Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RNA-Seq analysis identifies key genes associated with haustorial development in the root hemiparasite Santalum album

Santalum album (sandalwood) is one of the economically important plant species in the Santalaceae for its production of highly valued perfume oils. Sandalwood is also a hemiparasitic tree that obtains some of its water and simple nutrients by tapping into other plants through haustoria which are highly specialized organs in parasitic angiosperms. However, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in haustorium development is limited. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses were performed to identify changes in gene expression and metabolic pathways associated with the development of the S. album haustorium. A total of 56,011 non-redundant contigs with a mean contig size of 618 bp were obtained by de novo assembly of the transcriptome of haustoria and non-haustorial seedling roots. A substantial number of the identified differentially expressed genes were involved in cell wall metabolism and protein metabolism, as well as mitochondrial electron transport functions. Phytohormone-mediated regulation might play an important role during haustorial development. Especially, auxin signaling is likely to be essential for haustorial initiation, and genes related to cytokinin and gibberellin biosynthesis and metabolism are involved in haustorial development. Our results suggest that genes encoding nodulin-like proteins may be important for haustorial morphogenesis in S. album. The obtained sequence data will become a rich resource for future research in this interesting species. This information improves our understanding of haustorium development in root hemiparasitic species and will allow further exploration of the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying plant parasitism.
The Cellular Code for Mammalian Thermosensation

Mammalian somatosenory neurons respond to thermal stimuli and allow animals to reliably discriminate hot from cold and to select their preferred environments. Previously, we generated mice that are completely insensitive to temperatures from noxious cold to painful heat (−5 to 55°C) by ablating several different classes of nociceptor early in development. In the present study, we have adopted a selective ablation strategy in adult mice to study this phenotype and have demonstrated that separate populations of molecularly defined neurons respond to hot and cold. TRPV1-expressing neurons are responsible for all behavioral responses to temperatures between 40 and 50°C, whereas TRPM8 neurons are required for cold aversion. We also show that more extreme cold and heat activate additional populations of nociceptors, including cells expressing Mrgprd. Therefore, although eliminating Mrgprd neurons alone does not affect behavioral responses to temperature, when combined with ablation of TRPV1 or TRPM8 cells, it significantly decreases responses to extreme heat and cold, respectively. Ablation of TRPM8 neurons distorts responses to preferred temperatures, suggesting that the pleasant thermal sensation of warmth may in fact just reflect reduced aversive input from TRPM8 and TRPV1 neurons. As predicted by this hypothesis, mice lacking both classes of thermosensor exhibited neither aversive nor attractive responses to temperatures between 10 and 50°C. Our results provide a simple cellular basis for mammalian thermosensation whereby two molecularly defined classes of sensory neurons detect and encode both attractive and aversive cues.
Young Children's Aspirations in Science: The unequivocal, the uncertain and the unthinkable

Students' lack of interest in studying science and in science-related careers is a concern in the UK and worldwide. Yet there is limited data, particularly longitudinal, on the sources and development of science-related aspirations. In response, the ASPIRES (Science Aspirations and Career Choice: Age 10–14) longitudinal study is investigating the development of students' educational and occupational aspirations over time. In the first phase of the project, a questionnaire exploring science-related aspirations and interests was completed by over 9,000 primary school students across England. This survey allowed us to explore possible associations between attitudes and aspirations, links which have not been investigated in previous attitudinal studies of this scope. Overall, students expressed positive attitudes to science, reported positive parental attitudes to science and held very positive images of scientists. Multilevel modelling analyses revealed that aspirations in science were most strongly related to parental attitudes to science, attitudes to school science and self-concept in science, and are also associated with students' gender, ethnicity and cultural capital. However, the images students held of scientists were not as closely related to aspirations. These factors are discussed in more detail within the paper, alongside a consideration of possible school-related effects.
A Rule-based Question Answering System for Reading Comprehension Tests

We have developed a rule-based system, Quarc, that can read a short story and find the sentence in the story that best answers a given question. Quarc uses heuristic rules that look for lexical and semantic clues in the question and the story. We have tested Quarc on reading comprehension tests typically given to children in grades 3--6. Overall, Quarc found the correct sentence 40% of the time, which is encouraging given the simplicity of its rules.
Effect of endothelial progenitor cells in neovascularization and their application in tumor therapy.

OBJECTIVE To review the effect of endothelial progenitor cells in neovascularization as well as their application to the therapy of tumors. DATA SOURCES The data used in this review were mainly from PubMed for relevant English language articles published from 1997 to 2009. The search term was "endothelial progenitor cells". STUDY SELECTION Articles regarding the role of endothelial progenitor cells in neovascularization and their application to the therapy of tumors were selected. RESULTS Endothelial progenitor cells isolated from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood can proliferate, mobilize and differentiate into mature endothelial cells. Experiments suggest endothelial progenitor cells take part in forming the tumor vascular through a variety of mechanisms related to vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinases, chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1 and its receptor C-X-C receptor-4, erythropoietin, Notch signal pathway and so on. Evidence demonstrates that the number and function change of endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood can be used as a biomarker of the response of cancer patients to anti-tumor therapy and predict the prognosis and recurrence. In addition, irradiation temporarily increased endothelial cells number and decreased the endothelial progenitor cell counts in animal models. Meanwhile, in preclinical experiments, therapeutic gene-modified endothelial progenitor cells have been approved to attenuate tumor growth and offer a novel strategy for cell therapy and gene therapy of cancer. CONCLUSIONS Endothelial progenitor cells play a particular role in neovascularization and have attractively potential prognostic and therapeutic applications to malignant tumors. However, a series of problems, such as the definitive biomarkers of endothelial progenitor cells, their interrelationship with radiotherapy and their application in cell therapy and gene therapy of tumors, need further investigation.
From Chaos to Systems: The Engineering Foundations of Organization Theory, 1879-1932.

Direct all correspondence to Yehouda Shenhav, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 69978. The author thanks Steve Barley, Nitza Berkovitz, Daniel Breslau, Yinon Cohen, Frank Dobbin, Michal Frenkel, Mauro Guillen, Yitchak Haberfeld, David Hounshell, Sanford Jacoby, Gideon Kunda, Jim March, John Meyer, Anne Miner, Richard Scott, Ronen Shamir, Haya Steir, David Strang, Mark Suchman, Ilan Talmud, Ely Weitz, and three anonymous reviewers for comments or suggestions. The assistance and services received at the Wisconsin Historical Library; at the Wendt Engineering Library, the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and at the Engineering Societies Information Center Linda Hall Library East, New York City, are appreciated. Yasmin Alkalay, Ella Glasman, Alexandra Kalev, and Aviva Zeltzer provided valuable technical assistance. This research was supported by a grant from the Israel Foundations Trustees, Ford Foundation, 1994, and by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. A version of this paper was presented at the ASA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, August 1994. This paper traces the genesis of the systems paradigm in the study of organizations in the United States back to nineteenth-century engineering practices. The empirical analyses for the period 1879-1932 are based on primary data collected from three journals in which the study of organizations was first codified and crystallized: the Engineering Magazine, the American Machinist, and the ASME Transactions. The evolution of the systems paradigm was found to be a product of at least three forces that form one interacting gestalt: (1) the efforts of mechanical engineers who sought industrial legitimation and whose professional paradigm spilled over into the organizational field; (2) the Progressive period (1900-1917) and its rhetoric on professionalism, equality, order, and progress; and (3) labor unrest, which was perceived as a threat to stable economic and social order. The paper provides a cultural and political reading, rather than a functional and economic one, to the emergence of managerial thought and the evolution of organization theory. '
Design and experiment of double stator structure axial-flux SR motor for electric city commuters

Switched Reluctance Motors (SRM) which is constructed without rare-earth magnet and robust structure is one of the most suitable in-wheel motors for EVs. In addition, double stator structure axial-flux SRM (DSAFSRM) is high torque density at flat space such as in-wheel space and good at the exhaust heat. Designed and manufactured prototype SR motor has superior torque characteristics depend on rotational speed at simulation and measurement to a same size PM motor.
A New Contourlet-based Compression and Speckle Reduction Method for Medical Ultrasound Images

In this paper a threshold based method for speckle reduction and image compression of medical ultrasound images was presented. First, two ultrasound medical image despeckling methods were compared: wavelet-based and contourlet-besd, to find the best. Different measures were used for performance comparison and these methods were implemented both on synthesized data and real ultrasound images. It is found that, performance of the both techniques vary with the level of the speckle noise, and in the case of preserving image details and edges which is very important for medical image processing, contourlet-based method shows better performance over wavelet-based speckle reduction specially in high levels of noise. Then, a new contourlet-based lossy image compression method was presented for medical ultrasound images. In this algorithm, contourlet transform was used for image decomposition. Then, a new thresholding process was applied on the coefficients before quantization. The compression threshold was elected due to coefficients occurrence in the contourlet domain. This algorithm has the ability of simultaneous speckle reduction using another thresholding. Due to this time saving ability, the algorithm can be used in online image transmission systems. The proposed method was implemented on a real ultrasound images and ultrasound phantom image. Results proved that our proposed method has acceptable and good performance over common compression methods such as wavelet-based SPIHT in the case of PSNR.
Looking Shifty but Telling the Truth: The Effect of Witness Demeanour on Mock Jurors’ Perceptions

Two studies investigated the impact of witness demeanour on the extent to which mock jurors were influenced by the strength of the witness’ testimony. The first study (N = 87) manipulated the strength of a witness’ testimony (strong versus weak) and the witness’ non-verbal behaviour (stereotypically deceptive versus non-deceptive). As expected, the strength of the testimony only influenced mock jurors’ perceptions when the witness displayed stereotypically non-deceptive non-verbal behaviour. A second study (N = 101) tested whether this effect was due to reliance on stereotypical but accurate cues to deception or stereotypical but inaccurate cues to deception. Participants were presented with the strong testimony from the first study in either an audio-visual format or audio-only format. Participants were only influenced by the stereotypically deceptive or non-deceptive non-verbal behaviours of the witness when such cues were accessible via audio-visual information. In the audio-only condition, where only the accurate stereotypical cues were accessible, there was no difference in evaluations as a function of witness behaviour. Results suggest that instructing jurors to rely on the demeanour of a witness when evaluating the credibility of that witness may be counter-productive.
Smc5-Smc6 Complex Preserves Nucleolar Integrity in S. cerevisiae

As a baton in a relay race, intact genomes need to be smoothly passed onto daughter cells every cell generation. Cohesin and condensin are multiprotein complexes involved in chromosome segregation during mitosis, they perform the crucial function of organizing and compacting chromosomes into pairs to facilitate their equal distribution in anaphase. Both complexes share a core of similar origin, containing a heterodimer formed by members of the conserved chromosomal ATPase family named Smc. A third complex containing Smc proteins at its core, the Smc5-Smc6 complex, previously known to be involved in DNA repair has recently been shown to contribute to chromosome segregation during anaphase. Smc5-Smc6 plays a role in the disjunction of repetitive regions. Here, we present results further supporting the importance of Smc5-Smc6 in maintaining the integrity of the repetitive ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus, the largest repetitive region of the budding yeast genome.
Log on education: no one is making money in educational software

C LASSROOM teachers are the key to making learning work. A central, robust finding in educational research reveals that if a teacher and a student build a relationship, then the student learns. A corollary finding is that class size is a key determinant of student performance. Compare a private school with 12 students in a class to an urban school with a 38.5-to-1 student-teacher ratio. Children need adult models; they need adults to care about them and to see the value in their ideas. Teacher-proof curriculum is a silly, hostile notion, as is the idea that computer-based tutorials can replace teachers. Augment yes, replace no. Deborah Meier, a crusader for educational change in her own school in Harlem and nationwide, has the 20/20 rule: Schools should be no larger than 20 teachers, and classes should have no more than 20 students. The Coalition of Essential Schools, a school reform movement led by Ted Sizer, and the recent recipient of about $500 million from philanthropist Wal-ter Annenberg, has as its central tenet that teachers, parents, and students must all work together. Teachers must be part of any systematic plan for integrating computing and communications technologies into the classroom. If we want our children to use these technologies as an integral part of their learning, as an integral part of preparing them for their future in the workplace, then we need to squarely confront the following five facts: • Standard issue for a white-collar worker is a desk telephone and a desktop computer. Teachers, however, can hardly get a phone in their room let alone a computer dedicated to their use. • There is productivity software to support various professions. Not true for teachers. Teachers can choose from among different flavors of computer-based grade books, but since they don't have computers, software developers see no market in producing software for teachers. • Professionals receive continual training and support in their use of technology. Teachers don't. For example , by current law, bond money raised by a school district can pay for hardware (and software when purchased with the hardware); but it can't be used for training, software, or maintenance. • Technological tools are routinely integrated into professional job preparation. Not so in pre-service, teacher education. Schools of education produce teachers for today's schools where there is precious little technology; there is no pressing need to integrate technology into their training. • Due …
Minoxidil prevents 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine‐induced serotonin depletions: role of mitochondrial ATP‐sensitive potassium channels, Akt and ERK

Preconditioning has emerged as a valid strategy against different neurotoxic insults. Although the mechanisms underlying preconditioning are not fully understood, the activation of ATP‐sensitive potassium (KATP) channels has been proposed to play a pivotal role in neuronal preconditioning. In the present work we examine whether minoxidil a KATP channel activator protects against the long‐term toxicity caused by the amphetamine derivative 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats. Our data show that intrastriatal administration of minoxidil prevents MDMA‐induced long‐term indole depletions in the rat striatum. This effect was not related to an effect on core temperature, as pre‐treatment with minoxidil did not significantly alter MDMA‐induced hyperthermia. Taking into account that minoxidil opens both sarcolemmal and mitochondrial KATP channels, we examined the role of each type of channels in the protective effects of minoxidil using specific inhibitors. The administration of HMR‐1098, a blocker of the sarcolemmal KATP channels, along with minoxidil did not affect the protection afforded by the latter. On the contrary the selective mitochondrial KATP channel blocker 5‐hydroxydecanoic acid completely reversed the protection afforded by minoxidil, thereby implicating the involvement of mitochondrial (but not sarcolemmal) KATP channels. Furthermore our data show the participation of Akt and extracellular signal‐regulated kinases in minoxidil‐afforded protection. Intrastriatal administration of wortmannin or PD98059 (inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase and mitogen‐activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinase, respectively), along with minoxidil abolished the protective effect of minoxidil against the serotonergic toxicity caused by MDMA. These results demonstrate that minoxidil by opening mitochondrial KATP channels completely prevents MDMA toxicity and that Akt and MAP kinases are involved in minoxidil‐afforded neuroprotection.
A fuzzy evaluation system for web services selection using extended QoS model

Purpose – This paper aims to define an extended QoS model to accurately describe the quality of web service in the open distributed environment and propose a fuzzy evaluation approach for services selection based on the extended QoS model.Design/methodology/approach – The extended QoS model classifies the quality criteria of web service as five composite quality criteria, and each composite quality criterion is composed by one or more sub‐quality criteria. Considering the multiple forms of representation for the quality criteria and different types of quality value could not be compared directly, a scaling fuzzy measure for quality criteria is introduced. Based on the scaling fuzzy measure of the quality criteria, a fuzzy synthetic evaluation system for services selection is proposed.Findings – The quality of web service has multiple facets and multiple forms of representation. The fuzzy synthetic evaluation system can deal well with the fuzzy and implicit concepts about quality evaluations and provides h.
Voices from Vietnam: experiences of children and youth with disabilities, and their families, from an Agent Orange affected rural region

This study examines the experiences of young people with disabilities from ethnic minorities, and their families, in central Vietnam. The study is set in an area contaminated by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Data were gathered from interviews with youth with disabilities and interviews and focus groups with mothers who had children with disabilities. Respondents expressed confronting multiple barriers to inclusion, education, health and well-being similar to other persons with disabilities and their families from around the world. Participants sought broad-ranging human rights as they described experiencing stigmatization and marginalization from negative social reaction toward disabilities and by residing in a location known for dioxin contamination. The participants’ voices are not only important in informing program responses to support implementation of Vietnam’s new National Law on Persons with Disabilities, but also timely as the US government considers proposed legislation providing material support for Vietnamese nationals affected by Agent Orange.
Two Stages of Curve Detection Suggest Two Styles of Visual Computation

The problem of detecting curves in visual images arises in both computer vision and biological visual systems. Our approach integrates constraints from these two sources and suggests that there are two different stages to curve detection, the first resulting in a local description, and the second in a global one. Each stage involves a different style of computation: in the first stage, hypotheses are represented explicitly and coarsely in a fixed, preconfigured architecture; in the second stage, hypotheses are represented implicitly and more finely in a dynamically constructed architecture. We also show how these stages could be related to physiology, specifying the earlier parts in a relatively fine-grained fashion and the later ones more coarsely.
Physically unclonable function using initial waveform of ring oscillators on 65 nm CMOS technology

A silicon physically unclonable function (PUF) using ring oscillators (ROs) has the advantage of easy application in both an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Here, we provide an RO-PUF using the initial waveform of the ROs based on 65 nm CMOS technology. Compared with the conventional RO-PUF, the number of ROs is greatly reduced and the time needed to generate an ID is within a couple of system clocks.
Recognition of Weak Infrared Target Based on DTCNN in the Complex Background

Infrared images are widely used for many purposes. A recognition system of IR targets is essential for equipments that have to work in dark. In this paper, we proposed an IR image weak target recognition algorithm by discrete-time cellular neural network (DTCNN). We constituted an IR image weak target recognition system with DTCNN. The proposed method only requires a 3×3 neighborhood. We used a variable as the bias parameter, which is defined by the position and the value of pixels. Due to the alterable bias parameter, the proposed method can effectively remove the influence of noise. Our system contains "Preprocessing", "Feature extraction", and "Recognition", and we have adopted DTCNN in "Feature extraction" part. For simplicity, we used a normalization algorithm as a preprocessing method. We demonstrated a usefulness of the proposed algorithm in recognition experiments. Three IR images are used. As a result, the good recognition results were obtained.