Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Edinburgh Research Explorer Pigs lacking the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain 5 of CD163 are resistant to PRRSV-1 infection

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has a narrow host cell tropism, limited to cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. CD163 protein is expressed at high levels on the surface of speciﬁc macrophage types, and a soluble form is circulating in blood. CD163 has been described as a fusion receptor for PRRSV, with the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain 5 (SRCR5) region having been shown to be the interaction site for the virus. As re-ported previously, we have generated pigs in which exon 7 of the CD163 gene has been deleted using CRISPR/Cas9 editing in pig zygotes. These pigs express CD163 protein lacking SRCR5 (ΔSRCR5 CD163) and show no adverse effects when maintained under standard husbandry conditions. Not only was ΔSRCR5 CD163 detected on the surface of macrophage subsets, but the secreted, soluble protein can also be detected in the serum of the edited pigs, as shown here by a porcine soluble CD163-speciﬁc enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Previous results showed that primary macrophage cells from ΔSRCR5 CD163 animals are resistant to PRRSV-1 subtype 1, 2, and 3 as well as PRRSV-2 infection in vitro .
Environmental sex determination in a splash pool copepod

The sex-determining mechanism has important demographic and genetic consequences by virtue of its effect on the population sex ratio. Here we investigate the effect of temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) on the primary sex ratio of the harpacticoid copepod, Tigriopus californicus. At the two experimental temperatures (15° and 22°C) used in this study, the primary sex ratio is almost always biased in favour of males. Higher temperatures induce masculinization and the change in sex ratio is not caused by differential mortality of the sexes. The mean level of TSD in the population is small (proportion of males increases by ~5% between 15° and 22°C) because only one-third of the families actually exhibit a significant sex-ratio response while the rest of the population is insensitive to temperature. A comparison of the primary sex ratio and the level of TSD between two locations reveals few differences among populations. Finally, individuals still exhibited TSD after having been maintained under constant temperature conditions in the lab for several generations. In addition the proportion of temperature-sensitive individuals remained unchanged. This suggests that the observed level of TSD is not an artefact of testing field-captured individuals in a novel laboratory environment. At this point the adaptive significance of temperature-dependent sex determination in T. californicus remains unknown. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 76, 511–520.
NIR imaging spectroscopy of the inner few arcseconds of NGC 4151 with OSIRIS at Keck

We present H- and K-band data from the inner arcsecond of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 obtained with the adaptive optics assisted near-infrared imaging field spectrograph OSIRIS at the Keck Observatory. We present the morphology and dynamics of most species detected but focus on the morphology and dynamics of the narrow line region (as traced by emission of [FeII] \lambda 1.644\mu m), the interplay between plasma ejected from the nucleus (as traced by 21 cm continuum radio data) and hot H2 gas and characterize the detected nuclear HeI$\lambda 2.058 \mu m absorption feature as a narrow absorption line (NAL) phenomenon.
Numerical Simulation of Waves and Fronts in Inhomogeneous Solids

This book shows the advanced methods of numerical simulation of waves and fronts propagation in inhomogeneous solids and introduces related important ideas associated with the application of numerical methods for these problems. Great care has been taken throughout the book to seek a balance between the thermomechanical analysis and numerical techniques. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in continuum mechanics and engineering. Necessary prerequisites for this text are basic continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. Some elementary knowledge of numerical methods for partial differential equations is also preferable.
Antidepressant-Like Activity of Ethanol Extract of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) in Mice

Ganoderma lucidum, known as “Lingzhi” in China, is one among greatly regarded fungi around the world. In old Chinese encyclopedias of medical “Shen Nong’s Ben Cao Jing” and “Ben Cao Gang Mu”, it is rated as extraordinarily precious fungus. In this study, antidepressant activity of ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum has been assessed. The extract was given orally by gavage at the dose of 20 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg, and 130 mg/kg body weight. Fluoxetine (20 mg/kg p.o.) was used as the standard drug. The results of our study show that Ganoderma lucidum significantly decreased immobility time in forced swim test and tail suspension test. Open field test was used to assess locomotor activity of the mice to exclude the false positive results. In open field test, Ganoderma lucidum didn’t affect the total movement and ambulatory movement at the same doses that significantly reduced immobility time in the forced swim test and tail suspension test. Thus, it is concluded that ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum has antidepressant activity in mice.
Large diffusion lengths of excitons in perovskite and TiO2 heterojunction

Solar cells based on organometal halide perovskites have recently become very promising among other materials because of their cost-effective character and improvements in efficiency. Such performance is primarily associated with effective light absorption and large diffusion length of charge carriers. Our paper is devoted to the explanation of large diffusion lengths in these systems. The transport mean free path of charged carriers in a perovskite/TiO2 heterojunction that is an important constituent of the solar cells have been analyzed. Large transport length is explained by the planar diffusion of indirect excitons. Diffusion length of the coupled system increases by several orders compared to single carrier length due to the correlated character of the effective field acting on the exciton.
Eastern Pacific Warm Pool paleosalinity and climate variability: 0-30 kyr

Multiproxy geologic records of δ18O and Mg/Ca in fossil foraminifera from sediments under the Eastern Pacific Warm Pool (EPWP) region west of Central America document variations in upper ocean temperature, pycnocline strength, and salinity (i.e., net precipitation) over the past 30 kyr. Although evident in the paleotemperature record, there is no glacial-interglacial difference in paleosalinity, suggesting that tropical hydrologic changes do not respond passively to high-latitude ice sheets and oceans. Millennial variations in paleosalinity with amplitudes as high as ∼4 practical salinity units occur with a dominant period of ∼3–5 ky during the glacial/deglacial interval and ∼1.0–1.5 ky during the Holocene. The amplitude of the EPWP paleosalinity changes greatly exceeds that of published Caribbean and western tropical Pacific paleosalinity records. EPWP paleosalinity changes correspond to millennial-scale climate changes in the surface and deep Atlantic and the high northern latitudes, with generally higher (lower) paleosalinity during cold (warm) events. In addition to Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) dynamics, which play an important role in tropical hydrologic variability, changes in Atlantic-Pacific moisture transport, which is closely linked to ITCZ dynamics, may also contribute to hydrologic variations in the EPWP. Calculations of interbasin salinity average and interbasin salinity contrast between the EPWP and the Caribbean help differentiate long-term changes in mean ITCZ position and Atlantic-Pacific moisture transport, respectively.
Analysis of the biological role of prion-related Shadoo protein on early mouse embryogenesis

The prion family comprises of Prion, Shadoo and Doppel proteins, encoded by Prnp, Sprn and Prnd, respectively.Expression pattern of these genes in early mouse embryogenesis was investigated using RT-PCR experiments on FVB/N mice embryosand by in situ hybridization (HIS) at 3 early developmental stages. They were found to be expressed at all stages, in both placenta and embryo.Ubiquitous hybridization was observed for the three lociby HIS. These results are compatible with potential biological overlapping roles of these proteins during mouse embryogenesis. We also analyzed the transmission of an LS1.06 transgenic mice line, characterized by a 70% downregulationofSprngene expression.Only 5% of offspring from FVB/N LSI.06+/--Prnp+/-with FVB/N Prnp-/-crosses were of a FVB/N LSI.06+/--Prnp-/- genotype, suggestive ofa lethal-associated embryonic phenotype. However, crossing FVB/N LSI.06+/--Prnp-/-with Prnp-/- showed a Mendelian transmission rate. This suggested a physical linkage between the transgene integration site and Prnp locus. Indeed, the transgene integration site was found to be located within an intron of the mouse Api5 gene, at 37.5 Mbof thePrnp locus. It thus likely explains the observed transmission rates.
The Relationship between Establishment Training and the Retention of Older Workers: Evidence from Germany

In the coming years, a substantial portion of Germany's workforce will retire, making it difficult for businesses to meet human capital needs. Training older workers may be a successful strategy for managing this demographic transition. This study examines relationships between establishment training programs, wages, and retirement among older men and women. Using unique matched establishment-employee data from Germany, the authors find that when establishments offer special training programs targeted at older workers, women – and especially lower wage women – are less likely to retire. Results suggest this relationship may be due to greater wage growth. For men, findings suggest establishment offer of inclusion in standard training programs may improve retention of low wage men, but analysis of pre-existing differences in establishment retirement patterns suggests this relationship may not be causal. Our research suggests targeted training programs likely play an important role in retaining and advancing careers of low wage older women.
What Bayesian modelling can tell us about statistical learning: What it requires and why it works

This paper explores the why and what of statistical learning from a computational modelling perspective. We suggest that Bayesian techniques can be useful for understanding what kinds of learners and assumptions are necessary for successful statistical learning. The inferences that can be made by a learner are driven by both the units that such learning operates over and the levels of abstraction it includes. Other assumptions made by the learner have non-trivial affects as well, including assumptions about the process in the world generating the data, as well as whether it is more reasonable to make inferences on the basis of types, tokens, or a mixture of the two. Finally, of course, any learner must incorporate – whether explicitly or implicitly – certain assumptions in the form of their prior biases and the nature of the hypotheses they can represent and consider. We discuss the ways in which these assumptions might drive what is learned, and how Bayesian modelling can be a useful way of exploring these issues.
Facial Expression Recognition using Moments Invariants and Modified Hidden Markov Model

Facial Expression Recognition is an application used for biometric software that can be used to identify special expressions in a digital image by comparing and analysing the different patterns. These software are popularly used for the purpose of security and are commonly used in other applications such as home security, human-computer interface, credit card verification, surveillance systems, medicines etc. Recognizing faces becomes very difficult when there is a change occurs in facial expressions. In this paper two layer extension of HMM is used to recognized continuous effective facial expressions. Moments Invariants are used for feature extraction. Two layered extension of HMM consists of bottom layer which represents the atomic expression made by eyes, nose and lips. Further upper layer represents the combination of these atomic expressions such as smile, fear etc. In HMM, Baum-Welch, Viterbi and Forward Procedure methods are used for parameter estimation, calculating the optimal state sequence and for probability calculation of the observed sequence respectively. This proposed system consists of three level of classification. Output of the first level is used for the training purposes for the second level and further this level is used for the third level for testing. Six basic facial expressions are recognised i.e. anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and surprise. Experimental result shows that Proposed System performs better than normal HMM and has the overall accuracy of 84% using JAFFE database.
Association of Alpha-2 Beta-1 Integrin Polymorphism with Retinopathy in Diabetic Patients

Aim: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a health concern because it leads to complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy. Pakistan has 6.9 million DM affected people that will be doubled by 2025. A study was designed to determine the role of genetics in diabetic retinopathy in Pakistani type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Material and methods: It was a cross-sectional case-control study that included 236 subjects, divided into Group I (54 volunteers without diabetes), Group II (30 T2DM patients without retinopathy) and Group III (152 T2DM patients with retinopathy). A BglII polymorphism of α2β1 integrin gene was genotyped in all these individuals by using RFLP method. Results: The frequency of BglII polymorphism (++ and +-) genotypes was found significantly different between group I and group III individuals. Conclusion: BglII (+/+, +/-) genotypes, gender of subject, age at the onset of diabetes, and duration of diabetes is associated with development of diabetic retinopathy in Pakistani T2DM patients.
Investigation of Blood Selenium and Zinc in Type2 Diabetes with TCF7L2 (rs7903146 C/T) Genotypes

TCF7L2 (rs7903146) as one of the most significant single nucleotide polymorphism, is one of the associated genes with type 2 diabetes. This case-control study was performed on the whole blood of 87 patients with type 2 diabetes and 45 healthy people. Selenium and zinc concentrations in whole blood were measured using flameless atomic-absorption spectrometry. The genotype of TCF7L2 was achieved by real-time PCR and high-resolution melt (HRM). In order to data analyzing, the t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. The difference of zinc levels and also selenium levels in whole blood for both healthy (Zinc: 164.75 μgr dL-1, selenium: 140.71 μgr L-1) and patients (Zinc: 136.77 μgr dL-1, selenium: 111.66 μgr L-1) groups was significant (P-value <0.05). The different levels of zinc and selenium in healthy genotype group (TT, CT, CC) and type 2 diabetic patient genotype (TT, CT, CC) group was also significant (P-value <0.05). The presence of the T allele as a risk factor led to reducing zinc levels in healthy subjects. Significant reduction in zinc in the diabetic CT versus healthy CC and in diabetic TT versus healthy CT can be considered as a result of the T allele risk. Amount of selenium in TT genotype in both control group and diabetic patients was reduced.
Characterization of fatigue-induced free volume changes in a bulk metallic glass using positron annihilation spectroscopy

Depth-profiled Doppler broadening spectroscopy of positron annihilation on the cyclic fatigue-induced fracture surfaces of three amorphous Zr44Ti11Ni10Cu10Be25 metallic glass specimens reveals the presence of a 30–50nm layer of increased free volume that is generated by the propagating fatigue crack tip. The presence and character of this fatigue transformation zone is independent of the initial amount of bulk free volume, which was varied by structural relaxation via annealing, and the voids generated in the zone by intense cyclic deformation are distinct from those typical of the bulk.
The diffuse Nitsche method: Dirichlet constraints on phase‐field boundaries

We explore diffuse formulations of Nitsche's method for consistently imposing Dirichlet boundary conditions on phase‐field approximations of sharp domains. Leveraging the properties of the phase‐field gradient, we derive the variational formulation of the diffuse Nitsche method by transferring all integrals associated with the Dirichlet boundary from a geometrically sharp surface format in the standard Nitsche method to a geometrically diffuse volumetric format. We also derive conditions for the stability of the discrete system and formulate a diffuse local eigenvalue problem, from which the stabilization parameter can be estimated automatically in each element. We advertise metastable phase‐field solutions of the Allen‐Cahn problem for transferring complex imaging data into diffuse geometric models. In particular, we discuss the use of mixed meshes, that is, an adaptively refined mesh for the phase‐field in the diffuse boundary region and a uniform mesh for the representation of the physics‐based solution fields. We illustrate accuracy and convergence properties of the diffuse Nitsche method and demonstrate its advantages over diffuse penalty‐type methods. In the context of imaging‐based analysis, we show that the diffuse Nitsche method achieves the same accuracy as the standard Nitsche method with sharp surfaces, if the inherent length scales, ie, the interface width of the phase‐field, the voxel spacing, and the mesh size, are properly related. We demonstrate the flexibility of the new method by analyzing stresses in a human vertebral body.
From Old Thinking to New Thinking in Qualitative Research

Robert English has provided a strongly written critique of our article “Power, Globalization, and the End of the Cold War. ”1 Unfortunately, his reply may have the unintended consequence of reinforcing a pernicious but popular view among political scientists that qualitative research—especially on single cases—cannot generate progress. Here we have a case of seminal importance that has attracted the sustained attention of dozens of international relations scholars for more than a decade, and yet it appears that scholars are still involved in what looks like an interminable historians’ debate over causes. In this article we show that such a reaction would be utterly unjustiaed. We have two basic responses. First, much of English’s critique misses the mark because it is based on a misunderstanding of our research design. Second, his reply is nonetheless a test of our major andings conducted by a skeptical and talented researcher. Our analysis passes this tough test, though English does advance some useful criticisms. We proceed in four sections. First, we show that major progress has been made in explaining the end of the Cold War and establishing its theoretical implications. The debate now turns mainly on how to assess the causal implications of widely accepted andings, which is why issues of qualitative research design are so important. In the second section, we demonstrate the importance of moving beyond the framework of necessary and sufacient conditions toward a more probabilistic approach. Because it is constrained by the old framework, English’s reply cannot directly engage much of our analysis. Third, we explain how we designed our research on this case to assess endogeneity. A failure to appreciate why and how we tackled this key issue is the source of English’s serious—and wrong—charge that our research was “biased. ” The fourth section addresses English’s most central empirical challenge concerning hard-line alternatives to Soviet retrenchment. In this case, as in so many others, New versus Old Thinking in Qualitative Research
Neuropsychiatric Manifestation in HIV/ AIDS

1 MD, Psychiatry, RIMS, Imphal 2 Associate Prof, Psychiatry, Dept of Psychiatry, RIMS, Imphal 3 Dept of Medicine, RIMS, Imphal Corresponding Author Dr Satish Rasaily MD Psychiatry cum Post-doctoral fellowship in Addiction Medicine Email: s_rasaily@Yahoo.com Abstract Aim: To study the neuropsychiatric manifestations in patients with HIV / AIDS. Design: Cross – sectional study Methods: 50 male & female HIV positive / AIDS patients in the age range of 18-60yrs of age without any past psychiatric / organic brain disorder/ current alcohol & substance dependence were assessed using semi-structured socio-demographic Performa, Mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI PLUS) and Mini mental status examination (MMSE) to diagnose psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment at Department of medicine, RIMS hospital, Imphal between 2009-2010. Results: Participants were mostly above 35yrs old (74%), male (70%), Hindu (72%), married (88%), above matriculate (68%), employed (68%) residing in urban area (72%) who acquired HIV infection through sexually (66%) and IVDU (34%). Diagnosis represented in the sample were the MDD 38% (P=0.000), GAD 34 %( P=0.002), Social phobia 34 %( P=0.002), Panic disorder (12%). PTSD (10%), Melancholia (10%), Dysthymia (8%), Psychosis (3%) & Agoraphobia (2%). Suicidal intent was expressed by 26%. Conclusion: This study suggest that the rates of psychiatric manifestation in HIV positive/ AIDS patients are significantly higher than the general population which emphasizes the need to recognize the psychiatric morbidity among people living with HIV / AIDS.
Native or Exotic? Double or Single? Evaluating Plants for Pollinator-friendly Gardens.

In a series of dawn-to-dusk studies, we examined the nature and accessibility of nectar rewards for pollinating insects by monitoring insect visits and the secretion rate and standing crop of nectar in the British native plant species Salvia pratensis , Stachys palustris , S. officinalis , Lythrum salicaria , Linaria vulgaris , the non-native Calendula officinalis , Petunia × hybrida , Salvia splendens , and the possibly introduced Saponaria officinalis . We also compared single with double variants of Lotus corniculatus , Saponaria officinalis , Petunia × hybrida and Calendula officinalis . All the British species studied are nectar-rich and are recommended for pollinator-friendly gardens. They showed maximal secretion rates of about 10-90 μg sugar per flower h -1 , and most had mean standing crops of about 5-60 μg sugar per flower. In all British species studied, the corolla was deep enough for the relatively long-tongued bumblebee Bombus pascuorum , but the shallower flowers of Lythrum salicaria were also much visited by shorter-tongued bees and hoverflies, as well as by butterflies. The exotic Salvia splendens , presumably coevolved with hummingbirds in the Neotropics, has such deep flowers that British bees cannot reach the nectar except by crawling down the corolla. With a secretion rate approaching 300 μg sugar per flower h -1 and little depletion by insects, S. splendens accumulated high standing crops of nectar. S. splendens , and single and double flowers of the two probably moth-pollinated species Petunia × hybrida and Saponaria officinalis , received few daytime visits despite abundant nectar but Calendula was well visited by hoverflies and bees. We compared single and double variants of Lotus corniculatus , Petunia × hybrida and Calendula officinalis , and also Saponaria officinalis , the last being probably introduced in Britain (Stace, 1997 New flora of the British Isles. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). In Petunia , Saponaria and Lotus , double flowers secreted little or no nectar. In Calendula , where doubling involved a change in the proportion of disc and ray florets rather than modification of individual flower structure, double and single capitula had similar standing crops of nectar. Except in Calendula , exotic or double flowers were little exploited by insect visitors. In the exotics, this was probably due to the absence or scarcity of coevolved pollinators, coupled, in double flowers, with the absence of nectar.