Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Two in Planta Expressed LysM Effector Homologs from the Fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola Reveals Novel Functional Properties and Varying Contributions to Virulence on Wheat1[W][OA]

Secreted effector proteins enable plant pathogenic fungi to manipulate host defenses for successful infection. Mycosphaerella graminicola causes Septoria tritici blotch disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaves. Leaf infection involves a long (approximately 7 d) period of symptomless intercellular colonization prior to the appearance of necrotic disease lesions. Therefore, M. graminicola is considered as a hemibiotrophic (or necrotrophic) pathogen. Here, we describe the molecular and functional characterization of M. graminicola homologs of Ecp6 (for extracellular protein 6), the Lysin (LysM) domain-containing effector from the biotrophic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaf mold fungus Cladosporium fulvum, which interferes with chitin-triggered immunity in plants. Three LysM effector homologs are present in the M. graminicola genome, referred to as Mg3LysM, Mg1LysM, and MgxLysM. Mg3LysM and Mg1LysM genes were strongly transcriptionally up-regulated specifically during symptomless leaf infection. Both proteins bind chitin; however, only Mg3LysM blocked the elicitation of chitin-induced plant defenses. In contrast to C. fulvum Ecp6, both Mg1LysM and Mg3LysM also protected fungal hyphae against plant-derived hydrolytic enzymes, and both genes show significantly more nucleotide polymorphism giving rise to nonsynonymous amino acid changes. While Mg1LysM deletion mutant strains of M. graminicola were fully pathogenic toward wheat leaves, Mg3LysM mutant strains were severely impaired in leaf colonization, did not trigger lesion formation, and were unable to undergo asexual sporulation. This virulence defect correlated with more rapid and pronounced expression of wheat defense genes during the symptomless phase of leaf colonization. These data highlight different functions for MgLysM effector homologs during plant infection, including novel activities that distinguish these proteins from C. fulvum Ecp6.
Genetic requirements and mutational specificity of the Escherichia coli SOS mutator activity

To better understand the mechanisms of SOS mutagenesis in the bacterium Escherichia coli, we have undertaken a genetic analysis of the SOS mutator activity. The SOS mutator activity results from constitutive expression of the SOS system in strains carrying a constitutively activated RecA protein (RecA730). We show that the SOS mutator activity is not enhanced in strains containing deficiencies in the uvrABC nucleotide excision-repair system or the xth and nfo base excision-repair systems. Further, recA730-induced errors are shown to be corrected by the MutHLS-dependent mismatch-repair system as efficiently as the corresponding errors in the rec+ background. These results suggest that the SOS mutator activity does not reflect mutagenesis at so-called cryptic lesions but instead represents an amplification of normally occurring DNA polymerase errors. Analysis of the base-pair-substitution mutations induced by recA730 in a mismatch repair-deficient background shows that both transition and transversion errors are amplified, although the effect is much larger for transversions than for transitions. Analysis of the mutator effect in various dnaE strains, including dnaE antimutators, as well as in proofreading-deficient dnaQ (mutD) strains suggests that in recA730 strains, two types of replication errors occur in parallel: (i) normal replication errors that are subject to both exonucleolytic proofreading and dnaE antimutator effects and (ii) recA730-specific errors that are not susceptible to either proofreading or dnaE antimutator effects. The combined data are consistent with a model suggesting that in recA730 cells error-prone replication complexes are assembled at sites where DNA polymerization is temporarily stalled, most likely when a normal polymerase insertion error has created a poorly extendable terminal mismatch. The modified complex forces extension of the mismatch largely at the exclusion of proofreading and polymerase dissociation pathways. SOS mutagenesis targeted at replication-blocking DNA lesions likely proceeds in the same manner.
Minimum Time Search in Real-World Scenarios Using Multiple UAVs with Onboard Orientable Cameras

This paper proposes a new evolutionary planner to determine the trajectories of several Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the scan direction of their cameras for minimizing the expected detection time of a nondeterministically moving target of uncertain initial location. To achieve this, the planner can reorient the UAVs cameras and modify the UAVs heading, speed, and height with the purpose of making the UAV reach and the camera observe faster the areas with high probability of target presence. Besides, the planner uses a digital elevation model of the search region to capture its influence on the camera likelihood (changing the footprint dimensions and the probability of detection) and to help the operator to construct the initial belief of target presence and target motion model. The planner also lets the operator include intelligence information in the initial target belief and motion model, in order to let him/her model real-world scenarios systematically. All these characteristics let the planner adapt the UAV trajectories and sensor poses to the requirements of minimum time search operations over real-world scenarios, as the results of the paper, obtained over 3 scenarios built with the modeling aid-tools of the planner, show.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: what the general cardiologist should know

### Learning objectives Recent technical developments in cardiovascular imaging have led to a number of options for the non-invasive investigation of cardiovascular disease. Often, the choice of imaging modality comes down to local availability and expertise, as in many clinical scenarios there is not one clearly superior test. This is reflected in current international guidelines and recommendations. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each modality are already well published,1 but for many indications, echocardiography, due to its widespread availability and relative low cost, will remain the initial investigation of choice. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is the most widely used perfusion test (for known/suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)) the world over, although increasingly CT coronary angiography (CTCA) is used in low-risk cases as an excellent rule-out test. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is an established advanced cross-sectional imaging modality for the functional and anatomical assessment of a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. CMR is safe, does not use ionising radiation, provides diagnostic and prognostic information, and guides patient management.2 ,3 The relative duration of the scan time, expense and lack of portability, however, puts the onus on CMR to demonstrate superiority over other imaging modalities. The extensive and growing evidence base for CMR has established it as the reference standard imaging test for many cardiovascular conditions. As such, CMR is firmly established in both national and international clinical guidelines4–7 with recognised international training syllabi and accreditation/certification processes.8–10 CMR demand continues to expand, particularly in the UK, where there was …
Proposal of new HfSiON CMOS fabrication process (HAMDAMA) for low standby power device

The authors propose a practical half-masked Damascene-like full silicidation (HAMDAMA) process to fabricate dual gate HfSiON CMOSFET in which poly-Si and fully silicided (FUSI) NiSi gates are used for n-FET and p-FET, respectively. Using this process, I/sub on/ in p-FET was improved by thinner T/sub eff/(inv) and higher hole mobility than the conventional poly-Si gate process.
Bioavailability and Potential Uses of Vegetarian Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Review of the Literature

Presently alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the most widely used vegetarian LC3PUFA, but only marginal amounts are converted into eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); both of which are strongly related to human health. Currently, fish oils represent the most prominent dietary sources of EPA and DHA; however, these are unsuitable for vegetarians. Alternative sources include flaxseed, echium, walnut, and algal oil but their conversion to EPA and DHA must be considered. The present systematic review sets out to collate information from intervention studies examining the bioavailability of alternative vegetarian long chain omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC3PUFA) sources. Ten key papers published over the last 10 years were identified with seven intervention studies reporting that ALA from nut and seed oils was not converted to DHA at all. Three studies showed that ingestion of micro-algae oil led to significant increases in blood erythrocyte and plasma DHA. Further work is now needed to identify optimal doses of alternative vegetarian LC3PUFAs and how these can be integrated within daily diets. The potential role of algal oils appears to be particularly promising and an area in which further research is warranted.
Semi-Supervised Text Classification With Universum Learning

Universum, a collection of nonexamples that do not belong to any class of interest, has become a new research topic in machine learning. This paper devises a semi-supervised learning with Universum algorithm based on boosting technique, and focuses on situations where only a few labeled examples are available. We also show that the training error of AdaBoost with Universum is bounded by the product of normalization factor, and the training error drops exponentially fast when each weak classifier is slightly better than random guessing. Finally, the experiments use four data sets with several combinations. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm can benefit from Universum examples and outperform several alternative methods, particularly when insufficient labeled examples are available. When the number of labeled examples is insufficient to estimate the parameters of classification functions, the Universum can be used to approximate the prior distribution of the classification functions. The experimental results can be explained using the concept of Universum introduced by Vapnik, that is, Universum examples implicitly specify a prior distribution on the set of classification functions.
Chronic toxicity of 2,4,2′,4′‐tetrabromodiphenyl ether on the marine alga Skeletonema costatum and the crustacean Daphnia magna

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers form a groupof highly hydrophobic and persistent chemicals that are detected in various environmental matrices, such as soil, water, sediments, and biota. Although a variety of biological effects have been documented in vertebrates, the effects in invertebrates seem to be largely unknown. The objective of the present study was to determine the toxic effects of 2,4,2′,4′‐tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 47) on the growth of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum and on the parthogenetic reproduction and filtering activity of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. The results showed that BDE 47 caused growth inhibition in S. costatum (no‐observed‐effect concentration [NOEC], 6.6 μg/L; median effect concentration, 70 μg/L; 95% confidence interval, 64–77 μg/L) and depressed the reproductive output of D. magna (NOEC, 14 μg/L). No effects were seen on the filtering rate of D. magna at any of the concentrations tested. Although sublethal toxicity was observed at low‐μg/L levels, documented environmental water concentrations are many orders of magnitude lower, thus suggesting that BDE 47 is of minor risk to these organisms through direct water exposure.
Experimental Methods for Estimation of Plant Fitness Costs Associated with Herbicide-Resistance Genes

Since the beginning of agriculture, crops have been exposed to recurrent invasion by weeds that can impose severe reductions in crop quality and yield. There have been continuing efforts to reduce the impacts of weeds on production. More than 40 yr ago, overreliance on herbicide technology to reduce weed infestations resulted in the selection of adaptive traits that enabled weed survival and reproduction under herbicide treatments (Délye et al. 2007; Powles and Yu 2010; Vila-Aiub et al. 2008). As a result, herbicide resistance in > 200 weed species has evolved worldwide (Heap 2013; Powles 2008).
Influences of Thermal Treatment on the Dielectric Performances of Polystyrene Composites Reinforced by Graphene Nanoplatelets

Dielectric properties of composites near percolation threshold (fc) are often sensitive to thermal treatments, and the annealing temperature is usually associated with a polymer’s rheological properties. In this study, the influences of the thermal treatment on dielectric properties are investigated for the polystyrene (PS) matrix composite reinforced by graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) fillers near fc. It can be found that the thermal treatment can not only increase the dielectric constant, but also decrease the dielectric loss for the PS/GNP composite. This interesting phenomenon possibly happens in the interfacial region of PS/GNP with the thickness about 4–6 nm according to the electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) results. The free volumes around the interface can be easily altered by the movement of polymeric segments after annealing at the glass transition temperature.
Visual Processing in Amblyopia: Animal Studies

In the past five years, substantial progress has been made in our knowledge of the neural basis of amblyopia. Recent advances based on animal models are described, along with new psychophysical data showing perceptual deficits in amblyopic animals that are not explained by simple losses in contrast sensitivity. Studies of contour integration and integration of motion and form signals in the presence of noise show that 1) there are fundamental losses in temporal as well as spatial vision, 2) the losses extend to the fellow eye in many cases, 3) amblyopic animals are especially impaired in the presence of background noise, and 4) these losses must depend on a process downstream from area V1 in the extrastriate cortex.
Family influences on self-management among functionally independent adults with diabetes or heart failure: do family members hinder as much as they help?

Objectives: Among functionally independent patients with diabetes or heart failure, we examined family member support and family-related barriers to self-care. We then identified patient characteristics associated with family support and family barriers and how each was associated with self-management adherence. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 439 patients with diabetes or heart failure (74% response rate). Results: 75% of respondents reported supportive family involvement in self-care; however, 25% reported frequent family-related barriers to self-care. Women reported family support less often (64% v. 77%) and family barriers to self-care more often (30% v. 21%) than men. 78% of respondents reported involved family members nagged or criticized them about illness care. In multivariate models, low health literacy, partnered status and higher family function were associated with higher family support levels, while female gender, older age, higher education, and more depression symptoms were associated with family barriers to self-care. Family barriers were associated with lower disease care self-efficacy (p<0.01), and both barriers and family support were associated with patients’ self-management adherence (both p<0.05). Discussion: Family members are highly involved in the self-care of these higher functioning patients. Interventions should help patients with chronic illness overcome family barriers to self-care and help families use positive and effective support techniques.
Performance limits for monopulse matched filter samples

Via jointly processing multiple (sum, azimuth- and elevation-difference) monopulse matched filter samples it is possible to extract and localize several (more than two) targets spaced more closely than the classical interpretation of radar resolution. This paper derives the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for sampled monopulse radar data.
Analgesia Administration for Acute Abdominal Pain in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Objective: To document the use of analgesia for children with acute abdominal pain in the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) and to compare between children with suspected appendicitis in a high versus low probability. Study Design: Patients 0-16 years recruited prospectively as part of another PED study in Toronto. History of present illness and physical examination was available, and information on analgesia administered in the PED was retrospectively collected from charts. Physicians' probability of appendicitis before any imaging was recorded. A follow-up call was made to verify final diagnosis. Results: We included 438 patients, 16% with appendicitis. Analgesics were given 154 times to 112 patients. Thirty-one percent of the cohort received analgesia before seeing the physician, mostly febrile, 37% after seeing the physician, and 17% after seeing a pediatric-surgery consultant. Fifteen percent received multiple dosages. Underdosing was recorded in 14% of medications, mostly morphine (24%). Analgesia was given significantly more often to children with high probability of appendicitis. Age was not a factor in analgesia administration. Conclusion: Children with abdominal pain receive more analgesia when the physician suspects appendicitis, yet only in half of the cases, and only 15% receive opioids. Opioid underdosing happens in a quarter of times it is given.
The Use of Physiotherapy among Patients with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome: Impact of Sex, Socio-Demographic and Clinical Factors

Background Physiotherapy with exercises is generally recommended in the treatment of patients with subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS). Objective We aimed to investigate the use of physiotherapy in patients with SIS in Danish hospital settings as part of initial non-surgical treatment and after SIS-related surgery and to evaluate to which extent sex, socio-demographic and clinical factors predict the use of physiotherapy. Methods Using national health registers, we identified 57,311 patients who had a first hospital contact with a diagnosis of ICD-10, groups M75.1–75.9, 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2011. Records of physiotherapy were extracted within 52 weeks after first contact (or until surgery), and for surgically treated patients within 26 weeks after surgery. Predictors of the use of physiotherapy after first contact and after surgery were analysed as time-to-event. Results Within 52 weeks after first contact, 43% of the patients had physiotherapy and 30% underwent surgery. Within 26 weeks after surgery, 80% had a record of physiotherapy. After first contact and after surgery, exercise was part of physiotherapy in 65% and 84% of the patients, respectively. A public hospital contact, physiotherapy before hospital contact, administrative region, female sex, a diagnosis of other or unspecified disorders (M75.8-M75.9), and surgical procedure predicted higher use of physiotherapy. Low education level predicted slightly lower use of physiotherapy after first contact, but not after surgery. Conclusion In patients with SIS in Danish hospital settings, physiotherapy was more often used after surgery than as part of initial non-surgical treatment. The use of physiotherapy was less common among men than women, whereas unequal use of physiotherapy in relation to education level was not noticeable. The use of physiotherapy with exercises in initial non-surgical treatment was relatively limited.
The Rap1 GTPase functions as a regulator of morphogenesis in vivo

The Ras‐related Rap GTPases are highly conserved across diverse species but their normal biological function is not well understood. Initial studies in mammalian cells suggested a role for Rap as a Ras antagonist. More recent experiments indicate functions in calcium‐ and cAMP‐mediated signaling and it has been proposed that protein kinase A‐mediated phosphorylation activates Rap in vivo. We show that Ras1‐mediated signaling pathways in Drosophila are not influenced by Rap1 levels, suggesting that Ras1 and Rap1 function via distinct pathways. Moreover, a mutation that abolishes the putative cAMP‐dependent kinase phosphorylation site of Drosophila Rap1 can still rescue the Rap1 mutant phenotype. Our experiments show that Rap1 is not needed for cell proliferation and cell‐fate specification but demonstrate a critical function for Rap1 in regulating normal morphogenesis in the eye disk, the ovary and the embryo. Rap1 mutations also disrupt cell migrations and cause abnormalities in cell shape. These findings indicate a role for Rap proteins as regulators of morphogenesis in vivo.
Analysis of risk factors for colonic diverticular bleeding and recurrence

Abstract The increase in incidence of colonic diverticular bleeding is relative to an age-related rise in the incidence of colonic diverticulosis and use of antithrombotic medication. However, risk factors related to the onset, recurrence, and prophylaxis have not been established. Therefore, we aimed to determine risk factors for the onset and recurrence of colonic diverticular bleeding. An age- and sex-matched case-control study was performed to assess the risk factors for the onset of colonic diverticular bleeding. The distribution of diverticulosis, comorbidity, and medication were evaluated from medical records. We also assigned patients with a first-time bleeding into groups with and without rebleeding during follow-up to determine risk factors for recurrence. Bilateral colonic diverticulosis, nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), low-dose aspirin (LDA), and anticoagulants were significant risk factors for the onset of colonic diverticular bleeding on multivariate analysis. In contrast, the use of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor was not a risk factor for the onset. The incidence of bleeding in direct oral anticoagulant and warfarin users was not different between the 2 groups. The cumulative recurrence rate at 1 year was 15%. Recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with a prior history of colonic diverticular bleeding than those without. Steroid use was associated with recurrence. Extensive distribution of diverticulosis and use of nonselective NSAIDs, LDA, and anticoagulants are regarded as risk factors for the onset of colonic diverticular bleeding. In addition, a prior history of colonic diverticular bleeding is related to the recurrence.
Cultural disequilibrium: struggles and strategies in intercultural settings in the case of exchange teachers invited to Korea

ABSTRACT In this globalising society, teachers are often exposed to opportunities to move across their national borders to seek for learning opportunities. In the process of planning and evaluating such opportunities, it is tempting for teacher educators in intercultural settings to assume that teachers simply obtain intercultural competence by merely participating in international placements. However, it is important to understand thoroughly how teachers react to the cultural disequilibrium as they are immersed in new school settings. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore how the in-service teachers who are invited to Korea as a form of official development assistance, experience struggles and adopt strategies in intercultural settings of their host school environments. The study highlights the significance of immersive experiences in an intercultural setting as a potential trigger to promote transformative learning of teachers, who are considered as key stakeholders for quality education in the era of sustainable development.