Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Impact of Storage Conditions on Microbial Community Composition in Soil Samples

Recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies have allowed scientists to probe increasingly complex biological systems, including the diversity of bacteria in the environment. However, despite a multitude of recent studies incorporating these methods, many questions regarding how environmental samples should be collected and stored still persist. Here, we assess the impact of different soil storage conditions on microbial community composition using Illumina-based 16S rRNA V4 amplicon sequencing. Both storage time and temperature affected bacterial community composition and structure. Frozen samples maintained the highest alpha diversity and differed least in beta diversity, suggesting the utility of cold storage for maintaining consistent communities. Samples stored for intermediate times (three and seven days) had both the highest alpha diversity and the largest differences in overall beta diversity, showing the degree of community change after sample collection. These divergences notwithstanding, differences in neither storage time nor storage temperature substantially altered overall communities relative to more than 500 previously examined soil samples. These results systematically support previous studies and stress the importance of methodological consistency for accurate characterization and comparison of soil microbiological assemblages.
Towards Requirements Engineering for Context Adaptive Systems

Building realistic end user scenarios for ubiquitous computing applications entails large up-front investments. Many context adaptive applications so far fail to live up to their expectations. Firstly, this is due to poorly conceived development tools and methods compared to other, more mature domains. And secondly, they seem to be particularly prone to problems related to a discrepancy between user expectation and systems behavior. This unwanted behavior prevents the vision of an emerging trend of context aware and adaptive applications in ubiquitous computing to become reality. A good understanding of business and customer's requirements may be of immense importance. This paper presents a model-based requirements engineering approach to systematically analyze and specify the basic system behavior as well as the adaptation behavior starting from customer and business needs.
The New Meaning of Ms.: Single, But too Old for Miss

We examined understanding of the title Ms., in college students and individuals surveyed via the Internet. Participants were asked to define Ms. and other titles, and rate the likely marital status and age of those using the titles. While some participants indicated that Ms. was a title for women of any marital status, a common alternative definition of Ms. was a title for unmarried women. Younger participants (those under 20) were significantly more likely to use this definition. We also asked what title women preferred for themselves. Older unmarried women were more likely to prefer Ms. as their own title than were younger unmarried women, while married women overwhelmingly preferred the use of Mrs. Perhaps this is why many younger people assume that Ms. is a title for unmarried women too old to use Miss.
Changes to perceptions of the pros and cons of genetic susceptibility testing after APOE genotyping for Alzheimer disease risk

Purpose: Perceptions about the pros and cons of genetic susceptibility testing are among the best predictors of test utilization. How actual testing changes such perceptions has yet to be examined.Methods: In a clinical trial, first-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer disease received genetic risk assessments for Alzheimer disease including APOE disclosure. Participants rated 11 possible benefits associated with genetic testing (pros) and 10 risks or limitations (cons) before genetic risk disclosure and again 12 months afterward.Results: Pros were rated higher than cons at baseline (3.53 vs. 1.83, P < 0.001) and at 12 months after risk disclosure (3.33 vs. 1.88, P < 0.001). Ratings of pros decreased during the 12-month period (3.33 vs. 3.53, P < 0.001). Ratings of cons did not change (1.88 vs. 1.83, P = 0.199) except for a three-item discrimination subscale which increased (2.07 vs. 1.92, P = 0.012). Among specific pros and cons, three items related to prevention and treatment changed the most.Conclusion: The process of APOE genetic risk assessment for Alzheimer disease sensitizes some to its limitations and the risks of discrimination; however, 1-year after disclosure, test recipients still consider the pros to strongly outweigh the cons.
The PARN Deadenylase Targets a Discrete Set of mRNAs for Decay and Regulates Cell Motility in Mouse Myoblasts

PARN is one of several deadenylase enzymes present in mammalian cells, and as such the contribution it makes to the regulation of gene expression is unclear. To address this, we performed global mRNA expression and half-life analysis on mouse myoblasts depleted of PARN. PARN knockdown resulted in the stabilization of 40 mRNAs, including that encoding the mRNA decay factor ZFP36L2. Additional experiments demonstrated that PARN knockdown induced an increase in Zfp36l2 poly(A) tail length as well as increased translation. The elements responsible for PARN-dependent regulation lie within the 3′ UTR of the mRNA. Surprisingly, changes in mRNA stability showed an inverse correlation with mRNA abundance; stabilized transcripts showed either no change or a decrease in mRNA abundance. Moreover, we found that stabilized mRNAs had reduced accumulation of pre–mRNA, consistent with lower transcription rates. This presents compelling evidence for the coupling of mRNA decay and transcription to buffer mRNA abundances. Although PARN knockdown altered decay of relatively few mRNAs, there was a much larger effect on global gene expression. Many of the mRNAs whose abundance was reduced by PARN knockdown encode factors required for cell migration and adhesion. The biological relevance of this observation was demonstrated by the fact that PARN KD cells migrate faster in wound-healing assays. Collectively, these data indicate that PARN modulates decay of a defined set of mRNAs in mammalian cells and implicate this deadenylase in coordinating control of genes required for cell movement.
Importance of climatological downscaling and plant phenology for red deer in heterogeneous landscapes

Understanding how climate influences ecosystems represents a challenge in ecology and natural resource management. Although we know that climate affects plant phenology and herbivore performances at any single site, no study has directly coupled the topography–climate interaction (i.e. the climatological downscaling process) with large-scale vegetation dynamics and animal performances. Here we show how climatic variability (measured by the North Atlantic oscillation ‘NAO’) interacts with local topography in determining the vegetative greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index ‘NDVI’) and the body masses and seasonal movements of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Norway. Warm springs induced an earlier onset of vegetation, resulting in earlier migration and higher body masses. Increasing values of the winter-NAO corresponded to less snow at low altitude (warmer, more precipitation results in more rain), but more snow at high altitude (colder, more precipitation corresponds to more snow) relative to winters with low winter-NAO. An increasing NAO thus results in a spatially more variable phenology, offering migrating deer an extended period with access to high-quality forage leading to increased body mass. Our results emphasize the importance of incorporating spring as well as the interaction between winter climate and topography when aiming at understanding how plant and animal respond to climate change.
Restorative justice and reconviction

Proponents of restorative justice have suggested that its practices have the potential to reduce reoffending by those responsible for a harm. This article examines these claims using the results of two separate studies of the reconviction of offenders dealt with by processes that had restorative characteristics. The first study examines reconviction rates over'a'period'of'six years for a sample of young people who took part in family group conferences. The second study examines outcomes for samples of 100 offenders involved in each of two different community panel pre-trial diversion schemes for adults. One scheme involved offenders and victims meeting together with community panel members to determine outcomes that would repair harm to the victim and contribute to preventing reoffending. The second scheme involved Maori offenders meeting with representatives of their tribe in a setting with spiritual meaning for Maori. Those participating in both the community panel schemes were less likely to reoffend than matched samples of others who had committed similar offenses. There were also economic savings to the criminal justice system when offenders were dealt with by the panels compared to those dealt with by traditional methods. Taken together, these projects indicate that restorative processes and practices can have a positive impact on helping people to avoid reoffending.
Being Clean and Acting Dirty: The Paradoxical Effect of Self-Cleansing

In two studies we investigated the association between physical cleansing and moral and immoral behavior in real-life situations. In Study 1, after a workout at the gym, participants cheated more after taking a shower than before taking one. In the second study, participants donated more money to charity before rather than after they bathed for religious purification. The results extend previous findings about moral cleansing and moral licensing and are discussed within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory.
Body Mass Index and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Heart Failure Patients With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Results From the Irbesartan in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (I-PRESERVE) Trial

Background— Obesity is a major risk factor for incident heart failure (HF). Paradoxically, in HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF), a high body mass index (BMI) appears to be beneficial. Approximately 50% of HF patients have a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFPEF). However, there are few data regarding the relationship between BMI and outcomes in HFPEF. Methods and Results— Baseline characteristics and cardiovascular outcomes were assessed in the 4109 patients (mean age, 72 years; mean follow-up, 49.5 months) in the Irbesartan in HF with Preserved Ejection Fraction (I-PRESERVE) trial. Based on the BMI distribution, 5 BMI categories were defined: <23.5, 23.5 to 26.4, 26.5 to 30.9, 31 to 34.9, and ≥35 kg/m2. Most patients (71%) had a BMI ≥26.5, 21% had a BMI between 23.5 and 26.4, and 8% had a BMI <23.5 kg/m2. Patients with higher BMI were younger, more often women, and more likely to have hypertension and diabetes and higher left ventricular ejection fraction. Patients with BMI of 26.5 to 30.9 kg/m2 had the lowest rate for the primary composite outcome (death or cardiovascular hospitalization) and were used as reference group. After adjustment for 21 risk variables including age, sex, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, the hazard ratio for the primary outcome was increased in patients with BMI <23.5 (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.56; P=0.019) and in those with BMI ≥35 kg/m2 (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.52; P=0.011) compared with the referent group. A similar relationship was found for all-cause mortality and for HF hospitalization. Conclusions— Obesity is common in HFPEF patients and is accompanied by multiple differences in clinical characteristics. Independent of other key prognostic variables, there was a U-shaped relationship, with the greatest rate of adverse outcomes in the lowest and highest BMI categories. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT000095238.
Contour detection of short axis slice MR images for contraction irregularity assessment

A new method for automatically detecting left ventricular endocardial borders in cardiac MRI short-axis slices was applied to a previously published patient group for which manually drawn contours already existed. An initial point lying in the left ventricular endocardium was found by a size invariant circular Hough transform. A coarse segmentation of the endocardial region was completed by merging surrounding regions and building the convex hull. Adjacent time frames were used to remove jitter from the contour movements. A feature (IRM), extracted from those contours, quantified the irregularities of left ventricular contractions. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy were separated from the control group by thresholding the IRM parameter
Effect of Wrist Posture on Discomfort for Simple Repetitive Exertions

This study investigated the effects of exertion, pace and level of simple and combined flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation of the wrist on discomfort for simple repetitive exertions. Eight male subjects participated in the study and the level of exertion and angular deviation were defined relative to the maximum strength and Range of Motion (ROM) of the subjects respectively. Extreme flexion caused higher discomfort than the other simple types of deviation, and the combination of flexion and ulnar deviation resulted in higher discomfort than the other types of combined deviation. Exertion was the most significant factor, followed by level of deviation.
From McLibel to McLettuce: childhood, spin and re‐branding

Purpose – This paper seeks to report historical research into McDonald's public communication strategies as the corporation responded to the rising tide of “political consumerism” that accompanied its global market expansion (1960‐2005). Design/methodology/approach – Reviewing the brand's public relations strategies, through a content analysis of news coverage, the paper analyzes the way communication strategists took account of the anxieties about youth labour practices, community relations, globalization, environment and obesity which forced the brand to acknowledge the lifestyle risks associated with children and youth.Findings – The case study portrays McDonald's as a figurehead of US entrepreneurial multinational capitalism. It reveals how addressing public opposition through the courts can backfire on a brand strategy so keen on defending its honour. The case study also finds that listening and engaging with critics is as effective as suing them for McDonald's.Originality/value – The paper contribute.
Development and evaluation of nanostructured lipid carrier-based hydrogel for topical delivery of 5-fluorouracil

The aim of this study was to develop a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC)-based hydrogel and study its potential for the topical delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Precirol® ATO 5 (glyceryl palmitostearate) and Labrasol® were selected as the solid and liquid lipid phases, respectively. Poloxamer 188 and Solutol® HS15 (polyoxyl-15-hydroxystearate) were selected as surfactants. The developed lipid formulations were dispersed in 1% Carbopol® 934 (poly[acrylic acid]) gel medium in order to maintain the topical application consistency. The average size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index for the 5-FU-NLC were found to be 208.32±8.21 nm, −21.82±0.40 mV, and 0.352±0.060, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy study revealed that 5-FU-NLC was <200 nm in size, with a spherical shape. In vitro drug permeation studies showed a release pattern with initial burst followed by sustained release, and the rate of 5-FU permeation was significantly improved for 5-FU-NLC gel (10.27±1.82 μg/cm2/h) as compared with plain 5-FU gel (2.85±1.12 μg/cm2/h). Further, skin retention studies showed a significant retention of 5-FU from the NLC gel (91.256±4.56 μg/cm2) as compared with that from the 5-FU plain gel (12.23±3.86 μg/cm2) in the rat skin. Skin irritation was also significantly reduced with 5-FU-NLC gel as compared with 5-FU plain gel. These results show that the prepared 5-FU-loaded NLC has high potential to improve the penetration of 5-FU through the stratum corneum, with enormous retention and with minimal skin irritation, which is the prerequisite for topically applied formulations.
Concurrent Planning (2): ‘The Rollercoaster of Uncertainty’

This article by Jenny Kenrick focuses on the impact of intensive contact with birth parents for the carers of infants placed by concurrent planning. It follows an earlier article focusing on the infants placed (Kenrick, 2009). Among the themes to emerge are the uncertainties intrinsic to the process and how far these affected the development of carers' attachments to the infants they were looking after. The importance of the carers' direct knowledge of the ‘real’ birth parents for helping the children to develop an understanding of their identity is also noted. Finally, an interview with a birth parent whose child returned to her is reported.
Activation and sensitisation of low and high threshold afferent fibres mediated by P2X receptors in the mouse urinary bladder

It has been proposed that extracellular ATP may be involved in visceral mechanosensory transduction by activating ligand‐gated ion channels (P2X receptors). In this study, we have investigated the effects of the P2X3 agonist α,β‐methylene ATP (α,β‐meATP) and antagonist 2′,3′‐O‐trinitrophenyl‐ATP (TNP‐ATP) on pelvic afferents innervating the urinary bladder using an in vitro mouse bladder‐pelvic nerve preparation. Intravesical application of α,β‐meATP (0.03‐1 mm) increased multifibre discharges in a concentration‐dependent manner. The agonist potentiated, whereas TNP‐ATP (0.03 mm) attenuated, the multifibre responses to bladder distensions. Single‐unit analysis revealed that both high threshold (HT) fibres (> 15 mmHg; known to be associated with nociception) and low threshold (LT) fibres (< 15 mmHg; probably associated with non‐nociceptive events) could be induced to discharge by intravesical α,β‐meATP (1 mm, 0.1 ml). The response of the vast majority (21/22, 95.5 %) of HT fibres to bladder distensions was enhanced with a significantly reduced threshold and an increased peak response after exposure to the agonist. On the other hand, 59.7 % (46/77) of LT fibres showed a greater peak and a slightly reduced threshold for response to bladder distension in the presence of α,β‐meATP. An additional 11 ‘silent’ fibres became mechanosensitive after exposure to α,β‐meATP. TNP‐ATP (0.03 mm) did not affect the threshold of LT fibres, but it reduced the peak response of some (22/51, 43.1 %) LT fibres. Conversely, the antagonist resulted in a markedly elevated threshold and reduced peak activity in the majority (13/16, 81.3 %) of HT fibres. The results support the view that P2X3 receptor‐mediated mechanisms contribute to both nociceptive and non‐nociceptive (physiological) mechanosensory transduction in the urinary bladder.
Cultural Transformation for Inclusion, What is Needed?

Internationally, a move towards inclusive education has been adopted as the preferred model in most education systems. Yet there are still many jurisdictions that find that they simply do not have the resources necessary to embark on such a major development as inclusion. A critical issue in many such regions has been the difficulty in reforming traditional cultures that act as almost impassable barriers to change. This is further problematic when much of the rhetoric about embracing inclusion has posited the idea that schools can transform their culture by simply changing their own practices. This article considers the viability of schools being able to adopt an inclusive culture by themselves without a well developed support system and with very limited resources. An eco-systemic research approach is employed to examine the cultural barriers to inclusion that exist within ten schools across one regional district in South Africa. It is argued that for inclusion to become a reality in South Africa then significant cultural transformation must occur which is supported by an enhanced education system that is able to provide the necessary infrastructure, resources and support needed to enable schools to change.
Do Self-Concept Interventions Make a Difference? A Synergistic Blend of Construct Validation and Meta-Analysis

Traditional reviews and previous meta-analyses of self-concept interventions have underestimated effect sizes by using an implicitly unidimensional perspective that emphasizes global self-concept. In contrast, this research employed a synergistic blend of meta-analysis and multidimensional construct validation to evaluate the impact of self-concept interventions for children in 145 primary studies (200 interventions). Overall, interventions were significantly effective (d = .51, 460 effect sizes). However, in support of the multidimensional perspective, interventions targeting a specific self-concept domain and subsequently measuring that domain were much more effective (d = 1.16), suggesting sole reliance on global self-concept is inappropriate for evaluating interventions designed to enhance a specific component of self-concept. Other moderators (e.g., feedback, experimental design, target population groups) also influenced effect sizes in ways useful to the design of new interventions. Methodologically, this research also demonstrates the use of both fixed and random effects models and incorporation of multiple outcomes from the same study.
Rapid resolution of duck hepatitis B virus infections occurs after massive hepatocellular involvement

A study was carried out to determine some of the factors that might distinguish transient from chronic hepadnavirus infection. First, to better characterize chronic infection, Pekin ducks, congenitally infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV), were used to assess age-dependent variations in viremia, percentage of DHBV-infected hepatocytes, and average levels of DNA replication intermediates in the cytoplasm and of covalently closed circular DNA in the nuclei of infected hepatocytes. Levels of viremia and viral DNA were found to peak at about the time of hatching but persisted at relatively constant levels in chronically infected birds up to 2 years of age. The percentage of infected hepatocytes was also constant, with DHBV replication in virtually 100% of hepatocytes in all birds. Next, we found that adolescent ducks inoculated intravenously with a large dose of DHBV also developed massive infection of hepatocytes with an early but low-level viremia, followed by rapid development of a neutralizing antibody response. No obvious quantitative or qualitative differences between transiently and chronically infected liver tissue were detected in the intracellular markers of viral replication examined. However, in the adolescent duck experiment, DHBV infection was rapidly cleared from the liver even when up to 80% of hepatocytes were initially infected. In all of these ducks, clearance of infection was accompanied by only a mild hepatitis, with no evidence that massive cell death contributed to the clearance. This finding suggested that mechanisms in addition to immune-mediated destruction of hepatocytes might make major contributions to clearance of infections, including physiological turnover of hepatocytes in the presence of a neutralizing antibody response and/or spontaneous loss of the capacity of hepatocytes to support virus replication.