Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the velvet regulators in Aspergillus fumigatus

Fungal development and secondary metabolism is intimately associated via activities of the fungi‐specific velvet family proteins. Here we characterize the four velvet regulators in the opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. The deletion of AfuvosA, AfuveA and AfuvelB causes hyperactive asexual development (conidiation) and precocious and elevated accumulation of AfubrlA during developmental progression. Moreover, the absence of AfuvosA, AfuveA or AfuvelB results in the abundant formation of conidiophores and highly increased AfubrlA mRNA accumulation in liquid submerged culture, suggesting that they act as repressors of conidiation. The deletion of AfuvosA or AfuvelB causes a reduction in conidial trehalose amount, long‐term spore viability, conidial tolerance to oxidative and UV stresses, and accelerated and elevated conidial germination regardless of the presence or absence of an external carbon source, suggesting an interdependent role of them in many aspects of fungal biology. Genetic studies suggest that AfuAbaA activates AfuvosA and AfuvelB expression during the mid to late phase of conidiation. Finally, the AfuveA null mutation can be fully complemented by Aspergillus nidulans VeA, which can physically interact with AfuVelB and AfuLaeA in vivo. A model depicting the similar yet different roles of the velvet regulators governing conidiation and sporogenesis in A. fumigatus is presented.
Resolution of crustal structure of {Mars} from gravity and topography

[1] Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography and gravity models from 5 years of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft tracking provide a window into the structure of the Martian crust and upper mantle. We apply a finite-amplitude terrain correction assuming uniform crustal density and additional corrections for the anomalous densities of the polar caps, the major volcanos, and the hydrostatic flattening of the core. A nonlinear inversion for Moho relief yields a crustal thickness model that obeys a plausible power law and resolves features as small as 300 km wavelength. On the basis of petrological and geophysical constraints, we invoke a mantle density contrast of 600 kg m−3; with this assumption, the Isidis and Hellas gravity anomalies constrain the global mean crustal thickness to be >45 km. The crust is characterized by a degree 1 structure that is several times larger than any higher degree harmonic component, representing the geophysical manifestation of the planet's hemispheric dichotomy. It corresponds to a distinction between modal crustal thicknesses of 32 km and 58 km in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. The Tharsis rise and Hellas annulus represent the strongest components in the degree 2 crustal thickness structure. A uniform highland crustal thickness suggests a single mechanism for its formation, with subsequent modification by the Hellas impact, erosion, and the volcanic construction of Tharsis. The largest surviving lowland impact, Utopia, postdated formation of the crustal dichotomy. Its crustal structure is preserved, making it unlikely that the northern crust was subsequently thinned by internal processes.
Fabrication of carbon nanomechanical resonators with embedded single walled carbon nanotube stiffening layers

This study presents a new fabrication method for high frequency nanomechanical resonators by utilizing carbon layers with embedded single walled carbon-nanotube layers. The carbon layers, fabricated by pyrolysis of photo- or electron beam resists, showed low-density and moderate Young's modulus which is suitable to sensitive nanodevices. The carbon-nanotube layers underneath carbon layers enhanced conductivity and Young's modulus while maintaining low-density of carbon nanoresonators. These two layers are fashioned into doubly clamped nanomechanical beams by electron beam lithography and carbon dry etching processes. Dynamic behaviors such as resonant frequency and Q-factor are investigated using magnetomotive detection method.
The need for closure in caregivers of people with psychosis

Summary Aim – The aim of the study was to determine how carer need for closure relates to expressed emotion. It also examined the links between carer need for closure and patient functioning including patient need for closure. Methods – In a cross-sectional study, 70 caregivers of patients with psychosis completed the Need for Closure Scale (NFCS), the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) and measures of distress, burden, coping and social network. The NFCS was assessed in terms of its two primary dimensions: a need for simple structure (NFSS) and Decisiveness. Patients also completed measures of psychotic symptoms and affect, and in 50 matched caregiver patient dyads, direct comparisons were undertaken between caregiver and patient NFCS scores. Results – No links were found between caregiver NFC and EE in this predominately low EE sample. More decisive carers had higher levels of self esteem, were less distressed, and resorted less to avoidant coping. The need for simple structure was greater in carers who lacked a confidante. As predicted, patients reported significantly higher NFSS and lower Decisiveness scores than carers, but no relationship was observed between caregiver NFC and patient symptoms of psychosis. Conclusions – Carers reporting confident decision making were also more likely to report adaptive functioning in terms of having lower levels of avoidant coping and distress, and higher levels of self esteem. The results suggest that this style of thinking might be a helpful way of coping with some of the difficulties involved in caring for someone with psychosis.
Simultaneous calibration of surface flow and baseflow simulations: a revisit of the SWAT model calibration framework

Accurate analysis of water flow pathways from rainfall to streams is critical for simulating water use, climate change impact, and contaminants transport. In this study, we developed a new scheme to simultaneously calibrate surface flow (SF) and baseflow (BF) simulations of soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) by combing evolutionary multi‐objective optimization (EMO) and BF separation techniques. The application of this scheme demonstrated pronounced trade‐off of SWAT's performance on SF and BF simulations. The simulated major water fluxes and storages variables (e.g. soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and groundwater) using the multiple parameters from EMO span wide ranges. Uncertainty analysis was conducted by Bayesian model averaging of the Pareto optimal solutions. The 90% confidence interval (CI) estimated using all streamflows substantially overestimate the uncertainty of low flows on BF days while underestimating the uncertainty of high flows on SF days. Despite using statistical criteria calculated based on streamflow for model selection, it is important to conduct diagnostic analysis of the agreement of SWAT behaviour and actual watershed dynamics. The new calibration technique can serve as a useful tool to explore the trade‐off between SF and BF simulations and provide candidates for further diagnostic assessment and model identification. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cultivation-Independent Analysis of Bacteria in IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 Fecal Indicator Assays

ABSTRACT Monitoring microbiological water quality is important for protecting water resources and the health of swimmers. Routine monitoring relies on cultivating fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), frequently using defined substrate technology. Defined substrate technology is designed to specifically enrich for FIB, but a complete understanding of the assay microbiology requires culture-independent analysis of the enrichments. This study aimed to identify bacteria in positive wells of Colilert and Enterolert Quanti-Tray/2000 (IDEXX Laboratories) FIB assays in environmental water samples and to quantify the degree of false-positive results for samples from an urban creek by molecular methods. Pooled Escherichia coli- and Enterococcus-positive Quanti-Tray/2000 enrichments, either from urban creek dry weather flow or municipal sewage, harbored diverse bacterial populations based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Target taxa (coliforms or enterococci) and nontarget taxa (Vibrio spp., Shewanella spp., Bacteroidetes, and Clostridium spp.) were identified in pooled and individual positive Colilert and Enterolert wells based on terminal restriction fragments that were in common with those generated in silico from clone sequences. False-positive rates of between 4 and 23% occurred for the urban creek samples, based on the absence of target terminal restriction fragments in individual positive wells. This study suggests that increased selective inhibition of nontarget bacteria could improve the accuracy of the Colilert and Enterolert assays.
On adaptive modulation and power control for cognitive radios with primary user outage constraint

We study power and rate adaptation for cognitive radios in fading channels, with the objective to maximize the average spectral efficiency of the secondary user (SU) transmitter. The average transmit power and bit error rate (BER) constraints of the SU is considered, together with either the short-term or the long-term outage constraint over the channel state of the primary user (PU). In each case, the optimal power and rate solutions are derived. Unlike previous works on power and rate adaptation for cognitive radios, in this work the cochannel interferences between the SU and PU are explicitly modeled and related to their respective average BER and outage requirements, as well as their respective power and rate variables. Numerical results are presented to provide insights into the dynamics of the power and rate solutions.
Size and concentration analyses of extracellular vesicles by nanoparticle tracking analysis: a variation study

ABSTRACT Current methods for characterisation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) need further standardisation in order to obtain an acceptable level of data comparability. Size and concentration of EVs can be determined by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). However, both the heterogeneity of EVs and the choice of instrument settings may cause an appreciable analytical variation. Intra-assay (within-day, n = 6) and inter-assay (day-to-day, n = 6) variations (coefficient of variation, % CV) of different preparations of EVs and artificial vesicles or beads were determined using two NanoSight NS500 instruments, located at different laboratories. All analyses were performed by the same operator. The effect of applying identical software settings or instrument-optimised settings for each sample type and instrument was also evaluated. Finally, the impact of different operators and the use of two different software versions were investigated. The intra-assay CVs were 1–12% for both EVs and artificial samples, measured on the same instrument. The overall day-to-day variation was similar for both instruments, ranging from 2% to 25%. However, significantly different results were observed between the two instruments using identical software settings. The effect of applying instrument-optimised settings reduced the mismatch between the instruments, resulting in little to no significant divergences. The impact of using different operators and software versions when analysing silica microspheres and microvesicles from monocytes using instrument-optimised settings on the same instrument did not contribute to significant variation compared to the overall day-to-day variation of one operator. Performance differences between two similar NTA instruments may display significant divergences in size and concentration measurements when analysing EVs, depending on applied instrument settings and technical conditions. The importance of developing a streamlined and standardised execution of analysis, as well as monitoring longitudinal variation parameters on both biological and synthetic samples, should be highlighted.
Introduction of a new interlocked intramedullary nailing device for stabilization of critically sized femoral defects in the rat: A combined biomechanical and animal experimental study

The goals of this study were to develop a new intramedullary, rotation‐stable locking device and evaluate it biomechanically and in vivo for maintenance of a critical size osteotomy gap in a model of conscious pseudarthrosis. In standardized osteotomized rat femora (5 mm osteotomy gap) two different rotation‐ and axial‐stable locking devices (group pS + cS) were tested in vitro with respect to biomechanics and compared to a control group without an additional locking device (K; n = 6 for each group). For in vivo studies, 27 male Sprague Dawley rats (250–300 g) underwent a femoral defect osteotomy of critical size and were stabilized by one of the three methods (n = 9 for each group). All groups were examined radiologically postoperatively, after 14 days, and after 12 weeks. In vitro testing revealed higher compression and torsional rigidities for the two locking devices (p < 0.05) compared to the control group (compression rigidity: pS = 103.6 ± 13.2; cS = 91.3 ± 10.9; K = 52.8 ± 8.4 N/mm; torsional rigidity: pS = 5.9 ± 0.9; cS = 4.3 ± 1.4; K = 0.4 ± 0.1 Nmm/°). In vivo, group K and pS exhibited up to two thirds wire dislocation and reduction of the osteotomy gap, while dislocation was less frequent in the cS group. Thus, the locking device with compression of the wire showed advantages in rotational and axial stability for a critically sized defect, though the osteotomy gap could not be maintained in all cases over the 12‐week period. Nevertheless, our data corroborate the necessity of an internal fixation device with sufficient axial and rotational stability. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:184–189, 2008
Nostril Sill Augmentation in Secondary Cleft Lip

In most cases, after successful correction of primary cleft lip deformity, some problems remain to be solved. One of them is nostril sill depression, which should not be overlooked in cleft lip repair. However, there have been few reports on the anatomy of the depressed nostril sill and methods for augmenting the sill depression. The anatomy of the depressed nostril sill, its relationship to surrounding tissue, and the gross features of nostril sill depression in cleft lip deformity were reviewed, and a method in which a scar flap and a suture-fixation technique are used was developed for augmenting the depression. The clinical results of this method in 16 patients are presented.
A Research on the Burnout and the Teaching Profession Attitudes of Teacher Candidates

Purpose of this study is to examine burnout and teaching profession attitudes of teacher candidates. Research was conducted with 287 teacher candidates. By the findings; burnout and teaching profession attitudes of teacher candidates don’t differ according to their gender. Burnout of teacher candidates differs according to their graduation status but teaching profession attitudes of teacher candidates don’t differ according to their graduation status. Emotional exhaustion points of teacher candidates differ according to their field of study. Teacher candidates in art teaching have the highest emotional exhaustion mean ranks and teacher candidates in nursing have the lowest emotional exhaustion mean ranks. Lack of personal accomplishment points of teacher candidates differ according to their field of study. Teacher candidates in American culture and literature have the highest lack of personal accomplishment mean ranks and teacher candidates in Turkish teaching have the lowest lack of personal accomplishment mean ranks. Depersonalization points of teacher candidates differ according to their field of study. Teacher candidates in journalism have the highest lack of personal accomplishment mean ranks and teacher candidates in German language and literature have the lowest lack of personal accomplishment mean ranks. Teaching profession attitude points of teacher candidates differ according to their field of study. Teacher candidates in geography have the highest teaching profession attitude mean ranks and teacher candidates in journalism have the lowest teaching profession attitude mean ranks. Additionally, burnout of teacher candidates explains 9% of the total variance of their teaching profession attitude. Examining the results of the t-test, competence and depersonalization are seen to be the significant predictors of teacher candidates’ teaching profession attitude.
Can Providers Use Clinical Skills to Assess the Adequacy of Ventilation in Children During Bag-Valve Mask Ventilation?

OBJECTIVE Bag-valve mask (BVM) ventilation requires both manual skill and clinical assessment of minute ventilation. Subjective factors can make supplying appropriate ventilation difficult. Capnography is not routinely used when ventilating nonintubated patients. Our objective was to determine if providers were able to maintain normal capnography values with BVM ventilation in pediatric patients based on clinical skills alone. METHODS Providers (nurses, residents, and fellows) delivered 2 minutes of BVM respiratory support to healthy children during induction of anesthesia for elective surgery. All patients had standard monitoring including capnography, but providers were blinded to capnography data. Capnography data were video recorded; values between 30 and 50 mmHg were considered indicative of normal ventilation. Any deviation from this range for greater than 10 consecutive seconds was considered an episode of inappropriate ventilation. MAIN RESULTS Twenty-five providers-patient pairs were enrolled. Nineteen providers were anesthesia residents. The median age of patients was 5.3 years (interquartile range, 3.3-8.5 years). Nineteen providers (76%) had at least 1 episode of abnormal ventilation with a median of 2 episodes per provider (interquartile range, 0.5-2.5). Among these providers, total mean duration of abnormal ventilation was 57 seconds (95% confidence interval, 41-72) or 47% (95% confidence interval, 34%-60%) of the 2-minute period. CONCLUSIONS Normal ventilation is difficult to maintain among providers delivering BVM ventilation to pediatric patients without objective feedback. Incorporation of capnography monitoring may improve BVM ventilation in children.
Inhaled albuterol/salbutamol and ipratropium bromide and their combination in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Importance of the field: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Combination therapy with albuterol and ipratropium bromide was approved > 15 years ago for the treatment of COPD. We review the mechanism of action, clinical efficacy, and safety of albuterol, ipratropium and combined albuterol-ipratropium therapy. Areas covered in this review: We conducted a PubMed literature search using the keywords COPD, albuterol, ipratropium bromide and Combivent® (Boehringer Ingelheim Corp., Ridgefield, CT, USA); pertinent references within the identified citations are included in the review. Data from the manufacturers are also evaluated. What the reader will gain: At the time of its approval, albuterol/ipratropium bromide was an innovative combination of existing medications for the treatment of COPD. The combined formulation provides better improvement in airflow than either component alone and, by reducing the number of separate inhalers, simplifies therapy and improves compliance compared with the individual components. Take home message: The recent development and approval of longer acting and more potent β agonists, anticholinergics and newer combination treatments have surpassed many of the advantages of combined albuterol–ipratropium for the treatment of patients with stable COPD.
Prediction of quality of experience for video streaming using raw QoS parameters

Along with the rapid growth in consumer adoption of modern portable devices, video streaming is expected to dominate a large share of the global Internet traffic in the near future. Today user experience is becoming a reliable indicator for video service providers and telecommunication operators to convey overall end-to-end system functioning. Towards this, there is a profound need for an efficient Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring and prediction. QoE is a subjective metric, which deals with user perception and can vary due to the user expectation and context. However, available QoE measurement techniques that adopt a full reference method are impractical in real-time transmission since they require the original video sequence to be available at the receiver’s end. QoE prediction, however, requires a firm understanding of those Quality of Service (QoS) factors that are the most influential on QoE. The main aim of this thesis work is the development of novel and efficient models for video quality prediction in a non-intrusive way and to demonstrate their application in QoE-enabled optimisation schemes for video delivery. In this thesis, the correlation between QoS and QoE is utilized to objectively estimate the QoE. For this, both objective and subjective methods were used to create datasets that represent the correlation between QoS parameters and measured QoE. Firstly, the impact of selected QoS parameters from both encoding and network levels on video QoE is investigated. The obtained QoS/QoE correlation is backed by thorough statistical analysis. Secondly, the development of two novel hybrid non-reference models for predicting video quality using fuzzy logic inference systems (FIS) as a learning-based technique. Finally, attention was move onto demonstrating two applications of the developed FIS prediction model to show how QoE is used to optimise video delivery.
Measurement of tissue optical properties during mechanical compression using swept source optical coherence tomography

Laser-based photo-thermal therapies can provide minimally-invasive treatment of cancers. Their effectiveness is limited by light penetration depth in tissue due to its highly scattering properties. The highly disordered refractive index distribution in tissue leads to multiple-scattering of incident light. It has been hypothesized that mechanical compression has a great potential to enhance the capabilities of laser therapy by inducing localized water transport, decreasing the refractive index mismatch, and decreasing the scattering coefficient of tissue. To better understand this process, we investigated the refractive index change of ex-vivo dog skin during mechanical compression using a swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) device built in our lab. The Lorentz-Lorenz rule of mixtures was applied to evaluate the water and protein weight fraction of tissue simultaneously. Results show that the refractive index of skin increased from 1.38 to 1.52 during compression and water content decreased about 60%-70% when the skin sample was compressed by 70%. In addition, we conducted compression experiments on human finger, palm, back of hand, and front of forearm in vivo. OCT images of these skin sites before and after compression by 1 minute were compared. Optical thickness of epidermis and light penetration depth in the dermis were measured. The extended Huygens-Fresnel model was applied to measure the scattering coefficient μs of skin specimens. μs of skin was measured to be about 10-17 mm before compression and decreased 60%-80% after compression, which increases the averaged light intensity by 2-7 dB and almost doubles light penetration depth in dermis. It is quite significant in laser therapies especially for treating epithelia cancers which originate at 1-2 mm beneath the tissue surface. In the OCT imaging of skin dehydration experiment, we conclude that dehydration is an important mechanism of mechanical clearing.