Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Apoptosis by Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Inhibition of Caspases, and Caspase Inactivation of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphate 5-Kinases*

Phosphoinositides such as phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate promote cell survival and protect against apoptosis by activating Akt/PKB, which phosphorylates components of the apoptotic machinery. We now report that another phosphoinositide, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is a direct inhibitor of initiator caspases 8 and 9, and their common effector caspase 3. PIP2 inhibited procaspase 9 processing in cell extracts and in a reconstituted procaspase 9/Apaf1 apoptosome system. It inhibited purified caspase 3 and 8 activity, at physiologically attainable PIP2 levels in mixed lipid vesicles. Caspase 3 binding to PIP2 was confirmed by cosedimentation with mixed lipid vesicles. Overexpression of phosphatidylinositol phosphate 5-kinase α (PIP5KIα), which synthesizes PIP2, suppressed apoptosis, whereas a kinase-deficient mutant did not. Protection by the wild-type PIP5KIα was accompanied by decreases in the generation of activated caspases and of caspase 3-cleaved PARP. Protection was not mediated through PIP3 or Akt activation. An anti-apoptotic role for PIP2 is further substantiated by our finding that PIP5KIα was cleaved by caspase 3 during apoptosis, and cleavage inactivated PIP5KIα in vitro. Mutation of the P4 position (D279A) of the PIP5KIα caspase 3 cleavage consensus prevented cleavage in vitro, and during apoptosis in vivo. Significantly, the caspase 3-resistant PIP5KIα mutant was more effective in suppressing apoptosis than the wild-type kinase. These results show that PIP2 is a direct regulator of apical and effector caspases in the death receptor and mitochondrial pathways, and that PIP5KIα inactivation contributes to the progression of apoptosis. This novel feedforward amplification mechanism for maintaining the balance between life and death of a cell works through phosphoinositide regulation of caspases and caspase regulation of phosphoinositide synthesis.
Ontology-based operators for e-business model de- and reconstruction

We define e-business models as conceptual models that show how a network of actors (a value constellation) creates, exchanges and consumes objects of value by performing value adding activities. In this paper we present a semi-formal ontology-based representation of e-business models that is useful in carrying out a preliminary business and requirements analysis. In particular, we show that a small set of generic 'model deconstruction' operators is able to generate design variations on a given e-business model, so that upfront analysis of the characteristics and consequences of a range of alternative e-business models becomes possible. We illustrate our ontology-based e3-value approach by a commercial project on Internet news services.
Characterization of impulsive-like behavior produced by developmental deltamethrin exposure: role of dopaminergic dysfunction

ii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x ABBREVIATIONS xiii CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Pyrethroid Nomenclature and Mode of Action 4 Developmental Toxicity of Pyrethroids 8 Pyrethroids and Dopamine Function 14 Research Objectives 17 CHAPTER 2: MATERIALS AND METHODS 18 Materials 18 Developmental Exposure 18 Fixed-Interval 19 Autoradiography 20 Homogenate Binding 22 Fixed-Ratio Waiting-for-Reward 23 Pharmacokinetics of Methylphenidate 24 Statistical Analyses 27
Exploring family functioning from a family resilience perspective

South African families in semi-urban townships experience more significant stress than other families. Family resilience refers to the factors or processes within families that support them to be resilient before, during or after a stressful situation. The aim of this research was to identify the key processes contributing to the successful coping of family units, when faced with adverse conditions in Mamelodi. This study is based on the theoretical framework of family resilience proposed by Walsh (2003), namely the Family Resilience Framework (FRF). Three key processes relevant to family resilience have been identified in the FRF and include: family belief systems, organisational patterns and communication processes. These processes may reduce the stress and vulnerability of families in high-risk situations and they are therefore relevant to ascertain whether the identified processes remain applicable in semiurban communities. Furthermore should richer family information be derived by means of the FRF, more appropriate community interventions could be developed. It is anticipated that this study will contribute to prevailing literature on family resilience as well as the limited research done in semi-urban contexts. The study population comprised 13 families that were part of an intervention programme (2012) for families living in adverse conditions in the township of Mamelodi. The client files of the 13 families were broadly analysed where after one family was interviewed (unstructured interviews) in order to retrieve more in-depth information. The family was chosen as a case study for this research. By exploring the family’s own perspectives as well as their meaning-making processes related to their seeming familial strengths, more indepth information was derived. Due to the qualitative nature of this study, the data sources (client files, interview transcriptions, photographs and photograph descriptions) were analysed by means of thematic content analysis. Themes were then discussed with the family in order to compare and confirm the suggested findings. Results which emerged qualitatively allowed for the identification of family resilience processes in South African families in semi-urban communities as well as risk and protective factors evident in Mamelodi. As a result a better understanding of the family resilience processes in semi-urban communities could assist with better service delivery for families facing various adversities.
Childhood mortality in federal medical centre umuahia, South eastern Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the mortality pattern in children seen at Federal Medical Centre Umuahia (FMCU) Abia state, South Eastern Nigeria. METHODS A retrospective cross sectional descriptive study over a 5-year period from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008 using data retrieved from the hospital's medical records department. RESULTS A total of 3,814 children were admitted in the hospital and 434 of them died giving a mortality rate of 11%. The mean age was 1.7 (Std D of 3.19). Two hundred and thirty eight of them were males while 196 of them were females giving a sex ratio of 1.2:1. Majority of the mortality (49%) occurred within 24 hours of admission. The major causes of death during neonatal period were birth asphyxia (34%), prematurity (24%) and neonatal sepsis (24%). Malaria was the leading cause of death beyond the neonatal period accounting for 42% of cases. Other common mortality causes were pneumonia, septicaemia, diarrhea, HIV AIDS and meningitis each accounting for 10%, 10%, 7%, 7% and 5% respectively. The months of July, May and March accounted for most deaths (12%, 12% and 11% respectively). CONCLUSION Birth asphyxia and malaria associated deaths were responsible for most deaths during neonatal and beyond neonatal periods respectively. Presence of trained personal at all deliveries will help to reduce neonatal asphyxia. Efforts should be made to reinforce the existing effective malaria control tools.
Differential Development of Motor Abilities in Western Middle-Class and Cameroonian Nso Infants

The present longitudinal study repeatedly tested motor development in 345 infants at ages 3, 6, and 9 months in two eco-cultural contexts (German middle-class and Cameroonian Nso). To analyze differential motor developments and its co-determinants (parental education and growth in weight), person-centered analyses (hierarchical cluster analyses) were applied. Results indicate that cluster analyses of fine motor development scores led to two culture-mixed cluster groups. Four cluster groups were extracted in the gross motor domain showing differential growth curves. Differential growth curves were partly explained by education of mother and weight trajectories. Besides considering methodological aspects, inter-individual differences of intra-individual change within and across eco-cultural contexts are discussed.
Chromosomal instability in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7: impact on adherence, tellurite resistance and colony phenotype

Tellurite (Tel) resistant enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a global pathogen. In strain EDL933 Tel resistance (TelR) is encoded by duplicate ter cluster in O islands (OI) 43 and 48, which also harbour iha, encoding the adhesin and siderophore receptor Iha. We identified five EHEC O157:H7 strains that differentiate into large (L) colonies and small (S) colonies with high and low Tel minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) respectively. S colonies (Tel‐MICs ≤ 4 µg ml−1) sustained large internal deletions within the TelR OIs via homologous recombination between IS elements and lost ter and iha. Moreover, complete excision of the islands occurred by site‐specific recombination between flanking direct repeats. Complete excision of OI 43 and OI 48 occurred in 1.81 × 10−3 and 1.97 × 10−4 cells in culture, respectively; internal deletion of OI 48 was more frequent (9.7 × 10−1 cells). Under iron limitation that promotes iha transcription, iha‐negative derivatives adhered less well to human intestinal epithelial cells and grew slower than did their iha‐positive counterparts. Experiments utilizing iha deletion and complementation mutants identified Iha as the major factor responsible for these phenotypic differences. Spontaneous deletions affecting TelR OIs contribute to EHEC O157 genome plasticity and might impair virulence and/or fitness.
Teacher Efficacy, Burnout, Teaching Style, and Emotional Intelligence: Possible Relationships and Differences

Nowadays, teachers are receiving more attention in the studies done in mainstream education since it is believed that they play the most important role in educational settings, and therefore their different aspects, such as teacher efficacy, burnout, teaching style, and emotional intelligence, have received great attention. Moreover, demographic characteristics of teachers are more examined these days since they are thought to play major roles in teachers’ performance in the classroom. Despite great attention to different aspects of teachers and their demographics in mainstream education, such studies are rare in the English Language Teaching field. This study was therefore designed to explore possible relationships among English language teachers’ sense of efficacy, burnout, teaching style, and emotional intelligence on the one hand, and to document probable differences among them with respect to teachers’ gender, degree, and experience on the other
Language policy, translation and language development in Zimbabwe

Abstract Zimbabwe does not have a national language policy document on which the country's language practices are based. The language policy is usually inferred from the language practices that characterise various spheres of life. This article attempts to show how the language policy, which primarily influences text production in the country, has nurtured translation practice. The dominating role of English sees many texts, particularly technical texts, being translated from this language into chiShona and isiNdebele, which are national languages. Translation also occurs from the national languages into English, but this involves mainly literary texts with historical and cultural significance. English literature produced by Zimbabwean writers also displays this kind of translation. Translation between indigenous languages is minimal, as is the involvement of minority languages in translation. It is apparent that scholarly research in this area is not really visible. Subsequently, the potential of translation to facilitate communication and development across linguistic barriers is not fully explored. In that context, there are many issues for translation in Zimbabwe, including in-depth investigations on the issues that are highlighted in this article like the nature of languages involved, the directionality of translation, and the types of texts translated.
Exploiting Internet Delay Space Properties for Sybil Attack Mitigation

Recent studies have discovered that the Internet delay spac e has many interesting properties such as triangle inequality vi olations (TIV), clustering structures, and constrained growth. Und erstanding these properties has so far benefited the design of networ k m dels and network-performance-aware systems. In this paper, we consider an interesting, previously unexplored connection be twe n Internet delay space properties and network locations. We sho w that this connection can be exploited to mitigate the Sybil attac k problem in peer-to-peer systems.
Vector Quantization (VQ) Based Speech Recognition System on TMS320C6713DSK

The details of implementation of speech recognition system on the TMS320C6713 processor based DSK is discussed. This recognition system is based on the vector quantization technique at the acoustical level. There is a need to find out a new method of speech recognition system in which it should have less number of computations in computing the Minimum Euclidean Distance. It is also required to discover a new algorithm for forming a codebook in order to achieve a good Success rate. The efficiency of the implementation of this system lies in choosing an efficient method for MFCC vector generation and VQ codebook generation. The number of MEL filters used in the implementation is optimal and the method of design of MEL filters is efficient to keep MFCC feature vector length small to reduce the overall computational effort during training and testing phases.
Mother-Child Interaction Mediates the Relationship between Home Environments and Emergent Literacy among Young Children

The main purpose of this study was to identify the unique predictors of emergent literacy among 90 children (boys and girls) aged 3 to 4 years. The result of this study revealed that home environment is strongest predictors, follows by mother-child interaction and family income that it is not significant. The results indicated predictors’ factors (home environment, mother child interaction) add another 19% to the prediction of emergent literacy after controlling family income. This study also supported the partial mediation role of mother-child interaction in the relationship between home environments with emergent literacy among young children. Implications for future research are discussed.
A Tele-Presence Wheelchair for Elderly People

This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a tele-presence wheelchair based on tele-presence robot, intelligent wheelchair, and smart pad TIUI technologies. The tele-presence wheelchair is just a commercial electric wheelchair equipped with a tele-presence interaction system. The tele-presence interaction system is an add-on module which consists of three parts: tele-presence, tele-operation imaging, and user interface. The tele-presence part is mounted on the front of the wheelchair for an elderly person to communicate with family members through video and voice. The tele-operation imaging part captures the live video for tele-operation and semi-autonomous navigation. The user interface developed in our lab for a smart pad [12] is the TIUI, which allows an operator to directly touch and push the wheelchair image in the live video of a remote environment as him/her to do in the presence. This paper also discusses the preliminary evaluation of the user experience.
Exponential capacity of associative memories under quantum annealing recall

Associative memory models, in theoretical neuro- and computer sciences, can generally store a sublinear number of memories. We show that using quantum annealing for recall tasks endows associative memory models with exponential storage capacities. Theoretically, we obtain the radius of attractor basins, $R(N)$, and the capacity, $C(N)$, of such a scheme and their tradeoffs. Our calculations establish that for randomly chosen memories the capacity of a model using the Hebbian learning rule with recall via quantum annealing is exponential in the size of the problem, $C(N)=\mathcal{O}(e^{C_1N}),~C_1\geq0$, and succeeds on randomly chosen memory sets with a probability of $(1-e^{-C_2N}),~C_2\geq0$ with $C_1+C_2=(.5-f)^2/(1-f)$, where, $f=R(N)/N,~0\leq f\leq . 5$ is the radius of attraction in terms of Hamming distance of an input probe from a stored memory as a fraction of the problem size. We demonstrate the application of this scheme on a programmable quantum annealing device - the Dwave processor.
Applying white box testing to database applications

Software testing is by far the most popular activity currently used by developers to ensure high software quality Testing of database applications is particularly crucial as undetected faults can result in unrecoverable data corruption The problem of database application testing can be broadly partitioned into the problems of test cases generation test data prepa ration and test outcomes veri cation Among the three problems the problem of test cases generation directly a ects the e ectiveness of testing Conventionally database application testing is based upon whether or not the application can perform a set of prede ned func tions The database application is largely considered as a black box in the testing process While this is useful to achieve a basic degree of quality white box testing is required for more thorough testing of database applications However the semantics of the Structural Query Language SQL statements embedded in database applications is rarely considered in conventional white box testing techniques In this paper we propose to complement white box techniques with the inclusion of the SQL semantics Our approach is to transform the embedded SQL statements to procedures in some general purpose programming language and thereby generate test cases using conventional white box testing techniques The steps of transformations and test cases generation will be explained in detail and illustrated using an example adapted from a course registration system This leads to the identi cation of additional faults involving the internal states of databases The Hong Kong University of Science Technology Technical Report Series Department of Computer Science Applying White Box Testing to Database Applications Man-yee Chan and Shing-chi Cheung Department of Computer Science Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong {mandy, scc}@cs.ust. hk
Evaluation of Docking Task Performance Using Mid-air Interaction Techniques

Mid-air interaction has the potential to manipulate objects in 3D with more natural input mappings. We compared the performance attainable using various mid-air interaction methods with a mechanically constrained input device in a 6 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) docking task in both accuracy and completion time. We found that tangible mid-air input devices supported faster docking performance, while exhibiting accuracy close to that of constrained devices. Interaction with bare hands in mid-air achieved similar time performance and accuracy compared to the constrained device.
Neocortical neurofibrillary tangles correlate with dementia severity in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationships between dementia severity and the extent of histopathologic lesions in a variety of brain regions. Neocortical and hippocampal ratings for neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and senile plaques (SPs) were compared in 70 cases of clinically and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN Neuropathologic case series. Dementia severity was assessed by postmortem chart review with use of the extended Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR). Linear association between CDR scores and NFT and SP scores were assessed by partial correlation, controlling for age at death. SETTING Studies were conducted at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Association between CDR scores and neuropathologic changes assessed with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease semiquantitative scale. RESULTS Among these lesion scores, only NFTs showed a significant association with CDR score, and only for neocortical regions. In particular, NFT densities in the superior temporal cortex were most strongly correlated with dementia severity, followed by those in the inferior parietal and midfrontal cortex. No such correlations were apparent for the amygdala, hippocampus, or entorhinal cortex. Medial temporal lobe structures displayed high NFT scores, even in cases of mild dementia. Senile plaques did not correlate significantly with CDR score in any region. CONCLUSIONS These data support the notion that neocortical neuronal degeneration, as indicated by NFT formation, is a critical determinant of the clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease and suggest that medial temporal lobe structures may represent the initial site of NFT formation. While SP density correlates with age at death, there is no correlation between SP counts and dementia severity. These results further suggest that the clinical presentation of dementia may be closely related to neurodegeneration in neocortical regions within the temporal lobe.
Limitations of silencing at native yeast telomeres

Silencing at native yeast telomeres, in which the subtelomeric elements are intact, is different from silencing at terminal truncations. The repression of URA3 inserted in different subtelomeric positions at several chromosome ends was investigated. Many ends exhibit very little silencing close to the telomere, while others exhibit substantial repression in limited domains. Silencing at native ends is discontinuous, with maximal repression found adjacent to the ARS consensus sequence in the subtelomeric core X element. The level of repression declines precipitously towards the centromere. Mutation of the ARS sequence or an adjacent Abf1p‐binding site significantly reduces silencing. The subtelomeric Y′ elements are resistant to silencing along their whole length, yet silencing can be re‐established at the proximal X element. Deletion of PPR1, the transactivator of URA3, and SIR3 overexpression do not increase repression or extend spreading of silencing to the same extent as with terminally truncated ends. sir1Δ causes partial derepression at X‐ACS, in contrast to the lack of effect seen at terminal truncations. orc2‐1 and orc5‐1 have no effect on natural silencing yet cause derepression at truncated ends. X‐ACS silencing requires the proximity of the telomere and is dependent on SIR2, SIR3, SIR4 and HDF1. The structures found at native yeast telomeres appear to limit the potential of repressive chromatin.