Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Xanthomonas campestris attenuates virulence by sensing light through a bacteriophytochrome photoreceptor

Phytochromes constitute a major photoreceptor family found in plants, algae, fungi, and prokaryotes, including pathogens. Here, we report that Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), the causal agent of black rot disease which affects cruciferous crops worldwide, codes for a functional bacteriophytochrome (XccBphP). XccBphP possesses an N‐terminal PAS2‐GAF‐PHY photosensory domain triad and a C‐terminal PAS9 domain as its output module. Our results show that illumination of Xcc, prior to plant infection, attenuates its virulence in an XccBphP‐dependent manner. Moreover, in response to light, XccBphP downregulates xanthan exopolysaccharide production and biofilm formation, two known Xcc virulence factors. Furthermore, the XccbphP null mutant shows enhanced virulence, similar to that of dark‐adapted Xcc cultures. Stomatal aperture regulation and callose deposition, both well‐established plant defense mechanisms against bacterial pathogens, are overridden by the XccbphP strain. Additionally, an RNA‐Seq analysis reveals that far‐red light or XccBphP overexpression produces genomewide transcriptional changes, including the inhibition of several Xcc virulence systems. Our findings indicate that Xcc senses light through XccBphP, eliciting bacterial virulence attenuation via downregulation of bacterial virulence factors. The capacity of XccBphP to respond to light both in vitro and in vivo was abolished by a mutation on the conserved Cys13 residue. These results provide evidence for a novel bacteriophytochrome function affecting an infectious process.
Effect of halothane on neuronal excitation in the superficial dorsal horn of rat spinal cord slices: evidence for a presynaptic action

The action of the volatile anaesthetic halothane on optically recorded neuronal excitation in juvenile rat spinal cord slices was investigated. Prolonged neuronal excitation lasting ≈ 100 ms was evoked in the superficial dorsal horn after single‐pulse dorsal root stimulation that activated both A‐ and C‐fibres. Halothane depressed the neuronal excitation in a concentration‐dependent manner (IC50 0.21 mm, Imax 28%). In Ca2+‐free solution, dorsal root stimulation induced excitation with a short duration of several tens of milliseconds, in which the excitation of the postsynaptic component was largely eliminated. Under these conditions, halothane also depressed the excitation concentration‐dependently (IC50 0.46 mm, Imax 60%). Most of the suppression occurred within 5 min of halothane application, and the effect of halothane was fully reversible upon washout of the anaesthetic. Application of bicuculline and strychnine or picrotoxin, or reduction of extracellular Cl– concentration ([Cl–]o), had no effect on halothane inhibition. Applications of K+ channel blockers tetraethyl ammonium, 4‐aminopyridine, Cs+ or Ba2+ either had no effect or augmented the inhibitory effect of halothane. On the other hand, the degree of inhibition by halothane was found to be dependent on [K+]o; the higher [K+]o, the larger the depression. In addition, decreases in [Na+]o and [Mg2+]o reduced the excitation similar to that of halothane treatment, and the degree of halothane inhibition became larger with lower [Mg2+]o. These results lead to a hypothesis that halothane suppresses the excitation of presynaptic elements by inhibiting presynaptic Na+ channels by shifting the steady‐state inactivation curve in the hyperpolarizing direction.
EVALUATION OF d2, A MICROSATELLITE MEASURE OF INBREEDING AND OUTBREEDING, IN WOLVES WITH A KNOWN PEDIGREE

Abstract. — We have evaluated a microsatellite measure proposed as an indicator of inbreeding and outbreeding using a captive wolf population with known inbreeding levels and founder sources. The measure, which is based on the difference in the repeat number for microsatellite alleles within an individual, was not more predictive of the known inbreeding coefficient than microsatellite heterozygosity (it was actually less predictive). We also found no support that the measure was predictive of the level of outbreeding. However, we could not determine if the measure was predictive of very low levels of inbreeding due to matings between remote relatives. Overall, it appears that the usefulness of this measure to identify individuals on the inbred‐outbred continuum beyond that of heterozygosity and identify biologically important associations with fitness‐related traits may be limited. We suggest that the measure be examined theoretically to determine when (and how much) the predictive value of the measure is different from that of heterozygosity for inbreeding or outbreeding levels in a variety of different scenarios.
Hyperosmotic stress activates Rho: differential involvement in Rho kinase-dependent MLC phosphorylation and NKCC activation.

Hyperosmotic stress initiates adaptive responses, including phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and concomitant activation of Na+-K+-Cl- cotransporter (NKCC). Because the small GTPase Rho is a key regulator of MLC phosphorylation, we investigated 1) whether Rho is activated by hyperosmotic stress, and if so, what the triggering factors are, and 2) whether the Rho/Rho kinase (ROK) pathway is involved in MLC phosphorylation and NKCC activation. Rho activity was measured in tubular epithelial cells by affinity pulldown assay. Hyperosmolarity induced rapid (<1 min) and sustained (>20 min) Rho activation that was proportional to the osmotic concentration and reversed within minutes upon restoration of isotonicity. Both decreased cell volume at constant ionic strength and elevated total ionic strength at constant cell volume were capable of activating Rho. Changes in [Na+] and [K+] at normal total salinity failed to activate Rho, and Cl- depletion did not affect the hyperosmotic response. Thus alterations in cellular volume and ionic strength but not individual ion concentrations seem to be the critical triggering factors. Hyperosmolarity induced mono- and diphosphorylation of MLC, which was abrogated by the Rho-family blocker Clostridium toxin B. ROK inhibitor Y-27632 suppressed MLC phosphorylation under isotonic conditions and prevented its rise over isotonic levels in hypertonically stimulated cells. ML-7 had a smaller inhibitory effect. In contrast, it abolished the hypertonic activation of NKCC, whereas Y-27632 failed to inhibit this response. Thus hyperosmolarity activates Rho, and Rho/ROK pathway contributes to basal and hyperosmotic MLC phosphorylation. However, the hypertonic activation of NKCC is ROK independent, implying that the ROK-dependent component of MLC phosphorylation can be uncoupled from NKCC activation.
Immunoquantification of Human Salivary Mucins MG1 and MG2 in Stimulated whole Saliva: Factors Influencing Mucin levels

While more and more is known about the structure and function of human salivary mucins, there is relatively little information on quantification of these glycoconjugates in whole saliva and on factors influencing their secretion. The goal of the present work was to develop capture ELISAs that would allow for rapid, inexpensive, and reliable measurement of the salivary mucins MG1 and MG2, and to use these immunological procedures to investigate the significance of age, gender, flow rate, and protein concentration on mucin levels in whole saliva. Previously, we described a rabbit polyclonal antibody against MG1 (Troxler et al., 1995) and a rabbit polyclonal peptide antibody against an epitope in the N-terminal region of MG2 (Liu et al., 1999) which were used to develop the capture ELISAs. We verified the accuracy and specificity of these assays by showing correct measurement of known quantities of purified MG1 or MG2 added to whole saliva and lack of cross-reactivity between mucins and heterologous antisera on Western blots or in ELISAs. Whole saliva was collected from 60 subjects under conditions of masticatory stimulation, flow rates were recorded, and mucin concentrations were determined. The results showed that the mean concentration of MG1 and MG2 was 23.3 ± 14.6 mg% and 13.3 ± 11.6 mg%, respectively, and that mucins constitute approximately 16% of the total protein in whole saliva. No significant correlations were found between mucin levels and age or flow rate; however, a significant correlation was found between MG2 levels and total protein concentration. Furthermore, there were statistically significant gender differences in flow rate and MG1 levels, but not in MG2 levels. The availability of these immunoassays for quantification of MG1 and MG2 will help to elucidate the role of mucin in oral health and disease.
Cultural considerations in child-rearing practices: a transcultural perspective.

The nursing profession has begun to see the necessity of considering an individual's cultural belief system when providing nursing care. Leininger (1978), the founder of transcultural nursing, takes a strong position that ". a nurse should not be viewed as professional until she can effectively work with people in at least a bicultural setting, and the professional nurse should be prepared to respond effectively to people in our pluralistic world as an essential criterion of being professional" (pg. 141). To intervene effectively with the parent-child subsystem, the nurse must take into consideration the parental figure's belief system and cultural values. These cultural values give parents a sense of direction as well as meaning to their life. If nurses fail to respect and incorporate these values into nursing care, their ability to effectively help these parent-child subsystems is impaired and can limit this subsystem's progress toward their own culturally defined health state (Leininger, 1978). The purpose of the article is to provide nurses with a framework that can be used when interacting with families from diverse cultural backgrounds concerning the issue of discipline. This article emphasizes the need to incorporate a culturological assessment when implementing nursing interventions.
Surface Roughness Evaluation of Different Polishing Techniques on Dental Porcelains By Atomic Force Microscopy

Introduction: This study was conducted to find out different polishing techniques’ effects on different porcelain materials by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Material and Methods: Samples were made from four different porcelain materials (VMK 95, Ceramco III, Matchmaker, Vitablocs Mark II). Nine groups (n = 5) were randomly formed from the samples of each ceramic and nine different polishing methods were applied on them. AFM was used to evaluate the external topography and roughness of dental porcelains. To analyze the results of the study ANOVA and Tukey test were used statistically ( = 0.05). Results: Within the porcelain groups Ceramco and Matchmaker had higher Ra values, however VMK 95 and Mark II had lower Ra values. However when the different polishing techniques were compared, Gl (.1110) and SlPg (.2295) were found to have the lowest Ra values and no statistical differences were found between these two techniques (p > .05). In addition, no differences were found between glazed samples (Gl) and after polishing with Sof-lex and Prisma Gloss (Sl-Pg). On the other hand polishing with Sl and Pg together (Sl-Pg) significantly decreases the surface area. Conclusions: There were statistically significance between the glazed and the other specimens. Different polishing methods influenced the surface topography of different porcelains significantly ( p < .001).
Vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women and their newborns in Isfahan, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Vitamin D deficiency is one of the major health problems and unexpectedly has a high prevalence in sunny countries (e.g. Middle East). In this study we determined the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and their newborns in Isfahan, a sunny city in Iran. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, 88 newborns born in Beheshty hospital, affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (August-September, 2005) and their mothers were studied. Their data were collected by questionnaires and blood sampling was done to measure serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), calcium, phosphorus, 25 (OH) vitamin D and parathormone (PTH). Vitamin D deficiency defined as levels of 25 (OH) D < 20 and < 12.5 ng/ml for mothers and newborns, respectively and local cut-offs defined as levels in which mean serum PTH started to increase. RESULTS The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency according to 25 (OH) D < 20 ng/ml in mothers and < 12.5 ng/ml in newborns was 5.7% and 4.5%, respectively. According to local cut-offs (35 ng/ml for mothers and 26 ng/ml for newborns) 26.1% of mothers and 53.4% of newborns were vitamin D deficient. CONCLUSION According to local definition, vitamin D deficiency is a health problem in pregnant women and their newborns in this sunny city.
Consumers ’ Response to Cause-Related Marketing ( A Case Study among Customers of Iranian Chain Stores )

Over the last decade, cause-related marketing (CRM) has become a popular marketing strategy for companies. In today‟s fiercely competitive world, cause related marketing plays an important role in business. It is seen as an effective way to build brands, create product awareness, revitalize corporate values and make corporate social responsibility and community involvement visible. Academic research suggests outcomes of CRM campaigns are generally positive for companies as well as for causes. For companies, CRM has been noted to increase sales and enhance companies‟ image. As for causes, they received greater funding and publicity. Overall the impacts of cause-related marketing on consumers‟ response are significant. This paper investigates (1) the impact of causeproximity on attitude toward CRM and consumers‟ response. (2) The effect of cause‟s participation on consumers‟ response to CRM. Also determine the moderating role of gender on the relationship between cause‟s participation and consumers‟ response. The results indicate that cause-proximity and cause‟s participation have a significant positive impact on consumers‟ response, also gender has an influence on the consumers‟ response in CRM and The Impact of cause-related marketing is not the same for male and female consumers in CRM.
PIECEWISE DERIVATIVE ESTIMATION OF TIME-VARYING SINUSOIDS AS SPLINE EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS TEMPLATES FOR DAFX-08 , FINLAND , FRANCE

This paper discusses the estimation of non-stationary sinusoidal parameters. We formulate a piecewise version of the distributive derivative algorithm, which is used to analyse non-stationary sinusoidal signals and estimate their frequencies and log amplitude derivatives over a long duration as spline functions, and apply this algorithm for the estimation of instantaneous frequencies, amplitudes and phase angles. Test results show that the piecewise derivative algorithm provides better estimation than the previous non-piecewise version at lower computation cost.
CONTROL OF MUSCLE RYANODINE RECEPTOR CALCIUM RELEASE CHANNELS BY PROTEINS IN THE SARCOPLASMIC RETICULUM LUMEN

1 Many biological processes that are governed by intracellular calcium signals rely on intracellular stores, which provide a reliable, controlled release of calcium into the cytoplasm. Calcium release through the ryanodine receptor (RyR), the main ion channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (the calcium store in muscle) is the key determinant of muscle force. 2 Calsequestrin, the main calcium buffer in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, provides a pool of calcium for release through the RyR and acts as a luminal calcium sensor for the channel via its interactions with triadin and junctin. Until recently, how calsequestrin communicated the store Ca2+ load to the RyR remained unknown. 3 Calsequestrin 1 (skeletal calsequestrin) has been shown to both inhibit and activate the skeletal RyR1, dependent on whether it's bound to the RyR1 directly or indirectly via anchoring proteins. 4 The phosphorylation status of calsequestrin 1 is deemed important: it influences the Ca2+ binding capacity of calsequestrin, the way in which calsequestrin 1 regulates the RyR1 and how calsequestrin 1 interacts with the key anchoring protein junctin. 5 In skeletal muscle, junctin plays a more critical role than triadin in the mechanism that controls Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 6 The close relationship between altered expression and dysfunction of calsequestrin in several skeletal and cardiac disorders highlights the critical role that calsequestrin plays in maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis and regulation of muscle contraction.
A COSINE-DISTANCE BASED NEURAL NETWORK FOR MUSIC ARTIST RECOGNITION USING RAW I-VECTOR FEATURES

Recently, i-vector features have entered the field of Music Information Retrieval (MIR), exhibiting highly promising performance in important tasks such as music artist recognition or music similarity estimation. The i-vector modelling approach relies on a complex processing chain that limits by the use of engineered features such as MFCCs. The goal of the present paper is to make an important step towards a trulyend-to-endmodelling system inspired by the i-vector pipeline, to exploit the power of Deep Neural Networks 1 (DNNs) to learn optimized feature spaces and transformations. Several authors have already tried to combine the power of DNNs with i-vector features, where DNNs were used for feature extraction, scoring or classification. In this paper, we try to use neural networks for the important step of i-vector post-processing and classification for the task of music artist recognition. Specifically, we propose a novel neural network for i-vector features with a cosine-distance loss function, optimized with stochastic gradient decent (SGD). We first show that current networks do not perform well with unprocessed i-vector features, and that post-processing methods such as Within-Class Covariance Normalization (WCCN) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) are crucially important to improve the i-vector representation. We further demonstrate that these linear projections (WCCN and LDA) can not be learned using general objective functions usually used in neural networks. We examine our network on a 50-class music artist recognition dataset using i-vectors extracted from frame-level timbre features. Our experiments suggest that using our network with fully unprocessed i-vectors, we can achieve the performance of the i-vector pipeline which uses i-vector post processing methods such as LDA and WCCN.
Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Antidandruff Gel

The present research has been undertaken with the aim to formulate and evaluate the herbal gel containing Alovera leaf powder extract and Shikakai seed powder extract and Azhadirachtaindica leaf extract.The gel formulation was designed by using aqueous, ethanolicextracts in varied concentrations along with different polymer. The physiochemical parameters of formulations (pH, viscosity, spreadability etc.) were determined. The results showed that formulation containing 2.5 gm of ethanolic extract of Alovera leaf powder ,Azhadirachtaindica ,Shikakaihave promising effect than other formulations.
Pseudogene PTENP1 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Suppress Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression

PTENP1 is a pseudogene of the PTEN tumor suppression gene (TSG). The functions of PTENP1 in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) have not yet been studied. We found that PTENP1 is downregulated in ccRCC tissues and cells due to methylation. PTENP1 and PTEN are direct targets of miRNA miR21 and their expression is suppressed by miR21 in ccRCC cell lines. miR21 expression promotes ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion in vitro, and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Overexpression of PTENP1 in cells expressing miR21 reduces cell proliferation, invasion, tumor growth, and metastasis, recapitulating the phenotypes induced by PTEN expression. Overexpression of PTENP1 in ccRCC cells sensitizes these cells to cisplatin and gemcitabine treatments in vitro and in vivo. In clinical samples, the expression of PTENP1 and PTEN is correlated, and both expressions are inversely correlated with miR21 expression. Patients with ccRCC with no PTENP1 expression have a lower survival rate. These results suggest that PTENP1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in ccRCC to suppress cancer progression. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(12); 3086–97. ©2014 AACR.
The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System on Cardiac Rhythm during the Evolution of Diabetes Mellitus Using Heart Rate Variability as a Biomarker

Heart rate variability (HRV) is highly influenced by the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Several illnesses have been associated with changes in the ANS, thus altering the pattern of HRV. However, the variability of the heart rhythm is originated within the Sinus Atrial Node (SAN) which has its own variability. Still, although both oscillators produce HRV, the influence of the SAN on HRV has not yet been exhaustively studied. On the other hand, the complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), for instance, nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy, increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, these complications are diagnosed only when the patient is already suffering from the negative symptoms these complications implicate. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to develop new techniques for early diagnosis prior to any deterioration on healthy patients. HRV has been proved to be a valuable, noninvasive clinical evidence for evaluating diseases and even for describing aging and behavior. In this study, several ECGs were recorded and their RR and PP intervals were analyzed to detect the interpotential interval (ii) of the SAN. Additionally, HRV reduction was quantified to identify alterations in the nervous system within the nodal tissue via measuring the SD1/SD2 ratio in a Poincaré plot. With 15 years of DM development, the data showed an age-dependent increase in HRV due to the axon retraction of ANS neurons from its effectors. In addition, these alterations modify the heart rhythm-producing fatal arrhythmias. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the consequences of DM identifying alterations in SAN previous to its symptomatic appearance. This could be used as an early diagnosis indicator.
Critical institutionalism : a synthesis and exploration of key themes

The paper aims to provide a synthesis of key discussions within scholarship that is critical of mainstream institutionalism. It adopts a thematic approach to chart debate and areas of convergence about key issues. The first section of the paper briefly charts the rise to prominence of the mainstream “collective action” school. Each of the themes identified as central to the alternative critical approach are then examined in turn. These are the ‘homogenous community’ critique; the avoidance of politics critique (further divided into ideational politics and politics of local empowerment); and the sociological critique. The paper concludes by reflecting on the challenge of ‘making complexity legible’ which faces the nascent critical tradition in institutional analysis.
A proof that √ s for s not a perfect square is simply normal to base 2

Let ω have dyadic expansion . x1x2 · · ·. Put fn(ω) = (x1 + x2 + · · · + xn)/n. If lim fn(ω) → 1/2, ω is called simply normal to base 2. We give a proof that numbers of the form √ s for s not a perfect square have dyadic expansions which are simply normal. Let nk be an arbitrary subsequence and define f(ω) = lim sup fnk(ω). We define two expansions, ω1 and ω2 such that f(ω1) = a and f(ω2) = 1− a where 1 − a = f(√s). Let ν = ω and define h(ν) = f(ω). It is observed that the νi, the squares of the ωi, i = 1, 2, have the same tail, that is, there exists an index n such that the digits at indices n+j, j ≥ 0 are the same for both expansions. From the above, h(ν2) = 1− h(ν1). The proof is completed in section 2.3 by showing h at the νi does not depend on any initial segment of its digits. This part depends on basic probability involving the notions of independence and conditional expectation. 1