Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Thrombosis After Arterial Injury in Human C-Reactive Protein–Transgenic Mice

Background—C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase reactant long considered merely an innocent bystander in the inflammatory process, is now recognized as a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events. Emerging in vitro evidence suggests that CRP may have direct proinflammatory and prothrombotic effects on monocytes and endothelial cells. To determine whether CRP directly modulates vascular cell function in vivo, we subjected wild-type mice, which do not express CRP, and human CRP–transgenic (CRPtg) mice to 2 models of arterial injury. Methods and Results—Baseline serum CRP levels in CRPtg mice were 18±6 mg/L. CRP levels were undetectable in wild-type mice. Transluminal wire injury led to complete thrombotic occlusion of the femoral artery at 28 days in 75% of CRPtg arteries (6 of 8) compared with 17% (2 of 12) in wild-type mice (P <0.05). In a model of arterial photochemical injury, clot formation time was shortened in CRPtg mice; mean time to occlusion was 33±19 minutes compared with 59±19 minutes in wild-type mice (n=10; P <0.05). Conclusions—Arterial injury in CRPtg mice results in an expedited and higher rate of thrombotic occlusion. This is the first report of a prothrombotic phenotype directly attributable to the presence of human CRP in vivo. Investigation of the inflammatory-thrombotic axis in CRPtg mice may elucidate the prothrombotic actions of CRP in unstable arterial diseases and may pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions for preventing cardiovascular events.
Physical exercise, public health and quality of life in diabetes

Subjects that do physical exercise regularly have a reduced risk of developing diabetes, obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke, colon cancer, depression and complications related to these morbid events. Here we present a series of articles on specific topics linked with diabetes focusing on physical exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness, their role in fuel metabolism and insulin resistance and the relationship with health care and the quality of life of diabetic patients. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Leaf blight resistance in rice : a review of breeding and biotechnology

Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) is the most devastating disease of rice. This disease can reduce grain production by 20-50% . Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the causal agent of bacterial leaf blight (BLB) of rice was characterized through pathogenecity and biochemical assays.The development of resistant cultivars has been the most effective and economical strategy to control bacterial leaf blight (BB) disease of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Molecular markers have made it possible to identify and pyramid valuable genes of agronomic importance in resistance rice breeding. However, new powerful tools such as transgenics have been introduced to make a significant impact. The informed deployment of major, race-specific and partial, race-nonspecific resistance, either by conventional breeding or transgenic approaches, will enable the production of crop varieties with effective resistance without impacting on other agronomically important crop traits. Here, we review these recent advances and progress towards the ultimate goal of developing disease-resistant crops. The purpose of this minireview is to consolidate the existing knowledge about bacterial leaf blight in rice and the progress made both in conventional as well as in molecular dimensions of breeding together with potential findings and constraints.
Identifying the Environmental Factors That Determine the Genetic Structure of Populations

The study of population genetic structure is a fundamental problem in population biology because it helps us obtain a deeper understanding of the evolutionary process. One of the issues most assiduously studied in this context is the assessment of the relative importance of environmental factors (geographic distance, language, temperature, altitude, etc.) on the genetic structure of populations. The most widely used method to address this question is the multivariate Mantel test, a nonparametric method that calculates a correlation coefficient between a dependent matrix of pairwise population genetic distances and one or more independent matrices of environmental differences. Here we present a hierarchical Bayesian method that estimates FST values for each local population and relates them to environmental factors using a generalized linear model. The method is demonstrated by applying it to two data sets, a data set for a population of the argan tree and a human data set comprising 51 populations distributed worldwide. We also carry out a simulation study to investigate the performance of the method and find that it can correctly identify the factors that play a role in the structuring of genetic diversity under a wide range of scenarios.
Effects of Electric Arcing on Partial Discharge Characteristics in Liquid High Voltage Insulation

Liquid insulation is widely used in high voltage equipments. In particular case, electric arc may occur in the liquid insulation. The existence of the arc may affect the performance of the insulation. This paper reports the experimental results on the effects of arc on the partial discharge (PD) characteristics in mineral oil. Electric arc treatment was conducted by applying AC voltage in needle-plane electrode. The arc intensity was adjusted by the distance between electrode. The effects of arc intensity and duration on the PD characteristics were elaborated. The experimental results showed that arc treatment significantly reduced the PD inception voltage. Positive PD inception voltage was slightly higher than negative PD in all samples. Phase-resolved analysis indicated the important role of instantaneous applied voltage on the PD magnitude as well as PD occurrence. The PD number drastically increased with arc treatment. The increase of PD number implied the increase of total charge with the arc treatment. DGA data indicated that high activity of PD was in line with the increase of dissolved gases in the oil samples.
Distributed nash equilibrium seeking in multi-agent games with partially coupled payoff functions

In this paper, distributed Nash equilibrium seeking for multi-agent games, particularly for games where the players' payoff functions are partially coupled, is investigated. To model the (partial, explicit) dependence of the players' payoff functions on the players' actions, an interference graph is introduced. Besides, the players are supposed to be equipped with a communication graph to achieve Nash equilibrium seeking in a distributed fashion. Nash equilibrium seeking strategy design is firstly explored under undirected graphs (including undirected interference graphs and communication graphs). In the proposed seeking strategy, each player generates estimates on the actions of its neighbors in the undirected interference graph. However, in some games, the payoff function of player j is a function of player i's action (i ≠ j), while the payoff function of player i is explicitly independent of the action of player j. To capture the asymmetric, explicit dependence of the players' payoff functions on the players' actions, Nash equilibrium seeking under directed graphs (i.e., directed interference graphs and communication graphs) is investigated. The seeking strategy under directed graphs further reduces the number of the estimation variables. The presented convergence results are analytically studied and verified by numerical examples.
Residues of the Rho Family GTPases Rho and Cdc42 That Specify Sensitivity to Dbl-like Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors*

The Dbl-like guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Lbc oncoprotein specifically activates the small GTP-binding protein Rho in mammalian fibroblasts to induce transformation and actin stress fiber formation, whereas another Dbl-related molecule, Cdc24, stimulates guanine nucleotide exchange of the Rho family GTPase Cdc42 to elicit effects on both gene induction and actin-based cytoskeleton change in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To understand the mechanism of these functional interactions, we have taken a biochemical approach to probe the sites on Rho and Cdc42 that are involved in coupling to their respective GEFs, the Lbc and Cdc24 proteins. Point mutations in the switch II region of the small G-proteins, many of which would affect the interaction with GEF in the case of Ras, or a mutation in the switch I region that was identified as a contact site between Rab3A and Rab GEF had little effect on RhoA or Cdc42Hs with regard to the ability to interact with Lbc or Cdc24, suggesting that there exists a unique mechanism of regulation of the Rho family proteins by their GEFs. Analysis of a panel of chimeras made between RhoA and Cdc42Hs, which all maintained the ability to respond to Dbl, their mutual GEF, and to GTPase-activating protein, revealed that at least two distinct sites in each of the GTPases are required for activation by the respective GEFs. Further site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that the conserved residue Tyr32 in the putative effector region of both GTPases (numbered by Cdc42Hs) is critical for binding of the GEFs and that specific recognition for Lbc or Cdc24 is achieved at least in part through residues Lys27 of Rho and Gln116 of Cdc42. Moreover, the loss of GEF responsiveness of a RhoA mutation (D76Q) was found to be caused by the impaired GEF catalysis, not by a change in the GEF binding affinity. Together, these results indicate that multiple sites of the Rho GTPases are involved in the regulation by GEFs, contributing to GEF binding or GEF catalysis, and raise the possibility that activation of each Rho family G-protein by a specific GEF may engage in a distinct mechanism.
Brief notes : Abs-Laplacian series kernels as a promising edge detection tool for real time imaging

Abstract – Conventional edge detection involves convolving images with the kernels as the 1 step, then followed by local orientation calculation, if required and thresholding to detect the edges. Where ever necessary the algorithm would also carry out some kind of image modification similar to pre-processing to enhance the image quality for better edge detection. In general, convolution is the preliminary and the most crucial step because the convolved images obtained may or may not retain all the details present in the original image. Abs-Laplacian is a newer technique and has been demonstrated to be better in comparison to Sobel and Prewitt. Here in the paper, I present recent developments that have been undertaken so far in terms of the advantage we have with the abs-Laplacian along with a comparative analysis carried over a set of 9 kernels/edge detection techniques. Edge quality determined by absLaplacian is clear and comparable to the best available technique. In addition the kernel requires a complexity of only 7 additions against 15 and 13 respectively for Sobel and Prewitt. While the Robert’s cross operator performs the faster with a mere 3 additions, the previous and also the current analysis would show that the edge quality does not fare better in comparison to newer technique. In order to demonstrate the potential abilities of the technique to resolve fine details in the image, the edge detection was carried out on high-resolution complex images so that we can compare the edges together with its original image. I would like to conclude here saying that technique offer best in terms of edge quality and also in speed for real time imaging applications.
Does It Matter What Type of Pension Scheme You Have

If you are concerned about your pension, then the type of pension scheme you have matters considerably. Because of demographic imbalances, unfunded state pension schemes are unlikely to be sustainable, unless the real growth rate in pensions is severely constrained or the effective working life is increased substantially. In contrast, high real returns available in the world's capital markets make it more likely that funded pension schemes will be able to deliver the pension promise. But there is an important choice to make between the two key types of funded pension scheme: de®ned bene®t and de®ned contribution. There are both costs and bene®ts to each type of scheme. De®ned bene®t schemes can provide a reasonable replacement ratio for those who stay with one scheme for their whole career, but frequent job changers can experience large portability losses from these schemes. Most schemes being established today in the UK and elsewhere are de®ned contribution. Although these schemes are portable between jobs, they are often associated with high charges, a wide dispersion in investment performance and annuities that are poor value for money. When choosing your pension scheme, you have a dif®cult set of choices to make.
Direct Observation of Membrane Tethers Formed during Neutrophil Attachment to Platelets or P-Selectin under Physiological Flow

Adhesion and subsequent aggregation between neutrophils and platelets is dependent upon the initial binding of P-selectin on activated platelets to P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) on the microvilli of neutrophils. High speed, high resolution videomicroscopy of flowing neutrophils interacting with spread platelets demonstrated that thin membrane tethers were pulled from neutrophils in 32 ± 4% of the interactions. After capture by spread platelets, neutrophil membrane tethers (length of 5.9 ± 4.1 μm, n = 63) were pulled at an average rate of 6–40 μm/s as the wall shear rate was increased from 100–250 s−1. The average tether lifetime decreased significantly (P < 0.001) from 630 to 133 ms as the shear rate was increased from 100 s−1 (Fbond = 86 pN) to 250 s−1 (Fbond = 172 pN), which is consistent with P-selectin/PSGL-1 bond dynamics under stress. Tether formation was blocked by antibodies against P-selectin or PSGL-1, but not by anti-CD18 antibodies. During neutrophil rolling on P-selectin at 150 s−1, thin membrane tethers were also pulled from the neutrophils. The characteristic jerking motion of the neutrophil coexisted with tether growth (8.9 ± 8.8 μm long), whereas tether breakage (average lifetime of 3.79 ± 3.32 s) caused an acute jump in the rolling velocity, proving multiple bonding in the cell surface and the tether surface contact area. Extremely long membrane tethers (>40 μm) were sometimes pulled, which detached in a flow-dependent mechanism of microparticle formation. Membrane tethers were also formed when neutrophils were perfused over platelet monolayers. These results are the first visualization of the often hypothesized tethers that shield the P-selectin/PSGL-1 bond from force loading to regulate neutrophil rolling during inflammation and thrombosis.
Gene ontology analysis of gene-gene interactions in two genome-wide association studies of sporadic ALS

Background: It is increasingly clear that common human diseases have a complex genetic architecture characterized, in part, by epistasis or gene-gene interactions. We have previously identified statistically significant gene-gene interactions that replicated across two independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The goal of the present study was to determine whether patterns of gene-gene interactions aggregate in specific functional groups as defined by the Gene Ontology (GO). Results: We first estimated all pairwise gene-gene interactions using the multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method and evaluated statistical significance using permutation testing in two genome-wide association studies of ALS. The detection data consisted of 276 subjects with ALS and 271 healthy controls while the replication data consisted of 221 subjects with ALS and 211 healthy controls. Both studies included genotypes from approximately 550,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each SNP was mapped to a gene if it was within 500kb of the start or end. Each SNP was assigned a p-value based on its strongest interaction with the other SNPs. We then used the Exploratory Visual Analysis (EVA) method and software to assign a p-value to each gene based on the overabundance of significant SNPs at the α=0.05 level in the gene. We also used EVA to assign p-values to each GO group based on the overabundance of significant genes at the α=0.05 level. A GO category was determined to replicate if that category was significant at the α=0.05 level in both studies. We found two GO categories that replicated in both studies. The first, ‘Regulation of Cellular Component Organization and Biogenesis’, a GO Biological Process, had p-values of 0.010 and 0.014 in the detection and replication studies, respectively. The second, ‘Actin Cytoskeleton’, a GO Cellular Component, had p-values of 0.040 and 0.046 in the detection and replication studies, respectively. Conclusions: Pathway analysis of gene-gene interactions in two GWAS of sporadic ALS revealed a set of genes involved in cellular component organization and actin cytoskeleton, more specifically, that were not reported by prior GWAS. However, prior biological studies have implicated actin cytoskeleton in ALS and other motor neuron diseases. This study supports the idea that pathway-level analysis of GWAS data may discover important associations not revealed using conventional one-SNP-at-a-time approaches.
Organisational identity and change : the dynamics of organisational transformation

Drawing on interview data from employees in one organisational setting a theoretical framework based on Organisational Identity Theory is offered suggesting a meso paradigm for understanding the social construction of organisational change that overcomes the duality of episodic and continuous change. This duality fragments the literature on organisational change and limits the understanding of its effective implementation. The transferability of the theoretical framework developed from the case study was further explored in three more different organisational contexts. The four case studies illustrate that the contrast between episodic and continuous change reflects differences in the perspective of the level of analysis. From the macro level of analysis, the flow of events that constitute organising indicates repetitive and incremental action and inertia interrupted by occasional episodes of transformational change. The micro level of analysis however, suggests moderate and ongoing adjustment in order to overcome inertia. When an organisation is facing dramatic change, shared and individual meanings are challenged and exposed to reconstruction which involves a fundamental alteration in the social construction of reality and a cognitive reorientation of the organisation. It is in the urge to develop understanding and acceptance of an alternative organisational reality that members' sensemaking of change is likely to be critically important. Employees' cognitive reorientation is built upon the assumptions of Organisational Identity Theory treating organisational identity as the cognitive lens through which employees view the world. The case studies illustrate that the process and tempo of organisational. change is strongly related to the cognitive refraining of its organisational members. They further indicate that the organisational change is perceived as proposing provisional organisational identities which need to be incorporated into members' identity structures for cognitive reframing to occur which will support the understanding of change. Cognitive reframing takes place through a) attraction to different qualitatively different possibilities, b) assessments of feasibility of the proposed change, and c) the evaluation of the provisional identities based on the principles of esteem, efficacy, distinctiveness, and continuity. Employees' capacity to reframe their cognitive frames and incorporate the proposed provisional identities depends on the extent to which they perceive that the
Specific chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins associate with active Src family kinases in microdomains that interact with the host microtubule network

Chlamydiae are Gram‐negative obligate intracellular bacteria that cause diseases with significant medical and economic impact. Chlamydia trachomatis replicates within a vacuole termed an inclusion, which is extensively modified by the insertion of a number of bacterial effector proteins known as inclusion membrane proteins (Incs). Once modified, the inclusion is trafficked in a dynein‐dependent manner to the microtubule‐organizing centre (MTOC), where it associates with host centrosomes. Here we describe a novel structure on the inclusion membrane comprised of both host and bacterial proteins. Members of the Src family of kinases are recruited to the chlamydial inclusion in an active form. These kinases display a distinct, localized punctate microdomain‐like staining pattern on the inclusion membrane that colocalizes with four chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins (Incs) and is enriched in cholesterol. Biochemical studies show that at least two of these Incs stably interact with one another. Furthermore, host centrosomes associate with these microdomain proteins in C. trachomatis‐infected cells and in uninfected cells exogenously expressing one of the chlamydial effectors. Together, the data suggest that a specific structure on the C. trachomatis inclusion membrane may be responsible for the known interactions of chlamydiae with the microtubule network and resultant effects on centrosome stability.
Image Fusion and Fuzzy Clustering based Change Detection in SAR Images

Change detection in remote sensing images becomes more and more important for the last few decades, among them change detection in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images are having some more difficulties than optical ones due to the fact that SAR images suffer from the presence of the speckle noise. This paper presents unsupervised change detection in multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images based on Image Fusion and Fuzzy Clustering algorithms. Image fusion technique is used to generate difference image by collecting information from Log ratio image and Mean ratio image. In order to intensify the information of changed regions and suppress the background information, Contourlet fusion rules are chosen to fuse the contourlet coefficients. For classifying changed and unchanged regions a reformulated FLICM (Fuzzy Local Information c-means) is proposed. This method reduces the effect of speckle noise because it is insensitive to noise. Experimental results, obtained on real multi-temporal SAR images by the Reformulated FLICM clustering algorithm exhibited low error than pre-existence.
Assessing Fundamental Motor Skills in the Elementary School Setting: Issues and Solutions

Assessment. We all know the word. We understand the need for it. But we also know the difficulty in conducting quality assessment in the physical education setting, particularly at the elementary school level. The focus of this article will be threefold. First, it will address the importance of fundamental motor skills within the K-12 physical education program. Second, it will discuss the issues and difficulties that confront elementary school physical educators as they perform assessment. And third, the article will provide workable solutions-that physical educators can use to conduct quality assessment. Generally, the term "fundamental motor skills" refers to the following set of physical skills: the locomotor skills of walking, running, hopping, vertical jumping, horizontal jumping, galloping, sliding, skipping, and leaping, and the manipulative skills of throwing (underhand or overhand), catching, dribbling, striking, kicking, and punting. One needs only to review Moving into the Future: National Standards [or Physical Education (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPEj, 1995) to realize how important it is for children to master the fundamental motor skills. The first two of the seven standards that define a physically educated per-