Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dual-Channel Single-Molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer to Establish Distance Parameters for RNA Nanoparticles

The increasing interest in RNA nanotechnology and the demonstrated feasibility of using RNA nanoparticles as therapeutics have prompted the need for imaging systems with nanometer-scale resolution for RNA studies. Phi29 dimeric pRNAs can serve as building blocks in assembly into the hexameric ring of the nanomotors, as modules of RNA nanoparciles, and as vehicles for specific delivery of therapeutics to cancers or viral infected cells. The understanding of the 3D structure of this novel RNA dimeric particle is fundamentally and practically important. Although a 3D model of pRNA dimer has been proposed based on biochemical analysis, no distance measurements or X-ray diffraction data have been reported. Here we evaluated the application of our customized single-molecule dual-viewing system for distance measurement within pRNA dimers using single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET). Ten pRNA monomers labeled with single donor or acceptor fluorophores at various locations were constructed and eight dimers were assembled. smFRET signals were detected for six dimers. The tethered arm sizes of the fluorophores were estimated empirically from dual-labeled RNA/DNA standards. The distances between donor and acceptor were calculated and used as distance parameters to assess and refine the previously reported 3D model of the pRNA dimer. Distances between nucleotides in pRNA dimers were found to be different from those of the dimers bound to procapsid, suggesting a conformational change of the pRNA dimer upon binding to the procapsid.
Spatially-aware or Spatially-agnostic?: Elicitation and Evaluation of User-Defined Cross-Device Interactions

Cross-device interaction between multiple mobile devices is a popular field of research in HCI. However, the appropriate design of this interaction is still an open question, with competing approaches such as spatially-aware vs. spatially-agnostic techniques. In this paper, we present the results of a two-phase user study that explores this design space: In phase 1, we elicited gestures for typical mobile cross-device tasks from 4 focus groups (N=17). The results show that 71% of the elicited gestures were spatially-aware and that participants strongly associated cross-device tasks with interacting and thinking in space. In phase 2, we implemented one spatially-agnostic and two spatially-aware techniques from phase 1 and compared them in a controlled experiment (N=12). The results indicate that spatially-aware techniques are preferred by users and can decrease mental demand, effort, and frustration, but only when they are designed with great care. We conclude with a summary of findings to inform the design of future cross-device interactions.
Effect of three calcium: phosphorus ratios on performance of growing Holstein Steers.

Abstract Dietary Ca/P ratios of 1:1, 4:1, and 8:1 were studied in 30 Holstein steers in a 168-day split plot in time and space experiment. A factorial arrangement among feed intakes and Ca/P ratios existed at each time period. Animals receiving the 8:1 Ca/P ratio diets gained less daily than the 1:1 and 4:1 groups. Animals fed the 1:1 Ca/P ratio diets had higher serum inorganic phosphorus, lower serum calcium, and a narrower serum Ca/P ratio than those fed the 4:1 and 8:1 diets. There were no adverse effects on average daily gain and feed efficiency from feeding the 4:1 Ca/P ratio diet.
Automated semantic tagging of speech audio

The BBC is currently tagging programmes manually, using DBpedia as a source of tag identifiers, and a list of suggested tags extracted from the programme synopsis. These tags are then used to help navigation and topic-based search of programmes on the BBC website. However, given the very large number of programmes available in the archive, most of them having very little metadata attached to them, we need a way to automatically assign tags to programmes. We describe a framework to do so, using speech recognition, text processing and concept tagging techniques. We describe how this framework was successfully applied to a very large BBC radio archive. We demonstrate an application using automatically extracted tags to aid discovery of archive content.
“You Talking To Me?” Considering Black Women’s Racialized and Gendered Experiences with and Responses or Reactions to Street Harassment from Men

This thesis explores the various discursive strategies that black women employ when they encounter street harassment from men. To investigate the ways in which these women choose to respond to men's attention during social interactions, I examine their perception of social situations to understand how they view urban spaces and strangers within these spaces. Drawing on qualitative interviews that I conducted with 10 black women, I focus on how the unique convergence of this group's racial and gender identities can expose them to sexist and racist street harassment. Thus, I argue that black women face street harassment as a result of gendered and racialized power asymmetries. I found that black women rely on a variety of discursive strategies, including speech and silence, to neutralize and negotiate these power asymmetries. They actively resist reproducing racialized and gendered sexual stereotypes of black women by refusing to talk back to men who harass. Understanding silence as indicative of black women's agency, not oppression, remains a key finding in this research. iv DEDICATION To my Mom, who embodies the perfect reconciliation between beauty and intelligence. To my Dad, who taught me how to be a better feminist. To my sisters Maria and Karen, who always share their happiness and laughter openly and abundantly, and believe in the magic of serendipity! v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Decider's Dilemma: Leader Culpability, War Outcomes, and Domestic Punishment

A leader's culpability for involving his state in a conflict affects both his war termination calculus and his domestic audience's willingness to punish him if he loses. I define a culpable leader as any leader who either presides over the beginning of a war, or comes to power midwar and shares a political connection with a culpable predecessor. Using a data set created specifically for this study, I find that culpable leaders are more likely than nonculpable ones to achieve favorable war outcomes. I also find that domestic audiences will be willing to punish culpable leaders who lose, yet spare nonculpable leaders who do the same. Taken together, my findings underscore the need to appreciate more fully the role individual leaders play in bringing their states to war.
Theiler's virus and Mengo virus induce cross-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes restricted to the same immunodominant VP2 epitope in C57BL/6 mice

C57BL/6 mice develop a virus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response after intraperitoneal inoculation with either the DA strain of Theiler's virus or Mengo virus, two members of the Cardiovirus genus. These CTLs contribute to viral clearance in the case of Theiler's virus but do not protect the mice from the fatal encephalomyelitis caused by Mengo virus. In this study we show that DA and Mengo virus-induced CTLs are cross-reactive. The cross-reactivity is due to a conserved, H-2Db-restricted epitope located between amino acid residues 122 and 130 of the VP2 capsid protein (VP2(122-130)). This epitope is immunodominant in C57BL/6 mice infected with Theiler's virus. The VP2(122-130) epitope, initially identified for Mengo virus, is the first CTL epitope described for Theiler's virus.
Radioimmunoassay of rabbit luteinizing hormone: serum levels during various reproductive states.

A highly sensitive, 5-day double antibody radioimmunoassay method has been developed to measure rabbit luteinizing hormone (LH), using guinea pig anti-ovine LH serum and radioiodinated ovine LH. In the assay, rabbit serum, rabbit pituitary homogenates and a rabbit pituitary LH standard produce parallel doseresponse curves. Within physiological ranges, the system is free from interference with rabbit follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or rabbit thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and appears quite specific for LH. Reproducibility and precision of the assay are within acceptable limits. In a series of preliminary tests, LH was found to be low in males as well as in females during estrus, anestrus, pregnancy and after hemi-ovariectomy. In rabbits which had been ovariectomized for periods of 4–14 months, mean plasma LH levels were higher than in estrous animals and a circhoral rhythm was suggested by a wide SD which appeared to be unrelated to the duration of ovariectomy. In female rabbits, serum LH levels inc.
Ghost-free braneworld bigravity

We consider a generalization of the DGP model, by adding a second brane with localized curvature, and allowing for a bulk cosmological constant and brane tensions. We study radion and graviton fluctuations in detail, enabling us to check for ghosts and tachyons. By tuning our parameters accordingly, we find bigravity models that are free from ghosts and tachyons. These models will lead to large distance modifications of gravity that could be observable in the near future.
Regulation of brain gene expression in honey bees by brood pheromone

Pheromones are very important in animal communication. To learn more about the molecular basis of pheromone action, we studied the effects of a potent honey bee pheromone on brain gene expression. Brood pheromone (BP) caused changes in the expression of hundreds of genes in the bee brain in a manner consistent with its known effects on behavioral maturation. Brood pheromone exposure in young bees causes a delay in the transition from working in the hive to foraging, and we found that BP treatment tended to upregulate genes in the brain that are upregulated in bees specialized on brood care but downregulate genes that are upregulated in foragers. However, the effects of BP were age dependent; this pattern was reversed when older bees were tested, consistent with the stimulation of foraging by BP in older bees already competent to forage. These results support the idea that one way that pheromones influence behavior is by orchestrating large‐scale changes in brain gene expression. We also found evidence for a relationship between cis and BP regulation of brain gene expression, with several cis‐regulatory motifs statistically overrepresented in the promoter regions of genes regulated by BP. Transcription factors that target a few of these motifs have already been implicated in the regulation of bee behavior. Together these results demonstrate strong connections between pheromone effects, behavior, and regulation of brain gene expression.
Enhancing organizational performance by strengthening diversity and unity

Asserts that the opposite of a rule may be true, particularly with regard to the creation of “unity in diversity” – the simultaneous strengthening of the two seemingly contradictory factors of integration and multiplicity – which will fundamentally enhance organizational performance. Common experience shows that there are plenty of diverse world views around. This multiplicity has many sources. Suggests that, in order to reap the benefits of this diversity, we need first to understand and indeed encourage it through empowerment, decentralization and self‐management. Second, we need to integrate the differences and ensure that everyone is working towards a common good under the influence of a unified company vision and a shared set of values. Argues that such a mature state of “unity in diversity” can only be realized through higher stages of individual and organizational development.
Paediatric organ donation in the UK

The recent task force document regarding organ donation in the UK may raise concerns among paediatricians. While the document should act as a clarion call to the National Health Service (NHS) to facilitate the provision of organs from dead donors and either save or improve the quality of the lives of those in irreversible organ failure, there is no mention in the document of donation in the child population. Unfortunately, this is not because the impasse in adult donation is unknown in paediatrics, but perhaps hints at the even greater efforts that significant changes in paediatric organ donor rates will require. Can we, however, seize the opportunity afforded by the focus on donation that the task force will generate to improve the situation as regards children? This review cannot address all aspects of donation but will highlight areas in which there may be opportunities to optimise provision of organs to severely ill and dying children. In the UK children die and suffer ill health in situations where organ transplantation offers a realistic treatment option. As in adult medicine, the number of children who would benefit from organ transplantation far exceeds the number of donors.1 2 While seat belts, cycle helmets and improvements in paediatric intensive care have led to a decrease in the number of children dying from severe traumatic brain injury,3 there can be little doubt that opportunities for donation are missed. Although the UK population is supportive of organ donation,4,–,6 donation rates remain among the lowest in Europe.7 Recognition of this led to the Depar t ment of Healt h ( DH ) Organ Donor Task Force (ODTF)8 which suggested a 50% increase over 5 years in adult donation was realistic. While the potential donor pool is very different, …
Effect of fetal hyperinsulinism on oral glucose tolerance test results in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the fetoplacental glucose steal phenomenon on the results of oral glucose tolerance testing in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus with fetal hyperinsulinism. STUDY DESIGN This was an analysis of the cases of 34 patients with two consecutive abnormal oral glucose tolerance test results and amniotic fluid insulin measurement before institution of insulin therapy. Patients were divided into groups on the basis of normal versus elevated amniotic fluid insulin concentrations. RESULTS Oral glucose tolerance tests were done at a mean (+/-SD) of 24.9 +/- 5.7 and 30.7 +/- 3.2 weeks' gestation, and amniotic fluid insulin measurements were done at 31.1 +/- 3.2 weeks' gestation. In 13 women with gestational diabetes mellitus with normal amniotic fluid insulin concentration, maternal postload blood glucose levels at 1 hour increased by 12 mg/dL (168 vs 180 mg/dL; 9.3 vs 10.0 mmol/L; P = .0006) during the course of 6 weeks. In contrast, in 21 women with gestational diabetes mellitus with elevated amniotic fluid insulin levels (>7 microU/mL; >42 pmol/L), 1-hour postload blood glucose levels decreased by 22 mg/dL (201 vs 179 mg/dL; 11.2 vs 9.9 mmol/L; P = .002) during the same period. The higher the amniotic fluid insulin level, the larger the decrease (R = 0.504; P =.02). Although low amniotic fluid insulin levels were correlated significantly with 1-hour glucose levels of the first and second oral glucose tolerance tests, high insulin levels were no longer correlated with the second oral glucose tolerance test. CONCLUSION Exaggerated fetal glucose siphoning may provide misleading oral glucose tolerance test results in pregnancies complicated by fetal hyperinsulinism by blunting maternal postload glucose peaks. Consequently, oral glucose tolerance test results in a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus with a fetus that already has hyperinsulinemia may erroneously be considered normal.
In vitro activity of daptomycin and vancomycin lock solutions on staphylococcal biofilms in a central venous catheter model.

BACKGROUND Catheter lock solutions are used for prevention and management of catheter-related bloodstream infections. We investigated the activity of daptomycin and vancomycin lock solutions against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis in an in vitro central venous catheter (CVC) model. METHODS Biofilm-producing reference strains of S. aureus and S. epidermidis were evaluated. After 24 h of bacterial growth in a CVC model, daptomycin and vancomycin bactericidal activity (+/- preservative-containing heparin sodium) were separately evaluated as a lock solution using 0.5, 1 and 35 mg/ml. Calcium carbonate (50 mg/l) was added to all lock solutions containing daptomycin. Each CVC was drained, flushed and sonicated at 72 h to assess CFU/ml. RESULTS After 72 h of exposure in the catheter lock solutions, daptomycin and vancomycin at 0.5, 1 and 5 mg/ml demonstrated bactericidal activity (>3.0 log10 CFU/ml) against S. aureus and S. epidermidis (P <or= 0.001). Heparin lock solution alone produced a non-significant reduction in S. aureus and S. epidermidis (1.92 +/- 0.07 and 1.65 +/- 0.03 log10 CFU/ml, respectively). Daptomycin 5 mg/ml lock solution +/- heparin eradicated (limit of detection 2.0 log10 CFU/ml) S. epidermidis at 72 h as did the vancomycin 5 mg/ml plus heparin. S. aureus was only eradicated from the daptomycin 5 mg/ml catheter lock-solution. CONCLUSIONS Our CVC model demonstrated that 72 h of exposure to 5 mg/ml lock solutions of daptomycin (plus calcium), +/- heparin or 5 mg/ml of vancomycin plus heparin demonstrate promise in treating catheter infections with biofilm-producing S. epidermidis. Similarly, 5 mg/ml of daptomycin (plus calcium) as a lock solution shows great promise in treating S. aureus catheter infections.
The Sociology of Industrial Injury

Part 1 Critical studies in accident theory: "accidents", absenteeism and the legacy of early post-war industrial sociology safety or profit? Robens and the conventional wisdom, (with Peter Armstrong) injuries/accidents and the social sciences today - psychology and economics injuries/accidents and the social sciences today -sociology and political economy. Part 2 Studies in structures and vulnerability: the 1974 Health and safety at work Act and its effects on British manufacturing, 1960-1985 institutional correlates of injury at work - health and safety arrangements, trade unionism and size of employment unit labour-driven productivity and injuries to miners in Turkey, 1942-1990 (with Erol Kahveci) postscript.
Some ‘friendly’ confusion: SCOTS and ELF

This article offers a critical response to Anderson and Corbett (2010). We feel that Anderson and Corbett have seriously misrepresented English as a lingua franca research (ELF), as well as presenting potentially confusing information on how to use corpora in classrooms. We address a number of misconceptions about ELF and illustrate how ELF research has been concerned with variation, change and process, rather than attempts to delineate a single variety of English. Furthermore, we reject the claim that ELF is in danger of promoting a simplified ‘unfriendly’ medium of communication and document how ELF studies have focused on interactional, amplified communication. The relevance of SCOTS, or any other corpora, in an unmediated form as an aid to language teaching is also questioned. Lastly, we query both the ‘friendliness’ and relevance of SCOTS in international contexts, particularly given that many of the features identified as ‘friendly’ are not specific to SCOTS.
Deterministically testing actor-based concurrent software

Non-deterministic concurrent behavior of software prohibits the idempotent property of tests. XUnit frameworks traditionally do not offer support to deal with these concurrency issues which reduces the significance of unit testing concurrent software. In this paper we propose a tool which supports deterministic testing of concurrent software based on the Actor model. This tool reveals race conditions and seamlessly integrates with xUnit-like frameworks. In our approach, a Coloured Petri Net model is constructed per test as well as the code under test. This model allows isolation of concurrent behavior from the effective actor state. Subsequently, the state space is calculated and traces covering all states are constructed. Corresponding with these traces our tool issues test runs, guaranteeing full state space coverage of each test. Moreover, each failed trace can be backtracked, revealing valuable information concerning the race condition.
Holistic recognition of handwritten Tamil words

In this paper, we describe a writer independent method for recognizing offline unconstrained handwritten Tamil words/strings. Touching and overlapping are main bottleneck of handwriting recognition and to overcome this, we adopted a holistic approach here. To handle various handwritings of different individuals, at first, some pieces of preprocessing work are done on an input word. Next, Gabor based features are computed on the processed word. These Gabor features along with other geometric features of the word image are then fed to an SVM classifier for recognition. In our experimental study, we have used 4270 samples (collected from the class of 217 country names) written in Tamil and obtained 86.36% recognition rate.
Rapid Diagnosis of Mycobacterial Infections and Quantitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Load by Two Real-Time Calibrated PCR Assays

ABSTRACT Sensitive and specific techniques to detect and identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly in clinical specimens are important for the diagnosis and management of patients with tuberculosis (TB). We developed two real-time PCR assays, based on the IS6110 multicopy element and on the senX3-regX3 intergenic region, which provide a rapid method for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections. The sensitivity and specificity of both assays were established by using purified DNA from 71 clinical isolates and 121 clinical samples collected from 83 patients, 20 of whom were affected by TB. Both assays are accurate, sensitive, and specific, showing a complementary pattern of Mycobacterium recognition: broader for the IS6110-based assay and restricted to the M. tuberculosis complex for the senX3-regX3-based assay. Moreover, the addition of a synthetic DNA calibrator prior to DNA extraction allowed us to measure the efficiency of DNA recovery and to control for the presence of PCR inhibitors. The mycobacterial burden of the clinical samples, as assessed by direct microscopy, correlates with the M. tuberculosis DNA load measured by the senX3-regX3-based assay. In addition, reduced levels of M. tuberculosis DNA load are present in those patients subjected to successful therapy, suggesting a potential use of this assay for monitoring treatment efficacy. Therefore, these assays represent a fully controlled high-throughput system for the evaluation of mycobacterial burden in clinical specimens.
Mutations in a gene encoding a midbody kelch protein in familial and sporadic classical Hodgkin lymphoma lead to binucleated cells

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a malignancy of B-cell origin in which the neoplastic cells, known as “Reed-Sternberg” (RS) cells, are characteristically binucleated. Here we describe a family where multiple individuals developing cHL have inherited a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 2 and 3. The translocation disrupts KLHDC8B, an uncharacterized gene from a region (3p21.31) previously implicated in lymphoma and related malignancies, resulting in its loss of expression. We tested KLHDC8B as a candidate gene for cHL and found that a 5′-UTR polymorphism responsible for decreasing its translational expression is associated with cHL in probands from other families with cHL and segregates with disease in those pedigrees. In one of three informative sporadic cases of cHL, we detected loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for KLHDC8B in RS cells, but not reactive T lymphocytes, purified from a malignant lymph node. KLHDC8B encodes a protein predicted to contain seven kelch repeat domains. KLHDC8B is expressed during mitosis, where it localizes to the midbody structure connecting cells about to separate during cytokinesis, and it is degraded after cell division. Depletion of KLHDC8B through RNA interference leads to an increase in binucleated cells, implicating its reduced expression in the formation of cHL's signature RS cell.