Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proton-dependent multidrug efflux systems

Multidrug efflux systems display the ability to transport a variety of structurally unrelated drugs from a cell and consequently are capable of conferring resistance to a diverse range of chemotherapeutic agents. This review examines multidrug efflux systems which use the proton motive force to drive drug transport. These proteins are likely to operate as multidrug/proton antiporters and have been identified in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Such proton-dependent multidrug efflux proteins belong to three distinct families or superfamilies of transport proteins: the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), the small multidrug resistance (SMR) family, and the resistance/ nodulation/cell division (RND) family. The MFS consists of symporters, antiporters, and uniporters with either 12 or 14 transmembrane-spanning segments (TMS), and we show that within the MFS, three separate families include various multidrug/proton antiport proteins. The SMR family consists of proteins with four TMS, and the multidrug efflux proteins within this family are the smallest known secondary transporters. The RND family consists of 12-TMS transport proteins and includes a number of multidrug efflux proteins with particularly broad substrate specificity. In gram-negative bacteria, some multidrug efflux systems require two auxiliary constituents, which might enable drug transport to occur across both membranes of the cell envelope. These auxiliary constituents belong to the membrane fusion protein and the outer membrane factor families, respectively. This review examines in detail each of the characterized proton-linked multidrug efflux systems. The molecular basis of the broad substrate specificity of these transporters is discussed. The surprisingly wide distribution of multidrug efflux systems and their multiplicity in single organisms, with Escherichia coli, for instance, possessing at least nine proton-dependent multidrug efflux systems with overlapping specificities, is examined. We also discuss whether the normal physiological role of the multidrug efflux systems is to protect the cell from toxic compounds or whether they fulfil primary functions unrelated to drug resistance and only efflux multiple drugs fortuitously or opportunistically.
Study on IOT based Architecture of Logistics Service Supply Chain

In order to study the effect of the internet of things (IOT) on the architecture of logistics service supply chain (LSSC), this paper summarizes the application of IOT in related fields on the basis of the theories of IOT, analyzes the effect of IOT on logistics/service flow, information flow and fund flow in LSSC and the effect on the structure of LSSC, builds the architecture of LSSC based on IOT, and finally forecasts the application prospect of IOT in LSSC.
In Vitro Antimalarial Activity of Novel Semisynthetic Nocathiacin I Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Presently, the arsenal of antimalarial drugs is limited and needs to be replenished. We evaluated the potential antimalarial activity of two water-soluble derivatives of nocathiacin (BMS461996 and BMS411886) against the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Nocathiacins are a thiazolyl peptide group of antibiotics, are structurally related to thiostrepton, have potent activity against a wide spectrum of multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria, and inhibit protein synthesis. The in vitro growth inhibition assay was done using three laboratory strains of P. falciparum displaying various levels of chloroquine (CQ) susceptibility. Our results indicate that BMS461996 has potent antimalarial activity and inhibits parasite growth with mean 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of 51.55 nM for P. falciparum 3D7 (CQ susceptible), 85.67 nM for P. falciparum Dd2 (accelerated resistance to multiple drugs [ARMD]), and 99.44 nM for P. falciparum K1 (resistant to CQ, pyrimethamine, and sulfadoxine). Similar results at approximately 7-fold higher IC50s were obtained with BMS411886 than with BMS461996. We also tested the effect of BMS491996 on gametocytes; our results show that at a 20-fold excess of the mean IC50, gametocytes were deformed with a pyknotic nucleus and growth of stage I to IV gametocytes was arrested. This preliminary study shows a significant potential for nocathiacin analogues to be developed as antimalarial drug candidates and to warrant further investigation.
Intelligent fault classification of a tractor starter motor using vibration monitoring and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system

This paper presents an intelligent method for fault diagnosis of the starter motor of an agricultural tractor, based on vibration signals and an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The starter motor conditions to be considered were healthy, crack in rotor body, unbalancing in driven shaft and wear in bearing. Thirty-three statistical parameters of vibration signals in the time and frequency domains were selected as a feature source for fault diagnosis. A data mining filtering method was performed in order to extract the superior features among the primary thirty-three features for the classification process and to reduce the dimension of features. In this study, six superior features were fed into an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system as input vectors. Performance of the system was validated by applying the testing data set to the trained ANFIS model. According to the result, total classification accuracy was 86.67%. This shows that the system has great potential to serve as an intelligent fault diagnosis system in real applications.
A life history theory of social perception: Stereotyping at the intersections of age, sex, ecology (and race)

The authors present a framework to better account for the social dimensions people use to categorize others and the nuanced stereotypes they hold. Conceiving stereotypes as imperfect but useful tools for managing social threats and opportunities, and incorporating ideas from Life History Theory, the authors propose three dimensions of special significance for social perception—age, sex, and home ecology (characterized as “desperation” versus “hopeful”). People possess stereotypes about others along these dimensions—as intersecting AgeSexEcology stereotypes—because, interactively, these dimensions shape the goals and behavioral strategies of others. The authors hypothesize that AgeSexEcology stereotypes are universal. They further propose that race is an important dimension for categorization in the United States because it provides a cue to ecology, and that AgeSexRace stereotypes in the United States should thus track AgeSexEcology stereotypes. The authors discuss several novel implications of this appro.
Vers des écosystèmes d'objets sociaux

Le concept d'objet social est structurant pour le web a l'heure ou le decouplage entre plateformes de contenus et plateformes sociales s'accentue. Nous etudions dans cet article la notion d'objet social au travers d'un faisceau d'evolutions technologiques qui lui sont favorables. Premierement les technologies du web semantique et leur application au web social suscitent l'interet grandissant des acteurs du web. Deuxiemement l'avenement de la vision de l'informatique ubiquitaire reduit l'ecart entre les spheres numeriques et physiques et impacte les interactions sociales. Dans ce contexte porteur nous proposons une representation du concept d'objet social et des structures de communications afferentes en vue d'une communication plus efficace. Ce travail debouche sur l'ontologie OCSO presentee dans cet article.
Co-Evolutionary Multi-Agent System with Sexual Selection Mechanism for Multi-Objective Optimization

Co-evolutionary techniques for evolutionary algorithms are aimed at overcoming their limited adaptive capabilities and allow for the application of such algorithms to problems for which it is difficult or even impossible to formulate explicit fitness function. Sexual selection resulting from sexual conflict and co-evolution of female mate choice and male displayed trait is considered to be one of the ecological interactions responsible for maintaining population diversity. In this paper the idea of co-evolutionary multi-agent system with sexual selection mechanism for multi-objective optimization is introduced. In presented system the Pareto frontier is located by the population of agents as a result of co-evolutionary interactions between sexes. Also, results from runs of presented system against test functions and comparison to classical multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are presented.
Consequences of deploying culturally inclined earcons in speech technology design for oral users in South Africa

We discuss the qualitative outcomes of utilizing an earcon in the design of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Earcons are short non-speech audio messages that are used in the computer/user interface (UI) to provide information to the user about some computer object, operation or interaction [3]. The intended users speak nine out of the 11 official languages of South Africa and vary in terms of their educational levels, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. A case study of the development of an IVR system called the Beautiful Game Results (BGR) system was used in order to explore the effects of using earcons during anticipated users' interaction with the system. The study involved the design of two prototypes, allowing users to access the results of recent soccer games by using either the telephone keypad or voice as input to the system. The observed participants' reaction and response to the qualitative survey during the experiments has shown that the use of a culturally accepted non-speech auditory cue in the system is an effective means of conveying information about the context of the application.
Interference Alignment for Cooperative Femtocell Networks: A Game-Theoretic Approach

The use of small cells serviced by low-power base stations such as femtocells is envisioned to improve the spectrum efficiency and the coverage of next-generation mobile wireless networks. However, one of the major challenges in femtocell deployments is managing interference. In this paper, we propose a novel cooperative solution that enables femtocells to improve their achievable data rates, by suppressing intratier interference using the concept of interference alignment (IA). We model this cooperative behavior among the femtocells as a coalitional game in partition form and we propose a distributed algorithm for the coalition formation. The proposed algorithm allows the femtocell base stations to independently decide on whether to cooperate or not, while maximizing a utility function capturing both the gains and costs from cooperation. Using the proposed algorithm, the femtocells can self-organize into a stable network partition composed of disjoint femtocell coalitions and which constitutes the recursive core of the game. Inside every coalition, cooperative femtocells use advanced IA techniques to improve their downlink transmission rate. Simulation results show that the proposed coalition formation algorithm yields significant gains, in terms of average payoff per femtocell, reaching up to 30 percent relative to the noncooperative case for a network of N=300 femtocells.
Stress and the higher education student: a critical review of the literature

The available research indicates that the prevalence of stress is increasing among students studying in higher education. Issues such as student retention and student progression are becoming increasingly important for all universities. There are a significant number of studies that have examined stress and this paper critically reviews that research and identifies several issues that as yet have not been explored. The paper also highlights a number of key weaknesses in the current literature base. In previous studies there has been a focus on a quantitative approach, and research studies have been restricted to using as subjects individuals from a narrow range of disciplines. It is also suggested that there is a need to undertake longitudinal research to investigate individuals' stress experiences during the period they study at university.
Both a Nicotinic Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and a Noradrenergic SNP Modulate Working Memory Performance when Attention is Manipulated

We investigated the relation between the two systems of visuospatial attention and working memory by examining the effect of normal variation in cholinergic and noradrenergic genes on working memory performance under attentional manipulation. We previously reported that working memory for location was impaired following large location precues, indicating the scale of visuospatial attention has a role in forming the mental representation of the target. In one of the first studies to compare effects of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the same cognitive task, we investigated the neurotransmission systems underlying interactions between attention and memory. Based on our previous report that the CHRNA4 rs#1044396 C/T nicotinic receptor SNP affected visuospatial attention, but not working memory, and the DBH rs#1108580 G/A noradrenergic enzyme SNP affected working memory, but not attention, we predicted that both SNPs would modulate performance when the two systems interacted and working memory was manipulated by attention. We found the scale of visuospatial attention deployed around a target affected memory for location of that target. Memory performance was modulated by the two SNPs. CHRNA4 C/C homozygotes and DBH G allele carriers showed the best memory performance but also the greatest benefit of visuospatial attention on memory. Overall, however, the CHRNA4 SNP exerted a stronger effect than the DBH SNP on memory performance when visuospatial attention was manipulated. This evidence of an integrated cholinergic influence on working memory performance under attentional manipulation is consistent with the view that working memory and visuospatial attention are separate systems which can interact.
Pattern Encoding on the Poincare Sphere

This paper presents a convenient graphical tool for encoding visual patterns (such as image patches and image atoms) as point constellations in a space spanned by perceptual features and with a clear geometrical interpretation. General theory and a practical pattern encoding scheme are presented, inspired by encoding polarization states of a light wave on the Poincare sphere. This new pattern encoding scheme can be useful for many applications in image processing and computer vision. Here, three possible applications are illustrated, in clustering perceptually similar patterns, visualizing properties of learned dictionaries of image atoms and generating new dictionaries of image atoms from spherical codes.
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Associated With Pregnancy and Puerperium: Review of 67 Cases

Background and Purpose Cerebral venous thrombosis is characterized by its clinical pleomorphism and pathogenetic variability. We studied 67 patients with cerebral venous thrombosis associated with pregnancy and puerperium and compared them with 46 other cases unrelated to obstetric causes to disclose differences in their clinical presentation, neuroradiological findings, clinical course, and prognosis. Methods In this retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical, laboratory, and neuroimaging findings of 113 patients collected consecutively at our institute. The diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis was confirmed by angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, or neuropathological study. Results Patients with cerebral venous thrombosis associated with pregnancy and puerperium were younger (average age, 26 versus 36 years), and in most, the onset of symptoms was acute (82% versus 54%; P=.003). The evolution of symptoms reached a plateau within 10 days in 70% of patients with thrombosis from obstetric causes, compared with only 45% in those from other causes (P=.01). Anemia was more frequent in the obstetric group (64% versus 26%; P=.00001). There were no differences regarding neurological and neuroradiological findings. Although the initial severity of illness was similar in both groups, the final outcome was considered good in 80% of patients with obstetric causes, compared with 58% of patients with other causes (P=.01); mortality rates were 9% and 33%, respectively (P=.002). Conclusions Cerebral venous thrombosis associated with pregnancy and puerperium has a more acute onset and a better prognosis than thrombosis due to other causes. These findings might be helpful in the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients with cerebral venous thrombosis.
A Soluble Pyrophosphatase Is Essential to Oogenesis and Is Required for Polyphosphate Metabolism in the Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum)

Polyphosphates have been found in all cell types examined to date and play diverse roles depending on the cell type. In eukaryotic organisms, polyphosphates have been mainly investigated in mammalian cells with few studies on insects. Some studies have demonstrated that a pyrophosphatase regulates polyphosphate metabolism, and most of them were performed on trypanosomatids. Here, we investigated the effects of sPPase gene knocked down in oogenesis and polyphosphate metabolism in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) A single sPPase gene was identified in insect genome and is maternally provided at the mRNA level and not restricted to any embryonic or extraembryonic region during embryogenesis. After injection of Tc-sPPase dsRNA, female survival was reduced to 15% of the control (dsNeo RNA), and egg laying was completely impaired. The morphological analysis by nuclear DAPI staining of the ovarioles in Tc-sPPase dsRNA-injected females showed that the ovariole number is diminished, degenerated oocytes can be observed, and germarium is reduced. The polyphosphate level was increased in cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions in Tc-sPPase RNAi; Concomitantly, the exopolyphosphatase activity decreased in both fractions. Altogether, these data suggest a role for sPPase in the regulation on polyphosphate metabolism in insects and provide evidence that Tc-sPPase is essential to oogenesis.
Authors' response to letter to the Editor: “The need for ‘representative task design’ in evaluating efficacy of skills tests in sport: A comment on Russell, Benton and Kingsley (2010)”

Abstract Our article in the Journal of Sports Sciences (Russell, Benton, & Kingsley, 2010) was designed to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of soccer skills tests that assess passing, shooting, and dribbling. This aim is stated explicitly in the title, abstract, introduction and discussion sections of the article (Russell et al., 2010). Test-retest reproducibility was presented as absolute- and relative-reliability (Hopkins, 2000), and construct validity was determined as the ability of the tests to discriminate between abilities in a group of performers (National Coaching Foundation, 1995). Construct validity was confirmed and the absolute reliability statistics were comparable or tighter than previous soccer skill tests of passing, shooting and dribbling (Russell & Kingsley, 2011). These skill tests have been combined with an exercise protocol to simulate physiological demands and movement patterns of soccer match-play (Russell, Rees, Benton, & Kingsley, 2011). Through a series of subsequent studies, these skill tests have already been used to evaluate the effects of: (1) soccer-specific movement patterns on acid-base balance (Russell & Kingsley, in press), (2) soccer-specific fatigue on precision, speed and success of passing, shooting and dribbling (Russell, Benton, & Kingsley, 2011), and (3) carbohydrate supplementation on passing, shooting and dribbling (Russell, Benton, & Kingsley, 2012). In this response, we provide a brief description of some of the inaccuracies presented in the ‘Letter to the Editor’ along with further commentary on some of the theoretical issues that relate to soccer skills tests.
Oestrus, LH, ovulation and fertility in beef heifers.

The pregnancy rate resulting from matings at a single oestrus in beef cattle averages 70% for natural mating (Turman, Laster, Renbarger & Stephens, 1971) and 60% for artificial insemination (Laster, Glimp & Gregory, 1972). The sources and causes of low pregnancy rates have not been defined, but might include variation in time of ovulation relative to deposition of spermatozoa in the female reproductive tract, fertilization failure, ovum transport, abnormal ova and blastocyst development, and implantation failure. The interval from onset of oestrus to ovulation in dairy cattle has been reported to average 29\m=+-\6 hr with a range from 16 to 42 hr (Swanson & Hafs, 1971). Such a large interval could account for a high percentage of the losses. This study included two experiments. The purpose of Exp. 1 was to determine the relationship of the onset of standing oestrus, preovulatory LH surge and time of ovulation in beef heifers. The purpose of Exp. 2 was to examine the normality of ovum and blastocyst development within the first 15 days after mating.Twenty-nine yearling beef heifers were assigned to three groups after ob¬ servation of at least one normal oestrous cycle. Oestrus was checked continuously with bulls and the onset of standing oestrus was recorded when a heifer was first mounted and mated by a bull. Heifers were mated by at least two fertile bulls. The thirteen heifers in Group 1 were bled at 6-hr intervals, beginning 1 day before expected oestrus and continuing to 30 hr after the onset of oestrus. Blood samples were collected from the eight heifers in Group 2 and the eight in Group 3, beginning at the onset of oestrus and then at 3-hr intervals for the next 12 to 15
Antimicrobial Activity of Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliate) Seed Extracts on Gram-Negative Food-borne Pathogens

Trifoliate orange seed extracts (TSEs) were prepared from different solvents, water (TW), ethanol (TE), and n-hexane (TH), and assessed for their antimicrobial activities against six gram-negative food-borne pathogens (Escherichia coli KCTC 1039, Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895, Salmonella Enteritidis ATCC 3311, Salmonella Typhimurium KCCM 11862, Shigella sonnei KCTC 2518, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802). Among the tested TSEs, TE and TH showed a slight inhibition activity on V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802, but a good growth inhibition activity on Sal. Typhimurium KCCM 11862. TH and TE showed steady growth inhibition activity with increasing growth time after 6 hr when compared to the control (p<0.05). From these results, we confirmed the possibility of TH and TE as antimicrobial materials.
Power control for physical-layer network coding in fading environments

In a three-node wireless relay network, two nodes, BS1 and BS2, exchange information through a relay node, RL. Suppose time division duplex is used, physical network coding (PNC) uses two time slots for the information exchange instead of four time slots needed by the conventional method. In the first time slot, both BS1 and BS2 transmit simultaneously to RL. The relay node, RL does a PNC mapping based on the received signal and broadcast the mapped signal back to BS1 and BS2 simultaneously during the second time slot. The nodes, BS1 and BS2 are able to decode their desired information based on the received mapped signal and the signal which they had transmitted during the first time slot. In this paper, we analyze the average BER of the information exchanged between the two nodes in Rayleigh fading environments. We also derive the average BER of the mapped signal at the relay during the first time slot. With the derived BER of the mapped signal at RL, we propose to use power control at BS1 and BS2 to minimize the instantaneous BER of the mapped signal at RL. The proposed technique improves the BER of the desired information decoded at the two nodes. The solution turns out to be channel inversion based power control at both BS1 and BS2. The proposed power control technique improves both the average BER of the mapped signal at RL and the desired information at BS1 and BS2.