Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
'Marker swap' plasmids: convenient tools for budding yeast molecular genetics.

One-step gene disruption constructs for disruption of HIS3, LEU2, TRP1 or URA3 with each of the other three markers have been constructed. All of these constructs have been tested and found to effectively convert markers either in gene disruptions or on plasmids. The 'swapped' strains allow the unambiguous genetic analysis of synthetic phenotypes with multiple genes, even if the original gene disruptions were made with the same marker. They also allow introduction of multiple plasmids in a single transformant, even if the original plasmids had the same marker, and allow transformation of plasmids into strains containing gene disruptions made with the same marker that is on the plasmids. These 'marker-swap' plasmids therefore eliminate the need for much subcloning to change markers. Marker-swapped alleles are acceptably stable mitotically and meiotically for most applications.
Profiles of lymphokine activities and helper function for IgE in human T cell clones

A large panel of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)‐induced T cell clones (690 in total), established from four different human lymphoid tissues (peripheral blood, tonsils, lymph nodes and spleens) by a high‐efficiency cloning technique, was characterized according to their pattern of lymphokine production. The majority of both CD4+ and CD8+clones from all lymphoid tissues produced interleukin (IL) 2 and/or interferon (1FN)‐γ response to 24‐h stimulation with PHA. In contrast, higher proportions of IL4‐producing clones were found among CD4+clones from tonsils and spleens than from peripheral blood and lymph nodes, whereas only a minority of CD8+ clones from all lymphoid tissues were found to produce IL4.
Membrane cofactor protein (MCP; CD46) expression in transgenic mice

Human membrane cofactor protein (MCP; CD46) is a widely distributed complement regulator. In the mouse, expression of MCP is largely restricted to the testis while a related, widely expressed protein (Crry) appears to perform MCP's (CD46) regulatory activity. We have developed two mouse strains transgenic for human MCP (CD46) utilizing an ∼ 400 kb YAC clone carrying the complete gene. A third mouse strain was generated using an overlapping YAC clone isolated from a second library. The expression of human MCP (CD46) in these mouse strains was characterized by immunohistochemistry, FACS, Western blotting and RT‐PCR. No differences were detected in the isoform pattern or distribution among the three strains, although the expression level varied according to how many copies of the gene were integrated. The expression profile closely mimicked that observed in humans, including the same pattern of isoform expression as the donor. In addition, tissue‐specific isoform expression in the kidney, salivary gland and brain paralleled that observed in man. The transgenic mice expressed low levels of MCP (CD46) on their E, in contrast to humans but in line with most other primates. These mice should be a useful tool to analyse tissue‐specific expression, to establish animal models of infections and to characterize the role of MCP (CD46) in reproduction.
Identification and classification of grapevine cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) from the Balkan subgroup by phyllometric descriptors

Material and Methods: The 14 examinated varieties belong to the convarietas Pontica Negr. , subconvarietas balcanica, from which 10 are red varieties ('Blatina', 'Vranec', 'Kratoshija', 'Teran', 'Prokupec', 'Kadarka', 'Stanushina', 'Melnik', 'Mavrud' and 'Plovdina') and 4 are white varieties ('Sipon', 'Zilavka', 'Zupljanka' and 'Smederevka'). Some of this cultivars are autochthonous and have been cultivated since long time in the Macedonian vineyards ('Stanushina') while others have been introduced after the phylloxera appearance ('Prokupec', 'Teran',). 'Vranec' (synonym 'Vranac') transferred in Macedonia in 1950 (NASTEV 1967) and 'Kratosija', are Montenegrin autochthonous grapevine varieties (NASTEV 1967, BOZINOVIC 2010). The varieties
Forecasting the Price of the Candidate in M&A Based on Multiple-Kernel SVMR

In Mergers and Acquisitions, forecasting the price of the candidate is a very important step, which decides whether an acquisition continues to advance. In this paper, multiple-kernel SVMR is applied to predict the price of candidates in mergers and acquisitions. In the model, we adopt a two-stage multiple-kernel learning algorithm by incorporating sequential minimal optimization and the gradient projection method. By this algorithm, advantages from different hyperparameter settings can be combined and overall system performance can be improved. Experimental results show that SVMR performs better than other methods which a strong tool for M&A decision-making.
Detection of Resistance to Amphotericin B amongCryptococcus neoformans Clinical Isolates: Performances of Three Different Media Assessed by Using E-Test and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A Methodologies

ABSTRACT Although reliable detection of resistance in vitro is critical to the overall performance of any susceptibility testing method, the recently released National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards M27-A methodology for susceptibility testing of yeasts discriminates poorly between resistant and susceptible isolates ofCandida spp. We have previously shown that both substitution of antibiotic medium 3 for RPMI 1640 medium in the microdilution variant of the M27-A method and use of the E-test agar diffusion methodology permit detection of amphotericin B-resistantCandida isolates. To determine the relevance of these observations to Cryptococcus neoformans, we have evaluated the performances of both the M27-A and the E-test methodologies with this yeast using three different media (RPMI 1640 medium, antibiotic medium 3, and yeast nitrogen base). As with Candida, we found that only antibiotic medium 3 permitted consistent detection of resistant isolates when testing was performed in broth by the M27-A method. When testing was performed by the E-test agar diffusion method, both RPMI 1640 medium and antibiotic medium 3 agar permitted ready detection of the resistant isolates. Reading of the results after 48 h of incubation was required for testing in broth by the M27-A method, while the MIC could be determined after either 48 or 72 h when the agar diffusion method was used.
Simultaneous Determination of Cd^2+ and Pb^2+ Using a Chemically Modified Electrode

bring harm to people’s health. In recent years, various methods for determining of Cd2+ and Pb2+, such as flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry,1 electrothermal atomic emission spectrometry,2,3 inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES),4 and mass spectrometry (MS), have been developed. However, these methods required expensive instruments, well-controlled experimental conditions, and frequent maintenance and calibration. Because of its high sensitivity, stripping voltammetry (SV) was widely used to determine trace levels of metal ions and organic substances. General speaking, SV contains two main steps: firstly, the analyte of interest is accumulated on the surface of the working electrode and secondly, such accumulated analyte is stripped from the working electrode by applying voltammetric scanning. In the past years, the working electrodes used in SV were mainly mercury electrodes or various kinds of mercury-film electrodes. Because of the dangerous and hazardous properties of mercury, the substitution of mercury is very necessary. Chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) have been recognized as one desirable alternative. CMEs have the following advantages: easy and convenient fabrication, enhancing sensitivity, excellent selectivity and lowcost, and they are widely used in analytical chemistry already.5,6 In recent years, determinations of Cd2+ or Pb2+ by various chemically modified electrodes such as: polymeric calixarene modified carbon paste electrode,7 carbon paste electrode containing ion changer (HYPHAN),8 and Nafion-coated glassy carbon electrode modified by neutral ionophores,9 have been reported. To our knowledge, the simultaneous determination of Cd2+ and Pb2+ using PAN CMEs has not been reported before. Compared with other CMEs, the PAN modified glassy carbon electrode has the following advantages: easy preparation, fast response, high sensitivity and low detection limit. PAN contains pyridyl, azo and hydroxyl groups which are good electron donors. PAN is widely used in extraction spectrophotometry because it can form stable complexes with many metal ions under proper conditions. Based on this points, we want to use PAN CMEs to determine some trace levels of metal ions and to improve the sensitivity of SV. In Fig. 1, 2×10–7 mol/L Cd2+ and Pb2+ have no voltammetric response on bare GCE (curve a) after being accumulated for 4 min at –1.20 V. However, under the same conditions, Cd2+ and Pb2+ have very a sensitive stripping peak on PAN-modified GCE (curve b), suggesting that a PAN-modified electrode can greatly improved the sensitivity of determination of Cd2+ and Pb2+. The oxidation peak potentials of Cd2+ and Pb2+ are –0.83 V and –0.50 V, respectively. Trace levels of Cd2+ and Pb2+ in water samples were determined using this PAN-modified electrode and the results suggested that it was effective for determining Cd2+ and Pb2+.
Analysis of the tdh Gene Cloned from a tdh Gene‐ and trh Gene‐Positive Strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

A variant of the gene (tdh) encoding thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) was cloned from the chromosome of Vibrio parahaemolyticus AQ3860, which gave positive results in the hybridization tests with the tdh gene probe and the trh (tdh‐related hemolysin) gene probe and showed a low level of reaction in an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for TDH. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cloned gene (tdh5) provided no evidence that tdh5 is evolutionally closer to the trh gene than the other tdh genes. The tdh5 gene was flanked by 40 base‐pair sequences constituting perfect inverted repeats, which may suggest association of the tdh5 gene with insertion sequence‐like structure. These results suggest that the tdh5 gene and the trh gene were not originally produced by gene duplication in AQ3860 but rather that one of the two genes moved into AQ3860 from an external source.
${\rm H}_{\infty}$ State Estimation for Discrete-Time Chaotic Systems Based on a Unified Model

This paper is concerned with the problem of state estimation for a class of discrete-time chaotic systems with or without time delays. A unified model consisting of a linear dynamic system and a bounded static nonlinear operator is employed to describe these systems, such as chaotic neural networks, Chua's circuits, Hénon map, etc. Based on the H∞ performance analysis of this unified model using the linear matrix inequality approach, H∞ state estimator are designed for this model with sensors to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the estimation error dynamic systems and to reduce the influence of noise on the estimation error. The parameters of these filters are obtained by solving the eigenvalue problem. As most discrete-time chaotic systems with or without time delays can be described with this unified model, H∞ state estimator design for these systems can be done in a unified way. Three numerical examples are exploited to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed estimator design schemes.
High-resolution mapping of intracellular fluctuations using carbon nanotubes

Motors stirring within the living cell Cytoskeletal dynamics is key to cellular function. At very short time scales, thermal motions probably dominate, whereas on time scales from minutes to hours, motor-protein-12–based directed transport is dominant. But what about the times in between? Fakhri et al. tracked kinesin molecules labeled with carbon nanotubes and monitored their motion in living cells for milliseconds to hours. The kinesins motored along microtubule tracks, but sometimes moved more randomly as the tracks themselves were moved by active, larger-scale cell movements. This active “stirring” of the cytoplasm may play a role in nonspecific transport. Science, this issue p. 1031 Random active stress fluctuations, detected by tracking labeled kinesin motors, stir the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Cells are active systems with molecular force generation that drives complex dynamics at the supramolecular scale. We present a quantitative study of molecular motions in cells over times from milliseconds to hours. Noninvasive tracking was accomplished by imaging highly stable near-infrared luminescence of single-walled carbon nanotubes targeted to kinesin-1 motor proteins in COS-7 cells. We observed a regime of active random “stirring” that constitutes an intermediate mode of transport, different from both thermal diffusion and directed motor activity. High-frequency motion was found to be thermally driven. At times greater than 100 milliseconds, nonequilibrium dynamics dominated. In addition to directed transport along microtubules, we observed strong random dynamics driven by myosins that result in enhanced nonspecific transport. We present a quantitative model connecting molecular mechanisms to mesoscopic fluctuations.
A Study on Designing Video Tutorials for Promoting Security Features: A Case Study in the Context of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

ABSTRACT This article investigates the effectiveness of informational videos that are designed to provide an introduction to two-step verification (i.e., 2FA) and in turn seeks to improve the adoption rate of 2FA among users. Toward that, eight video tutorials based on three themes (e.g., Risk, Self-efficacy, and Contingency) were designed, and a three-way between-group study with 399 participants on Amazon’s MTurk was conducted. Furthermore, a follow-up study was run to see the changes in participants’ behavior (e.g., enabling of 2FA). The Self-efficacy and Risk themes were found to be the most effective in making the videos more interesting, informative, and useful. Willingness to try 2FA was found to be higher for participants who were exposed to both the Risk and Self-efficacy themes. Participants’ decisions regarding actually enabling 2FA was found to be significantly correlated with how interesting, informative, and useful the videos were. Implications of our findings in a broader context are discussed in the article.
Structure of the rat platelet factor 4 gene: a marker for megakaryocyte differentiation

A rat platelet factor 4 (PF4) cDNA has been isolated by immunoscreening a g lambda 11 rat megakaryocyte cDNA expression library. Sequence analysis of the rat PF4 cDNA revealed that this megakaryocyte protein is composed of a leader sequence of 29 amino acid residues and a mature protein sequence of 76 amino acid residues. The structure of rat PF4 derived from its cDNA shows a marked homology with the amino acid sequence of human PF4 obtained by classical protein chemistry techniques. This observation is particularly striking with regard to the carboxy-terminal region of rat and human PF4, where 28 of the last 31 C-terminal residues are identical. The rat PF4 gene was obtained from a rat genomic library by using rat PF4 cDNA as a hybridization probe. Sequence analysis showed that the gene is constructed of three exons and two short introns. The transcriptional start site is located 73 base pairs upstream of the translational start codon as judged by S1 nuclease mapping and primer extension. The 5' noncoding region of the gene also exhibited a sequence homologous to the TATA box at -31, as well as a series of direct and inverted repeat sequences and a cluster of 26 T residues at -155 to -218. This latter domain may be involved in regulating PF4 gene expression during megakaryocytopoiesis.
Monoclonal immunoglobulin M antibody to Japanese encephalitis virus that can react with a nuclear antigen in mammalian cells

An immunoglobulin M (IgM) class monoclonal antibody raised against Japanese encephalitis virus reacted with an epitope on the nonstructural virus protein P74 (NV4 in the old nomenclature) of several flaviviruses and also with an antigen present in the nuclei of a variety of mammalian cell types. This antigen had a characteristic granular distribution by immunofluorescence and may correspond to a polypeptide of molecular weight 56,000 seen in nitrocellulose transfers of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Cross-reactivity with nuclear antigen was also occasionally observed in the IgM antibody fraction of mice early after infection with Japanese encephalitis virus and also in acute sera from some clinical cases of encephalitis containing IgM antibody to Japanese encephalitis virus.
A new method for extracting instantaneous frequency feature of emitter signal

Currently, mostly used method for Instantaneous Frequency (IF) feature extraction of radar signal is two-dimensional graph, which is easy for people to distinguish, but not for machines. This article proposes a feature extraction algorithm based on instantaneous frequency of radiation source. Using the statistical change difference of different IF signals, we formulate the classification feature vectors describing the various types of signal pulse modulation laws, according which we do some classification experiments. The experiments prove that instantaneous frequency characteristics of radiation sources can characterize the change difference of different modulation signals and have some anti-noise performance. We are sure that this method can be used in signal sorting, and can be realized in practice.
Endovascular Management of Fusiform Superior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysms: A Series of Three Cases with Review of Literature

Distal superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysms are rare. Fusiform aneurysms of SCA are rarer and more challenging to treat. Parent artery occlusion by endovascular coiling is the treatment option for these cases. Presence of good collateral circulation and paucity of perforators from S1 and S2 segments makes this a feasible option. From 2007 to 2010, we treated three patients (two men and one woman between the ages of 42 to 64 years) with distal fusiform SCA aneurysms using endovascular coiling. All the patients presented with symptoms of rupture and were treated in the acute phase. Informed and written high-risk consent was given by all patients prior to the procedure. Successful angiographic and clinical outcome was achieved in all three patients. Endovascular treatment of fusiform SCA aneurysms with coils is a safe and feasible option in the management of this rare entity.
Detection of small current grounding fault line based on wavelet transform and neural networks

The detection of small current grounding fault line based on Wavelet transform technique and the neural network technique was presented. According of the distribution of energy of each line in the system of grounding, the extraction of feature vectors by use of wavelet multi-resolution analysis and the decision of fault line based on neural networks are described. This strategy overcome the defects of conventional identify method, because of both information of transient state and steady state was used. The experimental result has shown that the implementation based on wavelet and neural network to detect the small current grounding fault line was available.
Targeted Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics to Malignant Tumors

Over the past 20 years, a diverse group of ligands targeting surface biomarkers or receptors has been identified with several investigated to target siRNA to tumors. Many approaches to developing tumor-homing peptides, RNA and DNA aptamers, and single-chain variable fragment antibodies by using phage display, in vitro evolution, and recombinant antibody methods could not have been imagined by researchers in the 1980s. Despite these many scientific advances, there is no reason to expect that the ligand field will not continue to evolve. From development of ligands based on novel or existing biomarkers to linking ligands to drugs and gene and antisense delivery systems, several fields have coalesced to facilitate ligand-directed siRNA therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the major categories of ligand-targeted siRNA therapeutics for tumors, as well as the different strategies to identify new ligands.
Working Conditions and Worker Responses on Nyasaland Tea Estates, 1930–1953

The tea industry of southern Nyasaland employed intermittently a heterogeneous labour force of some twenty to thirty thousand and paid workers minimum wages of 7s. in 1930, rising to between 17s. 6d. and 20s. in 1953. A complex wage structure offered different rates to hoers, pluckers, factory workers and clerks. Thousands of children, butvirtually no women, were employed. Wages and working conditions were acknowledged to be unattractive, even by the industry itself, and compared favourably only with those offered in Portuguese East Africa. The initial viability of the plantation sector in the Shire Highlands was made possible by the immigration of hundreds of thousands of Lomwe from Portuguese East Africa. Lomwe workers, who sought assimilation and upward mobility, have been depicted as virtual slaves of the planters, but there is evidence of effective local, day-to-day and passive resistance on their part which left planters feeling impotent, unable to turn labour out on Sundays or in the rains or enforce unpopular thangata (labour rent) agreements, and obliged to reduce the daily tasks demanded of the worker. Confronted with an increasingly severe shortage of labour, which caused millions of pounds of tea to remain unpicked, planters began to improve working conditions on their estates, but this failed to resolve their labour problem or to dampen post-war militancy. Irresponsible actions by the British Central Africa Company increased tensions in Cholo which culminated in the serious riots of 1953 in which eleven people were killed. Government responded to this growing rural radicalism by repurchasing half of the million acres of freehold estate land which had initially been ‘bought’ from chiefs prior to the colonial occupation.
Information Technology Systems for Critical Care Triage and Medical Response During an Influenza Pandemic: A Review of Current Systems

Abstract Objectives To assess local, state, federal, and global pandemic influenza preparedness by identifying pandemic plans at the local, state, federal, and global levels, and to identify any information technology (IT) systems in these plans to support critical care triage during an influenza pandemic in the Canadian province of Ontario. Methods The authors used advanced MEDLINE and Google search strategies and conducted a comprehensive review of key pandemic influenza Web sites. Descriptive data extraction and analysis for IT systems were conducted on all of the included pandemic plans. Results A total of 155 pandemic influenza plans were reviewed: 29 local, 62 state, 63 federal, and 1 global. We found 70 plans that examined IT systems (10 local, 33 state, 26 federal, 1 global), and 85 that did not (19 local, 29 state, 37 federal). Of the 70 plans, 64 described surveillance systems (10 local, 32 state, 21 federal, 1 global), 2 described patient data collection systems (1 state, 1 federal); 4 described other types of IT systems (4 federal), and none were intended for triage. Conclusions Although several pandemic plans have been drafted, the majority are high-level general documents that do not describe IT systems. The plans that discuss IT systems focus strongly on surveillance, which fails to recognize the needs of a health care system responding to an influenza pandemic. The best examples of the types of IT systems to guide decision making during a pandemic were found in the Kansas and the Czech Republic pandemic plans, because these systems were designed to collect both patient and surveillance data. Although Ontario has yet to develop such an IT system, several IT systems are in place that could be leveraged to support critical care triage and medical response during an influenza pandemic. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;7:287-291)