Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic consequences of RNA polymerase dysregulation in Escherichia coli

Many bacterial adaptive responses to changes in growth conditions due to biotic and abiotic factors involve reprogramming of gene expression at the transcription level. The bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP), which catalyzes transcription, can thus be considered as the major mediator of cellular adaptive strategies. But how do bacteria respond if a stress factor directly compromises the activity of the RNAP? We used a phage-derived small protein to specifically perturb bacterial RNAP activity in exponentially growing Escherichia coli. Using cytological profiling, tracking RNAP behavior at single-molecule level and transcriptome analysis, we reveal that adaptation to conditions that directly perturb bacterial RNAP performance can result in a biphasic growth behavior and thereby confer the ‘adapted’ bacterial cells an enhanced ability to tolerate diverse antibacterial stresses. The results imply that while synthetic transcriptional rewiring may confer bacteria with the intended desirable properties, such approaches may also collaterally allow them to acquire undesirable traits.
Engaging learners in underachieving locales : a socio-cultural approach to pupil motivation

This study employs a sociocultural lens to explore differential academic achievement at the institution, classroom and individual plane of analysis within an ‘underachieving’ locale in Wales. Sociocultural approaches to learning view cognitive processes as being embedded within social events and mediated by cultural activity, best understood in its historical context. This study investigates why some children succeed academically in school and others do not in an underachieving locale. Attention is paid to the context of the school, the classroom and individuals’ understanding of tasks. The sample comprises 213 children from four schools, specifically chosen to represent higher achieving and lower achieving institutions, with eight classes across two year groups (Year 6 and Year 2). Within each classroom ‘central’ and ‘peripheral’ learners were identified. Multiple methods, including standardised national SATs assessments, questionnaires, interviews and specifically designed research instruments were used to investigate children’s academic performance and their broader social and cultural views and experiences of learning. Findings suggest that classroom culture influences pupils’ motivation to learn and their potential educational achievement. In comparison to ‘peripheral’ learners, the children identified as ‘central’ participants were able to identify problems according to school-related abstract concepts. Schools and teachers can indeed make a difference.
“Out of Sight and Out of Mind”

It is generally accepted that pornography is widely consumed by young men and that mainstream heterosexual pornography is characterized by a dynamic of male sexual dominance and female submission. What is less agreed upon is whether such pornography is a source of “sexist education” (Flood 2010) for men or whether men engage with it in an empathic and ethical manner. In this study, we discuss findings from interviews with twenty-one young men about pornography and its consumption. They described it as normative for men to watch pornography and they described “extreme” content as “normal. ” It was clear that they were unused to having to account for the appeal of pornography. Men’s discussion of male sexual dominance and female submission, and violence against women, within pornography was characterized by detachment. Most of the men did not take up the challenge to notice and critically respond to the sexism within the material they described. There were some exceptions, with a minority of the participants reflecting on the ethical dilemmas posed by their consumption of such pornography.
Prevalence of Yeast Fungal Infections in Intensive Care Unit in Poland

Background: Nearly 2% of hospital intensive care unit patients are at risk of developing life threatening fungal infections. High mortality rates indicate that identication of disease causing organisms and choice of adequate medications are crucial in the therapeutic process. Objectives: This paper focuses on describing the primary pathogens responsible for infections in medical intensive care units, and verifying the species-specic rst-choice antimycotics. Methods: A retrospective analysis of ICU patients' medical histories was performed. A database of mycological diagnoses, infection risk factors during hospital stay, therapy outcomes, and strain { drug suscepitbilities was created. Results: Candida glabrata showed greater than 30% increase in incidence during 2007 -2010 when compared to results form years 1996 { 2000. Diabetes was most often recognized as a comorbid condition to C. glabrata infection. C. krusei was frequently present in patients with either liver or renal insuciency. We observed marked uconazole resistance in
Fabrication of Ordered Two‐Dimensional Arrays of Micro‐ and Nanoparticles Using Patterned Self‐Assembled Monolayers as Templates

lar substrate is tricky, since the spin-coating solution does not wet the substrate and flies off the rotating surface. Since the OTS pattern after the lift-off technique is the inverse of the originally stamped ODT pattern, the sample in Figure 1d features macroscopically an oxide surface with printed OTS stripes on a micrometer lateral scale. Beyond the specific advantages of our technique, structured SAMs from OTS enjoy several advantages over their ODT analogs. The surface energy difference between OTS and silicon oxide is much larger than between ODT and Au, making patterned OTS substrates more suitable for structured wetting and demixing experiments. Potential applications for chemical and biological sensors also benefit from this increase in polarity. Furthermore, the silane bond is stronger than the chemisorbed thiols allowing experiments at higher temperatures. In conclusion, we have combined the well-established mCP technique of alkane-thiols on Au with a lift-off technique to transfer the stamped pattern onto a silicon-oxide surface. The main benefit of this approach compared to a direct printing technique is the improved control over environmental parameters during the deposition of the alkane-silanes, making the lift-off technique more reliable and reproducible. In addition, the lift-off technique does not depend on specific substrate materials. Therefore, extension to a wide range of surfaces and functionalized alkane chains is possible.
Contribution of the medial orbital floor to endoscopic orbital decompression.

PROBLEM This study explores contribution of the orbital floor to mechanical outcomes of orbital decompressions. METHOD OF STUDY Endoscopic medial wall orbital decompressions with and without extensive medial orbital floor removal (OFR) were performed on opposite sides of ten thawed fresh-frozen cadaver heads Bone removal was compared on pre- and post-dissection CT scans and after orbital exenteration. RESULTS Bony removal in the anterior orbital apex was significantly better after OFR (117 vs 66, p < 0.0001). An average of 10.3% (range 0 - 45.5%) of the orbital floor directly under the globe was removed with the OFR technique. The orbital floor preservation (OFP) technique resulted in average bone removal of 3.6 cm2, whereas OFR decompression resulted in average of 5.7 cm2 (p = 0.0003). Post-operative recession of the globe was significant in both arms of the study relative to the unoperated state (OFP averaged 2.99 mm decompression, p = 0.001 and OFR averaged 4.25 mm decompression, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Endoscopic removal of the medial orbital floor when performed in addition to medial wall decompression removes > 60% more orbital bone and an additional 51 of orbital apex bone. Extensive endoscopic removal of the mid-portion of the medial orbital floor results in bone loss beneath the globe itself.
Bicycleworks: Task-centered group work with high-risk youth

ABSTRACT This study examined the effectiveness of “Earn-A-Bike,” a group task-oriented program for environmentally at-risk youths, offered by BicycleWORKS, a community-based organization residing in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. Effectiveness was determined through baseline and post-test (12 weeks) evaluations of participants across three domains: (a) self esteem, (b) ability to work with others, and (c) problematic behaviors. Quantitative data were collected for three conditions: (1) graduates of previous Earn-A-Bike programs who continued to participate in other BicycleWORKS programs; (2) participants in other BicycleWORKS programs who had never participated in Earn-A-Bike; and (3) participants in the current Earn-A-Bike program only. The main study design was quasi-empirical, with baseline and post-tests administered to a convenience sample of 21 active members. In addition to the quantitative data, a focus group was conducted for a subset of study participants (n = 11). While quantitative findin.
Tensile Properties of Arabidopsis Cell Walls Depend on Both a Xyloglucan Cross-Linked Microfibrillar Network and Rhamnogalacturonan II-Borate Complexes1

The mechanical properties of plant organs depend upon anatomical structure, cell-cell adhesion, cell turgidity, and the mechanical properties of their cell walls. By testing the mechanical responses of Arabidopsis mutants, it is possible to deduce the contribution that polymers of the cell wall make to organ strength. We developed a method to measure the tensile parameters of the expanded regions of turgid or plasmolyzed dark-grown Arabidopsis hypocotyls and applied it to the fucose biosynthesis mutant mur1, the xyloglucan glycosyltransferase mutants mur2 and mur3, and the katanin mutant bot1. Hypocotyls from plants grown in the presence of increasing concentrations of dichlorobenzonitrile, an inhibitor of cellulose synthesis, were considerably weakened, indicating the validity of our approach. In order of decreasing strength, the hypocotyls of mur2 > bot1 and mur1 > mur3 were each found to have reduced strength and a proportionate reduction in modulus compared with wild type. The tensile properties of the hypocotyls and of the inflorescence stems of mur1 were rescued by growth in the presence of high concentrations of borate, which is known to cross-link the pectic component rhamnogalacturonan II. From comparison of the mechanical responses of mur2 and mur3, we deduce that galactose-containing side chains of xyloglucan make a major contribution to overall wall strength, whereas xyloglucan fucosylation plays a comparatively minor role. We conclude that borate-complexed rhamnogalacturonan II and galactosylated xyloglucan contribute to the tensile strength of cell walls.
Synthesis of Cellulose-2,3-bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) in an Ionic Liquid and Its Chiral Separation Efficiency as Stationary Phase

A chiral selector of cellulose-2,3-bis(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CBDMPC) was synthesized by reacting 3,5-dimethylphenyl isocyanate with microcrystalline cellulose dissolved in an ionic liquid of 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride (AMIMCl). The obtained chiral selector was effectively characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and 1H NMR. The selector was reacted with 3-aminopropylsilanized silica gel and the CBDMPC bonded chiral stationary phase (CSP) was obtained. Chromatographic evaluation of the prepared CSPs was conducted by high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and baseline separation of three typical fungicides including hexaconazole, metalaxyl and myclobutanil was achieved using n-hexane/isopropanol as the mobile phase with a flow rate 1.0 mL/min. Experimental results also showed that AMIMCl could be recycled easily and reused in the preparation of CSPs as an effective reaction media.
EARNINGS MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING STANDARDS IN EUROPE

We examine the earnings management level for a set of European public traded firms that switch their financial statements from local GAAP to IAS/IFRS. The Data sample comprises 17 European countries with more than 18,000 firm-year observations. Overall we are using 15 different proxies to measure earnings management. Our results exhibit that German legal origin and some French legal origin countries experience a significant decline in earnings management compared to their local GAAP counterparts, whereas this is not the case for English legal origin countries (like UK and Ireland) and Northern European countries (Scandinavian legal origin). The latter two regions have already lower earnings management levels prior to IAS/IFRS adoption compared to the rest of Europe. Therefore, for these countries the transition from local GAAP to IAS/IFRS does not change their earnings management behavior. In addition, we show that firm size and time have no significant effect on the earnings management level. On the other hand, growth firms and firms with a higher financial leverage exhibit higher levels of earnings management, whereas firms with more operating cash flow reveal less earnings management. In comparing the results for all 15 earnings management measures it seems that different measures tend to capture different dimensions of earnings management.
Clinical outcomes of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute dapsone poisoning

Objective Adverse cardiovascular events (ACVEs) account for a large proportion of the morbidities and mortalities associated with drug overdose emergencies. However, there are no published reports regarding outcomes of ACVEs associated with acute dapsone poisoning. Here, the authors retrospectively analyzed ACVEs reported within 48 hours of treatment in patients with acute dapsone poisoning and assessed the significance of ACVEs as early predictors of mortality. Methods Sixty-one consecutive cases of acute dapsone poisoning that were diagnosed and treated at a regional emergency center between 2006 and 2014 were included in the study. An ACVE was defined as myocardial injury, shock, ventricular dysrhythmia, cardiac arrest, or any combination of these occurring within the first 48 hours of treatment for acute dapsone poisoning. Results Nineteen patients (31.1%) had evidence of myocardial injury (elevation of serum troponin-I level or electrocardiography signs of ischemia) after dapsone overdose, and there were a total of 19 ACVEs (31.1%), including one case of shock (1.6%). Fourteen patients (23.0%) died from pneumonia or multiple organ failure, and the incidence of ACVEs was significantly higher among non-survivors than among survivors (64.3% vs. 21.3%, P=0.006). ACVE was a significant predictor of mortality (odds ratio, 5.690; 95% confidence interval, 1.428 to 22.675; P=0.014). Conclusion The incidence of ACVE was significantly higher among patients who died after acute dapsone poisoning. ACVE is a significant predictor of mortality after dapsone overdose, and evidence of ACVE should be carefully sought in these patients.
Occupational Performance Needs of School-Aged Children with Physical Disabilities in the Community

Over the past several years major shifts have occurred in the delivery of therapy services to children with physical disabilities. Services have moved from centre- or clinic-based to schoolbased. Direct care has been supplemented by consultation, and an adaptive model has superseded more traditional remedial approaches. These shifts appear to have been made largely in response to system changes, fiscal constraints and the integration of more students with special needs into the mainstream of education. The changes do not appear to have been driven by client need, but rather therapist and system needs.The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the occupational performance needs of young school-aged children with physical disabilities in the school system and the community, and to identify how therapists can help to meet those needs. Using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, 202 parents, teachers and children were interviewed, and their top priority problems were identified. I.
Divorce and the wellbeing of older Australians

ABSTRACT In virtually all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries the number of older people who have experienced divorce at some point in their lives will increase in coming decades. While there is an extensive literature that analyses the effects of divorce on wellbeing, there is relatively little research on the long-run effects of divorce in later life. This paper uses Australian data to estimate the long-run impacts of divorce on the wellbeing of older Australians. Dimensions of wellbeing examined are social interaction and connectedness, perceived social support, life satisfaction, and physical and mental health. The paper shows that divorce has a long-lasting, negative impact on wellbeing that persists into later life for both men and women. However, the negative effects of divorce on wellbeing are largely confined to those who do not re-partner. An important difference between men and women is that for women who are divorced and remain single, the negative effects of divorce are found for general health, vitality and mental health. Furthermore, these effects are reasonably large. For older men, there appear to be no long-term effects of divorce on physical or mental health. While there appears to be some effect of divorce on perceived social support for both older men and women, the effects of divorce on social support are less pervasive in later life than the effects of divorce on satisfaction with life and, for women, health.
Natural Language Based Reformulation Resource and Wide Exploitation for Question Answering

We describe and evaluate how a generalized natural language based reformulation resource in our TextMap question answering system improves web exploitation and answer pinpointing(cid:0) The reformulation resource(cid:1) which can be viewed as a clausal extension of WordNet(cid:1) supports high(cid:2)precision syntactic and semantic reformulations of questions and other sentences(cid:1) as well as inferencing and answer generation(cid:0) The paper shows in some detail how these reformulations can be used to overcome challenges and bene(cid:3)t from the advantages of using the Web(cid:0)
A Comparison Of Depressive Symptons In African Americans And Caucasian Americans

The study examined group differences in depressive symptomatology on the Beck Depression Inventory in 278 African Americans and 278 Caucasian Americans seeking psychotherapy. Relative to Caucasian Americans, African Americans reported less pessimism, dissatisfaction, self-blame, and suicidal ideation and more sense of punishment and weight change, but for reasons unrelated to depression. Self-dislike was a stronger manifestation of depression in Caucasian Americans, and sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, and loss of libido were stronger manifestations of depression in African Americans. Group differences were not accounted for by gender, marital status, age, or education. The study contributes to the understanding of sociocultural variants of self reported depression by distinguishing different ways in which symptomatology may differ.
Effects on prism adaptation of duration and timing of visual feedback during pointing.

In two experiments, we investigated the effects of duration of visual feedback of the pointing limb and the time (early to late) in the movement when the limb first becomes visible (timing of visual feedback). Timing, rather than duration of visual feedback, proved to have the greater effect on the relative magnitude of visual and proprioceptive adaptation. Visual adaptation increased smoothly with feedback delay, but corresponding decreases in proprioceptive adaptation underwent an additional sharp change when feedback was delayed until about three-fourths of the way to the terminal limb position. These results are consistent with the idea that visual and proprioceptive adaptation are mediated by exclusive processes. Change in the limb position sense (i.e., proprioceptive adaptation) may be produced by visual guidance of the pointing limb, and view of the limb early in the pointing movement seems to be critical for such visual guidance. The limb may be ballistically released as it nears the terminal position, and, thereafter, any opportunity for visual guidance (i.e., view of the limb) is not effective. On the other hand, change in the eye position sense (i.e., visual adaptation) may be mediated by proprioceptive guidance of the eye; the eyes may track the imaged position of the nonvisible limb. Such proprioceptive guidance seems to be solely a function of the distance moved before the limb becomes visible.
Considerations and development of topical microbicides to inhibit the sexual transmission of HIV

The increased incidence of HIV/AIDS disease in women aged 15 – 49 years has identified the urgent need for a female-controlled, efficacious and safe vaginal topical microbicide. To meet this challenge, new topical microbicide candidates consisting of molecules or formulations that modify the genital environment (BufferGel™, engineered Lactobacillus, over-the-counter lubricants), surfactants (C31D/Savvy™, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate), polyanionic polymers (PRO 2000, β-cyclodextrin, Carraguard™, CAP, D2S, SPL-7013), proteins (cyanovirin-N, monoclonal antibodies, thromspondin-1 peptides, Pokeweed antiviral protein and others), reverse transcription inhibitors (PMPA [Tenofovir™]), UC-781, SJ-3366, DABO and thiourea) and other molecules (NCp7-specific virucides, chemokine receptor agonists/antagonists, WHI-05 and WHI-07) are currently being investigated for activity, safety and efficacy. This review will assess the development of these molecules in the context of cervicovaginal defences and the clinical failure of nonoxynol-9.
Database-centered architecture for traffic incident detection, management, and analysis

This paper presents various issues related to the development of an integrated software architecture for a traffic incident monitoring, mitigation, and analysis system. The novel concept of using a set of distributed databases, having many different functions and types, is proposed for distributed coordination of sensing, control and analysis algorithms. This coordination paradigm using databases makes the whole architecture robust by providing means to efficiently manage current and past states of the monitored environment and the monitoring system. Use of a semantic event/activity database in the integrated architecture also provides high level abstractions through its query language to model traffic incidents and traffic behaviors. We also present experimental results of the use of a concrete database-centered architecture and algorithms in identifying important traffic flow events (such as tail-gating, exit from a ramp, etc.).
eye-q: eyeglass peripheral display for subtle intimate notifications

Mobile devices are generally used in public, where the user is surrounded by others not involved in the interaction. Audible notification cues are often a cause of unnecessary disruption and distraction both for co-located people and even for the user to whom they are directed. We present a wearable peripheral display embedded in eyeglasses that delivers subtle, discreet and unobtrusive cues. The display is personal and intimate; it delivers visual cues in the wearers' periphery without disrupting their immediate environment. A user study conducted to validate the design reveals that the display is effective and subtle in notifying users. Experimental results show, with significance, that the cues can be designed to meet specific levels of visibility and disruption for the wearer, so that some cues are less noticeable when the user is not under high workload, which is highly desirable in many practical circumstances. Hence, peripheral notification displays can provide an effective solution for designing socially acceptable notification displays, unobtrusive to the user and the immediate environment.