Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental expression and characterization of the gene encoding spore coat protein SP60 in Dictyostelium discoideum

The complete coding sequence, upstream sequence and developmental expression of Dictyostelium discoideum AX2 spore coat protein gene SP60 is reported. The gene contains two exons, 154 bp and 1121 bp long, separated by a 119bp intron, and encodes a protein of 46925 molecular weight plus a 23‐amino‐acid hydrophobic leader sequence. The N‐terminus of the mature protein consists of four copies of a perfect hexapeptide repeat (GDWNNN). The central region is rich in cysteine residues, including four highly conserved cysteine‐rich repeats with homology to ‘EGF‐like’ repeats. The C‐terminus is aspartate‐rich and composed of multiple imperfect copies of a D(G/D)DYD repeat followed by several repeats of the tetrapeptide DNDW and derived sequences. A TATA box promoter motif juxtaposed to an oligo(dA) stretch lies 52 bp upstream of the main transcriptional start site of the gene. Six AC‐rich boxes occur in the region ‐327 to ‐556, all of which contain the consensus sequence CACAC. Two GC‐rich boxes and a C‐rich element (TTACCCCA) are also present upstream. Another open reading frame is positioned a short distance downstream of the SP60 gene in the opposite transcriptional orientation. Expression of the SP60 gene ceases upon disaggregation to single cells and cannot be restored by high levels of extracellular cAMP either alone or in combination with conditioned medium factors.
Learning of idiomatic language expressions in a group intervention for children with autism

In typical development, children learn an extensive range of idioms and other figurative (non-literal) language expressions during childhood and adolescence. However, many children with autism fall far behind in their idiom comprehension and production and never fully reach adult levels. The current study measured the effectiveness of a group idiom intervention for ten children, aged 7 to 12 years, with autism spectrum disorders. This intervention was conducted by a community-based social skills program. The children were initially very low in idiom understanding, but were able to learn and remember the meaning of idiomatic phrases that they were taught during the 2-week-long intervention. The children showed greater increases at a delayed post-test for idioms trained in the intervention than idioms that were untrained controls. Implications for future educational possibilities are discussed.
Consequences of plant phenolic compounds for productivity and health of ruminants

Plant phenolic compounds are diverse in structure but are characterised by hydroxylated aromatic rings (e.g. flavan-3-ols). They are categorised as secondary metabolites, and their function in plants is often poorly understood. Many plant phenolic compounds are polymerised into larger molecules such as the proanthocyanidins (PA; condensed tannins) and lignins. Only the lignins, PA, oestrogenic compounds and hydrolysable tannins will be considered here. Lignins slow the physical and microbial degradation of ingested feed, because of resilient covalent bonding with hemicellulose and cellulose, rather than any direct effects on the rumen per se. The PA are prevalent in browse and are expressed in the foliage of some legumes (e.g. Lotus spp.), but rarely in grasses. They reduce the nutritive value of poor-quality diets, but can also have substantial benefits for ruminant productivity and health when improved temperate forages are fed. Beneficial effects are dependent on the chemical and physical structure, and concentration of the PA in the diet, but they have been shown to improve live-weight gain, milk yield and protein concentration, and ovulation rate. They prevent bloat in cattle, reduce gastrointestinal nematode numbers, flystrike and CILt production. Some phenolic compounds (e.g. coumestans) cause temporary infertility, whilst those produced by Fusarium fungi found in pasture, silage or stored grains can cause permanent infertility. The HT may be toxic because products of their metabolism can cause liver damage and other metabolic disorders.
Effects of stress-induced acute depression and antidepressant drugs on CA3 region of hippocampus of albino rats

Depressive disorders are amongst the most common life threatening disorders and despite of extensive research work its etiology and mode of action of antidepressant drugs remains elusive. The present study was conducted on 15 adult albino rats (200-250gm) divided into control and experimental groups. First group was control, second group received acute depression (4 weeks) by immobilization method using rat immobilizer and third group received standard 4 week treatment (using Flouxetine 1mg/kg body wt. orally) following acute depression. At the end of the experiment animals were sacrificed and perfused with 10% formaldehyde. Brains were dissected and tissue blocks were processed for paraffin embedding. Observations were made on 10 micron thick H & E stained sections. Estimation of neuronal density of CA3 regions was performed using Motic images plus 2.0 Software. Neuronal density was markedly reduced (100.3 cells/cubic mm) after acute depression, as compared to control (144.5 cells/cubic mm) and after standard treatment it improved to 121.1 cells /cubic mm. These results suggested that effect of short-term stress-induced depression on hippocampus is partly reversed by the pharmacological intervention of known antidepressants and warrants longer term study.
Numerically efficient approximations to the optimal control of linear singularly perturbed systems based on Haar wavelets

In this paper we present an implementation of the Haar wavelet to the optimal control of linear singularly perturbed systems. The approximated composite control and the slow and fast trajectories with respect to a quadratic cost function are calculated by solving only the linear algebraic equations. The results are illustrated with a simple example.
Economic impacts, control and eradication of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus

Infections with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVD) are endemic in cattle populations worldwide and result in major economic losses; hence, many countries have begun BVD eradication programs. The authors estimated the losses caused by BVD, and the estimated annual losses in 2012 amounted to 4.5 million EUR in Hungary. In a dairy cattle farm with 1000 cows the acute clinical BVD could cause more than 166,264 EUR estimated yearly loss and the BVD-MD could be blamed for more than 10,203 EUR loss per year on average. The presented losses are probably underestimated as some disease effects are difficult to quantify, though they can indicate the income realizable in case of freedom from the disease, so can be the starting point of cost-benefit analysis of an eradication program. In the early 2000s, the control studies have shown that the seropositivity in northern and western European countries ranged between 1-95%. Systematic BVD control aims to deliver a targeted reduction in the prevalence of BVD virus on sectoral, regional or national basis. In the Scandinavian countries, the eradication program is based on detecting and removal of PI animals without the use of vaccines. These programmes have been very successful, and by the late 2000s, the cattle herds’ BVD infection in Scandinavia decreased below 0.1%, but in several western and southern European countries, the prevalence still ranged between 35-90%. In Hungary, the seropositivity was 40-50% in the 1970s, 60-70% in the 1980s, and 95% in 1999. The latest survey data in 2008 showed that the infection rate was 67.8% and 42.5% for herds and animals, respectively. The eradication has been obligatory in Lower-Austria since 2004, in Switzerland since 2008 and in Germany since 2011 with the use of vaccines. Mandatory eradication program started in Scotland in 2012, and began in Ireland in 2013 applying the Scandinavian method Agnes Szabara Laszlo Ozsvari
Rapid micromethod for the purification of Escherichia coli ribonucleic acid polymerase and the preparation of bacterial extracts active in ribonucleic acid synthesis

A rapid micromethod is described for the preparation of nucleic acid-free extracts from Escherichia coli that involves precipitation with polyethylene glycol. Extracts can be prepared from growing cells in 75 min by three short, low-speed centrifugations. The extract did not inhibit added purified ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymerase, suggesting that major inhibitors of RNA synthesis had been removed. This extract should be ideal for assessing the properties of mutant RNA polymerases. The rapid chromatography of the extracts with step elution from deoxyribonucleic acid- and diethylaminoethyl-cellulose columns resulted in high yields of substantially pure RNA polymerase. We used this technique to purify 35S-labeled RNA polymerase. This system should find application for the purification of small quantities of other bacterial RNA polymerases that share the general chromatographic properties of E. coli RNA polymerase.
From “boat to plate”: creating value through sustainable fish supply chain visibility

1 Despite companies have traditionally considered KPIs related to price, quality and flexibility, the increase of environmental pressures has begun to demand attention and so, improvement of suppliers’ environmental performance. Better management of marine resources, development of good practices and visibility were addressed in this research. The introduced framework was developed from analysing environmental management practices in a retailer exploratory case, by following a triple bottom line approach to fine tuning corporate responsibility. Then, the paper outlined recommendations towards sustainable operations, as regards: developing voluntary self-certification towards eco-labelling based on third party; using IT, as a visibility promoter and so, as a leverage for traceability, collaboration and trust across the chain of custody; designing customised policies to deal with different consumer profiles and so, assuring their loyalty by adjusting consumer campaigns; educating consumers as seafood demand regulators. Finally, improvements in Greenpeace evaluation were documented, and profit increase was expected. Keywords— Sustainability in sea food, Supply Chain Traceability, Social Responsibility.
Macronutrient, Vitamin, and Mineral Intakes in the EPIC-Germany Cohorts

This article presents intakes of nutrients in the EPIC-Heidelberg and the EPIC-Potsdam (European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) studies. Estimates are based on standardized 24-hour dietary recalls. Recalls from 1,013 men and 1,078 women in Heidelberg and from 1,032 men and 898 women in Potsdam were included in the analysis. The estimated nutrient intake was based on the German Food Code and Nutrient Data Base version II.3. Analyses were carried out stratified by sex and weighted for the day of the week and age. Men in Potsdam reported significantly higher intakes of energy (mean Potsdam = 10,718 kJ, mean Heidelberg = 10,387 kJ) and higher intakes of vitamins and minerals as compared with men in Heidelberg. However, Heidelberg men consumed more alcohol, α-tocopherol, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Potsdam women reported lower energy (mean Potsdam = 7,537 kJ, mean Heidelberg = 7,855 kJ), alcohol, and cholesterol intakes as compared with Heidelberg women. Vitamin and mineral intakes were lower too, except for retinol and ascorbic acid. The intakes of energy and most nutrients observed in the Potsdam and Heidelberg study populations were within the range reported from other German studies. The observed differences between both study populations indicate different dietary patterns, increasing the exposure variation in the EPIC study.
The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money

Substituting minutes for money In developing countries, bank branches and fixed-line telecommunications are scarce, whereas mobile phones are plentiful. These factors have led to the use of mobile money, whereby money can be deposited to an account linked to a phone, transferred to other users, and converted back into cash. Suri and Jack show that increased access to mobile money has increased long-term consumption in Kenya and reduced the number of households in extreme poverty. Science, this issue p. 1288 Mobile phone–based digital financial services have improved economic well-being in Kenya, particularly in female-lead households. Mobile money, a service that allows monetary value to be stored on a mobile phone and sent to other users via text messages, has been adopted by the vast majority of Kenyan households. We estimate that access to the Kenyan mobile money system M-PESA increased per capita consumption levels and lifted 194,000 households, or 2% of Kenyan households, out of poverty. The impacts, which are more pronounced for female-headed households, appear to be driven by changes in financial behavior—in particular, increased financial resilience and saving—and labor market outcomes, such as occupational choice, especially for women, who moved out of agriculture and into business. Mobile money has therefore increased the efficiency of the allocation of consumption over time while allowing a more efficient allocation of labor, resulting in a meaningful reduction of poverty in Kenya.
Stereochemical terminology and its discontents.

Scrutiny of the purported misuse of some current stereochemical terms shows that obsolescence and faulty syntax may be less of a problem than previously assumed. Furthermore, changes in stereochemical terminology over time are not always due to obsolescence or to novel developments in chemical technology; for example, technical developments played no role whatsoever in the semantic transmutations over time of the terms "diastereomer" and "pseudoasymmetry. " Finally, definitions of many stereochemical terms acquire meaning only within a given context and therefore cannot always be easily formulated. A prime example is the definition of "chirality," the concept at the heart of stereochemistry and, not coincidentally, the name of the journal in which this essay appears in print.
Overlapping activation-induced cytidine deaminase hotspot motifs in Ig class-switch recombination

Ig class-switch recombination (CSR) is directed by the long and repetitive switch regions and requires activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). One of the conserved switch-region sequence motifs (AGCT) is a preferred site for AID-mediated DNA-cytosine deamination. By using somatic gene targeting and recombinase-mediated cassette exchange, we established a cell line-based CSR assay that allows manipulation of switch sequences at the endogenous locus. We show that AGCT is only one of a family of four WGCW motifs in the switch region that can facilitate CSR. We go on to show that it is the overlap of AID hotspots at WGCW sites on the top and bottom strands that is critical. This finding leads to a much clearer model for the difference between CSR and somatic hypermutation.
The vacB Gene Required for Virulence inShigella flexneri and Escherichia coli Encodes the Exoribonuclease RNase R*

vacB, a gene previously shown to be required for expression of virulence in Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli, has been found to encode the 3′–5′ exoribonuclease, RNase R. Thus, cloning of E. coli vacB led to overexpression of RNase R activity, and partial deletion or interruption of the cloned gene abolished this overexpression. Interruption of the chromosomal copy ofvacB eliminated endogenous RNase R activity; however, the absence of RNase R by itself had no effect on cell growth. In contrast, cells lacking both RNase R and polynucleotide phosphorylase were found to be inviable. These data indicate that RNase R participates in an essential cell function in addition to its role in virulence. The identification of the vacB gene product as RNase R should aid in understanding how the virulence phenotype in enterobacteria is expressed and regulated. On the basis of this information we propose that vacB be renamed rnr.
A heuristic algorithm for the circulation plan of railway electrical motor units

This paper on a heuristic algorithm for the circulation plan of railway electrical motor units is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The authors propose a two-stage approach to the rolling stock rostering problem that occurs when two different types of electrical motor unit (EMU) trains share railway tracks. One EMU is often required to operate for multiple trains. In the authors’ approach, a transition network with a minimum train unit is established in the first stage. A heuristic algorithm based on the transitions interchange is used to search for a feasible maintenance route. The algorithm is verified with the operational timetable of Guangzhou-Shenzhen (China) railway, and the authors conclude that the results are satisfactory. Without consideration of empty movements, the algorithm can just be applied in the situation where the depots are well planned.
SIZE-DEPENDENT PROPERTIES OF CEO2-Y NANOPARTICLES STUDIED BY RAMAN SCATTERING

The combined effects of strain and phonon confinement are seen to explain why the Raman peak near 464 cm - 1 in CeO 2 - y nanoparticles shifts to progressively lower energies and the lineshape of this feature gets progressively broader and asymmetric (on the low-energy side) as the particle size gets smaller. The increasing lattice constant measured for decreasing particle size explains this Raman shift well. The linewidth change is fairly well explained by the inhomogenous strain broadening associated with the small dispersion in particle size and by phonon confinement. The spectra are also likely to be directly affected by the presence of oxygen vacancies. Comparison of the temperature dependence of the Raman lineshape in the nanoparticles and the bulk shows that phonon coupling is no faster in the nanoparticles, so size-dependent phonon coupling does not contribute to the large nanoparticle peak red shifts and broadening at room temperature. Irreversible thermally induced changes are observed in the Raman peak position of the nanoparticles.
Fast Bayesian Model Selection with Application to Large Locally-Nonlinear Dynamic Systems

Bayesian model selection chooses, based on measured data, using Bayes’ theorem, suitable mathematical models from a set of possible models. In structural analysis, linear models are often used to facilitate design and analysis, though they do not always accurately reproduce actual structural responses. When the models also require the inclusion of nonlinearity to improve accuracy, the computation time required for response simulation increases significantly. To reduce this computational burden, this paper proposes incorporating into the model selection process an efficient dynamic response algorithm previously developed by the last two authors for locally nonlinear systems. Additionally, nested sampling, an intelligent sampling algorithm, is used to reduce the number of simulations (using whichever response simulation algorithm) needed for accurate posterior distribution computation. A numerical example of a 20-story three-dimensional building with roof-mounted tuned mass dampers (TMDs), using different linear and nonlinear damping models as the candidates to reproduce the TMD damping, demonstrates that the proposed approach is up to 1000 times faster than traditional Bayesian model selection employing a conventional structural response solver.
Yeast RSP5 and its human homolog hRPF1 potentiate hormone-dependent activation of transcription by human progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors

We have developed a system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in which agonist-dependent transcriptional activity of the human progesterone receptor (hPR) is elevated to the point that it compromises cell growth. Screens for suppressors of this phenotype led to the demonstration that RSP5 is involved in hPR transactivation. Expression of RSP5 in yeast cells potentiated hPR and human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) transcriptional activity and increased the efficacy of weak agonists of these receptors. Remarkably, expression of this yeast protein in mammalian cells had a similar effect on PR and GR transcriptional activity. Importantly, a human homolog of RSP5, hRPF1, functioned identically in mammalian cells. Previously, it has been demonstrated that RSP5 overexpression in yeast cells suppressed mutations within SPT3, a protein which interacts with the TATA-box-binding protein (TBP), suggesting that RSP5 and SPT3 operate in the same regulatory pathway. In support of this observation, we have shown that SPT3 enhances the activity of RSP5 on GR and PR when tested in yeast or mammalian cells. We conclude from these experiments that the regulatory pathways in which RSP5 and SPT3 operate in yeast cells are conserved in higher eukaryotes. Additionally, since SPT3 has been shown to contact yeast TBP directly and is the likely homolog of human TBP-associated factor TAFII18, we propose that RSP5/hRPF1 and SPT3 establish a functional link between activated PR and GR and the general transcription apparatus.
Domestic and cross-border returns to bidders in acquisitions into the E.U.

Abstract The article analyses shareholders returns of acquiring banks in the United Kingdom (U.K.) i.e., when U.K. banks acquire domestic banks and when U.K. banks acquire cross-border banks within the European Union (E.U.). The article includes 75% sample of the total population of bank to bank domestic acquisitions within the U.K. and cross-border acquisitions within the E.U. from 2006 until 2013. The article comes to the conclusion, by the means of event study methodology, that the shareholders returns of acquiring banks are negative and statistically insignificant (–2.076%) when they acquire cross-border banks. The results of U.K. banks acquiring domestic banks indicates higher and statistically significant abnormal returns of 1.628% at 5% significance level as compared to cross-border returns gained by U.K. acquiring banks. The research found an overall insignificant abnormal return of –0.448% for shareholders of the acquiring banks for the entire portfolio. It can be concluded that, on average, shareholders of the acquiring banks experience negative abnormal returns and acquisitions do create (short-term) abnormal returns for the acquiring banks’ shareholders around the acquisition announcement time.
Neuro-fuzzy controller design via modeling human operator actions

This paper reports research results on the designing of an intelligent controller by means of modeling human operator actions based on a Man-Machine Interaction Computer Experiment. Different disturbance signals are applied to the single and the double-integration systems under human operator control to collect data for training the Adaptive Network Based Fuzzy Inference-System as the Neuro-Fuzzy controller. The Neuro-Fuzzy system was able to replace the human operator even in the case of a random disturbance signal applied to the double integrator system.
Genesis: a behavioral synthesis system for hierarchical testability

Previous research in the area of behavioral synthesis of digital circuits has mostly concentrated on optimizing area and performance. We present a behavioral data path synthesis system, called Genesis, which is geared towards hierarchical testability. A test environment for each module in the data path is guaranteed during allocation such that it becomes possible to justify any desired test set at module inputs from system inputs, and propagate fault effects from module outputs to system outputs. Genesis provided 100% system-level testability for all the synthesized benchmarks with a three-to-four orders of magnitude improvement in test generation time as compared to an efficient gate-level sequential test generator. The area overhead of circuits synthesized by Genesis is usually zero over circuits synthesized by other behavioral synthesis systems which disregard testability. Genesis can also easily handle loop constructs in the behavioral specification. <<ETX>>