Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic analysis of a new mouse model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The TallyHo (TH) mouse strain is a newly established model for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). TH mice show obesity, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, and male-limited hyperglycemia. A genetic dissection of the diabetes syndrome has been carried out using male backcross 1 progeny obtained from crosses between (C57BL/6J x TH)F1 and TH mice or (CAST/Ei x TH)F1 and TH mice. A genome-wide scan reveals three quantitative trait loci (QTLs), Tanidd1-3 (TH-associated NIDDM) linked to hyperglycemia. The major QTL (common in both crosses), Tanidd1, maps to chromosome (Chr) 19. Additionally, gene-gene interactions contributing to hyperglycemia have been observed between Tanidd1 and a locus on Chr 18 as well as between Tanidd2 and a locus on Chr 16. The overt hyperglycemia in TH mice is, therefore, likely due to a mutation in a major diabetes susceptibility locus on Chr 19, which interacts with additional genes to lead to an observable phenotype.
Alternatives to phosgene and carbon monoxide: synthesis of symmetric urea derivatives with carbon dioxide in ionic liquids.

N-containing compounds such as isocyanates, carbamates, and N,N’-disubstituted urea derivatives are important chemicals. For example, the world production of isocyanates exceeded 5 megatons in 2001. Currently, these chemicals are mainly manufactured by the phosgenation of amines . The worldwide production of phosgene ranges from 6–8 megatons per year, which have been used mainly (> 85%) for the synthesis of isocyanates and their derivatives. Therefore, as a first step, the use of an alternative to phosgene in the synthesis of isocyanates should be found to help eliminate the use of phosgene altogether. Many strategies for nonphosgene routes, including reductive carbonylation and oxidative carbonylation by using CO as carbonyl source, and the use of Pd, Ru, Rh, Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Se, Au, and W catalysts, have been extensively studied. The progress in this field of research, however, is relatively slow. Carbon monoxide is also poisonous and the mixing of CO and O2 for oxidative carbonylation is potentially explosive. As an alternative, the use of dimethyl carbonate or dimethyl sulfate as phosgene substitutes are relatively expensive for commercial applications. Therefore, the most desirable option to avoid phosgene is to replace it with CO2 directly. Besides the abundance of CO2 and its environmentally benign nature, a process that uses CO2 has the benefit of recycling carbon from the atmosphere when its use is linked with other processes that emit CO2. The detrimental influence of CO2 as a “green house” gas has
Binding of Rab3A to Synaptic Vesicles*

Prenylated Rab GTPases cycle between membrane-bound and soluble forms. Membrane-bound GDP-Rabs interact with GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI), resulting in the dissociation of a Rab·GDI complex, which in turn serves as a precursor for the membrane re-association of Rabs. We have now characterized the binding of Rab3A to synaptic vesicles in vitro using either purified complexes or rat brain cytosol as source for GDI·Rab3A. Binding of Rab3A results in the immediate release of GDI from the membrane. Furthermore, binding does not require the presence of additional guanine nucleotides (GDP or GTP) or of cytosolic factors. Although nucleotide exchange follows binding, binding is initially reversible, suggesting that binding of GDP-Rab3A and nucleotide exchange are separate and independent events. Comparison with the binding of Rab1B revealed that both Rab proteins bind preferentially to their respective resident membranes although some promiscuity was observable. Binding is saturable and involves a protease-sensitive binding site that is tightly associated with the vesicle membrane.
TECTAM , a Modified Technology Acceptance Model to Assess

In 2002, the Thai government has endorsed an information technology policy framework entitled “Thailand Vision towards a Knowledge-Based Economy (IT 2010)”. The policy emphasises the roles of information technology for the enablement and facilitation of economic and social development. One of the objectives is to develop the ability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to compete in the world market. Although there are successful cases, majority of the companies among the Thai SMEs sector are still in an early stage of utilising E-commerce technologies to reap benefits from new opportunities. Therefore, there is a need to understand, to extract and to acquire knowledge about the adoption and use of the e-commerce technologies by SMEs in Thailand. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been applied to many studies on the adoption and use of innovation and technologies. This proposed study intends to use a modified TAM named, TECTAM (Thai E-commerce Technology Acceptance Model), as a research tool and model to study e-commerce acceptance among the Thailand’s SMEs sector. The predominant dimensions of this study are based on TAM perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). In terms of PU, the near-term and long-term usefulness are considered. On the other hand, the PEOU will be concerned with the social influence processes and the cognitive instrumental processes. In addition, this study will investigate how to increase the benefits from the relationship between TAM and other approaches. Finally, the study aims to apply the use of TECTAM model in terms of e-commerce technologies acceptance and how they could be used. While the project is in a preliminary stage, the paper will detail the proposed methodology and approach of this project.
A study of norms in convex optimization super-resolution from compressed sources

Advancements over the last decade in video acquisition and display technologies lead to a continuous increase of video content resolution. These aspects combined with the shift towards cloud multimedia services and the underway adoption of High Efficiency Video Coding standards (HEVC) create a lot of interest for Super-Resolution (SR) and video enhancing techniques. Recent works showed that proximal based convex optimization approaches provide a promising direction in video restoration. An important aspect in the definition of a SR model is the metric used in defining the objective function. Most techniques are based on the classical I2 norm. In this paper we further investigate the use of other norms and their behavior w.r. t. multiple quality evaluation metrics. We show that significant gains of up to 0.5 dB can be obtained when using different norms.
The Optimized Ultrasonic Extraction of the Polysaccharide from Pleurotus eryngii by Response Surface Methodology and Assessing Its Antioxidant Activity

We aimed to investigate the effects of ultrasonic treatment on the yield of polysaccharide in the extraction and antioxidant activity of polysaccharide. By employing an ultrasonic technique, polysaccharide was extracted from Pleurotus eryngii (PPE). The optimal conditions for ultrasonic extraction of PPE were revealed utilizing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) which was adopted to assess the effects of four variables on the extraction of PPE. These variables included temperature, time, ultrasonic power and solvent-solid ratio and were independent to each other. The plots of response surface showed that these variables presented complicated and significant effects on the extraction of polysaccharide. To obtain the highest recovery of polysaccharide, ultrasonic extraction was performed at 95C for 82 min with a solvent-solid ratio of 20 mL/g and an ultrasonic power of 213 W. The estimated recovery was 14.5%. The determination of extractions in the experiments under optimal conditions showed insignificant differences with the estimated recovery. Following these experiments, the antioxidant activity in vitro was assessed by detecting scavenging ability against DPPH, superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals. A 45.6% removal rate for DPPH was observed at 2.5 mg/ml of PPE.
A 225 GHz Circular Polarization Waveguide Duplexer Based on a Septum Orthomode Transducer Polarizer

In this paper, we present the modeling and experimental validation of an efficient, compact, and high-isolation waveguide duplexer operating at 225 GHz. While duplexers based on ferrite circulators are key components of many monostatic radar systems, at W-band frequencies and above the performance of waveguide circulators rapidly deteriorates. The design presented here uses a ferrite-free duplexing concept based on transmitting and receiving in orthogonal circular polarizations. The circular polarization is efficiently generated in waveguide using a septum orthomode transducer polarizer, leading to a compact device with a single horn antenna. The complete duplexer is designed using efficient numerical algorithms, resulting in a fabricated device with a measured 10% fractional bandwidth, a return loss better than 20 dB, isolation of 30 dB, and insertion loss below 1 dB.
DALILA: The Dialectal Arabic Linguistic Learning Assistant

Dialectal Arabic (DA) poses serious challenges for Natural Language Processing (NLP). The number and sophistication of tools and datasets in DA are very limited in comparison to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and other languages. MSA tools do not effectively model DA which makes the direct use of MSA NLP tools for handling dialects impractical. This is particularly a challenge for the creation of tools to support learning Arabic as a living language on the web, where authentic material can be found in both MSA and DA. In this paper, we present the Dialectal Arabic Linguistic Learning Assistant (DALILA), a Chrome extension that utilizes cutting-edge Arabic dialect NLP research to assist learners and non-native speakers in understanding text written in either MSA or DA. DALILA provides dialectal word analysis and English gloss corresponding to each word.
Preparation and Characterization of Polymeric Microparticles Used for Controlled Release of Ametryn Herbicide

There is increasing pressure to improve agricultural productivity, due to rapid population growth, increased consumption and global demand for high quality products. As a result, agricultural chemicals have become essential for the control of weeds, pests and diseases in a wide range of crops. Ametryn (2-ethylamino-4-isopropylamino-6-methylthio-s-2,4,6triazine) is a selective herbicide belonging to the s-triazine family, whose activity is the result of inhibition of photosynthesis by blocking of electron transport. The ametryn molecule (Figure 1) contains a symmetrical hexameric aromatic ring in its chemical structure, consisting of three carbon atoms and three nitrogen atoms in alternate positions. The herbicide is classified as a methylthiotriazine, due to the presence of the SCH3 group (Tennant et al., 2001).
Alcohol consumption and dependence in elderly patients in an urban community.

and c. In this model the combined relative mortality (0) is a common effect of unemployment. These simple multiplicative hazard regression models are equivalent to considering the observed numbers ofdeaths (Dacs) in the various cells (a,c,s) as Poisson variates with mean and variance both equal to XcTa,, where Tacs is the number of observation years in a cell (a,c,s). ' In the models with extra-Poisson variation9 10 the Data has the same mean but the variance is kacsTacs+& (kacsTacs)2, a2 being an additional parameter describing otherwise unexplained variation. Comparing results from analyses of the two kinds ofmodels shows that the estimated standard errors are larger in the model with extra-Poisson variation. For men the parameters Oc and 0 were also estimated for each of the four factors in models 1* and 2*, respectively, with extra-Poisson variation. As an example table VIII presents the results based on stratification by occupation (see also table III). In table VIII models 1* and 2* show the same general tendencies as models 1 and 2 but the confidence intervals based on the simple multiplicative hazard regression models are considerably narrower. Also the estimated relative death rates0c and 0 are larger in the models with extra-Poisson variation. This is due to the fact that the weighting ofthe ratios ka,unemployel/a,employed was different in the two types of models, the extraPoisson variation model giving comparatively more weight to younger ages (see fig 1 (men)).
Studies on Pathogenic Dematiaceous Fungi, II. Pathogenicity of Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Phialophora verrucosa for Laboratory Mice: Untersuchungen über pathogene Dematiaceen II. Pathogenität von Fonsecaea pedrosoi und Phialophora verrucosa bei Labormäusen

Summary: The pathogenicity of one isolate each of F. pedrosi and P. verrucosa was investigated for normal and cortisone treated mice by several routes of inoculation with saline and mucin suspensions of the organisms. There were very few mortalities. In mice inoculated intraperitoneally and intravenously, lesions occurred in the form of multiple greyish white or brownish nodules on the liver, spleen kidney, intestine, stomach, omentum and the diaphragm. Lungs were affected only in mice inoculated intravenously. Lesions in heart and brain were not observed in any of the animals. Lesions were relatively more extensive in cortisone administered mice and in normal mice inoculated with mucin suspension. In the latter group of animals, membranous adhesions were also observed. Subcutaneous and intramuscular inoculation produced transistory abscesses and swellings at the sites of injection.
Estrogen‐mediated post transcriptional down‐regulation of P‐glycoprotein in MDR1‐transduced human breast cancer cells

The human multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) encodes the plasma membrane P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp/ABCB1) that functions as an efflux pump for various anticancer agents. We recently reported that estrogens down‐regulate the expression of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2). In our present study we demonstrate that estrogens also down‐regulate P‐gp expression in the MDR1‐transduced, estrogen receptor α (ER‐α)‐positive human breast cancer cells, MCF‐7/MDR and T‐47D/MDR. The P‐gp expression levels in MCF‐7/MDR cells treated with 100 pM estradiol were found to be 10–20‐fold lower than the levels in these same cells that were cultured without estradiol. In contrast, estradiol did not affect the P‐gp expression levels in the ER‐α‐negative cancer cells, MDA‐MB‐231/MDR and NCI/ADR‐RES. Estrone and diethylstilbestrol were also found to down‐regulate P‐gp in MCF‐7/MDR cells, but progesterone treatment did not produce this effect. Tamoxifen reversed the estradiol‐mediated down‐regulation of P‐gp in MCF‐7/MDR cells, suggesting that ER‐α activity is necessary for the effects of estradiol upon P‐gp. However, estradiol was found not to alter the MDR1 transcript levels in either MCF‐7/MDR and T‐47D/MDR cells, suggesting that post‐transcriptional mechanisms underlie its effects upon P‐gp down‐regulation. MCF‐7/MDR cells also showed eight‐fold higher sensitivity to vincristine when treated with 100 pM estradiol, than when treated with 1 pM estradiol. These results may serve to provide a better understanding of the expression control of ABC transporters, and possibly allow for the establishment of new cancer chemotherapy strategies that would control P‐gp expression in breast cancer cells and thereby increase their sensitivity to MDR1‐related anticancer agents. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 1198–1204)
Low Concentrations of Pentobarbital Enhance Excitability of Rat Hippocampal Neurons

BACKGROUND:Although the excitation phase observed during anesthetic induction and emergence is familiar to anesthesiologists, the cellular mechanisms of this phenomenon are not well understood. At anesthetic concentrations approximately one-tenth those required for surgical anesthesia, subjects demonstrate increased responsiveness to noxious stimulation. We previously estimated that the decrease in nociceptive reflex threshold is maximal at pentobarbital concentrations of approximately 5 &mgr;M. Here we used the rat hippocampal slice preparation to examine whether 5 &mgr;M pentobarbital increases the excitability of neurons. METHODS:Intracellular recordings were obtained from CA1 neurons during stimulation of the Schaffer collateral pathway. We examined the effect of pentobarbital on resting intrinsic membrane properties and stimulus-response relationships. Excitability was evaluated with the relationship between the synaptic signal strength, as indicated by the excitatory postsynaptic potential slope, and the probability of spiking (E-S relationship). RESULTS:Pentobarbital increased the excitability of hippocampal neurons, as shown by an increased probability of spiking at any given synaptic signal strength (P = 0.002), an effect known as “E-S potentiation. ” Pentobarbital was associated with an increase in the input resistance of the neuron and a shift of the action potential threshold towards more negative values. Pentobarbital did not increase the excitatory postsynaptic potential slope at any given stimulus strength. CONCLUSIONS:At a 5 &mgr;M concentration, pentobarbital increased E-S coupling by enhancing the excitability of the postsynaptic neurons. Pentobarbital induced changes in intrinsic membrane properties that may contribute to increased excitability.
Examples of the Use of Data Mining Methods in Animal Breeding

Data mining techniques involve mainly searching for various relationships in large data sets. However, they can also be used in a much narrower range, sometimes as an alternative to classical statistics. The characteristic feature of these models is the use of a specific strategy, usually requiring the division of data into training set, sometimes also verification set, which enable the evaluation of the model quality as well as a test set for checking its prognostic or classification abilities. Among many different methods belonging to data mining, the following can be distinguished: the general models of classification and regression trees (G_Trees), general CHAID (Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection) models, interactive classification and regression trees (also with boosting – Boosted Trees), random forest, MARS (Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines), artificial neural networks (ANN), other machine learning methods such as: naive Bayes classifier (NBC), support vector machines (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) and other regarded (or not) by different authors as data mining techniques. These methods are more and more frequently applied to various issues associated with animal breeding and husbandry.
Intracellular trafficking of lysosomal membrane proteins

Lysosomes are the site of degradation of obsolete intracellular material during autophagy and of extracellular macromolecules following endocytosis and phagocytosis. The membrane of lysosomes and late endosomes is enriched in highly glycosylated transmembrane proteins of largely unknown function. Significant progress has been made in recent years towards elucidating the pathways by which these lysosomal membrane proteins are delivered to late endosomes and lysosomes. While some lysosomal membrane proteins follow the constitutive secretory pathway and reach lysosomes indirectly via the cell surface and endocytosis, others exit the trans‐Golgi network in clathrin‐coated vesicles for direct delivery to endosomes and lysosomes. Sorting from the Golgi or the plasma membrane into the endosomal system is mediated by signals encoded by the short cytosolic domain of these proteins. This review will discuss the role of lysosomal membrane proteins in the biogenesis of the late endosomal and lysosomal membranes, with particular emphasis on the structural features and molecular mechanisms underlying the intracellular trafficking of these proteins.
Using AEPI method for hand gesture recognition in varying background and blurred images

Due to the advancement in technology, new methods for human computer interaction are getting developed very rapidly. Interacting with computers or mobile devices through hand gestures is one of the important research area where researchers are trying to implement new user interfaces by applying various methods. The Hand Gesture Recognition system is useful to detect the gestures with the help of image capturing devices installed on computer and other gadgets. The rapid growth and improvement of mobile phones in past few years led to innovations in visualization and interaction with devices. Touchscreen gestures are widely used for interactivity in such devices but in near future the users may demand for more natural interaction methods. In this paper, the Accurate End Point Identification method is implemented and applied on gesture images which are captured in varying background and it is also applied on blurred images containing multiple objects. The AEPI method accurately recognizes the gestures from such images and provides a new dimension to implement user interface that will help to provide more natural inputs through hand gestures.
The Potential for Poverty to Lower the Self-Efficacy of Adults With Asthma: An Australian Longitudinal Study

Purpose It is known that strong feelings of self-efficacy are linked with better management of asthma. However, it is not known whether the experience of poverty can detrimentally impact the self-efficacy feelings of asthma patients. This paper aims to determine whether falling into income or multidimensional poverty lowers self-efficacy among people diagnosed with asthma. Methods Longitudinal analysis of Waves 7 to 11 (2007 to 2011) of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey using generalized linear models. The analysis was limited to those who had been diagnosed with asthma. The Freedom Poverty Measure was used to identify those in multidimensional poverty. Results People with asthma who fell into income poverty had significantly lower self-efficacy scores-23% lower (95% CI: -35.1 to -9.1), after falling into income poverty for 3 or 4 years between 2007 and 2011 compared to those who were never in income poverty. Those who fell into multidimensional poverty also had significantly lower self-efficacy scores-25% lower (95% CI: -42.8 to -2.0), after being in multidimensional poverty for 3 or 4 years between 2007 and 2011 compared to those who were never in poverty. Conclusions Asthmatics who fall into poverty are likely to experience a decline in their feelings of self-efficacy. The findings of this study show that experiencing poverty should be a flag to identify those who may need extra assistance in managing their condition.
Anthropometric and metabolic improvements in human type 2 diabetes after introduction of an Okinawan-based Nordic diet are not associated with changes in microbial diversity or SCFA concentrations

Abstract The Okinawan-based Nordic (O-BN) diet improves anthropometry and metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The aim of this study was to study mechanisms behind improvements by examining Enterobacteriaceae abundance, microbial diversity, and concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). A secondary aim was exploring if metformin treatment affects microbiota or SCFAs. Thirty T2DM patients received the O-BN diet for 12 weeks. Faecal and blood samples were collected at baseline, 12 and 28 weeks. Although patients experienced weight loss and improved metabolic parameters, there were no significant changes in Enterobacteriaceae abundance or microbial diversity. Patients on metformin displayed higher Enterobacteriaceae abundance throughout the study (p = .008, p = .038, and p = .001, respectively). Isovaleric acid was decreased after 12 weeks (p = .018). Butyric acid was decreased at follow-up (p = .007). Improved anthropometry and metabolism in T2DM after introduction of the O-BN diet is not associated with changes in Enterobacteriaceae abundance, microbial diversity or SCFA concentrations.