Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for guanosine triphosphate--binding proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi.

The transformation of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi from the blood-borne trypomastigote to the intracellular amastigote constitutes a key clinical feature in the pathophysiology of Chagas' disease. That this transition occurs without change in the integrity of the plasma membrane of the parasite suggests the presence of biochemical structures, i.e., signal transduction systems, that convey information regarding the external milieu of the host so as to facilitate this transformation. In higher eukaryotes, it has been found that a heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (G-protein), composed of alpha beta gamma subunits, constitutes a critical component of this complex. Two closely related groups of G-proteins are substrates for cholera toxin (CT)- (Gs) and pertussis toxin (PT)- (Gi1-3 and Go) dependent ADP ribosylation. In concert, they link plasma membrane receptors to adenylate cyclase, resulting in the stimulation or inhibition, respectively, of cAMP generation. In this report, we demonstrate the presence of both groups of G-proteins. Cholera toxin-dependent ADP ribosylation of 42- and 45-kD proteins was demonstrable in amastigotes (AMAST), in the cytosol of epimastigotes (EPI), and weakly in trypomastigotes (TRYP), suggesting the presence of the stimulatory GTP-binding protein, Gs, in T. cruzi. Antisera generated against the alpha s subunit of the Gs heterotrimeric protein (anti-alpha s) bound to a 45-kD protein CT substrate in the rank order TRYP >> AMAST approximately EPI cytosol. Immunoprecipitation of CT-32P-ADP-ribosylated membranes with anti-alpha s resulted in 42- and 45-kD proteins. However, no Gs-mediated activation of adenylate cyclase was demonstrable in reconstitution studies using cyc- lymphoma cells, which lack a functional Gs but possess a beta-adrenergic receptor and adenylyl cyclase enzyme. Pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation was demonstrable in 39-40-kD particulate proteins of EPI, less strongly in AMAST, and least in TRYP, consistent with the presence of inhibitory (Gi) and Go GTP-binding proteins. In support of this observation, immunochemical analysis of the PT substrates identified the presence of alpha o and alpha i1-2-3 in EPI, AMAST and TRYP, although, with the exception of alpha i3, both toxin and associated immunochemical PT substrates are decreased in AMAST and TRYP relative to EPI. Although the functions of these putative G-proteins in T. cruzi are still unclear, their expression may be regulated by the state of parasite differentiation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Gender-related personality traits, self-efficacy, and social support: How do they relate to women’s waist circumference change?

This study investigated whether gender-role related traits agency and communion contribute to successful health behavior change, in an interplay with domain-specific psychosocial factors, namely, agency, mediated by health-related self-efficacy, and communion, moderated by social support. Data from women (N = 282) participating in the GOAL Lifestyle Implementation Trial were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Agency and increase in self-efficacy both independently predicted waist circumference reduction in the 1-year follow-up. Individuals high in communion succeeded in waist reduction only if they received social support. Initial self-efficacy increase predicted 3-year waist reduction. Gender-role orientation, together with social environment, influences behavior change intervention outcomes.
On numerical solutions to one-dimensional integration problems with applications to linear light sources

Many key problems in computer graphics require the computation of integrals. Due to the nature of the integrand and of the domain of integration, these integrals seldom can be computed analytically. As a result, numerical techniques are used to find approximate solutions to these problems. While the numerical analysis literature offers many integration techniques, the choice of which method to use for specific computer graphic problems is a difficult one. This choice must be driven by the numerical efficiency of the method, and ultimately, by its visual impact on the computed image. In this paper, we begin to address these issues by methodically analyzing deterministic and stochastic numerical techniques and their application to the type of one-dimensional problems that occur in computer graphics, especially in the context of linear light source integration. In addition to traditional methods such as Gauss-Legendre quadratures, we also examine Voronoi diagram-based sampling, jittered quadratures, random offset quadratures, weighted Monte Carlo, and a newly introduced method of compounding known as a difficulty driven compound quadrature.We compare the effectiveness of these methods using a three-pronged approach. First, we compare the frequency domain characteristics of all the methods using periodograms. Next, applying ideas found in the numerical analysis literature, we examine the numerical and visual performance profiles of these methods for seven different one-parameter problem families. We then present results from the application of the methods for the example of linear light sources. Finally, we summarize the relative effectiveness of the methods surveyed, showing the potential power of difficulty-driven compound quadratures.
Explanatory pluralism in economics: against the mainstream?

Recent pleas for more heterodoxy in explaining economic action have been defending a pluralism for economics. In this article, I analyse these defences by scrutinizing the pluralistic qualities in the work of one of the major voices of heterodoxy, Tony Lawson. This scrutiny will focus on Lawson's alternatives concerning ontology and explanation to mainstream economics. Subsequently, I will raise some doubts about Lawson's pluralism, and identify questions that will have to be addressed by heterodox economists in order to maintain the claim of pluralism.
Le jeu vidéo, un ludopaysage

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Low-power and wide-dynamic-range sigma-delta modulator for an ECG acquisition system

An analog front-end circuit system, which includes an adaptive sigma-delta modulator (SDM) with a wide dynamic range and a low power consumption, is proposed for an electroencephalogram acquisition system. The required loop filter for the SDM is implemented using Gm-C integrators, which can significantly reduce power consumption and facilitate flexible coefficient adjustment. The performance of the detection system is also improved by employing an adaptive structure and a dynamic range extension algorithm. The system includes a chopper, an SDM, a digital filter with a chopper, and a calibration unit. Circuit simulation reveals that the dynamic range can be extended by more than 40 dB, and accurate results are achieved by the proposed brain signal acquisition system.
Transformation of discourse: multilingual resources and practices among Filipino mothers in Japan

Family language practice can be significantly influenced by social, historical, and political contexts, especially in immigrant households where a society's minority languages are used. Set in a large city in Japan, this study examines how institutional power can affect Filipino mothers' language use at home. Drawing from the cultural historical activity theory, this study examines both individual and collective discourses. After conducting individual interviews, participants and I collectively engaged in workshops, the topics of which included child–parent communications at home, experiences of Japanese schools, and multilingual development. Interactions during the workshops revealed the characteristics of the collective discourse to mitigate the repercussion from the dominant ideology and indicated participants' heightened awareness toward a supportive parental community. The findings also highlight the paradoxical role of English for Filipino women in Japanese society. English served as a resource to empower these women, but its economic and political power also hindered them from using their first languages at home. This study highlights the institutional power affecting Filipino mothers' language use and suggests the significance of cultivating a supportive parental community.
Bedside sonographic measurement of the inferior vena cava caval index is a poor predictor of fluid responsiveness in emergency department patients

Sonographic measurement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) caval index predicts central venous pressure in ED patients. Fluid responsiveness (FR) is a measure of preload dependence defined as an increase in cardiac output secondary to volume expansion. We sought to determine if the caval index is an accurate measurement of FR in ED patients.
The Potential Energy Efficiency of Vector Acceleration

Energy efficiency of computation is quickly becoming a key problem from the chip through the data center. This paper presents the first quantitative study of the potential energy efficiency of vector accelerators. We propose and study a vector accelerator architecture suitable for implementation in a 70 nm technology. The vector architecture has a high-bandwidth on-chip cache system coupled to 16 independent memory channels. We show that such an accelerator can achieve speedups of 10X or more on loop kernels in comparison to a quad-issue superscalar uniprocessor, while using less energy. We also introduce run-ahead lanes, a complexity and energy efficient means of tolerating variable latency from crossbar contention, cache bank conflicts, cache misses, and the memory system. Run-ahead lanes only synchronize on dependencies or when explicitly directed
Chondroitin / Dermatan Sulfate Modification Enzymes in Zebrafish Development

Chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) proteoglycans consist of unbranched sulfated polysaccharide chains of repeating GalNAc-GlcA/IdoA disaccharide units, attached to serine residues on specific proteins. The CS/DS proteoglycans are abundant in the extracellular matrix where they have essential functions in tissue development and homeostasis. In this report a phylogenetic analysis of vertebrate genes coding for the enzymes that modify CS/DS is presented. We identify single orthologous genes in the zebrafish genome for the sulfotransferases chst7, chst11, chst13, chst14, chst15 and ust and the epimerase dse. In contrast, two copies were found for mammalian sulfotransferases CHST3 and CHST12 and the epimerase DSEL, named chst3a and chst3b, chst12a and chst12b, dsela and dselb, respectively. Expression of CS/DS modification enzymes is spatially and temporally regulated with a large variation between different genes. We found that CS/DS 4-O-sulfotransferases and 6-O-sulfotransferases as well as CS/DS epimerases show a strong and partly overlapping expression, whereas the expression is restricted for enzymes with ability to synthesize di-sulfated disaccharides. A structural analysis further showed that CS/DS sulfation increases during embryonic development mainly due to synthesis of 4-O-sulfated GalNAc while the proportion of 6-O-sulfated GalNAc increases in later developmental stages. Di-sulfated GalNAc synthesized by Chst15 and 2-O-sulfated GlcA/IdoA synthesized by Ust are rare, in accordance with the restricted expression of these enzymes. We also compared CS/DS composition with that of heparan sulfate (HS). Notably, CS/DS biosynthesis in early zebrafish development is more dynamic than HS biosynthesis. Furthermore, HS contains disaccharides with more than one sulfate group, which are virtually absent in CS/DS.
Relationships between Office Characteristics and Employee Reactions: A Study of the Physical Environment.

Greg R. Oldham and Nancy L. Rotchford This research examined the relationships between objective office characteristics (openness, office density, workspace density, accessibility, and office darkness) and several measures of employee reactions (satisfaction, behavior during discretionary periods, and spatial markers). In addition, the research examined the extent to which three sets of intervening variables explained these relationships. The intervening variables were interpersonal experiences (conflict, friendship opportunities, agent feedback), job experiences (task significance, autonomy, task identity), and environmental experiences (crowding, concentration, privacy). Data were collected from 114 clerical employees of 19 offices. Each of the office characteristics related significantly to one or more of the employee reaction measures. Moreover, office characteristics affected several employee reactions through their impact on the intervening variables.
A Behavior-Based Approach for Educational Robotics Activities

Educational robotics proposes the use of robots as a teaching resource that enables inexperienced students to approach topics in fields unrelated to robotics. In recent years, these activities have grown substantially in elementary and secondary school classrooms and also in outreach experiences to interest students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) undergraduate programs. A key problem in educational robotics is providing a satisfactory, adequate, easy-to-use interface between an inexpert public and the robots. This paper presents a behavior-based application for programming robots and the design of robotic-centered courses and other outreach activities. Evaluation data show that over 90% of students find it easy to use. These activities are part of a comprehensive outreach program conducted by the Exact and Natural Science Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (FCEN-UBA). Statistical data show that since 2009 over 35% of new students at the FCEN-UBA have participated in some outreach activity, suggesting their significant impact on student enrollment in STEM-related programs.
Will They Stay, or Will They Go? Sex-Atypical Work among Token Men Who Teach

This study investigates competing propositions about the effect of workplace sex composition on men who do “women's work,” and it contributes to our understanding of how men's experience with sex-atypical work affects workplace sex segregation. Using data on 5,734 secondary and elementary school teachers from the 1990–1992 Schools and Staffing Surveys, I conduct multinomial logistic regression analyses to test hypotheses regarding men's and women's relative likelihood of moving out of teaching and advancing up into administrative positions. Results from these analyses provide no evidence that Kanter's tokenism proposition is generalizable to token men who teach in elementary schools; rather than suffering disadvantages, evidence supports William's “glass escalator” proposition that men enjoy privilege in predominantly female jobs and are more likely than women to be promoted into administrative occupations.
Trends in treatment and outcomes for acute stroke patients in Ontario, 1992-1998.

BACKGROUND Several interventions have been shown to be of benefit to patients with stroke (hereafter referred to as stroke patients) in clinical trials, but the net effect of these interventions in the general stroke population has not been established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate temporal trends in the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of acute stroke patients in the province of Ontario. METHODS We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using linked administrative databases of all 91 419 patients discharged with a most-responsible diagnosis of acute stroke from acute care hospitals in Ontario from April 1, 1992, to March 31, 1999 (fiscal years 1992-1998). RESULTS The average age and proportion of stroke patients with co-existing diseases increased over time. The proportion of elderly patients 65 years and older who received warfarin sodium (Coumadin) and statins increased during the study period (14.6% to 19.6% [P =.001] and 2.7% to 15.0% [P<.001], respectively). Declines in the median length of stay (11 to 8 days [P<.001]) and risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality (21.9% to 18.9% [P<.001]) were significant, but the 30-day mortality rates for acute stroke stayed relatively constant (19.7% to 19.0% [P =.18]). We found a moderate decline in risk-adjusted 1-year mortality (34.1% to 32.0% [P<.001]) and stroke readmission rates (12.1% to 9.9% [P =.001]). CONCLUSIONS Improvements in the outcomes of stroke patients have occurred in Ontario during the 1990s, despite an increasing proportion of elderly stroke patients with multiple comorbidities. Increasing use of secondary prevention medications may explain this trend.
The Effect of Local Earmarking on Capital Spending in Georgia Counties

IN RECENT YEARS, the public has begun to perceive the importance of improved public capital facilities for local economic development, business retention, and quality of life in communities. This public interest has prompted concerns among local government officials regarding adequate public capital investment and maintenance efforts. Major capital outlay sources for local governments have been intergovernmental grants (federal and state) and own-source revenues (current revenues and long-term borrowing). The sources of capital outlay in local and state governments have fluctuated in importance over the years. Throughout the 1970s and much of the 1980s, federal aid was the major source, peaking at over 40 cents out of every dollar spent on local and state infrastructure (Petersen, Holstein, and Weiss 1993). However, the termination of federal revenue sharing, reduced federal grants, and various spending and tax limitations imposed by the state government and voters in the wake of taxpayer revolts since the late 1970s have made it more difficult for local officials to find adequate revenue sources for capital projects. Faced with declining federal and state aid and resistance to property taxes, local governments have increasingly relied on user charges and fees, as well as a host of innovative financing The Effect of Local Earmarking on Capital Spending in Georgia Counties
IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOW-KICKBACK-NOISE LATCHED COMP ARATOR FOR HIGH-SPEED ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL DESIGNS IN 0 . 18

In traditional comparators especially for ADCs, one seri ous problem is the kick back noise, which disturbs the input signal voltages and consequently might cause errors at the outputs of the ADCs. In this paper, we will work on a novel ultra low-power rail-to-rail CMOS latched comparato with very low kickback noise for low to medium speed ADCs. This comparator adopts a preamplifier followed by a dynamic latch structure to achieve fast-decision, high resolution as well as reduced kick-back noise. A new ada ptive power control (APC) technique is used to reduce the po wer consumption of the preamplifier . Simulation results would be based on a mixed signal CMOS 0. 18μ m technology, at a supply voltage of 1.8V.
A Collaborative Model for Helping Middle Grade Science Teachers Learn Project-Based Instruction

We describe our collaborative work on project-based instruction with middle school teachers. Grounded in constructivist theory, project-based instruction affords many possibilities for transforming classrooms into active learning environments. To make the theory concrete and accessible to teachers, we delineate features. Students' investigations are organized around a driving question, which is authentic and encompasses substantial content. In attempts to find answers to the questions, students collaborate with each other, develop artifacts, and use technological tools. Because project-based instruction entails considerable changes in classroom practices, we detail associated challenges in enactment. Derived from the teacher development literature, our model for supporting teachers focuses on a dynamic interplay of collaboration, enactment, and reflection. Teachers collaborate with peers, university personnel, and experts in content and technology to discuss information and ideas. They plan and enact projects, reflect on their experiences, and return to the group to share experiences and strategies for meeting difficulties, as well as for supporting each other. Through cycles of collaboration, enactment, and reflection, teachers and university personnel gain new visions of instruction, develop rich conceptions of the features and associated challenges of project-based instruction, and learn strategies for enacting practices that are congruent with theory.
Bayesian interaction shaping: learning to influence strategic interactions in mixed robotic domains

Despite recent advances in getting autonomous robots to follow instructions from humans, strategically intelligent robot behaviours have received less attention. Strategic intelligence entails influence over the beliefs of other interacting agents, possibly adversarial. In this paper, we present a learning framework for strategic interaction shaping in physical robotic systems, where an autonomous robot must lead an unknown adversary to a desired joint state. Offline, we learn composable interaction templates, represented as shaping regions and tactics, from human demonstrations. Online, the agent empirically learns the adversary's responses to executed tactics, and the reachability of different regions. Interaction shaping is effected by selecting tactic sequences through Bayesian inference over the expected reachability of their traversed regions. We experimentally evaluate our approach in an adversarial soccer penalty task between NAO robots, by comparing an autonomous shaping robot with and against human-controlled agents. Results, based on 650 trials and a diverse group of 30 human subjects, demonstrate that the shaping robot performs comparably to the best human-controlled robots, in interactions with a heuristic autonomous adversary. The shaping robot is also shown to progressively improve its influence over a more challenging strategic adversary controlled by an expert human user.
Applying the Lean principles of the Toyota Production System to reduce wait times in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE In recognition of patient wait times, and deteriorating patient and staff satisfaction, we set out to improve these measures in our emergency department (ED) without adding any new funding or beds. METHODS In 2005 all staff in the ED at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital began a transformation, employing Toyota Lean manufacturing principles to improve ED wait times and quality of care. Lean techniques such as value-stream mapping, just-in-time delivery techniques, workplace organization, reduction of systemic wastes, use of the worker as the source of quality improvement and ongoing refinement of our process steps formed the basis of our project. RESULTS Our ED has achieved major improvements in departmental flow without adding any additional ED or inpatient beds. The mean registration to physician time has decreased from 111 minutes to 78 minutes. The number of patients who left without being seen has decreased from 7.1% to 4.3%. The length of stay (LOS) for discharged patients has decreased from a mean of 3.6 to 2.8 hours, with the largest decrease seen in our patients triaged at levels 4 or 5 using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale. We noted an improvement in ED patient satisfaction scores following the implementation of Lean principles. CONCLUSION Lean manufacturing principles can improve the flow of patients through the ED, resulting in greater patient satisfaction along with reduced time spent by the patient in the ED.