Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic and genotypic differentiation of Campylobacter spp. isolated from Austrian broiler farms: A comparison

An identification scheme based on restriction fragment length polymorphism of polymerase chain reaction products (PCR-RFLP) was developed to differentiate isolates of the genera Campylobacter, Arcobacter and Helicobacter. Based on the 16S rRNA gene of these genera, PCR amplified a 1216-bp fragment. The amplicons were digested with the restriction enzymes RsaI and EcoRV. Additional differentiation was obtained using a PCR-assay based on the hippuricase gene. Genotyping was performed on several reference strains from the National Collection of Typing Culture (NCTC), London, and on 130 field isolates. In parallel, a phenotypic differentiation was performed, in order to compare the results. In 119 cases (91.5%) the results obtained from the genotypic characterization were concordant with those from phenotypic testing. Co-infections with Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in two samples and seven hippurate-negative C. jejuni-strains were identified by the genotypic method. Furthermore, PCR-RFLP assays identified an atypical isolate as Campylobacter fetus/hyointestinalis.
FAITH AND FOREIGN POLICY: A VIEW FROM THE PEWS

Abstract Until recently the impact of faith on foreign policy has gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream public and media. Observers are divided as to whether it is primarily religious traditionalists or progressives that are shaping US foreign policy. Theauthors' survey of religious groups' attitudes towards US foreign policy and the Bush Doctrine reveal a complicated picture. Scholars, pundits, and journalists are now coming recognize the impact of faith on American foreign policy; their challenge is to understand that impact accurately and systematically.
Wideband slope in interference channels with imperfect CSI at transmitters

In this paper we investigate the wideband slope of a K-user interference channel. We show that delay-based inteference alignment can achieve a wideband slope of S0 over S0, no interference = 1 over 2 independent of the number of users K, when the delays are known exactly. This result is similar to recent results on degrees of freedom in the high SNR regime. We also show that in many cases the wideband slope is upper bounded by S0 over S0, no interference ≤ 1 over 2 for large number of users K. We then consider delay uncertainty at the transmitter side. We present a modified delay-based interference alignment scheme. Its achievable wideband slope can get arbitrarily close S0 over S0, no interference = 1 over 2 -the best achievable wideband slope for the channel without delay uncertainty‥
Case Report: Generating Hypotheses by Discovering Implicit Associations in the Literature: A Case Report of a Search for New Potential Therapeutic Uses for Thalidomide

The availability of scientific bibliographies through online databases provides a rich source of information for scientists to support their research. However, the risk of this pervasive availability is that an individual researcher may fail to find relevant information that is outside the direct scope of interest. Following Swanson's ABC model of disjoint but complementary structures in the biomedical literature, we have developed a discovery support tool to systematically analyze the scientific literature in order to generate novel and plausible hypotheses. In this case report, we employ the system to find potentially new target diseases for the drug thalidomide. We find solid bibliographic evidence suggesting that thalidomide might be useful for treating acute pancreatitis, chronic hepatitis C, Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis, and myasthenia gravis. However, experimental and clinical evaluation is needed to validate these hypotheses and to assess the trade-off between therapeutic benefits and toxicities.
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Sorbitol-Positive Mutant

Virulence and pathogenicity of an Escherichia coli 0157:H7 sorbitol-positive mutant were investigated with an infant rabbit animal model as well as a battery of in vitro assays. Total cell lysate protein profiles, outer membrane protein profiles, plasmid profiles, and levels of cytotoxic activity against Vero cells were similar in the wild-type and mutant strains. Both adhered to intestinal epithelial cells in culture and reacted with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled antiserum against E. coli 0157:H7. The mutant appeared to be similar to the wild type in all respects except in its ability to ferment sorbitol. [14C]sorbitol uptake and sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities were notably increased in the mutant strain. Diarrhea developed in rabbits administered the wild-type strain and in those fed the sorbitol-positive mutant. There was greater bacterial attachment and mucosal damage in the cecum and large intestine than in the small intestine. Scanning electron microscopy revealed bacteria adhering as single cells and as aggregates closely associated with mucus. Mucosal lesions consisted of areas of tissue necrosis with sloughing of epithelial cells. By transmission electron microscopy, electron-dense necrotic epithelial cells were visible in areas where bacteria were present, and epithelial cell debris containing bacteria was observed between the villar luminal surfaces. Light microscopy of epithelial cells of intestinal sections of infected rabbits revealed noticeable vacuolation and spherical, pyknotic nuclei. These data indicate that the sorbitol-negative phenotype is not associated with the pathogenicity of E. coli 0157:H7.
Earliest Example of a Giant Monitor Lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata)

Background Varanidae is a clade of tiny (<20 mm pre-caudal length [PCL]) to giant (>600 mm PCL) lizards first appearing in the Cretaceous. True monitor lizards (Varanus) are known from diagnostic remains beginning in the early Miocene (Varanus rusingensis), although extremely fragmentary remains have been suggested as indicating earlier Varanus. The paleobiogeographic history of Varanus and timing for origin of its gigantism remain uncertain. Methodology/Principal Findings A new Varanus from the Mytilini Formation (Turolian, Miocene) of Samos, Greece is described. The holotype consists of a partial skull roof, right side of a braincase, partial posterior mandible, fragment of clavicle, and parts of six vertebrae. A cladistic analysis including 83 taxa coded for 5733 molecular and 489 morphological characters (71 previously unincluded) demonstrates that the new fossil is a nested member of an otherwise exclusively East Asian Varanus clade. The new species is the earliest-known giant (>600 mm PCL) terrestrial lizard. Importantly, this species co-existed with a diverse continental mammalian fauna. Conclusions/Significance The new monitor is larger (longer) than 99% of known fossil and living lizards. Varanus includes, by far, the largest limbed squamates today. The only extant non-snake squamates that approach monitors in maximum size are the glass-snake Pseudopus and the worm-lizard Amphisbaena. Mosasauroids were larger, but exclusively marine, and occurred only during the Late Cretaceous. Large, extant, non-Varanus, lizards are limbless and/or largely isolated from mammalian competitors. By contrast, our new Varanus achieved gigantism in a continental environment populated by diverse eutherian mammal competitors.
Two degrees of separation in complex food webs

Feeding relationships can cause invasions, extirpations, and population fluctuations of a species to dramatically affect other species within a variety of natural habitats. Empirical evidence suggests that such strong effects rarely propagate through food webs more than three links away from the initial perturbation. However, the size of these spheres of potential influence within complex communities is generally unknown. Here, we show for that species within large communities from a variety of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are on average two links apart, with >95% of species typically within three links of each other. Species are drawn even closer as network complexity and, more unexpectedly, species richness increase. Our findings are based on seven of the largest and most complex food webs available as well as a food-web model that extends the generality of the empirical results. These results indicate that the dynamics of species within ecosystems may be more highly interconnected and that biodiversity loss and species invasions may affect more species than previously thought.
Opposition in Consensual Switzerland: A Short but Significant Experiment

Abstract Although conventional wisdom sees Switzerland as oppositionless, in December 2007 its biggest party, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), declared itself in ‘opposition’. It implied this was something dramatic but implementation was hesitant, degenerating into personalized attacks on the minister elected over its party leader. This led to splits in the party and the strategy petered out, with the SVP returning to collegial government, consensus having proved too strong. Although political science has recently neglected opposition, the SVP's understanding of the concept was distant from most ideas of ‘opposition politics’, notably Anglo-Saxon practices. The experiment is therefore best understood as a rhetorical flourish, arising out of the SVP's powerful, but unusual, populism. Though unsuccessful, it shows Swiss politics are changing and the populist challenge remains.
The language instinct : how the mind creates language

In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.
In search of the "Duchenne Smile": Evidence from eye movements.

Abstract Duchenne de Boulogne (1862/1990) observed that authentic smiles are distinguished from posed smiles by contractions of the orbicularis oculi muscle that surrounds the eye. Hager and Ekman (1985) subsequently reported that the “Duchenne smile” is discriminated specifically by contractions at the outer corners of the eyes (“crows feet” wrinkles). Little is known of the visuo-cognitive strategies that underpin perception of the Duchenne smile. We examined ocular dynamics (pattern of eye fixations) as an overt and accessible index of these strategies (Stark & Ellis, 1981). The spatio-temporal fixation indices were number and duration of foveal fixations to the crows feet area relative to the total face area. In line with predictions, subjects (n = 58) made proportionately more fixations of longer duration to the crows feet area for smiling, compared to negative (sad) and baseline (neutral) control expressions. It is suggested that a “hardwired” response may be involved in reference to this particular.
Parallel Support Vector Machines

The Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a supervised algorithm for the solution of classification and regression problems. SVMs have gained widespread use in recent years because of successful applications like character recognition and the profound theoretical underpinnings concerning generalization performance. Yet, one of the remaining drawbacks of the SVM algorithm is its high computational demands during the training and testing phase. This article describes how to efficiently parallelize SVM training in order to cut down execution times. The parallelization technique employed is based on a decomposition approach, where the inner quadratic program (QP) is solved using Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO). Thus all types of SVM formulations can be solved in parallel, including C-SVC and ν-SVC for classification as well as e-SVR and ν-SVR for regression. Practical results show, that on most problems linear or even superlinear speedups can be attained.
Finding A Place In The Country

Exurban areas are the fastest growing type of residential development in the United States. Although exurbia may represent a distinctly new settlement pattern, to date relatively little is known about why people choose to live in the exurbs. The purpose of this article is to examine the factors underlying the residential choices of suburban and exurban residents of Sonoma County, California. The research question is, Why do some people choose to live in an exurban setting, whereas others move to suburban locations? The findings of the study indicate that exurban residents are motivated by the desire to live in a rural environment. In contrast, suburbanites are more concerned with the cost of housing and access to highways. These results support the conclusion that exurban growth is a distinctive phenomenon reflecting residents’ desire to live in a rural setting.
Optimized secure and energy-efficient transmission in an untrusted relay network

In this paper, a near Optimum Power Allocation (OPA) for a cooperative jamming relay network is proposed, by using physical layer security to protect the user's messages from relay's interception. The network uses Amplify and Forward (AF) relay to enlarge the coverage area, however the relay is untrusted. By defining secure Energy Efficiency (EE) as the ratio of the instantaneous secrecy rate to the total power consumption to measure the performance of the network. To simplify such optimization problem, an approximated OPA on the basis of Taylor expansion is derived. The numerical results show that the approximated OPA error does not exceed 1% even in the worst case, which verifies the correctness and lower complexity of the proposed algorithm.
Extending Digraphs to Digraphs with (without) k-Kernel

For any digraph D we construct a digraph s(S) such that D has a k-kernel iff s(S) has a k-kernel. The method employed allows to prove that, any digraph is an induced subdigraph of an infinite set of digraphs with (resp. without) k-kernel; and it can be used as a powerful tool in the construction of a large class of digraphs with (resp. without) k-kernel. Previous results are generalyzed.
Mismatch-error noise-shaping based digital multiphase modulator

This paper proposes a multiphase modulator (MPM) for digitally-controlled multiphase buck converters. A recently developed power digital-to-analog converter (DAC) approach allow mismatch-error noise-shaping techniques to be used to build a very simple, hardware-efficient MPM. The proposed modulator is able to generate the control pulses for each phase using a single, low-frequency clock, and to achieve automatic current-sharing among the phases. Furthermore, it enables the designer to achieve the full dynamic capabilities of the multiphase converter. This paper describes the advantages and drawbacks of the proposed modulator and a possible, simple implementation. Simulations and experimental results that demonstrate operation of an 8-phase converter are also shown. The proposed MPM is especially suitable to implement a step-based envelope tracking system for supplying linear radiofrequency power amplifiers.
Cerebral Blood Flow and Calcium Antagonists in Hypertension

Antihypertensive treatment reduces the risk of ischaemic strokes and cerebral haemorrhage as complications of excessive or long-standing hypertension. However, neurological dysfunction and brain damage may also accompany acute and, under certain conditions, even chronic antihypertensive treatment. Treatment should therefore be instituted restrictively and cautiously, with special regard to the action of antihypertensive drugs on cerebral perfusion in patients with an increased risk for treatment-induced cerebral ischaemic complications, e.g. patients with hypertensive encephalopathy, patients with autonomic dysfunction or elderly patients with suspected sclerotic stenosis of cerebral or neck arteries. The present study is a review of the structural and functional lesions of cerebral vessels observed in acute and chronic hypertension, together with the effects of antihypertensive drugs on cerebral blood flow. Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine, nitrendipine and verapamil may have advantages as first-line drugs in the treatment of patients with an elevated risk for cerebral hypoperfusion, because of their selective action on vasoconstricted vessels and their differential effects in different regional vascular beds. The particular efficacy of calcium antagonists in acute antihypertensive treatment, with a significant increase in cerebral blood flow in the case of nifedipine, and also in chronic antihypertensive therapy without decreasing cerebral blood flow, may change the traditional management of hypertensive emergencies, as well as of other patients at risk of treatment-induced complications.
Cytogenetic Mapping of 5S and 18S rRNAs and H3 Histone Genes in 4 Ancient Proscopiidae Grasshopper Species: Contribution to Understanding the Evolutionary Dynamics of Multigene Families

This paper reports on the chromosomal location of 18S rRNA, 5S rRNA and H3 histone multigene families in 4 species of a relatively ancient and diversified group of grasshoppers belonging to the family Proscopiidae. The 5S rRNA and H3 histone genes were highly conserved in the number of sites and chromosomal position in the 4th chromosome pair in all species analyzed, whereas the 18S rRNA genes showed slightly more variation because they were present on one or 2 chromosome pairs, depending on the species. The 5S and 18S rRNA gene families occurred in different chromosomes; in contrast, H3 histone and 5S rRNA genes co-localized in the same chromosomal position, with an apparently interspersed organization. Considering that the Proscopiidae family is a relatively ancient group compared with the Acrididae family, the association of the H3 histone and 5S rRNA multigene families can represent a basal condition for grasshoppers, although more research is needed on other representatives of this insect group to confirm this statement. The presence of such an association of 5S rDNA and H3 histone in mussels and arthropods (beetles, grasshoppers and crustaceans) suggests that this linked configuration could represent an ancestral pattern for invertebrates. These results provide new insights into the understanding of the genome organization and the evolution of multigene families in grasshoppers and in insects as a whole.
Selectional restrictions in English suffixation revisited: a reply to Fabb (1988)

L'A. aborde un des problemes les plus complexes de la morphologie anglaise : les proprietes combinatoires des suffixes derivationnels. Fabb (1988) a demontre l'inadequation des modeles stratificationnels de la suffixation anglaise et a etabli que la suffixation anglaise est contrainte par des restrictions de selection. L'A. montre ici que l'analyse de Fabb est elle-meme empiriquement et theoriquement inadequate. Il propose une analyse alternative qui explique le schema des donnees comme resultat de restrictions de selection menees par la base (et non menees par l'affixe), de processus morphologiques paradigmatiques, et de principes et de contraintes independants issus de la morphologie derivationnelle anglaise
Multi-agent trajectory control under faulty leader: Energy-level based leader election under constant velocity

A multi-agent flocking control algorithm consisting of leader and agents moving at constant velocity with a method for leader election is proposed in this paper. Due to a faulty leader, connectivity lost between itself and the agents, leading to divergence from trajectory path. Hence, leader election algorithm is developed to replace a faulty leader, thereby regain control of the path of the agents. This leader election algorithm utilizes energy level of each agent. All agents and leader have a certain energy based on theoretical and measured control inputs. This energy represents the degree of deviation from desired path, hence, the agent with least utilised energy, will be elected leader.
Site of Action Potential Initiation in Layer 5 Pyramidal Neurons

Fundamental to an understanding of how neurons integrate synaptic input is the knowledge of where within a neuron this information is converted into an output signal, the action potential. Although it has been known for some time that action potential initiation occurs within the axon of neurons, the precise location has remained elusive. Here, we provide direct evidence using voltage-sensitive dyes that the site of action potential initiation in cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons is ∼35 μm from the axon hillock. This was the case during action potential generation under a variety of conditions, after axonal inhibition, and at different stages of development. Once initiated action potentials propagated down the axon in a saltatory manner. Experiments using local application of low-sodium solution and TTX, as well as an investigation of the influence of axonal length on action potential properties, provided evidence that the initial 40 μm of the axon is essential for action potential generation. To morphologically identify the relationship between the site of action potential initiation and axonal myelination, we labeled oligodendrocytes supplying processes to the proximal region of the axon. These experiments indicated that the axon initial segment was ∼40 μm in length, and the first node of Ranvier was ∼90 μm from the axon hillock. Experiments targeting the first node of Ranvier suggested it was not involved in action potential initiation. In conclusion, these results indicate that, in layer 5 pyramidal neurons, action potentials are generated in the distal region of the axon initial segment.
Analysis of Gene Expression Data 5.1 Introduction

As we have seen in previous lectures, the technology of DNA chips allows the measurement of mRNA levels simultaneously for thousands of genes. The abundance of readily available data allows us the option to try to extract information, not easily seen while analyzing a single test, from the results of a multitude of tests. The results of DNA chip experiments are usually organized together in a gene expression matrix, with rows corresponding to genes and columns corresponding to conditions. A bicluster can be defined as a submatrix spanned by a subset of genes and a subset of conditions in which the genes have joint behavior in the corresponding conditions. Different algorithmic approaches to the biclustering problem use different measures for the quality of a given biclustering solution. Hence, the definition of the goal function of each algorithm is part of its description. There are two important themes regarding biclustering algorithms: