Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathogenicity of Phytophthora species to Anthurium andraeanum in Brazil

Phytophthora citrophthora was identified by morphological and molecular methods as the pathogen causing leaf and bract blight on Anthurium andraeanum in Bahia State, Brazil. Tests of the pathogenicity of P. citrophthora from anthurium and P. citrophthora, P. tropicalis and P. palmivora obtained from cocoa showed that all species were pathogenic on both hosts. These observations demonstrate the potential of Phytophthora species from cocoa to infect anthurium.
The Differentiation of Households in a Ghanaian Community

One hundred and eleven households in a community in Ghana were studied to assess the applicability and generality of the concept of structural differentiation as proposed by F. W. and R. C. Young (1968). Eight individual-based and six household-based indices were used. The analysis shows that, for these households, a modification of the Youngs' proposal extracts more order from the data. This modification involves 1) a consideration of individual attributes as representing "potential" household differentiation and 2) the stability and ease of communication within the household as intervening factors between "potential" and "actual" household differentiation. Implications for policy decisions are briefly discussed.
A New Record of Penicillium pimiteouiense from Beach Soil in Malaysia

Abstract Three isolates of Penicillium pimiteouiense were recovered from sandy beach soil samples in Penang Island, Peninsular Malaysia. All the isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of internal transcribed spacer regions and β-tubulin gene. This is a first record of P. pimiteouiense in Malaysia.
Korean EFL teachers’ perceptions of the impact of EFL teacher education upon their classroom teaching practices

ABSTRACT This study employed qualitative data collection and analysis methods to investigate the influence of English as a foreign language teacher education programme on Korean teachers’ classroom teaching practices. Six in-service secondary-school teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the data collected from these interviews. Findings from the analysis included that: a) most of the teachers were dissatisfied with the largely theory-oriented pre-service teacher education programmes that they attended; b) a major source of influence on their teaching was their experience of in-service teacher training programmes with practical curricula; c) observation of other fellow teachers’ teaching had the strongest impact upon the teachers’ teaching practices; and d) the teachers’ low English proficiency and the washback effect of the Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test hindered the maintenance of the changes brought about by in-service teacher education programmes. This study ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings.
Trustworthiness in Enterprise Crowdsourcing: A Taxonomy & Evidence from Data

In this paper we study the trustworthiness of the crowd for crowdsourced software development. Through the study of literature from various domains, we present the risks that impact the trustworthiness in an enterprise context. We survey known techniques to mitigate these risks. We also analyze key metrics from multiple years of empirical data of actual crowdsourced software development tasks from two leading vendors. We present the metrics around untrustworthy behavior and the performance of certain mitigation techniques. Our study and results can serve as guidelines for crowdsourced enterprise software development.
The Hemodynamic Effect of Halothane in the Normovolemic Dog

With the aid of radioactive microspheres (labeled with 169Yb, 85Sr and 141Ce, respectively), the effect of halothane anesthesia on circulation was studied for 30 min and (group A) for 120 min of halothane anesthesia in thiopental‐sedated dogs. Measurements were also carried out on recovery from halothane anesthesia. Besides such well‐known general circulatory changes as reduction in cardiac output, pulse rate, left ventricular work, arterial mean blood pressure and left atrial mean blood pressure, in both groups there was also a reduced coronary blood flow. The flow to the lungs, kidneys and the brain was well preserved, despite the reduction in both the cardiac output and arterial mean blood pressure. The flow to the liver, however, did not change during short halothane anesthesia; but during long anesthesia there was a marked reduction, due mainly to a decrease in the flow to the preportal area. On recovery from halothane anesthesia, the changes had mostly returned to the preanesthetic values.
Professional Learning for Using Data: Examining Teacher Needs & Supports

Background In the last few decades, a focus on school accountability at the state and federal levels has created expectations for teachers to attend to data in increasingly structured ways. Although professional learning is often cited as an important facilitator of effective data use, research that focuses on the intersection of professional learning and data use is scarce. Examining teacher perceptions of data use supports, and contrasting assertions of what is desired in data-related professional learning with accounts of the ways in which this professional learning actually happens provide an avenue for exploring these issues and for building a research base that can inform the work of district and campus leaders as well as support providers. Focus of Study This study aimed at examining teacher needs specific to data-related professional learning through a lens informed by knowledge-based organizational learning. We were guided by two broad questions: (a) What knowledge and skills do teachers need in order to engage in data-informed practice? (b) How do professional learning supports address these needs? Research Design The qualitative study draws on document analysis as well as interview and focus group data collected from n=110 participants (teachers, school leaders, and district support staff) in three school districts in central Texas. Flexible a priori coding rooted in our conceptual framework was employed to examine data for themes common across district settings and across school levels (e.g., elementary, middle, high). Code counts were used to further examine areas of professional learning focus and/or apparent imbalance. Findings Educators articulated professional learning needs related to data use in six main areas: (a) asking appropriate questions of data (to guide analysis and use); (b) accessing and operating district data systems; (c) data literacy/interpretation; (d) fitting data use with day-do-day practice; (e) sharing information via collaboration; and (f) knowledge codifica-tion. Of these, data capture via computer data systems was by far the most prominent focus reported by educators in each district. Clear plans for addressing data use capacity through professional learning supports were lacking. Recommendations Taking into account teacher perspectives on what professional learning for data use was needed and on how such supports were, in reality, structured, we make three recommendations: (a) purposefully embed professional learning for data use in ongoing organizational routines; (b) mitigate the district level silos that separate training-on-computer-systems from professional learning focused on turning data into action at the classroom level; and (c) seek balance in supporting the constellation of knowledge and skills that contribute to data use capacity.
The influence of titanium nitride barrier layer on the properties of CNT bundles

The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for electrical interconnections is hinder by the possibility of growing CNT directly onto metallization. The introduction of barrier layer between catalyst and metallization is thus essential to permit the direct growth of vertically aligned CNT bundles using CVD approaches. As a result, the resultant CNT bundle resistivity is not only a function of the densities and quality of CNT growth, but is also affected by the thickness and resistivity of the barrier layer. CNT is growth on different thickness of TiN with 2 different underlying layers (Au and SiO2). It was observed that the length of CNT grown on Au is independent of TiN thickness, whereas the height decreases for Au underlayers case. In both scenarios, both have well aligned CNTs growth when the thickness of TiN is <; 90nm.
Repeatability of Grading Meibomian Gland Dropout Using Two Infrared Systems

Purpose To determine the interobserver and intraobserver repeatability in using the OCULUS Keratograph 4 (K4) and 5M (K5M) to grade meibomian gland (MG) dropout using meibography grading scales. Methods The inferior and superior eyelids of 40 participants (35 women, 5 men; mean age = 32 years) were imaged three times each on both instruments. The images were split into one training and two study sets; the latter were graded (four-point meibography scale) by two observers on two separate occasions (24 hours apart) to determine repeatability. Semiobjective quantification of percentage MG dropout was conducted using ImageJ on K4 and K5M images. A finer seven-point meibography scale was used to grade a separate set of K5M images. Results For the four-point scale, interobserver mean difference (MD) (±SD) was 0.08 (±0.55) on day 1 and 0.13 (±0.50) on day 2, and the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was 0.79 and 0.81 on days 1 and 2, respectively. Intraobserver MD (±SD) was 0.04 (±0.54), CCC = 0.79 for observer 1; intraobserver MD (±SD) was −0.09 (±0.60), CCC = 0.74 for observer 2. For the seven-point scale, interobserver MD (±SD) was 0.05 (±0.45), CCC = 0.89 on day 1, and interobserver MD (±SD) was 0.01 (±0.41), CCC = 0.91 on day 2. Intraobserver MD (±SD) was −0.10 (±0.35), CCC = 0.93 for observer 1, and intraobserver MD (±SD) was −0.06 (±0.30), CCC = 0.95 for observer 2. Percentage dropout measured between the K4 and K5M images showed lack of agreement, with 21.8% coefficient of repeatability. There was no significant correlation (r < 0.2; p > 0.05) between meibography score and clinical signs (corneal staining, gland expressibility, telangiectasia, vascularity, lash loss); however, there was a high correlation (r = 0.77; p < 0.05) between meibography score with percentage dropout. Conclusions Observers graded from −1 to +1 grade units between and within themselves for a four-point scale, 95% of the time. Although the interobserver and intraobserver repeatability of the K4 and K5M were very similar, a high rate of disagreement in percentage dropout between K4 and K5M images suggests that the two instruments cannot be interchanged. Meibomian gland dropout scores did not correlate significantly with clinical signs. Using a finer scale may be beneficial for detecting change.
Early immune responses to an adjuvant (AbISCO-100) tested in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cell

Immune stimulating complex (iscom) matrix is a formulation that is used as an adjuvant within research. The capability of the iscom matrix to elicit an immune response when not present together with an antigen has not been extensively investigated. One way to evaluate the status of the immune system is to measure the amount of cytokines that usually are produced by various cell types during an immune response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the early immune responses in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after stimulation in vitro with the iscom matrix, AbISCO®-100. The immune response was evaluated by measuring the mRNA expression for various cytokines, a chemokine receptor (CXCR4) and regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS16) in porcine PBMC after stimulation with AbISCO®-100 or other inducers like a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN 2216) used as controls. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed low increase (p ≤ 0.05) in mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α after 6 hours of stimulation with AbISCO®-100. This result indicates that AbISCO®-100 may have the capacity to evoke a cytokine response by itself. In addition, low but detectable increases in expression of IL-10, CXCR4 and RGS16 were observed in one of five pigs after stimulation with AbISCO®-100. In comparison, mRNA for IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 (p ≤ 0.001), IL-12p40 and TNF-α (p ≤ 0.01) was induced after 6 hours exposure of the PBMC to LPS and for IFN-α (p ≤ 0.01) after 6 h in the presence of ODN 2216. Proliferation and viability test performed, demonstrated that AbISCO®-100 was not mitogenic and just had a small lytic effect on the PBMC . Thus, the iscom matrix, AbISCO®-100, does not appear to be toxic or induce any harmful early inflammatory responses in porcine PBMC. An extended period of incubation and use of a lager number of pigs are needed to better examine the effects of AbISCO®-100.
Large Involuntary Forces Consistent with Plateau-Like Behavior of Human Motoneurons

When electrical stimulation is applied over human muscle, the evoked force is generally considered to be of peripheral origin. However, in relaxed humans, stimulation (1 msec pulses, 100 Hz) over the muscles that plantarflex the ankle produced more than five times more force than could be accounted for by peripheral properties. This additional force was superimposed on the direct response to motor axon stimulation, produced up to 40% of the force generated during a maximal voluntary contraction, and was abolished during anesthesia of the tibial nerve proximal to the stimulation site. It therefore must have resulted from the activation of motoneurons within the spinal cord. The additional force could be initiated by stimulation of low-threshold afferents, distorted the classical relationship between force and stimulus frequency, and often outlasted the stimulation. The mean firing rate of 27 soleus motor units recorded during the sustained involuntary activity after the stimulation was 5.8 ± 0.2 Hz. The additional force increments were not attributable to voluntary intervention because they were present in three sleeping subjects and in two subjects with lesions of the thoracic spinal cord. The phenomenon is consistent with activation of plateau potentials within motoneurons and, if so, the present findings imply that plateau potentials can make a large contribution to forces produced by the human nervous system.
Wavelet packet entropy feature extraction and characteristics analysis for gas/liquid two-phase flow regimes

Identification of flow regime is the basis for measuring flow parameters in two-phase flow accurately. Because of the complexity of phase interaction in gas-liquid two-phase flow, it is difficult to discern its flow regime objectively. The 208 measured data from electrical resistance tomography (ERT) are arranged into series based on section to derive the wavelet packet entropy and investigate the characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow for flow regime. The results show that the wavelet packet entropy, which is sensitive to the flow regime transition, can characterize the nonlinear dynamics of gas-liquid two-phase flow. Wavelet packet entropy of flow regime may be as a parameter for better flow regime identification and analysis those wavelet packet entropy also provide an efficient supplementary to reveal the flow regime transition mechanism of gas/liquid two-phase flow.
Functional and molecular evidence for expression of the renin angiotensin system and ADAM 17-mediated ACE 2 shedding in COS 7 cells

Grobe N, Di Fulvio M, Kashkari N, Chodavarapu H, Somineni HK, Singh R, Elased KM. Functional and molecular evidence for expression of the renin angiotensin system and ADAM17-mediated ACE2 shedding in COS7 cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 308: C767–C777, 2015. First published March 14, 2015; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00247. 2014. —The renin angiotensin system (RAS) plays a vital role in the regulation of the cardiovascular and renal functions. COS7 is a robust and easily transfectable cell line derived from the kidney of the African green monkey, Cercopithecus aethiops. The aims of this study were to 1) demonstrate the presence of an endogenous and functional RAS in COS7, and 2) investigate the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-17 (ADAM17) in the ectodomain shedding of angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). Reverse transcription coupled to gene-specific polymerase chain reaction demonstrated expression of ACE, ACE2, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), and renin at the transcript levels in total RNA cell extracts. Western blot and immunohistochemistry identified ACE (60 kDa), ACE2 (75 kDa), AT1R (43 kDa), renin (41 kDa), and ADAM17 (130 kDa) in COS7. At the functional level, a sensitive and selective mass spectrometric approach detected endogenous renin, ACE, and ACE2 activities. ANG-(1–7) formation (m/z 899) from the natural substrate ANG II (m/z 1,046) was detected in lysates and media. COS7 cells stably expressing shRNA constructs directed against endogenous ADAM17 showed reduced ACE2 shedding into the media. This is the first study demonstrating endogenous expression of the RAS and ADAM17 in the widely used COS7 cell line and its utility to study ectodomain shedding of ACE2 mediated by ADAM17 in vitro. The transfectable nature of this cell line makes it an attractive cell model for studying the molecular, functional, and pharmacological properties of the renal RAS.
Projected realities: conceptual design for cultural effect

As a part of a European Union sponsored project, we haveproposed a system which aggregates peoples expressions over awidening network of public electronic displays in a massive Dutchhousing development. Reflecting ideas from contemporary arts aswell as from research on media spaces, this is an example of aconceptual design intended to produce meaningful effects on a localculture. In this paper, we describe the methods and ideas that ledto this proposal, as an example of research on technologies fromthe traditions of artist-designers.
Xbp1-Mediated Repression of CLB Gene Expression Contributes to the Modifications of Yeast Cell Morphology and Cell Cycle Seen during Nitrogen-Limited Growth

ABSTRACT Yeast cells undergo morphological transformations in response to diverse environmental signals. One such event, called pseudohyphal differentiation, occurs when diploid yeast cells are partially starved for nitrogen on a solid agar medium. The nitrogen-starved cells elongate, and a small fraction form filaments that penetrate the agar surface. The molecular basis for the changes in cell morphology and cell cycle in response to nitrogen limitation are poorly defined, in part because the heterogeneous growth states of partially starved cells on agar media are not amenable to biochemical analysis. In this work, we used chemostat cultures to study the role of cell cycle regulators with respect to yeast differentiation in response to nitrogen limitation under controlled, homogeneous culture conditions. We found that Clb1, Clb2, and Clb5 cyclin levels are reduced in nitrogen-limited chemostat cultures compared to levels in rich-medium cultures, whereas the Xbp1 transcriptional repressor is highly induced under these conditions. Furthermore, the deletion of XBP1 prevents the drop in Clb2 levels and inhibits cellular elongation in nitrogen-limited chemostat cultures as well as inhibiting pseudohyphal growth on nitrogen-limited agar media. Deletion of the CLB2gene restores an elongated morphology and filamentation to thexbp1Δ mutant in response to nitrogen limitation. Transcriptional activation of the XBP1 gene and the subsequent repression of CLB gene expression are thus key responses of yeast cells to nitrogen limitation.
Caveolae, Fenestrae and Transendothelial Channels Retain PV1 on the Surface of Endothelial Cells

PV1 protein is an essential component of stomatal and fenestral diaphragms, which are formed at the plasma membrane of endothelial cells (ECs), on structures such as caveolae, fenestrae and transendothelial channels. Knockout of PV1 in mice results in in utero and perinatal mortality. To be able to interpret the complex PV1 knockout phenotype, it is critical to determine whether the formation of diaphragms is the only cellular role of PV1. We addressed this question by measuring the effect of complete and partial removal of structures capable of forming diaphragms on PV1 protein level. Removal of caveolae in mice by knocking out caveolin-1 or cavin-1 resulted in a dramatic reduction of PV1 protein level in lungs but not kidneys. The magnitude of PV1 reduction correlated with the abundance of structures capable of forming diaphragms in the microvasculature of these organs. The absence of caveolae in the lung ECs did not affect the transcription or translation of PV1, but it caused a sharp increase in PV1 protein internalization rate via a clathrin- and dynamin-independent pathway followed by degradation in lysosomes. Thus, PV1 is retained on the cell surface of ECs by structures capable of forming diaphragms, but undergoes rapid internalization and degradation in the absence of these structures, suggesting that formation of diaphragms is the only role of PV1.
An 8-yr follow-up of arthritis self-management programme participants.

OBJECTIVES To examine the pattern of scores on self-efficacy, health status and use of self-management techniques among a group of Arthritis Self-Management Programme (ASMP) participants over an 8-yr period, and to describe participants' perspectives of the ASMP and current use of self-management. METHODS Data from 125 participants who attended the ASMP as part of a randomized controlled trial and completed assessments at baseline, 4-month and 8-yr follow-ups were entered into the analysis. A sub-sample of 10 participants (five high- and five low self-efficacy) was interviewed. RESULTS The sample was 87% female; mean age 65 (s.d. 12) yrs; mean disease duration 19 (s.d. 11) yrs; 48% RA; 48% OA. The overall pattern of scores showed improvements between baseline and 4 months, which appeared to be maintained at 8-yr follow-up on self-efficacy, positive and negative affect, anxious and depressed moods, pain and fatigue, cognitive symptom management and communication with physician. The exception was HAQ, which was stable from baseline to 4 months (as expected), but had increased at 8 yrs indicating a decline in physical functioning. Sub-group analyses by RA and OA showed similar patterns of results. Interviews revealed that some participants continued to have problems with disease acceptance and highlighted the importance of pre-course expectations. CONCLUSIONS Long-term maintenance of self-efficacy, psychological well-being and self-management techniques may be possible following attendance on the ASMP. The need for additional psychological support for those who are having difficulty adjusting to their condition and its consequences is highlighted.
Reduction in Embryonic Malformations and Alleviation of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress by Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition in Diabetic Embryopathy

Maternal diabetes-induced neural tube defects (NTDs) are associated with increased programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the neuroepithelium, which is related to intracellular nitrosative stress. To alleviate nitrosative stress, diabetic pregnant mice were fed via gavage an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) 2, L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL; 80 mg/kg), once a day from embryonic (E) day 7.5 to 9.5 during early stages of neurulation. The treatment significantly reduced NTD rate in the embryos, compared with that in vehicle (normal saline)-treated diabetic group. In addition to alleviation of nitrosative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was also ameliorated, assessed by quantification of associated factors. Apoptosis was reduced, indicated by caspase 8 activation. These results show that nitrosative stress is important in diabetes-induced NTDs via exacerbating ER stress, leading to increased apoptosis. Oral treatment with NOS-2 inhibitor alleviates nitrosative and ER stress, decreases apoptosis, and reduces NTDs in the embryos, providing information for further interventional studies to reduce diabetes-associated birth defects.