Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seed Production and Dispersal of Sulfur Cinquefoil in Northeast Oregon

Abstract Sulfur cinquefoil (family Rosaceae) is an invasive, herbaceous perennial, native to Eurasia. It has wide ecological amplitude and has become established throughout North America in numerous habitat types. Sulfur cinquefoil reproduces only by seed (achenes); however, little is known about its regenerative strategy or reproductive biology. To improve understanding of the mechanisms of expansion for sulfur cinquefoil, we quantified seed production and measured seed dispersal at sites infested with sulfur cinquefoil in different habitats in northeast Oregon. Seed dispersal was measured by using sticky traps (30 × 100 cm, replaced every 2 weeks) radiating in 4 cardinal directions from individual source plants. Estimated seed production for 2 years (2001 and 2002) was nearly 4 times higher than previously reported (≈6 000 seeds per plant; range ≈ 2 620–15 150 seeds per plant). For most sites, seed production was similar in both years. However, site, year, and their interaction (site × year) had significant influence on flower and stem production. Seeds were dispersed from July through mid-October 2001, although almost 40% of the seeds were captured between mid-July and mid-August. Dispersal followed a classic decay function; approximately 83% of the seeds were captured within 60 cm of the source plants. Once sulfur cinquefoil reaches a site, it appears to spread and persist by releasing numerous seeds near the parent plants, thereby forming increasingly dense stands.
Structure of FBP11 WW1-PL Ligand Complex Reveals the Mechanism of Proline-rich Ligand Recognition by Group II/III WW Domains*

FBP11/HYPA is a mammalian homologue of yeast splicing factor Prp40. The first WW domain of FBP11/HYPA (FBP11 WW1) is essential for preventing severe neurological diseases such as Huntington disease and Rett syndrome and strongly resembles the WW domain of FCA, the essential regulator for flowering time control. We have solved the structure of FBP11 WW1 and a Pro-Pro-Leu-Pro ligand complex, and demonstrated the binding mechanism with mutational analysis using surface plasmon resonance. The overall structure of FBP11 WW1 in the complex form is quite similar to the structures of WW domains from Group I and IV in complexes. In addition, conformation of FBP11 WW1 does not change much upon ligand binding. The binding orientation of the ligand against FBP11 WW1 is the same as that of the Group IV WW domain-ligand complex, but opposite to that of the Group I complex. The ligand interacts with two grooves formed by surface aromatic residues. The Pro and Leu residues in the ligand interact with the grooves and the Loop I region of FBP11 WW1, respectively, which are necessary interactions for binding the ligand. Interestingly, the two aromatic grooves recognize the Pro residues in entirely different manners, which allows FBP11 WW1 to recognize shorter sequences than the SH3 domain. Combined with homology models of other WW domains, the present report shows the detailed mechanism of ligand binding by Group II/III WW domains, and provides information useful in designing drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
Levantamento dos temas TIC e EAD na biblioteca virtual Educ

Trata-se de uma pesquisa que envolveu a exploracao dos 36 periodicos que compoem o repositorio Educ@ com vistas ao levantamento das publicacoes que enfocam os temas educacao a distância – EAD – e tecnologias da informacao e da comunicacao – TIC. Excluidos tres periodicos que se voltam exclusivamente para a divulgacao de estudos relacionados aos temas desse levantamento, foram evidenciados 824 artigos. Os dados tabulados permitiram identificar uma mudanca no foco dos estudos encontrados, que discutiam a informatica educativa e passaram a investigar o uso/apropriacao das TIC e a formacao de professores para e por meio da EAD. A partir de 2008, a quantidade de artigos publicados por ano em cada periodico triplicou, sinalizando um aumento do interesse dos pesquisadores por investigacoes sobre os temas explorados.
Physiological disturbances at critically high temperatures: a comparison between stenothermal antarctic and eurythermal temperate eelpouts (Zoarcidae)

The effect of gradually increased water temperature on the metabolism of temperate eelpout from the North Sea (Zoarces viviparus) and Antarctic eelpout (Pachycara brachycephalum) was investigated. Standard metabolic rate (SMR) was similar in cold-adapted P. brachycephalum and cold-acclimated Z. viviparus in the low temperature range. This indicates that Antarctic eelpout show no metabolic cold adaptation (as originally defined by Wohlschlag); however, they do show a compensatory increase of oxygen consumption compared to warm-acclimated eelpout. SMR increased more strongly with rising temperature in P. brachycephalum than in Z. viviparus, which is reflected in a higher Arrhenius activation energy for oxygen consumption (99+/-5 kJ mol(-)(1), versus 55+/-3 kJ mol(-)(1) for cold-acclimated Z. viviparus; means +/- s.d. ). The intracellular pH in the white musculature of Z. viviparus follows alphastat regulation over the whole investigated temperature range and dropped at a rate of -0.016 pH units per degrees C between 3 degrees C and 24 degrees C. In Antarctic eelpout white muscle pH declined at a rate of -0.015 pH units per degrees C between 0 degrees C and 3 degrees C, but deviated from alphastat at higher temperatures, indicating that thermal stress leads to acid-base disturbances in this species. The upper critical temperature limit (Tc(II); characterised by a transition to anaerobic metabolism) was found to be between 21 degrees C and 24 degrees C for Z. viviparus and around 9 degrees C for P. brachycephalum. In both species a rise of succinate concentration in the liver tissue turned out to be the most useful indicator of Tc(II). Obviously, liver is more sensitive to heat stress than is white muscle. Accordingly, the energy status of white muscle is not diminished at Tc(II). Heat-induced hyperglycaemia was observed in Antarctic eelpout (at 9 degrees C and 10 degrees C), but not in common eelpout. Based on our results and on literature data, impaired respiration in combination with circulatory failure is suggested as the final cause of heat death. Our data suggest that the southern distribution limit of Zoarces viviparus is correlated with the limit of thermal tolerance. Therefore, it can be anticipated that global warming would cause a shift in the distribution of this species.
Effect of Renin on Brain Arterioles and Cerebral Blood Flow in Rabbits

There is evidence of an intrinsic renin–angiotensin system in the brain. The goal of the study was to determine whether stimulation of endogenous angiotensin production by applying renin to the brain surface has an effect on pial arteriolar caliber and CBF. Pial vessel diameters were measured through a closed cranial window in anesthetized rabbits. Percent changes of blood flow in the cortical area under the cranial window were simultaneously measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Topical application of 0.01–0.1 U/ml renin induced maximum dilation of 18.9 ± 4% (mean ± SD) of pial arterioles within 2 min. Arteriolar calibers thereafter decreased slowly. Flow gradually increased to peak at 38 ± 15% 50 min after renin application. Angiotensin I levels in jugular blood, as measured by radioimmunoassay, increased to a peak 40 min after topical renin application. Angiotensin II levels in jugular blood and both angiotensin I and II levels in blood samples from the femoral artery did not change. Diameter and flow changes were inhibited by intravenous pretreatment with the converting enzyme blocker captopril (10 mg/kg body wt i.v.). Captopril did not affect the vasodilation and flow increase in response to hypercapnia. Topically applied Captopril (10−5 M) blocked renin-induced arteriolar dilation. We conclude that renin increases pial arteriolar diameters and cortical blood flow in the rabbit brain. Stimulation of angiotensin production is likely to be a mediator of this response.
Enriching the Notion of Path in ISO-Space

This paper proposes a modiﬁcation to the notion of PATH as used in ISOspace, in order to both simplify the semantics of the MOVELINK tag as well as improve its coherence as a link structure, as deﬁned in Bunt et al. (2016). This follows a suggestion by Lee (2016), where a reformulation of MOVELINK is proposed, in effect restoring an earlier proposal by Pustejovsky et al. (2010), where a motion is a relation between a MOVER and an EVENT PATH . This simpliﬁes the speciﬁcation in ISOspace, maintains a coherent abstract syntax
The pressure distribution of insulating glass unites under thermal gradient

The calculation of thermal stresses of insulating glass units is based on the pressure distribution of the insulating layer, which was rarely researched. This paper studies on the pressure distribution under different factors and the results show that factors such as the thickness of glass plates and insulating layers, the temperature difference between two sides of glass plates and the width of glass plates have effect on the pressure distribution. The pressure will become higher as the increase of glass plate thickness and insulating layer thickness, but it will decrease as the increase of glass plate width. Besides, the average temperature of the two sides of glass plates has influence on the pressure while the temperature of each side has slight effect. The Poly2D function, the linear function and ExtremeCum function can well reflect the pressure distribution insulating layer. Besides, this paper provides the pressure calculation functions and the correlation coefficient shows that well accordance with FEA data.
Co‐regulation of pituitary tumor cell adhesion and prolactin gene expression by glucocorticoid

Rat 235‐1 pituitary tumor cells are lactotrophs producing high levels of prolactin (PRL). Dexamethasone (Dex, 100 nM) inhibits PRL gene expression in 235‐1 cells by 50%, while simultaneously decreasing cell replication and cell‐cell aggregation. To determine the time course of Dex action, we used a quantitative assay for cell‐cell interaction, based on the number of single cells present before and after re‐aggregation of dispersed cells. 235‐1 cells were cultured in growth medium or medium plus 100 nM Dex for 1–4 days before assay. Control cells had 90% re‐aggregation on all days of assay. Aggregation of Dex‐treated cells decreased to 55% by day 4. Dex treatment also reduced cell numbers by 40%, but this decrease did not contribute to reduced aggregation. To determine the mechanism of Dex‐inhibited cell‐cell adhesion, we examined the expression of cadherins and catenins. Cadherin‐related mRNAs (P‐ and N‐cadherin probes) were detectable in 235‐1 cells, but their levels were unchanged by Dex. A pan‐cadherin antibody was unable to detect classical cadherins in these cells. Both α‐ and β‐catenins were detected by Western blotting and their levels were decreased by Dex. Unlike control aggregates, aggregates of Dex‐treated cells were able to inhibit expression of PRL mRNA when added to monolayers of 235‐1 cells. These data suggest that Dex influences cadherin function by inhibiting catenin expression and that this has the functional consequence of altering 235‐1 cell‐cell interactions. Overall the data show that Dex affects important aspects of lactotroph function other than PRL gene expression. These changes may include physical alterations in pituitary cell contacts that further support a change in functional state. J. Cell. Physiol. 174:115–124, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Quantile Method for Sizing Optical Maps

Optical mapping is an integrated system for the analysis of single DNA molecules. It constructs restriction maps (noted as "optical map" ) from individual DNA molecules presented on surfaces after they are imaged by fluorescence microscopy. Because restriction digestion and fluorochrome staining are performed after molecules are mounted, resulting restriction fragments retain their order. Maps of fragment sizes and order are constructed by image processing techniques employing integrated fluorescence intensity measurements. Such analysis, in place of molecular length measurements, obviates need for uniformly elongated molecules, but requires samples containing small fluorescent reference molecules for accurate sizing. Although robust in practice, elimination of internal reference molecules would reduce errors and extend single molecule analysis to other platforms. In this paper, we introduce a new approach that does not use reference molecules for direct estimation of restriction fragment sizes, by the exploitation of the quantiles associated with their expected distribution. We show that this approach is comparable to the current reference-based method as evaluated by map alignment techniques in terms of the rate of placement of optical maps to published sequence.
State Forestry Incentives and Community Stewardship: A Political Ecology of Payments and Compensation for Ecosystem Services in Guatemala’s Highlands

Many payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs in Latin America aim to provide motivation for environmental protection through valuing services and providing funds for local development. This article focuses on rapidly expanding state-run Guatemalan forestry incentive programs to show the complexity of this form of PES that compensates participants for good forest management practices. Using a political ecology approach, we investigate the impacts of these incentives on rural Guatemalan participants with regards to local benefits and resource access in two highland townships. Rural participants, through good forest management, have seized the opportunity to receive payments for their preexisting conservation efforts and mobilized community organizations to enroll. Program participants continue to benefit from their land after program enrollment, but participation also opens traditionally indigenous-managed forests to technocratic state control. The program can bring state development funds to impoverished rural households, but only for a limited time and mainly to male heads of households. We argue that for these participants, the non-market forestry incentives demonstrate greater flexibility to meet small landholder needs, a result not often found within market-based PES programs focused on the production of specific ecosystem services. This research offers important insights for the United Nations initiative for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) by highlighting the social and ecological benefits of community and indigenous-based forest stewardship and the importance of widespread distribution of REDD+ funds to landholders already engaged in sustainable forestry activities.
Change in Cognitive Abilities in Older Latinos

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare patterns of cognitive decline in older Latinos and non-Latinos. At annual intervals for a mean of 5.7 years, older Latino (n=104) and non-Latino (n=104) persons of equivalent age, education, and race completed a battery of 17 cognitive tests from which previously established composite measures of episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and visuospatial ability were derived. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and education, performance declined over time in each cognitive domain, but there were no ethnic group differences in initial level of function or annual rate of decline. There was evidence of retest learning following the baseline evaluation, but neither the magnitude nor duration of the effect was related to Latino ethnicity, and eliminating the first two evaluations, during which much of retest learning occurred, did not affect ethnic group comparisons. Compared to the non-Latino group, the Latino group had more diabetes (38.5% vs. 25.0; χ2[1]=4.4; p=.037), fewer histories of smoking (24.0% vs. 39.4%, χ2[1]=5.7; p=.017), and lower childhood household socioeconomic level (−0.410 vs. −0.045, t[185.0]=3.1; p=.002), but controlling for these factors did not affect results. Trajectories of cognitive aging in different abilities are similar in Latino and non-Latino individuals of equivalent age, education, and race. (JINS, 2016, 22, 58–65)
Set Interfaces for Generalized Typestate and Data Structure Consistency Verification

Abstract : Typestate systems allow the type of an object to change during its lifetime in the computation. Unlike standard type systems, they can enforce safety properties that depend on changing object states. We present a new, generalized formulation of typestate that models the typestate of an object through membership in abstract sets. This abstract set formulation enables developers to reason about cardinalities of sets, and in particular to state and verify the condition that certain sets are empty. We support hierarchical typestate classifications by specifying subset and disjointness properties over the typestate sets. We present our formulation of typestate in the context of the Hob program specification and verification framework. The Hob framework allows the combination of typestate analysis with powerful independently developed analyses such as shape analyses or theorem proving techniques. We implemented our analysis and annotated several programs (75-2500 lines of code) with set specifications. Our implementation includes several optimizations that improve the scalability of the analysis and a novel loop invariant inference algorithm that eliminates the need to specify loop invariants. We present experimental data demonstrating the effectiveness of our techniques.
The Role of a Modified Technology Acceptance Model in Explaining Internet Usage in Higher Education in Thailand

This article describes research which modelled adoption of Internet technology by academics in Business Schools in Public Universities in Thailand. It begins by reviewing prominent theories of technology acceptance. Formulation of the research model was based mainly on TAM and its derivatives. Survey methodology was used to collect primary data from academics in Thailand and the survey yielded 455 usable questionnaires. Analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modelling. The study generated a research model: ‘The Internet Acceptance Model’ which demonstrates that only perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and self-efficacy significantly influence actual usage behaviour. This model is found to be both parsimonious and theoretically justified. Significantly, not only is it capable of specifying general determinants of Internet acceptance and usage in higher education but it can also be used and applied to explain or predict individual behaviour across a broad range of Internet technologies and user groups.
Imatinib mesylate attenuates fibrosis in coxsackievirus b3-induced chronic myocarditis.

AIMS Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced chronic myocarditis in mice is accompanied by severe fibrosis and by sustained elevation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A, -B, and -C levels in the cardiac tissue. To test if PDGF stimulation of resident fibroblasts causally contributes to fibrosis, we employed inhibition of PDGF receptor signalling with the orally available kinase inhibitor Imatinib. METHODS AND RESULTS Chronic myocarditis was induced by CVB3 infection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II knockout (B6Aa(0)/Aa(0)) mice. The mice were treated with 100 mg/kg Imatinib or vehicle, respectively, twice daily for 34 days. Expression of PDGF-C and of inflammatory cytokines were analysed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. PDGFalpha receptor phosphorylation was detected by immunoblotting of cardiac tissue extracts and in situ by immunohistochemistry. Fibrosis formation was analysed by Sirius-Red staining and hydroxyproline (HP) determination. Fibronectin, and tenascin expression was analysed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was assessed with collagen, synthetic peptides, and gelatine as substrates. Imatinib significantly inhibited the myocarditis-related PDGFalpha receptor activation in the heart tissue. The virus titres in the hearts, inflammatory infiltrations, and elevated PDGF levels were unaffected by the Imatinib treatment. A significant attenuation of fibrosis occurred in Imatinib-treated animals. The Sirius Red-stained fibrotic area was reduced from 5.30 +/- 0.50 to 3.21 +/- 0.35%, and the HP content was reduced from 362 +/- 43 to 238 +/- 32 microMol/10 mg dry weight vs. 190 +/- 27 in uninfected controls. The expression of fibronectin, EIIIA+ fibronectin, and tenascin C were likewise reduced. The diminished matrix protein deposition was not caused by elevated MMP activity, since MMP activity was not changed or even reduced under Imatinib. CONCLUSION The data suggest a causal role for elevated PDGF expression and PDGF receptor activity in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis.
On the optimal design of triple modular redundancy logic for SRAM-based FPGAs

Triple modular redundancy (TMR) is a suitable fault tolerant technique for SRAM-based FPGA. However, one of the main challenges in achieving 100% robustness in designs protected by TMR running on programmable platforms is to prevent upsets in the routing from provoking undesirable connections between signals from distinct redundant logic parts, which can generate an error in the output. This paper investigates the optimal design of the TMR logic (e.g., by cleverly inserting voters) to ensure robustness. Four different versions of a TMR digital filter were analyzed by fault injection. Faults were randomly inserted straight into the bitstream of the FPGA. The experimental results presented in this paper demonstrate that the number and placement of voters in the TMR design can directly affect the fault tolerance, ranging from 4.03% to 0.98% the number of upsets in the routing able to cause an error in the TMR circuit.
Database Pruning for Unsupervised Building of Text-To-Speech Voices

Unit selection speech synthesis techniques lead the speech synthesis state of the art. Automatic segmentation of databases is necessary in order to build new voices. They may contain errors and segmentation processes may introduce some more. Quality systems require a significant effort to find and correct these segmentation errors. Phonetic transcription is crucial and is one of the manually supervised tasks. The possibility to automatically remove incorrectly transcribed units from the inventory will help to make the process more automatic. Here we present a new technique based on speech recognition confidence measures that reaches to remove 90% of incorrectly transcribed units from a database. The cost for it is loosing only a 10% of correctly transcribed units
An Empirical Study on the Impact of Two Types of Goal Orientation and Salesperson Perceived Obsolescence on Adaptive Selling

Adaptive selling is widely deemed as an important characteristic leading to success in personal selling. This research focuses on the way that both learning goal orientation and proving goal orientation influence a salesperson’s adaptive selling through their influence on salesperson perceived obsolescence. A sample of insurance salespeople provide data and structural equation modeling tests a theoretical model linking goal orientation to adaptive selling. The results demonstrate that a strong learning goal orientation promotes adaptive selling. In contrast, a salesperson’s degree of proving goal orientation relates negatively to adaptive selling. In addition, a learning goal orientation reduces perceived obsolescence, whereas a proving goal orientation promotes perceived obsolescence. Perceived obsolescence detrimentally affects adaptive selling, however, direct effects of goal orientation persist even given the significant role of obsolescence.