Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Whole lifespan microscopic observation of budding yeast aging through a microfluidic dissection platform

Important insights into aging have been generated with the genetically tractable and short-lived budding yeast. However, it is still impossible today to continuously track cells by high-resolution microscopic imaging (e.g., fluorescent imaging) throughout their entire lifespan. Instead, the field still needs to rely on a 50-y-old laborious and time-consuming method to assess the lifespan of yeast cells and to isolate differentially aged cells for microscopic snapshots via manual dissection of daughter cells from the larger mother cell. Here, we are unique in achieving continuous and high-resolution microscopic imaging of the entire replicative lifespan of single yeast cells. Our microfluidic dissection platform features an optically prealigned single focal plane and an integrated array of soft elastomer-based micropads, used together to allow for trapping of mother cells, removal of daughter cells, monitoring gradual changes in aging, and unprecedented microscopic imaging of the whole aging process. Using the platform, we found remarkable age-associated changes in phenotypes (e.g., that cells can show strikingly differential cell and vacuole morphologies at the moment of their deaths), indicating substantial heterogeneity in cell aging and death. We envision the microfluidic dissection platform to become a major tool in aging research.
Long‐term results following an anatomically based surgical technique for resection of colon cancer: a comparison with results from complete mesocolic excision

Complete mesocolic excision (CME) has been advocated as likely to improve the long‐term oncological outcome of colon cancer resection, although there is a paucity of long‐term results in the literature. The aim of this study was to supplement our previously published results on colon cancer resection based on a standardized technique of precise dissection along anatomical planes with high vascular ligation and to compare our long‐term results with those of recent European studies of CME.
No Going Back: A Review of the Literature on Sustaining Organizational Change

Why do some organizational changes persist, while others decay? The sustainability of change can be defined broadly as the process through which new working methods, performance goals and improvement trajectories are maintained for a period appropriate to a given context. However, sustainability has received limited attention, although the concept reflects Lewin's concern with ‘refreezing’ (Lewin. K. 1951. Field Theory in Social Science: Selected Theoretical Papers by Kurt Lewin, UK edition published 1952, ed. D. Cartwright, London: Tavistock). In an uncertain environment, working practices that fail to adapt are targets for change, and stability has been regarded not as a condition to be achieved, but as a symptom of inertia, a problem to be solved. This paper reviews the emerging literature, seeking to develop a provisional model of the processes influencing change sustainability and decay, as a platform for further research. This review suggests that sustainability is dependent on multiple factors, at different levels of analysis: substantial, individual, managerial, financial, leadership, organizational, cultural, political, processual, contextual and temporal. The relative significance of those factors cannot be determined a priori, raising questions concerning the properties of the sustainability process with regard to different types of change in different contexts.
Protective Effects of Total Glucosides of Paeony on N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Rats via Down-regulation of Regulatory B Cells

Total glucoside of paeony (TGP), extracted from the root of Paeonia Lactiflora, has been known to show anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, hepato-protective and immuno-regulatory activities. The aim of this present study was to determine the anti-tumor effect of TGP against N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats, and to find the related mechanisms. Rat HCC model was established by intragastrically administrating with DEN (8 mg/kg). We found the number of tumor nodules and the index of liver and spleen were increased in the model group compared with the normal group, and was significantly decreased by TGP. Additionally, TGP obviously improved the hepatic pathological lesions induced by DEN, and decreased the elevated levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) by DEN. Moreover, TGP decreased the level of B cell-activating factor (BAFF) and the proportion of IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs), and the decrease of BAFF by TGP is positively correlated to the decrease of IL-10-producing Bregs by TGP. These results suggest that TGP had a good therapeutic action on DEN-induced HCC rats, which might be due to its down-regulation of Bregs through reducing the level of BAFF.
Image retrieval on large-scale image databases

Online image repositories such as Flickr contain hundreds of millions of images and are growing quickly. Along with that the needs for supporting indexing, searching and browsing is becoming more and more pressing. In this work we will employ the image content as a source of information to retrieve images. We study the representation of images by Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) models for content-based image retrieval. Image representations are learned in an unsupervised fashion, and each image is modeled as the mixture of topics/object parts depicted in the image. This allows us to put images into subspaces for higher-level reasoning which in turn can be used to find similar images. Different similarity measures based on the described image representation are studied. The presented approach is evaluated on a real world image database consisting of more than 246,000 images and compared to image models based on probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (pLSA). Results show the suitability of the approach for large-scale databases. Finally we incorporate active learning with user relevance feedback in our framework, which further boosts the retrieval performance.
Misbehavior in Organizations: A Motivational Framework

Observers of organizations recognize now that work related misconduct is both pervasive and costly. There is ample evidence that members of organizations sabotage processes, steal company property, harass others, cheat the government, or mislead customers. Companies and the public pay dearly.What are the motivational forces that drive organizational members to exhibit such varied forms of misconduct? Are these forces different from those that drive them to engage in constructive behavior? What kinds of personal and organizational factors influence such acts of intentional misbehavior? Our basic objectives in this paper are three-fold; first, to formally define a new construct of Organizational Misbehavior (OMB), and to discuss the theoretical implications of the definition; second, to identify different types of OMB; and third, to develop a conceptual framework that would allow the inclusion of OMB in a comprehensive theory of work motivation, applicable to both proper and improper conduct.We define Organizational Misbehavior as “any intentional action by members of organizations that violates core organizational and/or societal norms. ” A crucial element in the definition is the intention underlying the misbehavior. It therefore serves as the basis for the distinction among three types or organizational misbehavior: (a) OMB Type S, misbehavior that intends to benefit the self; (b) OMB Type O, misbehavior that intends to benefit the organization; and (c) OMB Type D, misbehavior that intends to inflict damage.In order to integrate these forms of misconduct within a comprehensive motivational framework, we use the distinction between normative and instrumental sources of motivation. We propose that people who engage in OMB Type S are primarily motivated by self-interest consideration (i.e., instrumental processes), whereas those that perpetrate OMB Type O do so mostly because of strong identification with and loyalty to their organization (i.e., normative processes). OMB Type D, however, may he triggered by either instrumental or normative forces, or by both at the same time.The various instrumental and normative factors that influence misbehavior are not only personal; they can also be organizational. On the individual level, we refer to such factors as the stage of moral development and personal need satisfaction At the organization level, we examine the role of such factors as organization culture and cohesiveness. We finally use the instrumental-normative framework to derive a set of formal propositions about the effects of some of these factors on the form and intensity of OMB.
Differences in spinal distribution and neurochemical phenotype of colonic afferents in mouse and rat

Visceral pain is a prevalent clinical problem and one of the most common ailments for which patients seek medical attention. Recent studies have described many of the physiological properties of visceral afferents, but not much is known regarding their anatomical characteristics. To determine the spinal distribution and neurochemical phenotype of colonic afferents in rodents, Alexa Fluor‐conjugated cholera toxin‐β (CTB) was injected subserosally into the proximal and distal portions of the descending colon in Sprague Dawley rats and C57Bl/6 mice. Dorsal root ganglia (T10–S2) were processed for fluorescent immunohistochemistry and visualized by confocal microscopy. In the mouse, CTB‐positive neurons were most numerous in the lumbosacral region (LS; L6–S1), with a smaller contribution in the thoracolumbar ganglia (TL; T13–L1). In contrast, CTB‐positive neurons in the rat were most numerous in the TL ganglia, with a smaller contribution in the LS ganglia. The vast majority of CTB‐positive neurons in both mouse and rat were positive for TRPV1 and CGRP and most likely unmyelinated, in that most colonic afferents were not positive for neurofilament heavy chain. In the mouse, the TL ganglia had a significantly higher percentage of TRPV1‐ and CGRP‐positive neurons than did the LS ganglia, whereas no differences were observed in the rat. The high incidence of TRPV1‐positive colonic afferents in rodents suggests that hypersensitivity from the viscera may be partially a TRPV1‐mediated event, thereby providing a suitable target for the treatment of visceral pain. J. Comp. Neurol. 494:246–259, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The distribution of aspirated stops and /h/ in American English and Korean: an alignment approach with typological implications

Languages that have both aspirated stops and the phoneme /h/ often manifest a dose parallel in their distribution. Previous work in phonology either has failed to recognize this close parallel or does not formally account for it. For example, American English witnesses a dose parallel in the distribution of /h/ and aspirated stops that has largely gone unrecognized in the phonological literature. This paper offers a detailed, optimality-theoretic analysis of the distribution of aspirated stops and /h/ for both American English, and Korean. For each of these language we delineate their distribution and show how an optimality-theoretic analysis can account for it. We develop an alignment analysis of their distribution that makes reference to constraints that require positions of prominence (such as word-initial or foot-initial position) to be aligned, with the feature [spread glottis]. We further demonstrate how the alignment analysis predicts a typology of patterning of aspirated stops and /h/. Crucially, the typology does not predict that every language should have a close parallel in their distribution like American English, but as we show, it predicts a range of patterns that are instantiated.
An exonuclease I‐sensitive DNA repair pathway in Deinococcus radiodurans: a major determinant of radiation resistance

Deinococcus radiodurans R1 recovering from acute dose of γ radiation shows a biphasic mechanism of DNA double‐strand break repair. The possible involvement of microsequence homology‐dependent, or non‐homologous end joining type mechanisms during initial period followed by RecA‐dependent homologous recombination pathways has been suggested for the reconstruction of complete genomes in this microbe. We have exploited the known roles of exonuclease I in DNA recombination to elucidate the nature of recombination involved in DNA double‐strand break repair during post‐irradiation recovery of D. radiodurans. Transgenic Deinococcus cells expressing exonuclease I functions of Escherichia coli showed significant reduction in γ radiation radioresistance, while the resistance to far‐UV and hydrogen peroxide remained unaffected. The overexpression of E. coli exonuclease I in Deinococcus inhibited DNA double‐strand break repair. Such cells exhibited normal post‐irradiation expression kinetics of RecA, PprA and single‐stranded DNA‐binding proteins but lacked the divalent cation manganese [(Mn(II)]‐dependent protection from γ radiation. The results strongly suggest that 3′ (ρ) 5′ single‐stranded DNA ends constitute an important component in recombination pathway involved in DNA double‐strand break repair and that absence of sbcB from deinococcal genome may significantly aid its extreme radioresistance phenotype.
Approximation Errors of Online Sparsification Criteria

Many machine learning frameworks, such as resource-allocating networks, kernel-based methods, Gaussian processes, and radial-basis-function networks, require a sparsification scheme in order to address the online learning paradigm. For this purpose, several online sparsification criteria have been proposed to restrict the model definition on a subset of samples. The most known criterion is the (linear) approximation criterion, which discards any sample that can be well represented by the already contributing samples, an operation with excessive computational complexity. Several computationally efficient sparsification criteria have been introduced in the literature with the distance and the coherence criteria. This paper provides a unified framework that connects these sparsification criteria in terms of approximating samples, by establishing theoretical bounds on the approximation errors. Furthermore, the error of approximating any pattern is investigated, by proposing upper bounds on the approximation error for each of the aforementioned sparsification criteria. Two classes of fundamental patterns are described in detail, the centroid (i.e., empirical mean) and the principal axes in the kernel principal component analysis. Experimental results show the relevance of the theoretical results established in this paper.
The Transcriptional Regulating Protein of 132 kDa (TReP-132) Enhances P450scc Gene Transcription through Interaction with Steroidogenic Factor-1 in Human Adrenal Cells*

The human P450scc gene is regulated by the tissue-specific orphan nuclear receptor, steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), which plays a key role in several physiologic processes including steroid synthesis, adrenal and gonadal development, and sexual differentiation. Several studies have demonstrated the interaction of SF-1 with different proteins. However, it is clear that additional factors not yet identified are involved with SF-1 to regulate different target genes. Recently, it was demonstrated that a novel transcriptional regulating protein of 132 kDa (TReP-132) regulates expression of the human P450scc gene. The overexpression of TReP-132 in adrenal cells increases the production of pregnenolone, which is associated with the activation of P450scc gene expression. Considering the colocalization of TReP-132 and SF-1 in steroidogenic tissues such as the adrenal and testis, and the presence of two putative LXXLL motifs in TReP-132 that can potentially interact with SF-1, the relationship between these two factors on the P450scc gene promoter was determined. The coexpression of SF-1 and TReP-132 in adrenal NCI-H295 cells cooperates to increase promoter activity. Pull-down experiments demonstrated the interaction between TReP-132 and SF-1, and this was further confirmed in intact cells by coimmunoprecipitation/Western blot and two-hybrid analyses. Deletions and mutations of the TReP-132 cDNA sequence demonstrate that SF-1 interaction requires the LXXLL motif found at the amino-terminal region of the protein. Also, the “proximal activation domain” and the “AF-2 hexamer” motif of SF-1 are involved in interaction with TReP-132. Consistent with previous studies showing interaction between CBP/p300 and SF-1 or TReP-132, the coexpression of these three proteins results in a synergistic effect on P450scc gene promoter activity. Taken together the results in this study identify a novel function of TReP-132 as a partner in a complex with SF-1 and CBP/p300 to regulate gene transcription involved in steroidogenesis.
The Biological Significance of Evolution in Autoimmune Phenomena

It is an inherent part of living to be in constant modification, which are due to answers resulting from environmental changes. The different systems make adaptations based on natural selection. With respect to the immune system of mammals, these changes have a lot to do with the interactions that occur continuously with other living species, especially microorganisms. The immune system is primarily designed to defend from germs and this response triggers inflammatory reactions which must be regulated in order not to generate damage to healthy tissue. The regulatory processes were added over time to prevent such damage. Through evolution the species have stored “an immunological experience,” which provides information that is important for developing effective responses in the future. The human species, which is at a high level of evolutionary immunological accumulation, have multiple immune defense strategies which, in turn, are highly regulated. Imbalances in these can result in autoimmunity. “There is nothing permanent except change. ” (Heraclitus)
Dyadic Green's functions and guided surface waves for a surface conductivity model of graphene

An exact solution is obtained for the electromagnetic field due to an electric current in the presence of a surface conductivity model of graphene. The graphene is represented by an infinitesimally thin, local, and isotropic two-sided conductivity surface. The field is obtained in terms of dyadic Green’s functions represented as Sommerfeld integrals. The solution of plane wave reflection and transmission is presented, and surface wave propagation along graphene is studied via the poles of the Sommerfeld integrals. For isolated graphene characterized by complex surface conductivity σ=σ′+jσ″, a proper transverse-electric surface wave exists if and only if σ″>0 (associated with interband conductivity), and a proper transverse-magnetic surface wave exists for σ″<0 (associated with intraband conductivity). By tuning the chemical potential at infrared frequencies, the sign of σ″ can be varied, allowing for some control over surface wave properties.
Utilizing Virtual Worlds for Game Based Learning: Grafica, a 3D Educational Game in Second Life

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a three dimensional collaborative knowledge game, called "GrAFiCA", that utilizes the Second Life collaborative virtual environment. The presented study is part of a larger research project focusing on designing and evaluating game based learning in virtual worlds. Our aim is to investigate the effectiveness of three dimensional game-based learning techniques through a detailed collaborative game scenario, at the level of tertiary education.
Review Essay : Institutional Economics: What's That?

What is it that keeps the many people together in a society’? Why doesn’t society fall to pieces as a result of the many conflicting and different interests’? How can an extended division of labour exist, when there is no comprehensive plan to coordinate the many specialized activities’? Since the time of Adam Smith ( 1723-1790), mainstream economics has answered these questions by alluding to the market mechanism. Competitive markets allocate resources, distribute incomes and transform individual actions of self-interest into
Evaluation of the Quantitative and Qualitative Alterations in the Fatty Acid Contents of the Sebum of Patients with Inflammatory Acne during Treatment with Systemic Lymecycline and/or Oral Fatty Acid Supplementation

Background. Acne is a dermatosis that involves an altered sebum pattern. Objectives. (1) To evaluate if a treatment based on antibiotics (lymecycline) can alter fatty acids contents of the sebum of patients with acne; (2) to evaluate if oral supplementation of fatty acids can interfere with fatty acids contents of the sebum of patients with acne; (3) to evaluate if there is any interaction in fatty acids contents of the sebum of patients with acne when they use both antibiotics and oral supplementation of fatty acids. Methods. Forty-five male volunteers with inflammatory acne vulgaris were treated with 300 mg of lymecycline per day, with 540 mg of γ-linolenic acid, 1,200 mg of linoleic acid, and 510 mg of oleic acid per day, or with both regimens for 90 days. Every 30 days, a sample of sebum from the forehead was collected for fatty acids' chromatographic analysis. Results. Twelve fatty acids studied exhibited some kind of pattern changes during the study: C12:0, C14:0, C15:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1n9c+C18:1n9t, C18:2n6t, C18:3n6, C18:3n3, C20:1, C22:0, and C24:0. Conclusions. The daily administration of lymecycline and/or specific fatty acids may slightly influence some fatty acids levels present in the sebum of patients with inflammatory acne vulgaris.
Hardware implementation of a broad-band vector spectrum analyzer based on randomized sampling

A hardware prototype of vector spectrum analyzer, which is based on a randomized sampling strategy and associated alias-free digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms, has been fully designed and implemented. The instrument exploits a couple of identical independently programmable digital data acquisition channels, whose synchronization allows to sample the input signal at instants that can be very close along the time axis (tens of picoseconds), against a maximum single-channel average throughput rate of 250 ksamples per second (kSa/s). This architecture has shown to be suitable for the accurate implementation of the randomized periodic sampling with uniform jitter on which the instrument is based. In addition, the design solutions adopted for the sampling command generators, which exploit the interaction between a digital gate signal and a phase-controlled sinusoidal wave, together with the particular analytical definition proposed for the spectral estimators, have allowed to make practically negligible the quantum time according to which the sampling instants are generated. Experimental results are provided, which validate both the alias-free spectrum analysis technique and the capability of the architecture proposed of reliably implementing the analytical benefits deriving from the randomized sampling strategy adopted.