Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G proteins regulate immunity by directly coupling to the FLS2 receptor

The Arabidopsis immune receptor FLS2 perceives bacterial flagellin epitope flg22 to activate defenses through the central cytoplasmic kinase BIK1. The heterotrimeric G proteins composed of the non-canonical Gα protein XLG2, the Gβ protein AGB1, and the Gγ proteins AGG1 and AGG2 are required for FLS2-mediated immune responses through an unknown mechanism. Here we show that in the pre-activation state, XLG2 directly interacts with FLS2 and BIK1, and it functions together with AGB1 and AGG1/2 to attenuate proteasome-mediated degradation of BIK1, allowing optimum immune activation. Following the activation by flg22, XLG2 dissociates from AGB1 and is phosphorylated by BIK1 in the N terminus. The phosphorylated XLG2 enhances the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) likely by modulating the NADPH oxidase RbohD. The study demonstrates that the G proteins are directly coupled to the FLS2 receptor complex and regulate immune signaling through both pre-activation and post-activation mechanisms. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.13568. 001
Like mother like daughter: putamen activation as a mechanism underlying intergenerational risk for depression

Abstract Having a depressed mother is one of the strongest predictors for developing depression in adolescence. Given the role of aberrant reward processing in the onset and maintenance of depression, we examined the association between mothers’ and their daughters’ neural response to the anticipation of reward and loss. Fifteen non-depressed mothers with a history of recurrent depression and their never-disordered daughters, and 23 mothers without past or current depression and their never-disordered daughters, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the monetary incentive delay task. To assess mother-daughter concordance, we first identified ROIs involved in the anticipation of reward and loss across all mother-daughter pairs. Within each of these ROIs, we examined the association between mothers’ and daughters’ neural response, and the interaction between group status and mothers’ neural response in predicting daughters’ neural response. We found a significant association between mothers’ and daughters’ putamen response to the anticipation of loss, regardless of mother’s depression history. Furthermore, pubertal stage moderated the association between mother-daughter putamen concordance. Our findings suggest a unique role of the putamen in the maternal transmission of reward learning and have important implications for understanding disorders characterized by disturbances in reward learning and processing, such as major depression.
Exploring Replay Value: Shifts and Continuities in User Experiences Between First and Second Exposure to an Interactive Story

While replay value is a common term in interactive entertainment, psychological research on its meaning in terms of user experiences is sparse. An exploratory experiment using the interactive drama "Façade" was conducted (n=50) to examine shifts and continuities in entertainment-related user experiences between first and second exposure to the same system. A questionnaire with brief scales measuring various user-experience dimensions (interaction-related facets such as usability, flow, and presence, as well as narrative-related facets such as suspense and curiosity) was administered after the first and the second round of exposure. Findings suggest that replay produces gains in action-related experience components such as presence and effectance, whereas narrative-related experiences such as curiosity and suspense remain stable across exposures. Implications for theorizing on interactive entertainment experiences are discussed.
A study in pink and other feminine stereotype: the effect on congruence between self-construal and gender stereotypes on the appraisal of products and Aavertisements

Gender marketing is an often employed strategy to target women; an increasingly attractive target group for companies. Gender marketing is based on gender stereotypes, which consequently results in the frequent use of stereotypes in advertisements. The purpose of this study was to examine whether by priming an individual’s self-construal situational acceptance or rejection of gender stereotypes can occur. It was expected that respondents with a self-construal congruent to the stereotypical nature of the product design will have more favourable attitudes to the advertisement and product than when there is incongruence between the type of self-construal and the stereotypical nature of the product design. Additionally, the influence of gender identity on advertisement and product appraisal was examined. The study of Aaker and Lee (2001) has been used as guidelines to prime self-construal with different advertisement scenarios. Consequently, four different advertisements, differing on the type of advertisement scenario (business/family) and the type of product design (gender stereotypical/gender neutral) were randomly distributed over 160 women. Results indicated that congruence between self-construal and type of product design did not result in a significant increase in favourable attitudes towards advertisement or product. The respondent’s gender identity also did not influence the attitude towards the advertisement or product. However, if the multivariate analysis was run including age, split in three age groups, it appeared that the youngest age group had more favourable attitudes towards the advertisement with the stereotypical product design in the interdependent self-construal condition, while the oldest age group showed preference for the advertisement with the gender-neutral product design in the interdependent self-construal condition. A possible explanation for the unexpected results is that the respondents did not process the elements of the advertisement elaborately, so that recognition and appraisal of the gender stereotypes could not take place.
Clinical vaccine development

Vaccination is regarded as one of the biggest triumphs in the history of medicine. We are living in the most successful period of vaccine development. The accumulation of multidisciplinary knowledge and the investment of massive funding have enabled the development of vaccines against many infectious diseases as well as other diseases including malignant tumors. The paradigm of clinical vaccine evaluation and licensure has also been modernized based on scientific improvements and historical experience. However, there remain a number of hurdles to overcome. Continuous efforts are focused on increasing the efficacy and reducing the risks related to vaccine use. Cutting-edge knowledge about immunology and microbiology is being rapidly translated to vaccine development. Thus, physicians and others involved in the clinical development of vaccines should have sufficient understanding of the recent developmental trends in vaccination and the diseases of interest.
Strategy to Prime the Host and Cells to Augment Therapeutic Efficacy of Progenitor Cells for Patients with Myocardial Infarction

Cell therapy in myocardial infarction (MI) is an innovative strategy that is regarded as a rescue therapy to repair the damaged myocardium and to promote neovascularization for the ischemic border zone. Among several stem cell sources for this purpose, autologous progenitors from bone marrow or peripheral blood would be the most feasible and safest cell-source. Despite the theoretical benefit of cell therapy, this method is not widely adopted in the actual clinical practice due to its low therapeutic efficacy. Various methods have been used to augment the efficacy of cell therapy in MI, such as using different source of progenitors, genetic manipulation of cells, or priming of the cells or hosts (patients) with agents. Among these methods, the strategy to augment the therapeutic efficacy of the autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by priming agents may be the most feasible and the safest method that can be applied directly to the clinic. In this review, we will discuss the current status and future directions of priming PBMCs or patients, as for cell therapy of MI.
Random Events, Economic Losses, and Retrospective Voting: Implications for Democratic Competence

We leverage the natural experiment afforded by tornado incidence to estimate the effect of exogenous economic loss on electoral outcomes. We find that voters punish the incumbent party in presidential elections for economic damage resulting from tornadoes. Although this behavior could suggest that retrospective voting in this domain reflects voters irrationally blaming incumbent politicians for circumstances beyond their control, we instead find evidence suggesting that voting behavior reflects democratic competence. First, voters do not punish the incumbent party for tornado-caused deaths, which governments likely do not have the power to address with effective policy. Second, the incumbent party only appears to lose votes when no disaster declaration takes place in response to the tornado. Thus, voters appear to be rewarding and punishing government with respect to its performance in handling the disaster, as opposed to blaming the government for these natural events.
PatEdit: An Information Extraction Pattern Editor for Fast System Customization

This paper addresses the problem of Information Extraction (IE) system customization to new domains and extraction needs with the use of PatEdit, an IE Pattern Editor. PatEdit is a human-assisted knowledge engineering tool, that facilitates the production of IE patterns. First, we present the problem of IE system customisation and the use of human assisted knowledge engineering tools. Then, we describe PatEdit with respect to the IE pattern language used and discuss its characteristics that facilitate rapid pattern writing. Finally, the exploitation of PatEdit in two information extraction projects is presented along with our plans for future work.
High accuracy acoustic modeling based on multi-stage decision tree

In many continuous speech recognition systems based on HMMs, decision tree-based state tying has been used for not only improving the robustness and accuracy of context dependent acoustic modeling but also synthesizing unseen models. To construct the phonetic decision tree, standard method has used just single Gaussian triphone models to cluster states. The coarse clusters generated using just single Gaussian models can lead to low accuracy acoustic modeling and result in low recognition performance of the system. In this paper, a multi-stage decision tree using both multi-mixture Gaussian models and single Gaussian models is proposed. Continuous speech recognition experiment using this approach on WSJ data showed a reduction in word error rate comparing to the standard decision tree based system.
Divergent Soybean Calmodulins Respond Similarly to Calcium Transients: Insight into Differential Target Regulation

Plants commonly respond to stressors by modulating the expression of a large family of calcium binding proteins including isoforms of the ubiquitous signaling protein calmodulin (CaM). The various plant CaM isoforms are thought to differentially regulate the activity of specific target proteins to modulate cellular stress responses. The mechanism(s) behind differential target activation by the plant CaMs is unknown. In this study, we used steady-state and stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the strategy by which two soybean CaMs (sCaM1 and sCaM4) have evolved to differentially regulate NAD kinase (NADK), which is activated by sCaM1 but inhibited by sCaM4. Although the isolated proteins have different cation binding properties, in the presence of Mg2+ and the CaM binding domains from proteins that are differentially regulated, the two plant CaMs respond nearly identically to rapid and slow Ca2+ transients. Our data suggest that the plant CaMs have evolved to bind certain targets with comparable affinities, respond similarly to a particular Ca2+ signature, but achieve different structural states, only one of which can activate the enzyme. Understanding the basis for differential enzyme regulation by the plant CaMs is the first step to engineering a vertebrate CaM that will selectively alter the CaM signaling network.
Helminth parasite proteomics: from experimental models to human infections

SUMMARY Schistosomiasis is a major human helminth infection endemic in developing countries. Urogenital schistosomiasis, caused by S. haematobium, is the most prevalent human schistosome disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently control of schistosome infection is by treatment of infected people with the anthelmintic drug praziquantel, but there are calls for continued efforts to develop a vaccine against the parasites. In order for successful vaccine development, it is necessary to understand the biology and molecular characteristics of the parasite. Ultimately, there is need to understand the nature and dynamics of the relationship between the parasite and the natural host. Thus, my studies have focused on molecular characterization of different parasite stages and integrating this information with quantitative approaches to investigate the nature and development of protective immunity against schistosomes in humans. Proteomics has proved a powerful tool in these studies allowing the proteins expressed by the parasite to be characterized at a molecular and immunological level. In this review, the application of proteomic approaches to understanding the human-schistosome relationship as well as testing specific hypotheses on the nature and development of schistosome-specific immune responses is discussed. The contribution of these approaches to informing schistosome vaccine development is highlighted.
Brazilian EndogEnous TradE Policy : 1991-1998 *

This paper presents an empirical contribution to the identification of Grossman-Helpman’s “Protection for Sale” parameters model for Brazilian trade policy, based on robust estimations techniques, which means the use of instrumental variables in a 2SLS for Generalized Method of Moments and Limited Information Maximum Likelihood methods for weak instruments with corrections of size tests, in order to correct endogenous bias. The results suggest that the political economy of Brazil’s trade policy is an outlier in international comparisons, as the identification of structural parameters for Protection for Sale model shows a low part of population represented by an interest group and low weight of the welfare function.
Are Clouds Collapsing at the 2' North Position of Sagittarius B2?

The 3 mm lines of HCO+2 and HNCO have been observed toward Sgr B2. Besides the well-known "principal cloud" and an extended envelope, we find another gas cloud 2' north of Sgr B2(M). This 2' north (2' N) cloud which may be located behind the principal cloud, has a total mass of ~105 M☉ and a diameter of ~7 pc. HCO+2 and HNCO exist mainly at 2' north, and their column densities are about 2.2 × 1014 and 2.3 × 1015 cm-2, respectively. The fractional abundances of these species relative to molecular hydrogen appear to be enhanced by at least a factor of 10 compared to the principal cloud. We have also identified redshifted and blueshifted high-velocity components which move toward the 2' N position with projected velocities of ±30 km s-1. These components are located symmetrically around 2' N, along the Galactic plane, and have diameters of about 4-5 pc and masses of ~1 × 104 M☉. The flow energies are large enough to initiate new star formation in the 2' N region on the free-fall timescale of 105 yr. This large-scale collapsing motion may cause a strong shock in the 2' N cloud and result in the enhancement of HCO+2 and HNCO.
Developmental bias in the evolution of phalanges

Significance It has long been proposed that rules stemming from the mechanisms used during development can constrain the range of evolvable variations in a given form, but few empirical examples are known. We have focused on developmental processes determining proportions of phalanx size along individual digits (fingers/toes) of vertebrates. We find that phalangeal variation seen in nature is indeed constrained by an ancestral developmental program, limiting morphologies to a continuum from nearly equal-sized phalanges to a large-to-small gradient of relative sizes. Nonetheless, later innovations in distal regulation expanded variational possibilities for groups that needed greater grasping ability. These data provide a better understanding of how properties of developmental systems work in combination with natural selection to guide evolution of skeletal proportions. Evolutionary theory has long argued that the entrenched rules of development constrain the range of variations in a given form, but few empirical examples are known. Here we provide evidence for a very deeply conserved skeletal module constraining the morphology of the phalanges within a digit. We measured the sizes of phalanges within populations of two bird species and found that successive phalanges within a digit exhibit predictable relative proportions, whether those phalanges are nearly equal in size or exhibit a more striking gradient in size from large to small. Experimental perturbations during early stages of digit formation demonstrate that the sizes of the phalanges within a digit are regulated as a system rather than individually. However, the sizes of the phalanges are independent of the metatarsals. Temporal studies indicate that the relative sizes of the phalanges are established at the time of initial cell condensation. Measurements of phalanges across species from six major taxonomic lineages showed that the same predictable range of variants is conserved across vast taxonomic diversity and evolutionary time, starting with the very origins of tetrapods. Although in general phalangeal variations fall within a range of nearly equal-sized phalanges to those following a steep large-to-small gradient, a novel derived condition of excessive elongation of the distal-most phalanges has evolved convergently in multiple lineages, for example under selection for grasping rather than walking or swimming. Even in the context of this exception, phalangeal variations observed in nature are a small subset of potential morphospace.
Seminal bacterial contaminations: Probable factor in unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss

Background: It is estimated that about 50% of causes of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) cases remain unknown. Sperm factors are suggested to have probable role in cases with RPL. Objective: The goal was to determine the possible relationship between semen bacterial contaminations with unexplained RPL. Also, the correlation between number of bacterial colony and sperm chromatin condensation was examined. Materials and Methods: This study consisted of 30 fertile men (group A) and 30 infertile (group B) men with unknown RPL. Semen collection and analysis were done according to WHO manuals. Sperm count and motility were evaluated by Makler chamber. Eosin-Nigrosin and Papanicolaou staining methods were applied for viability and morphology assessment, respectively. The semen samples from both groups were cultured for aerobic bacteria. Aniline blue (AB) and toluidine blue (TB) staining methods were applied for evaluating sperm chromatin condensation. Results: The numbers of colonies were significantly higher in group B when compared to group A. Also, S. aureus and E. coli contaminations showed significant differences between two groups. Both AB+ and TB+ sperm cells showed significant increase in group B compared to group A. There was a significant negative correlation between colony number and progressive motility (p=0.01), and sperm viability (p=0.007). In addition, positive correlations were found between colony number and AB+ (p=0.001) and TB+ (p=0.004) as well. Conclusion: Bacterial contaminations in semen of men from RPL couples had significantly higher levels when compared to fertile controls. Presence of microorganisms in semen may be correlated with irregular sperm parameters and quality.
International Journal of Nanomedicine Dovepress Antibacterial Titanium Plate Deposited by Silver Nanoparticles Exhibits Cell Compatibility

Microbial colonization and biofilm formation on the surface of implant devices may cause peri-implantitis and lead to bone loss. The aim of this study was to develop a novel antibacterial titanium implant surface and to test its biological performance. In a previous study, we demonstrated that titanium plates deposited by nanosilver acquired antibacterial activity to Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. While antibacterial activity is important, biomate-rial surfaces should be modified to achieve excellent cell compatibility as well. In the present study, using the MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, we assessed cell viability, cytoskeletal architecture and cell attachment, respectively, on our silver nanoparticle-modified titanium (Ti-nAg) plate. The results demonstrate that the Ti-nAg do not show any cytotoxicity to the human gingival fibroblasts. Our data indicate that Ti-nAg is a novel material with both good antibacterial properties and uncompromised cytocompatibility, which can be used as an implanted biomaterial.
AN APPROACH TO QUANTITATION IN RHODAMINE ISOTHIOCYANATE LABELING *

A survey of commercially available TMRI and RBI products revealed that many are of unsatisfactory quality. Optimum dye/IgG ratios were obtained in conjugates with TMRI of about 65% purity by labeling them with reaction mixture ratios of 10 and 20 mug dye/mg IgG. Optimum labeling with RBI of comparable purity required reaction mixture ratios of at least 20 mug dye/mg IgG. Although specific storage stability studies of TMRI or RBI products were not performed, one TMRI product underwent appreciable degradation during a 2-year period of storage in a desiccator over Drierite. The importance of evaluating the protein labeling capacity of TMRI or RBI products before making immune conjugate preparations is evident.
Towards Automatic Test Database Generation

Testing is one of the most expensive and time consuming activities in the software development cycle. In order to reduce the cost and the time to market, many approaches to automate certain testing tasks have been devised. Nevertheless, a great deal of testing is still carried out manually. This paper gives an overview of different testing scenarios and shows how database techniques (e.g., declarative specifications and logical data independence) can help to optimize the generation of test databases.
An Autoethnographical Tapestry of Feminist Reflection on My Journey of a Fitness Model Physique

ii Dedication . iii Acknowledgments . iv List of Figures . v Table of Contents . vi Abbreviations . ix Chapter 1 . 1 1 Tabula Rasa . 1 1.1 Introduction . 2 1.2 Purpose . 5 1.3 Method and Methodology . 9 1.4 Literature Review of Primary Authors & Theorists . 10 1.5 Chapter Descriptions . 14 Chapter 2 . 17 2 Method . 17 2.1 Autoethnography: An Introduction . 17 2.2 Types & Approaches . 18 2.3 Limitations . 19 2.4 Benefits . 21 2.5 Examples . 21 Chapter 3 . 27
Partial Adaptive Name Information in ICN: PANINI Routing Limits FIB Table Sizes

Name-based routing as proposed in Information Centric Networking encounters the problems of (a) exploding routing tables, as the number of names largely exceeds common routing resources, and (b) limited aggregation potentials, as names are commonly independent of content locations. In this poster, we introduce PANINI, an approach to scale routing on names by adapting FIB tables simultaneously to available resources and actual traffic patterns. PANINI introduces routing hierarchies with respect to aggregation points, bimodal FIBs, and confined flooding. First evaluations show promising results in theory and experiments.