Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KNS 4 / UPEX 1 : A Type II Arabinogalactan b-( 1 , 3 )-Galactosyltransferase Required for Pollen Exine Development 1 [ OPEN ]

Pollen exine is essential for protection from the environment of the male gametes of seed-producing plants, but its assembly and composition remain poorly understood. We previously characterized Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants with abnormal pollen exine structure and morphology that we named kaonashi (kns). Here we describe the identification of the causal gene of kns4 that was found to be a member of the CAZy glycosyltransferase 31 gene family, identical to UNEVEN PATTERN OF EXINE1, and the biochemical characterization of the encoded protein. The characteristic exine phenotype in the kns4 mutant is related to an abnormality of the primexine matrix laid on the surface of developing microspores. Using light microscopy with a combination of type II arabinogalactan (AG) antibodies and staining with the arabinogalactan-protein (AGP)-specific b-Glc Yariv reagent, we show that the levels of AGPs in the kns4microspore primexine are considerably diminished, and their location differs from that of wild type, as does the distribution of pectin labeling. Furthermore, kns4 mutants exhibit reduced fertility as indicated by shorter fruit lengths and lower seed set compared to the wild type, confirming that KNS4 is critical for pollen viability and development. KNS4 was heterologously expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana, and was shown to possess b-(1,3)galactosyltransferase activity responsible for the synthesis of AG glycans that are present on both AGPs and/or the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan I. These data demonstrate that defects in AGP/pectic glycans, caused by disruption of KNS4 function, impact pollen development and viability in Arabidopsis.
CO Observations of the Interacting Galaxy Pair NGC 5394/95

BIMA 12CO J = 1 → 0 observations are presented of the spiral galaxies NGC 5394 and NGC 5395 that have undergone a recent, grazing encounter. In NGC 5394 approximately 80% of the CO emission detected by BIMA is concentrated in the central 800 pc (FWHM) starburst region, and the rest is from a portion of the inner disk south and west of the central starburst. In an encounter simulation that reproduces some of the main features of this galaxy pair, a considerable amount of gas in NGC 5394 falls into the central region early in the collision. The observed total gas distribution in the disk of NGC 5394 is lopsided, with more H I, CO, and Hα emission coming from the western or southwestern side. The innermost western arm of NGC 5394 is seen in CO and Hα emission, but the eastern inner-disk arm, which is very bright in the optical continuum, is not detected in CO or Hα emission. The NGC 5394 starburst region is similar in radio continuum luminosity and size to the M82 starburst and has a CO luminosity ∼4 times greater. A CO position-velocity diagram of the NGC 5394 nucleus reveals two separate velocity features very close to the center. This may indicate a nuclear ring or the "twin peaks" of an ILR or some depletion of 12CO J = 1 → 0 at the nucleus. From a comparison of the radio continuum, Hα, 60 μm, and CO luminosities, we estimate that the average extinction Av of the starburst nucleus is 3–4 mag, the star formation rate is ∼6 M⊙ yr-1, and the conversion factor N(H2)/ICO in the starburst is a factor of 3–4 below the standard value. Comparison of NGC 5394 with two other systems previously studied suggests that in prograde grazing encounters a central starburst may not develop until near the end of the ocular phase. Very little of the CO emission from NGC 5395 found in previous single-dish observations is detected in the BIMA data; thus molecular gas in NGC 5395 does not appear to be strongly concentrated in compressed ridges.
‘The funeral’: a study of children's shared meaning‐making and its developmental significance

This article argues the need to examine communication in joint play situations rather than individual assessments in solitary play situations when children's development is focused. Informed by Bakhtin's dialogical and Moscovici's interactionist perspectives, observations were made of the interaction between two girls, aged 3½ and 4, playing at holding a funeral ceremony, in the setting of a Swedish pre‐school. The analysis shows that new knowledge occurred through negotiations of appropriate actions in play. The children's interactions resulted in shared meaning‐making of the funeral as a ritual of revival.
Social capital and civic action

In recent years the apparent decline in civic and political engagement across western societies has attracted growing attention among academics, policy makers and social commentators. The condition of young people’s political consciousness and attitudes to political engagement has attracted especial attention. Trends in the reproduction of social capital have been proposed as a key driver of declining political engagement and civic mindedness in western democracies. Drawing upon data from the UK General Household Survey, this article explores the relationship between social capital and civic action among young British citizens at the beginning of the 21st century. In particular the following questions are addressed: how important is social capital in explaining the level and type of young people’s civic action? Are certain forms of social capital more important than others in explaining patterns of civic action? Is the relationship between social capital and civic action dependent upon individuals’ position in the life cycle?
Doubting the philosophical assumptions of interpretive research

The philosophical assumptions that underpin interpretive research are seldom critically scrutinized in education literature. Yet interpretive research is a powerful shaper of knowledge about the world of lived experience, or as Van Manen puts it, "the lifeworld, which is both the source and the object of this framework" (1990, p. 53). This paper uses postmodern theories to explore the assumptions of interpretive research and to make explicit the grounds on which interpretive knowledge claims are made. Concerned with social interactions, interpretive research assumes that all human actions are meaningful.The interpretive production of meaning, however, warrants scrutiny as it rests heavily on the authenticity of the individual's subjective experience. Here, it is argued that authenticity and individual "agency" ought to be subject to greater levels of doubt than is currently the case.
Cross-platform gene expression signature of human spermatogenic failure reveals inflammatory-like response.

BACKGROUND The molecular basis of human testicular dysfunction is largely unknown. Global gene expression profiling of testicular biopsies might reveal an expression signature of spermatogenic failure in azoospermic men. METHODS Sixty-nine individual testicular biopsy samples were analysed on two microarray platforms; selected genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS A minimum of 188 transcripts were significantly increased on both platforms. Their levels increased with the severity of spermatogenic damage and reached maximum levels in samples with Sertoli-cell-only appearance, pointing to genes expressed in somatic testicular cells. Over-represented functional annotation terms were steroid metabolism, innate defence and immune response, focal adhesion, antigen processing and presentation and mitogen-activated protein kinase K signalling pathway. For a considerable proportion of genes included in the expression signature, individual transcript levels were in keeping with the individual mast cell numbers of the biopsies. When tested on three disparate microarray data sets, the gene expression signature was able to clearly distinguish normal from defective spermatogenesis. More than 90% of biopsy samples clustered correctly into the corresponding category, emphasizing the robustness of our data. CONCLUSIONS A gene expression signature of human spermatogenic failure was revealed which comprised well-studied examples of inflammation-related genes also increased in other pathologies, including autoimmune diseases.
A Sociocultural Perspective on Knowledge Transfer in Mergers and Acquisitions

Sociocultural factors are important determinants of merger and acquisition (M&A) outcomes. Despite advances in this field, our understanding of sociocultural factors in M&As remains incomplete. In particular, the roles of sociocultural interfirm linkages, HR flexibility, and organizational cultural differences in M&As require further elucidation. The present article contributes to the M&A literature by further clarifying the multifaceted role of these sociocultural factors in M&As. We suggest that sociocultural interfirm linkages (complementary employee skills, trust, collective teaching, and cultural integration) between the merging firms influence the level of knowledge transfer in M&As. Furthermore, we argue that HR flexibility (flexibility in employee skills, flexibility in employee behavior, and flexibility in HR practices) is vital for the development of the above-mentioned sociocultural interfirm linkages in M&As. Finally, we maintain that organizational cultural differences are important antecedents of HR flexibility in M&As.
The Black-White Environmental Concern Gap: An Examination of Environmental Paradigms

Abstract Social scientists have examined a number of environmental issues, including attitudes and world views held by various subgroups of the population. Although the results of past studies are inconclusive, they suggest that African Americans are somewhat less concerned about environmental issues than Whites are. In this study, differences in environmental world views were investigated by contrasting dimensions of the two opposing paradigms: the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) that emphasizes exploiting nature for its utility and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) that emphasizes harmony with and stewardship toward nature. The 72 White and 40 African American respondents were selected through a random sample of a metropolitan area of Virginia. Both similarities and differences were observed. Results of a regression analysis showed race to be a significant predictor variable for many issues. African Americans gave greater endorsement to the DSP ideas of no limits to growth, lower valuation of nature f.
Biologics: Targets and Therapy Dovepress an Update on Belimumab for the Treatment of Lupus

B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), a homeostatic factor for B-cell differentiation and survival, has a major role in B-cell expansion and autoreactivity that characterize systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Belimumab, a BLyS-specific inhibitor, has shown promising evidence of efficacy in several preclinical and clinical studies in SLE. Two recent large randomized controlled trials yielded a significant positive effect of the drug compared to placebo in patients with active disease. In this review, we discuss basic aspects of B-cell and BLyS biology in SLE and summarize the evidence supporting a role of belimumab in SLE, from animal studies to phase III clinical trials.
Peer assessment: judging the quality of students’ work by comments rather than marks

This paper reports the results of a study into the quality of peer feedback provided by students within a computerised peer‐assessment environment. The study looks at the creation of a ‘feedback index’ that represents the quality of an essay based upon the feedback provided during a peer‐marking process and identifies a significant positive correlation between this index and the average marks produced for an essay. The data produced are analysed in an attempt to ascertain whether specific groups of students, based upon their ability in developing an essay within this subject area, in general tend to mark and/or comment on their peers either too generously or too critically.
Rh ( D ) phenotype among pregnant women in Sokoto , North Western Nigeria . Implications on haemolytic disease of the new-born and haemolytic transfusion reaction

This study investigated the prevalence of Rhesus D antigens among pregnant women in Sokoto, North Western, Nigeria. A total of 155 blood samples from pregnant women aged 18 to 45 years and mean age 27.19 ± 4.70 years attending ANC in UDUTH Sokoto were tested for Rh(D) phenotype using Lorne Laboratories of UK Anti-D reagent. Out of 155 subjects tested, 144 (92.9%) were Rh (D) positive while 11(7.1%) were Rhesus (D) negative. The prevalence of Rh D positive phenotype was highest among the Yoruba ethnic group (100%) and lowest among the Ibo ethnic group (83.3%). The prevalence of Rh D negative phenotype was highest among the Hausa ethnic group (42.5%) and lowest among the Yoruba ethnic group (0%). Antibodies to Rhesus D antigens can cause haemolytic disease of the foetus new-born and haemolytic transfusion reaction. Pregnant women should be tested routinely for their Rhesus D phenotypes as well as for the presence of clinically significant alloantibodies during pregnancy. Facilities for the demonstration of FMH should be made available in laboratories in Nigeria. Healthcare staff looking after Rh (D) negative women should be trained on anti-D prophylaxis. Universal access to prophylactic anti-D should be provided for all Rh (D) negative women. Rh (D) negative women who are to have a termination of pregnancy or who suffer from miscarriages or any other potentially sensitizing events during pregnancy should be offered immunoglobin D as a prophylactic measure to prevent alloimmunization.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor serum levels in alcohol-dependent subjects 6 months after alcohol withdrawal.

BACKGROUND Diagnosing alcohol dependence is based on clinical signs and on the measured levels of biological markers of alcohol consumption. However, these markers are neither sufficiently sensitive and nor specific enough to definitively determine alcohol dependence. The neuroadaptive changes associated with alcohol dependence involve markers such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which regulate neuronal plasticity. Serum levels of BDNF have been reported to decrease during alcohol dependence and may be restored to normal soon after alcohol is withdrawn. However, the long-term relationship between serum BDNF levels and abstinence status is unknown. METHODS We investigated serum BDNF levels in 101 abstinent and relapsing alcohol-dependent subjects at the moment of hospitalization for alcohol withdrawal (M0) and 6 months later (M6) and compared them to the serum BDNF levels of 41 nondependent subjects. The BDNF levels of the alcohol-dependent subjects were compared to their serum gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values, and their score on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire. RESULTS Forty-four percent of the alcohol-dependent participants remained abstinent during the 6 months following alcohol detoxification. Serum BDNF levels of the abstinent group at M6 were significantly higher than those of the original group of alcohol-dependent subjects at M0 (p = 0.034). Only the abstinent group had higher BDNF levels than the control group (p < 0.001). Serum BDNF levels increased to a greater extent in the abstinent group than in the nonabstinent group (p = 0.016). No correlations were found between serum BDNF levels and GGT level, MCV value, or BDI score. CONCLUSIONS Our data confirm that serum BDNF levels do not correlate with either chronic alcohol consumption or peripheral toxicity but may be linked to neuronal aspects of alcohol consumption and dependence. The increased serum levels of BDNF may reflect the concomitant activation of BDNF synthesis that accompanies the neuronal remodeling triggered by alcohol withdrawal and suggests that BDNF synthesis may have a role in the long-term maintenance of abstinence. Monitoring the serum BDNF levels of alcoholics undergoing treatment could help to characterize alcohol dependence profiles and predict relapse.
Management of acute bronchiolitis.

As winter approaches, paediatricians steel themselves for the annual flood of babies with acute bronchiolitis. It is the commonest lower respiratory tract infection in infants. Around 10% of babies develop bronchiolitis in their first year and a fifth of these are admitted to hospital. ' In this children's hospital between 200 and 260 infants are admitted with the disease each winter. The epidemic imposes great strains on the hospital: for example, in the first eight weeks of 1993, there were 179 admissions of infants with bronchiolitis, with a mean length of stay of 4-5 days. We ventilate 12-25 babies for bronchiolitis each winter: they occupy a total of 70-190 days a year on the intensive care unit. Many aspects of management remain controversial. For example, what is the most reliable way of assessing the severity of bronchiolitis? What is the role of electronic monitoring, or ribavirin (tribavirin), of physiotherapy? Are bronchodilators helpful? If babies cannot feed, should they be given intravenous or nasogastric fluids? Which babies need intensive care? How can we reduce cross infection? In this paper we examine these and other controversies in the care of the child with bronchiolitis.
Malignant transformation of p53-deficient astrocytes is modulated by environmental cues in vitro.

The early incidence of p53 mutation in astrocytomas suggests that it plays an important role in astrocyte transformation. Astrocytes isolated from homozygous p53 knockout mice grow rapidly, lack contact inhibition, and are immortal. Here we tested whether the loss of p53 is sufficient for progression to tumorigenicity of astrocytes. We grew primary astrocytes under three conditions for over 120 population doublings and assessed their antigenic phenotype, chromosome number, and expression of glioma-associated genes as well as their ability to form colonies in soft agarose and tumors s.c. and intracranially in nude mice. Under two conditions (10% FCS and 0.5% FCS plus 20 ng/ml EGF), cells acquired the ability to form colonies in soft agarose and tumors in nude mice, and this was accompanied by the expression of genes, including epidermal growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha and beta, protein kinase Cdelta, and vascular endothelial growth factor, which are known to be aberrantly regulated in human astrocytomas. Under the third condition (0.5% FCS plus 10 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor), astrocytes gained the ability to form colonies in soft agarose and had abnormal chromosome numbers similar to cells in the first two conditions but did not form tumors in nude mice or overexpress glioma-associated genes. These data provide experimental evidence for the idea that the malignant progression initiated by the loss of p53 may be subject to modulation by extracellular environmental influences.
Pharmacokinetic and clinical profile of a novel formulation of bosentan in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension: the FUTURE-1 study

AIM To show equivalent bosentan exposure in paediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) when compared with a cohort of historical controls of adult PAH patients using a newly developed paediatric formulation. METHODS Thirty-six paediatric PAH patients were enrolled in this multicentre, prospective, open-label, noncontrolled study and treated for 4 weeks with bosentan 2 mg kg−1 b.i. d. and then for 8 weeks with 4 mg kg−1 b.i. d. Blood samples were taken for pharmacokinetic purposes. Exploratory efficacy measurements included World Health Organization (WHO) functional class and parent's and clinician's Global Clinical Impression scales. RESULTS Comparing children with a historical group of adults, the geometric mean ratio (90% confidence interval) of the area under the plasma concentration–time curve was 0.54 (0.37, 0.78), i.e. children had lower exposure to bosentan than adults. Bosentan concentrations following doses of 2 and 4 mg kg−1 were similar. Improvements in WHO functional class and the Global Clinical Impression scales occurred mainly in bosentan-naive patients, whereas the rare worsenings occurred in patients already on bosentan prior to study initiation. The paediatric formulation was well accepted and bosentan well tolerated in this study. No cases of elevated liver enzymes or anaemia were reported. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to bosentan, as shown comparing the results from this study with those from a study in adults, was different in paediatric and adult PAH patients. Since FUTURE-1 and past studies suggest a favourable benefit–risk profile for bosentan at 2 mg kg−1 b.i. d. , this dose is recommended for children with PAH. The new paediatric formulation was well tolerated.
Genetic Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Retail Meat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Limited data exist from the Gulf Cooperation Council states on the prevalence and population dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus colonizing livestock or contaminating retail meat. This study was designed to determine the presence and genetic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from raw retail meat sold in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Over a period of 9 months, different raw retail meat types were aseptically processed using the double broth enrichment technique, characteristic colonies from chromogenic and mannitol salt agar were further identified using conventional methods. Susceptibility to 9 antibiotics was determined using the disc diffusion technique. Interpretation of inhibition zone was done according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Molecular characterization was carried out using the StaphyType DNA microarray technology. Twenty-five meat samples yielded Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Camel meat had the highest contamination rate with Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (20%) and Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (28%), while poultry meat had the least contamination rate with MRSA (4%). The MRSA isolates were grouped into 4 clonal complexes (CCs) namely CC1-MRSA-IV/SCCfus (n = 2), CC15-MRSA-V/SCCfus (n = 4), CC80-MRSA-IV/PVL+ (n = 5), and CC88-MRSA-IV/PVL+ (n = 2). All CC15-MRSA-V/SCCfus isolates were obtained from camel meat. This is the first study to demonstrate the novel CC15-MRSA-V/SCCfus in retail camel meat. We recommend that surveillance studies should be incorporated in public health and food hygiene programs.
Correlates of Dispositional and State Flow in Tennis Competition

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological correlates and flow in tennis competition. Using a cross-sectional design, the sample of 261 junior tennis athletes showed moderate-to-strong correlations between flow (dispositional and state) and confidence (r disp = .59; r state = .35), imagery use (r disp = .58; r state = .32), and action control (r disp = .41; r state = .40), whereas absorption was orthogonal to flow. Commonality analysis revealed that imagery and confidence accounted for 34.2% of the variance in dispositional flow. The results are discussed for the development of intervention studies in order to enhance flow in competition.