Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CHARACTERIZATION OF MEMBRANE-BINDING BY FTSY, THE PROKARYOTE SRP RECEPTOR

The signal recognition particle pathway cotranslationally targets polytopic proteins to the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. FtsY is the receptor that is recognized by the ribosome-nascent chain-bound signal recognition particle in the bacterial targeting reaction. At the outset of this work a major unresolved issue, and current issue of some contention is the mechanism of Fts Y assembly on the E. coli inner membrane. To clarify the nature of this process, this thesis describes the region of FtsY that binds the membrane and a site-specific cleavage event that defines this region upon membrane binding. The involvement of a specific lipid, phosphatidylethanolamine and an as-yet unidentified inner membrane protein in FtsY membrane targeting are also addressed. With this understanding of the mechanisms ofFtsY membrane assembly in E. coli, additional investigations demonstrate divergent species-specific interactions with the membrane for FtsY homologues from Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces coelicolor. Finally, the unique amino-terminal region was determined to be essential for the function of FtsY in E. coli.
Illuminating Functions of the IDD Gene Family: Analysis of a Potential Ancestral Role in Carbohydrate Balance in Arabidopsis and Epigenetic Regulation of Maize Florigen ZCN8

Illuminating Functions of the IDD Gene Family: Analysis of a Potential Ancestral Role in Carbohydrate Balance in Arabidopsis and Epigenetic Regulation of Maize Florigen ZCN8 Andrew Joseph Hand Advisor: University of Guelph, 2014 Professor J. Colasanti The transition to flowering in plants is a result of the shoot apical meristem receiving a long-distance florigenic signal from mature leaves, eliciting a morphological change. The maize INDETERMINATE1 gene encodes a transcription factor that regulates the expression of ZCN8, the maize florigenic signal. However, the expression profiles of these two genes do not overlap, suggesting indirect regulation, possibly through epigenetic modifications. This is further substantiated by experiments that suggest ID1 interacts with epigenetic regulators. A highresolution expression profile of ZCN8 was produced in order to assist epigenetic analysis. ID1 is also the founding member of a family of genes found across all higher plants that contain the conserved ID domain (IDD). Previous experiments suggest that the ancestral function of the IDD gene family is in carbohydrate regulation. Carbohydrate analysis across a range of growth conditions was employed to provide evidence that Arabidopsis IDD genes function to regulate carbon flow.
Comparison of growth curves by growth models in slow-growing chicken genotypes raised the organic system.

Two hundred and forty slow–growing chickens consisting of equal numbers of Hubbard S757 (S757) and Hubbard Grey Barred JA (GB–JA) strains were utilized for the investigation in organics system and were used to estimate growth curve in Gompertz and Logistic model. The asymptotic weights for GB–JA and S757 genotype female; male in the Gompertz model were estimated 3725.34 g; 6109.60 g and 4876.10 g; 6496.47 g and same parameter were found in Logistic model 2133.33 g; 2906.35 g and 2790.37 g; 3635.00 g respectively. The Gompertz model was higher estimate than Logistic model for the asymptotic weights parameter. The instantaneous growth rate for GB–JA and S757 genotype female; male in the Gompertz model were estimated 0.1424; 0.1288 and 0.1525; 0.1495 and same parameter values were found in Logistic model 0.3753; 0.3734 and 0.3873; 0.3949 respectively. Significant difference was observed for the instantaneous growth rate parameter between GB–JA and S757 genotypes in each of models. According to the results of goodness of fit in Gompertz and Logistic growth curve models, the coefficient of determination (R) and adjusted coefficient of determination (adj.R) were detected above 0.996 in boot models for two genotype broilers. The highest value of R and adj.R were obtained from the Logistic model in GB–JA. The two models were all fitted the growth curves of slow–growing chicken genotypes in organic system very well, and the fitting degrees R were all above 0.998; for the two models; however Logistic model was the best (0.999%). © 2014 Friends Science Publishers
Spatiotemporal rotational dynamics of laser-driven molecules

Abstract. Molecular alignment and orientation by laser fields has attracted significant attention in recent years, mostly due to new capabilities to manipulate the molecular spatial arrangement. Molecules can now be efficiently prepared for ionization, structural imaging, orbital tomography, and more, enabling, for example, shooting of dynamic molecular movies. Furthermore, molecular alignment and orientation processes give rise to fundamental quantum and classical phenomena like quantum revivals, Anderson localization, and rotational echoes, just to mention a few. We review recent progress on the visualization, coherent control, and applications of the rich dynamics of molecular rotational wave packets driven by laser pulses of various intensities, durations, and polarizations. In particular, we focus on the molecular unidirectional rotation and its visualization, the orientation of chiral molecules, and the three-dimensional orientation of asymmetric-top molecules. Rotational echoes are discussed as an example of nontrivial dynamics and detection of prepared molecular states.
The Parvidrilidae – a diversified groundwater family: description of six new species from southern Europe, and clues for its phylogenetic position within Clitellata (Annelida)

The Parvidrilidae Erseus, 1999 constitute the most recently described family of oligochaete microdriles. Prior to this study, Parvidrilus strayeri Erseus, 1999, and Parvidrilus spelaeus Martinez-Ansemil, Sambugar & Giani, 2002, found in groundwaters of the USA (Alabama) and Europe (Slovenia and Italy), respectively, were the only two species in this family. In this paper, six new species –Parvidrilus camachoi, Parvidrilus gianii, Parvidrilus jugeti, Parvidrilus meyssonnieri, Parvidrilus stochi, and Parvidrilus tomasini– and Parvidrilus gineti (Juget, 1959) comb. nov. are added to the family. With all species being stygobiont, the Parvidrilidae is unique in being the only family of oligochaetes worldwide comprising taxa that are restricted to groundwater habitats. Parvidrilids are exceedingly small worms whose principal morphological characteristics are the presence of hair setae in ventral bundles, the markedly posterior position of setae within the segments, the presence of mid-dorsal glandular pouches in mesosomial segments, the lateral development of the clitellum, the presence of a single male pore in segment XII, and the presence (or absence) of a single spermatheca. The phylogenetic relationships of the Parvidrilidae within the Clitellata were investigated using the nuclear 18S rRNA gene, and the most representative and taxonomically balanced data set of clitellate families available to date. The data were analysed by parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. Irrespective of the method used, Parvidrilidae were placed far from Capilloventridae, one family once suggested to be closely related to parvidrilids. Although closer to Enchytraeidae than Phreodrilidae, two other suggested putative sister families, the exact position of Parvidrilidae within Clitellata still remained uncertain in the absence of branch support. The examination of reproductive structures, together with the similarity of other important anatomical traits of the new species herein described, reinforced the idea that phreodrilids were the best candidate to be the sister group to parvidrilids on morphological grounds. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene, used as a barcode, also genetically characterized a few Parvidrilus species. The observation that two species diverge from each other by high genetic distances, even though their type localities are more or less only 100 km apart, is interpreted in the context of low dispersal abilities of inhabitants of the subterranean aquatic ecosystem, and habitat heterogeneity. The Parvidrilidae appear to be a diversified, Holarctic, and probably widely distributed family in groundwater, but very often overlooked because of the small size and external similarity with the polychaete family Aeolosomatidae of its members. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166, 530–558.
Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis: A primer for acute care healthcare professionals

This primer summarizes the diagnosis, treatment, complications, and prognosis of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis for healthcare professionals, especially those in acute care specialities. Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis is an immune-mediated encephalitis that is classically paraneoplastic and associated with ovarian teratomas in young women. Other less common neoplastic triggers include testicular cancers, Hodgkin lymphoma, lung and breast cancers. It may also be triggered by infection, occurring as a para-infectious phenomenon, seen most commonly after herpes simplex-1 encephalitis. Presentation varies but typically consists of behavioural and cognitive manifestations, seizures, dysautonomia, movement disorders, central hypoventilation, and coma, necessitating intensive care unit admission. Diagnosis of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis requires high clinical suspicion plus ancillary testing, the most sensitive being cerebrospinal fluid analysis for anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antibodies. Imaging in search of an ovarian teratoma should be exhaustive and tumours need to be surgically treated. Treatment should be expeditious with pulsed steroids and either plasma exchange or intravenous immunoglobulin. Second-line treatments include intravenous rituximab, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and intrathecal methotrexate. Most patients recover to be functionally independent, but the in-hospital course can be months long followed by extensive rehabilitation. Given the lengthy course of illness, we explain why education and debriefing are important for staff, and where families can obtain additional help.
Genealogical Studies of Selected Australian Barramundi (Lates Calcarifer) Using mtDNA : Implications for Stock Transfer to the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

This study resulted from concerns for the present and proposed movement of barramundi (Lates catcarife~ across presumed population genetic boundaries into the Kimberley region of Westem Australia for net·pen aquaculture and a recreational fishery development in dams no longer available to seasonal barramundi dispersal. Direct DNA sequencing of the non-recombining, maternally inherited mitochondrial genome of barramundi thought to represent wild populations from a broad section of a still wider Australian range were used for phylogenetic reconstructions that support hypotheses for historic gene tlow between Kimberley and other populations during Recent sea level fluctuations. Nil or low levels of genetic diversity in samples beyond the Kimberley were reflected in highly signHicant estimates of population genetic subd'1vision and low gene flow between the contemporary Kimberley population and elsewhere. The observed population genetic structure ot western Australian barramundi is discussed with regard to the island and isolation by distance models, however limited sampling and an absence of demographic data leaves a conclusion problematic. Stochastic, but long distance gene flow is predicted within Kimberley barramundi, and is discussed in relation to a distinct east-trending environmental cline that is thought to influence habitat availability and subsequent juvenile dispersal. The effects of hybridization due to stock enhan. ,•ment or escapement are discussed in the context of the management objective, which is to maintain genetic diversity. Given this, there are clear implications for hatchery practices and wild fishery management in the Kimberley, which leaves the present translocation of barramundi a questionable practice that should not occur unless no contravention of the management objective can be assured.
Wireless Epidermal Six-Axis Inertial Measurement Units for Real-Time Joint Angle Estimation

Technological advances in wireless communications, miniaturized sensors, and low-power electronics have made it possible to implement integrated wireless body area networks (WBANs). These developments enable the applications of wireless wearable systems for diagnosis, health monitoring, rehabilitation, and dependency care. Across the current range of commercial wearable devices, the products are not firmly fixed to the human body. To minimize data error caused by movement of the human body and to achieve accurate measurements, it is essential to bring the wearable device close to the skin. This paper presents the implementation of a patch-type, six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) with wireless communication technology. The device comprises hard-electronic components on a stretchable elastic substrate for application in epidermal electronics, to collect precise data from the human body. Instead of the commonly used cleanroom processes of implementing devices on a stretchable substrate, a simple and inexpensive “cut-solder-paste” method is adopted to fabricate complex, convoluted interconnections. Thus, the signal distortions in the proposed device can be minimized during various physical activities and skin deformations when used in gait analysis. The inertial sensor data measured from the motion of the body can be sent in real-time via Bluetooth to any processing unit enabled with such a widespread standard wireless interface. For performance evaluation, the implemented device is mounted on a rotation plate in order to compare performance with the conventional product. In addition, an experiment on joint angle estimation is performed by attaching the device to an actual human body. The preliminary results of the device indicate the potential to monitor people in remote settings for applications in mobile health, human-computer interfaces (HCIs), and wearable robots.
3' To 5' Exoribonucleases In Arabidopsis Thaliana Plastids

Plastids were derived through endosymbiosis from a cyanobacterial-like ancestor, whose uptake was followed by massive gene transfer to the nucleus, resulting in the compact size and modest coding capacity of the extant plastid genome. Plastid gene expression is essential for plant development, but depends on nucleus-encoded proteins acquired through endosymbiosis or with non-endosymbiotic origins. The plastid genome is heavily transcribed from numerous promoters, giving post-transcriptional events a critical role in determining the quantity and sizes of accumulating RNA species. The major events reviewed here are RNA editing, which restores protein conservation or creates correct open reading frames by converting C residues to U, RNA splicing, which occurs both in cis and trans, and RNA cleavage, which relies on a variety of exoand endoribonucleases. Because the RNases have little sequence specificity, they are collectively able to remove extraneous RNAs whose ends are not protected by RNA secondary structures or sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins. Other plastid RNAbinding proteins, largely members of the helical repeat superfamily, confer specificity to editing and splicing reactions. The enzymes that catalyze RNA processing are also the main actors in RNA decay, implying that these antagonistic roles are optimally balanced. We place the actions of RNA-binding proteins and RNases in the context of ________________ * Germain, A. , Hotto, A. M. and Stern, D. B. Submitted to Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. RNA 2 recent proteomic analyses that compare components of the plastid nucleoid, a proteinDNA complex, with other plastid compartments. These results suggest that a physical separation of proteins could underpin the regulation of RNA maturation and degradation.
Conserving imperiled species: a comparison of the IUCN Red List and U.S. Endangered Species Act

The United States conserves imperiled species with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). No studies have evaluated the ESA's coverage of species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which is an accepted standard for imperiled species classification. We assessed the ESA's coverage of IUCN‐listed birds, mammals, amphibians, gastropods, crustaceans, and insects, and studied the listing histories of three bird species and Pacific salmonids in more detail. We found that 40.3% of IUCN‐listed U.S. birds are not listed by the ESA, and most other groups are underrecognized by >80%. Species with higher IUCN threat levels are more frequently recognized by the ESA. Our avian case studies highlight differences in the objectives, constraints, and listing protocols of the two institutions, and the salmonids example shows an alternative situation where agencies were effective in evaluating and listing multiple (related) species. Vague definitions of endangered and threatened, an inadequate ESA budget, and the existence of the warranted but precluded category likely contribute to the classification gap we observed.
THE GENETICS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN FAMILIES WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a familial disorder characterized by major metabolic consequences related to insulin resistance (IR), including T2DM and metabolic syndrome (MS). There is mounting evidence, which supports association of each of G-174C variant in IL-6 and Pro12Ala variant in PPARλ genes with PCOS-associated biochemical or metabolic features in hyperandrogenic and PCOS adults/adolescents. The major aim of this study was to demonstrate the ability to enroll PCOS probands, who have one or more clinically PCOS-diagnosed woman, and their multigenerational family members for a total sample size of 100-125 to study IR and inflammation markers in such families. Additional important aims were to test for linkage between the IL6 and PPARλ genes' loci and for associations between the IL6G-174C SNP and the Pro12Ala PPARλ SNP with IR, MS and its components, serum inflammation levels (IL-6 and CRP) and testosterone in this special population of PCOS families. IR was defined by a HOMA-IR value > 3.9 in adults and HOMA-IR values which are age-gender specific in adolescents. MS was defined according to the ATP III diagnostic criteria in adults and the same criteria, modified for age in adolescents. In total, 101 individuals were recruited from 9 multigenerational extended families; eight of the families were Caucasian and the remaining was African American. No evidence for linkage of each of the IL6 and the PPARγ markers to any of the examined phenotypes was found. However, interesting significant SNP-phenotype associations were found in this population of PCOS families. The Ala12 allele was found to be negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and with fasting glucose. Moreover, the G allele of the IL6 SNP was found to be positively associated with DBP, serum IL6 and testosterone levels. These associations are particularly important because they were adjusted for covariates which are known or were found to be significantly associated with the outcome in our population and were the results of the variance components association test, a test which accounts for family relationships. The findings are of major public health significance, mainly because they are the first to be reported in PCOS extended families.
Ga-GaP nanowire hybrid optical system for enhanced coupling, focusing and steering of light

Nanoparticles (NPs) with different geometry have been extensively investigated for several decades owing to their unique optical properties which provide efficient focusing, absorption, scattering, waveguiding and directivity at the nanoscale. The development of an efficient photonic device requires good antenna, as well as resonator properties, that is where hybrid metal-semiconductor nanostructure comes in to play. This work is devoted to the numerical modeling of the optical properties of GaP nanowire (NW) with Ga plasmonic droplet. The modeling results demonstrate that such a self-assembled hybrid nanostructure provides polarization switchable focusing of light at the metal–semiconductor interface, effective beam steering, and emission confinement. Numerical simulation estimates that the field can be focused tenfold at the metal–semiconductor interface providing pathway for excitation of the quantum emitter or hot electron injection. The hybrid structure can also be used to turn the light efficiently without the need to bend the NW acting as a waveguide providing four times more efficient 90∘ beam steering compare to the NW without the Ga NP. We demonstrate that the light intensity varies 16 times at the interface for S and P polarization which can be utilized for optical switching in photonic or data processing applications. Finally, we discuss the architecture of the devices for the future applications based on the investigated hybrid structure.
Two Novel Open-End Winding Multilevel Unidirectional Six-Phase Rectifiers With Reduced Switch Count

In this article, two new unidirectional multilevel six-phase power rectifier topologies are proposed and investigated. Such topologies may be applied to ac–dc systems such as wind energy conversions systems, aerospace generator drives, telecommunications or any other application where regenerative operation is either not required or prohibited. The first topology is composed of two three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) converters connected to the open-end windings of a six-phase permanent magnet synchronous generator, and a three-phase noncontrolled diode bridge converter. The second topology is composed of three modified NPC converters with the substitution of two controlled switches by diodes in each leg. The use of a noncontrolled converter with diodes aims to reduce the controlled switches count, the system complexity, and the costs. However, it makes both systems nonreversible. The system models, operating principles, the space vector pulsewidth modulation strategies, the dc-links balance, and the control system to ensure the elimination of the zero-crossover distortion caused by the use of the diodes are presented. Due to the high number of levels generated, the systems are suitable for high power applications with voltage and current ratings restrictions. A study concerning harmonic distortion and semiconductor losses for both systems is performed, in order to be compared with a standard configuration. The feasibility of the system is demonstrated by simulation and experimental results.