Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Scientifi c Review on the Ecology and Management of the Azalea Lace Bug Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott)

The azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott) (Tingidae: Hempitera), is a major pest of azaleas (Rhododendron L. spp.). Since its introduction from Asia in the 1940s, the pest has spread considerably within and outside the US. It causes severe economic damage to azaleas and also attacks other ericaceous hosts. The widespread acceptance and cultivation of its preferred host plants, azaleas, in landscapes and home gardens prompted extensive research on S. pyrioides with respect to biology, damage and management. This review summarizes the work done on this pest and provides directions for future research.
Properties of krulthof's Projection method

In 1937, J. Kruithof introduced a scheme for projecting from measured point-to-point teletraffic data to some future values, based upon estimates of total originating and terminating traffic only. This study seeks to give a unified picture of Kruithof's projection method and its generalizations, with some practical details and recommendations for implementation. The main text deals with existence and convergence testing, treatment of ill-conditioned or slowly convergent cases, and various extensions of the basic method. An appendix includes proofs of existence, uniqueness, convergence, and continuity.
Cost-performance trade-offs in networks on chip: a simulation-based approach

A challenge facing designers of systems on chip (SoC) containing networks on chip (NoC) is to find NoC instances that balance the cost (e.g. area) and performance (e.g. latency and throughput). In this paper we present a simulation-based approach to address this problem. We use XML to instantiate network components (routers, network interfaces) and their composition. NoCs are evaluated in terms of cost and performance by sweeping over different parameters (e.g. network topology, network interface queue depth). We then show, how we can obtain trade-off plots by using the results obtained with our simulation environment. Finally, by means of two examples we illustrate how trade-off plots can help the NoC designers in selecting the right network based on a set of different constraints.
A role for reactive oxygen species in photodynamic therapy

A ROLE FOR REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES IN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY by MICHAEL PRICE December 2012 Advisor: David Kessel, Ph.D. Major: Cancer Biology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the ability of certain photosensitizing agents to selectively localize in neoplastic cells and their vasculature. Subsequent irradiation at a wavelength corresponding to a photosensitizer absorbance band excites the photosensitizer molecules, leading to energy transfer reactions and fluorescence. It was initially concluded that the phototoxic effect occurred when energy from the excited state of the photosensitizer was transferred to dissolved oxygen to form singlet oxygen. This product has a very brief half-life and will cause cellular damage only in the immediate vicinity of its formation. But an excited-state photosensitizer can also interact with oxygen to form superoxide anion radical, which in turn (through the action of superoxide dismutase) is converted to hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical via the Fenton reaction. These reactive oxygen species (ROS) all posses properties (i.e. lifetime, reactivity and diffusion distances) that make them at least as cytotoxic as singlet oxygen. The hypothesis examined in this dissertation was that the particular reactive oxygen species being formed might be an important determinant of photodynamic therapy efficacy. Initial studies were designed to assess specificity of several commercially
Lost P1 Allele in sh2 Sweet Corn: Quantitative Effects of p1 and a1 Genes on Concentrations of Maysin, Apimaysin, Methoxymaysin, and Chlorogenic Acid in Maize Silk

Abstract In the United States, insecticide is used extensively in the production of sweet corn due to consumer demand for zero damage to ears and to a sweet corn genetic base with little or no resistance to ear-feeding insects. Growers in the southern United States depend on scheduled pesticide applications to control ear-feeding insects. In a study of quantitative genetic control over silk maysin, AM-maysin (apimaysin and methoxymaysin), and chlorogenic acid contents in an F2 population derived from GE37 (dent corn, P1A1) and 565 (sh2 sweet corn, p1a1), we demonstrate that the P1 allele from field corn, which was selected against in the development of sweet corn, has a strong epistatic interaction with the a1 allele in sh2 sweet corn. We detected that the p1 gene has significant effects (P < 0.0001) not only on silk maysin concentrations but also on AM-maysin, and chlorogenic acid concentrations. The a1 gene also has significant (P < 0.0005) effects on these silk antibiotic chemicals. Successful selection from the fourth and fifth selfed backcrosses for high-maysin individuals of sweet corn homozygous for the recessive a1 allele (tightly linked to sh2) and the dominant P1 allele has been demonstrated. These selected lines have much higher (2 to 3 times) concentrations of silk maysin and other chemicals (AM-maysin and chlorogenic acid) than the donor parent GE37 and could enhance sweet corn resistance to corn earworm and reduce the number of applications of insecticide required to produce sweet corn.
Sibling Models of the Role of Job Characteristics in Mediating SES-Health Relationships *

*An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 summer meetings of the ISA Research Committee on Social Stratification and Mobility, New York. Generous support for this project has been provided by the National Institute on Aging (R01-AG09775-10 and P01-AG21079-01). Jennie E. Brand was supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program. We are also grateful to Robert M. Hauser for providing helpful comments and suggestions. This research uses data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1991, the WLS has been supported principally by the National Institute on Aging (AG-9775 and AG-21079), with additional support from the Vilas Estate Trust, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A public use file of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study is available from the Data and Program Library Service, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 and at http://dpls.dacc. wisc.edu/WLS/wlsarch.htm. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors. Please direct correspondence to Jennie E. Brand, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, 426 Thompson St., Ann Arbor, MI 48106, Tel 734-332-9737, FAX 734-332-9747 or email jebrand@umich.edu.
ALLOZYME VARIATION IN COREOPSIS NUECENSOIDES AND C. NUECENSIS (COMPOSITAE), A PROGENITOR‐DERIVATIVE SPECIES PAIR

Coreopsis nuecensis Heller and C. nuecensoides E. B. Smith are two plant species occurring on the sandy prairies and plains of southeastern Texas (Fig. 1). Although populations of the two species occur in adjacent areas, plants do not grow intermixed in the same populations (Smith, 1974). The only morphological feature consistently distinguishing the two species in the field is that the inner involucral bracts of C. nuecensis are pubescent whereas those of C. nuecensoides are glabrous (Smith, 1974) (Fig. 2). In addition, the stems of C. nuecensis tend to be glabrous while those of C. nuecensoides tend to be pubescent. When grown in the greenhouse, Coreopsis nuecensis is an annual whereas C. nuecensoides persists for two or more years, flowering each season (Smith, 1974; Crawford, unpubl. observ.). However, under natural conditions, the latter species is strictly annual. Coreopsis nuecensoides has chromosome numbers of N = 9 and 10 whereas N = 6, 7 and 8 (7 bivalents and a pair of B chromosomes) are known for C. nuecensis (Turner, 1960; Smith, 1971, 1974; Crawford, unpubl.). Hybrids resulting from crosses between plants within each species, regardless of chromosome number, are highly fertile and it is possible to produce advanced generation hybrids (Smith, 1974; Crawford, unpubl.). By contrast, interspecific hybridization produces vigorous, but almost completely sterile F1 plants (pollen stainability 2-5%). On the basis of cytogenetic evidence, Smith (1974) proposed that Coreopsis nuecensoides gave rise to C. nuecensis by a process of aneuploid reduction. Morphologically, these two species are much more similar to each other than either is to any other species of Coreopsis; indeed, without the differences between their involucral bracts it would be difficult if not impossible to distinguish them. In addition, the two taxa are annuals whereas nearly all others in Coreopsis Section Coreopsis are long-lived herbaceous perennials (Smith, 1974). The present study examined genetic variation within and among populations of the two species to ascertain the amount of genetic divergence between them. Several investigations (Gottlieb, 1973a, 1974; Gottlieb and Pilz, 1976; Rick et al., 1976) have demonstrated that speciation can occur with little or no divergence at gene loci coding for allozymes. By contrast, much higher levels of differentiation at allozyme loci have been detected for most congeneric species (Gottlieb, 1977). Thus, if Coreopsis nuecensoides and C. nuecensis are related as progenitor and recent derivative, then they are expected to exhibit very high similarity at genes coding for enzymes.
[Clinical outcomes of different regimens for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with bone marrow involvement: analysis of 148 cases].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of different treatment protocols on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with bone marrow involvement (BMI). METHODS The clinical data of 148 patients of NHL with BMI, 108 undergoing CHOP regimen, 51 undergoing dose-intensive CHOP regimens, 13 undergoing CHOP regimen + rituximab, and 27 undergoing hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after CHOP protocol with remission. The curative effects were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS (1) The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 80.4%, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 60.7%. The response rate of the patients treated with the dose-intensive regimens (dose-intensive group) was 84.3%, significantly higher than that of the patients treated with standard CHOP regimen (64.1%, P < 0.05). (2) The 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates and progress-free survival (PFS) of the B-cell NHL patients who underwent HSCT + Rituximab treatment (Rituximab combined with chemotherapy) were significantly higher than those of the dose-intensive group and CHOP group, and the 3- and 5-year OS rates and PFS of the dose-intensive group were all significantly higher than those of the CHOP group (all P < 0.05). (3) The 3- and 5-year OS rates, and PFS of the T-cell NHL patients who underwent HSCT group and dose-intensive CHOP were all significantly higher than those patients who underwent CHOP regimen (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Superior survival may benefit from Dose-intensive regimens and HSCT, may be good choices for the patients with NHLBMI, a group of heterogeneous malignancies with poor prognosis. And combined chemotherapy with Rituximab treatment remarkably raises the effect for CD20(+) B-cell NHLBMI.
5-Lipoxygenase pharmacogenetics in asthma: overlap with Cys-leukotriene receptor antagonist loci

The two classes of leukotriene modifiers work by inhibiting different portions of the same pathway. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes associated with response to montelukast (a cys-leukotriene receptor antagonist) would also be associated with response to zileuton (a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor). We genotyped 26 SNPs that had previously been interrogated for association with montelukast response in five candidate genes (ABCC1, ALOX5, CYSLTR1, LTA4H, LTC4S) in a population of 577 asthmatics who participated in a clinical trial comparing intermittent and continuous-release zileuton to placebo. After adjusting for age and sex, six SNPs in three genes were associated with longitudinal forced expiratory volume at 1 s in response to zileuton (P values 0.005–0.05). After adjusting for age and sex, six SNPs in three genes were associated with longitudinal forced expiratory volume at 1 s in response to zileuton (P values 0.005–0.05), including two SNPs (ALOX5 rs2115819 and ABCC1 rs119774) that we had previously reported as associated with FEV1 response to montelukast. Thus, the lung function response to zileuton is modulated by several of the loci that also influence montelukast response.
What computations support response inhibition? The roles of context-monitoring, selective stopping, and strategic control

Response inhibition is widely considered to be a critical executive function deployed in the service of cognitive control, and is thought to crucially rely on the integrity of the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC). However, the paradigms thought to assess response inhibition typically involve both the actual stopping of responses and the requirement to detect and interpret behaviorally significant stimuli. Thus, experimental tasks which measure response inhibition may also assess those context-monitoring processes which enable the detection of stimuli that may demand changes in behavior given contextual factors. Here we provide an integrative review of the literatures on response inhibition and rVLPFC by contrasting two competing accounts. Dominant “motoric stopping” accounts posit that responses are inhibited via stopping-specific processes localized to the rVLPFC, while context-monitoring accounts posit that responses are inhibited via more domain-general processes in the rVLPFC. We evaluate these competing accounts in the context of a broad range of relevant electrophysiological, hemodynamic, and neuropsychological data. On the basis of our critical review, we conclude that context-monitoring theories are viable accounts of phenomena widely assumed to reflect stopping in the response inhibition literature, and in some cases are more consistent with available data. However, neither account can explain all existing phenomena, potentially pointing the way to a more integrative and comprehensive account of rVLPFC function.
The neural substrate of orientation short‐term memory and resistance to distractor items

We used Positron Emission Tomography to map the neural substrate of human short‐term memory for orientation, defined as retaining a single orientation in memory over a long delay, by comparing a successive discrimination task with a 6‐s delay to the same task with a brief 0.3 s delay and to an identification control task. Short‐term memory engaged the superior parietal lobe bilaterally, the middle occipital gyrus bilaterally and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, we studied the resistance to a distractor item by comparing the successive discrimination task with long delay, with and without an intervening distractor stimulus. This manipulative process engaged left ventral premotor cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The activation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is interpreted as reflecting co‐ordination between task components. These results, combined with those of two previous studies using an identical reduction strategy, underscore the functional heterogeneity in the prefrontal cortex during short‐term and working memory.
Cholestatic expression pattern of sinusoidal and canalicular organic anion transport systems in primary cultured rat hepatocytes

To maintain ongoing vectorial bile secretion, hepatocytes localize distinct transport systems at their basolateral and canalicular membrane domains. Here we compare the expression of the basolateral Na+‐taurocholate cotransporter (Ntcp) and organic anion transporting polypetides 1 and 2 (Oatp1, Oatp2) and the canalicular bile salt export pump (Bsep) and multidrug resistance–associated protein 2 (Mrp2) in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. During 72 hours of culturing time the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of Ntcp and Oatp1 decreased in parallel to 2% to 7% of initial values at 3 hours. Although Oatp2 mRNA exhibited a similar down‐regulation to 4%, Oatp2 protein and function were maintained at 25% to 47% of initial values. Furthermore, Bsep and Mrp2 protein levels were maintained at about 50%, while the Mrp2 mRNA showed a transient up‐regulation to 154% at 24 and 48 hours. Also, induction of Mrp1 mRNA and protein was observed starting after 24 hours. These results indicate transcriptional down‐regulation or decreased mRNA stability of Ntcp and Oatp1, transcriptional and posttranslational regulation of Oatp2, Bsep, and Mrp2 and transcriptional up‐regulation of Mrp1 in primary cultured hepatocytes. Furthermore, and most importantly, the observed changes in transporter expression closely resemble the altered transporter phenotypes of cholestatic and proliferating hepatocytes in vivo, thus indicating that primary cultured hepatocytes acquire a cholestatic phenotype, and that the transporter expression might be a suitable differentiation marker for maintenance of hepatocytes in vitro.
Gaussian Dynamics of Folded Proteins

Vibrational dynamics of folded proteins is studied using a Gaussian model in which the protein is viewed as a network, residues representing the junctions, and the connectivity being established by a single parameter harmonic potential. Application to seven proteins showed that the local packing density plays a major role in determining the vibrational spectrum at time scales of picoseconds. At later times, the secondary structure and tertiary context of each residue comes into play. The vibrational frequencies obey a universal distribution, confirming previous normal mode analyses.
Combating the Obesity Epidemic: Community Pharmacists Counseling on Obesity Management

BACKGROUND Obesity is reaching an epidemic proportion in the US. Nearly two-thirds (64.7%) of US adults are overweight or obese. Given the myriad of issues related to the management of obesity, community pharmacists can facilitate weight loss among their patients. OBJECTIVE To identify factors that influence the frequency of counseling obese patients by community pharmacists. METHODS A mail survey was sent to a random sample of 400 Texas community pharmacists. The questionnaire collected information on frequency of counseling obese patients, perceived comfort level with counseling obese patients, perceived effectiveness of various obesity treatments, and perceived confidence in achieving positive outcomes as a result of counseling. Demographic information was also collected. Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and t-tests were used to examine the data. RESULTS A usable response rate of 35.2% was obtained (139 completed surveys out of 395 assumed delivered). Overall, pharmacists counseled patients rarely to sometimes about various aspects of obesity management. Correlational analyses revealed that pharmacists’ frequency of counseling about obesity management was significantly and positively associated with their comfort level with counseling obese patients (r = 0.47; p < 0.001). Higher levels of confidence in achieving positive outcomes as a result of counseling (r = 0.39; p < 0.001) and higher levels of perceived effectiveness of obesity management options (r = 0.18; p = 0.037) were also significantly associated with higher levels of counseling about obesity management. CONCLUSIONS Obesity counseling by pharmacists was positively correlated with their perceived comfort with counseling obese patients, confidence in achieving positive outcomes, and effectiveness of obesity management options.
Scoring Protein Relationships in Functional Interaction Networks Predicted from Sequence Data

The abundance of diverse biological data from various sources constitutes a rich source of knowledge, which has the power to advance our understanding of organisms. This requires computational methods in order to integrate and exploit these data effectively and elucidate local and genome wide functional connections between protein pairs, thus enabling functional inferences for uncharacterized proteins. These biological data are primarily in the form of sequences, which determine functions, although functional properties of a protein can often be predicted from just the domains it contains. Thus, protein sequences and domains can be used to predict protein pair-wise functional relationships, and thus contribute to the function prediction process of uncharacterized proteins in order to ensure that knowledge is gained from sequencing efforts. In this work, we introduce information-theoretic based approaches to score protein-protein functional interaction pairs predicted from protein sequence similarity and conserved protein signature matches. The proposed schemes are effective for data-driven scoring of connections between protein pairs. We applied these schemes to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome to produce a homology-based functional network of the organism with a high confidence and coverage. We use the network for predicting functions of uncharacterised proteins. Availability Protein pair-wise functional relationship scores for Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain CDC1551 sequence data and python scripts to compute these scores are available at http://web.cbio. uct.ac. za/~gmazandu/scoringschemes.
Mechanisms of circulatory and intestinal barrier dysfunction during whole body hyperthermia.

This work tested the hypotheses that splanchnic oxidant generation is important in determining heat tolerance and that inappropriate.NO production may be involved in circulatory dysfunction with heat stroke. We monitored colonic temperature (T(c)), heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and splanchnic blood flow (SBF) in anesthetized rats exposed to 40 degrees C ambient temperature. Heating rate, heating time, and thermal load determined heat tolerance. Portal blood was regularly collected for determination of radical and endotoxin content. Elevating T(c) from 37 to 41.5 degrees C reduced SBF by 40% and stimulated production of the radicals ceruloplasmin, semiquinone, and penta-coordinate iron(II) nitrosyl-heme (heme-.NO). Portal endotoxin concentration rose from 28 to 59 pg/ml (P < 0.05). Compared with heat stress alone, heat plus treatment with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) antagonist N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) dose dependently depressed heme-. NO production and increased ceruloplasmin and semiquinone levels. L-NAME also significantly reduced lowered SBF, increased portal endotoxin concentration, and reduced heat tolerance (P < 0.05). The NOS II and diamine oxidase antagonist aminoguanidine, the superoxide anion scavenger superoxide dismutase, and the xanthine oxidase antagonist allopurinol slowed the rates of heme-. NO production, decreased ceruloplasmin and semiquinone levels, and preserved SBF. However, only aminoguanidine and allopurinol improved heat tolerance, and only allpourinol eliminated the rise in portal endotoxin content. We conclude that hyperthermia stimulates xanthine oxidase production of reactive oxygen species that activate metals and limit heat tolerance by promoting circulatory and intestinal barrier dysfunction. In addition, intact NOS activity is required for normal stress tolerance, whereas overproduction of.NO may contribute to the nonprogrammed splanchnic dilation that precedes vascular collapse with heat stroke.