Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of oxygen, inoculum composition and flow rate on development of mixed-culture oral biofilms.

The effect of aeration on the development of a defined biofilm consortium of oral bacteria was investigated in a two-stage chemostat system. An inoculum comprising 10 species, including both facultatively anaerobic and obligately anaerobic bacteria, and species associated with oral health and disease, was inoculated into an anaerobic first-stage chemostat vessel. The effluent from this chemostat was linked to an aerated [200 ml CO2/air (5:95, v/v) min-1] second-stage vessel, in which removable hydroxyapatite discs were inserted to allow biofilm formation. Comparisons were made of planktonic and biofilm communities in the aerated second-stage vessel by means of viable counts. Both planktonic and early biofilm communities were dominated by Neisseria subflava, comprising > 40% of total c.f. u. in the fluid phase, and > 80% of c.f. u. in 2 h biofilms. Obligate anaerobes persisted in this mixed culture, and succession in biofilms led them to predominate only after 7 d. Despite the continuous addition of air, the dissolved oxygen tension (dO2) within the culture remained low (< 5% of air saturation), and the redox potential (Eh) was -275 mV. In order to assess the significance of the presence of N. subflava in community development, a subsequent experiment omitted this aerobe from the inoculum, to produce a nine-species culture. The planktonic phase was predominated by three streptococcal species, Prevotella nigrescens and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Biofilms again underwent successional changes, with anaerobes increasing in proportion with time. In contrast to the culture including N. subflava, dO2 was 50-60% of air saturation, and the Eh was +50 mV. In the final experiment, the rate of addition of first-stage culture was reduced to 1/10 of that in the previous experiment, in order to determine whether anaerobes were growing, rather than merely persisting in the aerated culture. The data for the planktonic phase indicated that the anaerobes were growing in aerated (dO2 40-50%, Eh +100 mV) conditions. Once again, anaerobes increased in proportion in older biofilms. The study indicates that mixed cultures can protect obligate anaerobes from the toxic effects of oxygen, both in the biofilm and planktonic modes of growth.
Polis Religion – A Critical Appreciation

This article explores the scope and limits of the model of “polis religion” as one of the most powerful interpretative concepts in current scholarship in the field. It examines the notion of the ‘embeddedness’ of ancient Greek religion in the polis as well as the unity and diversity of Greek religious beliefs and practices, and discusses in how far the model is able to capture developments beyond the Classical period. The article looks at religious phenomena and forms of religious organization above and below the polis level. I argue that the strengths of the model lie in its capacity to explain an important structuring principle of ancient Greek religion. The weaknesses of the model are due to the fact that it is focused too narrowly on the polis as the primary discourse of power relevant for the study of ancient Greek religion.
A study of highly scalable DG-FinDRAM

This letter reports the scalability of a capacitor-less 1T-DRAM, and proposes a new concept about extending the use of 1T-DRAM to gate lengths of less than 50 nm. Superior characteristics such as long retention time and large sense margin even for gate lengths around 50 nm can be obtained with a double-gate fully depleted FinFET DRAM. Considering capacity, speed, power, and structural complexity of embedded memory, the capacitor-less 1T-DRAM has the possibility of playing the leading role among other memories.
Sputum eosinophils from asthmatics express ICAM‐1 and HLA‐DR

Sputum from symptomatic asthmatics is a rich source of eosinophils from the respiratory tract. Following liquefaction of sputum with dithioerythritol (DTE), a cell suspension suitable for indirect double immunofluorescence with flow cytometry was obtained. Eosinophils were identified using anti‐CD9 fluorescein conjugate, and particular surface markers measured with the relevant mouse MoAb followed by goat anti‐mouse immunoglobulin phycoerythrin conjugate. Blood and sputum eosinophil surface markers were determined in parallel from asthmatics not receiving steroid therapy. Sputum eosinophils were found to have considerably elevated levels of CDl1b, a reflection of eosinophil activation. Sputum but not blood eosinophils were found to express ICAM‐I (nine out of 11 cases) and HLA‐DR (eight out of 11 cases). Furthermore, following culture of normal blood eosinophils with pooled T cell supernatants, ICAM‐l and HLA‐DR could be induced in vitro. The induction of eosinophil adhesion molecules such as ICAM‐l and HLA‐DR may influence eosinophil localization and function in asthma.
Exploring performance-power trade-offs for look-up tables in SRAM-based FPGAs

Current trend on FPGAs is to increase the number of inputs of the LUT up to six inputs to improve resource utilization. In this work we have analyzed the impact of the inputs expansion in two different architectures, memory-based and multiplexer-based, considering area, performance and power. A new memory-based architecture is presented based on the use of a 7-transistor cell and dedicated reading and writing circuits. The experimental results carried out demonstrate that for a six input LUT, our architecture outperforms the traditional multiplexer-based LUT, which is commonly considered the optimum architecture.
Differences in Whole-Cell and Single-Channel Ion Currents across the Plasma Membrane of Mesophyll Cells from Two Closely RelatedThlaspi Species

The patch clamp technique was used to study the physiology of ion transport in mesophyll cells from two Thlaspispp. that differ significantly in their physiology. In comparison withThlaspi arvense, Thlaspi caerulescens (a heavy metal accumulator) can grow in, tolerate, and accumulate very high levels of certain heavy metals (primarily zinc [Zn] and cadmium) in their leaf cells. The membrane conductance of every T. arvense leaf cell was dominated by a slowly activating, time-dependent outward rectifying current (SKOR). In contrast, only 23% of T. caerulescens cells showed SKOR activity, whereas the remaining 77% exhibit a rapidly developing instantaneous K+ outward rectifier (RKOR) current. In contrast to RKOR, the channels underlying the SKOR current were sensitive to changes in the extracellular ion activity. Single-channel recordings indicated the existence of K+ channel populations with similar unitary conductances, but distinct channel kinetics and regulation. The correlation between these recordings and the whole-cell data indicated that although one type of channel kinetics is preferentially activated in each Thlaspi spp. , both species have the capability to switch between either type of current. Ion substitution in whole-cell and single-channel experiments indicated that although the SKOR and RKOR channels mediate a net outward K+ current, they can also allow a significant Zn2+ permeation (i.e. influx). In addition, single-channel recordings allowed us to identify an infrequent type of plasma membrane divalent cation channel that also can mediate Zn2+ influx. We propose that the different K+ channel types or channel states may result from and are likely to reflect differences in the cytoplasmic and apoplastic ionic environment in each species. Thus, the ability to interchangeably switch between different channel states allows each species to constantly adjust to changes in their apoplastic ionic environment.
A Qualitative Analysis of Teachers' and Counselors' Perceptions of the Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education

In this study, the authors investigate the perceptions of general educators, special educators, and school counselors on the topic of overrepresentation of minorities (specifically, African American) in special education programs. The study took place in a rural school district in south central Alabama, where overrepresentation of African American students in the category of mental retardation had been identified as a chronic problem by the Alabama State Department of Education. Participants took part in focus groups that were held separately for each identified group (e.g., general educators: n = 5; special educators: n = 4; and school counselors: n = 4). Qualitative data collected from the focus groups were examined using content analysis, resulting in the identification of multiple overlapping themes related to overrepresentation. These themes included a lack of family involvement, misinterpretation of assessment results, a lack of understanding of overrepresentation, and unclear ideas about disability characteristics. Findings from the data include a discussion of variables related to systematic bias and susceptibility to disability labeling. Implications for professional development and educator training are presented.
MHC Class II–Alpha Chain Knockout Mice Support Increased Viral Replication That Is Independent of Their Lack of MHC Class II Cell Surface Expression and Associated Immune Function Deficiencies

MHCII molecules are heterodimeric cell surface proteins composed of an α and β chain. These molecules are almost exclusively expressed on thymic epithelium and antigen presenting cells (APCs) and play a central role in the development and function of CD4 T cells. Various MHC-II knockout mice have been generated including MHC-IIAα-/- (I-Aα-/-), MHC-IIAβ-/- (I-β-/-) and the double knockout (I-Aαxβ-/-). Here we report a very striking observation, namely that alphaviruses including the avirulent strain of Semliki Forest virus (aSFV), which causes asymptomatic infection in wild-type C57BL6/J (B6) mice, causes a very acute and lethal infection in I-Aα-/-, but not in I-β-/- or I-Aαxβ-/-, mice. This susceptibility to aSFV is associated with high virus titres in muscle, spleen, liver, and brain compared to B6 mice. In addition, I-Aα-/- mice show intact IFN-I responses in terms of IFN-I serum levels and IFN-I receptor expression and function. Radiation bone marrow chimeras of B6 mice reconstituted with I-Aα-/- bone marrow expressed B6 phenotype, whereas radiation chimeras of I-Aα-/- mice reconstituted with B6 bone marrow expressed the phenotype of high viral susceptibility. Virus replication experiments both in vivo and in vitro showed enhanced virus growth in tissues and cell cultures derived form I-Aα-/- compared to B6 mice. This enhanced virus replication is evident for other alpha-, flavi- and poxviruses and may be of great benefit to producers of viral vaccines. In conclusion, I-Aα-/- mice exhibit a striking susceptibility to virus infections independent of their defective MHC-II expression. Detailed genetic analysis will be carried out to characterise the underlining genetic defects responsible for the observed phenomenon.
Cloning and Analysis of a Disease Resistance Gene Homolog from Soybean

Conserved domains e.g. nucleotide binding site (NBS) were found in several cloned plant disease resistance genes. Based on the NBS domain, resistance gene analogs (RGAs) have been isolated previously and were used as probes to screen a soybean (Glycine max L Merr.) cDNA library. A full-length cDNA, KR3, was obtained by screening the library and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method. Sequence analysis revealed that the cDNA is 2 353 bp in length and the open reading frame (ORF) codes for a polypeptide of 636 amino acids with a Toll-Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) and a NBS domain. Sequence alignment showed that it was similar to N gene of tobacco. The phylogenetic tree analysis of R proteins with NBS from higher plants was performed. The KR3 gene has low copies in soybean genome and its expression was induced by exogenous salicylic acid (SA).
Overnutrition Stimulates Intestinal Epithelium Proliferation Through β-Catenin Signaling in Obese Mice

Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. And overnutrition is a leading cause of obesity. After most nutrients are ingested, they are absorbed in the small intestine. Signals from β-catenin are essential to maintain development of the small intestine and homeostasis. In this study, we used a hyperphagia db/db obese mouse model and a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model to investigate the effects of overnutrition on intestinal function and β-catenin signaling. The β-catenin protein was upregulated along with inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β in the intestines of both db/db and HFD mice. Proliferation of intestinal epithelial stem cells, villi length, nutrient absorption, and body weight also increased in both models. These changes were reversed by caloric restriction in db/db mice and by β-catenin inhibitor JW55 (a small molecule that increases β-catenin degradation) in HFD mice. Parallel, in vitro experiments showed that β-catenin accumulation and cell proliferation stimulated by glucose were blocked by the β-catenin inhibitor FH535. And the GSK-3 inhibitor CHIR98014 in an intestinal epithelial cell line increased β-catenin accumulation and cyclin D1 expression. These results suggested that, besides contribution to intestinal development and homeostasis, GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling plays a central role in intestinal morphological and functional changes in response to overnutrition. Manipulating the GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in intestinal epithelium might become a therapeutic intervention for obesity induced by overnutrition.
USING “TOOL KITS” TO DEVELOP ANTIBIAS TEACHING STRATEGIES AMONG PRESERVICE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

The antibias approach in early childhood education is defined as "an active approach to challenging prejudice, stereotyping, and bias" (Derman-Sparks, 1989, p. 3). Modeling a nonbiased attitude as a teacher is not sufficient. To promote an antibias approach, one has to challenge biased perceptions. Adults who work with young children must challenge unfair perceptions of others and teach children the importance of treating all people fairly. Teacher educators must also challenge bias perceptions among preservice teachers and create experiences that facilitate antibias thinking and the development of appropriate interventions. The purpose of this article is to describe one strategy that has shown to be effective in this effort.
The Effect of Personality Type on Human Performance Tool Compliance and General Recommendations for Enhancement of the its Practical Utilization

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of personality type on human performance tool compliance in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and to propose general recommendations for an enhancement of its practical utilization. Background: Various guidelines, regulating criteria, and recommendations have been developed to prevent human errors in NPPs. Despite these efforts, the accidents sometimes caused by human errors have steadily occurred, and therefore, various human performance tools have been adopted as countermeasures against human errors. The major and inevitable contributing factors among the many hazards to human errors might be the trait and personality, which are considered to be the inner world of humans. Thus, we try to investigate the utilization of human performance tools by considering the different types of operating crew personalities, and we suggested more practical recommendations to prevent human errors according to the personality. Method: We developed the Questionnaire using the Big 6 (HEXACO) models, which are human performance tools for workers in NPPs, and individual (condition) variables to investigate the effect of personality types on human performance tools. We slightly modified them to help the survey respondents understand them better. A survey was conducted for ordinary people over the age of 20. SPSS 22.0 was used to perform a correlation analysis and a hierarchical regression analysis to find the relationship between personality types and human performance tools. Results: The utilization of human performance tools shows significant differences statistically by personality. The correlation result reveals that the types of Honesty (H), Extraversion (X), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness to experience (O) show a higher utilization of human performance tools. In hierarchical regression results, human performance tools of task preview, questioning attitude, stopping when unsure, self-checking, effective communication, and place-keeping show a higher utilization with personality types. However, the Agreeableness (A) type did not show significant differences statistically with human performance tools. Conclusion: We tried to investigate the utilization of human performance tools by considering the different types of human personality and provide more practical recommendations to prevent human errors according to the personality. These results will be able to prevent human errors owing to the characteristics (advantages and disadvantages) of personality types. Application: This information can be utilized as guidelines for proactive recommendations according to the workers" personalities for more practical human performance tools to prevent human errors in an NPP.
Null QQ plots: A simple graphical alternative to significance testing for the comparison of classifiers

The evaluation of machine learning algorithms is commonly based on statistical significance tests. However, the suitability of such tests is often questionable. We propose null QQ plots as a simple yet powerful graphical alternative to significance testing. Using ten benchmark data sets, we demonstrate that these plots concisely summarize the essential results from a comparative classification study, while they are easy to produce and interpret.
Reversible Disruption of Dynactin 1-Mediated Retrograde Axonal Transport in Polyglutamine-Induced Motor Neuron Degeneration

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease caused by an expansion of a trinucleotide CAG repeat encoding the polyglutamine tract in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. To elucidate the pathogenesis of polyglutamine-mediated motor neuron dysfunction, we investigated histopathological and biological alterations in a transgenic mouse model of SBMA carrying human pathogenic AR. In affected mice, neurofilaments and synaptophysin accumulated at the distal motor axon. A similar intramuscular accumulation of neurofilament was detected in the skeletal muscle of SBMA patients. Fluoro-gold labeling and sciatic nerve ligation demonstrated an impaired retrograde axonal transport in the transgenic mice. The mRNA level of dynactin 1, an axon motor for retrograde transport, was significantly reduced in the SBMA mice resulting from pathogenic AR-induced transcriptional dysregulation. These pathological events were observed before the onset of neurological symptoms, but were reversed by castration, which prevents nuclear accumulation of pathogenic AR. Overexpression of dynactin 1 mitigated neuronal toxicity of the pathogenic AR in a cell culture model of SBMA. These observations indicate that polyglutamine-dependent transcriptional dysregulation of dynactin 1 plays a crucial role in the reversible neuronal dysfunction in the early stage of SBMA.
Job Maintenance by Supported Employment: An Overview of the “Supported Employment Plus” Trial

The number of days of absence from work associated with mental illness has risen dramatically in the past 10 years in Germany. Companies are challenged by this issue and seek help for the physical and mental health of their employees. Supported Employment concepts such as the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model have been designed to bring jobless persons with mental disorders back to work. In the randomized, controlled SEplus trial, a modified IPS-approach is tested concerning its ability to shorten times of sick leave of persons with mental distress or a mental disorder and to prevent them from losing their job. The trial is outlined in this study protocol.
Rhetorical Circulation in Late Capitalism: Neoliberalism and the Overdetermination of Affective Energy

In the world we have known since the nineteenth century, a series of governmental rationalities overlap, lean on each other, challenge each other, and struggle with each other: art of government according to truth, art of government according to the rationality of the sovereign state, and art of government according to the rationality of economic agents, and more generally, according to the rationality of the governed themselves. 1 And it is all these diff erent arts of government, all these diff erent types of ways of calculating, rationalizing, and regulating the art of government which, overlapping with each other, broadly speaking constitute the object of political debate.
Initial and pioneer experience of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (Inovare) through femoral or iliac artery.

OBJECTIVE This paper demonstrates the initial and pioneering experience implant of the Inovare prosthesis implant through transfemoral or iliac artery route. METHODS Six patients underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The access was femoral or iliac through which the delivery device, a latex balloon catheter with the crimped prosthesis, was inserted. Through the femoral introducer 24 Fr Gore® DrySeal sheath, an extra stiff guide wire with non-traumatic tip was positioned in the left ventricle by passing through the valve ring. After balloon valvuloplasty, in cases of native valve stenosis, the prosthesis implantation was performed after hypotension induced by tachycardia and controlled by temporary pacemaker. The valve positioning was guided by TEE (transesophageal ecocardiography) and fluoroscopy, aiming to position a third of the length of the prosthesis into the left ventricle cavity. RESULTS The successful valve implantation was possible in six cases. There was no need of conversion to open surgery due to inability to access or graft migration. There were no intraoperative or hospital deaths. We observed a significant reduction in the mean gradient of 66.84115. 46 mmHg to 19.74110. 61 mm Hg postoperatively (P=0.002), a reduction of 70.46%. CONCLUSION Inovare prosthesis, implanted by femoral or iliac artery was feasible, and determined adequate hemodynamic performance in the postoperative follow-up, showing no mortality in this small series.
Expression and functional role of negative signalling regulators in tumour development and progression

Alterations in intracellular signalling pathways such as the mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are key common mechanisms of tumour development and progression. As such, there has been intense research into developing drugs that can inhibit or attenuate intracellular signalling. In recent years, there has been increasing recognition that the cell already has innate negative regulatory proteins that achieve this in normal homeostasis. These regulators provide a feedback inhibitory mechanism that controls the intensity and duration of activated signalling by exogenous stimuli. Members of this group include Raf kinase inhibitor protein 1, the MAPK phosphatases, the SPROUTY and SPRED families and similar expression to FGF. A number of studies have now demonstrated significant alterations in expression of negative regulators in malignant tissue in different cancer types. In functional studies, manipulated expression of these regulators has been shown to significantly influence tumour cell behaviour and phenotype. Here, we summarise the evidence for the functional expression of negative signalling regulators in tumour growth and progression and discuss their potential role as cancer biomarkers and targets for novel drug therapy.