Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ccfA, the Genetic Determinant for the cCF10 Peptide Pheromone in Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF

ABSTRACT The nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecalis has a unique pheromone-inducible conjugative mating system. Conjugative transfer of the E. faecalis plasmid pCF10 is specifically induced by the cCF10 peptide pheromone (LVTLVFV). Genomic sequence information has recently allowed the identification of putative structural genes coding for the various enterococcal pheromones (D. B. Clewell et al., Mol. Microbiol. 35:246-247, 2000). The cCF10 pheromone sequence LVTLVFV was found within an open reading frame designated ccfA, encoding a putative lipoprotein precursor. Several other pheromone sequences were found in similar locations within other predicted lipoproteins. CcfA shows significant sequence relatedness to the Escherichia coli protein YidC, an inner membrane protein translocase, as well as to a large number of homologs identified in gram-positive and in gram-negative bacteria. Analysis of the deduced CcfA amino acid sequence suggested that mature cCF10 peptide could be formed from the proteolytic degradation of its signal peptide. Expression of the cloned ccfA gene with an inducible expression vector dramatically increased cCF10 production by E. faecalis and also resulted in cCF10 production by Lactococcus lactis, a non-pheromone producer. Site-directed mutagenesis of the ccfA sequence encoding the cCF10 peptide confirmed that ccfA was a functional genetic determinant for cCF10.
The Trigeminal Nerve. Part I: An Over-View

ABSTRACT The trigeminal nerve is the largest and most complex of twelve cranial nerves. Its vast size and influence are greatly appreciated when one attempts to diagnose and treat patients suffering from orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint disorders. Without a thorough knowledge of the trigeminal nerve, the efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures will be very disappointing. This is the first of a four-part series of articles about the trigeminal nerve, a basic over-view of both the gross and neuroanatomical structures is presented.
How Do Foreign Direct Investment and Growth Interact in India?

The study investigates the relationships between the FDI and economic growth, namely, gross domestic product, export and foreign exchange reserve over the period 1994 to 2013. Johansen’s co-integration and vector error correction model have been applied to explore the long-run equilibrium relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth. The analysis reveals that economic growth and the foreign direct investment are co-integrated and, hence, a long-run equilibrium relationship exists between them. It is observed that the foreign direct investment is positively relate to gross domestic product and foreign exchange reserve but negatively relate to export. The export is found to be insignificant in determining FDI. In the Granger causality sense, foreign direct investment causes GDP. FDI causes GDP in both long run and short-run. While there is no bidirectional causality exists between any variables under study. Furthermore, it is observed form the findings of VECM and Granger Causality test that FDI creates a long run relationship with economic growth but in short run no causality found between FDI, export and foreign exchange reserves.
A Pulsewidth Modulation Technique for High-Voltage Gain Operation of Three-Phase Z-Source Inverters

Z-source inverter (ZSI) was recently proposed as a single-stage buck-boost dc-ac power conversion topology. It augments voltage boost capability to the typical voltage buck operation of the conventional voltage source inverter with enhanced reliability. However, its boosting capability could be limited; therefore, it may not suit applications requiring a high-voltage boosting gain. To enhance the boosting capability, this paper proposes a new pulsewidth modulation (PWM) technique to control the generation of the shoot-through intervals in three-phase ZSIs. The proposed modulation technique achieves a reliable high-voltage gain operation without adding any extra hardware to the ZSI structure, which preserves its single-stage buck-boost conversion nature. In this paper, the principle of the proposed modulation technique is analyzed in detail, and the comparison of the ZSI performance under the conventional and the proposed PWM techniques is given. The simulation and experimental results are shown to verify the analysis of the proposed concept.
Optimization of design parameters for 45 W ICPT system

Loosely coupled inductive power transfer (LCIPT) systems are designed to deliver power efficiently from a stationary primary source to one or more movable secondary loads over relatively large air gaps via magnetic coupling. This paper presents the variation of deviation factor and cost factor with respect to the number of turns in Primary and Secondary coil (NP and NS) for a Series-Series (SS) topology. The optimized theoretical results have been proposed for a 45-W Series-Series (SS) prototype having a distance of 1 meter between the coils with an efficiency of 96.079%. Also variation of operating frequency with the variation of rated load power has been justified.
Culture of mouse oocytes in vitro, using a system without oil or protein.

as steroids, and the protein renders the medium undefined. To overcome these problems, we have investigated the effect of eliminating the oil layer and substituting polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) for the protein. Oocytes were collected from 12to 15-week-old Swiss mice as described by Biggers et al. (1967) and groups often were placed in each well of a Microtest Plate (Falcon Plastics, Cat. No. 3034). Previously, the wells had each received 20 μ of medium, consisting of a modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (NaCl, 119-39; KC1, 4-78; CaCl2.2H20, 1-71; KH2P04, 1-19; NaHC03, 25-07 dim) described by Brinster (1965), supplemented with sodium pyruvate (0-25 μ) and crystalline bovine serum albumin (1 mg/ml). Potassium penicillin G (50 U/ml) and streptomycin sulphate (50 /? g/ml) were added to safeguard sterility. When this culture system was incubated under 5% C02 in an air atmosphere, the oocytes formed polar bodies but with significantly lower efficiency than in drops under oil. Since the oil layer might provide a lower oxygen concentration by restricting gaseous exchange between atmosphere and medium, the effect ofvarying the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere on the proportion of oocytes that developed first polar bodies was studied. Microtest Plate cultures were placed in small desiccators, which were evacu¬ ated to 60 mm Hg and refilled five times with atmospheres containing the appropriate partial pressure of oxygen. The balance of the atmosphere was nitrogen, except for C02 which was kept constant at 5 %. After incubation for 18 to 20 hr at 37° C, the proportion of oocytes which had formed polar bodies was recorded. Text-figure 1 shows that when no oxygen was added to the atmosphere, relatively few oocytes produced polar bodies. Maximum matura¬ tion, not significantly different from that observed under oil, with minimum variation occurred with 5 to 10% oxygen. Above this concentration, maturation
Blood Pressure Indices and Cardiovascular Disease in the Asia Pacific Region: A Pooled Analysis

Abstract—This article aims to compare the importance of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse pressure (PP) as risk factors for stroke and ischemic heart disease and to assess whether the patterns are consistent by age and gender. Cox proportional-hazards regression, adjusted for cholesterol and smoking, was used to assess the associations of the 4 BP indices with stroke and ischemic heart disease by age and gender. The relative importance of individual indices was assessed with a hazard ratios for a 1-SD change in BP and by likelihood-ratio &khgr;2 tests. The influence of >1 BP index in the Cox model was also estimated. The analyses demonstrated similar associations of SBP, DBP, and MAP with both fatal stroke and ischemic heart diseases, which were stronger than those of PP. Both SBP and MAP tended to be more important in the regression model than DBP or PP. In Cox models including DBP, addition of SBP improved the goodness of fit at all ages and for both genders. However, in Cox models including SBP, addition of DBP typically resulted in little incremental benefit over and above that of SBP alone. These data suggest that if time or resources are highly constrained, such as in much-needed epidemiologic surveys in developing countries, very little is lost from only measuring SBP.
IDEAL: Image DEnoising AcceLerator

Computational imaging pipelines (CIPs) convert the raw output of imaging sensors into the high-quality images that are used for further processing. This work studies how Block-Matching and 3D filtering (BM3D), a state-of-the-art denoising algorithm can be implemented to meet the demands of user-interactive (UI) applications. Denoising is the most computationally demanding stage of a CIP taking more than 95% of time on a highly-optimized software implementation [29]. We analyze the performance and energy consumption of optimized software implementations on three commodity platforms and find that their performance is inadequate.Accordingly, we consider two alternatives: a dedicated accelerator, and running recently proposed Neural Network (NN) based approximations of BM3D [9, 27] on an NN accelerator. We develop Image DEnoising AcceLerator(IDEAL), a hardware BM3D accelerator which incorporates the following techniques: 1) a novel software-hardware optimization, Matches Reuse (MR), that exploits typical image content to reduce the computations needed by BM3D, 2) pre-fetching and judicious use of on-chip buffering to minimize execution stalls and off-chip bandwidth consumption, 3) a careful arrangement of specialized computing blocks, and 4) data type precision tuning. Over a dataset of images with resolutions ranging from 8 megapixel (MP) and up to 42MP, IDEAL is 11, 352× and 591× faster than high-end general-purpose (CPU) and graphics processor (GPU) software implementations with orders of magnitude better energy effciency. Even when the NN approximations of BM3D are run on the DaDianNao [14] high-end hardware NN accelerator, IDEAL is 5.4× faster and 3.95× more energy effcient. CCS CONCEPTS • Computer systems organization → Special purpose systems; Neural networks; Real-time system architecture; Single instruction, multiple data;
Pseudomonas aeruginosa SoxR Does Not Conform to the Archetypal Paradigm for SoxR-Dependent Regulation of the Bacterial Oxidative Stress Adaptive Response

ABSTRACT SoxR is a transcriptional regulator that controls an oxidative stress response in Escherichia coli. The regulator is primarily activated by superoxide anion-dependent oxidation. Activated SoxR turns on transcription of a single gene, soxS, which encodes a transcriptional regulator that activates a regulon that includes dozens of oxidative stress response genes. SoxR homologues have been identified in many bacterial species, including the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the expected SoxR partner, SoxS, has not been found in P. aeruginosa. Thus, the primary gene target(s) of P. aeruginosa SoxR is unknown and the involvement of this regulator in the oxidative stress response of the bacterium remains unclear. We utilized transcriptome profiling to identify the P. aeruginosa SoxR regulon and constructed and characterized an unmarked P. aeruginosa ΔsoxR mutant. We provide evidence indicating that P. aeruginosa SoxR activates a six-gene regulon in response to O2·−-induced stress. The regulon includes three transcriptional units: (i) the recently identified mexGHI-ompD four-gene operon, which encodes a multidrug efflux pump system involved in quorum-sensing signal homeostasis; (ii) gene PA3718, encoding a probable efflux pump; and (iii) gene PA2274, encoding a probable monooxygenase. We also demonstrate that P. aeruginosa SoxR is not a key regulatory player in the oxidative stress response. Finally, we show that P. aeruginosa SoxR is required for virulence in a mouse model of intrapulmonary infection. These results demonstrate that the E. coli-based SoxRS paradigm does not hold in P. aeruginosa and foster new hypotheses for the possible physiological role of P. aeruginosa SoxR.
Bias and Bias Remediation in Creative Problem-Solving: Managing Biases through Forecasting

Although scholars have identified many variables that contribute to creative problem-solving, less attention has been given to variables that might lead to failure in creative problem-solving. One set of variables that might lead to poor performance in creative problem-solving efforts may be found in various decision biases. In this study, the impact of simple and complex decision biases on the production of original, high-quality, and elegant solutions to a creative problem-solving task was examined in a sample of 227 undergraduates attending a large southwestern university. In addition, the value of forecasting instruction as a technique for reducing these decision biases was examined. It was found that both simple and complex decisions biases resulted in problem solutions of lower originality, quality, and elegance. Training in viable forecasting strategies resulted in the production of higher quality problem solutions. The implications of these findings for improving creative problem-solving performance are discussed.
Language, labels and diagnosis

The phrase `learning disability' is just one in a long succession of descriptors applied to those people in our society who are categorized by a matrix of psycho-medical assessments, marginalized by compromised intellectual function, characterized by increased health needs and excluded from the mainstream on the basis of reduced social opportunity. But what exactly is `learning disability'? Is there an empirical basis to the label, or is it just another example of bureaucratic language objectifying individuals in a process of medicalization? Historical examples will be used to illustrate the origins of the taxonomy that has subsequently formed the basis of the labelling process. The more recent words of individuals labelled with learning disability too will be introduced to offer some grounding to the debate. Any apparent problem belongs to language more than science. Narrative approaches to understanding are suggested as a useful alternative to traditional scientific inquiry.
The earnings management opportunity for US oil and gas firms during the 2011 Arab Spring event

Purpose – This study aims to examine whether US oil and gas companies engaged in earnings management during the 2011 Arab Spring, which resulted in significant increases in both crude oil and gasoline prices. Design/methodology/approach – Following a similar research methodology from prior research, this study tests the existence of earnings management based on discretionary total accruals, current accruals and non-current accruals to determine whether both large petroleum refining firms and relatively small oil and gas-producing firms, jointly and separately, lowered reported earnings. Findings – The results show that, overall, US oil and gas companies as a group engaged in income-decreasing earnings management during the Arab Spring. The results seem to support the political cost hypothesis. However, further analyses indicate that the results are driven by abnormal income-decreasing accruals of the relatively small oil and gas-producing firms, which are politically less sensitive. Research limitations/i.
Detecção e Correção Automática de Estilos de Aprendizagem em Sistemas Adaptativos para Educação

Um dos aspectos mais importantes em sistemas adaptativos para educacaoe a capacidade de prover personalizacao de acordo com as necessidades especificasde cada estudante. Neste contexto, este trabalho apresenta uma abordagem promissorapara deteccao e correcao automatica de estilos de aprendizagem (EA) baseadaem cadeias de Markov. A maioria dos trabalhos nesta area apresentam abordagenscomplexas e ineficientes em algum aspecto. Alem disto, a abordagem apresentadaneste trabalho tem como vantagem tornar possivel aos estudantes o desenvolvimentode novas capacidades cognitivas, sendo baseada na combinacao de estilos de aprendizagem(CEA) e na correcao dinâmica de possiveis inconsistencias no modelo do estudante(ME), levando em consideracao o forte aspecto nao-deterministico do processode ensino-aprendizagem. Resultados promissores foram obtidos nos testes realizadoscom esta abordagem e sao discutidos neste trabalho.
Associations between mindfulness and panic symptoms among young adults with asthma

Despite the well-documented associations between panic psychopathology and asthma, there has been a dearth of empirical work examining factors that may reduce the negative effects of panic for individuals with asthma. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine the role of mindfulness skills (i.e. observe, describe, acting with awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity) in symptoms of panic psychopathology (i.e. panic symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, and body vigilance). Participants were young adults with asthma (n = 56; 30.4% male, Mage = 19.5 years, SD = 2.7) who completed online self-report measures for course credit. After controlling for the effects of asthma control and negative affectivity, greater use of the mindfulness skill of acting with awareness, relative to the other mindfulness skills, significantly predicted fewer panic symptoms and decreased anxiety sensitivity. The skill of observing approached statistical significance in terms of predicting increased body vigilance and anxiety sensitivity. These finding suggest that targeting the skill of acting with awareness may be a novel way to decrease panic symptomatology among individuals with asthma.
The Innovation Commons

This book explores the institutional conditions of the origin of innovation, arguing that prior to the emergence of competitive entrepreneurial firms and the onset of new industries is a little-understood but crucial phase of cooperation under uncertainty: the innovation commons. An innovation commons is a governance institution to incentivize cooperation in order to pool distributed information, knowledge, and other inputs into innovation to facilitate the entrepreneurial discovery of an economic opportunity. In other words, the true origin of innovation is not entrepreneurial action per se, but the creation of a common-pool resource from which entrepreneurs can discover opportunities. The true origin of innovation, and therefore of economic evolution, occurs one step further back, in the commons. Innovation has a cooperative institutional origin. When the economic value or worth of a new technological prospect is shrouded in uncertainty—which arises because information is distributed or is only experimental obtained—a commons can be an economically efficient governance institution. Specifically, a commons is efficient compared to the creation of alternative economic institutions that involve extensive contracting and networks, private property rights and price signals, or public goods (i.e., firms, markets, and governments). A commons will often be an efficient governance solution to the hard economic problem of opportunity discovery. This new framework for analysis of the origin of innovation draws on evolutionary theory of cooperation and institutional theory of the commons and carries important implications for our understanding of the origin of firms and industries, and for the design of innovation policy.
An in vitro evaluation of an instrument designed to measure oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production during mechanical ventilation

Objective: To determine the ability of the Puritan‐Bennett 7250 metabolic monitor to measure CO2 production and oxygen consumption (&OV0312;o2) under simulated clinical conditions. Design: An in vitro validation study. Setting: Laboratory of a large university medical center. Methods: An in vitro evaluation was performed by adding precise amounts of CO2 and nitrogen to a lung model to simulate CO2 production and &OV0312;o2. CO2 production and &OV0312;o2 values measured by the metabolic monitor were compared with simulated values at various Fio2 values (0.21 to 0.80), levels of positive end‐expiratory pressure (0 to 20 cm H2O), and flow‐by mode flow rates (0 to 20 L/min). This comparison was also made at increased peak airway pressures (60 cm H2O). The effects of various concentrations of oxygen on the accuracy of the CO2 production measurements were also examined. Results: The measurements made by the instrument were within 7% of values predicted from the CO2 and nitrogen infusions. There was no effect of various oxygen concentrations on the accuracy of CO2 production measurements. Conclusion: Under the in vitro conditions tested, the metabolic monitor provided accurate measurements of &OV0312;2 and CO2 production. (Crit Care Med 1994; 22:1995–2000)
Measuring poverty and inequality in northern Canada

We provide the first direct comparisons of poverty and inequality in the North (i.e. Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) with elsewhere in Canada. We do so by first constructing a northern equivalence scale. Based on an Engel methodology, we estimate the extra income needed by families in the North to devote the same share to necessities as those in southern Canada. Using econometric techniques and public use microdata from the Survey of Household Spending, we find that cost of living is 1.46 times higher in the North. We use this scale to adjust the incomes of northern residents so that purchasing power is, for the purposes of our model, equal to that in the South. We subsequently measure poverty and inequality in northern versus southern Canada over the period 1997–2009. Our findings indicate that incidence of poverty is much higher in the North. For example, 31.1% of northern families with children are poor, compared with 9.9% in the South. Moreover, while approximately 10% of the southern population is represented in each income decile, 31.1% of northern families with children are in the bottom 10%. Only 3% have incomes that would place them among the richest 10% of Canadians.