Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surviving in a frozen desert: environmental stress physiology of terrestrial Antarctic arthropods

Abiotic stress is one of the primary constraints limiting the range and success of arthropods, and nowhere is this more apparent than Antarctica. Antarctic arthropods have evolved a suite of adaptations to cope with extremes in temperature and water availability. Here, we review the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental physiology of terrestrial arthropods in Antarctica. To survive low temperatures, mites and Collembola are freeze-intolerant and rely on deep supercooling, in some cases supercooling below −30°C. Also, some of these microarthropods are capable of cryoprotective dehydration to extend their supercooling capacity and reduce the risk of freezing. In contrast, the two best-studied Antarctic insects, the midges Belgica antarctica and Eretmoptera murphyi, are freeze-tolerant year-round and rely on both seasonal and rapid cold-hardening to cope with decreases in temperature. A common theme among Antarctic arthropods is extreme tolerance of dehydration; some accomplish this by cuticular mechanisms to minimize water loss across their cuticle, while a majority have highly permeable cuticles but tolerate upwards of 50–70% loss of body water. Molecular studies of Antarctic arthropod stress physiology are still in their infancy, but several recent studies are beginning to shed light on the underlying mechanisms that govern extreme stress tolerance. Some common themes that are emerging include the importance of cuticular and cytoskeletal rearrangements, heat shock proteins, metabolic restructuring and cell recycling pathways as key mediators of cold and water stress in the Antarctic.
Toward a Pragmatic Model of Public Responsiveness: Implications for Enhancing Public Administrators’ Responsiveness to Citizen Demands

ABSTRACT Public responsiveness, or bureaucratic responsiveness to citizen demands, is central to public administration theories. It is a key concept regarding the appropriate role of bureaucracy and professional administrators in a democratic political system. By exploring the complexity of the concept, this article proposes a pragmatic model as an alternative to the two mainstream models of understanding public responsiveness. The theoretical implication of the pragmatic model is also discussed. Future research should address administrators’ instrumental concerns in fostering public responsiveness.
Secure Data Storage Outsourcing with Conjunctive Keyword Search

This thesis in the field of cryptography considers secure data storage outsourcing with keyword search capabilities. To ensure data confidentiality the data is stored in encrypted format. An efficient solution has been developed to enable conjunctive keyword search. Also, a protocol is applied to enable efficient and secure sharing of encrypted data. It is possible to efficiently enrol and revoke users for both the searching and the decryption part of the system. The newly developed search technique is implemented as well to test its practical performance.
Problems of iodine and thiocyanate in domestic animals in goitrogenic areas of southern Poland.

High incidence of goitre in human together with low level of iodine in water and cow milk have been observed in Southern Poland (Table I). Therefore, iodine deficiency was considered as the only cause of goiter development. The correlation coefficient between iodine concentration in water and cow milk was r = 0.76 (Fig. 1) and indicate the possibility of iodine determination in milk instead of water. The iodine determination in milk reflects the level of iodine in water as well as in food, a negative correlation has been obtained between goitre incidence in human and iodine concentration in water (r = 0.43) (Fig. 2.). A low correlation coefficient suggest that iodine is not a solely factor responsible for goitre development. Studies on cows have indicated that thiocyanate may have effect on goitre development as well. There has been found higher concentration of thiocyanate (SCN) in blood plasma and in enlarged thyroids (Table II). Thiocyanate belongs to goitrogenic compounds and its main source are the plants of Brassica species widely cultivated in southern Poland. It has been found that cows fed with Brassica plants have high level of SCN both in blood and milk with no alteration of plasma iodine level. The transfer of iodine from plasma to milk is only slightly affected (Table III). The level of SCN in the thyroid depends on its plasma concentration; the calculated correlation coefficient is r = 0.88 (Fig. 3). Enhanced thyrotropin (TSH) secretion (during goitrogenesis) may be accompanied by increased accumulation of SCN in the thyroid (like iodide) and reduced oxidation to SO4 (unlike iodide) (Fig. 4). Therefore we postulated that TSH may be partly responsible for increased SCN level in goitrous thyroids. The question arise whether increased ingestion of SCN does really potentiate iodine deficiency and goitrogenic process in animals breeding in southern Poland. For explanation some additionally experiments were performed on laboratory animals. It have been observed that enhanced level of plasma SCN following feeding with Brassica plants increased proportionally the goitrogenic action as well as the accumulation of 131J by the thyroid and its conversion into organic form (Fig. 5). The latter data was confirmed by positive correlation between thyroxine and plasma SCN levels in sheep (r = 0.49), (Fig. 6) Thiocyanate like other monovalent anions suppress goitrogenic effect of propylthiouracil. However, anti-goitrogenic properties of SCN depends on normal iodine ingestion (Fig. 7). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Inositol hexakisphosphate mobilizes an endomembrane store of calcium in guard cells

myo-Inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) is the most abundant inositol phosphate in cells, yet it remains the most enigmatic of this class of signaling molecule. InsP6 plays a role in the processes by which the drought stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) induces stomatal closure, conserving water and ensuring plant survival. Previous work has shown that InsP6 levels in guard cells are elevated in response to ABA, and InsP6 inactivates the plasma membrane inward K+ conductance (IK,in) in a cytosolic calcium-dependent manner. The use of laser-scanning confocal microscopy in dye-loaded patch-clamped guard cell protoplasts shows that release of InsP6 from a caged precursor mobilizes calcium. Measurement of calcium (barium) currents ICa in patch-clamped protoplasts in whole cell mode shows that InsP6 has no effect on the calcium-permeable channels in the plasma membrane activated by ABA. The InsP6-mediated inhibition of IK,in can also be observed in the absence of external calcium. Thus the InsP6-induced increase in cytoplasmic calcium does not result from calcium influx but must arise from InsP6-triggered release of calcium from endomembrane stores. Measurements of vacuolar currents in patch-clamped isolated vacuoles in whole-vacuole mode showed that InsP6 activates both the fast and slow conductances of the guard cell vacuole. These data define InsP6 as an endomembrane-acting calcium-release signal in guard cells; the vacuole may contribute to InsP6-triggered Ca2+ release, but other endomembranes may also be involved.
Sustainability in Oman: Energy Consumption Forecasting using R

Objective: Smart city projects are still in their initial research stages in Oman. This paper aims to prove the effectiveness of smart cities by using Data Mining Techniques (DMT) to predict energy consumption in Oman. Methods: Data collected from thirteen residential and eight industrial meters are used for electricity consumption forecast. Detailed data analysis is carried out using K-means clustering and time-series forecasting in R. Energy consumption data is modeled using average, naive, seasonal naive, Seasonal decomposition of Time Series by Loess (STL) +Random Walk with Drift (RWD), Exponential smoothing state space model with Box-Cox transformation, ARMA errors, Trend and Seasonal component (TBATS) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. Findings: Even though the dataset isn’t characterized by seasons or trends, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) error measures suggest that electricity consumption for residential sector is more accurately forecasted using TBATS model. Energy consumption for small, medium and large scale industries, on the other hand are more accurately predicted by TBATS, Average and STL + RWD models respectively. Applications: The obtained results confirm the efficiency in forecasting energy consumption in Oman using time series models in order to initiate smart city implementation.
Molecular Features Underlying the Sequential Phosphorylation of HS1 Protein and Its Association with c-Fgr Protein-tyrosine Kinase*

The hematopoietic lineage cell-specific protein HS1 was shown to undergo a process of sequential phosphorylation bothin vitro and in vivo, which is synergistically mediated by Syk and Src family protein-tyrosine kinases and essential for B cell antigen receptor-mediated apoptosis. We have now identified tyrosine 222 as the HS1 residue phosphorylated by the Src family protein kinases c-Fgr and Lyn, and we show that a truncated form of HS1 (HS1–208-401) lacking the N-terminal putative DNA binding region and the C-terminal Src homology 3 (SH3) domain is still able to undergo all the steps of sequential phosphorylation as efficiently as full-length HS1. We also show that a stable association of phospho-HS1 with c-Fgr through its SH2 domain requires previous autophosphorylation of the kinase and is prevented by subsequent phosphorylation of Tyr-222. Kinetic studies with HS1 and its truncated forms previously phosphorylated by Syk and with a peptide substrate reproducing the sequence around tyrosine 222 support the view that efficient phosphorylation of HS1 by Src family protein kinases entirely relies on TyrP-SH2 domain interaction with negligible, if any, contribution of local specificity determinants. Our data indicate that the proline-rich region of HS1 bordered by tyrosyl residues affected by Syk and Src family kinases represents a functional domain designed to undergo a process of sequential phosphorylation.
PetC1 Is the Major Rieske Iron-Sulfur Protein in the Cytochrome b6f Complex of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803*

Many of the completely sequenced cyanobacterial genomes contain a gene family that encodes for putative Rieske iron-sulfur proteins. The Rieske protein is one of the large subunits of the cytochrome bc-type complexes involved in respiratory and photosynthetic electron transfer. In contrast to all other subunits of this complex that are encoded by single genes, the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803 contains three petC genes, all encoding potential Rieske subunits. Most interestingly, any of the petC genes can be deleted individually without altering the Synechocystis phenotype dramatically. In contrast, double deletion experiments revealed that petC1 and petC2 cannot be deleted in combination, whereas petC3 can be deleted together with any of the other two petC genes. Further results suggest a different physiological function for each of the Rieske proteins. Whereas PetC2 can partly replace the dominating Rieske isoform PetC1, PetC3 is unable to functionally replace either PetC1 or PetC2 and may have a special function involving a special donor with a lower redox potential than plastoquinone. A predominant role of PetC1, which is (partly) different from PetC2, is suggested by the mutational analysis and a detailed characterization of the electron transfer reactions in the mutant strains.
A Distributed Multi-exemplar Affinity Propagation Clustering Algorithm Based on MapReduce

Clustering algorithm is one of the fundamental techniques in data mining, which plays a crucial role in various applications, such as pattern recognition, document retrieval, and computer vision. As so far, many effective algorithms have been proposed. Affinity Propagation is an algorithm requires no parameter indicating the number of clusters, which is the most distinguishing advantage compared to the k-means clustering algorithm. Multi-Exemplar Affinity Propagation (MEAP) extends the single-exemplar model to the multi-exemplar model, which could describe the dataset with more complex structure. With the amount of data increasing rapidly, the growing size of dataset makes the clustering problem become more and more challenging. To solve this problem, the parallel computing framework is widely used, such as MapReduce. However, for the MEAP algorithm, it is not a straightforward task to implement the updating of MEAP messages in MapReduce, which without proper design would be time-consuming. In this paper, we propose to utilize the stability of data distribution to apply the MEAP algorithm on the MapReduce platform and develop an efficient Distributed Multi-Exemplar Affinity Propagation (DisMEAP) clustering algorithm by using three MapReduce stages. The experiment results demonstrate that our algorithm can perform well in processing large-scale datasets and could achieve the same accuracy as the original MEAP algorithm.
Development of Nanoparticle-Based High Current Density Cathode for THz Devices Application

Scandia (Sc2O3)-doped tungsten nanoparticle-based high current density cathode is developed for the application in terahertz (THz) devices. This paper involves synthesis of scandia-doped tungsten nanoparticle powder using chemical technique, estimation of optimum porosity, and development of pellet with required porosity by optimizing process parameters. The cathode, made out of the above pellet, is tested in an analytical system containing Auger electron spectroscope and anode. The results show that the cathode can deliver more than 100 A/cm2 current density with stable emission-strongly recommending it as a candidate for the use in a THz device. Theoretical estimates show that the void porosity is to be kept at 21% for proper surface coverage to produce good emission with long life.
Early Self-Regulatory Mechanisms Control the Magnitude of CD8+ T Cell Responses Against Liver Stages of Murine Malaria1

Following immunization with Plasmodium yoelii sporozoites, the CD8+ T cell population specific for the SYVPSAEQI epitope expressed in sporozoite and liver stages of this malaria parasite revealed the existence of a short term Ag presentation process that translated into a single clonal burst. Further expansion of this CD8+ T cell population in conditions of sustained Ag exposure and additional supply of naive cells was inhibited by regulatory mechanisms that were developed as early as 24–48 h after priming. Studies using mouse models for Plasmodium or influenza virus infections revealed that this mechanism is Ag specific and is mediated by activated CD8+ T cells that inhibit the priming of naive cells. This interference of the priming of naive cells appeared to result from limited access to Ag-presenting dendritic cells, which become disabled or are eliminated after contact with activated cells. Thus, concomitantly with the development of their effector antimicrobial capacity, CD8+ T cells also acquire a self-regulatory role that is likely to represent one of the earliest mechanisms induced in the course of an immune response and that limits the magnitude of the early expansion of CD8+ T lymphocytes reactive to microorganisms.
Iron supplementation affects the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in IL‐10 deficient mice

Iron supplements may increase disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease through the production of the hydroxyl radical because of its catalytic activity in the Fenton reaction. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of dietary and locally administered iron in the IL‐10 knock‐out (−/−) mouse, a model of chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Exploring the differences of Finnish students in PISA 2003 and 2012 using educational data mining

: Finland has always gotten good scores in PISA studies, but in 2012 the results dropped signiﬁcantly. A modiﬁed version of a data mining algorithm called k-means++ was applied to 2003 and 2012 Finnish PISA data. As a result ﬁve clusters were created for both data sets and the results were compared. The clusters with lower results had remained similar but the cluster with higher scores had been divided. Additionally the medium cluster had grown signiﬁcantly. The results in mathematics had dropped in all clusters since 2003
Permanently altered hippocampal structure, excitability, and inhibition after experimental status epilepticus in the rat: The “dormant basket cell” hypothesis and its possible relevance to temporal lobe epilepsy

The relationship between an episode of status epilepticus, the resulting hippocampal pathology, and the subsequent development of pathophysiological changes possibly relevant to human cpilepsy was explored using the experimental epilepsy model of perforant path stimulation in the rat. Granule cell hyperexcitability and decreased feedforward and feedback inhibition were evident immediately after 24 hours of intermittent perforant path stimulation and persisted relatively unchanged for more than 1 year. All of the pathophysiological changes induced by perforant path stimulation were replicated in normal animals by a subconvulsive dose of bicuculline, suggesting that the permanent “epileptiform” abnormalities produced by sustained perforant path stimulation may be due to decreased GABA‐mediated inhibition. Granule cell pathophysiology was seen only in animals that exhibited a loss of adjacent dentate hilar mossy cells and hilar somatostatin/neuropeptide Y‐immunoreactive neurons. GABA‐immunoreactive dentate basket cells survived despite the extensive loss of adjacent hilar neurons. However, Parvalbumin immunoreactivity, present normally in a subpopulation of GABA‐immunoreactive dentate basket cells, was absent on the stimulated side. Whether this represents decreased parvalbumin synthesis in surviving basket cells or a loss of a specific subset of inhibitory cells is unclear.
Community knowledge, risk perception, and preparedness for the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE To examine public knowledge, perceptions, and preparedness for the 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic. DESIGN We conducted a telephone survey of selected households in Arizona during the month of October 2009. RESULTS Among the 727 households interviewed, one-third (34%) were not aware that the terms swine flu and H1N1 refer to the same virus. Many believed that it is more difficult to contract 2009 H1N1 (27%) than seasonal influenza (14%). About three-quarters of respondents perceived the H1N1 situation as urgent (76%), but only about one-third of those surveyed believed a family member would get sick with H1N1 within a year (35%). Approximately half (53%) of those surveyed intended to get the H1N1 influenza vaccine. Family doctors, television news, and local public health officials were the most trusted sources for H1N1 information. CONCLUSIONS The survey highlighted a number of important misconceptions about H1N1 knowledge, treatment options and transmissibility. Increased efforts should be made to understand how messages are transmitted and received in the community during a pandemic to improve risk communication plans moving forward.
Protein-Protein Interactions in the β-Oxidation Part of the Phenylacetate Utilization Pathway

Background: The phenylacetate utilization pathway (paa operon) is the main pathway for degradation of aromatic compounds. Results: We have identified protein-protein interactions among paa enzymes and determined the structure of the stable PaaF-PaaG complex. Conclusion: Only two complexes exist among these enzymes, PaaA-PaaB-PaaC and PaaF-PaaG. Significance: The four-step β-oxidation part of the aromatic compounds degradation pathway contains only one stable enzyme complex. Microbial anaerobic and so-called hybrid pathways for degradation of aromatic compounds contain β-oxidation-like steps. These reactions convert the product of the opening of the aromatic ring to common metabolites. The hybrid phenylacetate degradation pathway is encoded in Escherichia coli by the paa operon containing genes for 10 enzymes. Previously, we have analyzed protein-protein interactions among the enzymes catalyzing the initial oxidation steps in the paa pathway (Grishin, A. M., Ajamian, E., Tao, L., Zhang, L., Menard, R., and Cygler, M. (2011) J. Biol. Chem. 286, 10735–10743). Here we report characterization of interactions between the remaining enzymes of this pathway and show another stable complex, PaaFG, an enoyl-CoA hydratase and enoyl-Coa isomerase, both belonging to the crotonase superfamily. These steps are biochemically similar to the well studied fatty acid β-oxidation, which can be catalyzed by individual monofunctional enzymes, multifunctional enzymes comprising several domains, or enzymatic complexes such as the bacterial fatty acid β-oxidation complex. We have determined the structure of the PaaFG complex and determined that although individually PaaF and PaaG are similar to enzymes from the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, the structure of the complex is dissimilar from bacterial fatty acid β-oxidation complexes. The PaaFG complex has a four-layered structure composed of homotrimeric discs of PaaF and PaaG. The active sites of PaaF and PaaG are adapted to accept the intermediary components of the Paa pathway, different from those of the fatty acid β-oxidation. The association of PaaF and PaaG into a stable complex might serve to speed up the steps of the pathway following the conversion of phenylacetyl-CoA to a toxic and unstable epoxide-CoA by PaaABCE monooxygenase.
Comparison of clinical performance of the I-gel with LMA proseal

Aim: To compare insertion characteristics of 2 different supraglottic devices [I-gel and Proseal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA)] and to observe any associated complications. Study Design: This prospective, randomized study was conducted in 80 patients [Group I - I-gel insertion (n = 40) and Group P - LMA Proseal insertion (n =40)] of ASA grades I/II, of either sex in the age group 18-65 years. Both groups were compared with respect to ease of insertion, insertion attempts, fiberoptic assessment, airway sealing pressure, ease of gastric tube placement, and other complications. Materials and Methods: All patients were asked to fast overnight. Patients were given alprazolam 0.25 mg orally at 10 p.m. the night before surgery and again 2 hours prior to surgery with 1-2 sips of water. Glycopyrrolate 0.2 mg, metoclopramide 10 mg, and ranitidine 50 mg were administered intravenously to the patients 45 minutes prior to the surgery. Once adequate depth of anesthesia was achieved either of the 2 devices, selected using a random computerized table, was inserted by an experienced anesthesiologist. In group I, I-gel was inserted and in patients of group P, PLMA was inserted. Statistical Analysis: Student t-test and Mann-Whitney test were employed to compare the means; for categorical variables, Chi-square test was used. Result: Mean insertion time for the I-gel (11.12 ± 1.814 sec) was significantly lower than that of the PLMA (15.13 ± 2.91 sec) (P = 0.001). I-gel was easier to insert with a better anatomic fit. Mean airway sealing pressure in the PLMA group (29.55 ± 3.53 cm H2O) was significantly higher than in the I-gel group (26.73 ± 2.52 cm H2O; P = 0.001). Ease of gastric tube insertion was significantly higher in the I-gel group (P = 0.001). Incidence of blood staining of the device, sore throat and dysphagia were observed more in PLMA group. No other complications were observed in either of the groups.