Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Studies on Entry Exclusion in Escherichia coli Minicells

Minicells produced by abnormal cell division in a strain of Escherichia coli (K-12) have been employed here to investigate the phenomenon of “entry exclusion. ” When purified minicells from strains containing F′ or R factors, or both, are mated with radioactive thymidine-labeled Hfr or R+ donors, the recipient minicells can be conveniently separated from normal-sized donors following mating, and the products of conjugation can be analyzed in the absence of donors and of further growth of the recipients. Transmissible plasmids or episomes are transferred less efficiently to purified minicells derived from strains carrying similar or related elements than to strains without them. Measurement of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) degradation and determination of weight-average molecular weights following transfer indicate that degradation of transferred DNA or transfer of smaller pieces cannot account for the comparative reduction in transfer to entry-excluding recipients. Therefore, we conclude that entry exclusion operates to prevent the physical entry of DNA into recipients expressing the exclusion phenotype. The R-produced repressor (product of the drd+ gene), which represses fertility (i.e., ability to act as donor), reduces exclusion mediated by R or F factor, or both, in matings between strains carrying homologous elements. Furthermore, the data suggest that the presence of the F pilus or F-like R pilus on recipient cells ensures maximum expression of the exclusion phenotype but is not essential for its expression. In contrast to previous suggestions, we found no evidence for a reduction of entry exclusion attributable to the DNA temperature-sensitive chromosomal mutation dnaB(TS).
Shs1 Plays Separable Roles in Septin Organization and Cytokinesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, five septins (Cdc3, Cdc10, Cdc11, Cdc12, and Shs1/Sep7) form the septin ring at the bud neck during vegetative growth. We show here that disruption of SHS1 caused cold-sensitive growth in the W303 background, with cells arrested in chains, indicative of a cytokinesis defect. Surprisingly, the other four septins appeared to form an apparently normal septin ring in shs1Δ cells grown under the restrictive condition. We found that Myo1 and Iqg1, two components of the actomyosin contractile ring, and Cyk3, a component of the septum formation, were either delocalized or mislocalized in shs1Δ cells, suggesting that Shs1 plays supportive roles in cytokinesis. We also found that deletion of SHS1 enhanced or suppressed the septin defect in cdc10Δ and cdc11Δ cells, respectively, suggesting that Shs1 is involved in septin organization, exerting different effects on septin-ring assembly, depending on the composition of the septin subunits. Furthermore, we constructed an shs1-100c allele that lacks the coding sequence for the C-terminal 32 amino acids. This allele still displayed the genetic interactions with the septin mutants, but did not show cytokinesis defects as described above, suggesting that the roles of Shs1 in septin organization and cytokinesis are separable.
Age‐related Change of Somatostatin‐immunoreactive Neurones in the Main Olfactory Bulb of the Rat

Somatostatin is found in the olfactory system, including the main olfactory bulb (MOB), and is thought to be one of the neuroactive substances for olfaction. However, somatostatin immunoreactivity in the olfactory system has not been determined during ageing. Hence, we examined the age‐related changes of somatostatin‐immunoreactive (IR) neurones in the rat MOB over a period of 2 years, at the following various ageing stages: post‐natal month 1 (PM 1), PM 3, PM 6, PM 12 and PM 24. In PM 1 group, a few somatostatin‐IR neurones were detected in the granule cell layer (GCL), and had slender or oval somata and short processes. At PM 3, somatostatin‐IR neurones were observed in the glomerular, external plexiform and GCL. The size of somatostatin‐IR somata was larger than that at PM 1. In PM 6 group, the number and size of somatostatin‐IR neurones increased, and their processes became longer while running in various directions. At PM 12, somatostatin‐IR neurones increased in number, and their processes became markedly longer than those at PM 6. At this stage, somatostatin‐IR neurones had multipolar somata, and were the largest in size. In PM 24 group, somatostatin‐IR neurones were most numerous. However, the processes of somatostatin‐IR neurones were shorter than those at PM 12. This study suggests that the increased number of somatostatin‐IR neurones in the MOB of aged rats may play a role to compensate for any decrease of olfactory function.
Criticism of health researches: why and how

Research is one of the most important ways of science production (1). The purpose of research is exploring the unknown and explaining the variables that affect the human life. In the health sciences the purpose of which is health promotion, research is valued as much as human life (2). In many scientific texts, there is an emphasis on the importance of health researches in the quality of human life; the lack of attention to the quality of the publishing process is considered as the cause of much damage (3-10). The result of health researches is usually published as a paper, thesis, research project and book, the contents of all needs to be assessed. This process is named Research Review or Research Critique (2). Research critique is done during publishing process or after it, and in this paper we deal with it after publishing health texts. The broker chain between information producer and consumers who is the critic (Reviewer) and critique journals has been less attended. In short, Soltani indicates that the purpose of critique as a defense of society’s cultural rights is to help the reader to choose the appropriate work, help the writer identify his weak points and his strengths (11), and also prevent damage to the society, especially people’s health. In the critique of health researches, there are two essential stages: in the first stage, the work is studied quickly by the critic (Survey study). The aim of this study is gaining knowledge of the text and usually the bibliographic information of work like title, writer, incentive of work, headings and so on is assessed briefly (12). In the second stage, a critical study is done. The critical study is the most important and most critical step in the reviewing the texts. “In this study, the critic judges as to the accuracy, reliability, or value of the text based on criteria or standards. This type of study is the key to the appropriate understanding. This method is necessary to determine the truth and value of literature “(12, 13). The critic also accepts or rejects the content by reason, logic, scientific arguments and citation. ” So, to do a critical study, four techniques are essential: asking questions, inferring, relevant content and association between the work content with other works, and evaluation “(12).
Position Paper) Motivating the Need for Evaluation Criteria for Captchas

We argue that a set of usability heuristics are needed for easy and quick evaluation of Captchas implementations. With this set of heuristics we contribute to sustain the Captcha Mantra: “Easy for humans, hard for machines”. In particular, the usability of Captcha schemes change radically when utilized on mobile environments. We are developing a set of heuristics for use by practitioners wishing to evaluate which Captcha scheme is most appropriate for their website.
Observing the Biofilm Matrix of Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984 Grown Using the CDC Biofilm Reactor

Abstract Bacteria flourish in nearly every environment on earth. Contributing to their ability to grow in many esoteric locations is their development into a biofilm structure. In an effort to more accurately model the growth environment of biofilms in nature, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) biofilm reactor has been developed that mimics nature-like shear forces and renewable nutrient sources. To date, there has been no confirmation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that mature biofilms develop on a surface when grown using the CDC biofilm reactor. Three different SEM methods were used to collect images of Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984 that was to be grown using the CDC biofilm reactor. In addition, two different fixative techniques were used in each of the imaging methods. Results indicated that after 48 hours of growth in the reactor, S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 does produce a significant network of matrix components and 3D mushroom- or pillar-like structures with signs of water channel development. In conclusion, S. epidermidis ATCC 35984 grown using the CDC biofilm reactor does appear to display signs of mature biofilm development. These results could be important for studies wherein mature biofilms are needed for in vitro and/or in vivo applications.
Extensive Gray Matter Volume Reduction in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

Background: Approximately one-third of people with schizophrenia are treatment-resistant and some do not achieve remission with clozapine, the gold-standard antipsychotic medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. This study compared global and regional brain volumes between treatment-respondent and treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia, including a group of patients who were clozapine-resistant. Methods: T1-weighted brain MRIs were obtained on a 3T scanner in 20 controls and 52 people with schizophrenia who were selected based on their symptomatic responses to antipsychotic medication: 18 responded well to first-line atypical antipsychotics (FLR), 19 were treatment-resistant but responsive to clozapine monotherapy (TR), and 15 were ultra-treatment-resistant and did not respond to clozapine (UTR). Treatment groups were matched for disease duration and current psychopathology. SIENAX and FSL-VBM were used to investigate differences in the global brain, gray matter (GM), white matter, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid volumes, and regional GM volumes. Results: GM volume was significantly reduced in the TR and UTR groups compared with controls and the FLR group (p < 0.05). GM volume was significantly reduced in TR patients compared with FLRs in the superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri, pre- and post-central gyri, middle and superior frontal gyri, right supramarginal gyrus, and right lateral occipital cortex. UTR patients showed reduced GM compared with FLRs in their right parietal operculum and left cerebellum. No significant volume differences were observed between TR and UTR groups. Conclusions: These differences are unlikely to be solely due to medication effects, and reduced GM volume in treatment-resistant schizophrenia may represent an accelerated disease course or a different underlying pathology.
A stereo viewer based on a single camera with view-control mechanisms

A stereo vision system which consists of a stereo viewer and a processing system with viewing control mechanisms is presented. The stereo viewer is an adapter which, attached to a single camera, provides it with a stereo image by means of a set of four mirrors. Since the system can control the angle of mirrors, it can adjust them to operate during zooming, panning, and focusing in stereo viewing. The vision system uses a high-speed block matching processor to provide the essential functionality needed for motion tracking and stereo matching. With this system visual searching and stereo tracking can be implemented in real time. The authors analyze the optical structure of the stereo viewer, describe the vision and control system, and present some experimental examples of its use.
Impact of visit on visitors’ perceptions of the environments of nature-based tourism sites

Th e goal of this paper is the assessment of the impact of personal experience on visitors' perceptions of the environments of selected tourist attractions. Th e cognitive paradigm of environmental perception research was chosen and the Mehrabian-Russell general measure of information rate was used. Students from the University of South Bohemia from three diff erent study programmes (faculties) were used to represent three segments: eco-tourists, neutral and mass-tourists. Th e research was undertaken on three tourist sites with diff erent types of occurrences of water in their landscapes – pond, river fl ood plain and peat bog. All three localities are situated within the UNESCO biosphere reserve and landscape protected area of "Třeboňsko" (Třeboň area), Czech Republic. Particular sites were selected with regard to the accessibility of these sites for visitors and to their importance for the concentration of visitors. Th e measurements took place three times – before visit, on-site and after visit. Explanatory factor analysis revealed three factors of perception – spaciousness, novelty and complexity. Th ese factors diff er among localities and each site had a diff erent impact on the site perception of visitors. In the case of spaciousness, it was found that the visit had no impact on visitor perception. Visitation infl uenced the perception of novelty in the same way at two of the sites– both localities, after visitation, were perceived as being more novel. Visitation also infl uenced perception of complexity; this time, however, in diff erent ways that were dependant on the uniqueness of each site.
A Comparison of Model- and Satellite-Derived Aerosol Optical Depth and Reflectivity

The determination of an accurate quantitative understanding of the role of tropospheric aerosols in the earth’s radiation budget is extremely important because forcing by anthropogenic aerosols presently represents one of the most uncertain aspects of climate models. Here the authors present a systematic comparison of three different analyses of satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth based on the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-measured radiances with optical depths derived from six different models. Also compared are the model-derived clear-sky reflected shortwave radiation with satellite-measured reflectivities derived from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) satellite. The three different satellite-derived optical depths differ by between 20.10 and 0.07 optical depth units in comparison to the average of the three analyses depending on latitude and month, but the general features of the retrievals are similar. The models differ by between 20.09 and 10.16 optical depth units from the average of the models. Differences between the average of the models and the average of the satellite analyses range over 20.11 to 10.05 optical depth units. These differences are significant since the annual average clear-sky radiative forcing associated with the difference between the average of the models and the average of the satellite analyses ranges between 23.9 and 0.7 W m22 depending on latitude and is 21.7 W m22 on a global average annual basis. Variations in the source strengths of dimethylsulfide-derived aerosols and sea salt aerosols can explain differences between the models, and between the models and satellite retrievals of up to 0.2 optical depth units. The comparison of model-generated reflected shortwave radiation and ERBE-measured shortwave radiation is similar in character as a function of latitude to the analysis of modeled and satellite-retrieved optical depths, but the differences between the modeled clear-sky reflected flux and the ERBE clear-sky reflected flux is generally larger than that inferred from the difference between the models and the AVHRR optical depths, especially at high latitudes. The difference between the mean of the models and the ERBE-analyzed clear-sky flux is 1.6 W m22. The overall comparison indicates that the model-generated aerosol optical depth is systematically lower than that inferred from measurements between the latitudes of 108 and 308S. It is not likely that the shortfall is due to small values of the sea salt optical depth because increases in this component would create modeled optical depths that are larger than those from satellites in the region north of 30 8N and near 508S. Instead, the source strengths for DMS and biomass aerosols in the models may be too low. Firm conclusions, however, will require better retrieval procedures for the satellites, including better cloud screening procedures, further improvement of the model’s treatment of aerosol transport and removal, and a better determination of aerosol source strengths.
Improving area coverage by reversible object pushing

This article presents the implementation of an innovative safety module for a robot control architecture. It applies the principle of reversibility to assess intrinsic safety of actions and to adapt robot's behavior. The underlying idea is that all reversible actions are intrinsically safe. A practical experiment is conducted to demonstrate the approach. The robot's task is to cover a given area with a movable object inside. A governor, acting upon the principle of action reversibility, allows pushing only if such an action is reversible. It is compared with two other governors — one always allows all the actions and the other allows only actions that will not move the object. The covered area and changes between initial and final position of the object are measured in the end of each test run. The proposed governor allows full area coverage with minimal change in object position, while other governors exhibit either incomplete area coverage or significant change in object position. This is interpreted as the ability of the proposed reversibility-based approach to generate both effective and safe robot behaviors.
Self-aligned gate nanopillar In0.53Ga0.47As vertical tunnel transistor

Tunnel field effect transistors (TFET) have gained interest recently owing to their potential in achieving sub-kT/q steep switching slope, thus promising low Vcc operation[1–5]. Steep switching slope has already been demonstrated in Silicon TFET [2]. However, it has been theoretically shown and experimentally proved that Si or SixGe1−x based homo-junction or hetero-junction TFETs would not meet the drive current requirement for future low power high performance logic applications [3]. III–V based hetero-junction TFETs have shown promise to provide MOSFET like high drive currents at low operating Vcc while providing the sub-kT/q steep switching slope[1,4,5]. However, the device design demands extremely scaled EOT and ultra-thin body double-gate geometry in order to achieve the desired transistor performance [4]. In this paper, we discuss a vertical TFET fabrication process with self-aligned gate [6] which can ultimately lead to the ultra-thin double-gate device geometry in order to achieve the desired TFET performance.
Converting a Microarray Signature into a Diagnostic Test: A Trial of Custom 74 Gene Array for Clarification and Prediction the Prognosis of Gastric Cancer

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is associated with high mortality rates and an unfavorable prognosis at advanced stages. In addition, there are no effective methods for diagnosing gastric cancer at an early stage or for predicting the outcome for the purpose of selecting patient-specific treatment options. Therefore, it is important to investigate new methods for GC diagnosis. Methodology/Principal Findings To facilitate its use in a diagnostic setting, a group of 74 genes with diagnostic and prognostic information was translated into a customized microarray containing a reduced set of 1,042 probes suitable for high throughput processing. In this report, we demonstrate for the first time that the custom mini-array can be used as a reliable diagnostic tool in gastric cancer. With an AUC value of 0.565 (95% CI 0.305-0.825) indicating a perfect test, the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis from the ROC curve were calculated to be 70% and 80%, respectively. Conclusions/Significance The data clearly demonstrate the reproducibility and robustness of the small custom-made microarray. The array is an excellent tool for classifying and predicting the outcome of disease in gastric cancer patients.
The Role of Psychological Distress in Relapse Prevention of Alcohol Addiction. Can High Scores on the SCL-90-R Predict Alcohol Relapse?

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify if psychological distress may contribute to treatment outcome in alcohol-addicted patients during a follow-up period of 5 months after detoxification. METHODS As part of a prospective, multicenter, randomized study in relapse prevention, patients' levels of psychological distress were assessed using the Symptome Checklist (SCL-90-R). At study inclusion, all patients were detoxified and showed no more withdrawal symptoms. The patients who relapsed during the 5-month follow-up period were compared with those who remained abstinent. Predictors for relapse were investigated in a logistic regression. RESULTS First, a significant difference in initial psychological distress between patients who stayed abstinent and patients who relapsed was found: following detoxification, patients who relapsed scored significantly higher on the SCL-90-R at study inclusion. In addition, psychological distress differed over time in both groups. Second, patients without relapse showed a larger decrease in some SCL-90-R scales between the beginning and the end of the observation period than patients who relapsed. Third, the logistic regression analyses showed that high scores on the overall score GSI (Global Severity Index) of the SCL-90-R can be seen as a predictor for future relapse. CONCLUSION The SCL-90-R may be a useful instrument to predict relapse. As our study indicates that high levels of psychological distress increases the risk of relapse, specific interventions may be targeted at this risk factor.
What Does the Brain Tell Us About Trust and Distrust? Evidence from a Functional Neuroimaging Study

Determining whom to trust and whom to distrust is a major decision in impersonal IT-enabled exchanges. Despite the potential role of both trust and distrust in impersonal exchanges, the information systems literature has primarily focused on trust, alas paying relatively little attention to distrust. Given the importance of studying both trust and distrust, this study aims to shed light on the nature, dimensionality, distinction, and relationship, and relative effects of trust and distrust on economic outcomes in the context of impersonal IT-enabled exchanges between buyers and sellers in online marketplaces. This study uses functional neuroimaging (fMRI) tools to complement psychometric measures of trust and distrust by observing the location, timing, and level of brain activity that underlies trust and distrust and their underlying dimensions. The neural correlates of trust and distrust are identified when subjects interact with four experimentally manipulated seller profiles that differ on their level of trust and distrust. The results show that trust and distrust activate different brain areas and have different effects, helping explain why trust and distrust are distinct constructs associated with different neurological processes. Implications for the nature, distinction and relationship, dimensionality, and effects of trust and distrust are discussed.