Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Population genetic structure of the seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda on Bromus tectorum in western North America

We examined genetic variation in the ascomycete pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda cultured from seeds of the invasive grass Bromus tectorum in the Intermountain West of North America. We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA genome in 417 monoconidial cultures collected from 20 sites in Washington, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, USA. ITS sequence diversity was surprisingly high; 12 unique haplotypes were identified, averaging 1.3% pairwise sequence divergence. All sites had at least two haplotypes present, and three sites had seven or more. One haplotype composed 60% of the isolates and occurred at all 20 locations; the remaining haplotypes generally occurred at low frequencies within sites but at multiple sites throughout the region. Sites in Washington and Idaho were more diverse than those in Utah and Colorado, averaging two more haplotypes and 67% more pairwise differences among haplotypes at a site. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that more than 80% of the genetic variation was found within sampling locations, while 7–11% of the variation can be attributed to differences between northern (Washington and Idaho) and southern (Utah and Colorado) populations. The wide distribution of even uncommon haplotypes among sampling sites and weak correlations between genetic and geographic distances among populations (< 0.2) suggested that these populations recently were established from a common source. We hypothesize that the strains of P. semeniperda infecting B. tectorum in western North America probably arrived with the invasive grass from its native Eurasian range.
An analysis of the relationship between high‐pass resolution perimetry and neuroretinal rim area in normal‐tension glaucoma

Abstract We evaluated the reproducibility of measurements of the visual function index, ‘functional channels’, of high‐pass resolution perimetry and the correlation between functional channels and topographic changes of the optic nerve head, particularly on the neuroretinal rim area. The median coefficient of variation for the six intra‐individual measurements of functional channels with high‐pass resolution perimetry was 9.5%. In 26 eyes of 18 normal‐tension glaucoma patients, functional channels showed statistically significant correlation with the neuroretinal rim area (rim area) of the optic disc measured by a Rodenstock Optic Nerve Head Analyzer. These results suggested that functional channels of high‐pass resolution perimetry may be a useful new parameter for evaluating visual function of glaucoma patients.
Single quark polarization in quantum chromodynamics subprocesses.

It is well known that the single-polarization asymmetries vanish in QCD with massless quarks. But, heavy quarks with a nonzero mass should be transversely polarized due to the breakdown of the helicity conservation. In this paper we give the exact fourth-order perturbative QCD predictions for the transverse polarization from all QCD subprocesses, {ital q}+{ital q}{prime}{r_arrow}{ital q}+{ital q}{prime}, {ital q}+{ital g}{r_arrow}{ital q}+{ital g}, {ital g}+{ital g}{r_arrow}{ital q}+{bar {ital q}}, and {ital q}+{bar {ital q}}{r_arrow}{ital q}{prime}+{bar {ital q}}{prime}, which are significant for heavy quark production, with a description of the method of calculation. The kinematical dependence of the polarization is discussed. Top quark polarization from gluon fusion and quark annihilation processes, which are the important subprocesses at high energies, is estimated and its significance is discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Frontal lobe function in childhood and adolescence: A heuristic for assessing attention regulation, executive control, and the intentional states important for social discourse

A heuristic for assessing frontal lobe function in children and adolescents is described. Information presents to an input operator, which is regulated by the operations of orientation, anticipatory set, and interference control. Working memory then represents information as one of three symbol‐level systems that collectively form the knowledge base: mental models (images or more abstract representations of information whose structure corresponds to the structure of the situation they describe), semantic representations (propositions concerned with meaning), and intentional representations (propositions concerned with the knowledge and beliefs that people entertain about themselves and about each other). Knowledge base systems may undergo further elaboration or metarepresentation, becoming integrated with habits or procedures and with declarative forms of knowledge; they are also involved in monitoring the match between internal states and the external world. The heuristic helps assess and explain some ob.
A higher-order entity formed by the flexible assembly of RAP1 with TRF2

Telomere integrity is essential to maintain genome stability, and telomeric dysfunctions are associated with cancer and aging pathologies. In human, the shelterin complex binds TTAGGG DNA repeats and provides capping to chromosome ends. Within shelterin, RAP1 is recruited through its interaction with TRF2, and TRF2 is required for telomere protection through a network of nucleic acid and protein interactions. RAP1 is one of the most conserved shelterin proteins although one unresolved question is how its interaction may influence TRF2 properties and regulate its capacity to bind multiple proteins. Through a combination of biochemical, biophysical and structural approaches, we unveiled a unique mode of assembly between RAP1 and TRF2. The complete interaction scheme between the full-length proteins involves a complex biphasic interaction of RAP1 that directly affects the binding properties of the assembly. These results reveal how a non-DNA binding protein can influence the properties of a DNA-binding partner by mutual conformational adjustments.
Remarkable increase in fluoroquinolone-resistant Mycoplasma genitalium in Japan.

OBJECTIVES We determined the prevalence of macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in Mycoplasma genitalium DNA specimens from men with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) and analysed their effects on antibiotic treatments of M. genitalium infections. METHODS In this retrospective study, we examined antibiotic resistance-associated mutations in the 23S rRNA, gyrA and parC genes of M. genitalium and the association of the mutations with microbiological outcomes of antibiotic treatments in men with M. genitalium-positive NGU. RESULTS No macrolide resistance-associated mutations in the 23S rRNA gene were observed in 27 M. genitalium DNA specimens in 2011 and in 24 in 2012. However, 5 of 17 in 2013 had 23S rRNA mutations. Three of 15 in 2011, 6 of 19 in 2012 and 8 of 17 in 2013 had fluoroquinolone resistance-associated alterations in ParC. Three in 2013 had both the antibiotic resistance-associated alterations coincidentally. In two men with M. genitalium harbouring 23S rRNA mutations, the mycoplasma persisted after treatment with a regimen of 2 g of extended-release azithromycin (AZM-SR) once daily for 1 day. All nine men with mycoplasma harbouring ParC alterations were microbiologically cured with a regimen of 100 mg of sitafloxacin twice daily for 7 days. CONCLUSIONS Macrolide- or fluoroquinolone-resistant M. genitalium appears to be increasing, and the increase in fluoroquinolone-resistant mycoplasmas is especially remarkable in Japan. Mycoplasmas harbouring 23S rRNA mutations would be resistant to the AZM-SR regimen, but those harbouring ParC alterations would still be susceptible to the sitafloxacin regimen.
Electrophysiology of the Frontal Lobe

The electrophysiology of the frontal lobe appears to be unimpressive when the view is limited to the routine EEG recording of a healthy waking adult. There is usually low voltage fast activity, which becomes more pronounced when recorded with depth leads. Three special EEG patterns of marginal to slightly abnormal character are discussed: a) rhythmical midfrontal 6–7/sec activity of juveniles, b) rhythmical midfrontal sharp 4–6/sec activity of infancy and early childhood with arousal from sleep, and c) frontal intermittent rhythmical delta activity (FIRDA) in waking adults with frontopolar maximum, possibly related to thought processes under abnormal conditions. With extension of the frequency range, ultraslow (DC-like) as well as fast beta (gamma, 40–80/sec) and ultrafast activity (80–1000/sec) are found particularly over the frontal lobes. Ultraslow baseline shifts are arousal-related and mixed with overlying ultrafast waves. Attention control and the “working memory” involve chiefly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, investigated with P300 responses and likely to show ultrafast spectra. Perception-related 40–80/sec gamma activity has been thought to be associated with the entrance into consciousness. Initiation and design of motor activity spreads from prefrontal to the frontomotor cortex, associated with powerful event-related potentials: contingent negative variation (CNV) and “Bereitschafts potential” (“readiness potential,” RP). Neuroscientific research of the highest frontal lobe functions has become a very active domain of neuroimaging. With the use of the extended frequency range, EEG and also evoked potential studies could add further information with acquisition in real time. Ultrafast frequency ranges presented in computerized frequency analysis and mapping might show impressive correlates of highest frontal lobe functions.
Difference in prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in cytomorphologically normal cervical smears is associated with a history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes was investigated by the pofymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in cytologically normal and abnormal cervical scrapes obtained from asymptomatic women (n = 1,346), participating in a triennial screening program for cervical cancer, and from a gynecological outpatient population (n = 593). In the symptom‐free population oncogenic HPV types 16, 18, 31 and 33 were present in 1.5% of cytologically normal scrapes, while the overall HPV prevalence rate was 3.5%. Significantly, higher HPV prevalence rates of 7% (oncogenic HPV; p < 0.01) and 14% (all HPV; p < 0.01), respectively, were found in cytologically normal scrapes of the gynecologic outpatient population. It appeared that in this outpatient group 78% of the smears containing HPV 16 and 18 were associated with a history of cervical pathology, i.e. cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade I to III. In smears with mild and severe dysplasia and smears suspected of carcinoma in situ from both populations, the overall HPV prevalence was 70%, 84% and 100%, respectively. In all squamous‐cell carcinomas of the cervix (n = 50) HPV was detected. Frequencies of HPV 16 and 18 increased from 41% in mild dysplasia to 94% in cervical carcinomas. Since a low prevalence of HPV was found in cytomorphologically normal cervices of women without a clinico‐pathological history, the findings in this study suggest that HPV detection in population‐based screening programs for cervical neoplasia can be an important tool in identifying women who are at risk of developing dysplasia and cervical cancer.
Dietary Restriction Extends Lifespan in Wild-Derived Populations of Drosophila melanogaster

Dietary restriction (DR) can result in lifespan-extension and improved function and health during ageing. Although the impact of DR on lifespan and health has been established in a variety of organisms, most DR experiments are carried out on laboratory strains that have often undergone adaptation to laboratory conditions. The effect of DR on animals recently derived from wild populations is rarely assessed. We measured the DR response of four populations of Drosophila melanogaster within two generations of collection from the wild. All populations responded to DR with an increase in lifespan and a decrease in female fecundity, similarly to a control, laboratory-adapted strain. These effects of DR are thus not a result of adaptation to laboratory conditions, and reflect the characteristics of natural populations.
Gene Expression Profile Analysis of Porphyromonas gingivalis during Invasion of Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells

ABSTRACT Microarrays were used to identify genes of Porphyromonas gingivalis W83 differentially expressed during invasion of primary human coronary artery endothelial cells. Analyses of microarray images indicated that 62 genes were differentially regulated. Of these, 11 genes were up-regulated and 51 were down-regulated. The differential expression of 16 selected genes was confirmed by real-time PCR.
SCENERY: a web application for (causal) network reconstruction from cytometry data

Abstract Flow and mass cytometry technologies can probe proteins as biological markers in thousands of individual cells simultaneously, providing unprecedented opportunities for reconstructing networks of protein interactions through machine learning algorithms. The network reconstruction (NR) problem has been well-studied by the machine learning community. However, the potentials of available methods remain largely unknown to the cytometry community, mainly due to their intrinsic complexity and the lack of comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use NR software implementations specific for cytometry data. To bridge this gap, we present Single CEll NEtwork Reconstruction sYstem (SCENERY), a web server featuring several standard and advanced cytometry data analysis methods coupled with NR algorithms in a user-friendly, on-line environment. In SCENERY, users may upload their data and set their own study design. The server offers several data analysis options categorized into three classes of methods: data (pre)processing, statistical analysis and NR. The server also provides interactive visualization and download of results as ready-to-publish images or multimedia reports. Its core is modular and based on the widely-used and robust R platform allowing power users to extend its functionalities by submitting their own NR methods. SCENERY is available at scenery.csd. uoc.gr or http://mensxmachina.org/en/software/.
Fecal Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Crohn's Disease

Abstract:The diagnosis and monitoring of Crohn's disease has traditionally relied on clinical assessment, serum markers of inflammation, and endoscopic examination. Fecal biomarkers such as calprotectin, lactoferrin, and S100A12 are predominantly derived from neutrophils, are easily detectable in the feces, and are emerging as valuable markers of intestinal inflammation. This review focuses on the role of fecal biomarkers in the diagnosis and monitoring of Crohn's disease, in particular how these biomarkers change with disease activity and remission, how they can be used to monitor the response to medical therapy, their value in predicting clinical relapse, and their role in monitoring the postoperative state.
Contrasting Approaches to Social Knowing

In the course of evaluating the present contributions the basic properties of an ecological approach to social knowing are described. The exposition focuses on three major issues: (1) the importance for understanding the achievement of social meaning in considering the nature of the stimulus information as opposed to emphasizing the role of internal information processing entities, stages and/or operations; (2) the relevance for social knowing of the reciprocal relationship between perception and action; f3) the arguments advanced from an ecological perspective regarding the essentially' veridical and open, character of perceptual know ledge as against the dominant view of perception as error prone and bounded by capacity, limitations.
Toward an Ecosystem for Developing and Programming Assistive Environments

The first cohort of “baby boomers” are now 65 years or older, presaging a massive wave of aging “boomers” that could degrade health care and elder care over the next quarter-century. Cost-effective, high-impact technologies for aging, disabilities and independent living are urgently needed. In this paper, we present our experience in building “assistive environments” for older adults-the Gator Tech Smart House (GTSH) project. Numerous R&D efforts similar to ours are either underway or have recently been conducted. In most of these projects, prototypes have been built to achieve independence, well being, and in general, good quality of life. But prototyping a technology is one thing; commercial proliferation and creating a vibrant industry around such technology is an altogether different proposition. From the lessons learned in the GTSH, we analyze the impediments hindering the emergence of products and services for assistive environments, and present the blueprints of an ecosystem based on requirements drawn from the lessons learned. We believe the proposed ecosystem is an important beginning to providing better conditions for an accelerated proliferation of next-generation smart homes and assistive environments.
Minilaparoscopy and laparoendoscopic single-site surgery: mini- and single-scar in urology

Abstract Purpose: To review the development of laparoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) and minilaparoscopy (ML), with particular attention to the urological field, focusing on nomenclature, history and outcomes. Methods: A literature search was conducted on laparoendoscopic single-site surgery, minilaparoscopy, needlescopy and microlaparoscopy. The most relevant papers were selected over the last 30 years. Results: 830 manuscripts were found about LESS, 251 in urology, two CRTs and nine match-case controls. 258 papers were about ML and 55 in urology. ML is the main topic (169 papers), followed by needlescopy (58) and microlaparoscopy (32). The most significant articles are four non-randomized match-case control studies. Conclusions: Over the last few years, many urological laparoscopic operations have been successfully performed by LESS. However, the actual role of LESS remains to be determined with controversial data about postoperative pain control and almost no results on cosmesis. We are facing second-generation ML with superior performance granted by new endoscopes and most effective instruments. ML has demonstrated in almost all urologic indications to be feasible, safe and able to improve cosmetic and postoperative pain control. Anyway, CRTs are still lacking and only studies from other discipline can corroborate this trend.
March Madness, office gambling, and workplace productivity issues: an empirical study.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and test certain assumptions concerning the employee productivity and employee morale associated with the annual participation in March Madness activities.Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of relatively well‐paid professionals many of whom routinely engage in office pools and most universally are involved in bracketing March Madness plays, from a major Pittsburgh‐based financial service provider. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to test the hypotheses.Findings – Although management may advertise that their companies lose operational productivity, respondents generally agree that there is little drop off in workplace productivity. Apparently, there is a trade off between labor productivity, which may be slightly reduced on the short term, and employee cohesiveness, which may increase on the long term.Practical implications – March Madness activities are such time‐honored traditions that it may be questionable whether any efforts .
Sensor-based coverage with extended range detectors

Coverage path planning determines a path that passes a robot, a detector, or some type of effector over all points in the environment. Prior work in coverage tends to fall into one of two extremes: coverage with an effector the same size of the robot, and coverage with an effector that has infinite range. In this paper, we consider coverage in the middle of this spectrum: coverage with a detector range that goes beyond the robot, and yet is still finite in range. We achieve coverage in two steps: The first step considers vast, open spaces, where the robot can use the full range of its detector; the robot covers these spaces as if it were as big as its detector range. Here we employ previous work in using Morse cell decompositions to cover unknown spaces. A cell in this decomposition can be covered via simple back-and-forth motions, and coverage of the vast space is then reduced to ensuring that the robot visits each cell in the vast space. The second step considers the narrow or cluttered spaces where obstacles lie within detector range, and thus the detector "fills" the surrounding area. In this case, the robot can cover the cluttered space by simply following the generalized Voronoi diagram (GVD) of that space. In this paper, we introduce a hierarchical decomposition that combines the Morse decompositions and the GVDs to ensure that the robot indeed visits all vast, open, as well as narrow, cluttered, spaces. We show how to construct this decomposition online with sensor data that is accumulated while the robot enters the environment for the first time.
Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in a sample of Italian high school teachers

The aim in this study was to further analyze the construct of emotional intelligence and its relation to occupational self-efficacy in a sample of Italian teachers. The Italian version of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Short (Bar-On, 2002) and the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001) were administered to 169 participants. Significant differences in emotional intelligence emerged with respect to age. In comparison to females, males obtained higher scores in the intrapersonal dimension, while women scored higher on the interpersonal dimension. Teacher self-efficacy was best explained by the intrapersonal dimension. The study indicates both a need for further analysis of the emotional intelligence of teachers and new areas of possible research.
A review of the literature on employee empowerment

“Employee empowerment” as a term is frequently used in management circles. In practice, however, it is a daunting effort to find an exact definition of it. There are hundreds of articles on the topic. Some attempt their own definition; others expect that the reader already knows what the concept means. What is employee empowerment? What are its roots? What do the various theoretical voices have to say about the concept? An exploration of these questions is the content of this article.
Morphological, physiological, molecular and phylogenetic characterization of new environmental isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. from the region of Bratislava, Slovakia

Protozoa of the genus Acanthamoeba are organisms that can be generally found in the environment. The focus of this study is the detection of the presence of Acanthamoeba in different water sources and samples taken from airconditioning units. The identification of Acanthamoeba isolates was based on the morphology of cysts and trophozoites as well as PCR amplification with a genus specific primer pair JDP1 and JDP2. Growth characteristics and temperature tolerance were monitored. The pathogenic potential was tested in vitro on Vero cell cultures. Genotype identification was based on the sequencing of the GTSA.B1 PCR amplimer of 18S ribosomal DNA. The data obtained revealed that the isolates belong to T3 and T4 genotypes. One T3 and one T4 isolate contain a group I intron. The 933 base pair intron found in a genotype T4 isolate is considerably larger compared to formerly described introns of Acanthamoeba griffini (genotype T3) and A. Lenticulata (genotype T5). This is the first report detailing the environmental distribution of the Acanthamoeba genotypes in the region of Bratislava, Slovakia.