Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyse des Promotors und der Funktion des MADS-Box-Transkriptionsfaktors ZmMADS2 aus Zea mays L.

Der MADS-Box Transkriptionsfaktor ZmMADS2 aus Mais ist an der Regulation der Antherenund der Pollenreife beteiligt. Bei ZmMADS2"knock-out" Pflanzen ist die Entwicklung der mannlichen Blutenstande einen Tag vor der Anthese arretiert, die Pflanzen sind mannlich steril. Anhand von transgenen Pflanzen, die ein ZmMADS2-GFP Fusionsprotein unter der Kontrolle des ZmMADS2-Promotors exprimieren, konnte das Protein in Kernen von Zellen des Endotheciums und des Konnektivs detektiert werden, die den programmierten Zelltod durchlaufen. ZmMADS2 bildet Homodimere im Hefe Two-Hybrid System. Hiermit ist die Voraussetzung zum Kernimport ohne weiteren Bindungspartner gegeben. Zur Analyse regulatorischer Sequenzen innerhalb des ZmMADS2-Promotors wurde zunachst ein Keimungsmedium fur Maispollen optimiert und anschliesend ein Protokoll zur transienten Transformation entwickelt. Anhand von transienten TransformationsExperimenten in Pollen von Mais und Tabak mit dem Luciferase-Reportergen unter der Kontrolle von sieben Deletionen des ZmMADS2-Promotors konnten regulatorische Bereiche auf den Sequenzabschnitt zwischen den Positionen –326 bis –210 und –497 bis –419 eingegrenzt werden. ZmMADS2 reprasentiert den bisher einzigen MADS-Box Transkriptionsfaktor bei Monokotyledonen Pflanzen, fur den eine Aktivitat wahrend des programmierten Zelltods nachgewiesen werden konnte.
A reconfigurable leaky-wave microstrip antenna

In this paper, a new fixed-frequency beam-steerable reconfigurable leaky-wave antenna concept is developed. The concept is based on the usage of a semiconductor substrate for creating surface p-i-n devices, which are utilized to switch between the different aperture configurations. A 35/spl deg/ main-beam scan range is achieved at a constant frequency f = 7.9 GHz by fourfold switching.
Irritable bowel syndrome in secondary school male students in AlJouf Province, north of Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the frequency of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and symptoms compatible with this condition among male students studying in secondary schools for boys in AlJouf province of Saudi Arabia. METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted in April 2009, AlJouf province of Saudi Arabia, involving a self administered questionnaire (translated in Arabic) based on Manning and Rome II criteria for diagnosis of IBS that was distributed to 2025 students at secondary school for boys, by convenience sampling. About 86.3% (1747) completed the questionnaire. Sample size was calculated using Epi. Info 6.4, seat calculator. RESULTS The prevalence of IBS was 8.9% and 9.2% according to Manning and Rome II criteria for diagnosis of IBS respectively in the study subjects with mean age of 17.5 +/- 3 years and range of 15-23 years. The most common symptom compatible with IBS was abdominal pain or discomfort in 37.9% of our sample, followed by feeling of incomplete rectal evacuation after defecation in 32.2% of the same sample. Recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort caused increase in rates of absence from schools in 28.2% of affected students (p < 0.05). There is a statistically significant association between family size and clusters of symptoms compatible with IBS (p < 0.045). CONCLUSION IBS is common health problem in apparently healthy males studying in secondary schools for boys in AIJouf province of Saudi Arabia. Symptoms suggestive of this condition leading to a negative impact on their quality of life measures, and school performance. Early diagnosis and health education of this condition are imperative.
Polo-Like Kinase Is Expressed in S/G2/M Phase and Associated with the Flagellum Attachment Zone in both Procyclic and Bloodstream Forms of Trypanosoma brucei

ABSTRACT Trypanosoma brucei, the etiologic agent of African sleeping sickness, divides into insect (procyclic) and bloodstream forms. These two forms are subject to distinct cell cycle regulations, with cytokinesis controlled primarily by basal body/kinetoplast segregation in the procyclic form but by mitosis in the bloodstream form. Polo-like kinases (PLKs), known to play essential roles in regulating both mitosis and cytokinesis among eukaryotes, have a homologue in T. brucei, TbPLK, which regulates only cytokinesis. In our previous study, overexpressed triply hemagglutinin-tagged TbPLK (TbPLK-3HA) in the procyclic form localized to a mid-dorsal point and the anterior tip of the cell along the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). In our current study, TbPLK-3HA expressed at the endogenous level was identified at the same dorsal location of both procyclic and bloodstream forms, albeit it was no longer detectable at the anterior tip of the cell. Endogenously expressed TbPLK fused with an enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) localized to the same dorsal location along the FAZs in living procyclic and bloodstream cells. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of hydroxyurea-synchronized procyclic cells revealed that TbPLK-EYFP emerges during S phase, persists through G2/M phase, and vanishes in G1 phase. An indicated TbPLK-EYFP association with the FAZs of G2/M cells may thus represent a timely localization to a potential initiation site of cytokinesis, which agrees with the recognized role of TbPLK in cytokinetic initiation.
Deep Neural Networks with Relativity Learning for facial expression recognition

Facial expression recognition aims to classify facial expression as one of seven basic emotions including “neutral”. This is a difficult problem due to the complexity and subtlety of human facial expressions, but the technique is needed in important applications such as social interaction research. Deep learning methods have achieved state-of-the-art performance in many tasks including face recognition and person re-identification. Here we present a deep learning method termed Deep Neural Networks with Relativity Learning (DNNRL), which directly learns a mapping from original images to a Euclidean space, where relative distances correspond to a measure of facial expression similarity. DNNRL updates the model parameters according to sample importance. This strategy results in an adjustable and robust model. Experiments on two representative facial expression datasets (FER-2013 and SFEW 2.0) are performed to demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of DNNRL.
Computing One-Dimensional Global Manifolds of Poincaré Maps by Continuation

We present an algorithm for computing one-dimensional stable and unstable manifolds of saddle periodic orbits in a Poincare section. The computation is set up as a boundary value problem by restricting both end points of orbit segments to the section. Starting from the periodic orbit itself, we use collocation routines from {\sc Auto} to continue the solutions of the boundary value problem such that one end point of the orbit segment varies along a part of the manifold that was already computed. In this way, the other end point of the orbit segment traces out a new piece of the manifold.As opposed to standard methods that use shooting to compute the Poincare map as the kth return map, our approach defines the Poincare map as the solution of a boundary value problem. This enables us to compute global manifolds through points where the flow is tangent to the section---a situation that is typically encountered unless one is dealing with a periodically forced system. Another major advantage of our approach is.
Insights for utilizing the memristor as a multi-bit based memory

The memristor, known as the fourth basic two-terminal circuit element, has attracted many research interests since HP labs were able to develop the device based on what L. Chua predicted theoretically. The memristor is a potential contender for the next-generation memory due to its distinctive characters, such as non-volatility, non-linearity, low-power consumption, good scalability and its ability to store multi-bit values. These electrical characteristics of memristors are mainly determined by the material characteristic and the fabrication process. However, the manufacturing of memristors is facing various challenges due to the difficulty of controlling its process variation, as it is fabricated at nano-scale geometry's size. These process variations lead to deviation in results from the theoretical results which lead to reduction in the reading yield. In this paper, we present the multi-bit memristor and we investigate the effect of the memristor size and the process variations effect on the multi-bit memristor and how we can maximize the reading yield.
Structure and expression of tandemly duplicated xanthine dehydrogenase genes of the silkworm (Bombyx mori)

Xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) is a molybdoenzyme which catalyses oxidation of xanthine and hypoxanthine to uric acid. We isolated genomic clones of silkworm (Bombyx mori) XDH genes (BmXDH1 and BmXDH2). The BmXDH2 The BmXDH2 gene is located upstream from the BmXDH1 gene and they show a tandemly duplicated structure. Both BmXDH genes were expressed in the fat body and Malpighian tubules, whereas only the BmXDH1 gene was expressed in the midgut. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that BmXDH gene duplication occurred after the divergence of the silkworm and dipteran species. Intron insertion site comparison shows that some introns were lost during insect XDH gene evolution.
New Molecular Targets for Anti-Angiogenic Therapeutic Strategies

The concept of targeting tumor blood vessel formation, i.e. tumor angiogenesis, has long been accepted as a potential strategy for controlling tumor growth. Characterized by the ability to supply oxygen, growth factors, hormones and nutrients, tumor vasculature has been identified as a key factor for the maintenance and progression of many solid tumors. The development of tumor vasculature is regulated by a highly complex network of signal transduction pathways involving proand anti-angiogenic factors. This delicate, yet dynamic balance between the promotion and inhibition of vascularization provides an abundance of molecular targets for therapeutic intervention. Since more than 85% of cancer mortality results from solid tumors, the continual development of anti-vascular agents remains an important goal in the quest for novel anticancer therapies (Jain, 2005). Despite its supporting role in the nutrition and viability of human cancers, however, tumor angiogenesis was not always considered a hallmark of tumor progression (Hanahan & Folkman, 1996). Initial skepticism centered on the hypothesis that angiogenesis was only critical in the early phase of tumor development. Thus, many opponents believed that angiogenic inhibition would be largely ineffective in most late-stage cancers. Other skeptics argued that the concept of anti-angiogenic therapy was counterintuitive because destruction of the tumor vasculature would significantly compromise the delivery of cytotoxic agents to the tumor (Jain, 2005). Though these concerns are not without merit, an overwhelming body of evidence in early-stage and established tumors demonstrates a synergistic effect when inhibitors of angiogenesis are combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Despite the advantages of anti-angiogenic therapy, some have proposed that vascular destruction promotes the increased adaptation of tumor cells to areas of insufficient vascularization. The basis for this concern can be found through closer examination of the vascular abnormalities often identified in the tumor microenvironment. Characterized by aberrant morphology and increased compression of blood and lymphatic vessels, the tumor vascular network is an environment of interstitial hypertension and hypoxia (low oxygen availability) (Hanahan & Folkman, 1996; Jain, 2005). While some cancer cells are able to survive these harsh conditions of nutrient deprivation and impaired oxygenation, many of these tumor cells undergo programmed cell death. Nevertheless, anti-vascular therapy is feared to select for tumor cells with enhanced invasive and metastatic potential. Equipped
Novel efficient blind beamforming algorithm using cumulant optimization

Blind beamformers have drawn a lot of attention from signal processing researchers in the past decade. These new beamforming techniques based on the signal statistics can remove the restriction on minimum-variance distortionless beamformers, such as the narrow bandwidth of source signals, the spectral distinction between the source signal and interference, etc. We propose a novel efficient blind beamforming algorithm based on the optimization of cumulants. Instead of the existing slow-converging steepest-descent-search algorithm, we derive a new iterative method to achieve the optimal solution. Empirically speaking, our new algorithm requires only a few iterations to reach a satisfactory result. Monte Carlo simulations also show that our iterative blind beamforming algorithm is robust over different signal-to-noise ratio conditions.
SPEC CPU2006 memory footprint

The nominal goal for memory consumption by SPEC CPU2006 benchmarks is up to about 900 MB when compiled with 32-bit pointers. The 900 MB maxium was chosen so that a system with 1GB will have about 100MB available for the operating system and overhead processes. By comparison, the goal for SPEC CPU2000 was 200MB [1].
Meaning Making in the Context of Disasters.

OBJECTIVE Understanding the factors underlying adaptive psychological responses and recovery after disasters has important implications for intervention and prevention efforts. To date, little attention has been paid to successful coping processes in recovering from natural and technological disasters. This article takes a meaning making perspective to explicate how survivors successfully adapt after disasters. METHOD Relevant literature is reviewed to illustrate the process of adaptation and resilience after disasters. RESULTS Studies to date suggest both survivors' global meaning, particularly their religiousness and sense of meaning, and their appraisals and meaning making after the disaster are important influences on their postdisaster resilience. Meanings made in the form of changes in global beliefs and perceived growth have been reported and shown to have inconsistent relations with adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Although much more research is needed, current literature suggests that meaning making processes are central to recovery and resilience after a range of disasters.
No v el synthetic phytochelatin-based capaciti v e biosensor for hea v y metal ion detection

A novel capacitance biosensor based on synthetic phytochelatins for sensitive detection of heavy metals is described. Synthetic phytochelatin (Glu-Cys)20Gly (EC20) fused to the maltose binding domain protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified for construction of the biosensor. The new biosensor was able to detect Hg , Cd , Pb , Cu and Zn ions in concentration range of 100 fM /10 mM, and the order of sensitivity was SZn /SCu /SHg /SCd$/SPb. The biological sensing element of the sensor could be regenerated using EDTA and the storage stability of the biosensor was 15 days. # 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Evaluating on online services based on social choice theory

Nowadays, there are a large number of online services in the open network environment. Due to the difference of subjective wills of users, such as consumption psychology and interests, their service preferences and evaluation standards differ. Since services are evaluated by users of inconsistent evaluation criteria, the scores would be possibly different even if the services same and that further led to online services not comparative. After exploring the way to provide highly satisfactory high-quality online services for users, a method is proposed in this paper for decision analysis. The method based on basic ideas of social choice theory, and according to information on each user's preferences and evaluation to build the user preference matrix at first. Then, 0-1 integer programming models are built for Kemeny social choice functions through the matrixes. Finally, the optimal ranking of services is obtained by solving the models, so that it may be consistent with group preferences to the greatest extent. The experimental results show that the proposed method not only effective for solving problems concerning incomparability of online services, but also efficiently resists recommendation attacks and manipulation.
The Endangered Species Act Petitioning Process: Successes and Failures

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been a legislative tool whose critics have derided its misuse and proponents have sought to strengthen its implementation. To determine whether the ESA is being used to protect species rather than to preserve land, and if the subsequent listing is influenced by petitioner affiliation, we conducted a content analysis of listing petitions. We found that most petitions attempted to list a single species versus several species, which indicates that these petitions were concentrating on species-specific, not habitat-based, issues. Once petitioned for listing, government agencies did not bias the listing of species by taxa. However, species proposed by petitioners with a national geographic focus had a greater likelihood of being listed as compared to other petitions. This difference in effectiveness indicates listing may be influenced by petition quality or petitioner's political skill and should be explored further.
Seasonal variations of total histamine in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis

Seasonal variations of total blood histamine were examined in twenty patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (Japanese cedar pollinosis). In blood specimens taken in the pollen season of 1978, the symptom‐free season of 1978. and the pollen season of 1979, the mean values of blood histamine were 61.6, 50.0 and 84.2 ng/ml respectively. The differences in blood histamine levels between the pollen season of 1978 and the symptom‐free season of 1978 and between the symptom‐free season of 1978 and the pollen season of 1979 were statistically significant. In the symptom‐free season of 1978, the blood histamine levels of twenty normal subjects were also examined: the mean value was 58.2 ng/ml. The blood histamine levels of the patients in the symptom‐free season were not statistically different from those of the normal subjects.
Phenolic Profiling of Caffeic Acid O-Methyltransferase-Deficient Poplar Reveals Novel Benzodioxane Oligolignols1

Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes preferentially the methylation of 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde to sinapaldehyde in monolignol biosynthesis. Here, we have compared HPLC profiles of the methanol-soluble phenolics fraction of xylem tissue from COMT-deficient and control poplars (Populus spp.), using statistical analysis of the peak heights. COMT down-regulation results in significant concentration differences for 25 of the 91 analyzed peaks. Eight peaks were exclusively detected in COMT-deficient poplar, of which four could be purified for further identification using mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and spiking of synthesized reference compounds. These new compounds were derived from 5-hydroxyconiferyl alcohol or 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde and were characterized by benzodioxane moieties, a structural type that is also increased in the lignins of COMT-deficient plants. One of these four benzodioxanes amounted to the most abundant oligolignol in the HPLC profile. Furthermore, all of the differentially accumulating oligolignols involving sinapyl units were either reduced in abundance or undetectable. The concentration levels of all identified oligolignols were in agreement with the relative supply of monolignols and with their chemical coupling propensities, which supports the random coupling hypothesis. Chiral HPLC analysis of the most abundant benzodioxane dimer revealed the presence of both enantiomers in equal amounts, indicating that they were formed by radical coupling reactions under simple chemical control rather than guided by dirigent proteins.
Prophylactic Effect of Lipoic Acid Against Adriamycin-Induced Peroxidative Damages in Rat Kidney

Adriamycin (ADR), which is widely used in the treatment of various neoplastic conditions, exerts toxic effects in many organs. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of lipoic acid (LA) against acute ADR induced peroxidative damages in rat kidney. The study was carried out with adult male albino rats of Wistar strain, which comprised of one control and three experimental groups. Group I rats served as controls. Group II rats received ADR (7.5 mg/kg body weight) intravenously through the tail vein. Group III rats were given LA (75 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally. Group IV rats were given LA one day before the administration of ADR. Rats subjected to ADR administration showed a decline in the thiol capacity of the cell accompanied by high malondialdehyde (MDA) levels along with lowered activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) glutathione (GSH) and GSH metabolizing enzymes (glutathione reductase (GR), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)). However no significant change was observed in the activity of glutathione-S-transferees (GST). Pretreatment with LA showed considerable changes over oxidative stress parameters. Nephrotoxic damage was evident from the decrease in the activities of γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) and β-glucuronidase (β-GLU), which were reverted upon LA pretreatment. Conclusion. This study has highlighted the beneficial effects of LA pretreatment in reversing the damages caused by ADR, by bringing about an improvement in the reductive status of the cell.
Effects of fungal (Aspergillus niger or Ceriporiopsis subvermispora) fermentation on the nutritive value of shea nut (Vitellaria paradoxa) meal for broiler chicks

1. Shea nut (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn.) meal was fermented for 8 d with either Aspergillus niger, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora or a mixture of the two organisms. The fermentation was completed using two methods, an opened container or a closed container. 2. Each of the 6 samples was dried and incorporated into basal broiler diets at 90 g/kg. 3. In addition, the unfermented shea nut meal was incorporated in the diet at 90 g/kg and the basal diet (maize and soybean meal based) was also provided as an eighth dietary treatment to individually caged broiler chickens. 4. All fermented fungi-treated shea nut meals had similar proximate nutrient compositions to the unfermented shea nut meal, but there were substantial decreases in their hydrolysable tannins and saponin contents. Both fermentation methods gave similar reductions in the concentrations of tannins and saponins. 5. Shea nut meal fermented with individual or both fungal organisms gave greater (P < 0·001) growth performance than that of unfermented shea nut meal. However, all shea nut meals including the unfermented meal gave lower (P < 0·001) growth variables than those for the maize–soybean meal control. 6. The nutritional improvement of shea nut meal achieved in this study still falls far short of what is expected for it to become valuable for the poultry feed industry. These fermentation methods using A. niger or C. subvermispora require further improvements to provide satisfactory feed products.
Low Resistivity GaN-Based Polarization-Induced Tunnel Junctions

The use of polarization charges in nitride based tunnel junctions enables a wide range of design approaches to increase the tunneling current to magnitudes usable in high efficiency GaN-based devices, including enhanced multijunction solar cells, optoelectronic and electronic devices. Here, an integrated computational model is used to explore and design the dopant concentration profile and implement the hybrid use of both AlGaN and InGaN layers to systematically optimize the configuration of polarization charges in the structure. The proposed tunnel junction structure, with indium composition and doping density compatible for insertion into a typical Ga-polar InGaN multiple-quantum well light-emitting diode structure, allows a high tunneling efficiency under reverse bias condition, achieving a resistivity of 7.8 × 10-3 Ω·cm2.