase expression by P. cinnabarinus ss3 allowing an average yield of 1-1.5 g l-1 laccase. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study identified P. cinnabarinus ss3 as an outstanding producer of laccase in the presence of ethanol as inducer. Ethanol is an inexpensive agricultural by-product and the process is simple to scale-up for industrial production.
The Use of NLP Interchange Format for Question Answering in Organizations

One of the main problems enterprises face today is the bulk of data derived from various resources. Furthermore, the growth of technology and sciences has greatly in- fluenced the area of management and decision-making procedures, and has dramatically changed the decision-making processes in different levels, both quantitatively and qualita- tively. Knowledge management plays a vital role in supporting enterprise learning, since it facilitates the effective collective intellect of the enterprise. Question Answering (QA) sys- tem is playing an important role in current search engine optimization. Natural language processing technique is mostly implemented in QA system for asking user's question and several steps are also followed for conversion of questions to query form for getting an ex- act answer. Query languages have complex syntax, requiring a good understanding of the representation schema, including knowledge of details like namespaces, class and property names. In this research we proposed an initial model to implement Conceptual Question Answering and Automatic Information Inferences for the enterprise's operational knowledge management in ontology-based learning organization.
Association of the Skn 7 and Yap 1 Transcription Factors in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Oxidative Stress Response

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Skn7p is a stress response transcription factor that undergoes aspartyl phosphorylation by the Sln1p histidine kinase. Aspartyl phosphorylation of Skn7p is required for activation of genes required in response to wall stress, but Skn7p also activates oxidative stress response genes in an aspartyl phosphorylation-independent manner. The presence of binding sites for the Yap1p and Skn7p transcription factors in oxidative stress response promoters and the oxidative stress-sensitive phenotypes of SKN7 and YAP1 mutants suggest that these two factors work together. We present here evidence for a DNA-independent interaction between the Skn7 and Yap1 proteins that involves the receiver domain of Skn7p and the cysteinerich domains of Yap1p. The interaction with Yap1p may help partition the Skn7 protein to oxidative stress response promoters when the Yap1 protein accumulates in the nucleus.
Multiple imputation using chained equations: Issues and guidance for practice

Multiple imputation by chained equations is a flexible and practical approach to handling missing data. We describe the principles of the method and show how to impute categorical and quantitative variables, including skewed variables. We give guidance on how to specify the imputation model and how many imputations are needed. We describe the practical analysis of multiply imputed data, including model building and model checking. We stress the limitations of the method and discuss the possible pitfalls. We illustrate the ideas using a data set in mental health, giving Stata code fragments. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication of Titania Nanopoles by Nanoporous Alumina Template

The paper demonstrate a formation of thin film titania (TiO2) with dense array of nanopoles and nanopores. The heights of poles and pores are 180 nm and 130 nm, respectively. In order to get titania nanopoles and nanopores, the authors make a nanoporous alumina (A12O3) template through a two-step anodization process, which is essential for the uniform and densified nanopores on aluminum surface. Nano-structured titania films were spin-coated under sol-gel state. The spin-coated titania films were then uniformly patterned by nanoimprinting lithography technique with textured PMMA mold or nanoporous alumina template. These fabricated titania films are very useful for solar cells, photocatalytic and sensing applications wherein nano-structuring of surface with controlled dimensions are vital.
High Dynamic Range image tone mapping approach based on separable Stationary Wavelet Transform decomposition using a coefficients weighted strategy

This paper concerns the problem of converting High Dynamic Range (HDR) images into Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images so as to display the mapped images on LDR display devices. A fast, effective and flexible tone mapping algorithm preserving visibility, contrast and impression of the HDR real-world scene is developed. It is based on the Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT) decomposition reducing a large part of halo artifacts on the reconstructed LDR image. Before the reconstruction step, the approximation and details coefficients of the coarsest subbands are weighted according to a given relationship depending on the characteristics of the HDR image. The proposed tone mapping algorithm performance is evaluated in terms of visual rendering and HDR reproduction fidelity measured with the TMQI metric. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provides interesting results compared to competitive methods available in the literature.
Classification of microcalcifications in radiographs of pathological specimen for the diagnosis of breast cancer

A convolution neural network (CNN) was employed to classify benign and malignant microcalcifications in the radiographs of pathological specimen. The input signals to the CNN were the pixel values of image blocks centered on each of the suspected microcalcifications. The CNN has been shown to be capable of recognizing different image patterns. Digital images were acquired by digitizing radiographs at a high resolution of 21 micrometers X 21 micrometers . Eighty regions of interest (ROIs) selected from digitized radiographs of pathological specimen were used for the training and testing of the neural network system. The performance of the neural network system was analyzed using the ROC analysis.