Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance and Use of Resistance Gene Analogs

The identification, isolation and subsequent cloning of effective disease resistance genes for their use to enhance the protection level against various groups of pathogens in plants is an important aspect of crop improvement. Disease resistance genes (R-genes) have been characterized and cloned from many plant species. The resistance gene analogs (RGAs) are putative or tentative disease resistance genes which are identified on the basis of their structure. The RGAs are an efficient tool in identifying and isolating disease resistance genes and have got efficiency in building a durable resistance. In order to know the exact function of RGAs they need to be characterized and linked with the genes actually conferring resistance phenotype. Regions of amino acid conservation in resistance gene encoded proteins have facilitated the isolation of RGA sequences from genomic DNA in many crop plants using polymerase chain reaction based techniques.
Alanyl-tRNA synthetase genes of Vanderwaltozyma polyspora arose from duplication of a dual-functional predecessor of mitochondrial origin

In eukaryotes, the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial forms of a given aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) are typically encoded by two orthologous nuclear genes, one of eukaryotic origin and the other of mitochondrial origin. We herein report a novel scenario of aaRS evolution in yeast. While all other yeast species studied possess a single nuclear gene encoding both forms of alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AlaRS), Vanderwaltozyma polyspora, a yeast species descended from the same whole-genome duplication event as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, contains two distinct nuclear AlaRS genes, one specifying the cytoplasmic form and the other its mitochondrial counterpart. The protein sequences of these two isoforms are very similar to each other. The isoforms are actively expressed in vivo and are exclusively localized in their respective cellular compartments. Despite the presence of a promising AUG initiator candidate, the gene encoding the mitochondrial form is actually initiated from upstream non-AUG codons. A phylogenetic analysis further revealed that all yeast AlaRS genes, including those in V. polyspora, are of mitochondrial origin. These findings underscore the possibility that contemporary AlaRS genes in V. polyspora arose relatively recently from duplication of a dual-functional predecessor of mitochondrial origin.
Detecting children's false allegations and recantations of a crime

ABSTRACT This study examined adults’ abilities to detect the veracity of children's (ages 6–11) initial disclosures and their later recantations about a crime. Children (N = 32) were asked to make a false denial or a false accusation of an alleged theft, while some were asked to tell the truth. Afterwards, children recanted their initial statements in a second interview; thus, children who initially denied the theft accused a researcher of the transgression in the second interview, and vice-versa. Adult raters (ages 18–25; N = 108) watched both interviews and completed a questionnaire that required them to determine the veracity (i.e. whether the report was true or false) and credibility of the disclosure. Adults accurately detected the veracity of children's reports 53% of the time (55% of original reports, 50% of recantations). Raters were more accurate when detecting false denials than false accusations in the children's original and recanted reports. Despite being more difficult to detect, children's recanted denials that became accusations were rated as the least credible. Furthermore, self-reported level of experience with children and ratings confidence were not significant predictors of truth/lie detection accuracy.
Finance and Development Research Programme Working Paper Series Some Lessons for Regulation from Recent Bank Crises 1 902518551 Some Lessons for Regulation from Recent Bank Crises

Note: Tables and Figures are not present in the online version of this paper; only in the hard copy version. 4 1. INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE Our objective is to consider the experience of recent banking crises in both developed and developing countries, and to draw lessons most especially with respect to the design of an optimum "regulatory regime". This will be done by setting out a series of general principles designed to lower the probability of banking distress. The concept of a "regulatory regime" is considerably wider than the prevailing set of prudential and conduct of business rules established by external regulatory agencies. It is widened to include the nature of the incentive structures operating within banks, the role of monitoring and supervision (by private and official agents), the disclosure regime and the role of market disciplines, and corporate governance arrangements within banks. It also includes the arrangements for official intervention in the event of bank distress. Just as the causes of banking crises are multi-dimensional, so the principles of an effective "regulatory regime" must also incorporate a wider range of issues than just externally imposed rules on bank behaviour.
Global Photonic Band Gaps in Two-Dimensional Metallic Lattices

The fundamental and higher frequency global photonic band gaps are obtained for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes in photonic band gap (PBG) structures consisting of two-dimensional (2D) square and triangular lattices of perfectly conducting cylinders. The global photonic band gaps in metallic lattice, which are found to differ qualitatively as well as quantitatively from those in dielectric lattices, not only explain the observations of single-mode confinement and high mode selectivity in recent microwave PBG experiments, and but also provide a useful guide for the design of metallic PBG-based devices in the future. PACS: 42.70. Qs, 41.20. Jb
Kinematics and Chemistry of the Hot Molecular Core in G34.26+0.15 at High Resolution

We present high angular resolution (~1'') multitracer spectral line observations toward the hot molecular core (HMC) associated with G34.26+0.15 between 87 and 109 GHz. We have mapped emission from (1) complex nitrogen- and oxygen-rich molecules such as CH3OH, HC3N, CH3CH2CN, NH2CHO, CH3OCH3, and HCOOCH3; (2) sulfur-bearing molecules such as OCS, SO, and SO2; and (3) the recombination line H53β. At this high resolution (0.018 pc) we find no evidence for the HMC being internally heated. The continuum peak detected at λ = 2.8 mm is consistent with the free-free emission from component C of the ultracompact H II region, which primarily energizes the HMC. Emissions from the N- and O-bearing molecules peak at different positions within the core; none is coincident with the continuum peak. Lack of high-resolution complementary data sets makes it difficult to decipher whether the different peaks correspond to separate hot cores not resolved by the present data, or whether they are manifestations of the temperature and density structure within a single core. Using brightness temperatures of the optically thick lines in our sample, we estimate the kinetic temperature of the inner regions of the HMC to be 160 ± 30 K. Observed abundances of the different chemical species are not consistently reproduced by the existing hot-core models. There are uncertainties due to (1) unavailability of temperature and density distribution within the hot core, (2) the assumption of a centrally peaked temperature distribution by the chemical models, which is not applicable to externally heated hot cores such as G34.26+0.15, and (3) inadequate knowledge about the formation mechanism of many of the complex molecules.
Pyramidal image analysis for vehicle detection

Computer vision can provide a great deal of assistance to intelligent vehicles. In this paper an advanced driver assistance systems for vehicle detection is presented. A geometric model of the vehicle is defined where its energy function includes information of the shape and symmetry of the vehicle and the shadow it produces. A genetic algorithm finds the optimum parameter values. As the algorithm receives information from a road detection module some geometric restrictions can be applied. A multi-resolution approach is used to speed up the algorithm and work in real-time. Examples of real images are shown to validate the algorithm.
Helicobacter pylori versus the Host: Remodeling of the Bacterial Outer Membrane Is Required for Survival in the Gastric Mucosa

Modification of bacterial surface structures, such as the lipid A portion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), is used by many pathogenic bacteria to help evade the host innate immune response. Helicobacter pylori, a gram-negative bacterium capable of chronic colonization of the human stomach, modifies its lipid A by removal of phosphate groups from the 1- and 4′-positions of the lipid A backbone. In this study, we identify the enzyme responsible for dephosphorylation of the lipid A 4′-phosphate group in H. pylori, Jhp1487 (LpxF). To ascertain the role these modifications play in the pathogenesis of H. pylori, we created mutants in lpxE (1-phosphatase), lpxF (4′-phosphatase) and a double lpxE/F mutant. Analysis of lipid A isolated from lpxE and lpxF mutants revealed lipid A species with a 1 or 4′-phosphate group, respectively while the double lpxE/F mutant revealed a bis-phosphorylated lipid A. Mutants lacking lpxE, lpxF, or lpxE/F show a 16, 360 and 1020 fold increase in sensitivity to the cationic antimicrobial peptide polymyxin B, respectively. Moreover, a similar loss of resistance is seen against a variety of CAMPs found in the human body including LL37, β-defensin 2, and P-113. Using a fluorescent derivative of polymyxin we demonstrate that, unlike wild type bacteria, polymyxin readily associates with the lpxE/F mutant. Presumably, the increase in the negative charge of H. pylori LPS allows for binding of the peptide to the bacterial surface. Interestingly, the action of LpxE and LpxF was shown to decrease recognition of Helicobacter LPS by the innate immune receptor, Toll-like Receptor 4. Furthermore, lpxE/F mutants were unable to colonize the gastric mucosa of C57BL/6J and C57BL/6J tlr4 -/- mice when compared to wild type H. pylori. Our results demonstrate that dephosphorylation of the lipid A domain of H. pylori LPS by LpxE and LpxF is key to its ability to colonize a mammalian host.
Significant Fibrosis Is Not Rare in Chinese Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Persistent Normal ALT

Background Limited studies have been done on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients defined according to the latest Asian-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver guideline with liver histology by a large sample size. Methods We retrospectively evaluated liver histological characteristics on a cohort of consecutive treatment-naive CHB patients with persistent normal alanine aminotransferase (PNALT) or elevated ALT from May 2005 to October 2011. Histological assessment was based on the Metavir scoring system, significant abnormality was defined as necroinflammation grade ≥A2 and/or fibrosis stage ≥F2. Results A total of 675 CHB patients were recruited, including 516 HBeAg-positive and 159 HBeAg-negative patients. In HBeAg-positive patients, significant fibrosis was found 49.4% (42/85) in PNALT, 69.8% (88/126) in ALT 1-2×upper limit normal (ULN) and 81.6% (249/305) in ALT>2×ULN group, respectively. In HBeAg-negative patients, significant fibrosis was found 30.9% (17/55) in PNALT, 73.3% (33/45) in ALT 1-2×ULN and 94.9% (56/59) in ALT>2×ULN group, respectively. HBeAg-positive patients with PNALT over 30 years old had a higher frequency of significant fibrosis than those under 30 years old (87.5% vs. 45.5%, P = 0.058). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated increasing age (P = 0.012), higher aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P < 0.001) and lower HBV DNA (P < 0.001) were associated with significant necroinflammation, while higher AST (P < 0.001), lower albumin (P = 0.027) and HBV DNA (P = 0.004) were associated with significant fibrosis in HBeAg-positive patients with elevated ALT. Higher AST was associated with significant necroinflammation in HBeAg-negative patients with elevated ALT (P = 0.009). Conclusions Significant fibrosis is not rare in Chinese CHB patients with PNALT, especially HBeAg-positive patients over 30 years old.
Constraints on the gamma-ray burst luminosity function from Pioneer Venus Orbiter and BATSE observations

We examine the width of the gamma ray burst luminosity function through the distribution of Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) peak fluxes as detected by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) and the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE). The strength of the analysis is greatly enhanced by using a merged catalog of peak fluxes from both instruments with good cross-calibration of their sensitivities. The range of peak fluxes is increased by approximately a factor of 20 relative to the BATSE catalog. Thus, more sensitive investigations of the log N - log P distribution are possible. We place constraints on the width of the luminosity function of gamma-ray bursts brighter than the BATSE completeness limit by comparing the intensity distribution in the merged catalog with those produced by a variety of spatial density and luminosity functions. For the models examined, 90% of the detectable bursts have peak luminosities within a range of 10, indicating that the peak luminosities of gamma-ray bursts span a markedly less wide range of values than many other of their measurable properties. We also discuss for which slopes of a power-law luminosity function the observed width is at the upper end of the constrained range. This is essential in determining the power-law slopes for which luminosity-duration correlations could be important.
Hacking smart machines with smarter ones: How to extract meaningful data from machine learning classifiers

Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are used to train computers to perform a variety of complex tasks and improve with experience. Computers learn how to recognize patterns, make unintended decisions, or react to a dynamic environment. Certain trained machines may be more effective than others because they are based on more suitable ML algorithms or because they were trained through superior training sets. Although ML algorithms are known and publicly released, training sets may not be reasonably ascertainable and, indeed, may be guarded as trade secrets. While much research has been performed about the privacy of the elements of training sets, in this paper we focus our attention on ML classifiers and on the statistical information that can be unconsciously or maliciously revealed from them. We show that it is possible to infer unexpected but useful information from ML classifiers. In particular, we build a novel meta-classifier and train it to hack other classifiers, obtaining meaningful information about their training sets. This kind of information leakage can be exploited, for example, by a vendor to build more effective classifiers or to simply acquire trade secrets from a competitor's apparatus, potentially violating its intellectual property rights.
Overexpression of the Panconi Anemia Group C Gene (FAC) Protects Hematopoietic Progenitors from Death Induced by Fas-mediated Apoptosis1

Panconi anemia is a rare, inherited disorder characterized by bone marrow failure, congenital malformations, and cancer susceptibility. The group C Panconi anemia gene, FAC, identified by expression cloning methods, encodes a protein of unknown function that may be involved in the response to apoptotic stimuli. Hematopoietic progenitor cells from /â€¢'Â«<â€¢ knock-out mice are hypersensitive to II N-y, a molecule that can induce apoptosis through up-regulation of the Pas death receptor. In this study, we used FAC-overexpressing transgenic mice to examine the relationship between PAC and Fas-triggered cell death. Hematopoietic progenitors from f AC-transgenic mice were up to 10-fold less sensitive to the cytolytic effect of Fas-ligation. Our experiments implicate FAC in the regulation of apoptosis mediated by the Fas death receptor.
A fast algorithm for transition simulation and model reduction of interconnects

An efficient method to analyze the transient response of distributed RLC interconnects is proposed in this paper. After introducing numeral discrete capacitance and inductance, Norton theorem is applied to generate a reduced-order equivalent circuit, and finally a linear-time-complexity algorithm is then achieved to solve the distributed RLC interconnect. Experimental results show that the new method can obtain at least one-order magnitude of speed up over directly analyzing the distributed RLC interconnect by SPICE while keeping the high accuracy at the same time. Moreover, the new method can be extend to analyze distributed interconnect RLC trees very easily.
Low social status decreases the neural salience of unfairness

Social hierarchy exists in almost all social species and affects everything from resource allocation to the development of intelligence. Previous studies showed that status within a social hierarchy influences the perceived fairness of income allocation. However, the effect of one’s social status on economic decisions is far from clear, as are the neural processes underlying these decisions. In this study, we dynamically manipulated participants’ social status and analyzed their behavior as recipients in the ultimatum game (UG), during which event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Behavioral results showed that acceptance rates for offers increased with the fairness level of offers. Importantly, participants were less likely to accept unfair offers when they were endowed with high status than with low status. In addition, cues indicating low status elicited a more positive P2 than cues indicating high status in an earlier time window (170–240 ms), and cues indicating high status elicited a more negative N400 than cues indicating low status in a later time window (350–520 ms). During the actual reception of offers, the late positivity potential (LPP, 400–700 ms) for unfair offers was more positive in the high status condition than in the low status condition, suggesting a decreased arousal for unfair offers during low status. These findings suggest a strong role of social status in modulating individual behavioral and neural responses to fairness.
Recent climate warming forces contrasting growth responses of white spruce at treeline in Alaska through temperature thresholds

Northern and high‐latitude alpine treelines are generally thought to be limited by available warmth. Most studies of tree‐growth–climate interaction at treeline as well as climate reconstructions using dendrochronology report positive growth response of treeline trees to warmer temperatures. However, population‐wide responses of treeline trees to climate remain largely unexamined. We systematically sampled 1558 white spruce at 13 treeline sites in the Brooks Range and Alaska Range. Our findings of both positive and negative growth responses to climate warming at treeline challenge the widespread assumption that arctic treeline trees grow better with warming climate. High mean temperatures in July decreased the growth of 40% of white spruce at treeline areas in Alaska, whereas warm springs enhance growth of additional 36% of trees and 24% show no significant correlation with climate. Even though these opposing growth responses are present in all sampled sites, their relative proportion varies between sites and there is no overall clear relationship between growth response and landscape position within a site. Growth increases and decreases appear in our sample above specific temperature index values (temperature thresholds), which occurred more frequently in the late 20th century. Contrary to previous findings, temperature explained more variability in radial growth after 1950. Without accounting for these opposite responses and temperature thresholds, climate reconstructions based on ring width will miscalibrate past climate, and biogeochemical and dynamic vegetation models will overestimate carbon uptake and treeline advance under future warming scenarios.
Extending the ASSIST sketch recognition system

Motivation: Most design tools focus on later stages of design. A designer often will make a freehand drawing of his design, but this original sketch, along with evidence of the motivating factors in the design, is often discarded once the final design is transferred to the computer. Sketch recognition allows the engineer to enter designs naturally into the computer from the start, and allows them to be simulated at all stages of the design process. We hope that this in turn will facilitate recording design rational, so that others can understand not only how the design works, but also why it works that way.
Framework for Zombie Detection Using Neural Networks

One of the most important threats to personal and corporate Internet security is the proliferation of Zombie PCs operating as an organized network. Zombie detection is currently performed at the host level and/or network level, but these options have some important drawbacks: antivirus, anti-spyware and personal firewalls are ineffective in the detection of hosts that are compromised via new or target-specific malicious software, while network firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems were developed to protect the network from external attacks but they were not designed to detect and protect against vulnerabilities that are already present inside the local area network. This paper presents a new approach, based on neural networks, that is able to detect Zombie PCs based on the historical traffic profiles presented by "licit" and "illicit" network applications. The evaluation of the proposed methodology relies on traffic traces obtained in a controlled environment and composed by licit traffic measured from normal activity of network applications and malicious traffic synthetically generated using the SubSeven backdoor. The results obtained show that the proposed methodology is able to achieve good identification results, being at the same time computationally efficient and easy to deploy in real network scenarios.
Beneficial Renal and Cardiac Effects of Vasopeptidase Inhibition With S21402 in Heart Failure

S21402 is a vasopeptidase inhibitor that simultaneously inhibits neutral endopeptidase (NEP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). This study determined whether chronic treatment with S21402 produced different effects on sodium and water excretion, hormonal parameters, and cardiovascular structure compared with selective inhibition of ACE and NEP in a rat model of myocardial infarction–induced congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF rats received the vasopeptidase inhibitor (S21402, 100 mg · kg−1 · d−1), an ACE inhibitor (captopril, 50 mg · kg−1 · d−1), a NEP inhibitor (SCH42495, 60 mg · kg−1 · d−1), or vehicle for 4 weeks. S21402 alone caused a diuresis and natriuresis (P <0.01) in CHF. After 4 weeks, blood pressure was lowered by captopril but not other treatments (P <0.01). Both S21402 and captopril increased plasma renin activity (P <0.01), all treatment lowered plasma aldosterone (P <0.05) and plasma natriuretic peptide levels were unchanged. In the kidney, S21402 inhibited NEP and ACE (P <0.01), SCH42495 inhibited NEP (P <0.01), and captopril inhibited ACE (P <0.01). Heart mass was reduced by all active treatments; captopril reduced left ventricular mass (P <0.01), SCH42495 reduced right ventricular mass (P <0.01), and S21402 decreased left (P <0.05) and right ventricular mass (P <0.01), atrial mass (P <0.05), and lung mass (P <0.01). In CHF, vasopeptidase inhibition with S21402 produces effects that differ from those of selective NEP or ACE inhibition. S21402 improved sodium and water excretion, reduced pulmonary congestion, and attenuated both right and left ventricular remodeling. These effects, which occurred in the absence of any hypotensive action, suggest that S21402 may offer several advantages over ACE inhibition alone in the treatment of heart failure.