Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Changes of Intracellular pH in Individual Lactic Acid Bacterium Cells in Response to a Rapid Drop in Extracellular pH

ABSTRACT We describe the dynamics of changes in the intracellular pH (pHi) values of a number of lactic acid bacteria in response to a rapid drop in the extracellular pH (pHex). Strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, andLactococcus lactis were investigated. Listeria innocua, a gram-positive, non-lactic acid bacterium, was included for comparison. The method which we used was based on fluorescence ratio imaging of single cells, and it was therefore possible to describe variations in pHi within a population. The bacteria were immobilized on a membrane filter, placed in a closed perfusion chamber, and analyzed during a rapid decrease in the pHex from 7.0 to 5.0. Under these conditions, the pHi of L. innocua remained neutral (between 7 and 8). In contrast, the pHi values of all of the strains of lactic acid bacteria investigated decreased to approximately 5.5 as the pHex was decreased. No pronounced differences were observed between cells of the same strain harvested from the exponential and stationary phases. Small differences between species were observed with regard to the initial pHi at pHex 7.0, while different kinetics of pHiregulation were observed in different species and also in different strains of S. thermophilus.
Identification of a Noncanonical Signal for Transcription of a Novel Subgenomic mRNA of Mouse Hepatitis Virus: Implication for the Mechanism of Coronavirus RNA Transcription

Abstract Subgenomic RNA transcription of coronaviruses involves the interaction between the leader (or antileader) and the intergenic (IG) sequences. However, it is not clear how these two sequences interact with each other. In this report, a previously unrecognized minor species of subgenomic mRNA, termed mRNA5–1, was identified in cells infected with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strains JHM2c, JHM(2), JHM(3), A59, and MHV-1. Sequence analysis revealed that the leader-body fusion site of the mRNA is located at approximately 150 nucleotides (nt) downstream of the consensus IG sequence for mRNA 5 and did not have sequence homology with any known IG consensus sequences. To determine whether this sequence functions independently as a promoter, we cloned a 140-nt sequence (from ≈70 nt upstream to ≈70 nt downstream of the fusion site) from viral genomic RNA and placed it in front of a reporter gene in the defective-interfering (DI) RNA-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter vector. Transfection of the reporter RNA into MHV-infected cells resulted in synthesis of a CAT-specific subgenomic mRNA detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The strength of this promoter was similar to that of the IG7 (for mRNA 7) as measured by the CAT activity. Deletion analysis showed that the sequence as few as 13 nt was sufficient to initiate mRNA transcription, while mutations within the 13-nt abolished mRNA transcription. In vitro translation study confirmed that the envelope (E) protein was translated from mRNA5–1, which encodes the open reading frame (ORF) 5b at its 5′-end, indicating that mRNA5–1 is a functional message. Furthermore, when the ORF5b was replaced with the CAT gene and placed in the DI in the context of viral mini-genome, CAT was expressed not only from the first ORF of mRNA5–1 but also from the second and third ORF of mRNA5 and genomic DI RNA, respectively, suggesting that more than one mechanism is involved in regulation of ORF5b expression. Our findings thus support the notion that base-pairing between the leader (or antileader) and the IG is not the sole mechanism in subgenomic RNA transcription.
Speech acts, communication problems, and fighter pilot team performance

Two aspects of team communication, speech acts and communication problems, and their relation to team performance in a team air combat simulator were studied. The purpose was to enhance the understanding of how team performance is related to team communication. Ten Swedish fighter pilots and four fighter controllers of varying experience participated. Data were collected during fighter simulator training involving four pilots and one fighter controller in each of two teams. Speech acts were collapsed over seven categories and communication problems over five categories. Communication was studied from two perspectives: critical situation outcome and mission outcome. Some problems were closely related to particular speech acts. Speech act frequency, especially meta-communications and tactics, was highest when winning. However, the timing of tactics in critical situations needs further research. Communication problem frequency was highest for runs which ended equally. The most common problem was simultaneous speech, possibly because of the simulator radio system. The number of speech acts was related to enhanced performance but in a complex manner. Thus in order to work efficiently team members need to communicate, but to communicate sufficiently and at appropriate times. This work has applications for fighter pilot and controller team training and the development of communication standards.
Strength Training Preserves the Bone Mineral Density of Postmenopausal Women Without Hormone Replacement Therapy

Objective: The study was designed to evaluate the effects of strength training (ST) on the bone mineral density (BMD) of postmenopausal women without hormone replacement therapy. Method: Subjects were randomized into untrained (UN) or trained (TR) groups. The TR group exercised three ST sessions per week for 24 weeks, and body composition, muscular strength, and BMD of the lumbar spine and femur neck were evaluated. Results: Body weight, mass index, and fat percentage were lower after 24 weeks only in the TR group (p < .05). SR also improved the one repetition maximum test in 46% and 39% of upper and lower limbs, respectively. The percentage of demineralization was higher in the UN group than in the TR group at the lumbar spine and femoral neck (p < .05). Discussion: Results indicated that 24 weeks of ST improved body composition parameters, increased muscular strength, and preserved BMD in postmenopausal women.
Recent prospective of nanofiber scaffolds fabrication approaches for skin regeneration

Abstract The largest organ of human body is skin, which acting as a barrier with immunologic, sensorial and protective functions. It is always in exposure to the external environment, which can result many different types of damage and injury with loss of variable volumes of extracellular matrix (ECM). For the treatment of skin lesions and damages, several approaches are now accessible, such as the application of allografts, autografts, and tissue-engineered substitutes, wound dressings and nanofiber scaffolds approaches. Even though proven clinically effective, these methods are still characterized by main drawbacks such as patient inadequate vascularization, morbidity, the inability to reproduce skin appendages, low adherence to the wound bed and high manufacturing costs. Advanced approaches based on nanofiber scaffolds approaches offer a permanent, viable and effective substitute to explain the drawbacks of skin regeneration and repair by combining growth factors, cells, and biomaterials and advanced biomanufacturing methods. This review details recent advances of nanofiber scaffolds in skin regeneration and repair strategies, and describes a synthesis method of nanofiber scaffolds.
Effect of wind speed probability distribution on lifetime of power semiconductors in the wind power converters

Power converters are crucial components of the wind turbine generator system (WTGS), and the reliability of wind power converters is partly susceptible to the wind speed at the wind sites. The existing literatures, which evaluate the effect of wind speed on lifetime of power semiconductors, mostly compare lifetime of power semiconductors in the different wind farm and hardly obtain relationship between wind speed distribution and lifetime of power semiconductors. In this paper, a lifetime evaluation approach of the power semiconductors in WTGS considering the probability distribution of wind speed is firstly presented, and then the relationship between the probability of wind speed and the lifetime consumption of power semiconductors is obtained. The results show that the great majority of the lifetime of power semiconductors is consumed when the wind speed is equal to and higher than the wind speed which is close to the rated wind speed, however, the probability of this wind speed range is much small. Based on this observation, a new idea for extending the lifetime of wind power converters through modifying the control scheme is presented in this paper. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified through a case study.
The ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Hebeloma cylindrosporum undergoes early waves of transcriptional reprogramming prior to symbiotic structures differentiation

To clarify the early molecular interaction between ectomycorrhizal partners, we performed a RNA-Seq study of transcriptome reprogramming of the basidiomycete Hebeloma cylindrosporum before symbiotic structure differentiation with Pinus pinaster. Mycorrhiza transcriptome was studied for comparison. By reference to asymbiotic mycelium, 47 and 46 genes were specifically upregulated over fivefold (p ≤ 0.05) upon rhizosphere colonization and root adhesion respectively. Other 45 were upregulated throughout the symbiotic interaction, from rhizosphere colonization to differentiated mycorrhizas, whereas 274 were specifically upregulated in mycorrhizas. Although exoproteome represents 5.6% of H. cylindrosporum proteome, 38.5% of the genes upregulated upon pre-infectious root colonization encoded extracellular proteins. The proportion decreased to 23.5% in mycorrhizas. At all studied time points, mycorrhiza-induced small secreted proteins (MiSSPs), representing potential effectors, were over-represented among upregulated genes. This was also the case for carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). Several CAZymes were upregulated at all studied stages of the interaction. Consistent with a role in fungal morphogenesis and symbiotic interface differentiation, CAZymes over-expressed before and upon root attachment targeted fungal and both fungal and plant polysaccharides respectively. Different hydrophobins were upregulated upon early root adhesion, in mycorrhizas or throughout interaction. The functional classification of genes upregulated only in mycorrhizas pointed to intense metabolic activity and nutritional exchanges.
Pharmacokinetics of tolbutamide and its metabolite 4‐hydroxy tolbutamide in poloxamer 407‐induced hyperlipidemic rats

Under hyperlipidemic conditions, there are likely to be alterations in the pharmacokinetics of CYP2C11 substrates following decreased expression of CYP2C11, which is homologous to human CYP2C9. The pharmacokinetics of tolbutamide (TB) and its metabolite 4‐hydroxy tolbutamide (4‐OHTB) were evaluated as a CYP2C11 probe after intravenous and oral administration of 10 mg/kg tolbutamide to poloxamer 407‐induced hyperlipidemic rats (HL rats). Changes in the expression and metabolic activity of hepatic CYP2C11 and the plasma protein binding of tolbutamide in HL rats were also evaluated. The total area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) of tolbutamide in HL rats after intravenous administration was comparable to that in controls due to their comparable non‐renal clearance (CLNR). The free fractions of tolbutamide in plasma were comparable between the control and HL rats. The 4‐hydroxylated metabolite formation ratio (AUC4‐OHTB/AUCTB) in HL rats was significantly smaller than that in the control rats as a result of the reduced expression of hepatic CYP2C11 (by 15.0%) and decreased hepatic CLint (by 28.8%) for metabolism of tolbutamide to 4‐OHTB via CYP2C11. Similar pharmacokinetic changes were observed in HL rats after oral administration of tolbutamide. These findings have potential therapeutic implications, assuming that the HL rat model qualitatively reflects similar changes in patients with hyperlipidemia. Since other sulfonylureas in clinical use are substrates of CYP2C9, their hepatic CLint changes have the potential to cause clinically relevant pharmacokinetic changes in a hyperlipidemic state. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Broadband Rydberg Atom-Based Electric-Field Probe for SI-Traceable, Self-Calibrated Measurements

We discuss a fundamentally new approach for the measurement of electric (E) fields that will lead to the development of a broadband, direct SI-traceable, compact, self-calibrating E-field probe (sensor). This approach is based on the interaction of radio frequency (RF) fields with alkali atoms excited to Rydberg states. The RF field causes an energy splitting of the Rydberg states via the Autler-Townes effect and we detect the splitting via electromagnetically induced transparency. In effect, alkali atoms placed in a vapor cell act like an RF-to-optical transducer, converting an RF E-field strength measurement to an optical frequency measurement. We demonstrate the broadband nature of this approach by showing that one small vapor cell can be used to measure E-field strengths over a wide range of frequencies: 1 GHz to 500 GHz. The technique is validated by comparing experimental data to both numerical simulations and far-field calculations for various frequencies. We also discuss various applications, including: a direct traceable measurement, the ability to measure both weak and strong field strengths, compact form factors of the probe, and sub-wavelength imaging and field mapping.
Structural changes in α‐synuclein affect its chaperone‐like activity in vitro

α‐Synuclein, a major constituent of Lewy bodies (LBs) in Parkinson's disease (PD), has been implicated to play a critical role in synaptic events, such as neuronal plasticity during development, learning, and degeneration under pathological conditions, although the physiological function of α‐synuclein has not yet been established. We here present biochemical evidence that recombinant α‐synuclein has a chaperone‐like function against thermal and chemical stress in vitro. In our experiments, α‐synuclein protected glutathione S‐transferase (GST) and aldolase from heat‐induced precipitation, and α‐lactalbumin and bovine serum albumin from dithiothreitol (DTT)‐induced precipitation like other molecular chaperones. Moreover, preheating of α‐synuclein, which is believed to reorganize the molecular surface of α‐synuclein, increased the chaperone‐like activity. Interestingly, in organic solvents, which promotes the formation of secondary structure, α‐synuclein aggregated more easily than in its native condition, which eventually might abrogate the chaperone‐like function of the protein. In addition, α‐synuclien was also rapidly and significantly precipitated by heat in the presence of Zn2+ in vitro, whereas it was not affected by the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+. Circular dichroism spectra confirmed that α‐synuclein underwent conformational change in the presence of Zn2+. Taken together, our data suggest that α‐synuclein could act as a molecular chaperone, and that the conformational change of the α‐synuclein could explain the aggregation kinetics of α‐synuclein, which may be related to the abolishment of the chaperonic‐like activity.
What research in software product line engineering is not solving in configuration

Customers no longer consider configuration special: They expect it. This expectation applies both to simple goods like t-shirts or yoghurt and to sophisticated products composed of heterogeneous hardware and software like cars or ships. The software product line community has contributed to making the software configuration of such products more robust and efficient. Yet, despite those efforts, some challenges remain open. This keynote will bring to light some of those challenges by answering the question: What is research in software product line engineering not solving in configuration? The first part of the keynote will look at one massive supplier of products engineered from heterogeneous material and digital artefacts: The semiconductor industry. In this first part, I will present some configuration challenges faced when I moved to the semiconductor industry to which my research background had no out-of-box solution. Through examples, I will highlight (1) how practical challenges can be rooted in working hypotheses, and (2) which research avenues those challenges open. The second part of the keynote takes some altitude to stare at two emergent configuration challenges. First, the once distinct line between hardware and software, developing and manufacturing, building and installing is blurring. As products embed more and more software, the need to integrate application and product lifecycle management (ALM and PLM) tools is pressing. I will illustrate how the weak integration of ALM and PLM tools can affect lead time and product quality. Secondly, the ubiquity of software in products, coupled with shrinking globalization product lifecycles, reshapes communication between parts, products, companies, and end-users. This change blurs yet another solid line: The line between product engineering and operations. Here again, I will point out why ALM, PLM, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool vendors struggle to keep up with the pace of the demand from companies. Those two challenges fall under the umbrella of popular themes known as cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, or the fourth industrial revolution, a.k. a. Industry 4.0. The challenges posed by Industry 4.0 are likely to become strong drivers for software product line engineering. Indeed, smart sensors and adaptive software are the foundation stones for the new industrial revolution. Not only will those technologies be embedded in innumerable devices, but they will also have to guarantee unmatched reliability and security levels in versatile environments. The keynote will conclude with an open window on those perspectives.
A critique on previous work in vision aided navigation

This paper presents a critique on previous work in the field of vision aided navigation, particularly in the fusion of visual and inertial sensors for navigation. Several improvements and updates are proposed for the existent systems. GPS receivers have allowed for accurate navigation for many vehicles and robotic platforms. GPS based navigation can, however, prove to be impractical in applications where there is no GPS reception such as underground, indoors or in some urban areas. This pertains, in particular, to many robotic applications where position must be known in global coordinates or relative to a reference point. An inertial navigation system (INS) can be used to calculate one's relative navigation state via dead-reckoning calculations. The downfall of a low-cost INS is the errors associated with the system. While these errors are initially small, integration causes large drift errors over time. To combat this problem, cameras can be used to estimate the errors present in the INS readings. These results can then be used to correct the navigation state output from the INS. While the motion estimations from the cameras are not error-free, this method is made highly effective because of the complementary nature of the errors from the cameras and INS. Several improvements are proposed for this method; algorithmically, in updates to its hardware, and with the introduction of graphics processors to improve computational performance. The overall system performance, individual steps, algorithms, and results are compared to results from similar works to those of the proposed improvements. It is shown that the accuracy, responsiveness and overall performance of the system can potentially be greatly improved.
Low-level lead exposure and the IQ of children. A meta-analysis of modern studies.

We identified 24 modern studies of childhood exposures to lead in relation to IQ. From this population, 12 that employed multiple regression analysis with IQ as the dependent variable and lead as the main effect and that controlled for nonlead covariates were selected for a quantitative, integrated review or meta-analysis. The studies were grouped according to type of tissue analyzed for lead. There were 7 blood and 5 tooth lead studies. Within each group, we obtained joint P values by two different methods and average effect sizes as measured by the partial correlation coefficients. We also investigated the sensitivity of the results to any single study. The sample sizes ranged from 75 to 724. The sign of the regression coefficient for lead was negative in 11 of 12 studies. The negative partial r's for lead ranged from -. 27 to -. 003. The power to find an effect was limited, below 0.6 in 7 of 12 studies. The joint P values for the blood lead studies were less than . 0001 for both methods of analysis (95% confidence interval for group partial r, -.15 +/- .05), while for the tooth lead studies they were . 0005 and . 004, respectively (95% confidence interval for group partial r, -.08 +/- .05). The hypothesis that lead impairs children's IQ at low dose is strongly supported by this quantitative review. The effect is robust to the impact of any single study.
Ten novel mutations found in aniridia

Aniridia (AN) is a sight‐threatening congenital ocular disorder characterized by iris hypoplasia, corneal pannus, foveal and optic nerve hypoplasia, cataract formation, and glaucoma. In two‐thirds of the patients, AN is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with almost complete penetrance but variable expression. The remaining cases are sporadic. Aniridia has been shown to be associated with mutations in the PAX6 gene, located on chromosome 11p13, telomeric to the Wilms' tumor predisposition gene (WT1). This paper describes 14 mutations in the PAX6 gene in patients with AN. Among these 14 mutations, 10 have been unpublished until now. They result most probably in haploinsufficiency and consequently in a reduced protein level of functional PAX6 protein. The mutations reported here are scattered all over the gene, including the paired‐box, the glycine‐rich region, the homeobox, and the proline–serine–threonine (PST)‐rich region. Hum Mutat 12:304–313, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
Ethics and compliance in corporations: values based approach

In the corporate world, one comes across titles such as Ethics Counsellor, Compliance Officer, Ethics and Compliance Officer, Ethics Officer and many others. Though the titles differ, all persons working in the Ethics & Compliance programs in corporations share the common goal of promoting responsible conduct in the corporation. With the overarching goal being the same, the approach and strategies vary based on the chosen title: Ethics or Compliance. Under the Ethics approach, one strives to select individuals with good character, depends on the inherent goodness of employees, and employs ethics exhortations. With the Compliance approach, one depends on codified rules and adherence to these codified rules which usually originate from the law, and which are extended by the company policies. Both approaches have pros and cons, and the cons often outweigh the pros. The various stories of corporate misadventures reported in the newspapers, raise questions on the efficacy of these approaches. There is third approach based on "values", which can possibly be more effective in resonating with the employees of a corporation. By identifying the stakeholders (not limited to the financial stakeholders) who are impacted by the corporation, by recognizing the interests of the stakeholders, by committing to the values and duties of care towards stakeholders, "responsible conduct" of the corporation towards the stakeholders can be pursued effectively, and sustainably.