Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nuclear localization of IκBα promotes active transport of NF-κB from the nucleus to the cytoplasm

IκBα tightly regulates the transcriptional activity of NF- κB by retaining it in the cytoplasm in an inactive form. In the present work, we report that IκBα, when expressed in the nuclear compartment, not only abrogates NF-κB/DNA interactions and NF-κB-dependent transcription, but also transports NF-κB back to the cytoplasm. This function of IκBα is insured by a nuclear export sequence located in the C-terminal domain of IκBα and homologous to the previously described export signal found in HIV-1 Rev protein as well as in PKI (the inhibitor of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A). Thus, inhibition of NF-κB/DNA binding and the consecutive efficient nuclear export of the transcription factor by IκBα could represent an important mechanism for the control of the expression of NF-κBdependent genes. SUMMARY
Determination of Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae by Using the E Test with Mueller-Hinton Agar Supplemented with Sheep or Horse Blood May Be Unreliable

ABSTRACT An international, multicenter study compared trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole MICs for 743 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates (107 to 244 isolates per country) by E test, using Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented with 5% defibrinated horse blood or 5% defibrinated sheep blood, with MICs determined by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards broth microdilution reference method. Agreement within 1 log2dilution and minor error rates were 69.3 and 15.5%, respectively, on sheep blood-supplemented agar and 76.9 and 13.6%, respectively, with horse blood as the supplement. Significant interlaboratory variability was observed. E test may not be a reliable method for determining the resistance of pneumococci to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
Dependency Tree Transformation with Tree Transducers

The problem of (semi-)automatic treebank conversion arises when converting between different schemas, such as from a language specific schema to Universal Dependencies, or when converting from one Universal Dependencies version to the next. We propose a formalism based on top-down tree transducers to convert dependency trees. Building on a well-defined mechanism yields a robust transformation system with clear semantics for rules and which guarantees that every transformation step results in a well formed tree, in contrast to previously proposed solutions. The rules only depend on the local context of the node to convert and rely on the dependency labels as well as the PoS tags. To exemplify the efficiency of our approach, we created a rule set based on only 45 manually transformed sentences from the Hamburg Dependency Treebank. These rules can already transform annotations with both coverage and precision of more than 90%.
Cyclin D1 Promotes Cell Cycle Progression through Enhancing NDR1/2 Kinase Activity Independent of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 4*

Background: Cyclin D1/Cdk4 and NDR1/2 are critical kinases in cell cycle regulation. Results: We demonstrate that cyclin D1 interacts with NDR1 and NDR2 and enhances their kinase activity. Conclusion: Cyclin D1 promotes cell cycle progression partly through up-regulating NDR1/2 activity. Significance: We revealed the novel function of cyclin D1 in cell cycle progression in a Cdk4-independent manner. Cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are critical protein kinases in regulating cell cycle progression. Among them, cyclin D1/Cdk4 exerts its function mainly in the G1 phase. By using the tandem affinity purification tag approach, we identified a set of proteins interacting with Cdk4, including NDR1/2. Interestingly, confirming the interactions between NDR1/2 and cyclin D1/Cdk4, we observed that NDR1/2 interacted with cyclin D1 independent of Cdk4, but NDR1/2 and cyclin D1/Cdk4 did not phosphorylate each other. In addition, we found that NDR1/2 did not affect the kinase activity of cyclin D1/Cdk4 upon phosphorylation of GST-Rb. However, cyclin D1 but not Cdk4 promoted the kinase activity of NDR1/2. We also demonstrated that cyclin D1 K112E, which could not bind Cdk4, enhanced the kinase activity of NDR1/2. To test whether cyclin D1 promotes G1/S transition though enhancing NDR1/2 kinase activity, we performed flow cytometry analysis using cyclin D1 and cyclin D1 K112E Tet-On inducible cell lines. The data show that both cyclin D1 and cyclin D1 K112E promoted G1/S transition. Importantly, knockdown of NDR1/2 almost completely abolished the function of cyclin D1 K112E in promoting G1/S transition. Consistently, we found that the protein level of p21 was reduced in cells overexpressing cyclin D1 K112E but not when NDR1/2 was knocked down. Taken together, these results reveal a novel function of cyclin D1 in promoting cell cycle progression by enhancing NDR kinase activity independent of Cdk4.
Prospective, randomized comparison of epidural versus parenteral opioid analgesia in thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate systemic versus epidural opioid administration for analgesia in patients sustaining thoracic trauma. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA The authors have previously shown that epidural analgesia significantly reduces the pain associated with significant chest wall injury. Recent studies report that epidural analgesia is associated with a lower catecholamine and cytokine response in patients undergoing elective thoracotomy compared with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). This study compares the effect of epidural analgesia and PCA on pain relief, pulmonary function, cathechol release, and immune response in patients sustaining significant thoracic trauma. METHODS Patients (ages 18 to 60 years) sustaining thoracic injury were prospectively randomized to receive epidural analgesia or PCA during an 18-month period. Levels of serum interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured every 12 hours for 3 days by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Urinary catecholamine levels were measured every 24 hours. Independent observers assessed pulmonary function using standard techniques and analgesia using a verbal rating score. RESULTS Twenty-four patients of the 34 enrolled completed the study. Age, injury severity score, thoracic abbreviated injury score, and length of hospital stay did not differ between the two groups. There was no significant difference in plasma levels of IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-6, or TNF-alpha or urinary catecholamines between the two groups at any time point. Epidural analgesia was associated with significantly reduced plasma levels of IL-8 at days 2 and 3, verbal rating score of pain on days 1 and 3, and maximal inspiratory force and tidal volume on day 3 versus PCA. CONCLUSIONS Epidural analgesia significantly reduced pain with chest wall excursion compared with PCA. The route of analgesia did not affect the catecholamine response. However, serum levels of IL-8, a proinflammatory chemoattractant that has been implicated in acute lung injury, were significantly reduced in patients receiving epidural analgesia on days 2 and 3. This may have important clinical implications because lower levels of IL-8 may reduce infectious or inflammatory complications in the trauma patient. Also, tidal volume and maximal inspiratory force were improved with epidural analgesia by day 3. These results demonstrate that epidural analgesia is superior to PCA in providing analgesia, improving pulmonary function, and modifying the immune response in patients with severe chest injury.
The influence of soil type, congeneric cues, and floodplain connectivity on the local distribution of the devil crayfish (Cambarus diogenes Girard)

Abstract. Burrowing crayfish are potentially important ecological links between terrestrial and aquatic systems, but little is known about what drives their local distribution patterns. We investigated potential mechanisms underlying the patchy local distribution of the devil crayfish (Cambarus diogenes Girard) in a stream floodplain ecosystem of the coastal plain of Alabama. We used a series of field surveys and laboratory trials to: 1) quantify local distributions and soil-type associations, 2) identify soil preferences of juveniles and adults, 3) examine the effects of biotic (adult occupancy) and abiotic (soil compaction) factors on juvenile burrowing preferences, and 4) investigate the role of floodplain connectivity on burrow density. Juvenile crayfish were more abundant in sandy streamside soils, whereas adults were more abundant in clay-based floodplain soils. In laboratory preference trials in artificial burrowing chambers, adults and juveniles showed affinity for floodplain over streamside soils, a result suggesting that factors other than soil preference influence field patterns. When juveniles were presented with situations where adults were established, they initiated burrows in association with the adult burrows regardless of soil type. Soil compaction did not influence juvenile burrowing preference, but did result in smaller burrows in laboratory trials. Adult burrow density in the floodplain was negatively related to stream bank angle and top-of-bank height. Juvenile C. diogenes took longer to climb banks with high bank angles than those with low bank angles, a result suggesting increased risk of predation and desiccation associated with disconnected floodplain conditions. Local distribution of C. diogenes burrows in stream/floodplain systems appears to be a product of interacting physical and biological factors rather than of soil-type preferences. Stream–floodplain connectivity may affect recruitment and population viability of burrowing crayfish.
Phenolics removal from transgenic Lemna minor extracts expressing mAb and impact on mAb production cost

Transgenic Lemna minor has been used successfully to produce several biotherapeutic proteins. For plant‐produced mAbs specifically, the cost of protein A capture step is critical as the economic benefits of plant production systems could be erased if the downstream processing ends up being expensive. To avoid potential modification of mAb or fouling of expensive protein A resins, a rapid and efficient removal of phenolics from plant extracts is desirable. We identified major phenolics in Lemna extracts and evaluated their removal by adsorption to PVPP, XAD‐4, IRA‐402, and Q‐Sepharose. Forms of apigenin, ferulic acid, and vitexin comprised ∼75% of the total phenolics. Screening of the resins with pure ferulic acid and vitexin indicated that PVPP would not be efficient for phenolics removal. Analysis of the breakthrough fractions of phenolics adsorption to XAD‐4, IRA‐402, and Q‐Sepharose showed differences in adsorption with pH and in the type of phenolics adsorbed. Superior dynamic binding capacities (DBC) were observed at pH 4.5 than at 7.5. To evaluate the cost impact of a phenolics removal step before protein A chromatography, a mAb purification process was simulated using SuperPro Designer 7.0. The economic analysis indicated that addition of a phenolics adsorption step would increase mAb production cost only 20% by using IRA‐402 compared to 35% for XAD‐4 resin. The cost of the adsorption step is offset by increasing the lifespan of protein A resin and a reduction of overall mAb production cost could be achieved by using a phenolics removal step. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2011
An Improvement of Structural Similarity Index for Image Quality Assessment

The image quality assessment has been widely used in image processing. Several researches have been developed and carried considering the Human Visual System (HVS). Under the hypothesis that human visual perception is extremely adapted to retrieve structural information from a scene, the SSIM index is the most widely used in this area, which leads to a better correlation with HVS. Despite its robustness the SSIM presents some limitations in the presence of blur affecting images. In this study, we propose an improved version of the SSIM for blur image assessment. The idea is to combine gradient based SSIM score with that of the structural information of the blur. Experimental results show a good performance.
The scaling relationship between telescope cost and aperture size for very large telescopes

Cost data for ground-based telescopes of the last century are analyzed for trends in the relationship between aperture size and cost. We find that for apertures built prior to 1980, costs scaled as aperture size to the 2.8 power, which is consistent with the previous finding of Meinel (1978). After 1980, 'traditional' monolithic mirror telescope costs have scaled as aperture to the 2.5 power. The large multiple mirror telescopes built or in construction during this time period (Keck, LBT, GTC) appear to deviate from this relationship with significant cost savings as a result, although it is unclear what power law such structures follow. We discuss the implications of the current cost-aperture size data on the proposed large telescope projects of the next ten to twenty years. Structures that naturally tend towards the 2.0 power in the cost-aperture relationship will be the favorable choice for future extremely large apertures; our expectation is that space-based structures will ultimately gain economic advantage over ground-based ones.
Simulation of Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Confined Aquifer Using a Point Collocation Method Based Meshfree Model

Seawater intrusion caused by groundwater over-exploitation from coastal aquifers poses a severe problem in many regions. Formulation of proper pumping strategy using a simulation model can assure sustainable supply of fresh water from the coastal aquifers. The focus of the present study is on the development of a numerical model based on Meshfree (MFree) method to study the seawater intrusion problem. For the simulation of seawater intrusion problem, widely used models are based on Finite Difference (FDM) and Finite Element (FEM) Methods, which demand well defined grids/meshes and considerable pre-processing efforts. Here, MFree Point Collocation Method (PCM) based on the Radial Basis Function (RBF) is proposed for the simulation. Diffusive interface approach with density-dependent dispersion and solution of flow and solute transport is adopted. These equations are solved using PCM with appropriate boundary conditions. The developed model has been verified with Henry’s problem, and found to be satisfactory. Further the model has been applied to another established problem and an attempt is made to examine the influence of important system parameters including pumping and recharge on the seawater intrusion. The PCM based MFree model is found computationally efficient as preprocessing is avoided when compared to other numerical methods.
A local domain adaptation feature extraction method

In this paper, we propose a novel measure: Local Patches Based Maximum Mean Discrepancy (LPMMD). Based on the above measure, we also propose a novel feature extraction method: A Local Domain Adaptation Feature Extraction Method (LDAFE), which not only fulfills the transfer learning task, but also has a certain local learning capability. The LDAFE can complete traditional feature extraction as well as domain adaptation learning in two domains whose distributions are different but relative, thus indicating its better robustness and adaptation. Tests show the above-proposed advantages of the LPMMD criterion and the LDAFE method.
Performance Analysis and Optimum Power Allocation for Packet Decode-and-Forward Cooperative Relaying System

Despite the very substantial body of research on the performance analysis of cooperative relay systems, most studies focus on either the symbol error ratio (SER) or outage behavior. This paper first analyzes the asymptotic average packet error probability (PEP) of uncoded packet cooperative relay system for DF (Decode-and-Forward) schemes in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) region. In particular, the effect of packet length on optimum power allocation r_opt is studied. It is found, with a symmetrical links assumption, the optimum power allocation ratio is in the region of 1/2<r_opt<(3-sqrt(3))/2 regardless of modulation scheme; and when packet length becomes large enough, the optimum r_opt value converges to (3-sqrt(3))/2.
Spinning Yarns: The Archaeological Evidence for Hand Spinning and its Social Implications, c ad 1200–1500

THIS PAPER EXAMINES the archaeological evidence for hand spinning in medieval Britain from c 1200 to c 1500. Ceramic, stone and baked clay spindle whorls have dominated the excavated finds, but a new corpus of lead-alloy spindle whorls, recorded through the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Scottish Treasure Trove, is presented here. Analysis of the metal whorls’ distribution, manufacture, dating and decoration is provided, illuminating the wide social and economic contexts in which they were used. From memento mori of pious spinners to sexually potent objects representative of lubricious gossips, the ubiquitous spindle whorl was a universal tool that had a powerful agency. The artefacts are small finds embodying daily life but also tie into the wider national economy of the High and Late Middle Ages.
Impact of a palliative care initiative on end-of-life care in the general wards: A before-and-after study

Background: Data on deaths in the general wards of our hospital in 2007 revealed infrequent discussions on end-of-life care and excessive burdensome interventions. Aim: A physician order form to withhold inappropriate life-sustaining interventions was initiated in 2009. The use of the form was facilitated by staff educational sessions and a palliative care consult service. This study aims to evaluate the impact of these interventions in 2010. Design: Retrospective medical chart review with comparisons was made for the following: baseline patient characteristics, orders concerning life-sustaining therapies, treatment provided in last 24 h of life, and discussion of specific life-sustaining therapies with patients and families. Settings/participants: This study included all adult patients who died in our hospital’s general wards in 2007 (N = 683) versus 2010 (N = 714). Results: There was an increase in orders to withhold life-sustaining therapies, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (66.2%–80.0%). There was a decrease in burdensome interventions such as antibiotics (44.9%–24.9%) and a small increase in palliative treatments such as analgesia (29.1%–36.7%). There were more discussions on the role of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with conversant patients (4.6%–10.2%) and families (56.5%–79.8%) (p-value all < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, the physician order form independently predicted orders to withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Conclusions: A multifaceted intervention of a physician order form, educational sessions, and palliative care consult service led to an improvement in documentation of end-of-life discussions and was associated with an increase in such discussions and less burdensome treatments. There were small improvements in the proportion of palliative treatments administered.
Layered Subsurface Radar Profiling with Combined ESPRIT and SVA Algorithms

In this paper, a high-performance profiling algorithm with the combination of ESPRIT and SVA (Spatially Invariant Apodization) was proposed. In the algorithm, SVA is firstly used to reduce the sidelobes of compressed pulses, because they could mask the weak signals reflected from subsequent subsurfaces, and ESPRIT is then used to get super-resolution profiling. Detailed simulations for one four-layer geometry with comparison of the results obtained by FFT plus ESPRIT and by SVA plus ESPRIT were presented to show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
A Novel Fast Image Encryption Scheme Based on 3D Chaotic Baker Maps

Symmetric block encryption schemes, designed on invertible two-dimensional chaotic maps on a torus or a square, prove feasible and secure for real-time image encryption according to the commonly used criteria given in the literature. In this paper, a typical map of this kind, namely, the baker map, is further extended to be three-dimensional and then used to speed up image encryption while retaining its high degree of security. The proposed algorithm is described in detail, along with its security analysis and implementation. Experimental results show that this three-dimensional baker map is 2–3 times faster than the two-dimensional one, showing its great potential in real-time image encryption applications.
A framework for understanding the role of business-IT alignment in organisational agility

The (cid:3) modern (cid:3) organisation (cid:3) finds (cid:3) itself (cid:3) in (cid:3) a (cid:3) complex (cid:3) dynamic (cid:3) environment. (cid:3) New (cid:3) forces (cid:3) in (cid:3) the (cid:3) marketplace (cid:3) such (cid:3) as (cid:3) globalisation (cid:3) and (cid:3) the (cid:3) digital (cid:3) economy (cid:3) have (cid:3) increased (cid:3) the (cid:3) need (cid:3) for (cid:3) rapid (cid:3) adaptation (cid:3) just (cid:3) to (cid:3) stay (cid:3) in (cid:3) business. (cid:3) These (cid:3) forces (cid:3) are (cid:3) juxtaposed (cid:3) with (cid:3) regulatory (cid:3) environments (cid:3) of (cid:3) increasing (cid:3) complexity (cid:3) that (cid:3) act (cid:3) to (cid:3) constrain (cid:3) the (cid:3) notion (cid:3) of (cid:3) the (cid:3) free (cid:3) market (cid:3) economy. (cid:3) How (cid:3) organisations (cid:3) respond (cid:3) to (cid:3) these (cid:3) conditions (cid:3) has (cid:3) occupied (cid:3)
The Australian Information Systems Research Community: an analysis of mainstream publication outlets

This paper reports on an investigation of the nature of and interactions among the Information Systems academic research community in Australia. The 382 refereed papers from the two mainstream IS refereed publication outlets in Australia were analysed for the period 1990-1996 to determine the contributions of individual universities, departments and authors to the pattern of collaboration, and to examine the nature of the contributors. The study revealed that several institutions, departments and authors dominated the publication outlets and that the majority of the collaboration that occurred took place within university departments. Collaboration between and among different disciplines and nations, and between practitioners and academics was limited. It was found that although the Australian academic IS research community had only recently emerged, it was growing strongly.
Effects of Length and Number of Paths on Simultaneous Multi-path Communication

Simultaneous multi-path communication (SMPC) is proposed to improve communication performance over a congested network. Two types of SMPC were examined: SMPC-I, which uses multiple paths independently, and SMPCP, which uses a path priority control algorithm in conjunction with SMPC. A network simulator was developed in order to clarify communications behavior in SMPC, in the case of a long sub-path and in the case of three paths. Based on the simulation results, both SMPC-I and SMPC-P maintain throughput regardless of path length, and priority control of SMPC-P works with three available paths. In addition, the load on data links of SMPC-P is found to be less than that of SMPC-I. Therefore, SMPC-P is effective as a communication method on a congested network.