Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual outcomes of age-related macular degeneration patients undergoing intravitreal ranibizumab monotherapy in an urban population

Aim To compare the visual outcomes of an urban population with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) undergoing ranibizumab monotherapy to the results from major clinical trials. Procedures Prospective data was collected from 164 wet AMD patients receiving intravitreal ranibizumab. Visual acuities were obtained with the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart. All patients underwent a loading phase of three monthly treatments of ranibizumab. Patients were monitored monthly using a retreatment criterion. Treatment was further individualized by sequentially lengthening follow-up intervals when stable. Results At 12 and 24 months, respectively, the percentage of eyes that maintained vision was 91% and 88.6%. We found that 20.3% of eyes had improved vision at 12 months and 20% at 24 months. At 12 months, 8.3% of eyes’ vision worsened and 12% worsened at 24 months. Conclusion Individualized ranibizumab monotherapy is effective in preserving vision in wet AMD and follows the same trends as the pivotal trials.
NIP6;1 Is a Boric Acid Channel for Preferential Transport of Boron to Growing Shoot Tissues in Arabidopsis[W]

Boron (B) in soil is taken up by roots through NIP5;1, a boric acid channel, and is loaded into the xylem by BOR1, a borate exporter. Here, the function of Arabidopsis thaliana NIP6;1, the most similar gene to NIP5;1, was studied. NIP6;1 facilitates the rapid permeation of boric acid across the membrane but is completely impermeable to water. NIP6;1 transcript accumulation is elevated in response to B deprivation in shoots but not in roots. NIP6;1 promoter–β-glucuronidase is predominantly expressed in nodal regions of shoots, especially the phloem region of vascular tissues. Three independently identified T-DNA insertion lines for the NIP6;1 gene exhibited reduced expansion of young rosette leaves only under low-B conditions. B concentrations are reduced in young rosette leaves but not in the old leaves of these mutants. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that NIP6;1 is a boric acid channel required for proper distribution of boric acid, particularly among young developing shoot tissues. We propose that NIP6;1 is involved in xylem–phloem transfer of boric acid at the nodal regions and that the water-tight property of NIP6;1 is important for this function. It is proposed that during evolution, NIP5;1 and NIP6;1 were diversified in terms of both the specificity of their expression in plant tissues and their water permeation properties, while maintaining their ability to be induced under low B and their boric acid transport activities.
Effects of Grazing on Above- vs. Below-Ground Biomass Allocation of Alpine Grasslands on the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Biomass allocation is an essential concept for understanding above- vs. below-ground functions and for predicting the dynamics of community structure and ecosystem service under ongoing climate change. There is rare available knowledge of grazing effects on biomass allocation in multiple zonal alpine grassland types along climatic gradients across the Northern Tibetan Plateau. We collected the peak above- and below-ground biomass (AGB and BGB) values at 106 pairs of well-matched grazed vs. fenced sites during summers of 2010–2013, of which 33 pairs were subject to meadow, 52 to steppe and 21 to desert-steppe. The aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) was represented by the peak AGB while the belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) was estimated from ANPP, the ratio of living vs. dead BGB, and the root turnover rate. Two-ways analyses of variance (ANOVA) and paired samples comparisons with t-test were applied to examine the effects of pasture managements (PMS, i.e., grazed vs. fenced) and zonal grassland types on both ANPP and BNPP. Allometric and isometric allocation hypotheses were also tested between logarithmically transformed ANPP and BNPP using standardized major axis (SMA) analyses across grazed, fenced and overall sites. In our study, a high community-dependency was observed to support the allometric biomass allocation hypothesis, in association with decreased ANPP and a decreasing-to-increasing BNPP proportions with increasing aridity across the Northern Tibetan Plateau. Grazing vs. fencing seemed to have a trivial effect on ANPP compared to the overwhelming influence of different zonal grassland types. Vegetation links above- and below-ground ecological functions through integrated meta-population adaptive strategies to the increasing severity of habitat conditions. Therefore, more detailed studies on functional diversity are essentially to achieve conservation and sustainability goals under ongoing climatic warming and intensifying human influences.
Weight Gain Composition in Preterm Infants with Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry

Whole body composition was investigated using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry in 54 healthy preterm infants, birth weight < 1750 g, who were fed fortified human milk (n = 20) and preterm formula (n = 34) when full enteral feeding was attained and then again 3 wk later at around the time of discharge. Weight gain composition was calculated from the difference between the earlier and later measurement. The minimal detectable changes in whole body composition over time according to the variance of the population (within groups of 20 infants) and the minimal detectable changes according to the dietary intervention (between two groups of 20 infants) were determined at 5% significance and 80% power. Whole body composition was similar in the two groups at the initial measurement, but all the measured variables differed at the time of the second measurement. Formula-fed infants showed a greater weight gain (19.9 ± 3.2 versus 15.9 ± 2.2 g·kg-1·d-1, p < 0.05), fat mass deposition (5.1 ± 1.9 versus 3.3 ± 1.3 g·kg-1·d-1, p < 0.05), bone mineral content gain (289 ± 99 versus 214 ± 64 mg·kg-1·d-1, p < 0.05), and increase in bone area (1.6 ± 0.4 versus 1.3 ± 0.3 cm2·kg-1·d-1, p < 0.05) compared with the fortified human milk group. From these data, a minimal increase from the first measurement of 111 g lean body mass, 68 g fat mass, and 3.1 g bone mineral content is needed to be detectable in a longitudinal study that includes 20 infants. For significance between two groups of 20 infants around the time of discharge, dietary intervention needs to achieve minimal differences of 160 g lean body mass, 86 g fat mass, and 4.1 g bone mineral content. With respect to weight gain composition, the minimal differences required to reach significance are 2.1 g·kg-1·d-1 for gain in lean body mass, 1.2 g·kg-1·d-1 for gain in fat mass, and 76 mg·kg-1·d-1 for gain in bone mineral content. We conclude that dual energy x-ray absorptiometry allows evaluation of the effects of dietary intervention on whole body and weight gain composition in preterm infants during the first weeks of life.
Contrasting Ex Vivo Efficacies of “Reversed Chloroquine” Compounds in Chloroquine-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax Isolates

ABSTRACT Chloroquine (CQ) has been the mainstay of malaria treatment for more than 60 years. However, the emergence and spread of CQ resistance now restrict its use to only a few areas where malaria is endemic. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a novel combination of a CQ-like moiety and an imipramine-like pharmacophore can reverse CQ resistance ex vivo. Between March to October 2011 and January to September 2013, two “reversed chloroquine” (RCQ) compounds (PL69 and PL106) were tested against multidrug-resistant field isolates of Plasmodium falciparum (n = 41) and Plasmodium vivax (n = 45) in Papua, Indonesia, using a modified ex vivo schizont maturation assay. The RCQ compounds showed high efficacy against both CQ-resistant P. falciparum and P. vivax field isolates. For P. falciparum, the median 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) were 23.2 nM for PL69 and 26.6 nM for PL106, compared to 79.4 nM for unmodified CQ (P < 0.001 and P = 0.036, respectively). The corresponding values for P. vivax were 19.0, 60.0, and 60.9 nM (P < 0.001 and P = 0.018, respectively). There was a significant correlation between IC50s of CQ and PL69 (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [rs] = 0.727, P < 0.001) and PL106 (rs = 0.830, P < 0.001) in P. vivax but not in P. falciparum. Both RCQs were equally active against the ring and trophozoite stages of P. falciparum, but in P. vivax, PL69 and PL106 showed less potent activity against trophozoite stages (median IC50s, 130.2 and 172.5 nM) compared to ring stages (median IC50s, 17.6 and 91.3 nM). RCQ compounds have enhanced ex vivo activity against CQ-resistant clinical isolates of P. falciparum and P. vivax, suggesting the potential use of reversal agents in antimalarial drug development. Interspecies differences in RCQ compound activity may indicate differences in CQ pharmacokinetics between the two Plasmodium species.
Microsatellites in Pursuit of Microbial Genome Evolution

Microsatellites or short sequence repeats are widespread genetic markers which are hypermutable 1–6 bp long short nucleotide motifs. Significantly, their applications in genetics are extensive due to their ceaseless mutational degree, widespread length variations and hypermutability skills. These features make them useful in determining the driving forces of evolution by using powerful molecular techniques. Consequently, revealing important questions, for example, what is the significance of these abundant sequences in DNA, what are their roles in genomic evolution? The answers of these important questions are hidden in the ways these short motifs contributed in altering the microbial genomes since the origin of life. Even though their size ranges from 1 –to- 6 bases, these repeats are becoming one of the most popular genetic probes in determining their associations and phylogenetic relationships in closely related genomes. Currently, they have been widely used in molecular genetics, biotechnology and evolutionary biology. However, due to limited knowledge; there is a significant gap in research and lack of information concerning hypermutational mechanisms. These mechanisms play a key role in microsatellite loci point mutations and phase variations. This review will extend the understandings of impacts and contributions of microsatellite in genomic evolution and their universal applications in microbiology.
An analogue of Hardy’s theorem for very rapidly decreasing functions on semi-simple Lie groups

A celebrated theorem of L. Schwartz asserts that a function f on R is ‘rapidly decreasing’ (or in the ‘Schwartz class’) iff its Fourier transform is ‘rapidly decreasing’. Since this theorem is of fundamental importance in harmonic analysis, there is a whole body of literature devoted to generalizing this result to other Lie groups. (For example, see [18].) In sharp contrast to Schwartz’s theorem, is a result due to Hardy [5] which says that f and f cannot both be “very rapidly decreasing”. More precisely, if |f(x)| ≤ Ae−α|x|2 and |f(y)| ≤ Be−β|y| 2 and αβ > 1 4 , then f ≡ 0. (See [2], pp. 155-157.) However, as far as we are aware, until very recently no systematic attempt was made to generalize Hardy’s theorem to other Lie groups. In [12], [13], and [15], this result has been generalized to the Heisenberg groups Hn, the Euclidean motion groups M(n) and for certain eigenfunction expansions. In this paper we establish an analogue of Hardy’s theorem for a class of noncompact semisimple Lie groups and all symmetric spaces of the noncompact type. Hardy’s theorem can also be viewed as a sort of ‘Uncertainty Principle’. The results in [12] and [13] are presented from this point of view. (In [1], Cowling and Price have proved an “L − L” version of Hardy’s theorem on R. The theorem of Beurling in [9] is similar in spirit to Hardy’s theorem, although far more general, and indeed Hardy’s theorem, as well as the result of Cowling and Price, can be deduced from it as special cases.)
Variation in wood volatile compounds in a mixed oak stand: strong species and spatial differentiation in whisky-lactone content

The effect of species and ecological conditions on oak volatile extractive content was investigated in an evenaged (100 years) stand located in western France. The sample included a total of 286 trees (118 sessile, 158 pedunculate and 10 oaks with an intermediate morphology) growing in contrasted environments (plateau, intermediate slope, small valley). The main factor influencing oak extractives level is species. The effect of the local environment appears negligible. No correlation between ring width and volatile extractive content was found. Q. petraea is significantly richer than Q. robur in eugenol and whisky-lactone (10.8 vs. 0.6 μg/g). However, two groups of sessile oaks could be identified, one poor and one rich in whisky-lactone. Among the latter, either the cis or the trans stereoisomer was predominant, suggesting that their production is not independent. A strong spatial structure was detected for whisky-lactone (cis-, trans- and total whisky-lactone, for the two species combined but also for Q. petraea alone in the case of the cis isomer). RésuméLes effets de l’espèce de chêne et des conditions écologiques locales sur les teneurs en composés volatils ont été étudiés dans un peuplement équienne (100 ans) situé dans l’ouest de la France. L’échantillon total inclut 286 arbres (118 chênes sessiles, 158 chênes pédonculés et 10 chênes intermédiaires) répartis en mélange dans trois zones écologiques du peuplement (plateau, pente et fond de vallon). Le facteur principal qui influence la teneur en extractible du bois de chêne est l’espèce botanique. L’effet environnement apparaît négligeable et il n’existe aucune relation entre la largeur de cerne et les substances volatiles. Le bois de chêne sessile (Q. petraea) possède des teneurs plus élevées que le chêne pédonculé (Q. robur) en eugénol et en whisky-lactone (10,8 μg/g contre 0,6 μg/g). Cependant, les chênes sessiles se divisent en deux groupes, l’un pauvre en whisky-lactone et l’autre riche en ce composé. Parmi ce dernier groupe, on observe que l’une des deux formes stéréoisomères (cis ou trans) prédomine, suggérant que leur biosynthèse n’est pas indépendante. On constate enfin une forte structuration spatiale pour les whisky-lactones pour les deux espèces combinées mais également chez Q. petraea seul pour l’isomère cis.
A new multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on a performance assessment indicator

An emerging trend in the design of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) is to select individuals through the optimization of a quality assessment indicator. However, the most commonly adopted indicator in current use is the hypervolume which becomes very expensive (computationally speaking) as we increase the number of objectives. In this paper, we propose, instead, the use of another indicator called Δp. Although the Δp indicator is not Pareto compliant, we show here how it can be incorporated into the selection mechanism of an evolutionary algorithm (for that sake, we adopt differential evolution as our search engine) in order to produce a MOEA. The resulting MOEA (called Δp-Differential Evolution, or DDE) is validated using standard test problems and performance indicators reported in the specialized literature. Our results are compared with respect to those obtained by both a Pareto-based MOEA (NSGA-II) and a hypervolume-based MOEA (SMS-EMOA). Our preliminary results indicate that our proposed approach is competitive with respect to these two MOEAs for continuous problems having two and three objective functions. Additionally, our proposed approach is better than NSGA-II and provides competitive results with respect to SMS-EMOA for continuous many-objective problems. However, in this case, the main advantage of our proposal is that its computational cost is significantly lower than that of SMS-EMOA.
Estimating methane emissions using vegetation mapping in the taiga–tundra boundary of a north-eastern Siberian lowland

Abstract Taiga–tundra boundary ecosystems are affected by climate change. Methane (CH4) emissions in taiga–tundra boundary ecosystems have sparsely been evaluated from local to regional scales. We linked in situ CH4 fluxes (2009–2016) with vegetation cover, and scaled these findings to estimate CH4 emissions at a local scale (10 × 10 km) using high-resolution satellite images in an ecosystem on permafrost (Indigirka lowland, north-eastern Siberia). We defined nine vegetation classes, containing 71 species, of which 16 were dominant. Distribution patterns were affected by microtopographic height, thaw depth and soil moisture. The Indigirka lowland was covered by willow-dominated dense shrubland and cotton-sedge-dominated wetlands with sparse larch forests. In situ CH4 emissions were high in wetlands. Lakes and rivers were CH4 sources, while forest floors were mostly neutral in terms of CH4 emission. Estimated local CH4 emissions (37 mg m−2 d−1) were higher than those reported in similar studies. Our results indicate that: (i) sedge and emergent wetland ecosystems act as hot spots for CH4 emissions, and (ii) sparse tree coverage does not regulate local CH4 emissions and balance. Thus, larch growth and distribution, which are expected to change with climate, do not contribute to decreasing local CH4 emissions.
Regulation of Hspb7 by MEF2 and AP-1: implications for Hspb7 in muscle atrophy

ABSTRACT Mycocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription complexes have been individually implicated in myogenesis, but their genetic interaction has not previously been addressed. Using MEF2A, c-Jun and Fra-1 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data and predicted AP-1 consensus motifs, we identified putative common MEF2 and AP-1 target genes, several of which are implicated in regulating the actin cytoskeleton. Because muscle atrophy results in remodelling or degradation of the actin cytoskeleton, we characterized the expression of putative MEF2 and AP-1 target genes (Dstn, Flnc, Hspb7, Lmod3 and Plekhh2) under atrophic conditions using dexamethasone (Dex) treatment in skeletal myoblasts. Heat shock protein b7 (Hspb7) was induced by Dex treatment and further analyses revealed that loss of MEF2A using siRNA prevented Dex-regulated induction of Hspb7. Conversely, ectopic Fra-2 or c-Jun expression reduced Dex-mediated upregulation of Hspb7 whereas AP-1 depletion enhanced Hspb7 expression. In vivo, expression of Hspb7 and other autophagy-related genes was upregulated in response to atrophic conditions in mice. Manipulation of Hspb7 levels in mice also impacted gross muscle mass. Collectively, these data indicate that MEF2 and AP-1 confer antagonistic regulation of Hspb7 gene expression in skeletal muscle, with implications for autophagy and muscle atrophy. Summary: Analysis of ChIP-seq data revealed a cohort of dual MEF2 and AP-1 target genes involved in cytoskeletal organization. Regulation of Hspb7 by MEF2 and AP-1 was further characterized in models of muscle atrophy.
Distinct amino acid–sensing mTOR pathways regulate skeletal myogenesis

Amino acid–sensing mTOR signaling controls the homeostasis of skeletal myogenesis. The Rag GTPases negatively regulate differentiation by activating mTORC1 and subsequently suppressing the IRS1-PI3K-Akt pathway, whereas a Vps34-PLD1-PA-mTOR pathway activates the transcriptional regulation of Igf2 that is essential for myogenesis.
Public vs. private coin flips in one round communication games (extended abstract)

We study l-round two parties communication complexity games, where private random bits are used. We observe that the existence of good protocols for such games is related to a notion of approximating the matrix that represents the function by a certain low rank matrix. This gives rise to a new notion of rank, analogous of positive rank for l-round communication complexity. We prove that the identity matrix is non approximable by low rank matrices in this sense. As a corollary we prove that any randomized protocol for the equality function requires f2(@ complexity in the l-round, private bits model, answering an open question raised by Yao [8]. A corollary is an answer to the following graph theoretic question: Assume a graph on n vertices has a set of N = N(n) cliques and so that for each two different cliques of this set, the number of edges between them is at most 0.1 of the product of their sizes. How large can N be ? We show that N = n“tlogn) is the right order of magnitude.
Protein synthesis and membrane integrity in interferon-treated HeLa cells infected with encephalomyocarditis virus.

The survival of interferon (IFN)-treated cells after encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus infection depends on both the concentration of interferon and the multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.) used. The cell survived EMC infection if a high IFN/m.o. i. ratio was used in the experiment, whereas cell death took place at low IFN/m.o. i. ratios, even if IFN is also present during infection. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the proteins synthesized in IFN-treated cells subsequently infected with EMC indicated that no virus proteins were detected at either low or high multiplicities of infection. However, at low m.o. i. the cell survived and continued synthesizing cellular proteins exclusively, whereas at high m.o. i. a drastic shut-off of host protein synthesis took place. Virus which had been inactivated by u.v. irradiation was unable to cause the shut-off of host protein synthesis, either in control or in IFN-treated cells. This result suggests that some virus gene expression occurs in cells treated with IFN, although no virus protein synthesis was detected. The synthesis of virus RNA was also strongly inhibited after treated of cells with IFN. The integrity of the cell membrane in control and in IFN-treated cells was studied by analysing the 86Rb+ ion leakage, the thymidine pool, the chronic uptake and the entry of the translation inhibitor hygromycin B, to which cells are impermeable, at different times after EMC infection. The results obtained indicate that the early membrane leakiness observed after virus infection is not prevented by IFN treatment. However, the development of late leakiness to 86Rb+ ions, thymidine and hygromycin B was not observed in IFN-treated cells.
Spatial organization of bacterial flora in normal and inflamed intestine: a fluorescence in situ hybridization study in mice.

AIM To study the role of intestinal flora in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS The spatial organization of intestinal flora was investigated in normal mice and in two models of murine colitis using fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS The murine small intestine was nearly bacteria-free. The normal colonic flora was organized in three distinct compartments (crypt, interlaced, and fecal), each with different bacterial compositions. Crypt bacteria were present in the cecum and proximal colon. The fecal compartment was composed of homogeneously mixed bacterial groups that directly contacted the colonic wall in the cecum but were separated from the proximal colonic wall by a dense interlaced layer. Beginning in the middle colon, a mucus gap of growing thickness physically separated all intestinal bacteria from contact with the epithelium. Colonic inflammation was accompanied with a depletion of bacteria within the fecal compartment, a reduced surface area in which feces had direct contact with the colonic wall, increased thickness and spread of the mucus gap, and massive increases of bacterial concentrations in the crypt and interlaced compartments. Adhesive and infiltrative bacteria were observed in inflamed colon only, with dominant Bacteroides species. CONCLUSION The proximal and distal colons are functionally different organs with respect to the intestinal flora, representing a bioreactor and a segregation device. The highly organized structure of the colonic flora, its specific arrangement in different colonic segments, and its specialized response to inflammatory stimuli indicate that the intestinal flora is an innate part of host immunity that is under complex control.