Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of persons exposed to an earthquake in Armenia.

OBJECTIVE This study attempted to determine the level of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of victims of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. METHODS Chromosome aberrations were measured in blood samples taken from 41 victims of the earthquake that hit Armenia in 1988 and in samples of 47 reference blood donors. The victims suffered from severe psychoemotional stress but were otherwise healthy. All the samples were taken 2 to 3 weeks after the earthquake. All the subjects were lifetime nonsmokers. The cells were scored blind as to the exposure status. RESULTS The subjects exposed to the earthquake had a higher proportion of cells with chromosome aberrations [3.1 (SD 2.1)%] than the referents [1.7 (SD 1.3)%, P-value for the difference 0.0009]. The difference persisted when the values were adjusted for age and gender [relative risk (RR) 1.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.4-2.5]. The difference was present for double breaks (RR 4.1, 95% CI 2.6-6.4), but not for single breaks (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8-1.7). The exposed subjects also had a lower percentage of cells with 46 chromosomes (P=0.03) than the referents. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests an increase in chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of victims of a severe earthquake as compared with the levels of referents. If not due to bias or confounding, the difference may reflect the effect of either environmental exposures related to the earthquake or severe psychogenic stress. The levels of chromosome aberrations found among the earthquake victims in this study are comparable with those found in prospective studies of long-term cancer risk.
Oleic acid in the modulation of oocyte and preimplantation embryo development

Summary Potential reproductive effects are considered as the major aspect of biomolecules functionality in an organism. The recent identification of differential patterns of fatty acids across ovarian follicles and their association with levels of sexual maturity highlights the importance of these biomolecules. It is well known that fatty acids are highly diverse in terms of their functional properties. Oleic acid is chemically classified as an unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Besides serving as an important energy source, oleic acid is involved in metabolic and structural roles. Free and esterified oleic acids are compartmentalized into discrete extracellular fluids, cell organelles and found within the cytosol. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the contribution of oleic acid in regulating female fertility, particularly its involvement in female germ cell growth and development. Oleic acid has been identified as a blastomeric and post-cryopreservation survival biomarker in bovine. Several related studies have shown the critical role of oleic acid in counteracting the detrimental effects of saturated fatty acids and in paracrine support of oocyte development. Although available data are not ideally detailed, most data suggest that oleic acid can contribute to normal oocyte and preimplantation embryo development via mechanisms involving metabolic partitioning of fatty acids, change in the membrane structural organization, attenuation of oxidative stress and regulation of intracellular signalling. Thus, oleic acid may play a significant role in oocyte and early embryo development, suggesting that future studies should explore in more detail its potential effects on the physiopathology of female reproduction.
Rapid Cognitive Assessment of Nursing Home Residents

In nursing homes, the ability to identify residents with cognitive impairment is critical; however, many providers fail to address symptoms of dementia due to insufficient time to assess cognition. In the current study, the authors compared two rapidly administered instruments, the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) and Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool–Short Form (BCAT-SF), in predicting specific cognitive stages. Two hundred twenty-five nursing home residents who were referred for neurocognitive evaluation and met inclusion criteria participated in the study. Both cognitive instruments were found to predict cognitive diagnoses generally, but only the BCAT-SF demonstrated sensitivity in differentiating among all cognitive levels. Receiver operating characteristic analyses did not confirm cutoff scores reported in the original BIMS study. However, sensitivity (0.91) and specificity (0.96) values for the BCAT-SF were robust for differentiating between dementia and non-dementia. The BCAT-SF appears to be a more sensitive instrument for predicting cognitive stages than the BIMS for nursing home residents. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016; 9(1):35-44. ] Mr. Mace is Research and Clinical Technician, Dr. Mansbach is Founder and CEO, and Ms. Clark is Senior Vice President, Mansbach Health Tools, LLC, Simpsonville, Maryland. All authors are employed by the company that designed the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool. Address correspondence to Ryan A. Mace, BS, Research and Clinical Technician, Mansbach Health Tools, LLC, P.O. Box 307, Simpsonville, MD 21150; e-mail: rmace@thebcat.com. Received: December 17, 2014; Accepted: March 27, 2015 doi:10.3928/19404921-20150522-05 Cognitive impairment is prevalent in American nursing homes, as approximately 70% of residents have some type of cognitive impairment, much of it severe (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2013). Studies estimate that approximately 50% of all residents meet criteria for dementia (Magaziner et al., 2000). The ability to identify residents with cognitive impairment is critical for resident-centered care to be effective and for staff to meet residents’ needs (Singer & Luxenberg, 2003). Previous research has documented that inaccurate understanding of cognitive functioning can adversely affect management of medical conditions and resident life (Cohen-Mansfield, 2005; Cohen-Mansfield & Creedon, 2002). Since the 1980s, when the U.S. Congress legislated sweeping changes in the nursing home industry through the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, a key provision and guiding principle has been the mandatory use of a standardized, comprehensive system to assist in assessment and care planning (Hawes et al., 1997). Recognizing the high prevalence and complex care needs of residents with dementia, this Mini-
Particle release from single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotubes in polystyrene-based composites during grinding

The aerosol particles released during the grinding of polystyrene (PS)-based composites with well- and poorly dispersed single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and multiwall CNTs were measured using real-time aerosol measuring instruments. Increases in the concentration of aerosol particles were recorded during the grinding of the samples. However, similar increases were observed even when CNT-free polystyrene was ground. Electron microscopic analysis of the released particles revealed that particles with protruding CNTs were observed for the well-dispersed CNT-PS composites, but free-standing CNTs were not found. On the other hand, particles like agglomerated CNTs were found for the poorly dispersed CNT-PS composites.
Characterizing Quantum Gates via Randomized Benchmarking

We describe and expand upon the scalable randomized benchmarking protocol proposed in Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 180504 (2011) which provides a method for benchmarking quantum gates and estimating the gate dependence of the noise. The protocol allows the noise to have weak time and gate dependence, and we provide a sufficient condition for the applicability of the protocol in terms of the average variation of the noise. We discuss how state-preparation and measurement errors are taken into account and provide a complete proof of the scalability of the protocol. We establish a connection in special cases between the error rate provided by this protocol and the error strength measured using the diamond norm distance.
Aconitine induces apoptosis in H9c2 cardiac cells via mitochondria-mediated pathway

Aconitine, a diterpenoid alkaloids derived from Aconitum plants, is widely employed to treat various diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the apoptotic effect of aconitine in H9c2 cardiac cells. H9c2 cell apoptosis induced by aconitine was detected by a Cell Counting kit-8 assay, DAPI staining, Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining and western blotting. The effects of aconitine on reactive oxygen species levels and mitochondrial membrane potential were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. In addition, ATP contents were determined using a ATP-dependent bioluminescence assay kit. The levels of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) expression and apoptosis-associated proteins including Caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and Cytochrome c were also assessed. Taken together, the results indicated that aconitine may inhibit cell viability, decrease PGC-1α expression, induce mitochondrial dysfunctions, upregulate Cytochrome c, Bax and Caspase-3, and downregulate Bcl-2, suggesting that aconitine may induce apoptosis through mitochondria-mediated signaling pathways in H9c2 cells.
Public knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding people with mental illness in England 2009-2012

Background Public stigma against people with mental health problems is damaging to individuals with mental illness and is associated with substantial societal burden. Aims To investigate whether public knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in relation to people with mental health problems have improved among the English population since the inception of the Time To Change programme in 2009. Method We analysed longitudinal trends in public knowledge, attitudes and behaviour between 2009 and 2012 among a nationally representative sample of English adults. Results There were improvements in intended behaviour (0.07 standard deviation units, 95% CI 0.01-0.14) and a nonsignificant trend for improvement in attitudes (P=0.08) among the English population. There was, however, no significant improvement in knowledge or reported behaviour. Conclusions The findings provide support for effectiveness of the national Time to Change programme against stigma and discrimination in improving attitudes and intended behaviour, but not knowledge, among the public in England.
Gain calibration methods for radio telescope arrays

In radio telescope arrays, the complex receiver gains and sensor noise powers are initially unknown and have to be calibrated. Gain calibration can enhance the quality of astronomical sky images and, moreover, improve the effectiveness of array signal processing techniques for interference mitigation and spatial filtering. A challenging aspect is that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is usually well below 0 dB, even for the brightest sky sources. The calibration method considered here consists of observing a single point source and extracting the gain and noise parameters from the estimated covariance matrix. We present several closed-form and iterative identification algorithms for this. Weighted versions of the algorithms are proven to be asymptotically efficient. The algorithms are validated by simulations and application to experimental data observed at the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT).
Corrigendum to "The relationship between tree biodiversity and biomass dynamics changes with tropical forest succession"

In a recent paper (Lasky et al. 2014), we used incorrect language to describe how we calculated biomass dynamics attributable to stem mortality. We wrote incorrectly “For Dbiomass due to mortality, we calculated the biomass of surviving stems divided by the total original biomass, i.e. the numerator on the right side of eqn 5 was restricted to stems alive in both years t and t + 5” (Lasky et al. 2014). Instead, we actually calculated Dbiomass due to mortality by taking the biomass in year t of stems that survived to year t + 5 divided by the total biomass of all stems in year t. We thank Nadia Castro for uncovering our error.
Phrase similarity in humans and machines

Computational models of semantics have emerged as powerful tools for natural language processing. Recent work has developed models to handle compositionality, but these models have typically been evaluated on large, uncontrolled corpora. In this paper, we constructed a controlled set of phrase pairs and collected phrase similarity judgments, revealing novel insights into human semantic representation. None of the computational models that we considered were able to capture the pattern of human judgments. The results of a second experiment, using the same stimuli with a transformational judgment task, support a transformational account of similarity, according to which the similarity between phrases is inversely related to the number of edits required to transform one mental model into another. Taken together, our results indicate that popular models of compositional semantics do not capture important facets of human semantic representation.
Enhancing physical function in HIV-infected older adults: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE HIV-infected older adults (HOA) are at risk of functional decline. Interventions promoting physical activity that can attenuate functional decline and are easily translated into the HOA community are of high priority. We conducted a randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate whether a physical activity counseling intervention based on self-determination theory (SDT) improves physical function, autonomous motivation, depression and the quality of life (QOL) in HOA. METHOD In total, 67 community-dwelling HOA with mild-to-moderate functional limitations were randomized to 1 of 2 groups: a physical activity counseling group or the usual care control group. We used SDT to guide the development of the experimental intervention. Outcome measures that were collected at baseline and final study visits included a battery of physical function tests, levels of physical activity, autonomous motivation, depression, and QOL. RESULTS The study participants were similar in their demographic and clinical characteristics in both the treatment and control groups. Overall physical performance, gait speed, measures of endurance and strength, and levels of physical activity improved in the treatment group compared to the control group (p < .05). Measures of autonomous regulation such as identified regulation, and measures of depression and QOL improved significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group (p < .05). Across the groups, improvement in intrinsic regulation and QOL correlated with an improvement in physical function (p < .05). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that a physical activity counseling program grounded in SDT can improve physical function, autonomous motivation, depression, and QOL in HOA with functional limitations. (PsycINFO Database Record
Physiological analyses of traits associated with tolerance of long-term partial submergence in rice

Long-term stagnant flooding (SF, 50 cm water depth) greatly reduces rice yield. We assessed physiological mechanisms associated with SF tolerance in contrasting rice genotypes. SF reduced yield by 47% due to low biomass caused by reduced light interception and leaf growth above water; and reduced panicle number by 52% because of low tillering. Shoot elongation correlated positively with leaf growth and biomass production, but negatively with stem nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC). Tolerant varieties were either inherently tall or elongate moderately (<2.0 cm d−1) with rising floodwater. Optimum shoot elongation with rising floodwater is therefore a priority for future breeding work.
Thin Surface Layers of Iron-Based Alloys Deposited by TIG Hardfacing

Hardfacing layers developed by tungsten inert gas (TIG) surface melting on commercial purity titanium placing with a mixture of Fe, C and Si powders under two different traverse speeds (1 mm/s and 2 mm/s) and energy input of 1080 J/mm in an argon gas environment were investigated in terms of surface condition, microstructure, hardness and wear of the processed tracks. The surface appearance of treated layers was found to be free from any obvious defect. The TIG hardfacing layer produced dendritic structure due to dissolution of preplaced powder in the Ti melt. A maximum microhardness value of 630 HV 0.5 kgf was found on the surface layer processed with lower speed which was 2.5 to 3.5 times higher than the base material. Ball-on-plate wear tests exhibited better performance of the hardfacing layer than the untreated CP-Ti which is attributed to the presence of carbides and silicides in the Ti melt.
Effects of a Fall Prevention Exercise Program on Muscle Strength and Balance of the Old-old Elderly

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week balance exercise and elastic-resistance exercise program on muscle strength and balance of the old-old elderly (over the age of 75). [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-five elderly persons were recruited from the community and assigned to three groups for convenience: balance exercise (intervention group 1; INT 1), resistance exercise (intervention group 2; INT 2), and control (CON) groups. The intervention was performed twice a week at a senior center and three times a week at home for 8 weeks. Muscle strength and balance were evaluated before and at the end of the trial, using a PowertrackIIand Tetrax. [Results] There were significant improvements in the strength of all seven muscle groups and balance in the INT 2 group. In the INT 1 group, there were significant improvements in the strength of all muscle groups except for the knee flexor and ankle plantar flexor muscle groups. [Conclusion] This study demonstrated that an intervention using balance exercises or elastic-resistance exercises is effective at improving the muscle strength and balance of the old-old elderly. These type of exercises should be appropriate for the physical characteristics of the subjects.
Phosphorus depletion in forest soils shapes bacterial communities towards phosphorus recycling systems.

Phosphorus (P) is an important macronutrient for all biota on earth but similarly a finite resource. Microorganisms play on both sides of the fence as they effectively mineralize organic and solubilize precipitated forms of soil phosphorus but conversely also take up and immobilize P. Therefore, we analysed the role of microbes in two beech forest soils with high and low P content by direct sequencing of metagenomic deoxyribonucleic acid. For inorganic P solubilization, a significantly higher microbial potential was detected in the P-rich soil. This trait especially referred to Candidatus Solibacter usiatus, likewise one of the dominating species in the data sets. A higher microbial potential for efficient phosphate uptake systems (pstSCAB) was detected in the P-depleted soil. Genes involved in P starvation response regulation (phoB, phoR) were prevalent in both soils. This underlines the importance of effective phosphate (Pho) regulon control for microorganisms to use alternative P sources during phosphate limitation. Predicted genes were primarily harboured by Rhizobiales, Actinomycetales and Acidobacteriales.
Modelling the impact of Siboglinids on the biogeochemistry of the Captain Arutyunov mud volcano (Gulf of Cadiz)

Abstract. A 2-Dimensional mathematical reaction-transport model was developed to study the impact of the mud-dwelling frenulate tubeworm Siboglinum sp. on the biogeochemistry of a~sediment (MUC15) at the Captain Arutyunov mud volcano (CAMV). By explicitly describing the worm in its surrounding sediment, we are able to make budgets of processes occurring in- or outside of the worm, and to quantify how different worm densities and biomasses affect the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and sulfide reoxidation (HSox). The model shows that, at the observed densities, the presence of a thin worm body is sufficient to keep the upper 10 cm of sediment well homogenised with respect to dissolved substances, in agreement with observations. By this "bio-ventilation" activity, the worm pushes the sulfate–methane transition (SMT) zone downward to the posterior end of its body, and simultaneously physically separates the sulfide produced during the anaerobic oxidation of methane from oxygen. While there is little scope for AOM to take place in the tubeworm's body, 70% of the sulfide that is produced by sulfate reduction processes or that is advected in the sediment is preferentially shunted via the organism where it is oxidised by endosymbionts providing the energy for the worm's growth. The process of sulfide reoxidation, occurring predominantly in the worm's body is thus very distinct from the anaerobic oxidation of methane, which is a diffuse process that takes place in the sediments in the methane-sulfate transition zone. We show how the sulfide oxidation process is affected by increasing densities and length of the frenulates, and by upward advection velocity. Our biogeochemical model is one of the first to describe tubeworms explicitly. It can be used to directly link biological and biogeochemical observations at seep sites, and to study the impacts of mud-dwelling frenulates on the sediment biogeochemistry under varying environmental conditions. Also, it provides a tool to explore the competition between bacteria and fauna for available energy resources.
Response to the referees

Comment: This manuscript produced a long-term and high-resolution global gridded PAR product based on the latest ISCCP-HXG cloud product and reanalysis data. PAR data is required for researches in the ecological, agricultural, and global change fields. The algorithm used to estimate PAR in this study is the physical scheme that used in the previous study of Tang et al. (2017), and was proven to be a more accurate algorithm than previous ones. The produced gridded PAR product was evaluated against surface observations collected at more than 80 experimental stations worldwide. Compared with the well-known CERES PAR product, the PAR product produced in this study was found to be a more accurate dataset with higher resolution. The topic is highly interesting and appropriated for ESSD. The paper is clear and well written. Therefore, I recommend its publishing on the ESSD after answering the following several minor issues. Response: We thank Referee #1 for the encouraging comments. All comments and suggestions have been considered carefully and well addressed.
Four Plasma Glucose and Insulin Responses to a 75 g OGTT in Healthy Young Japanese Women

The incidence of diabetes has been gradually increasing, not only in middle-aged individuals but also in young individuals. However, insulin and glucose patterns have not been investigated in apparently healthy young individuals, as they are typically grouped as controls. In this study, we investigated and classified glucose and insulin patterns in healthy young women. Sixty-two nonobese women without metabolic disease were recruited. The subjects underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), physical measurements, and a biochemical examination. Two subjects displayed impaired glucose tolerance. The 62 subjects were categorized into four patterns by plasma glucose and insulin peak time during OGTT: normal type (n = 39), insulin-late type (n = 11), insulin- and glucose-late type (n = 7), and insulin-very late type (n = 5). OGTT glucose and insulin levels at all time points, insulinogenic index, HOMA-IR, and glucose area under the curve (AUC) significantly differed among the four groups. However, insulin AUC did not significantly differ. We did not detect significant differences in body condition or biochemical measurements. Our study demonstrated that some healthy young individuals might have delayed insulin secretion by OGTT. Early detection of altered glucose metabolism might be helpful to improve lifestyle choices and prevent progression to diabetes.