Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Arginine Biosynthesis during Phosphorus Deficiency : A Response to the Increased Ammonia Content of Leaves.

The accumulation of arginine in leaves of four citrus rootstock cultivars during P deficiency has been demonstrated to be due to increased de novo synthesis rather than decreased catabolism or increased protein degradation (E Rabe, CJ Lovatt, 1984, Plant Physiol 76: 747-752). In this report, we provide evidence (a) that the increased activity of the arginine biosynthetic pathway observed for citrus rootstocks grown under P-deficient conditions for 7 months is due to an increase in the concentration of ammonia in leaves of P-deficient plants and (b) that ammonia accumulation and removal through arginine systhesis are early responses to phosphorus deficiency for both a woody perennial, rough lemon (Citrus limon), and an herbaceous annual, summer squash (Cucurbita pepo). Transferring 5-day-old squash plants to a phosphorus-deficient nutrient solution for only 10 days resulted in a 2-fold increase in the concentration of nitrate in the youngest fully expanded leaves (YFE). Concomitantly, the specific activity of nitrate reductase doubled and the ammonia content of P-deficient YFE leaves increased to a concentration significantly greater that of leaves from healthy control plants (P < 0.05). Consistent with increased availability of ammonia, the incorporation of NaH(14)CO(3) into arginine plus urea doubled during phosphorus deficiency and arginine accumulated. Despite the accumulation of nitrate and ammonia in YFE leaves during phosphorus deficiency, the total nitrogen content of these leaves was less than that of the healthy control plants. Similar results were obtained for rough lemon. Nitrate content of the YFE leaves increased 1.5- and 3.0-fold in plants deprived of phosphorus for 6 and 12 weeks, respectively. Ammonia content of the leaves increased as P deficiency progressed to 1.4 +/- 0.08 mg (+/- se, n = 4) per gram dry weight, a level 1.8-fold greater than that of the P-sufficient control plants. During P deficiency de novo arginine biosynthesis in rough lemon increased 10-fold. Immersing the petiole of YFE leaves from P-sufficient squash and rough lemon plants in 50 millimolar NH(4) (+) for 3 hours resulted in the accumulation of ammonia in the leaves, and a 4-fold increase in the incorporation of NaH(14)CO(3) into arginine plus urea. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that the accumulation of nitrate and ammonia in leaves is an early response of both woody and herbaceous plants to P deprivation. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that increased de novo arginine biosynthesis in leaves during P deficiency is in response to ammonia content of the leaves.
Deep learning using heterogeneous feature maps for maxout networks

We propose a novel type of maxout that uses filters with kernels of multiple sizes for generating convolved maps. These filters extract the most effective features for recognition from many different variations of texture patterns. A convolved map is generated by convolution between feature maps and filters. If the size of filters is varied, the size of the convolved map will also vary; in which case, since there are no correspondences among the positions of convolved maps, maxout will not work for these kinds of filters. To align the sizes of convolved maps, we converted, in advance, feature maps, which we term `heterogeneous feature maps,' using zero padding. Converting the size of feature maps in this way allows maxout to function, even with filters of different sizes. In this study we demonstrate the classification performances using our proposed maxout on MNIST, CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, SVHN datasets, and show a 13.17% improvement of accuracy with augmented data.
Social support, self‐esteem, and sense of mastery as mediators of the relationships among physically active leisure, stress and health

Abstract In this article we report results of analyses that focused on examining (a) how physically active leisure influences relationships between stress and health, and (b) how social and psychological resources (i.e., social support, self‐esteem, and sense of mastery) impact on these relationships. Data from the Canadian 1994 National Population Health Survey (NPHS) were used for the analyses. Evidence for various types of health benefits of physically active leisure were found with the use of Structural equation modeling (SEM). For the whole sample, physically active leisure was directly and positively associated with physical health and well‐being, and directly and negatively associated with mental ill‐health. Also, social support, self‐esteem, and sense of mastery mediated the impact of physically active leisure on the stress‐health relationship. Specifically, physically active leisure appeared to indirectly facilitate stress reduction through its positive effects on these social and psychological resources, which consequently, had a positive effect on health and well‐being. With respect to sex and age differences, the findings appear to suggest that women may gain more mental health benefits from physically active leisure than men, and involvement in physically active leisure may be more beneficial for health among older individuals than younger individuals. Little evidence was found for the buffer effects of physically active leisure on stress‐health associations.
The Effects of Cuing on the Detection of Bilateral Symmetry

Pashler (1990) demonstrated that detection of mirror symmetry can be facilitated by precuing the symmetry axis orientation with a line. In Experiment 1, Pashler's result of a valid pre-cuing benefit was repeated, but it was also shown that invalid cuing produces performance costs, relative to a non-informative cue. Experiment 2 showed that the effect is not purely visual because the letters “V” and “H” can produce the same valid and invalid cuing effects. In Experiments 3Aand 3B, cue and pattern locations were varied, both absolutely and relative to each other. The results support an explanation for Pashler's atypical finding that horizontal symmetry can be detected faster than vertical symmetry. They also showed that the cuing effect is not local, contrary to Pashler's conclusion, but global and hence functionally useful.
An evidence-based assessment of the NCEP Adult Treatment Panel II guidelines. National Cholesterol Education Program.

CONTEXT The Second Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel II) was issued without the benefit of multiple recently published large clinical trials. OBJECTIVE To analyze the panel's guidelines for treatment of high cholesterol levels in the context of currently available clinical trial results. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE was searched for all English-language clinical trial data from 1993 through February 1999 relating to the effects of cholesterol treatment on cardiovascular clinical outcomes. STUDY SELECTION Studies that were selected for detailed review assessed the effects of cholesterol lowering on either coronary events, coronary mortality, stroke, and/or total mortality, preferably by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Selection was by consensus of a general internist, a lipid clinic director, and a researcher in atherosclerotic plaque biology. A core of 37 of the 317 initially screened studies were selected and used as the primary means by which to assess the guidelines. DATA EXTRACTION By consensus of the group, only prespecified end points of trials were included, unless post hoc analysis addressed issues not studied elsewhere. DATA SYNTHESIS Recent clinical trial data mostly support the Adult Treatment Panel II guidelines for cholesterol management. While existing trials have validated the target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals in the report, studies are lacking that address mortality benefit from reduction below these levels. Few lipid-lowering trials have treated patients with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and/or elevated triglyceride levels with LDL-C levels at or below treatment goals. CONCLUSIONS Lipid-lowering therapy generally should be more aggressively applied to patients with diabetes and/or at the time of coronary heart disease (CHD) diagnosis. The evidence for statin use in secondary CHD prevention in postmenopausal women outweighs current evidence for use of estrogen replacement in this setting. Further studies are needed to address the effects of lipid modification in primary prevention of CHD in populations other than middle-aged men and to study markers of lipid metabolism other than LDL-C.
Genetic analysis of a streptomycin-resistant oligosporogenous Bacillus subtilis mutant

Strain SRB15T+, a streptomycin-resistant, oligosporogenous mutant of Bacillus subtilis, contains two mutations, fun and strR. These mutations were mapped by PBS-1 mediated transduction and by transformation to two different sites in the cysA-linked region of the B. subtilis chromosome. The fun mutation mapped very close to rpsLl, a classic strA mutation, whereas strR mapped to a site distal to rpsE. The effects of these mutations on growth, sporulation, and streptomycin resistance in vivo and in vitro were determined. The fun mutation gave a different phenotype than did the rpsLl mutation and caused altered migration of a ribosomal protein which was identified as S12, the protein encoded by rpsL. It therefore appears that fun is an allele of the rpsL gene.
Examining the Role of Narrative Performance Appraisal Comments on Performance

Despite their prevalence in performance appraisal systems and purported importance in theory, narrative performance appraisal comments have been rarely examined. This study aimed to contribute to the literature by developing and testing a theory of quality narrative feedback. The author argues that managerial feedback that is both directive (i.e., lengthy, specific, and includes goals) and motivational (i.e., positive and high in interactional justice) would be related to year-lagged performance. Negative and positive emotions are also proposed as mediators of this relationship. Performance appraisal comments were coded for a sample of 1,019 clinical nurses. The structural equations modeling results provided preliminary evidence that feedback favorability and interactional justice demonstrated significant direct and indirect (through positive and negative emotion) effects on year-lagged employee performance.
Efficacy of a Character Strengths and Gratitude Intervention for People with Chronic Back Pain

This study investigated the efficacy of a character strengths and gratitude intervention to reduce pain in people with chronic back pain. Eight participants (males = 4, females = 4) took part in a cross-over multi-baseline study over 5‒7 weeks. Comparisons were made for intervention efficacy effects by contrasting a character strengths approach with a comparison condition premised on positive memories. Daily measures were used to assess mood (happiness, sadness, anger) and pain. In addition, measures of happiness, depression, anxiety, pain catastrophising and pain were collected at each phase. The results indicated improved daily happiness and significantly reduced daily anger following the character strengths and gratitude intervention. This provides preliminary evidence that daily focusing on positive aspects of one's emotional experience benefits those with chronic back pain.
The application of the matching law to simple ratio schedules.

where P is number of responses, k is a constant, n is the average number of responses required for one reinforcement, and R. is the reinforcement for other alternatives.2 This paper considers briefly the empirical adequacy of this equation in predicting responding under ratio schedules. Equation 1 predicts two effects of questionable generality: (a) responding should decrease as the average value of the ratio increases until (b) at some value of the ratio, responding goes to zero. The prediction of an inverse relation between number of responses and ratio size appears contradicted by considerable data. In fixed-ratio (FR) schedules the most common finding is a direct relation between number of responses and ratio size for low to moderate ratio values. For example, between FR 1 and FR 20, increased ratio requirement for a food reward is accompanied by increased key pecking in pigeons (Ferster and Skinner, 1957; Findley, 1962), and manipulation responses in rats (Barofsky and Hurwitz, 1968; Boren, 1961; Collier, Hirsch and Hamlin, 1972; Teitelbaum, 1957), gerbils (Vanderweele, Abelson, and Tellish, 1973), guinea pigs (Hirsch and Collier, 1974), goldfish (Rozin and Mayer, 1964), monkeys (Findley, 1959; Hamilton and Brobeck, 1964), and humans (Hutchinson and Azrin, 1961). A further increase in ratio size often produces a decline in number of responses. Increases in the size of variableand random-ratio schedules appear to produce changes similar to those that occur in the fixed-ratio case, though the relation is not always as marked (eg., Brandauer, 1958; Kelly, 1974; Priddle-Higson, Lowe, and Harzem, 1976). Performance on these latter schedules may be affected by
Factors affecting fecundity among sperm donors: a multivariate analysis

The study was aimed at identifying the predictors of the male fertility potential among sperm donors. Fifty anonymous donors undergoing 683 intracervical insemination (ICI) cycles between January 2002 and December 2006 were retrospectively evaluated according to semen characteristics in terms of reproduction rate (RR). We used RR as a parameter to determine the fertility potential among sperm donors. The overall RR was 26.79%. There were no significant differences among low, mean and high RR groups with regard to most sperm routine parameters. However, the RR was notably higher in the sperm morphology of ≥18% than in the <18% group (26.2% versus 19.4% respectively; P < 0.01). Both post‐thaw total motility and progressive motility were proportional to RR (P < 0.01). Differences in RR were seen when the percentage of propidium iodide‐negative spermatozoa was ≥45% (26.2% versus 16.4% respectively; P < 0.01) and DNA fragmentation index (DFI) was <8% (37.5% versus 17.9% respectively; P < 0.01) in post‐thaw samples. Using stepwise linear regression analysis, the percentage of normal morphology, post‐thaw progressive motility, PI‐negative spermatozoa, DFI had the maximum power to predict the donor fecundity in ICIs. Conclusion: Both the integrity of plasma membrane and DNA in spermatozoa are crucial factors affecting the fecundity of sperm donors. Therefore, the addition of some of these new tests to routine semen analysis could significantly improve the recruitment of sperm donors and the clinical pregnancy rate of anonymous donors.
The Influence of Stress, Gender, and Culture on Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Management Among Black Men

This study used focus-group methodology to seek understanding about the unique influence of stress, gender, and culture on type 2 diabetes mellitus (t2dm) prevention and management among Black men. Twenty men from Iowa were recruited from a larger longitudinal study on Black families; each of these men participated in one of three focus groups. Ninety-five percent of the men in the sample were Black and all were either diagnosed with t2dm (n = 10), were prediabetic (n = 1), or had experience with t2dm through family and friends (n = 9). Our results revealed the existence of significant stress and some pessimism with respect to perceived ability to prevent and manage t2dm. The participants made it clear that, while their families are primary sources of support for managing stress, including t2dm, they can also be a source of stress, particularly with respect to parenting. Black men had mixed opinions on their relationships with respect to their health care providers; some had positive, long-standing relationships while others reported little or no relationship with their providers. In response to life stress, Black men reported experiencing inadequate and disrupted sleep as well as consuming too much alcohol at times. Some of the participants reported engaging in physical activity to manage their stress. The study concluded that, as researchers develop t2dm prevention and management programs, they should continue to consider the unique role that stress in its various forms, plays in the lives of Black men.
Endovascular Treatment of Aneurysms of the Popliteal Artery By a Covered Endoprosthesis

Purpose The current gold standard of popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) treatment is saphenous vein bypass grafting. The aim of this retrospective single-center study is to investigate the safety and efficacy in the treatment of PAA by an endovascular implanted covered endoprosthesis. Materials and Methods Ten patients, mean age 64.6 (range, 52-78) years, with PAA were treated with an expanded Polytetrafluoroethylen (ePTFE)-covered stent graft (Viabahn®, W.L. Gore and Associates Inc, Flagstaff, AZ, USA). In median, 1.4 prostheses were implanted with a median length of 180 mm. Follow-up visits included determination of ankle-brachial index (ABI) and color-coded duplex sonography. Results The technical success rate was 100% (10/10). Clinically, there was an increase in ABI from 0.62 ± 0.17 to 0.91 ± 0.15 postinterventionally and to 0.89 ± 0.16 after an average follow-up of 24.7 months. During the follow-up period, 2 (20%) stent occlusions occurred; both of them were treated with a bypass graft. Conclusion The treatment of PAA with covered endoprosthesis is a safe and effective alternative to open surgical therapy, where open surgical therapy is contraindicated or patient refused open surgery.
Comparison of One Repetition Maximums Between Free Weight and Universal Machine Exercises

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the performances of one repetition maximums (1-RM) of selected free weight and Universal machine exercises. Subjects, 57 young women and 67 young men, performed a 1-RM for the Universal bench press (UBP), free weight bench press (FWBP), Universal leg press (ULP), and free weight parallel squat (FWPS). Test correlations were significant (p < 0.05) for both genders: women, upper body, r = 0.95; lower body, r = 0.66; men, upper body, r = 0.94; lower body, r = 0.67. Eight regression equations were developed to predict 1-RM for UBP, FWBP, ULP, and FWPS. These equations may be useful to coaches and athletes who wish to convert to the approximate weight needed for a lift when switching from one type of resistance equipment to another.
LONG-TERM TRAUMATIC STRESS RESPONSES OF SURVIVORS OF THE AUGUST 1999 EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY

On August 17, 1999, the Marmara earthquake in Turkey led to a total collapse of two big cities, resulting in a death toll of 18,000. Although the scars of this earthquake can never be erased, the calamity can lead to a better understanding of the effects of earthquake on the survivors. We examined long-term traumatic stress responses, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, in 107 survivors using a qualitative research method. We found that most of the survivors met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. High percentages of PTSD symptoms and hopelessness may reflect the effect of accumulating stressors related to resource loss.
Ridge subduction sparked reorganization of the Pacific plate‐mantle system 60–50 million years ago

A reorganization centered on the Pacific plate occurred ~53–47 million years ago. A “top‐down” plate tectonic mechanism, complete subduction of the Izanagi plate, as opposed to a “bottom‐up” mantle flow mechanism, has been proposed as the main driver. Verification based on marine geophysical observations is impossible as most ocean crust recording this event has been subducted. Using a forward modeling approach, which assimilates surface plate velocities and shallow thermal structure of slabs into mantle flow models, we show that complete Izanagi plate subduction and margin‐wide slab detachment induced a major change in sub‐Pacific mantle flow, from dominantly southward before 60 Ma to north‐northeastward after 50 Ma. Our results agree with onshore geology, mantle tomography, and the inferred motion of the Hawaiian hot spot and are consistent with a plate tectonic process driving the rapid plate‐mantle reorganization in the Pacific hemisphere between 60 and 50 Ma. This reorganization is reflected in tectonic changes in the Pacific and surrounding ocean basins.
A common variant in the ABCA1 gene is associated with a lower risk for premature coronary heart disease in familial hypercholesterolaemia

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a common autosomal codominant hereditary disease caused by defects in the LDL receptor (LDLR) gene, and one of the most common characteristics of affected subjects is premature coronary heart disease (CHD). In heterozygous FH patients, the clinical expression of FH is highly variable in terms of the severity of hypercholesterolaemia and the age of onset and severity of CHD. Identification of mutations in the ATP binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) gene in patients with Tangier disease, who exhibit reduced HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 concentrations and premature coronary atherosclerosis, has led us to hypothesise that ABCA1 could play a key role in the onset of premature CHD in FH. In order to know if the presence of the R219K variant in the ABCA1 gene could be a protective factor for premature CHD in FH, we have determined the presence of this genetic variant by amplification by PCR and restriction analysis in a group of 374 FH subjects, with and without premature CHD. The K allele of the R219K variant was significantly more frequent in FH subjects without premature CHD (0.32, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.37) than in FH subjects with premature CHD (0.25, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.29) (p<0.05), suggesting that the genetic variant R219K in ABCA1 could influence the development and progression of atherosclerosis in FH subjects. Moreover, the K allele of the R219K polymorphism seems to modify CHD risk without important modification of plasma HDL-C levels, and it appears to be more protective for smokers than non-smokers.
Adaptive and predictive downlink resource management in next-generation CDMA networks

Guard channels have been proposed to minimize handoff call dropping when mobile hosts move from one cell to another. Code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems are power- and interference-limited. Therefore, guard capacity in CDMA networks is soft, that is, a given capacity corresponds to variable number of connections. Thus, it is essential to adjust the guard capacity in response to changes in traffic conditions and user mobility. We propose two schemes for managing downlink CDMA radio resources: guard capacity adaptation based on dropping (GAD), and guard capacity adaptation based on prediction and dropping (GAPD). In both schemes, the guard capacity of a cell is dynamically adjusted so as to maintain the handoff dropping rate at a target level. In the second scheme, there is an additional, frequent adjustment component where guard capacity is adjusted based on soft handoff prediction. We show through extensive simulations that GAD and GAPD control the handoff dropping rate effectively under varying traffic conditions and system parameters. We also find that GAPD is more robust than GAD to temporal traffic variations and changes in control parameters.
The Transformation of the Arab World

In order to grasp what is happening in the Middle East, we must set aside a number of deep-rooted prejudices. First among them is the assumption that democracy presupposes secularization: The democratization movement in the Arab world came precisely after thirty years of what has been called the “return of the sacred,” an obvious process of re-Islamization of everyday life, coupled with the rise of Islamist parties. The second is the idea that a democrat must also, by definition, be a liberal. What is at stake is the reformulation of religion’s place in the public sphere.