Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MALE REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MATERNAL STATUS IN THE ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL ARCTOCEPHALUS GAZELLA

Abstract Although mammalian mating systems are classically characterized in terms of male competition and polygyny, it is becoming increasingly apparent that alternative male strategies and female choice may play important roles. For example, females who mate with males from a dominant dynasty risk producing inbred offspring. Many pinnipeds are highly polygynous, but in some species alternative male strategies such as aquatic mating appear to be important, even when behavioral observations suggest strong polygyny. Here, we analyze male reproductive success in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella, an otariid described behaviorally as being highly polygynous, by combining a microsatellite paternity analysis spanning seven consecutive breeding seasons with detailed behavioral data on both sexes. Territorial males fathered 59% of 660 pups analyzed from our study colony. Male reproductive skew was considerable, with a quarter of all paternities assigned to just 12 top individuals on a beach where mean annual pup production was 635. Most males were successful for only a single season, but those able to return over successive years enjoyed rapidly increasing success with each additional season of tenure. We found no evidence of alternative male reproductive tactics such as aquatic or sneaky terrestrial mating. However, paternity was strongly influenced by maternal status. Females observed on the beach without a pup were significantly less likely to conceive to a sampled territorial male than equivalent females that did pup. In addition, their pups carried combinations of paternal alleles that were less likely to be found on the study beach and exhibited lower levels of shared paternity. Thus, from a territorial male's perspective, not all females offer equal opportunities for fertilization.
Changes in the mRNA Expressions of Insulin-like Growth Factors, Their Receptors, and Binding Proteins during the Postnatal Development of Rat Masseter Muscle

Abstract Morphological, biochemical, and functional changes in rat masseter muscle reportedly occur during the shift of rat feeding behavior from suckling to chewing. To determine whether insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), their receptors (IGFRs), and binding proteins (IGFBPs) are involved in the changes in rat masseter muscle during the shift of rat feeding behavior, we analyzed the expressions of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFR1, IGFR2, and IGFBP1∼6 mRNAs in rat masseter muscle between 0 and 70 days after birth using the competitive, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Between 14 and 19 days of age, sharp falls in the quantities of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFR1, IGFR2, IGFBP3, IGFBP5, and IGFBP6 mRNAs were observed, whereas the quantity of IGFBP4 mRNA rose sharply during the same period. IGFBP1 and 2 mRNAs were not detectable during the postnatal development. In the present study, the shift of rat feeding behavior from suckling to chewing occurred between 14 and 19 days of age, since the pups took residues of a pellet diet which had been dropped in a cage after 14 days of age, and we removed the pups from the dams and fed them on a pellet diet at 19 days of age. Thus, the drastic changes in the quantities of IGF, IGFR, and IGFBP mRNAs in the rat masseter muscle between 14 and 19 days of age seem to be involved in the shift of rat feeding behavior.
Nonlinear trajectory following control for automatic steering of a collision avoiding vehicle

A collision avoiding vehicle driver assistance system is developed. Collisions can be avoided using braking, steering or a combination of steering and braking. Within this paper only steering interventions are discussed. To guide the vehicle on a desired trajectory for emergency steering, two feedback control approaches are presented. A Kalman filter based vehicle state estimation approach to estimate the sideslip angle is shown. Simulation results with a validated nonlinear two-track model and results from test drives are shown
Year : 2008 γCOP is required for apical protein secretion and epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila

Background: There is increasing evidence that tissue-specific modifications of basic cellular functions play an important role in development and disease. To identify the functions of COPI coatomer-mediated membrane trafficking in Drosophila development, we were aiming to create loss-of-function mutations in the γCOP gene, which encodes a subunit of the COPI coatomer complex. Principal Findings: We found that γCOP is essential for the viability of the Drosophila embryo. In the absence of zygotic γCOP activity, embryos die late in embryogenesis and display pronounced defects in morphogenesis of the embryonic epidermis and of tracheal tubes. The coordinated cell rearrangements and cell shape changes during tracheal tube morphogenesis critically depend on apical secretion of certain proteins. Investigation of tracheal morphogenesis in γCOP loss-of-function mutants revealed that several key proteins required for tracheal morphogenesis are not properly secreted into the apical lumen. As a consequence, γCOP mutants show defects in cell rearrangements during branch elongation, in tube dilation, as well as in tube fusion. We present genetic evidence that a specific subset of the tracheal defects in γCOP mutants is due to the reduced secretion of the Zona Pellucida protein Piopio. Thus, we identified a critical target protein of COPI-dependent secretion in epithelial tube morphogenesis. Conclusions/Significance: These studies highlight the role of COPI coatomer-mediated vesicle trafficking in both general and tissue-specific secretion in a multicellular organism. Although COPI coatomer is generally required for protein secretion, we show that the phenotypic effect of γCOP mutations is surprisingly specific. Importantly, we attribute a distinct aspect of the γCOP phenotype to the effect on a specific key target protein. cCOP Is Required for Apical Protein Secretion and Epithelial Morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster Nicole C. Grieder*, Emmanuel Caussinus, David S. Parker, Kenneth Cadigan, Markus Affolter, Stefan Luschnig 1 Abteilung Zellbiologie, Biozentrum der Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 2 Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America, 3 Developmental Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Effect of fractions of Ethiopian And Norwegian colostrum on rotavirus and Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin

Samples of colostrum from both Ethiopian and Norwegian women contained antirotavirus activities of immunoglobulin and non-immunoglobulin nature. No significant differences in rotavirus immunoglobulin A or in rotavirus-inhibiting activity were found between samples from the two countries. The non-immunoglobulin inhibitory activity was trypsin sensitive and heat stable (100 degrees C for 10 min). Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin antibodies were measured in the colostrum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No E. coli enterotoxin-specific immunoglobulin A was detected, possibly due to the high background caused by the nonspecific adsorption of immunoglobulin A to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay plates in the absence of toxin. A total of 5 of 15 Ethiopian colostrum samples and 0 of 11 Norwegian colostrum samples neutralized the effect of E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin on YI adrenal cells. Both the Ethiopian and the Norwegian colostrum samples contained a non-immunoglobulin enterotoxin-inhibitory activity when the toxin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This inhibitory activity was not trypsin sensitive, and extraction by chloroform-methanol indicated that the inhibitor was of a lipid nature.
A simple enhancement technique for shading in 2D images by retinex model

We propose a simple method to improve human depth sensation for 2D images without depth information. In depth perception of 2D images, a lot of human monocular depth cues are used. Here we focus attention on the shading. And the improvement of depth sensation is achieved by emphasizing it. Based on the idea of painting, shade is expanded and its gradient is made steep. In order to change the pattern of shading, we modulate the reflectance components of images. Retinex model is used for estimation of the reflectance components. These reflectance components are varied to enhance shading and then are reintegrated again with the light images. Through the experiments for CG image and natural image, the effectiveness of our proposed method is illustrated.
Genetic resistance to natural coccidiosis infection in goats in a semi-arid region of India

Abstract Coccidiosis is one of the major causes of kid mortality in tropical regions and causes significant loss to farmers by affecting growth and feed efficiency in the growing kid. The strategy to control the coccidiosis is mainly through drug usage and is not efficacious at present. Therefore, an alternative strategy is required to control the disease in goats. Increasing genetic resistance to coccidiosis may be an appropriate complementary control strategy. The purpose of this study was to analyse the genetic variation in severity of natural coccidiosis infections in kids in the semi-arid region. The observations were recorded in 227 kids of Barbari and Jamunapari goats. Barbari goats had higher mean faecal oocyst counts (FOC) than Jamunapari goats at 3 and 6 months of age. The heritability for FOC was 0.05 and 0.15 at 3 and 6 months of age, respectively. All phenotypic and environmental correlations between FOC and live weight traits were low and negative, indicating a tendency for more heavily infected kids in the flock to grow more slowly. Genetic correlations were largely similar, but had large standard errors. The results suggest that genetic resistance control strategy can potentially be useful for the better performance in the existing managemental condition.
Performance of MC-CDMA systems with space-time block codes in frequency selective fading channels

In this paper, the performance of a space time coded multi-user MC-CDMA wireless communication system in frequency selective fading channels is analyzed. The space time code is a block code with a 4times4 transition matrix. Analytical and simulation symbol error rate results are obtained for the system with two transmit antennas. The analysis also shows that a more relaxed set of orthogonality conditions is sufficient for the spreading sequences
MEMORABILITY RATES OF GRAPHICAL PASSWORD SCHEMES 1

Passwords authentication has become a widely recognized element of computer security for confirming users’ identity before access can be granted or repudiated to an intended information contents or applications of the system. Graphical password schemes are a login option that use images instead of alphanumeric strings for the purpose of user authentication. This alternative means of authentication is mainly designed to achieve good memorability and secutity of any choosen passwords based on widely known superiority effect of images over random strings. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of graphical password schemes and reports a memorability comparison between them. It also highlights how different memory tasks affect the graphical passwords and the relationship between them.
How Japanese Traditional "Omonpakari" Services are Delivered - A Multidisciplinary Approach

In high-quality Japanese services, providers are often said to sense what their customers want from subtle cues and deliver a customized service without explicitly advertising the effort. To understand this subtle service, often called "Omonpakari," we studied a high-end Sushi restaurant using multidisciplinary approach--using neuroscience to analyze the cognitive characteristic, ethno methodology to analyze the interactive structure, and computer science to analyze the social evaluations. The study based on neuroscience showed that the service brain model could explain the cognition of "Omonpakari" service regardless of customers' gender, knowledge and the social context. The ethno methodological analysis revealed that customers performed a role, complying with cultural norms and behaving like a culturally appropriate customer even if they might not be. The analysis using computer science techniques showed that expertise was the key factor of evaluation of the services. These findings suggest an alternative model of service in which there is a productive tension, or dialectic, between the provider and the customer.
The Frequency of Meteorite Falls on the Earth

Photographic observations from a network of 60 cameras in western Canada are used to derive the influx rate of meteorites on the earth's surface, the first time instrumental data have been used for this purpose. Forty-three observed events are believed to have dropped between 0.1 and 12 kilograms of meteorites each. The flux values are corrected for a minor latitude effect and agree with earlier estimates near 10 kilograms but vary more slowly with mass. Eight events per year drop at least 1 kilogram of meteorites in an area of 106 square kilometers.
Histopathologic Technic and Practical Histochemistry

building which the Admiralty acknowledged: "Though science is much respected by their Lordships and your paper is much esteemed, it is too learned. " Young was also appointed as Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac and Secretary of the Board of Longitude. In this he was unable to satisfy the demands both of the navigators and of the astronomers, incurring the displeasure of both. A bibliography of the writings of Thomas Young shows seven works, seventy-four papers published. Undoubtedly there were written also hundreds of letters on as many subjects to the great men of his day.
Ultrasound spatial compounding via registration of 2D slices into 3D volume

Spatial compounding is very important for improving the quality of the 3D ultrasound data. The key to effective spatial compounding is accurate registration between the compounded data. In this paper, a new nonlinear deformable registration method for ultrasound spatial compounding is proposed. This novel method includes two steps. First, multiresolution cubic B-spline registration (MRBR) is applied to determine global and local nonlinear deformations following rigid registrations. Then 2D slice images are divided into partly overlapped sub-images to estimate the residual local deformations. Correlation ratio (CR) is used as the similarity metric. The results of in-vitro and in vivo trials demonstrated that we could get accurate registration using the new technique, which shows great promise for reducing tissue motion and local deformation in spatial compounding.
A performance test to monitor rehabilitation and evaluate anterior cruciate ligament injuries

A performance test simulating components of sports was devised to evaluate dysfunction after ACL injury. The test included a one-leg hop, running in a figure of eight (straight running and turn running measured sep arately), running up and down a spiral staircase, and running up and down a slope. Twenty-six men with ACL injury, most of them soccer players, and 66 uninjured male soccer players were studied. Patients with ACL injury performed signifi cantly less well than the uninjured players. Test items of special interest were turn running in the figure of eight, stair running, and slope running, all of which place high demand on the knee. It is concluded that a performance test of this design is useful for monitoring rehabilitation and for evaluating the patient's condition. Before sports can be resumed at the original level, normal strength and normal per formance should be regained.
A simple, high sensitivity mutation screening using Ampligase mediated T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease with microfluidic capillary electrophoresis

Mutation and polymorphism detection is of increasing importance for a variety of medical applications, including identification of cancer biomarkers and genotyping for inherited genetic disorders. Among various mutation‐screening technologies, enzyme mismatch cleavage (EMC) represents a great potential as an ideal scanning method for its simplicity and high efficiency, where the heteroduplex DNAs are recognized and cleaved into DNA fragments by mismatch‐recognizing nucleases. Thereby, the enzymatic cleavage activities of the resolving nucleases play a critical role for the EMC sensitivity. In this study, we utilized the unique features of microfluidic capillary electrophoresis and de novo gene synthesis to explore the enzymatic properties of T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease for EMC. Homoduplex and HE DNAs with specific mismatches at desired positions were synthesized using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) gene synthesis. The effects of nonspecific cleavage, preference of mismatches, exonuclease activity, incubation time, and DNA loading capability were systematically examined. In addition, the utilization of a thermostable DNA ligase for real‐time ligase mediation was investigated. Analysis of the experimental results has led to new insights into the enzymatic cleavage activities of T7 endonuclease I and Surveyor nuclease, and aided in optimizing EMC conditions, which enhance the sensitivity and efficiency in screening of unknown DNA variations.
Evidence from unilateral lesions of early uncompensable implementation of opposed response-biases in each hemisphere of the brain.

PURPOSE The intact right hemisphere presents an omissive response-bias and the left hemisphere a commissive response-bias in adults. This research sought to determine whether these hemispherically lateralized response-biases manifest early developmental and uncompensable brain implementation. METHODS Sixteen teenager and adult participants with focal left hemisphere lesions and fourteen with focal right hemisphere lesions (all with childhood onset: M=13 year recovery period) and 14 normal control participants were recruited. A computerized multitask high order working memory procedure was designed to generate many errors of omission and of commission. RESULTS The expected double dissociation of response-bias distortion as a function of lesion side was significantly demonstrated on this task and was significantly frontal-lobe dependent. CONCLUSION The hemispheres of the brain have an opposed response bias that is robustly implemented in infancy through adulthood.
The use of video image analysis for fat content estimation

The composition of selected cuts of ca�le carcasses was determined in connection with the search for new methods of carcass classification. The content of adipose tissue and intramuscular fat in the cross-section of beef loin was estimated. A total of 79 samples was taken for investigations in a broad range of ca�le category. The classical extraction method in Soxhlet extractor was compared with video image analysis, which measured the ratio of muscle to fat areas. The size and the shape of the musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis (MLLT) and its ratio in the loin cross-section was also estimated. A good correlation (r = 0.99, P < 0.05) between both methods was found for the estimation of intramuscular fat in MLLT. The correlation in the case of the whole cross-section was influenced by the connective tissue that gives also white areas similarly like the adipose tissue, but the fat content is different.
Morphology and Local Structure in Labyrinthine Stripe Domain Phase

Analysis of globally disordered, nonequilibrium "labyrinthine" stripe-domain patterns in thin ferrimagnetic garnet films has revealed a well-defined local structure containing an oblong polygonal plaquette as the fundamental motif. Two types of labyrinths were found: one having topological defects, the other composed of a single, unbranched, meandering line. These patterns emerge when the labyrinthine state is approached either by heating at constant magnetic field or by demagnetizing from saturation at constant temperature. Size and aspect ratios of the oblong polygonal plaquettes prove to be independent of the choice of these two mutually orthogonal trajectories within the phase diagram, which is surprising in view of the different mechanisms and concomitant topological constraints governing the evolution of disorder. The significance of this unique local structure is discussed in the general context of defectmediated melting of two-dimensional stripe phases.
Escherichia coli

A procedure for the purification of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli is described. Homogeneous enzyme of specific activity 17.7units/mg was obtained in 22% yield. The key purification step involves substrate elution of the enzyme from a cellulose phosphate column. The subunit Mr was estimated to be 49 000 by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. The native M, was estimated to be 55000 by gel filtration, indicating that the enzyme is monomeric.
Antibody Avidity and Immunoglobulin G Isotype Distribution following Immunization with a Monovalent Meningococcal B Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccine

ABSTRACT The avidity maturation and immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotype distribution of antibodies after vaccination with a meningococcal B outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccine were evaluated as indicators of protective immunity. Pre- and postvaccination sera from 134 healthy toddlers (ages, 2 to 3 years) immunized with a monovalent meningococcal B OMV (serosubtype P1.7-2,4) vaccine adsorbed with AlPO4 or Al(OH)3 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. The children were vaccinated three times with intervals of 3 to 6 weeks between vaccinations or twice with an interval of 6 to 10 weeks between vaccinations. A booster was given after 20 to 40 weeks. The avidity index (AI) of antibodies increased significantly during the primary series of vaccinations and after the booster was given. No differences in AIs were found when the results obtained with the two vaccination schedules or with the two adjuvants were compared. After vaccination, IgG1 was the predominant IgG isotype, followed by IgG3. No IgG2 or IgG4 was detected. There was a strong correlation between serum bactericidal activity (SBA) and ELISA titers (r = 0.85 [P < 0.0001] for total IgG, r = 0.83 for IgG1 [P < 0.0001], r = 0.82 for IgG3 [P < 0.0001], and r = 0.84 [P < 0.0001] for the avidity titer). When two subgroups with similar anti-OMV IgG levels were compared before and after the booster vaccination, the higher AI after the booster vaccination was associated with significantly increased SBA. We concluded that avidity maturation occurs after vaccination with a monovalent meningococcal B OMV vaccine, especially after boosting, as indicated by a significant increase in the AI. Vaccination with the monovalent OMV vaccine induced mainly IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes, which are considered to be most important for protection against meningococcal disease. An increase in the AI of antibodies is associated with increased SBA, independent of the level of specific IgG and the IgG isotype distribution. Measuring the AI and IgG isotype distribution of antibodies after vaccination can be a supplementary method for predicting protective immunity for evaluation in future phase III trials with meningococcal serogroup B vaccines.