Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hypoxic preconditioning increases the protective effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury

Transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) protect against spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury (SCIRI). However, a large number of transplanted BMSCs often undergo apoptosis, which severely affects the treatment outcome. Previous studies have demonstrated that hypoxic preconditioning effectively increases the survival rate of BMSCs following transplantation, and increases their protective effect on injured tissues. However, there have been few reports regarding roles of hypoxic preconditioning in SCIRI. The present study isolated rat BMSCs and separately transplanted hypoxia- and non-hypoxia-preconditioned BMSCs into the spinal cord tissues of rats with SCIRI. The role of hypoxic preconditioning in the promotion of the protective effect of BMSCs on SCIRI was investigated using neurological function scores, Evans blue staining, hematoxylin and eosin staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and to investigate its possible underlying mechanism of action. The results indicated that hypoxic preconditioning effectively increased the protective effects of BMSCs on neurological function, blood spinal cord barrier and tissue damage following SCIRI, and inhibited apoptosis. Furthermore, hypoxic preconditioned BMSCs upregulated the expression of HIF-1α in spinal cord tissues. Therefore, hypoxic preconditioning effectively increased the protective effect of BMSCs on SCIRI and may be associated with upregulation of the expression of HIF-1α. Hypoxic preconditioning may serve as an effective means of increasing the protective effect of BMSCs on SCIRI.
Probabilistic Power Flow Analysis Based on the Stochastic Response Surface Method

This paper proposes a probabilistic power flow analysis technique based on the stochastic response surface method. The probability distributions and statistics of power flow responses can be accurately and efficiently estimated by the proposed method without using series expansions such as the Gram-Charlier, Cornish-Fisher, or Edgeworth series. The stochastic continuous input variables following normal distributions such as loads or non-normal distributions such as photovoltaic generation and wind power and their multiple correlations can be easily modeled. The correctness, effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed method are demonstrated by comparing the probabilistic power flow analysis results of the IEEE 14-bus and 57-bus standard test systems obtained from the proposed method, the point estimate method, and the Monte Carlo simulation method.
Augment Dependency-to-String Translation with Fixed and Floating Structures

In this paper, we propose an augmented dependency-to-string model to combine the merits of both the head-dependents relations at handling long distance reordering and the fixed and floating structures at handling local reordering. For this purpose, we first compactly represent both the head-dependent relation and the fixed and floating structures into translation rules; second, in decoding we build “on-the-fly” new translation rules from the compact translation rules that can incorporate non-syntactic phrases into translations, thus alleviate the non-syntactic phrase coverage problem of dependency-to-string translation (Xie et al., 2011). Large-scale experiments on Chinese-to-English translation show that our augmented dependency-to-string model gains significant improvement of averaged +0.85 BLEU scores on three test sets over the dependencyto-string model.
METAPHOR , INFERENCE , AND PREDICTION IN PALEOECOLOGY : CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ANTARCTIC BOTTOM FAUNA

The fossil record affords us the opportunity to reconstruct the history of communities prior to human intervention, infer the causes underlying that history, and make early, accurate, and mechanistic predictions about their future as human-dominated systems. Paleoecology’s unique contribution to conservation lies in providing the rationale, data, and methodological approach to view contemporary biological communities metaphorically in terms of geohistorical time-equivalence. By comparing perturbed communities of the present to paleocommunities that were prevalent in earlier time intervals, we gain insight into the causes and mechanisms of ecological degradation. Such insights are founded on testable hypotheses that ecological processes are scale independent. As an example, nearshore, shallow-benthic communities living in Antarctica today are reminiscent of Paleozoic communities, which were dominated by epifaunal suspension-feeders and lacked the functionally modern, durophagous predators that diversified in the Mesozoic. Establishing a causal link between the absence of durophagy and the retrograde community structure of the Antarctic bottom fauna requires characterizing the relevant predator–prey interactions at multiple scales using a variety of methods. Paleoecological analysis, in corroborating the postulated scale independence of those predator–prey interactions, leads us through a logical sequence of ideas with predictive power: (1) Antarctic marine communities were functionally modern before climatic cooling began 41 Ma; (2) they were forced toward a quasi-Paleozoic composition when the cooling trend reduced and ultimately eliminated durophagous predation; and (3) they will soon be re-modernized as global warming and increased ship traffic in Antarctica permit predators to reinvade. Policy recommendations follow from this paleoecological interpretation of the ecological dynamics of the Antarctic benthos.
Mesoscale Distribution of Springtime Waters and Nutrients near theContinental Shelf Break, Beaufort Sea, Alaska

Forty two sites on the Alaskan Beaufort Sea shelf break were sampled by helicopter in April 2003 for hydrographic parameters and nutrients. Mesoscale maps delineated two eddies and the Beaufort shelf break current. Higher-salinity nutrient-rich waters upwelled onto the shelf, and the depth of the main pycnocline shoaled to <22 m. A plume of 31.40-31.80 salinity water at 10 m was flowing off the shelf, and maps of Brunt Vaisala frequencies and Richardson numbers showed that its presence weakened the pycnocline stability. The high shelf-break nutrient concentrations could support a spring-bloom productivity of 23 g-C m -2 y -1 , which, when added to previous summertime productivity measurements, demonstrated significant production along the Beaufort Sea shelf break.
An underground tale: contribution of microbial activity to plant iron acquisition via ecological processes.

BACKGROUND Iron (Fe) deficiency in crops is a worldwide agricultural problem. Plants have evolved several strategies to enhance Fe acquisition, but increasing evidence has shown that the intrinsic plant-based strategies alone are insufficient to avoid Fe deficiency in Fe-limited soils. Soil micro-organisms also play a critical role in plant Fe acquisition; however, the mechanisms behind their promotion of Fe acquisition remain largely unknown. SCOPE This review focuses on the possible mechanisms underlying the promotion of plant Fe acquisition by soil micro-organisms. CONCLUSIONS Fe-deficiency-induced root exudates alter the microbial community in the rhizosphere by modifying the physicochemical properties of soil, and/or by their antimicrobial and/or growth-promoting effects. The altered microbial community may in turn benefit plant Fe acquisition via production of siderophores and protons, both of which improve Fe bioavailability in soil, and via hormone generation that triggers the enhancement of Fe uptake capacity in plants. In addition, symbiotic interactions between micro-organisms and host plants could also enhance plant Fe acquisition, possibly including: rhizobium nodulation enhancing plant Fe uptake capacity and mycorrhizal fungal infection enhancing root length and the nutrient acquisition area of the root system, as well as increasing the production of Fe(3+) chelators and protons.
Impact of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life® system on anxiety after breast cancer surgery

Abstract The purpose of this pilot study was to gather information on the immediate and short-term effects of relaxation training according to the Yoga In Daily Life® (YIDL®) system on anxiety of breast cancer patients. The YIDL® system is a holistic system being practised and taught worldwide and has been proven to be highly effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The system aims to establish physical, mental, spiritual, and social health. Thirty-two patients at the Institute for Oncology Ljubljana were randomized to the experimental (n=16) and to the control groups (n=16). Both groups received the same standard physiotherapy for 1 week, while the experimental group additionally received 1-hour group relaxation training session according to the YIDL® system per day. At discharge, the experimental group was issued with audiocassette recordings containing similar instructions for relaxation training to be practiced for 3 weeks individually at home. Anxiety measures were obtained by blinded assessors using standardized questionnaires. The results indicate that relaxation training according to the YIDL® system could be a useful clinical physiotherapy intervention for breast cancer patients experiencing anxiety.
Eigenstructure assignment design for proportional-integral observers: the discrete-time case

A complete parametric design approach for proportional-integral observers of multivariable discrete-time linear systems is proposed based on an eigenstructure assignment technique. Complete parameterizations for all the observer gains as well as the eigenvector matrix of the observer system matrix are established in terms of three sets of design parameters that satisfy three basic and simple constraints. The proposed approach provides all the degrees of freedom and has great potential in applications. An illustrative example shows the effect of the proposed approach.
Proposal of six species of moderately thermophilic, acidophilic, endospore-forming bacteria: Alicyclobacillus contaminans sp. nov., Alicyclobacillus fastidiosus sp. nov., Alicyclobacillus kakegawensis sp. nov., Alicyclobacillus macrosporangiidus sp. nov., Alicyclobacillus sacchari sp. nov. and Alicy

Moderately thermophilic, acidophilic, spore-forming bacteria (146 strains) were isolated from various beverages and environments. Based on the results of sequence analysis of the hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene, eight of the strains represent novel species of the genus Alicyclobacillus. These strains were designated 3-A191(T), 4-A336(T), 5-A83J(T), 5-A167N, 5-A239-2O-A(T), E-8, RB718(T) and S-TAB(T). Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA and DNA gyrase B subunit (gyrB) nucleotide sequences confirmed that the eight strains belonged to the Alicyclobacillus clade. Cells of the eight strains were Gram-positive or Gram-variable, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped. The strains grew well under acidic and moderately thermal conditions, produced acid from various sugars, contained menaquinone 7 as the major isoprenoid quinone and did not produce guaiacol. omega-Alicyclic fatty acids were the predominant lipid component of strains 4-A336(T), 5-A83J(T), 5-A167N, RB718(T) and S-TAB(T). No omega-alicyclic fatty acids were detected in strains 3-A191(T), 5-A239-2O-A(T) or E-8, but iso- and anteiso-branched fatty acids and small amounts of straight-chain saturated fatty acids were detected instead. According to the DNA-DNA hybridization data and distinct morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomical and genetic traits, the eight strains represent six novel species within the genus Alicyclobacillus, for which the following names are proposed: Alicyclobacillus contaminans sp. nov. (type strain 3-A191(T)=DSM 17975(T)=IAM 15224(T)), Alicyclobacillus fastidiosus sp. nov. (type strain S-TAB(T)=DSM 17978(T)=IAM 15229(T)), Alicyclobacillus kakegawensis sp. nov. (type strain 5-A83J(T)=DSM 17979(T)=IAM 15227(T)), Alicyclobacillus macrosporangiidus sp. nov. (type strain 5-A239-2O-A(T)=DSM 17980(T)=IAM 15370(T)), Alicyclobacillus sacchari sp. nov. (type strain RB718(T)=DSM 17974(T)=IAM 15230(T)) and Alicyclobacillus shizuokensis sp. nov. (type strain 4-A336(T)=DSM 17981(T)=IAM 15226(T)).
Human brain hemorrhage: quantification of perihematoma edema by use of diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Animal models have clearly shown a critical role for extravascular blood in the initiation of the vasogenic edema associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Nevertheless, the relevance of these observations to the human disease process has not been evaluated. With a prospectively collected cohort of nine patients, we report the relation between intraparenchymal blood clot volume and elevation of perihematoma brain tissue (and homologous contralateral brain tissue) apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). METHODS Patients with acute and subacute supratentorial ICH were prospectively evaluated by using diffusion-weighted imaging. ADC was measured in perihematoma tissue and in homologous contralateral regions. The relationship between ADC and volume of hematoma was determined by using linear regression analysis. RESULTS Nine patients were enrolled in the study. The mean hematoma volume was 30.8 cc (range, 2.6-74 cc). The ADC in the perihematoma regions was 172.5 x 10(-5) mm(2)/s (range, 120.1-302.5 x 10(-5) mm(2)/s) and in the contralateral corresponding regions of interest was 87.6 x 10(-5) mm(2)/s (range, 76.5-102.1 x 10(-5) mm(2)/s) (P=.02). The Pearson correlation coefficient for the ADC in surrounding edema and hematoma volume was 0.7 (P=.04). The correlation coefficient between hematoma volume and contralateral hemisphere ADC was 0.8 (P=.02). CONCLUSION We report a significant direct correlation between ICH volume and degree of ADC elevation in perihematoma and ADC values in contralateral corresponding brain tissue. These findings suggest a dose-effect interaction between volume and concentration of blood products and intensity of response that brain tissue exhibits in blood-mediated edema. Prospective natural history and interventional studies are required to confirm this biologically meaningful correlation in patients with ICH.
Tax Evasion and Charitable Giving — An Experimental Approach

This paper investigates tax evasion through subsidies received by individuals for false declarations of charitable donations. The study distinguishes between a rebate and a match subsidy in an experimental setting. Under the rebate subsidy, the individual receives the subsidy, while under the match subsidy the charitable organization receives the subsidy. First, I develop a theoretical model of overreporting of charitable giving. Second, I test in an experiment whether subjects report donations that are higher than the actual donations made, and thus, receive subsidies illegitimately. The results show that the level of overreporting is higher under the rebate than under the match subsidy and suggest that the latter may generally lead to a government’s desired level of donations at reduced cost. An increase in the probability of an audit under the rebate subsidy has no significant effect on overreporting, whereas a higher probability under the match has a strong negative effect.
Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation Open Access the Use of Body Weight Support on Ground Level: an Alternative Strategy for Gait Training of Individuals with Stroke

Background: Body weight support (BWS) systems on treadmill have been proposed as a strategy for gait training of subjects with stroke. Considering that ground level is the most common locomotion surface and that there is little information about individuals with stroke walking with BWS on ground level, it is important to investigate the use of BWS on ground level in these individuals as a possible alternative strategy for gait training.
SoftNull: Many-Antenna Full-Duplex Wireless via Digital Beamforming

In this paper, we present and study a digital-controlled method, called SoftNull, to enable full-duplex in many-antenna systems. Unlike most designs that rely on analog cancelers to suppress self-interference, SoftNull relies on digital transmit beamforming to reduce self-interference. SoftNull does not attempt to perfectly null self-interference, but instead seeks to reduce self-interference sufficiently to prevent swamping the receiver's dynamic range. Residual self-interference is then cancelled digitally by the receiver. We evaluate the performance of SoftNull using measurements from a 72-element antenna array in both indoor and outdoor environments. We find that SoftNull can significantly outperform half-duplex for small cells operating in the many-antenna regime, where the number of antennas is many more than the number of users served simultaneously.
Fundamental understanding of the effect of air-gap distance on the fabrication of hollow fiber membranes

The objectives of this work are, fundamentally, to understand hollow fiber membrane formation from an engineering aspect, to develop the governing equations to describe the velocity profile of nascent hollow fiber during formation in the air gap region, and to predict fiber dimension as a function of air-gap distance. We have derived the basic equations to relate the velocity profile of a nascent hollow fiber in the air-gap region as a function of gravity, mass transfer, surface tension, drag forces, spinning stress, and rheological parameters of spinning solutions. Two simplified equations were also derived to predict the inner and outer diameters of hollow fibers. To prove our hypotheses, hollow fiber membranes were spun from 20 : 80 polybezimidazole/poly- etherimide dopes with 25.6 wt % solid in N,N-dimethylacetamide using water as the external and internal coagulants. We found that inner and outer diameters of as-spun fibers are in agreement with our prediction. The effects of air-gap distance or spin-line stress on nascent fiber morphology, gas performance, and mechanical and thermal properties can be qualitatively explained by our mathematical equations. In short, the spin-line stresses have positive or negative effects on membrane formation and sepa- ration performance. A high elongational stress may pull molecular chains or phase- separated domains apart in the early stage of phase separation and create porosity, whereas a medium stress may induce molecular orientation and reduce membrane porosity or free volume. Scanning electron microscopic photographs, coefficient of thermal expansion, and gas selectivity data confirm these conclusions. Tg of dry-jet wet-spun fibers is lower than that of wet-spun fibers, and Tg decreases with an increase in air-gap distance possibly because of the reduction in free volume induced by gravity and elongational stress. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 379 -395, 1999
Lack of correlation between the 257C-to-T mutation in the gyrA gene and clinical severity of Campylobacter jejuni infection in a region of high incidence of ciprofloxacin resistance

Abstract Background: Fluoroquinolone resistance is increasingly detected in Campylobacter jejuni worldwide. Despite the fact that a point mutation in the gyrA gene has been linked with increased fitness in animals, the association of resistant organisms with more severe infections in man remains controversial. Methods: Erythromycin and quinolone susceptibility of 147 C. jejuni strains isolated from individual patients with diarrhoea in southwest Hungary were investigated and the molecular background of fluoroquinolone resistance was determined. Hospitalization and the presence of macroscopic blood in the stool were correlated with the presence of 257C-to-T mutation of the gyrA gene causing resistance to fluoroquinolones. Results: Isolates showed an extensive genetic heterogeneity by macrorestriction analysis of the chromosome. While all strains retained susceptibility to erythromycin, 68% were non-susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The mutation causing a Thr-86-to-Ile replacement in the gyrA gene was present in 98% of non-susceptible isolates. Infection caused by isolates containing this mutation did not show any significant association with either hospitalization or with the development of bloody diarrhoea. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that in a region with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance in C. jejuni, non-susceptibility to this antibiotic did not correlate with the severity of infection.
In Vitro Anti-Candida Activity of Zataria multiflora Boiss

Zataria multiflora Boiss known as Avishan Shirazi (in Iran) is one of the valuable Iranian medicinal plants. The aim of study was to evaluate anti-Candida activity of Z. multiflora against different species of Candida in vitro. Anti-Candida activity of the aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic maceration extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss was studied in vitro. Anti-Candida activity against Candida species was done using serial dilutions of extracts in Sabouraud's dextrose agar. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanolic and ethanolic extracts was 70.7 and 127 mg l−1, respectively. Aqueous extract showed no remarkable activity against Candida species. We conclude that methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Z. multiflora Boiss has more anti-Candida effect at 70.7 mg l−1 compared to ethanolic extract 127 mg l−1. In addition, the isolates of Candida parapsilosis were more susceptible to methanolic extract than other tested species.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2: The First Decade

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a critical regulator of hypertension, primarily through the actions of the vasoactive peptide Ang II, which is generated by the action of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mediating an increase in blood pressure. The discovery of ACE2, which primarily metabolises Ang II into the vasodilatory Ang-(1-7), has added a new dimension to the traditional RAS. As a result there has been huge interest in ACE2 over the past decade as a potential therapeutic for lowering blood pressure, especially elevation resulting from excess Ang II. Studies focusing on ACE2 have helped to reveal other actions of Ang-(1-7), outside vasodilation, such as antifibrotic and antiproliferative effects. Moreover, investigations focusing on ACE2 have revealed a variety of roles not just catalytic but also as a viral receptor and amino acid transporter. This paper focuses on what is known about ACE2 and its biological roles, paying particular attention to the regulation of ACE2 expression. In light of the entrance of human recombinant ACE2 into clinical trials, we discuss the potential use of ACE2 as a therapeutic and highlight some pertinent questions that still remain unanswered about ACE2.