Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biosynthetic Pathways of Ergot Alkaloids

Ergot alkaloids are nitrogen-containing natural products belonging to indole alkaloids. The best known producers are fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, e.g., Claviceps, Epichloë, Penicillium and Aspergillus species. According to their structures, ergot alkaloids can be divided into three groups: clavines, lysergic acid amides and peptides (ergopeptines). All of them share the first biosynthetic steps, which lead to the formation of the tetracyclic ergoline ring system (except the simplest, tricyclic compound: chanoclavine). Different modifications on the ergoline ring by specific enzymes result in an abundance of bioactive natural products, which are used as pharmaceutical drugs or precursors thereof. From the 1950s through to recent years, most of the biosynthetic pathways have been elucidated. Gene clusters from several ergot alkaloid producers have been identified by genome mining and the functions of many of those genes have been demonstrated by knock-out experiments or biochemical investigations of the overproduced enzymes.
Conceptual Integration in Arithmetic is the Same for Digits and Words: It's the Meaning, Stupid!

Research on people’s arithmetic knowledge (e.g., 2 + 5 = 7) suggests that it is organized and accessed in a way analogous to other forms of conceptual knowledge (e.g., tulips and daisies are flowers). Evidence for this claim comes in part from research that recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and found that incorrect arithmetic facts evoke a response that is analogous to the “N400” response evoked by semantically incongruous words in sentences. Some researchers debate this conclusion by pointing out various differences between responses to arithmetic and language stimuli as well as differences among the studies on arithmetic. These differences could be due to variations in methodology, properties of the stimuli (digits vs. words), or properties of the semantic networks in question (language vs. arithmetic). To examine these possibilities, we elicited the N400 effect in arithmetic by closely following the ERP methodology used in language research and varying the presentation format of the arithmetic stimuli (12 + 3 = 15 or Twelve plus three equals fifteen). A comparable N400 effect was elicited by incorrect answers in both presentation format conditions. We conclude that the N400 incongruency effect in arithmetic is analogous to that in language. However, the peak of the arithmetic incongruency effect occurred about 100ms earlier than is typically observed in language. We suggest that this onset difference is due to differences in the size and the constraints of the arithmetic and the language networks.
Using camera-phones to interact with context-aware mobile services

We describe an interaction technique for controlling site-speci(cid:12)c mobile services using commercially available camera-phones, public information displays and visual tags. We report results from an experimental study validating this technique in terms of pointing speed and accuracy. Our results show that even novices can use camera-phones to \point-and-click" on visual tags quickly and accurately. We have built a publicly available client/server software framework for rapid development of applications that exploit our interaction technique. We describe two prototype applications that were implemented using this framework and present (cid:12)ndings from user-experience studies based on these applications.
Noncoherent compressive sensing with application to distributed radar

We consider a multi-static radar scenario with spatially dislocated receivers that can individually extract delay information only. Furthermore, we assume that the receivers are not phase-synchronized, so the measurements across receivers can only be combined noncoherently. We cast this scenario as a compressive sensing reconstruction problem, where the vector of unknowns consists of complex baseband coefficients of tentative targets at discrete positions within a region of interest. The difference to previous work is that each receiver has to have a separate set of variables to account for the noncoherent measurement model. This leads to multiple reconstruction problems that are individually ill-defined, but can be regularized by a shared sparsity pattern, as studied in jointly- or block-sparse reconstruction problems. We evaluate this approach in a simple scenario with three receivers and three closely spaced targets. Using the popular basis pursuit and orthogonal matching pursuit algorithms, we find that targets can be fully resolved and that the position estimation error is close to the Cramér-Rao lower bound based on an estimator that knows the number of targets.
Goal Setting, Evaluation Apprehension and Social Cues as Determinants of Job Performance and Job Satisfaction.

Abstract : A simulated organizational setting involving a routine clerical task was the experimental context for the research. One hundred and four subjects were randomly assigned in a factorial design--including two levels of goal setting, two levels of evaluation apprehension, and three types of social cues--to investigate the effects of the independent variables on employee productivity and job satisfaction. The results showed that people with assigned goals produced more than people without assigned goals; people with high evaluation apprehension produced more than people with low evaluation apprehension; and people receiving positive social cues produced more than people receiving negative social cues. The independent variables had no main effect on overall job satisfaction but did affect attitudes about job pressure, boredom, and satisfaction with one's performance. These results are discussed in terms of their relevance for current theories of task performance and for applications in organizational settings. (Author)
Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience: The Social Organization of Normality

Over the past few generations, expectations of comfort, cleanliness and convenience have altered radically, but these dramatic changes have largely gone unnoticed. This intriguing book brings together the sociology of consumption and technology to investigate the evolution of these changes, as well the social meaning of the practices themselves. Homes, offices, domestic appliances and clothes play a crucial role in our lives, but not many of us question exactly how and why we perform so many daily rituals associated with them. Showers, heating, air-conditioning and clothes washing are simply accepted as part of our normal, everyday lives, but clearly this was not always the case. When did the daily shower become de rigueur? What effect has air conditioning had on the siesta at one time an integral part of Mediterranean life and culture? This book interrogates the meaning and supposed normality of these practices and draws disturbing conclusions. There is clear evidence supporting the view that routine consumption is controlled by conceptions of normality and profoundly shaped by cultural and economic forces. Shove maintains that habits are not just changing, but are changing in ways that imply escalating and standardizing patterns of consumption. This shrewd and engrossing analysis shows just how far the social meanings and practices of comfort, cleanliness and convenience have eluded us.
Stress, coping, and psychological well-being among forensic health care professionals

Purpose. Although forensic services are often regarded as highly stressful environments, there has been a surprising lack of research into the phenomena of occupational stress among forensic health care professionals (FHCP) in the United Kingdom. This study investigated stress, coping, and psychological well-being among FHCP employed within inpatient settings. Methods. One hundred and thirty-five FHCP were recruited from four Medium Secure Units in the United Kingdom. A postal research pack was used to collect background information and measures of psychological well-being, burnout, occupational stress, work satisfaction, and coping. Results. The study found that a substantial proportion of FHCP experienced elevated levels of occupational stress and psychological distress, while moderate levels of burnout were demonstrated in terms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. The findings confirmed that FHCP utilized a range of problem-focused (e.g., positive), emotion-focused (e.g., religious, negative, and supported), and palliative coping strategies (e.g., excessive smoking and drinking). Conclusions. The results appeared to support the commonly held assertion that forensic services are an inherently stressful and dangerous working environment, which can cause FHCP to experience marked levels of psychological distress, burnout, and occupational stress.
Gifts in a Romantic Relationship: A Survival Analysis

Employing a survival analysis approach, this study synthesizes 3 aspects of gift literature and suggests their effects on the timing of dissolution for a romantic relationship. Products or services can be consumed for the purpose of enhancing self-attractiveness (self-gift), expressing love to partners (other-gift), and announcing a relationship to the outer world (joint-gift). Results indicate that the distribution of time until dissolution for young students’ romantic relationships is more likely to first fall and then rise. Gifts can delay the timing of dissolution, but not the probability of its final destination. For female students, self-enhancing gifts are found to delay the timing; for male students, love-expressive gifts speed up the timing; and for both male and female students, relationship-announcing gifts delay the timing of dissolution. Consumers, thus, are advised to use gifts to make their relationships endure, but not to attempt to alter a poor relationship into a successful one.
THE INTERRELATIONS OF VAGAL AND ACCELERATOR EFFECTS ON THE CARDIAC RATE

Several studies have been made concerning the effects on the heart rate (h. r.) of simultaneous stimulation of the vagi and the accelerators (see Tigerstedt, 1921, for references). The conclusions drawn from the majority of these studies are qualitative. The only quantitative statement which we know is that of Hunt (1897), that the result of simultaneous stimulation of the two sets of nerve fibers is very nearly the arithmetical mean of the results of the isolated stimulations. The problem is of interest not only because of the reciprocal elevation and depression of the continuous tonic discharge in the two nerve supplies during reflex changes of h. r. , but also because of its bearing on the mode of action of the autonomic nerves and on the interrelations of excitation and inhibition. For these reasons the present quantitative study was undertaken. METHOD. Cats were used, under dial anesthesia, which insures a stable basal h. r. if the temperature of the animal is maintained constant. The h. r. was recorded by means of a Marey tambour applied to the thoracic wall. The left vagus was stimulated in the neck. For cardio-accelerator stimulation the electrodes were applied to the internal branch of the right stellate ganglion, after severance of all the other connections of the ganglion. The right vagus was previously sectioned aseptically in the neck and time (about 8 days) was allowed for degeneration, to eliminate a possible perturbing spread when the accelerator was stimulated. Maximal electric waves at variable frequencies were employed as stimuli. Each nerve was activated by a separate circuit so that independent variations of the frequencies could be obtained. The two stimulating circuits were a “multivibrator,” delivering rectangular waves lasting about 1 0, and a condenser set connected with a mechanical interruptor. Artificial respiration was administered when the thorax was opened to operate on the stellate ganglia. The rectal temperature of the animals was maintained between 37 and 38OC. No precautions were taken to eliminate the adrenals, for dial abolishes any demonstrable reflex secretion of adrenine (unpublished observations). Stimulation of the vagus for 10 seconds and the accelerator for 20 seconds
Effects of Gender on Perceptions of and Preferences for Telematic Learning Environments

AbstractThis study investigated gender differences in perceptions of and preferences for telematic learning environments (TLEs). We distributed a questionnaire among 1,368 traditional and open and distance learning (ODL) university students. Although we found significant gender differences, none of the variables included in the research could be regarded as important for explaining differences in students’ perceptions and preferences with respect to TLEs. Potential reasons for these results are discussed.
Songbirds use pulse tone register in two voices to generate low-frequency sound

The principal physical mechanism of sound generation is similar in songbirds and humans, despite large differences in their vocal organs. Whereas vocal fold dynamics in the human larynx are well characterized, the vibratory behaviour of the sound-generating labia in the songbird vocal organ, the syrinx, is unknown. We present the first high-speed video records of the intact syrinx during induced phonation. The syrinx of anaesthetized crows shows a vibration pattern of the labia similar to that of the human vocal fry register. Acoustic pulses result from short opening of the labia, and pulse generation alternates between the left and right sound sources. Spontaneously calling crows can also generate similar pulse characteristics with only one sound generator. Airflow recordings in zebra finches and starlings show that pulse tone sounds can be generated unilaterally, synchronously or by alternating between the two sides. Vocal fry-like dynamics therefore represent a common production mechanism for low-frequency sounds in songbirds. These results also illustrate that complex vibration patterns can emerge from the mechanical properties of the coupled sound generators in the syrinx. The use of vocal fry-like dynamics in the songbird syrinx extends the similarity to this unusual vocal register with mammalian sound production mechanisms.
Symptomatology and development of urolithiasis in children with frequency-dysuria syndrome associated with hypercalciuria.

To investigate the long-term outcome of the frequency-dysuria syndrome (FDS) with hypercalciuria (HCU), 19 children (15 girls and 4 boys; age range 15 months to 10 years) who presented with FDS alone (N=9) or with other associated clinical features (N=10; 6 with gross hematuria, 3 with microscopic hematuria and 1 with abdominal pain) were followed-up over 720 patient-months. Calcium loading test indicated absorptive HCU in 12 patients, renal HCU in 2, and in 5 the test was inconclusive. All patients were treated with a standard protocol after diagnosis. During follow-up, FDS recurred in 4 children, gross hematuria in 3, lumbar pain in 5, and 7 children developed urolithiasis within 3 to 60 months. The latter 7 children (4 with absorptive HCU and 1 with renal HCU) tended to be older than the other 12 (7.14 vs 5.08 years; p=0.11) and required a longer time to normalize urinary calcium excretion (16 vs 7 months; p <0.01). The initial urinary calcium excretion was similar between the patients with and those without stones (5.53 vs 5.6 mg/kg/d). In all other parameters measured, there were no statistically significant differences between the patients who initially presented with FDS alone and those with FDS accompanied with other urinary symptoms. We conclude that HCU and FDS in children can vary considerably in the clinical mode of presentation as well as its sequels. Significant risk for urolithiasis burdens the children who require a longer time (>12 months) to normalize their hypercalciuria.
A Secure and Lightweight Micro-Payment Scheme in P2P Networks

In P2P networks, an economic measure is efficient to incentivize nodes to provide services to others. As the payment scheme is essential in the economic measure, an efficient and secure payment scheme is our goal. In this paper, we propose a mechanism that requires the nodes first purchase enough trivial scrip and then pay a piece of scrip for each service, such as a file piece (say 256KBytes) downloading. It’s the payee who is responsible for the issue, signature, validation and double spending check of the scrip. Specially, the signature is generated only by one hash operation. Therefore, the mechanism not only guarantees security of the payment, but also is a lightweight scheme to implement. Besides, there are a quorum of trusted nodes to sign the peer’s account information and several account holders to check the validity of the peer’s account, thus the payment scheme is practical in the P2P networks despite of the characteristics of the peer’s dynamic join and departure.
Pressure Load: The Main Factor for Altered Gene Expression in Right Ventricular Hypertrophy in Chronic Hypoxic Rats

Background The present study investigated whether changes in gene expression in the right ventricle following pulmonary hypertension can be attributed to hypoxia or pressure loading. Methodology/Principal Findings To distinguish hypoxia from pressure-induced alterations, a group of rats underwent banding of the pulmonary trunk (PTB), sham operation, or the rats were exposed to normoxia or chronic, hypobaric hypoxia. Pressure measurements were performed and the right ventricle was analyzed by Affymetrix GeneChip, and selected genes were confirmed by quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. Right ventricular systolic blood pressure and right ventricle to body weight ratio were elevated in the PTB and the hypoxic rats. Expression of the same 172 genes was altered in the chronic hypoxic and PTB rats. Thus, gene expression of enzymes participating in fatty acid oxidation and the glycerol channel were downregulated. mRNA expression of aquaporin 7 was downregulated, but this was not the case for the protein expression. In contrast, monoamine oxidase A and tissue transglutaminase were upregulated both at gene and protein levels. 11 genes (e.g. insulin-like growth factor binding protein) were upregulated in the PTB experiment and downregulated in the hypoxic experiment, and 3 genes (e.g. c-kit tyrosine kinase) were downregulated in the PTB and upregulated in the hypoxic experiment. Conclusion/Significance Pressure load of the right ventricle induces a marked shift in the gene expression, which in case of the metabolic genes appears compensated at the protein level, while both expression of genes and proteins of importance for myocardial function and remodelling are altered by the increased pressure load of the right ventricle. These findings imply that treatment of pulmonary hypertension should also aim at reducing right ventricular pressure.
Optimal equivocation in secrecy systems a special case of distortion-based characterization

Recent work characterizing the optimal performance of secrecy systems has made use of a distortion-like metric for partial secrecy as a replacement for the more traditional metric of equivocation. In this work we use the log-loss function to show that the optimal performance limits characterized by equivocation are, in fact, special cases of distortion-based counterparts. This observation illuminates why equivocation doesn't tell the whole story of secrecy. It also justifies the causal-disclosure framework for secrecy (past source symbols and actions revealed to the eavesdropper).
Building Disease-Specific Drug-Protein Connectivity Maps from Molecular Interaction Networks and PubMed Abstracts

The recently proposed concept of molecular connectivity maps enables researchers to integrate experimental measurements of genes, proteins, metabolites, and drug compounds under similar biological conditions. The study of these maps provides opportunities for future toxicogenomics and drug discovery applications. We developed a computational framework to build disease-specific drug-protein connectivity maps. We integrated gene/protein and drug connectivity information based on protein interaction networks and literature mining, without requiring gene expression profile information derived from drug perturbation experiments on disease samples. We described the development and application of this computational framework using Alzheimer's Disease (AD) as a primary example in three steps. First, molecular interaction networks were incorporated to reduce bias and improve relevance of AD seed proteins. Second, PubMed abstracts were used to retrieve enriched drug terms that are indirectly associated with AD through molecular mechanistic studies. Third and lastly, a comprehensive AD connectivity map was created by relating enriched drugs and related proteins in literature. We showed that this molecular connectivity map development approach outperformed both curated drug target databases and conventional information retrieval systems. Our initial explorations of the AD connectivity map yielded a new hypothesis that diltiazem and quinidine may be investigated as candidate drugs for AD treatment. Molecular connectivity maps derived computationally can help study molecular signature differences between different classes of drugs in specific disease contexts. To achieve overall good data coverage and quality, a series of statistical methods have been developed to overcome high levels of data noise in biological networks and literature mining results. Further development of computational molecular connectivity maps to cover major disease areas will likely set up a new model for drug development, in which therapeutic/toxicological profiles of candidate drugs can be checked computationally before costly clinical trials begin.
Cortical brightness adaptation when darkness and brightness produce different dynamical states in the visual cortex

Significance Darkness and brightness are very different perceptually. To understand the neural basis for the perceptual difference, we studied populations of neurons in macaque primary visual cortex (V1) when a visual field alternated between black and white. Darkness but not brightness evoked sustained nerve-impulse spiking in V1 neurons. The sustained response to a white field in the local field potential, which is the sum of membrane currents in neurons near the recording microelectrode, was larger than for black. Taken together, these results imply that bright fields evoked strong intracortical synaptic inhibition, and this inhibition is the basis for cortical brightness adaptation. Such cortical brightness adaptation can explain many perceptual phenomena: interocular speeding up of dark adaptation, tonic interocular suppression, and interocular masking. Darkness and brightness are very different perceptually. To understand the neural basis for the visual difference, we studied the dynamical states of populations of neurons in macaque primary visual cortex when a spatially uniform area (8° × 8°) of the visual field alternated between black and white. Darkness evoked sustained nerve-impulse spiking in primary visual cortex neurons, but bright stimuli evoked only a transient response. A peak in the local field potential (LFP) γ band (30–80 Hz) occurred during darkness; white-induced LFP fluctuations were of lower amplitude, peaking at 25 Hz. However, the sustained response to white in the evoked LFP was larger than for black. Together with the results on spiking, the LFP results imply that, throughout the stimulus period, bright fields evoked strong net sustained inhibition. Such cortical brightness adaptation can explain many perceptual phenomena: interocular speeding up of dark adaptation, tonic interocular suppression, and interocular masking.