Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal regulation and forespore-specific expression of the spore photoproduct lyase gene by sigma-G RNA polymerase during Bacillus subtilis sporulation

Bacterial spores are highly resistant to killing by UV radiation and exhibit unique DNA photochemistry. UV irradiation of spore DNA results in formation of spore photoproduct (SP), the thymine dimer 5-thyminyl-5,6-dihydrothymine. Repair of SP occurs during germination of Bacillus subtilis spores by two distinct routes, either by the general nucleotide excision repair (uvr) pathway or by a novel SP-specific monomerization reaction mediated by the enzyme SP lyase, which is encoded by the spl gene. Repair of SP occurs early in spore germination and is independent of de novo protein synthesis, suggesting that the SP repair enzymes are synthesized during sporulation and are packaged in the dormant spore. To test this hypothesis, the expression of a translational spl-lacZ fusion integrated at the spl locus was monitored during B. subtilis growth and sporulation. beta-Galactosidase expression from the spl-lacZ fusion was silent during vegetative growth and was not DNA damage inducible, but it was activated at morphological stage III of sporulation specifically in the forespore compartment, coincident with activation of expression of the stage III marker enzyme glucose dehydrogenase. Expression of the spl-lacZ fusion was shown to be dependent upon the sporulation-specific RNA polymerase containing the sigma-G factor (E sigma G), as spl-lacZ expression was abolished in a mutant harboring a deletion in the sigG gene and restored by expression of the sigG gene in trans. Primer extension analysis of spl mRNA revealed a major extension product initiating upstream from a small open reading frame of unknown function which precedes spl, and it revealed two other shorter minor extension products. All three extension products were present in higher quantities during sporulation and after sigG induction. The three putative transcripts are all preceded by sequences which share homology with the consensus sigma-G factor-type promoter sequence, but in vitro transcription by purified sigma-G RNA polymerase was detected only from the promoter corresponding to the major extension product. The open reading frame-spl operon therefore appears to be an additional member of the sigma-G regulon, which also includes as members the small, acid-soluble spore proteins which are in large part responsible for spore DNA photochemistry. Therefore, sporulating bacteria appear to coordinately regulate genes whose products not only alter spore DNA photochemistry but also repair the major spore-specific photoproduct during germination
Government Specialized Credit Institutions and Private Domestic Investment: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Abstract With the aim of diversifying the country’s economic base and reducing the heavy dependence on the oil sector, the Saudi government established a number of Specialized Credit institutions (SCIs) in order to facilitate the expansion of the private sector’s role in the national economy. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between government credit provided to the private sector and the rate of private domestic investment in Saudi Arabia. We apply cointegration and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) methodology and use data over the period 1968–2010. We find that private domestic investment is positively associated with credit provided by the government Specialized Credit Institutions. Yet we find that banking credit provided to the private sector has the largest impacts.
Prototyping potential control systems to assist complete quadriplegics

This paper discusses a versatile wheelchair control system of potential use to complete quadriplegics. This system employs plug-in components using a common control protocol between the distributed computers. Two headset plug-in units have been developed together with two prototype wheelchairs and an automatic shopping trolley. The trolley would be of most use to a paraplegic, but suggestions are made to show how this could potentially be developed to plug into the control system as a type of “personal assistant”. The system has been prototyped using language-independent commands so that it can potentially be used by quadriplegics speaking any of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken on Earth. LEGO MindStorms NXT equipment has been used to prototype this system.
Structuring and moodleing a course: Case studies at the polytechnic of Porto - School of engineering

This work presents a comparative study covering four different courses lectured at the Polytechnic of Porto - School of Engineering, in respect to the usage of a particular Learning Management System, i.e. Moodle, and its impact on students' results. Even though positive correlation factors exist, e.g. between the number of Moodle accesses versus the final exam grade obtained by each student, the explanation behind it may not be straightforward. Mapping this particular factor to course numbers reveals that the quality of the resources might be preponderant and not only their quantity. This paper also addresses teachers who used this platform as a complement to their courses (b-learning) and identifies some particular issues they should be aware in order to potentiate students' engagement and learning.
Study concerning the economic efficiency in pig fattening.

The paper presents the analysis of economic efficiency in intensive fattening of pigs. The data were collected from two farms: F1SC Gromfid SRL, Prahova County and F2 – SC Goliath SRL, Brăila County. The reference period of the technological parameters and economical and financial performances has been 2008-2010. Based on the data of the year 2010, the gross margin method was used for calculating the specific indicators of economic efficiency. Farm F1 achieved 2.8 series of fatty pigs weighing 100 kg at slaughter with 636 g daily gain/head. Per housing place, total production expenses counted for Lei 1,551.70 of which 94.13 % variable costs. Gross margin was Lei 611.30 and net profit Lei 437 per housing place under 28.16 % profit rate. Farm F2 carried out 2.6 series fatty pigs delivered at 110 kg, fewer than 850 g daily gain/head. The production cost was Lei 1,522.98/housing place, of which 84.18 % variable costs. Gross margin registered Lei 727.67 and net profit counted for Lei 408.93/housing place under a 26.85 % profit rate. Production cost counted for Lei 5.54 for F1 and Lei 5.32 for F2 per kilogram live weight. As a conclusion, the intensive pig fattening assures farm profitability based on a rational management of technological aspects and related production costs. Farm efficiency is deeply influenced by piglets’ price, feedstuff quality and price, daily gain, weight and price of fatty pigs at delivery.
Reduction of Interaction Space in Single Point Active Alignment Method for Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Display Calibration

With users always involved in the calibration of optical see-through head-mounted displays, the accuracy of calibration is subject to human-related errors, for example, postural sway, an unstable input medium, and fatigue. In this paper we propose a new calibration approach: Fixed-head 2 degree-of-freedom (DOF) interaction for Single Point Active Alignment Method (SPAAM) reduces the interaction space from a typical 6 DOF head motion to a 2 DOF cursor position on the semi-transparent screen. It uses a mouse as input medium, which is more intuitive and stable, and reduces user fatigue by simplifying and speeding up the calibration procedure.A multi-user study confirmed the significant reduction of humanrelated error by comparing our novel fixed-head 2 DOF interaction to the traditional interaction methods for SPAAM.
Comparison of the data about thin IVC structure of multi-tip field emitters using a high voltage scanning method in different power supply mode and the data of the mass spectrometer analysis

We received and compared the current-voltage characteristics (IVC) of the multi-tip field nanocomposite emitters in the slow and the fast high voltage scanning modes. We found two types of hysteresis on the emission characteristics plots in the same field experiment. The study of IVC form depending on the duration and amplitude of the scanning voltage was carried out.
Democracia e Política Internacional: Democratização via Participação da Sociedade Civil Transnacional

From the dialectical methodological perspective, this article aims to explore conceptual political relationships between Law and Democracy, focusing on the lack of Democracy within deliberations of the international system, whether in deliberations of foreign policy or in decisions in the orbit of interstate politics. Therefore, it explores conditions for its improvement from the case study of the Ottawa Process, which resulted in an international treaty of total eradication of antipersonnel landmines, open to the participation of international civil society which obtained thereby such a level of effectiveness that turns it into an example of soft power.
Order flow imbalance effects on the German stock market

Order flow imbalance refers to the difference between market buy and sell orders during a given period. This paper is the first study to examine effects of order flow imbalance on returns of stocks traded on the German Xetra trading system on a daily basis. In contrast to previous studies on other markets, we control for unobserved effects using a fixed-effects panel regression. For the concurrent (or conditional) relation between order imbalance and returns, our results confirm those of the literature. For the question of return predictability from past order imbalances (unconditional relation), our results are partly confirmatory. In addition, we provide evidence for size and liquidity effects and analyze changes in imbalance effects during the financial crisis.
Prof. Moshe Wolman (1914–2009)

Prof. Dr. Moshe Wolman was one of the pioneers in the modern amyloid histochemistry. He was a member of a small group of distinguished and internationally renowned histochemists. Prof. Wolman had a strong impact on the development of histochemistry (including amyloid histochemistry) in the second half on the 20th century. He was the mentor and stimulus for countless student and colleagues. Prof. Dr. Moshe Wolman passed away on 5th September 2009 just before his 95th birthday. It is safe to say that he was one of the pioneers in modern histochemistry and his contributions to the field are extensive. He will be remembered as a member of the small group of distinguished and internationally renowned histochemists. Moshe Wolman was born in 1914 in Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire. His family emigrated in 1925 to Palestine (then under the British Mandate). Wolman grew up in Tel Aviv and graduated from the prestigious Herzliya School. Between the years 1932–1935 he studied medicine in Florence (Italy) and completed his medical education, 1935–1938 in Rome (Italy) where he was awarded his medical doctorate at the University of Rome. From 1938 to 1940 he worked at the Cancer Research Institute of the Hebrew University. During that time he also did a residency in the Department of Internal Medicine of the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. In 1939 he married Brigitte Koebbel (1919–2008). Together they had four talented children: Dan, a filmmaker, Ruth, a philosopher (1944–2005), Naomi an MD, PhD and Ammon, a composer. During the 1940s, he volunteered to serve in the British Army and joined the 101st Military Mission. In the line of duty, he was sent to Ethiopia where he worked in the Menelik Hospital in Addis Ababa between 1941 and 1944. In 1946 Moshe Wolman became acquainted with histochemical research during his work in the Pathology Department in the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. In the 1950s he did extensive research on the storage disease which also was later named after him. In 1964 Wolman became full professor and chairman of pathology at the newly founded Medical School of Tel Aviv University. In 1966, Wolman was elected a member of the German Academy of Natural Sciences Leopoldina in Halle/Saale (which is the second oldest Academy of Sciences in Europe, founded 1652 in Schweinfurt). Prof. Wolman received many prestigious prizes and awards. In 1989 Prof. Wolman was selected as the first recipient of the Pearse prize for Histochemistry awarded by the Royal Microscopical Society [1]. Prof. Moshe Wolman received 1990 the Pioneer Award of the International Federation of Histochemical Societies [2].
Loss of caspase-8 expression in neuroblastoma is related to malignancy and resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

UNLABELLED Background and Procedures NB-derived cell lines were tested for their sensitivity to apoptosis induced by the tumor-selective apoptotic ligand TRAIL. Noninvasive S-type cell lines are highly sensitive to TRAIL, whereas invasive N-type cell lines are resistant. RESULTS Although both S- and N-type cell lines express TRAIL-R2, FADD, and caspases-3 and -10, only S-type cells express caspase-8. Reduced levels of caspase-8 protein were also observed in a stage IV NB tumor when compared to a ganglioneuroma. The caspase-8 gene is not deleted in either N-type NB cell lines or high-stage tumors, and expression can be induced by demethylation. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, caspase-8 expression is silenced in malignant NB, which correlates to tumor severity and resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.
Performance evaluation of in-place calibration in microwave imaging for breast cancer detection

Microwave imaging systems for breast cancer detection require calibration process to separate tumor response from measured data. In-place calibration can obtain the calibrated signal with a single measurement. We modeled 4 types of heterogeneous breast phantom. Microwave imaging was conducted using in-place calibration with heterogeneous breast phantoms. The tumor was found well with breasts which have spread-out fibroglandular tissues and mostly fatty tissues. However, tumors in the breasts with dense and concentrated fibroglandular tissues could not be found. The results show that not only the amount of fibroglandular tissues but also the form of fibroglandular tissues affects the restored imaging.
Do Nudges Still Work After Enrollment? The Eect of a Counseling Program on University Students

Special thanks to Steven Lehrer, Jean-Luc Daoust and Ross Finnie for access to data and project guidance. I am also grateful to participants at the EPRI session during the Canadian Economics Association’s 2012 annual conference and to participants of the student lecture series at Queen’s University for their comments. Thanks to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Education Policy Research Institute, the Canadian Economics Association, and the Queen’s Economics Department for funding this project and conference attendance fees. All errors and omissions are my own. The views in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Evolution of climatic niche specialization: a phylogenetic analysis in amphibians

The evolution of climatic niche specialization has important implications for many topics in ecology, evolution and conservation. The climatic niche reflects the set of temperature and precipitation conditions where a species can occur. Thus, specialization to a limited set of climatic conditions can be important for understanding patterns of biogeography, species richness, community structure, allopatric speciation, spread of invasive species and responses to climate change. Nevertheless, the factors that determine climatic niche width (level of specialization) remain poorly explored. Here, we test whether species that occur in more extreme climates are more highly specialized for those conditions, and whether there are trade-offs between niche widths on different climatic niche axes (e.g. do species that tolerate a broad range of temperatures tolerate only a limited range of precipitation regimes? ). We test these hypotheses in amphibians, using phylogenetic comparative methods and global-scale datasets, including 2712 species with both climatic and phylogenetic data. Our results do not support either hypothesis. Rather than finding narrower niches in more extreme environments, niches tend to be narrower on one end of a climatic gradient but wider on the other. We also find that temperature and precipitation niche breadths are positively related, rather than showing trade-offs. Finally, our results suggest that most amphibian species occur in relatively warm and dry environments and have relatively narrow climatic niche widths on both of these axes. Thus, they may be especially imperilled by anthropogenic climate change.
CYP2D6 genotyping strategy based on gene copy number determination by TaqMan real‐rime PCR

The genetic polymorphism of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, CYP2D6, comprises at least 43 alleles giving rise to distinct drug metabolism phenotypes termed ultrarapid, extensive, intermediate, and poor metabolizers. As a consequence, drug side effects or lack of drug effect may occur if standard doses are applied. Genetic prediction of drug oxidation phenotype as a basis for dose selection requires analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms and of alleles with duplicated or deleted genes. Here we developed a novel method to determine the CYP2D6 gene dose per genome. A TaqMan real‐time PCR assay to specifically amplify genomic CYP2D6 was established by using a specific set of amplification primers and probe, located in exon 9, which effectively prevent amplification of CYP2D7 and CYP2D8 pseudogenes. Quantitative CYP2D6 amplification data were normalized to albumin as an internal reference gene which was coamplified simultaneously in a single‐tube biplex assay. The assay was validated with a selection of previously genotyped DNA samples containing none, one, two, or three CYP2D6 gene copies. The results were highly reproducible and closely matched the number of genes with no overlap between the groups. Analysis of DNA samples comprising all major alleles and genotypes revealed high sensitivity and specificity of the assay, as demonstrated by agreement of the determined gene dose with the presence of CYP2D6*2 × 2 (gene duplication) and CYP2D6* 5 (gene deletion) alleles. The predictability of the new strategy was systematically evaluated. The semiautomatic TaqMan assay allows high sample throughput and will be useful for pharmacogenetic studies and in the clinical setting. Hum Mutat 22:476–485, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A mobile robot based watering system for smart lawn maintenance

Lawn maintenance is a tedious task that requires watering, mowing and fertilizing to be carried out at regular intervals to maintain a healthy lawn. Significant wastage and pollution occurs due to improper lawn maintenance practices. With many repetitive and routine tasks being replaced by robotic systems, lawn maintenance could also be achieved using a robotic system that would limit wastage and pollution, ensure a healthy lawn and reduce the work content of the lawn owner. This research presents a prototype robotic system developed to water a lawn efficiently by measuring soil moisture levels. The system comprises a tethered mobile platform and a watering system. The mobile platform is capable of measuring the soil moisture levels at a required depth and controls the water delivery based on pre-set moisture requirements. A novel Coverage path planning (CPP) algorithm was developed to account for the constraints posed by the tether and navigate to all accessible areas within a given lawn layout. The CPP algorithm uses a priori map consisting of environment data and prevalent static obstacles. This paper presents a fully autonomous system, which is able to water the lawn, traversing the path generated by CPP algorithm. The control system of the robot was developed using the Robot Operating System (ROS). The control system is designed in three layers. The higher level provides path planning and decision making, the mid-level provides communication with the hardware and carries out mandatory calculations and the lower level performs reading of sensor inputs and controlling of actuators. The control system was designed in a manner such that it can be remotely monitored and controlled. The developed platform was tested carrying out area coverage while watering a test area.
Continuous infusion of methotrexate in children with acute leukemia

Two methods of prolonged infusion of methotrexate are described. Amounts of drug many times larger than commonly used are given. Remissions were induced in patients who were resistant to this drug when it was given orally (2.5 mg) or twice a week intramuscularly (30 mg per m2). Infusions of methotrexate lasting 18 hours, or multiples of this duration, were used for the induction of remission. Massive multiple platelet transfusions were required to protect such patients from bleeding. These studies indicate that a lack of response to customary doses of methotrexate may be due to increased tolerance of leukemic cells to the drug rather than to absolute resistance to it. The induction of remission with the above treatments is of considerable theoretical interest but of little practical value. The toxic manifestations associated with extended periods of infusion of methotrexate (longer than 18 hours) and the need of massive supportive transfusions discourage the routine use of such methods. The lesser toxicity of large doses of methotrexate given in short infusions (4 hours) and at intervals of longer than 3 weeks suggests that improved ways of using methotrexate for the maintenance of remissions may become available.
Prognostic and predictive gene signature for adjuvant chemotherapy in resected non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE The JBR.10 trial demonstrated benefit from adjuvant cisplatin/vinorelbine (ACT) in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We hypothesized that expression profiling may identify stage-independent subgroups who might benefit from ACT. PATIENTS AND METHODS Gene expression profiling was conducted on mRNA from 133 frozen JBR.10 tumor samples (62 observation [OBS], 71 ACT). The minimum gene set that was selected for the greatest separation of good and poor prognosis patient subgroups in OBS patients was identified. The prognostic value of this gene signature was tested in four independent published microarray data sets and by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS A 15-gene signature separated OBS patients into high-risk and low-risk subgroups with significantly different survival (hazard ratio [HR], 15.02; 95% CI, 5.12 to 44.04; P < .001; stage I HR, 13.31; P < .001; stage II HR, 13.47; P < .001). The prognostic effect was verified in the same 62 OBS patients where gene expression was assessed by qPCR. Furthermore, it was validated consistently in four separate microarray data sets (total 356 stage IB to II patients without adjuvant treatment) and additional JBR.10 OBS patients by qPCR (n = 19). The signature was also predictive of improved survival after ACT in JBR.10 high-risk patients (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.63; P = .0005), but not in low-risk patients (HR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.22 to 11.06; P = .0133; interaction P < .001). Significant interaction between risk groups and ACT was verified by qPCR. CONCLUSION This 15-gene expression signature is an independent prognostic marker in early-stage, completely resected NSCLC, and to our knowledge, is the first signature that has demonstrated the potential to select patients with stage IB to II NSCLC most likely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin/vinorelbine.