Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Yeast mother cell-specific ageing, genetic (in)stability, and the somatic mutation theory of ageing

Yeast mother cell-specific ageing is characterized by a limited capacity to produce daughter cells. The replicative lifespan is determined by the number of cell cycles a mother cell has undergone, not by calendar time, and in a population of cells its distribution follows the Gompertz law. Daughter cells reset their clock to zero and enjoy the full lifespan characteristic for the strain. This kind of replicative ageing of a cell population based on asymmetric cell divisions is investigated as a model for the ageing of a stem cell population in higher organisms. The simple fact that the daughter cells can reset their clock to zero precludes the accumulation of chromosomal mutations as the cause of ageing, because semiconservative replication would lead to the same mutations in the daughters. However, nature is more complicated than that because, (i) the very last daughters of old mothers do not reset the clock; and (ii) mutations in mitochondrial DNA could play a role in ageing due to the large copy number in the cell and a possible asymmetric distribution of damaged mitochondrial DNA between mother and daughter cell. Investigation of the loss of heterozygosity in diploid cells at the end of their mother cell-specific lifespan has shown that genomic rearrangements do occur in old mother cells. However, it is not clear if this kind of genomic instability is causative for the ageing process. Damaged material other than DNA, for instance misfolded, oxidized or otherwise damaged proteins, seem to play a major role in ageing, depending on the balance between production and removal through various repair processes, for instance several kinds of proteolysis and autophagy. We are reviewing here the evidence for genetic change and its causality in the mother cell-specific ageing process of yeast.
Brain mechanisms of short-term habituation and sensitization toward dyspnea

Dyspnea is a prevalent and threatening cardinal symptom in many diseases including asthma. Whether patients suffering from dyspnea show habituation or sensitization toward repeated experiences of dyspnea is relevant for both quality of life and treatment success. Understanding the mechanisms, including the underlying brain activation patterns, that determine the dynamics of dyspnea perception seems crucial for the improvement of treatment and rehabilitation. Toward this aim, we investigated the interplay between short-term changes of dyspnea perception and changes of related brain activation. Healthy individuals underwent repeated blocks of resistive load induced dyspnea with parallel acquisition of functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Late vs. early ratings on dyspnea intensity and unpleasantness were correlated with late vs. early brain activation for both, dyspnea anticipation and dyspnea perception. Individual trait and state anxiety were determined using questionnaire data. Our results indicate an involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), midbrain/periaqueductal gray (PAG) and anterior insular cortex in habituation/sensitization toward dyspnea. Changes in the anterior insular cortex were particularly linked to changes in dyspnea unpleasantness. Changes of both dyspnea intensity and unpleasantness were positively correlated with state and trait anxiety. Our findings are in line with the suggested relationship between the anterior insular cortex and dyspnea unpleasantness. They further support the notion that habituation/sensitization toward dyspnea is influenced by anxiety. Our study extends the known role of the midbrain/PAG in anti-nociception to an additional involvement in habituation/sensitization toward dyspnea and suggests an interplay with the OFC.
What has research over the past two decades revealed about the adverse health effects of recreational cannabis use?

AIMS To examine changes in the evidence on the adverse health effects of cannabis since 1993. METHODS A comparison of the evidence in 1993 with the evidence and interpretation of the same health outcomes in 2013. RESULTS Research in the past 20 years has shown that driving while cannabis-impaired approximately doubles car crash risk and that around one in 10 regular cannabis users develop dependence. Regular cannabis use in adolescence approximately doubles the risks of early school-leaving and of cognitive impairment and psychoses in adulthood. Regular cannabis use in adolescence is also associated strongly with the use of other illicit drugs. These associations persist after controlling for plausible confounding variables in longitudinal studies. This suggests that cannabis use is a contributory cause of these outcomes but some researchers still argue that these relationships are explained by shared causes or risk factors. Cannabis smoking probably increases cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged adults but its effects on respiratory function and respiratory cancer remain unclear, because most cannabis smokers have smoked or still smoke tobacco. CONCLUSIONS The epidemiological literature in the past 20 years shows that cannabis use increases the risk of accidents and can produce dependence, and that there are consistent associations between regular cannabis use and poor psychosocial outcomes and mental health in adulthood.
Why We Need a New Paradigm of Earthquake Occurrence

Like all theories in any branch of physics, theories of the seismic source should be testable (i.e., they should be formulated so that they can be objectively compared to observations and rejected if they disagree). Unfortunately, many widely held theories of the seismic source, such as the elastic rebound paradigm and characteristic earthquake model, and theories for applying them to make probabilistic statements about future seismicity, such as probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), either disagree with data or are formulated in inherently or effectively untestable ways. Researchers should recognize that this field is in a state of crisis and search for a new paradigm. 10 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo‐ku, Tokyo, Japan 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy 3Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, California, USA 0002577617.indd 183 9/5/2015 3:48:16 PM 184 SubductiON dyNamicS The Japanese government publishes a national seismic hazard map like this every year. But since 1979, earthquakes that have caused 10 or more fatalities in Japan have occurred in places it designates low risk.
Early onset of deafening‐induced song deterioration and differential requirements of the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway

Similar to humans, songbirds rely on auditory feedback to maintain the acoustic and sequence structure of adult learned vocalizations. When songbirds are deafened, the learned features of song, such as syllable structure and sequencing, eventually deteriorate. However, the time‐course and initial phases of song deterioration have not been well studied, particularly in the most commonly studied songbird, the zebra finch. Here, we observed previously uncharacterized subtle but significant changes to learned song within a few days following deafening. Syllable structure became detectably noisier and silent intervals between song motifs increased. Although song motif sequences remained stable at 2 weeks, as previously reported, pronounced changes occurred in longer stretches of song bout sequences. These included deletions of syllables between song motifs, changes in the frequency at which specific chunks of song were produced and stuttering for birds that had some repetitions of syllables before deafening. Changes in syllable structure and song bout sequence occurred at different rates, indicating different mechanisms for their deterioration. The changes in syllable structure required an intact lateral part but not the medial part of the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway, whereas changes in the song bout sequence did not require lateral or medial portions of the pathway. These findings indicate that deafening‐induced song changes in zebra finches can be detected rapidly after deafening, that acoustic and sequence changes can occur independently, and that, within this time period, the pallial‐basal ganglia vocal pathway controls the acoustic structure changes but not the song bout sequence changes.
Pubic Lice: An Endangered Species?

The incidence of pubic lice infestations is estimated to be between 1.3% and 4.6%, with an average incidence of 2% worldwide. It is also estimated that 70% to 80% of adults now remove pubic hair in part or entirety, using a variety of methods. It is hypothesized that the destruction of this pubic hair habitat may account for the falling incidence of pubic lice and may possibly lead to its eradication or atypical presentation. Aim To report the changing incidence of pubic lice infestation from our unit over the last 10 years and assess its association, if any, with pubic hair removal of any kind. Methods Assessment of medical records and questionnaires were used to identify the incidence of hair removal and pubic lice infestation over a 10-year period. Data were anonymized and analyzed to identify any correlation. Results A significant and strong correlation between the falling incidence of pubic lice infections and increase in pubic hair removal was observed, with a Pearson correlation r value of 0.9686 (95% confidence intervals, 0.88–0.992). The P value is less than 0.0001. Conclusions The increased incidence of hair removal may lead to atypical patterns of pubic lice infestations or its complete eradication as the natural habitat of this parasite is destroyed.
Functional Genomics of Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Invited Review: Regulation of mammalian circadian clock genes

Albrecht, Urs. Invited Review: Regulation of mammalian circadian clock genes. J Appl Physiol 92: 1348–1355, 2002; 10.1152/japplphysiol. 00759.2001. —The circadian clock is a self-sustaining oscillator that has a period of 24 h and controls many physiological and behavioral systems. This clock can synchronize itself to changing environmental conditions to optimize an organisms performance. The underlying circadian rhythms are generated by periodic activation of transcription by a set of clock genes. Besides their own regulation, clock genes can influence biochemical processes by modulating specific genes of biochemical pathways. Developments in the last few years using genetics and molecular biological tools have led to a new understanding of the molecular basis of the circadian clock in mammals. In this mini-review, I will summarize these advances that have led us to begin understanding the mammalian circadian clock at the molecular level.
Identification of a restriction fragment length polymorphism by a CR1 cDNA that correlates with the number of CR1 on erythrocytes

A genetic basis for the regulation of the number of CR1 on E of different normal individuals was investigated by probing Southern blots of their genomic DNA with a 0.75-kb fragment of CR1 cDNA. Using Hind III, we observed a RFLP involving fragments of 7.4 kb and 6.9 kb that correlated with the number of CR1 on E. 32 individuals having only the 7.4-kb restriction fragment had a mean of 661 +/- 33 (SEM) CR1/E, 11 donors having both restriction fragments had a mean of 455 +/- 52 CR1/E, and 7 individuals having only the 6.9-kb fragment had a mean of 156 +/- 13 CR1/E, all means being significantly different (p less than 0.005). Cosegregation in a normal family of the Hind III restriction fragments with the S, F, and F' structural allotypes of CR1 confirmed that the regulatory element identified by these fragments is linked to the CR1 gene. Moreover, an analysis of the relative expression on E of these structural allotypes in association with either the 7.4-kb Hind III fragment or the 6.9-kb fragment showed that this regulatory element is cis-acting. In contrast, quantitation of CR1 of B lymphocytes and neutrophils revealed no differences in total CR1 expression between individuals homozygous for the 7.4-kb and 6.9-kb Hind III fragments. Thus, we have identified a genomic polymorphism that is linked to the CR1 gene and is associated with a cis-acting regulatory element for the expression of CR1 on E.
Importance of leisure nostalgia on life satisfaction and leisure participation

ABSTRACT Nostalgia plays a crucial role in individuals’ psychological and behavioral responses. To identify the influence of nostalgia on leisure participants’ life, this study examined how individuals’ leisure nostalgia influenced their life satisfaction, thereby reinforcing their leisure participation intention. 417 responses were collected from leisure participants and analyzed in this study. Results showed that leisure nostalgia positively affected life satisfaction and leisure participation intention. In addition, life satisfaction had a significant effect on leisure participation intention. Further analysis revealed that the indirect effects of nostalgia regarding group identity and personal identity on leisure participation intention were significantly stronger than those of nostalgia regarding leisure experience, environment, and socialization. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.
Genetic Manipulation of Competition for Nitrate between Heterotrophic Bacteria and Diatoms

Diatoms are a dominant group of eukaryotic phytoplankton that contribute substantially to global primary production and the cycling of important elements such as carbon and nitrogen. Heterotrophic bacteria, including members of the gammaproteobacteria, are commonly associated with diatom populations and may rely on them for organic carbon while potentially competing with them for other essential nutrients. Considering that bacterioplankton drive oceanic release of CO2 (i.e., bacterial respiration) while diatoms drive ocean carbon sequestration vial the biological pump, the outcome of such competition could influence the direction and magnitude of carbon flux in the upper ocean. Nitrate availability is commonly a determining factor for the growth of diatom populations, particularly in coastal and upwelling regions. Diatoms as well as many bacterial species can utilize nitrate, however the ability of bacteria to compete for nitrate may be hindered by carbon limitation. Here we have developed a genetically tractable model system using the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the widespread heterotrophic bacteria Alteromonas macleodii to examine carbon-nitrogen dynamics. While subsisting solely on P. tricornutum derived carbon, A. macleodii does not appear to be an effective competitor for nitrate, and may in fact benefit the diatom; particularly in stationary phase. However, allochthonous dissolved organic carbon addition in the form of pyruvate triggers A. macleodii proliferation and nitrate uptake, leading to reduced P. tricornutum growth. Nitrate reductase deficient mutants of A. macleodii (ΔnasA) do not exhibit such explosive growth and associated competitive ability in response to allochthonous carbon when nitrate is the sole nitrogen source, but could survive by utilizing solely P. tricornutum-derived nitrogen. Furthermore, allocthonous carbon addition enables wild-type A. macleodii to rescue nitrate reductase deficient P. tricornutum populations from nitrogen starvation, and RNA-seq transcriptomic evidence supports nitrogen-based interactions between diatoms and bacteria at the molecular level. This study provides key insights into the roles of carbon and nitrogen in phytoplankton-bacteria dynamics and lays the foundation for developing a mechanistic understanding of these interactions using co-culturing and genetic manipulation.
Evidence and evidence gaps of medical treatment of non-tumorous diseases of the head and neck

Unfortunately, the treatment of numerous otolaryngological diseases often lacks of evidence base because appropriate studies are missing. Whereas sufficient high-quality trials exist for the specific immunotherapy of allergic rhinitis and in a limited measure also for the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor induced angioedema, the evidence for Menière’s disease or for pharmacotherapy of postoperative laryngeal edema is rather poor. This contribution will discuss the trial situation and evidence of the respective diseases.
A Novel Family of Genomics Islands Across Multiple Species of Streptococcus

The genus Streptococcus is one of the most genomically diverse and important human and agricultural pathogens. The acquisition of genomic islands (GIs) plays a central role in adaptation to new hosts in the genus pathogens. The research presented here employs a comparative genomics approach to define a novel family of GIs in the genus Streptococcus which also appears across strains of the same species. Specifically, we identified 9 Streptococcus genomes out of 67 sequenced genomes analyzed, and we termed these as 15bp Streptococcus genomic islands, or 15SGIs, including i) insertion adjacent to the 3’ end of ribosome l7/l12 gene, ii) large inserts of horizontally acquired DNA, and iii) the presence of mobility genes (integrase) and replication initiators. We have identified a novel family of 15SGIs and seems to be important in species differentiation and adaptation to new hosts. It plays an important role during strain evolution in the genus Streptococcus.
Pruning by the Use of Equally Constrained Variables

We introduce a notion of equally constrained variables of a constraint network. We propose a method of pruning that uses the notion. We combine the proposed method of pruning with FC-CBJ and call the obtained algorithm FC-CBJ-EQ. Our experimental results show that FC-CBJ-EQ outperforms FC-CBJ on constraint networks that encode randomly generated instances of the graph k-coloring and the subgraph isomorphism problems.
Personality, Culture, and System Factors - Impact on Affective Response to Multimedia

Whilst affective responses to various forms and genres of multimedia content have been well researched, precious few studies have investigated the combined impact that multimedia system parameters and human factors have on affect. Consequently, in this paper we explore the role that two primordial dimensions of human factors - personality and culture - in conjunction with system factors - frame rate, resolution, and bit rate - have on user affect and enjoyment of multimedia presentations. To this end, a two-site, cross-cultural study was undertaken, the results of which produced three predictve models. Personality and Culture traits were shown statistically to represent 5.6% of the variance in positive affect, 13.6% in negative affect and 9.3% in enjoyment. The correlation between affect and enjoyment, was significant. Predictive modeling incorporating human factors showed about 8%, 7% and 9% improvement in predicting positive affect, negative affect and enjoyment respectively when compared to models trained only on system factors. Results and analysis indicate the significant role played by human factors in influencing affect that users experience while watching multimedia.
Factors Associated with Medication Adherence among Patients with Schizophrenia in Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia

Background Non-adherence to antipsychotic medication has a negative impact on the course of illness resulting in increased risk of relapse, rehospitalization and suicide, and increased costs to healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to investigate factors associated with medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia at Ayder Referral Hospital and Mekelle Hospital in Mekelle, Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. Methods The study was a cross-sectional survey in which sociodemographic characteristics, drug attitudes, insight and side effects were measured and explored in terms of their relationship with medication adherence. A structured questionnaire as a data collection tool was used. Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS Version 20.0. Results A total of 393 patients participated, 26.5% were non-adherent to their antipsychotic medication. The factors significantly associated with better adherence were positive treatment attitudes (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.55), fewer side effects (AOR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94, 0.99), awareness of illness (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.85) and the ability to relabel symptoms (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.07). However, khat chewers (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.68), being illiterate (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.47) and older age group (AOR = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.16) were associated with less medication adherence. Conclusions A high prevalence of medication non-adherence was found among patients with schizophrenia. Intervention strategies focused on educating the patients to better understand the illness, medications and their potential side effects might be useful in improving adherence to antipsychotic medication treatment.
Extending the verifiability approach framework: The effect of initial questioning

The Verifiability Approach (VA) is a lie detection tool that examines reported checkable details. Across two studies, we attempt to exploit liar’s preferred strategy of repeating information by examining the effect of questioning adult interviewees before the VA. In Study 1, truth tellers (n=34) and liars (n=33) were randomly assigned to either an initial open or closed questioning condition. After initial questioning, participants were interviewed using the VA. In Study 2, truth tellers (n=48) and liars (n=48) were interviewed twice, with half of each veracity group randomly assigned to either the Information Protocol (an instruction describing the importance of reporting verifiable details) or control condition. Only truth tellers revised their initial statement and to include verifiable detail. This pattern was most pronounced when initial questioning was open (Study 1) and when the information protocol was used between recall attempts (Study 2). Thus, liar’s preferred strategy of maintaining consistency between statements appears exploitable using the VA. RUNNING HEAD: The effect of initial questioning on the VA 2 General Audience Summary: Across two studies we explored if the Verifiability Approach – a technique for distinguishing liars from truth tellers using the quantity of verifiable detail reported in interviewees’ statements – can be adapted to elicit consistency-based cues to deception by asking questions before administering the full VA procedure.Truth tellers appeared willing to revise their initial statement and, when prompted, reported previously undisclosed verifiable detail. Conversely, liars appeared unwilling to revise their initial statement to include new verifiable detail.
High-resolution spectrum-estimation methods for signal analysis in power systems

The spectrum-estimation methods based on the Fourier transform suffer from the major problem of resolution. The methods were developed and are mostly applied for periodic signals under the assumption that only harmonics are present and the periodicity intervals are fixed, while periodicity intervals in the presence of interharmonics are variable and very long. A novel approach to harmonic and interharmonic analysis based on the "subspace" methods is proposed. Min-norm and music harmonic retrieval methods are examples of high-resolution eigenstructure-based methods. Their resolution is theoretically independent of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The Prony method as applied for parameter estimation of signal components was also tested in the paper. Both the high-resolution methods do not show the disadvantages of the traditional tools and allow exact estimation of the interharmonic frequencies. To investigate the methods, several experiments were carried out using simulated signals, current waveforms at the output of an industrial frequency converter, and current waveforms during out-of-step operation of a synchronous generator. For comparison, similar experiments were repeated using the fast Fourier transform (FFT). The comparison proved the superiority of the new methods.