Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction between Vibrio mimicus and Acanthamoeba castellanii

Vibrio mimicus is a Gram-negative bacterium, which causes gastroenteritis and is closely related to Vibrio cholerae. The environmental reservoir of this bacterium is far from defined. Acanthamoeba as well as Vibrio species are found in diverse aquatic environments. The present study was aimed to investigate the ability of A. castellanii to host V. mimicus, the role of bacterial protease on interaction with A. castellanii and to disclose the ability of cysts to protect intracellular V. mimicus. Co-cultivation, viable counts, gentamicin assay, electron microscopy and statistical analysis showed that co-cultivation of wild type and luxO mutant of V. mimicus strains with A. castellanii did not inhibit growth of the amoeba. On the other hand co-cultivation enhanced growth and survival of V. mimicus strains. Vibrio mimicus showed intracellular behaviour because bacteria were found to be localized in the cytoplasm of amoeba trophozoites and remain viable for 14 days. The cysts protected intracellular V. mimicus from high level of gentamicin. The intracellular growth of V. mimicus in A. castellanii suggests a role of A. castellanii as a host for V. mimicus.
Adenovirus‐activated PKA and p38/MAPK pathways boost microtubule‐mediated nuclear targeting of virus

Nuclear targeting of adenovirus is mediated by the microtubule‐dependent, minus‐end‐directed motor complex dynein/dynactin, in competition with plus‐ end‐directed motility. We demonstrate that adenovirus transiently activates two distinct signaling pathways to enhance nuclear targeting. The first pathway activates integrins and cAMP‐dependent protein kinase A (PKA). The second pathway activates the p38/MAP kinase and the downstream MAPKAP kinase 2 (MK2), dependent on the p38/MAPK kinase MKK6, but independent of integrins and PKA. Motility measurements in PKA‐inhibited, p38‐inhibited or MK2‐lacking (MK2−/−) cells indicate that PKA and p38 stimulated both the frequency and velocity of minus‐end‐directed viral motility without affecting the perinuclear localization of transferrin‐containing endosomal vesicles. p38 also suppressed lateral viral motilities and MK2 boosted the frequency of minus‐end‐directed virus transport. Nuclear targeting of adenovirus was rescued in MK2−/− cells by overexpression of hsp27, an MK2 target that enhances actin metabolism. Our results demonstrate that complementary activities of PKA, p38 and MK2 tip the transport balance of adenovirus towards the nucleus and thus enhance infection.
Exploring the experience of hearing voices: A qualitative study

Aims: A trend has emerged in the last two decades which views hearing voices as a meaningful experience and attempts to facilitate both their exploration and the development of effective strategies of coping with them. This study explores the experience of hearing voices, aiming to highlight the complexity of the phenomenon and the meaning that the experience has for the person. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals who currently hear voices and are being treated by the Thessaloniki Psychiatric Hospital. The interview material was analysed by the abbreviated version of grounded theory. Results: The two out of six main categories presented in this paper concern: (a) “the function of voices”, which includes what the voices say and how the hearer deals with them; and (b) “understanding hearing voices”, which includes the explanations given by voice hearers regarding the source and origin of voices as well as the relation of voices to reality and to their thoughts. Conclusions: The study highlights that hearing voices is a complex experience which voice hearers deal with in a variety of ways, and that voice hearers develop sophisticated frameworks for making sense of that experience.
The ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker glibenclamide prevents renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

BACKGROUND Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is a complex neutrophil-mediated syndrome. Adenosine-triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels are involved in neutrophil migration in vivo. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of glibenclamide, a K(ATP) channel blocker, in renal I/R injury in rats. METHODS The left kidney of the rats was excised through a flank incision and ischemia was performed in the contralateral kidney by total interruption of renal artery flow for 45 minutes. Renal perfusion was reestablished, and the kidney and lungs were removed for analysis of vascular permeability, neutrophil accumulation, and content of cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-10] 4 and 24 hours later. Renal function was assessed by measuring creatinine, Na(+), and K(+) levels in the plasma and by determination of creatinine clearance. Drugs were administered subcutaneously after the onset of ischemia. RESULTS Reperfusion of the ischemic kidney induced local (kidney) and remote (lung) inflammatory injury and marked renal dysfunction. Glibenclamide (20 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the reperfusion-associated increase in vascular permeability, neutrophil accumulation, increase in TNF-alpha levels and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation. These inhibitory effects were noticed in the kidney and lungs. Moreover, glibenclamide markedly ameliorated the renal dysfunction at 4 and 24 hours. CONCLUSION Treatment with glibenclamide is associated with inhibition of neutrophil recruitment and amelioration of renal dysfunction following renal I/R. Glibenclamide may have a therapeutic role in the treatment of renal I/R injury, such as after renal transplantation.
EvoPER - An R package for applying evolutionary computation methods in the parameter estimation of individual-based models implemented in Repast

Individual-based models are complex and they normally have an elevated number of input parameters which must be tuned in order to reproduce the experimental or observed data as accurately as possible. Hence one of the weakest points of such kind of models is the fact that rarely the modeler has the enough information about the correct values or even the acceptable range for the input parameters. Therefore, several parameter combinations must be checked to find an acceptable set of input factors minimizing the deviations of simulated and observed data. In practice, most of the times, is computationally unfeasible to traverse the complete search space to check all parameter combination in order to find the best of them. That is precisely the kind of combinatorial problem suitable for evolutionary computation techniques. In this work we present the EvoPER, an R package for simplifying the parameter estimation using evolutionary computation techniques. The current version of EvoPER includes implementations of PSO, SA and ACO algorithms for parameter estimation of models generated with the open source agent-based modeling toolkit Repast.
The function of resilin in beetle wings

This account shows the distribution of elastic elements in hind wings in the scarabaeid Pachnoda marginata and coccinellid Coccinella septempunctata (both Coleoptera). Occurrence of resilin, a rubber–like protein, in some mobile joints together with data on wing unfolding and flight kinematics suggest that resilin in the beetle wing has multiple functions. First, the distribution pattern of resilin in the wing correlates with the particular folding pattern of the wing. Second, our data show that resilin occurs at the places where extra elasticity is needed, for example in wing folds, to prevent material damage during repeated folding and unfolding. Third, resilin provides the wing with elasticity in order to be deformable by aerodynamic forces. This may result in elastic energy storage in the wing.
Transmission of the microsporidian gill parasite, Loma salmonae

Abstract Since it was first reported in 1987 at a hatchery in British Columbia, Loma salmonae has become increasingly important as an emerging parasite affecting the Canadian salmonid aquaculture industry. L. salmonae causes Microsporidial Gill Disease of Salmon (MGDS) in farmed Pacific salmonids, Oncorhynchus spp. , resulting in respiratory distress, secondary infections and high mortality rates. In the last decade, laboratory studies have identified key transmission factors for this disease and described the pathogenesis of MGDS. L. salmonae enters the host via the gut, where it injects sporoplasm into a host cell, which then migrates to the heart for a two-week merogony-like phase, followed by a macrophage-mediated transport of the parasite to the gill, with a final development stage of a spore-laden xenoma within the endothelial and pillar cells. Xenoma rupture triggers a cascade of inflammatory events leading to severe, persistent, and extensive proliferative branchitis. The development of robust and reliable experimental challenge models using several exposure methods in marine and freshwater environments with several fish hosts, is a primary reason for the success of scientific research surrounding L. salmonae. To date, demonstrated factors affecting MGDS transmission include host species, strain and size, the length of contact time between naïve and infected fish, water temperature and flow rates.
Salt Supplementation Improves Orthostatic Cerebral and Peripheral Vascular Control in Patients With Syncope

Abstract—Salt supplementation improves orthostatic tolerance in many patients with posturally related syncope (PRS). This study aimed to examine whether in those patients who responded to salt loading there was also evidence of improved cerebral autoregulation and more powerful peripheral vasoconstriction during orthostasis. Eleven PRS patients were studied before and after ingestion of 100 mmol/d slow sodium for 2 months. Subjects underwent an orthostatic stress test of combined head-up tilting and lower body suction. We continuously monitored heart rate (ECG), blood pressure (Finapres), forearm and cerebral blood flow velocities (Doppler ultrasound), and end-tidal carbon dioxide (CO2). Forearm vascular resistance was calculated from pressure divided by velocity. Cerebral autoregulation was assessed from the correlation coefficient of the relationship between cerebral blood pressure and velocity. Salt loading had no effect on resting heart rate or blood pressure. Symptoms and orthostatic tolerance significantly improved in 10 of the patients. This was associated with a significant increase in the maximal forearm vasoconstriction from 64.4%±13.7% (SEM) to 135.2%±23.9% (P <0.005). The relationship between cerebral velocity and pressure was less strong (before salt:r =0.74±0.8; after salt:r =0.41±0.1; P <0.02), indicating improved autoregulation. End-tidal CO2 levels were not different between the 2 tests. Salt loading in PRS patients increases orthostatic tolerance and improves cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular control without affecting blood pressures. These changes are likely to contribute to the beneficial effects of salt loading in these patients.
Prosocial Behavior on the Net

Abstract Volunteers and charitable organizations contribute significantly to community welfare through their prosocial behavior: that is, discretionary behavior such as assisting, comforting, sharing, and cooperating intended to help worthy beneficiaries. This essay focuses on prosocial behavior on the Internet. It describes how offline charitable organizations are using the Net to become more efficient and effective. It also considers entirely new models of Net-based volunteer behavior directed at creating socially beneficial information goods and services. After exploring the scope and diversity of online prosocial behavior, the essay focuses on ways to encourage this kind of behavior through appropriate task and social structures, motivational signals, and trust indicators. It concludes by asking how local offline communities ultimately could be diminished or strengthened as prosocial behavior increases online.
Complex Living Conditions Impair Behavioral Inhibition but Improve Attention in Rats

Rapid adaptation to changes, while maintaining a certain level of behavioral inhibition is an important feature in every day functioning. How environmental context and challenges in life can impact on the development of this quality is still unknown. In the present study, we examined the effect of a complex rearing environment during adolescence on attention and behavioral inhibition in adult male rats. We also tested whether these effects were affected by an adverse early life challenge, maternal deprivation (MD). We found that animals that were raised in large, two floor MarlauTM cages, together with 10 conspecifics, showed improved attention, but impaired behavioral inhibition in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. The early life challenge of 24 h MD on postnatal day 3 led to a decline in bodyweight during adolescence, but did not by itself influence responses in the 5-choice task in adulthood, nor did it moderate the effects of complex housing. Our data suggest that a complex rearing environment leads to a faster adaptation to changes in the environment, but at the cost of lower behavioral inhibition.
In the Eyes of Our Beholders: Some Evidence on how High-School Students and Their Parents View Quality in Colleges.

References to quality are ubiquitous on college campuses and in the discourse of individuals who are concerned about higher education. From college recruiting documents to the reports of national commissions, everyone is in favor of high quality. Quality has both its philosophical connotations and its practical implications. Recent advice to colleges and universities from marketing theorists stresses that an enhancement of quality is likely to accomplish more than price discounting will for an institution that seeks to improve its position in the market [ 16, 20]. Indeed, higher education is not alone in its concern for quality marketing theorists have observed that "the
Dose-response relationship of recent antidepressants in the short-term treatment of depression

Antidepressant drugs are widely recommended for the treatment of depressive disorders, and finding the “right dose for the right patient” is an important issue. Whatever antidepressant is prescribed, a proportion of adult patients with major depression fail to respond satisfactorily to adequate first-line treatment. A frequent strategy for patients with insufficient response to an initial antidepressant dose is to increase the dose. This review is about this strategy ie, the possible benefits of prescribing higher doses of recent antidepressants. The results show that a flat dose-response curve is a class phenomenon for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), according to randomized, controlled, fixed-dose clinical trials. For the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), the strategy of dose increase may be relevant for venlafaxine, in order to increase the number of responders. Thus, the subgroup of patients for whom high doses of SSRIs could be useful remains to be defined.
Multiobjective Optimal Design of Switched Reluctance Linear Launcher

In this paper, based on the comparisons of the stator pole flux density and phase current with corresponding rotary switched reluctance machine, the original design scheme of a 1-kW single-side switched reluctance linear launcher (SRLL) is obtained by a traditional method. To get higher efficiency and smaller force ripple, the genetic algorithm, which is improved to enhance the convergence rate and global accuracy, is applied to optimize the original design scheme. The global optimum values of key dimensions and control parameters are obtained, and the detailed structure of whole SRLL is given as well. Then a detailed equivalent lumped-parameter thermal network (LPTN) model of the considered SRLL is built, and temperature rises of some parts are obtained. To test the feasibility of the LPTN model, a 2-D finite element thermal model of the SRLL is built, and the temperature rises are obtained. The results from LPTN model match those from the finite-element method very well. Finally, the preliminary tests of the prototype of designed SRLL are carried out and the experimental results are presented.
TEACHING NOTE Bean counting: a practical teaching approach to audit sampling

Many students find the application of sampling theory to audit testing difficult, even if they have a good grounding in business statistics. This paper describes an action-learning technique used to teach audit sampling theory to third-year business degree students at The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Feedback from students indicated that they found action-learning better than traditional lectures and printed material in enhancing their understanding of sampling theory and practice and in maintaining their interest and enjoyment.
Effects of dietary protein and energy on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Betong chickens (Gallus domesticus) during growing period.

2 Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the requirements of protein and energy level of the Betong chicken during growing period (42-84 days of age). Total of 288 42-days old of Betong chickens were used in a 4 x 2 factorial experiment with a completely randomized design. Two factors are included in the experiment design: 1) four dietary protein levels (15, 17, 19 and 21% CP) and 2) two dietary energy contents (3,000 and 3,200 ME kcal/kg). The chicks were allocated in floored pen. Feed and water were provided to the chicks ad libitum through an experimental period. There was no significant interaction effect between protein and energy levels on growth performance and carcass yields of the birds. Dietary protein level of 19-21% CP and energy content of 3,000 ME kcal/kg were sufficient for the best performance and carcass quality of the Betong chicken. In conclusion, dietary protein levels of 19% CP and energy content of 3,000 ME kcal/kg are recommended for the birds.
Supervision – the most variable of variables1: student perspectives

The supervision literature often conceptualizes the supervisor as the primary person in doctoral students' progress. Yet, there is growing evidence that the supervisor is but one of many resources that students draw on. Our study takes up this idea in answering the question: What is students' experience of their supervisory relationships over time? Sixteen social science participants in two UK universities, at different points in their doctoral journeys, completed logs of a week's activities for a number of months before being interviewed. This distinct longitudinal approach provides a more nuanced understanding of students' perceptions of the supervisory relationship, specifically, varied reasons for seeking supervisory help, distinct needs related to where students were in their progress, and diverse in which they negotiated and characterized the supervisory relationship.
The accidental learner: experiences from participation in classroom research

This paper brings into focus what can happen when a person is both a researcher and a teacher in two different classrooms almost at the same time. In the two classrooms project work is the subject of inquiry and the working method used. The aim of the research was to figure out how group work and collaborative processes function during project work, and to compose and present a kind of ‘thinking tool’ for other teachers to use when reflecting over their own teaching. Both the researcher and the informant maintain that they influenced each other. The paper also shows that the teacher/informant interactions in addition mediate the researcher’s work as a teacher.
Projective Blue‐Noise Sampling

We propose projective blue‐noise patterns that retain their blue‐noise characteristics when undergoing one or multiple projections onto lower dimensional subspaces. These patterns are produced by extending existing methods, such as dart throwing and Lloyd relaxation, and have a range of applications. For numerical integration, our patterns often outperform state‐of‐the‐art stochastic and low‐discrepancy patterns, which have been specifically designed only for this purpose. For image reconstruction, our method outperforms traditional blue‐noise sampling when the variation in the signal is concentrated along one dimension. Finally, we use our patterns to distribute primitives uniformly in 3D space such that their 2D projections retain a blue‐noise distribution.
Cyclophilin40 isomerase activity is regulated by a temperature-dependent allosteric interaction with Hsp90

Binding the C-terminus of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp 90) to the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain of cyclophilin 40 (Cyp40) allosterically changes the dynamics of the cyclophilin-active site and reduces peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity.
Simultaneous expression and maturation of the iron‐sulfur protein ferredoxin in a cell‐free system

The model iron‐sulfur (Fe‐S) protein ferredoxin (Fd) from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 has been simultaneously produced and matured in a cell‐free production system. After 6 h of incubation at 37°C, Fd accumulated to >450 µg/mL. Essentially all was soluble, and 85% was active. Production and maturation of the protein in the cell‐free system were found to be dependent in a coupled manner on the concentration of the supplemented iron and sulfur sources, ferrous ammonium sulfate and cysteine, respectively. The recombinant expression of ISC helper proteins during cell extract preparation did not increase cell‐free Fd accumulation or activity, although the efficiency of iron and cysteine utilization increased. Fd maturation was independent of protein production rate, and proceeded at a constant rate throughout the period of active translation. In addition, incubation of denatured apo Fd with cell‐free reaction components resulted in recovery of Fd activity, supporting the interpretation that maturation mechanisms did not act co‐translationally. Incubation at 28°C increased total and active protein accumulation, but decreased the ratio of active to total Fd produced. In summary, the high product yields and folding efficiency make the cell‐free system described here an attractive platform for the study of Fe‐S protein production and maturation. The system enables both small‐volume, high throughput investigations as well as larger scale production. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of directed, high‐yield production and maturation of an Fe‐S protein in a cell‐free system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automatic Generation of Information-seeking Questions Using Concept Clusters

One of the basic problems of efficiently generating information-seeking dialogue in interactive question answering is to find the topic of an information-seeking question with respect to the answer documents. In this paper we propose an approach to solving this problem using concept clusters. Our empirical results on TREC collections and our ambiguous question collection shows that this approach can be successfully employed to handle ambiguous and list questions.