Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary Acquisition and Loss of Saxitoxin Biosynthesis in Dinoflagellates: the Second “Core” Gene, sxtG

ABSTRACT Saxitoxin and its derivatives are potent neurotoxins produced by several cyanobacteria and dinoflagellate species. SxtA is the initial enzyme in the biosynthesis of saxitoxin. The dinoflagellate full mRNA and partial genomic sequences have previously been characterized, and it appears that sxtA originated in dinoflagellates through a horizontal gene transfer from a bacterium. So far, little is known about the remaining genes involved in this pathway in dinoflagellates. Here we characterize sxtG, an amidinotransferase enzyme gene that putatively encodes the second step in saxitoxin biosynthesis. In this study, the entire sxtG transcripts from Alexandrium fundyense CCMP1719 and Alexandrium minutum CCMP113 were amplified and sequenced. The transcripts contained typical dinoflagellate spliced leader sequences and eukaryotic poly(A) tails. In addition, partial sxtG transcript fragments were amplified from four additional Alexandrium species and Gymnodinium catenatum. The phylogenetic inference of dinoflagellate sxtG, congruent with sxtA, revealed a bacterial origin. However, it is not known if sxtG was acquired independently of sxtA. Amplification and sequencing of the corresponding genomic sxtG region revealed noncanonical introns. These introns show a high interspecies and low intraspecies variance, suggesting multiple independent acquisitions and losses. Unlike sxtA, sxtG was also amplified from Alexandrium species not known to synthesize saxitoxin. However, amplification was not observed for 22 non-saxitoxin-producing dinoflagellate species other than those of the genus Alexandrium or G. catenatum. This result strengthens our hypothesis that saxitoxin synthesis has been secondarily lost in conjunction with sxtA for some descendant species.
Software-interface structure for grid-stability assessment in complex naval converter applications using DLL

The reduced cost of semiconductors makes the use of power-electronic elements like IGBT cost-effective: More and more power-electronic systems are used. The increased number of converters changes the overall behavior of electrical grids. It has been demonstrated that the interaction between the converters (and thus between the controls) may cause instability in the grid. Thus it is very important to model the converter down to each switching during simulations of the power-electronic systems. For this analysis the control algorithm has to be provided to the simulation tool to generate the adequate switching signals which are transferred to the modelled converter. To maintain the control algorithm secret this paper proposes the use of dynamic linked libraries (DLL) to provide the algorithms. This also allows the integration of multiple converters using the same control algorithm without interfering.
Painterly Image Generation Using Scene-Aware Style Transferring

In this paper, we propose a method for painterly image generation that uses an example painting with a similar scene to reflect the style of an original work in great detail. The styles of specific painters and methods often employ different colors and brushwork for each individual subject. Likewise, the connections between various subjects in a work also affect the colors and brushwork used. Our method takes input images, searches an example database for paintings with similar scenes, i.e., paintings in which the subjects have similar positional relationships and connections, and transfers the color and brushwork of the paintings to the corresponding subjects of the target images to generate painterly images that reflect specific styles in great detail. In order to ensure close linkage between various elements and to reproduce styles faithfully, our method applies the GIST approach proposed by Oliva et al. to the process of searching for paintings with similar scenes before performing style transfers.
Mosquito repellency of the seeds of celery (Apium graveolens L.)

Abstract When the mosquito repellencies of four fractions of Apium graveolens seeds (one hexane, two dichloromethane and one methanolic) were investigated in the laboratory, all four were found to offer human volunteers some protection against female, adult Aedes aegypti. The hexane fraction, however, was found to exhibit the highest repellency in the laboratory, with median effective doses (ED50) and ED95 of 0.41 and 2.93 mg/cm2 skin, respectively. Only this fraction, which was also found to provide protection against mosquito bites for 3.5 h when applied, in the laboratory, at a concentration of 250 mg/ml, was then investigated for its repellency in the field and its stability. In storage, it was found to retain its repellency for at least 2 months, although significant reductions in its repellency were observed (in terms of shortened complete-protection times) after 3 months, whatever the temperature of storage (-20°C, 4°C, or room temperature). When applied to the skin of volunteers under field conditions, the hexane fraction showed strong repellent activity against a wide range of mosquito species belonging to various genera (Ae. gardnerii, Ae. lineatopennis, Armigeres subalbatus, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. vishnui group, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Mansonia uniformis). It appeared not to cause dermal irritation or any other adverse effect, either during 6 months of use or in the following 3 months of follow-up. Mosquito repellents based on extracts of Ap. graveolens seeds could be developed commercially, as an effective personal-protection measure against mosquito bites and the diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens.
Book-to-market ratio and returns on the JSE

Ball (1978) argues that the ratio of earnings-to-price, or EIP ratio, is a blanket proxy for unnamed risk factors in expected returns. other firm attributes such as financial leverage (see Bhandari, 1988), dividend yield (see Litzenberger and Ramaswamy, 1979), and bookto-market ratio (see Rosenberg eta/., 1985) have also been found to exhibit significant correlations with average returns. Each of these, according to Ho, Strange and Piesse (2000), may be proxies for certain risk factors that are related to asset returns.
Antipsychotic pathway genes with expression altered in opposite direction by antipsychotics and amphetamine

To develop a new strategy for identifying possible psychotic‐ or antipsychotic‐related pathway genes, rats were treated with clinical doses of haloperidol and clozapine for 4 days, and the altered expression of genes was compared with the genes altered in expression after amphetamine sensitization. The objective was to identify genes with expression altered in the same direction by haloperidol and clozapine but in the opposite direction in the amphetamine‐sensitized rat striatum. These criteria were met by 21 genes, consisting of 15 genes upregulated by amphetamine, and 6 genes downregulated by amphetamine. Of the 21 genes, 15 are not presently identified, and only 3 genes (cathepsin K, GRK6, and a gene with accession number AI177589) are located in chromosome regions known to be associated with schizophrenia. Synapse 60:141–151, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Phenomenological Investigation of Professional Development and the Impact on Elementary Principals' Instructional Leadership

A Phenomenological Investigation: Professional Development and the Impact on Elementary Principals’ Instructional Leadership By Isa DeArmas Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological investigation is to identify and describe professional development components that elementary school principals in the Santa Clarita Valley perceive as having the greatest impact on their instructional leadership related to building teachers’ capacity for improving classroom instruction. Methodology: To investigate the professional development of elementary school principals in the Santa Clarita Valley and the impact on instructional leadership, the study will follow a phenomenological research design that includes a series of interviews. This research design will focus and describe professional development components and the perspectives of elementary school principals with regard to professional development in the area of instructional leadership. The sources used to gather data for this study include interviews, which will be used to examine various models and components of professional development and the perceptions of elementary school principals about professional development in the area of instructional leadership. Through one-on-one interviews with selected elementary school principals, the triangulation of data will support the researcher’s efforts in collecting and maintaining appropriate information. This procedure will allow the researcher to find themes and patterns, and to assist in presenting the beliefs related to elementary school principals’ perceptions of their professional development.
People with intellectual disability and their families’ perspectives of Special Olympics Ireland

Previous research has highlighted that while involvement in Special Olympics can have benefits for athletes and their families, there can also be many barriers to participation. This qualitative study, which was part of a large mixed-method study, examined the experiences and perspectives of people with intellectual disability, their families and staff who work with them, about Special Olympics Ireland (SOI). A total of 47 participants (15 athletes, 6 non-athletes, 18 family members and 8 staff members) participated in focus group and individual interviews. Supplemental data, gathered as part of the larger study extracted from open-ended survey questions completed by 97 family members also informed this element. Findings revealed four main themes: impact of participation on athletes, impact of involvement on families, barriers to participation and how to enhance participation rates. Involvement in Special Olympics impacted positively on the quality of life of athletes and families. Enhanced availability of user-friendly information and service accessibility were important drivers identified for enhancing participation rates in Special Olympics.
Adaptive learning of tissue reflectivity statistics and its application to deconvolution of medical ultrasound scans

Image deconvolution is an important post-processing methodology allowing a substantial improvement it terms of both the resolution and contrast of medical ultrasound scans. Unfortunately, the intrinsic bandlimitedness of ultrasound scanners renders the problem of image deconvolution ill-posed, and, as a result, the latter rarely admits a stable and unique solution, unless properly regularized. To be successful, the regularization needs to properly reflect the actual reflectivity properties of insonified tissues. Unfortunately, the inherent complexity of biological tissues makes it extremely difficult (if at all possible) to justify the use of a single statistical model for the description of their acoustic reflectivity structure. Thus, for example, Gaussian and Laplacian statistical priors can provide adequate description of the characteristics of diffusive scattering and specular reflection, respectively, while yielding inaccurate estimates when either of the two is used exclusively for concurrent description of both reflectively types. To overcome this difficulty, we propose to use a concomitant scale estimation framework, which allows one to learn the parameters of a prior model along with its associated reflectivity properties directly from the data. The proposed method is formulated in the form of a convex optimization problem that admits a unique and efficiently computable solution.
CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis against sex pheromone biosynthesis leads to loss of female attractiveness in Spodoptera exigua, an insect pestt

Virgin female moths are known to release sex pheromones to attract conspecific males. Accurate sex pheromones are required for their chemical communication. Sex pheromones of Spodoptera exigua, a lepidopteran insect, contain unsaturated fatty acid derivatives having a double bond at the 12th carbon position. A desaturase of S. exigua (SexiDES5) was proposed to have dual functions by forming double bonds at the 11th and 12th carbons to synthesize Z9,E12-tetradecedienoic acid, which could be acetylated to be a main sex pheromone component Z9,E12-tetradecenoic acetate (Z9E12-14:Ac). A deletion of SexiDES5 using CRISPR/Cas9 was generated and inbred to obtain homozygotes. Mutant females could not produce Z9E12-14:Ac along with Z9-14:Ac and Z11-14:Ac. Subsequently, pheromone extract of mutant females did not induce a sensory signal in male antennae. They failed to induce male mating behavior including hair pencil erection and orientation. In the field, these mutant females did not attract any males while control females attracted males. These results indicate that SexiDES5 can catalyze the desaturation at the 11th and 12th positions to produce sex pheromone components in S. exigua. This study also suggests an application of the genome editing technology to insect pest control by generating non-attractive female moths.
Lateral Diffusion, Function, and Expression of the Slow Channel Congenital Myasthenia Syndrome αC418W Nicotinic Receptor Mutation with Changes in Lipid Raft Components*

Background: αC418W nAChR is the first lipid-exposed mutation identified in a patient that causes slow channel congenital myasthenia syndrome (SCCMS). Results: The αC418W nAChR is highly immobile and sensitive to lipid raft components. Conclusion: Cholesterol and CAV-1 modulate the function and dynamics of αC418W nAChRs. Significance: Understanding the interplay between cholesterol, CAV-1, and nAChRs is crucial for developing potential therapeutic treatments for this disease. Lipid rafts, specialized membrane microdomains in the plasma membrane rich in cholesterol and sphingolipids, are hot spots for a number of important cellular processes. The novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) mutation αC418W, the first lipid-exposed mutation identified in a patient that causes slow channel congenital myasthenia syndrome was shown to be cholesterol-sensitive and to accumulate in microdomains rich in the membrane raft marker protein caveolin-1. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the mechanism by which lateral segregation into specialized raft membrane microdomains regulates the activable pool of nAChRs. We performed fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), quantitative RT-PCR, and whole cell patch clamp recordings of GFP-encoding Mus musculus nAChRs transfected into HEK 293 cells to assess the role of cholesterol and caveolin-1 (CAV-1) in the diffusion, expression, and functionality of the nAChR (WT and αC418W). Our findings support the hypothesis that a cholesterol-sensitive nAChR might reside in specialized membrane microdomains that upon cholesterol depletion become disrupted and release the cholesterol-sensitive nAChRs to the pool of activable receptors. In addition, our results in HEK 293 cells show an interdependence between CAV-1 and αC418W that could confer end plates rich in αC418W nAChRs to a susceptibility to changes in cholesterol levels that could cause adverse drug reactions to cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins. The current work suggests that the interplay between cholesterol and CAV-1 provides the molecular basis for modulating the function and dynamics of the cholesterol-sensitive αC418W nAChR.
Theatrical virtual acoustic rendering with head movement interaction

Abstract Nowadays, the use of virtual reality/virtual acoustics (VR/VA) in archaeology for rendering lost buildings is an important topic in the cultural heritage field. Moreover, the addition of additional senses apart from the sight increases the feeling of immersion in virtual environments. The aim of this paper is to show the interaction work developed in a VA system, based on Unity and FMOD, the graphical and acoustical reconstruction of an ancient building and the development of a VR goggles with headphones to render 3D audio and video interactively. This system has been implemented to render auralizations in a binaural system and has been applied to the renderization of an old and lost theatre in València (Spain). The first building of theatre was built in the 16th century, and was rebuilt several times until the 18th century. The auralization of several theatrical excerpts of different Spanish authors of that time is also presented. The integrated system has been subjectively evaluated, obtaining very satisfactory results.
Shedding of Kidney Injury Molecule-1, a Putative Adhesion Protein Involved in Renal Regeneration*

KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule-1) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on dedifferentiated renal proximal tubule epithelial cells undergoing regeneration after toxic or ischemic injury. The extracellular domain of KIM-1 is composed of an immunoglobulin-like domain topping a long mucin-like domain, a structure that points to a possible role in cell adhesion by homology to several known adhesion proteins. Two splice variants (a and b), of the human KIM-1 having identical extracellular domains, differ in their cytoplasmic domains and tissue distributions. In this study, we report that the KIM-1b transcript is expressed predominantly in adult human kidney. We describe the generation of 10 monoclonal antibodies against the extracellular domain of human KIM-1, the mapping of their binding sites, and their use in identifying various forms of the protein. We show that human KIM-1b is expressed in adult kidney cell lines, and we demonstrate that a soluble form of KIM-1 is shed constitutively into the culture medium of the cell lines expressing endogenous or recombinant KIM-1b by membrane-proximal cleavage. A monoclonal antibody that binds at or close to the proteolytic site can partially block the shedding of KIM-1. Release of soluble KIM-1 is enhanced by activating the cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and can be inhibited with two metalloproteinase inhibitors, BB-94 (Batimastat) and GM6001 (Ilomastat), suggesting that the cleavage is mediated by a metalloproteinase. We propose that the shedding of KIM-1 in the kidney undergoing regeneration constitutes an active mechanism allowing dedifferentiated regenerating cells to scatter on denuded patches of the basement membrane and reconstitute a continuous epithelial layer.
Intermediary metabolism in Legionella pneumophila: utilization of amino acids and other compounds as energy sources

The utilization of amino acids and other compounds as carbon and energy sources by Legionella pneumophila was examined. Based on the stimulation of oxygen consumption in washed-cell suspensions, glutamate, serine, threonine, and tyrosine were the only amino acids which were utilized as energy sources. Other stimulators of oxygen uptake were lactate, pyruvate, acetate, fumarate, and succinate. Citrate was a good stimulator only when the bacteria were grown in the presence of the substrate. Radiolabeling studies showed that [14C]glutamate was rapidly metabolized, with the label distributed evenly in all cell fractions. [14C]pyruvate and [14C]acetate were incorporated into the lipid-containing cell fraction, whereas glucose and glycerol were found in both the lipid- and polysaccharide-containing cell fractions. Radiorespirometry of differentially labeled [14C]glucose indicated that this compound was metabolized primarily by the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways rather than by the glycolytic pathway.
World Café: a participatory research tool for the criminologist engaged in seeking world views for transformation

This paper introduces the creative participatory research methodology of ‘World Cafe’ in the context of our primary research on NPS (new psychoactive substances) usage within the youth and homeless population in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. Our study involved conducting 6 World Cafes, with a total of 41 participants with homeless hostel service users (n=16), local college students (n=14) and professionals working with illegal drug users (n=11). We offer new pedological insight for a criminological research method that has the potential to be transformative. The ‘World Cafe’ is a conversational methodology that enables participants and researchers to get a ‘world’ view of issues and it lends itself for discussions pertaining to innovative solutions (Brown with Isaacs, 2005). A world view and innovative solutions can facilitate transformation at an individual level, as well as whole systems change in policy and practice. The role of the criminological researcher is to encourage participants to become active research assistants and our amended model combines this with undergraduate student researchers. Active engagement of research participants at a participatory level facilitates transformation of the research process in reducing power dynamics. We discuss the ‘world cafe’ approach and its transformative potential considering our first-hand experience of using the methodology to gather data on NPS drug usage.
Assessment of Students’ Satisfaction: A Case Study of Dire Dawa University, Ethiopia

Universities in the modern world are expected to seek and cultivate new knowledge, provide the right kind of leadership and strive to promote equality and social justice. The general objective of the study is to investigate the satisfaction level of undergraduate level students enrolled in regular program of Dire-Dawa University and there by understand Dire-Dawa University’s level of service quality perceived by the students. A cross-sectional study design was conducted on students of the university selected using stratified random sampling technique. The study was anchored on the model developed by Parasuraman et al. (1988) known as SERVQUAL. Results revealed that the satisfaction level of students in the overall service of the university is 65.4%. Additionally there is significant variation in students’ satisfaction across sex regarding student-instructor interaction, administrative student support service and facility supervision whereas no significant variation was seen regarding satisfaction due to undergraduate and post-graduate programs. Therefore it could be possible to conclude that majority of the students are satisfied with the service that the university offers. However it was also found that the number of the dissatisfied group was not insignificant, and therefore more effort should be made to make the satisfaction level of the students much better than the current level. Keywords: Dire-Dawa, Student satisfaction, Service quality