Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Strains to Two Agrocin-Producing Agrobacterium Strains

Sixty-five strains and isolates of Agrobacterium tumefaciens representing each of the known biotypes, were tested for in vitro and in vivo susceptibility to the agrocin-producing strains Agrobacterium radiobacter 84 and A. tumefaciens D286. No biotype 3 strain was susceptible to the effects of either of the agrocinogenic strains in vitro. On datura and tobacco, the best inhibition of tumor formation was obtained when the agrocinogenic strains were applied to wounds 24 h before the pathogens and by the concomitant application of agrocin producer and pathogen at cell ratios of 10:1 or 3:1; inhibition of infection tended to decrease progressively as the cell ratio decreased from 10:1 to 3:1 to 1:1. Generally, strain 84 was superior to D286 in inhibiting tumor formation. A combined cell suspension of 84 and D286 was as effective as 84 alone. The overall pattern of inhibition of tumor formation by biotype 1 and 2 pathogens resistant to the agrocinogenic strains in vitro was similar to that obtained with strains that were susceptible in vitro.
Extraneuronal Monoamine Transporter Mediates the Permissive Action of Cortisol in the Guinea Pig Trachea: Possible Involvement of Tracheal Chondrocytes

Cortisol, a member of glucocorticoids, could potentiate the action of catecholamine by a non-genomic mechanism. Although this permissive effect has been well appreciated in the anti-asthmatic medication, the underlying signaling pathway has remained mysterious. Here, we show that extraneuronal monoamine transporter (EMT), a membraneous reuptake transporter for circulating catecholamine clearance, is the direct target of cortisol in its permissive effect. We found that BSA-conjugated cortisol, which functions as a cortisol but cannot penetrate cell membrane, enhanced the spasmolytic effect of β-adrenoceptor agonist (isoprenaline) in histamine-sensitized tracheal spirals of guinea pigs, and pharmacological inhibition of EMT with famotidine was powerful enough to imitate the permissive action of cortisol. To our surprise, EMT protein expression was high in the chondrocytes of tracheal cartilage, but was undetectable in tracheal smooth muscle cells. The functionality of EMT was further confirmed with measurement of catecholamine uptake by tracheal chondrocytes. Moreover, cortisol-initiated membrane signaling could activate protein kinase C (PKC), which phosphorylates EMT and induces its internalization via a lipid raft-dependent pathway. Both of the mechanisms slow down the reuptake process by chondrocytes, leading to extracellular catecholamine accumulation and results in a more profound adrenergic signaling activation in tracheal smooth muscle cells. Thus, an EMT-centered pathway was proposed to explain the permissive action of cortisol. Collectively, our results highlight the role of EMT in the crosstalk between glucocorticoid and catecholamine. EMT may represent a promising target for adrenergic signaling modulation.
Assessment of sustainable development and knowledge of environmental management: Internal auditors' perspectives

Purpose – To examine whether there are differences with respect to internal auditors' attitude toward environmental protection, cognizance of environmental auditing and environmental knowledge.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey based research method is used and a Mann‐Whitney U‐test as well as a T‐test is applied on this data.Findings – There is no difference between internal auditors in the manufacturing industry and those in the service industry with respect to environmental awareness and cognizance of environmental auditing. Yet there is a significant difference with respect to knowledge of environmental protection.Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to that of internal auditors' perspectives.Practical implications – Internal auditors are the “watch dogs” for firms to implement environmental management so that strengthening their environmental knowledge is required.Originality/value – This study reveals internal auditors' perception toward environmental managemen.
Paid Peering, Settlement-Free Peering, or Both?

With the rapid growth of congestion-sensitive and data-intensive applications, traditional settlement-free peering agreements with best-effort delivery often do not meet the QoS requirements of content providers (CPs). Meanwhile, Internet access providers (IAPs) feel that revenues from end-users are not sufficient to recoup the upgrade costs of network infrastructures. Consequently, some IAPs have begun to offer CPs a new type of peering agreement, called paid peering, under which they provide CPs with better data delivery quality for a fee. In this paper, we model a network platform where an IAP makes decisions on the peering types offered to CPs and the prices charged to CPs and end-users. We study the optimal peering schemes for the IAP, i.e., to offer CPs both the paid and settlement-free peering to choose from or only one of them, as the objective is profit or welfare maximization. Our results show that 1) the IAP should always offer the paid and settlement-free peering under the profit-optimal and welfare-optimal schemes, respectively, 2) whether to simultaneously offer the other peering type is largely driven by the type of data traffic, e.g., text or video, and 3) regulators might want to encourage the IAP to allocate more network capacity to the settlement-free peering for increasing user welfare.
From Polygyny to Serial Monogamy: A Unified Theory of Marriage Institutions

Consider an economy populated by males and females, both rich and poor. The society has to choose one of the following marriage institutions: polygyny, strict monogamy, and serial monogamy (divorce and remarriage). After having identified the conditions under which each of these equilibria exists, we show that a rise in the share of rich males can explain a change of regime from polygyny to monogamy. The introduction of serial monogamy follows from a further rise in either the proportion of rich males, or an increase in the proportion of rich females. Strict monogamy is a prerequisite to serial monogamy, as it promotes the upward social mobility of females more than polygyny. We also show that polygyny is compatible with democracy.
Experimental Study and Analysis of Hydrostatic Pressure Sensitivity of Polymer Fibre Bragg Gratings

The intrinsic hydrostatic pressure sensitivity of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating (POFBG) with different diameters are investigated. POFBGs are inscribed in single-mode polymer fiber and etched down to different diameters. We have experimentally demonstrated that the material properties of the polymer optical fiber can change after etching and thus the etching procedure can have an impact on the pressure sensitivity of the POFBG. It is observed from the experimental results that hydrostatic pressure induces a positive wavelength shift to the POFBG and the pressure sensitivity of the POFBG shows significant increase as the fiber diameter reduces through etching. A pressure sensitivity of 0.20 pm/kPa is obtained for an unetched POFBG while for an etched POFBG with 55-μm diameter a sensitivity of 0.75 pm/kPa is observed. Temperature compensation techniques are also successfully implemented to extract the true intrinsic pressure sensitivity of the POFBG. Through this study, the intrinsic pressure sensitivity of POFBG with different diameters are obtained and also the significance of etching and its impact on pressure sensitivity is demonstrated. This information can lead to further research and development on high sensitivity pressure transducers based on etched POFBGs.
Perceptions of Family Functioning Between Children with Behavior Difficulties and their Primary Caregiver

vii Chapter I: Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem . 4 Purpose of Study. 4 Definitions . 4 Research Questions . 5 Exploratory Questions. 5 Importance of the Current Study . 6 Chapter II: Review of the Literature 7 Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Definitions and Etiology . 7 Oppositional Defiant Disorder. 7 Conduct Disorder . 8
On Stochastic Geometry Analysis and Optimization of Wireless-Powered Cellular Networks

In this paper, a new mathematical framework to the analysis and optimization of wireless-powered cellular networks is introduced. The proposed approach leverages stochastic geometry for system-level analysis of cellular networks, by modeling base station locations as points of a Poisson point process. The trade-offs emerging from simultaneous wireless information and power transfer are characterized through the joint cumulative distribution function of average harvested energy and average rate, which is conveniently formulated in terms of an easy-to-compute two-fold integral. The analysis shows that an optimal operating point for system-level optimization exists, as well as that network densification and directional beamforming constitute essential enablers for enhancing the performance. Finally, the fundamental trade-offs emerging in wireless-powered cellular networks are quantified through the concept of feasibility regions.
Effects of Long-term Treatment with Candesartan on Organ Damages in Sinoaortic Denervated Rats

The study was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with candesartan cilexetil (candesartan) on blood pressure (BP), blood pressure variability (BPV), baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and end-organ damage (EOD) in sinoaortic denervated (SAD) rats. Candesartan was mixed in rat chow at an estimated dose of 3 mg/kg/day. After 12 weeks of drug administration, rats were instrumented to determine BP, BPV and BRS in conscious state. Organ damage was estimated by observation of morphologic changes. When compared with sham-operated rats, SAD rats exhibited increased BPV, decreased BRS, and normal BP and plasma angiotensin II level. Left ventricular and aortic hypertrophies and renal lesion were found in SAD rats. Candesartan significantly decreased BP and BPV, ameliorated impaired BRS, increased plasma angiotensin II level and obviously diminished the EOD in SAD rats. Multiple-regression analysis shows that decrease in left ventricular hypertrophy was mainly related to decrease in systolic BPV. Decrease in aortic hypertrophy was mainly determined by increase in BRS and decrease in systolic BP. Amelioration in renal lesion was predicted by increase in BRS and decrease in systolic BPV. BRS was the most important determinant for renal lesion and aortic hypertrophy in SAD rats. In addition, plasma angiotensin II level was higher in candesartan-treated rats. In conclusion, long-term treatment with candesartan prevented SAD-induced organ damage. Restoration of arterial baroreflex function, decrease in BPV, and blockade of activated renin-angiotensin system may contribute to the organ protective action of candesartan in SAD rats.
Reply to: Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation after extubation: features and outcomes in clinical practice

The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments made by the researchers. We will analyze the methodologies currently used by our group and the cited studies to understand the differences described in the letter. Additionally, we would like to emphasize that the study was a prospective cohort study, in which the researchers collected data on a daily basis from the hospital specialty units included in the study. The hospital where the study was conducted is part of the largest hospital complex in Latin America. It is a high complexity tertiary care hospital located in Sao Paulo city. This factor contributed to the heterogeneity of the study population because many units with different specialties were included. In our study,(1) the parameters of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) that were evaluated were collected on the last day of NIV use, i.e., the day of NIV withdrawal due to either success or failure. The parameters at the time of collection were recorded and compared. In the impressive clinical trial reported by Esteban et al.,(2) NIV was applied upon detection of acute respiratory failure, and the parameters used were adjusted according to the tidal volume and expected respiratory rate. We believe that in a clinical trial, the parameters are more controlled and that the methodology of that trial did not detail when and how the inspiratory pressure parameters were collected. In the study by Rana et al.(3) the parameters were collected four times daily, and their median values were analyzed. In contrast, our study evaluated the parameters collected on the last day of NIV use. Another important distinction of our study was the population. Rana et al.(3) studied a very specific population that had severe disease (acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome). Regarding the study by José et al.,(4) the authors reported contrasting results to those published by Esteban et al.(2) However, the study designs were very different because José et al.(4) performed a prospective study with no control group and no randomization, which are factors that weakened their results. We consider the results obtained in clinical practice to be of greater importance. We believe that from these data, we can plan new controlled and randomized clinical trials to further evaluate the hypothesis. We will try to strengthen the hypothesis in future studies by carefully evaluating the parameters of inspiratory positive airway pressure and expiratory positive airway pressure to identify possible markers for detecting the interruption of NIV in cases of failure. Resposta para: Ventilação não invasiva com pressão positiva pós-extubação: características e desfechos na prática clínica
Lamivudine/telbivudine-associated neuromyopathy: neurogenic damage, mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA depletion

Aims Myopathy or neuropathy has been associated with lamivudine/telbivudine therapy in hepatitis B patients. We aim to describe the pathological changes of lamivudine/telbivudine-associated neuromyopathy. Methods We retrospectively recruited six patients who were diagnosed with nucleotide analogues-associated myopathy or neuropathy. Muscle and nerve biopsy were performed, and the specimens were prepared for the light microscopy and electron microscopy. Genomic DNA was extracted from frozen muscle specimens, and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content was quantified by real-time PCR. Results Recovery of the myopathy can be achieved after the discontinuation or changing the drugs to entecavir. Muscle and nerve biopsy revealed similar changes under either the light or electronic microscopy in all the subjects. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed decrease of mtDNA content in the affected muscle. Conclusions MtDNA depletion results in mitochondrial dysfunction in the lamivudine/telbivudine-associated neuromyopathy. Myopathy was characterised by mitochondrial dysfunction accompanied with neurogenic damage due to axonal neuropathy. Ultrastructure changes of mitochondria included vacuolisation, simplification of the cristae and homogenised matrix.
Chimpanzees help conspecifics obtain food and non-food items

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) sometimes help both humans and conspecifics in experimental situations in which immediate selfish benefits can be ruled out. However, in several experiments, chimpanzees have not provided food to a conspecific even when it would cost them nothing, leading to the hypothesis that prosociality in the food-provisioning context is a derived trait in humans. Here, we show that chimpanzees help conspecifics obtain both food and non-food items—given that the donor cannot get the food herself. Furthermore, we show that the key factor eliciting chimpanzees' targeted helping is the recipients' attempts to either get the food or get the attention of the potential donor. The current findings add to the accumulating body of evidence that humans and chimpanzees share the motivation and skills necessary to help others in situations in which they cannot selfishly benefit. Humans, however, show prosocial motives more readily and in a wider range of contexts.
Immune Activation for Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone During Lymph Node T Cells : Functional Rolehigh Dendritic Cells and on a Subset of CD 45 RB Hormone ) Receptor Is Expressed on Murine The Thyrotropin ( Thyroid-Stimulating

2 Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), a central neuroendocrine mediator of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, has been shown to affect various aspects of immunological development and function. To gain a better understanding of TSH involvement within the mammalian immune system, the expression and distribution of the TSH receptor (TSHr) has been studied by immunoprecipitation and by ﬂow cytometric analyses. Using highly enriched populations of B cells, T cells, and dendritic cells, trace amounts of TSHr were precipitated from B cells and T cells, whereas high levels of TSHr were precipitated from the dendritic cell fraction. Flow cytometric analyses of TSHr expression on splenic and lymph node T cells revealed a major difference between those tissues in that only 2–3% of splenic T cells were TSHr 1 , whereas 10–20% of CD4 1 8 2 and CD4 2 8 1 lymph node T cells expressed the TSHr, which was exclusively associated with CD45RB high cells and was not expressed during or after activation. The TSHr was not present on cells of the immune system during fetal or neonatal life. However, recombinant TSH b was found to signiﬁcantly enhance the phagocytic activity of dendritic cells from adult animals and to selectively augment IL-1 b and IL-12 cytokine responses of dendritic cells following phagocytic activation. These ﬁndings identify a novel immune-endocrine bridge associated with professional APCs and naive T cells. The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 164: 6158–6165. microfuged brieﬂy to remove unicorporated beads, and analyzed by ﬂow cytometry. Because of the difference in the size of cells and beads, exclu-sion of residual nonincorporated beads was easily done by gating onto the dendritic cell population. For zymosan activation of dendritic cells, 2 3 10 5 freshly isolated cells were cultured in 200 m l of supplemented medium with 0.0025% (w/v) zymosan (ICN Pharmaceuticals, Aurora, OH) in the presence or absence of 10 2 8 M recombinant TSH b ; supernatants were collected after 18 h and assayed for cytokine activity.
Quantum algorithm for the discrete logarithm problem for matrices over finite group rings

We propose a polynomial time quantum algorithm for solving the discrete logarithm problem in matrices over finite group rings. The hardness of this problem was recently employed in the design of a key-exchange protocol proposed by D. Kahrobaei, C. Koupparis, and V. Shpilrain [4]. Our result implies that the Kahrobaei et al. protocol does not belong to the realm of post-quantum cryptography.
Host-Selective Toxins of Pyrenophora tritici-repentis Induce Common Responses Associated with Host Susceptibility

Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), a necrotrophic fungus and the causal agent of tan spot of wheat, produces one or a combination of host-selective toxins (HSTs) necessary for disease development. The two most studied toxins produced by Ptr, Ptr ToxA (ToxA) and Ptr ToxB (ToxB), are proteins that cause necrotic or chlorotic symptoms respectively. Investigation of host responses induced by HSTs provides better insight into the nature of the host susceptibility. Microarray analysis of ToxA has provided evidence that it can elicit responses similar to those associated with defense. In order to evaluate whether there are consistent host responses associated with susceptibility, a similar analysis of ToxB-induced changes in the same sensitive cultivar was conducted. Comparative analysis of ToxA- and ToxB-induced transcriptional changes showed that similar groups of genes encoding WRKY transcription factors, RLKs, PRs, components of the phenylpropanoid and jasmonic acid pathways are activated. ROS accumulation and photosystem dysfunction proved to be common mechanism-of-action for these toxins. Despite similarities in defense responses, transcriptional and biochemical responses as well as symptom development occur more rapidly for ToxA compared to ToxB, which could be explained by differences in perception as well as by differences in activation of a specific process, for example, ethylene biosynthesis in ToxA treatment. Results of this study suggest that perception of HSTs will result in activation of defense responses as part of a susceptible interaction and further supports the hypothesis that necrotrophic fungi exploit defense responses in order to induce cell death.
Characterisation of Asphalt Concrete Using Nanoindentation

In this study, nanoindentation was conducted to extract the load-displacement behaviour and the nanomechanical properties of asphalt concrete across the mastic, matrix, and aggregate phases. Further, the performance of hydrated lime as an additive was assessed across the three phases. The hydrated lime containing samples have greater resistance to deformation in the mastic and matrix phases, in particular, the mastic. There is strong evidence suggesting that hydrated lime has the most potent effect on the mastic phase, with significant increase in hardness and stiffness.
Parental monitoring and adolescent alcohol risk in a clinic population.

OBJECTIVES To assess the association between parental monitoring and adolescent alcohol risk. METHODS Adolescent managed-care patients completed a survey of their involvement with alcohol and their perceptions of monitoring and other forms of parental influence. RESULTS Frequent monitoring was associated with less likelihood that adolescents had engaged in a variety of alcohol-risk behaviors or had been in a variety of risk situations. Choosing to share alcohol-related concerns with other adults and placing importance on parents' opinions were not as consistently related to alcohol risk. CONCLUSIONS The need to enhance parental monitoring as a proactive protective parental response is indicated.
Scalable Line Dynamics in ParaDiS

We describe an innovative highly parallel application program, ParaDiS, which computes the plastic strength of materials by tracing the evolution of dislocation lines over time. We discuss the issues of scaling the code to tens of thousands of processors, and present early scaling results of the code run on a prototype of the BlueGene/L supercomputer being developed by IBM in partnership with the US DOE’s ASC program.
Highly tumorigenic lung cancer CD133+ cells display stem-like features and are spared by cisplatin treatment

The identification of lung tumor-initiating cells and associated markers may be useful for optimization of therapeutic approaches and for predictive and prognostic information in lung cancer patients. CD133, a surface glycoprotein linked to organ-specific stem cells, was described as a marker of cancer-initiating cells in different tumor types. Here, we report that a CD133+, epithelial-specific antigen-positive (CD133+ESA+) population is increased in primary nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with normal lung tissue and has higher tumorigenic potential in SCID mice and expression of genes involved in stemness, adhesion, motility, and drug efflux than the CD133− counterpart. Cisplatin treatment of lung cancer cells in vitro resulted in enrichment of CD133+ fraction both after acute cytotoxic exposure and in cells with stable cisplatin-resistant phenotype. Subpopulations of CD133+ABCG2+ and CD133+CXCR4+ cells were spared by in vivo cisplatin treatment of lung tumor xenografts established from primary tumors. A tendency toward shorter progression-free survival was observed in CD133+ NSCLC patients treated with platinum-containing regimens. Our results indicate that chemoresistant populations with highly tumorigenic and stem-like features are present in lung tumors. The molecular features of these cells may provide the rationale for more specific therapeutic targeting and the definition of predictive factors in clinical management of this lethal disease.