Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of modified green fluorescent protein in suspension culture of Taxus cuspidata

The suspension cells of Taxus cuspidata were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring binary vector pCAMBIA1302 encoding mgfp. Transient transfection efficiency was compared by using the fluoremetric measurement. The transient transfection efficiency was improved by transformation with DMSO and/or sonication treatment. Optimum conditions for DMSO and sonication treatment were 3% and 30 sec, respectively. Selection and maintenance of transformed cells were continued for 3 months. An insertion of the mgfp gene in transformed cells was detected by PCR and an expression of GFP confirmed by the western blot analysis.
Modulation of the Human Protein Kinase Cα Gene Promoter by Activator Protein-2

Protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) is a phospholipid-dependent protein-serine/threonine kinase that plays a major role in intracellular signaling pathways associated with transformation and tumor progression. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and GBM cell lines exhibit increased levels of PKCalpha compared to normal brain tissue that relates to their proliferative and invasive potential. To investigate the transcriptional regulation of PKCalpha, the 5'-flanking sequence of the human PKCalpha gene was cloned and its promoter activity assessed in U-87 GBM cells. This sequence contained a TATA-less promoter region and a single transcription start site within an initiator sequence. Basal promoter activity was restricted to a region spanning -227 to +77 relative to the transcription start site. DNase I footprinting revealed multiple activator protein-2 (AP-2) binding sites and one Sp1 binding site within this region, and point mutations of two AP-2 elements resulted in a loss of DNA binding and transcriptional activation. Overexpression of Sp1 in either U-87 or insect cells increased transcription from the -227/+77 promoter region, whereas overexpression of AP-2 increased transcription only in insect cells. Cis activation of the promoter in U-87 cells was increased by phorbol esters but not by cyclic AMP or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors. These results provide evidence that cis activation of the basal promoter of the human PKCalpha gene occurs through an AP-2-dependent, phorbol ester-responsive pathway, which suggests an autoregulatory manner of transcription in GBM.
Distress Screams as a Measure of Kinship in Birds

The piercing distress screams given by winter birds are hypothesized to be cries for help (usually in the form of mobbing from altruists) and to have been evolved by kin selection. The screams are apparently directed at the screamer's associates, not the predator, a point which supports our hypothesis of selection for altruistic behavior and weakens self-interest selection as a viable mechanism for their evolution. The screams are highly localizable, and attracted individuals are known both to mob predators and to experience risk in doing so; these facts argue that it is the attracted individuals which are altruistic, not the screamer. For two species, the proportion of individuals that screamed when mist-netted diminished as winter progressed; this suggests that kin selection and not selection favoring reciprocal altruism resulted in the evolution of such behavior. Our most powerful arguments that altruism, rather than self-interest selection, is the mode by which distress-screaming behavior was evolved are: (1) that permanent residents scream more than winter residents, and (2) that among winter residents, diurnal migrants scream more than nocturnal migrants. The very important implication of this work is that measuring the frequencies of such screams in samples of mist-netted birds provides an ordinal index of kinship (or at least, stability of interindividual associations).
The Total Variation Flow in RN

The purpose of this chapter is to prove existence and uniqueness of the minimizing total variation flow in ℝ N $$ \frac{{\partial u}} {{\partial t}} = div\left( {\frac{{Du}} {{\left| {Du} \right|}}} \right) in\left] {0,\infty } \right[ \times \mathbb{R}^N , $$ (3.1) coupled with the initial condition $$ u(0,x) = {u_0}(x){\text{ }}x \in {\mathbb{R}^N}, $$ (3.2) when u0 ∈ L loc 1 (L N ).
Clinical Importance of Glutamine-supplemented Parenteral Nutrition in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

目的探讨谷氨酰胺增强的胃肠外营养对结直肠癌患者术后的免疫功能、蛋白质代谢的影响. 方法随机选择在南方医院普外科住院治疗的40例结直肠癌患者,术后分别接受等氮等热量常规肠外营养支持或谷氨酰胺增强的肠外营养支持(0.30～0.40 g@kg-1@d-1)一周,检测术前、术后不同时期的免疫功能,包括CD3+、CD4+、CD8+、CD4+/CD8+比值、IL-2R、NK、C3、C4、CH50、IgG、IgA、IgM、氮平衡. 结果两组患者入院时均有明显的免疫抑制,谷氨酰胺增强的肠外营养支持组患者的免疫功能(CD4+、CD4+/CD8+、NK、IL-2R)在术后第4天、第7天与对照组相比有明显改善(P＜0.05),试验组患者在术后第4天已达到氮平衡,与对照组相比有明显差异(P＜0.05). 结论谷氨酰胺能改善大肠癌患者术后的免疫功能、蛋白质代谢,能增进肠外营养的效果.
Getting to know your ticks

When I moved to Manitoba in 1973, everybody warned me about the cold winters and the hot summers. Many people warned me about the abundance of ferocious mosquitoes. Not one person, though, said anything about the wood ticks! Not one. My first encounter with ticks was on a trip to the field to collect mosquito larvae in May. I was rather amazed when we were returning to our truck and my companions started stripping down and removing ticks. I had only ever seen one tick, on a cat, in my 23 years in southern Ontario, and that was considered an extreme rarity at the time. But here we were just outside of Winnipeg, removing dozens of ticks from our own bodies. What kind of place was this? Since then, I have had many opportunities to study ticks in Manitoba and to talk to people about ticks and tick lore. My first research experience was in 1979 and 1980, with a graduate student who was particularly interested in the juvenile stages of the wood tick or American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (Burachynsky 1982; Burachynsky and Galloway 1985). Since that time, I have been involved with various tick survey activities in Manitoba, notably the surveys to determine the distribution and abundance of the blacklegged tick or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In this article, I briefly describe many species of ticks on the prairies, and discuss the life cycles of some
Reproductive Characteristics of a Wild Turkey Population in Central Mississippi

Long-term investigations into wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) reproduction are needed to allow for annual fluctuations, illuminate trends not evident from short-term data, and provide data for effective sustainable management of the wild turkey resource. We used 13 years (1984-96) of continuous data to estimate reproductive parameters of a wild turkey population in central Mississippi. Mean rates of reproductive parameters were 72.3% for first-nest initiation rates, 27.9% for first-nest success, 34.8% for renest initiation, and 24.6% for renest success. Median date of incubation ranged from 12 April to 1 May. Juvenile hens did not contribute to reproduction. Hen success declined significantly over time and reflected a decreasing population. Most (51.1%) nest failures were attributed to predation. Poult survival until late July-August was 25.5%. Winter weather did not influence reproductive parameters, and hen experience did not increase nest success. Mean hen success for this population was the lowest reported for any eastern wild turkey (M. g. silvestris) population. Low hen success via lack of productivity from renest attempts, lack of juvenile hen reproduction, and low nest success may have contributed to the population decline. A simplistic population model indicated that, given current reproduction and hen survival, maintaining wild turkeys as a closed population on our area is doubtful.
Lipid transport mechanism in the fish. IV. Comparison of carp plasma lipoproteins under starved and fed conditions.

Carp plasma lipoproteins under fed condition were fractionated by sequential ultracentrifugation into VLDL (d<1.006g/ml), LDL (d=1.006-1.063g/ml), and HDL (d=1.063-1.21 g/ml) according to the same density intervals of human substances. Under starved conditions only LDL and HDL were recovered, carp plasma VLDL was not recovered. The lipids concentration in carp plasma VLDL was 83.3% and its main component was triglycerides. Carp plasma lipoproteins were mainly devided into three components by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Band 1, Band II, and Band III. Carp plasma HDL prepared by sequential ultracentrifugation corresponded to Band I. The lipids concentration of carp plasma HDL was about 44% both under starved and fed conditions and its main compoinent was phospholipids. Band II distributed in HDL fraction under a starved condition, however, it was recovered in LDL fraction under a fed condition. Carp plasma LDL was recogenized as a heterogeneous component and mainly distributed in the zone of Band III. Carp plasma LDL had a similar particle size to human plasma LDL. The lipids concentration in LDL under a fed condition increased about 15% when compared to that under a starved condition.
Degradability of Poly-γ-glutamic Acid in Environment

Degradability of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) in water environment and soil environment was studied by measuring the variety of poly -γ -glutamic acid and glutamic acid with high performance liquid chromatography. Results showed that the degradation rate of γ-PGA was small in water environment,with only 1.6% γ-PGA degraded and content of glutamic acid 120mg/kg after 10d while the degradation rate of γ-PGA was great in soil,with only 7.6% γ-PGA reserved and content of glutamic acid up to 3.2mg/g after 20d. Half-life of γ-PGA in sterilized soil was 3.7times that of in unsterilized soil,which indicated that the degradation of γ-PGA in the soil was mainly due to microbial action. B.subtilis CCTCC202048 producingγ-PGA,isolated from soil,can degrade γ-PGA and γ-PGA depolymerase gene was identified by PCR. The study would lay a foundation for the application of γ-PGA in agriculture.
Explaining Wage Inequality in Chile: Does Education Really Matter?

This paper decomposes wage inequality in Chile over the period 1958-1996. The evidence shows that education accounts for more than 38% of wage inequality. In addition, the return to education explains close to 80% of education's contribution. Finally, a higher convex pattern is observed in the returns to schooling over time. Thus, the importance of university education in the contribution of schooling to inequality has been increasing in the last decades. Therefore, policies aimed at providing access to higher education to poor individuals are not only expected to generate higher earnings, but also lower levels of inequality.
A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR DAMAGE LOCALISATION US- ING ESTIMATES IN KREIN SPACES

In this paper a vibration based damage identification techni que for structural health monitoring systems, based on identified state space models of randomly excited re al world structures, is described. Thus a laborious experimental set-up – e.g. impulse response func tions of large scale experiments of bridges, towers etc. – can be omitted. Applying the developed vibrati on based damage identification technique, simulation and laboratory tests were conducted at the Leipz ig University of Applied Sciences. Here a steel rectangular hollow section – build as a cantilever ar m (bending beam) – was excited by ambient vibration and the structural response was measured by ei ght uniaxial piezoelectric accelerometers. Build up on estimates in Krein spaces, a new vibration based i d ntification method, which is capable of detecting and localising structural damage for structur al health monitoring purposes, was applied. It must be emphasised that this method is based on the complete p arametrisation of state space models S {A,B,C,D}, in contrary to classical Output-Only methods S {A,C}.
Chronic Impediment in Utilization of Eye-Care Services

Abstract The visual impairment affects living in every aspect of life. Organizations (W.H.O. IAPB, NGOs) have initiated a campaign to eradicate preventable blindness under the program Vision 2020: “The Right to Sight”. There are three main considerations: qualities, reliability, and efficiency of eyecare facilities. Poor practitioner-to-patient ratio, shortage of eye-care staff, insufficient infrastructure, weak state support and lack of medical specialist, or training program are the hallmarks of obstacles to the usage of eyecare services in India. Significant obstacles to such programs for visually impaired people in rural areas are poor road infrastructure, transit facilities, and distance from remote communities influencing surgery and eyecare systems. Factors such as age, education, preferences, and psycho-social challenges influence the usage of healthy, affordable, and efficient eyecare facilities. To prevent avoidable blindness, the advancement of eye treatment and understanding of appropriate eye care resources must be intense and the consequences of inadequate eyecare must be acknowledged. Rural communities' beliefs and cultural traits need to be analysed to provide appropriate education thus reducing blindness. eyecare providers need to start educating people at an early stage about the role and use of health care resources.
Cyclic fatigue resistance of VDW.ROTATE and Reciproc Blue nickel-titanium files at root canal temperature

Background. This study aimed to compare the VDW.ROTATE instruments with the Reciproc Blue instruments in different kinematics in terms of the cyclic fatigue resistance. Methods. Sixty instruments, 40 VDW.ROTATE and 20 Reciproc Blue instruments, were divided into three groups (n=20): VDW.ROTATE was used in both continuous rotation and reciprocation, and Reciproc Blue was used in reciprocation only. The cyclic fatigue resistance test was carried out in an artificial canal (60°, r=3 mm) at an intracanal temperature of 35±2°C until fracture, and the time to fracture was recorded in seconds. The data were analyzed statistically using Kruskal–Wallis and Tamhane’s T2 tests (P<0.05). Results. DAll the reciprocating motion groups resulted in a longer mean duration to failure than the continuous rotation motion group (P<0.05). Conclusion. It was observed that the Reciproc Blue instruments had higher cyclic fatigue resistance than VDW.ROTATE instruments (P<0.05). Recent studies have shown that reciprocal movement increases cyclic fatigue resistance compared to rotational movement. The VDW.ROTATE instrument, which has a similar size, design, and alloy as the Reciproc Blue instrument, can also be used by clinicians in reciprocating motion with endo motors capable of reciprocating in different directions. However, even if the cyclic fatigue resistance increases by using VDW.ROTATE instruments in reciprocation, the cyclic fatigue resistance is lower than Reciproc Blue instruments.
IEEE 802.11g Explained

The Intersil proposal requires use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for higher data rates (>20 Mbps) and requires support for Complimentary Code Keying (CCK) to ensure backward compatibility with existing 802.11b radios as mandatory elements of the 802.11g Draft Standard. The final version of the Intersil proposal, adopted on the second ballot at the Austin IEEE 802 meeting in November, had some optional features designed to increase its appeal to the voting body.
The Effect of Individual Time Preferences on Smoking Behavior: Insights from Behavioral Economics

Background: We aimed to explore the correlation between the time and risk preferences and the smoking behavior of adult population in western Iran. Methods: Overall, 792 individuals with the age of 35 to 65 yr participating in an ongoing national cohort study (Persian Cohort) were approached to complete a pre-structured questionnaire in 2017. Time preferences were measured using a standard choice-based method. The individuals’ discount rates were identified by questions that offered binary monetary choices on immediate future and distant future, by making trade-offs between them. Probit regression model was used to investigate the relationship between time preferences and smoking when controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables. Results: Time and risk preferences had statistically significant direct correlations with smoking. A unit increase in discount rate was associated with a 4.4% percentage point increase in the likelihood of being smoker. A present-biased individual had 5.7% percentage points lower likelihood of being smoker. Moreover, a unit increase in willingness to take the risk increased the likelihood of being a smoker by 1.5% percentage points. Conclusion: Time and risk preferences are important determinants of smoking behavior. These factors should be considered in designing effective prevention and control programs. Policies that increase the immediate costs of cigarette smoking or the immediate benefits of smoking cessation are likely to have a greater impact on reducing the prevalence of cigarette smoking.
Opposition aided Cat Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Digital IIR Low Pass Filter Design

This paper undertakes the designing of optimal and stable digital infinite impulse response (IIR) low pass (LP) filter by employing the cat swarm optimization (CSO) technique with oppositional learning. CSO is a population based global optimization technique which possesses global as well as local search capabilities. The conventional optimization techniques used to design the digital IIR filter generally got caught in the local minima as the error surface of the digital IIR filter is non linear and multimodal because of the presence of the denominator terms. Although, CSO possesses better parameter estimation and has a much higher convergence speed than genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm, it requires a higher computation time because the local and global searches are carried out independently in each iteration. So, in order to reduce the computational time this paper attempts to incorporate the concept of opposition based learning (OBL) strategy. The main idea behind OBL is the simultaneous consideration of an estimate and its corresponding opposite estimate in order to achieve a better approximation for the current candidate solution. The proposed opposition based cat swarm optimization method starts with some initial random solutions that are improved by moving towards optimal solution. The computation time is improved by starting with a better solution by simultaneously checking the opposite solution in the search space. Here, the multicriterion optimization is utilized as the design criterion that undertakes the minimization of magnitude approximation error and minimization of ripple magnitudes while satisfying the stability constraints that are imposed during the design process. The developed algorithm strives to find the optimal filter coefficients which are approximately close to the desired filter response. The computational results reveal that the proposed algorithm is capable of designing the stable and optimal digital IIR LP filter structure that is superior to the designs presented by other algorithms and can also be efficiently applied for the design of higher order LP filter.
License Plate Segmentation in Images Based on per-Block Contrast Analysis and CCA

: ALPR based applications are more and more used today. Besides the OCR part, the vehicle registration plate detection in real world images represents the main challenge in LPR. This paper presents a simple, yet quite general, fast and effective method for license plate (LP) segmentation. It is based on the evaluation of a local contrast (high gradient) measure at the level of image blocks, binarization of the downscaled contrast map obtained with these values, and analysis of connectivity between its runs, requiring modest CPU and memory resources. It provides as output not only the locations of detected LPs, but also associated bitmaps, black on white, containing only their constituent alphanumeric characters, aligned horizontally, with no slope, slant or tilt, and free of other parasitic noise. Such black on white bitmaps are directly suitable for further OCR, the correctness and completeness of final LPR strongly depending on the quality of the bitmap provided. Extended experiments carried out on own image set, as well as on other (public) data sets, showed good performance and results of the implemented method in the vast majority of situations, even on certain difficult, poor quality images. Comparison with state-of-the-art (based on deep neural networks, and high-end GPU parallel computing), also proved average good performance on public data sets complying with the minimal requirements of our method.
Reproductive Effort and Energy Comparisons of Adults, Eggs, and Neonates of Gerrhonotus coeruleus principis

Gerrhonotus coeruleus principis were collected in Seattle, King County, Washington in June and August 1972. Energy content of eggs, neonates and adult bodies averaged 6401, 5608, and 5512 cal/gm AFDW, respectively. There was a high positive correlation between calories invested in eggs and adult size and likewise there was a high correlation between number of eggs and adult size. The ratio of total egg calories to total body calories was not correlated with adult size. Individual neonates averaged 820 cal compared to 1389 total cal per egg, 41 per cent of the initial energy being utilized for development. Neonates and adults were relatively the same in per gram energy content. Data from this study are compared to data from studies on other lizard species.
Morphological Analysis of the Temporomandibular Joint in Patients with Malocclusion Using 2D and 3D Measuring Methods

Quantitative measurements of the morphological parameters of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of the TMJ in the field of orthodontics for patients with malocclusion (1). A 3D model reconstructed from 2D CBCT scans can be reproduced with a size and volume that are identical to the actual anatomical values, and can provide measurements that are more accurate than simple linear measurements obtained from 2D CBCT scans alone (2). Although there have been efforts to standardize 3D measurements of the TMJ, the differences between 2D CBCT and 3D measurements remain unclear (1). In this study, subjects were divided into groups with malocclusion of Classes I, II, and III according to the ANB angle and molar occlusal relationships as evaluated by an orthodontist. CBCT scans were obtained in the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. The 2D CBCT images were measured in accordance with the method by previous research (Fig. 1), (3). For the 3D model measurements, the DICOM files were imported into Mimics software (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium), and the skull was reconstructed into a 3D model to measure the coronal condylar width (CCW), coronal condylar angle (CCA), horizontal condylar angle (HCA), and sagittal ramus angle (SRA) (Fig. 2).
Stability Enhancement of Multi-Machine Power System interconnected with Wind and PV plants Using Fuzzy Logic-based FACTS Controller

Grid-connected renewable energy-based generation are deploying in recent years for many economic and environmental reasons. This type of generation could have a significant impact on power system voltage stability given the nature of the primary source for generation and the technology used for energy conversion. In this paper, Fuzzy Logic-based FACTS controllers have been presented to damp the power system oscillations in the presence of the wind and PV power plants. The results of an investigation of stability in heavily stressed IEEE-9 bus test system with large-scale of Wind and PV integration have been presented to evaluate the control system. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison has been introduced to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed controller under different conditions of operations. The comparison of fuzzy-based STATCOM performance with and without large-scale PV power plant has been introduced.