Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome Profiling of the Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Plant under Drought Stress and Water-Stimulus Conditions

Drought stress can seriously affect tuberization, yield and quality of potato plant. However, the precise molecular mechanisms governing potato stolon’s response to drought stress and water supply are not very well understood. In this work, a potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) variant, Ningshu 4, was subjected to severe drought stress treatment (DT) and re-watering treatment (RWT) at tuber bulking stage. Strand-specific cDNA libraries of stolon materials were constructed for paired-end transcriptome sequencing analyses and differentially expressed gene (DEG) examination. In comparison to untreated-control (CT) plants, 3189 and 1797 DEGs were identified in DT and RWT plants and 4154 solely expressed DEGs were screened out from these two comparison groups. Interestingly, 263 genes showed opposite expression patterns in DT and RWT plants. Among them, genes homologous to Protein Phosphatase 2C (PP2C), Aspartic protease in guard cell 1 (ASPG1), auxin-responsive protein, Arabidopsis pseudo response regualtor 2 (APRR2), GA stimulated transcripts in Arabidopsis 6 (GASA6), Calmodulin-like protein 19 (CML19), abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylases and calcium-transporting ATPase, et al. were related with drought-stress and water stimulus response. Sixteen DEGs involved in starch synthesis, accumulation and tuber formation exhibited significantly different expression upon re-watering. In addition, 1630, 1527 and 1596 transcription factor encoding genes were detected in CT, DT and RWT. DEGs of ERF, bHLH, MYB, NAC, WRKY, C2H2, bZIP and HD-ZIP families accounted for 50% in three comparison groups, respectively. Furthermore, characteristics of 565 gene ontology (GO) and 108 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways (KEGG) were analyzed with the 4154 DEGs. All these results suggest that the drought- and water-stimulus response could be implemented by the regulated expression of metabolic pathway DEGs, and these genes were involved in the endogenous hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction pathways. Our data provide more direct information for future study on the interaction between key genes involved in various metabolic pathways under drought stress in potato.
Can We Be Optimistic about Asthma in Childhood? A Greek Cohort Study

Objective. To examine the prevalence and natural course of asthma from childhood to adolescence in a population-based, Greek birth cohort and to identify associated factors. Methods. Longitudinal information on asthma symptoms, physician diagnosed and treated, was available for 2133 children at 7 and 18 years of age. Results. The prevalence of current asthma was 9.0% and 5.0% at 7 and 18 years, respectively. The prevalence of lifetime asthma was 26.3% at 18 years. More than half of the children (58.2%) with early onset asthma were asymptomatic at 7 years and only 7.6% continued to have symptoms during adolescence. However, in 48.2% of those with late onset asthma, symptoms persisted up to 18 years. Logistic regression analyses showed that male gender, family history of atopy, active adolescent smoking and maternal smoking were significantly positively associated with lifetime asthma at 18 years. In addition, smoking during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk for persistence of asthma symptoms at 18 years. Asthma during childhood and active adolescent smoking were positively associated, and daily consumption of fruit and vegetables was negatively associated with current asthma at 18 years of age. Finally, children who were breastfed had a lower risk for lifetime asthma at 7 years. Conclusion. The prevalence of asthma symptoms at 7 and 18 years of age was low throughout Greece. Our results suggest that, among others, nutrition is an important correlate of asthma in Greek children.
On the self-enrichment scenario of galactic globular clusters: constraints on the IMF

Aims. Galactic globular cluster (GC) stars exhibit abundance patterns that are not shared by their field counterparts, e.g. the welldocumented O-Na and Mg-Al anticorrelations. Recent spectroscopic observations of GC turnoff stars have provided compelling evidence that these abundance anomalies were already present in the gas from which the observed stars formed. A widely held hypothesis is that the gas was “polluted” by stars that were more massive (and evolving faster) than the presently observed low-mass stars. In the framework of this “self-enrichment” scenario for GCs, we present a new method of deriving the initial mass function (IMF) of the polluters, by using the O/Na abundance distribution. Methods. We focus on NGC 2808, a GC for which the largest sample of O and Na abundance determinations is presently available. We use the abundance distribution of [O/Na] to derive the amount of polluted material with respect to the original composition. We explore two scenarios in detail for the self-enrichment of the cluster, which differ by the assumptions made on the composition of the polluter ejecta. In each case we consider two classes of possible “culprits”: massive asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars (4−9 M� ) and winds of massive stars (WMS) in the mass range 10−100 M� . Results. We obtain upper limits for the slope of the IMF (assumed to be given by a power-law) of the stars initially more massive than the present turnoff mass. We also derive lower limits for the amount of stellar residues in NGC 2808. Conclusions. We find that the polluter IMF had to be much flatter than the presently observed IMFs in stellar clusters, which agrees with the results of two other GC IMF determination methods, which we also discuss. Likewise, we find that the present mass of the GC should be totally dominated by stellar remnants if the polluters were AGB stars, which is not the case if the culprits are WMS. We critically analyse the advantages and shortcomings of each potential polluter class and find the WMS scenario more attractive.
STABLE EQUILIBRIA FOR THE OPTIMUM MODEL.

* Contribution No. 1040 of Journal Series. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina. This work has been supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. 1 Cockerham, C. Clark, Genetics, 39, 859-882 (1954). 2 Fisher, R. A. , The genetical theory of natural selection. (London: Oxford Press, 1930). 3Fisher, R. A. , Annals of Eugenics 11, 53-63 (1941). 4Kempthorne, O. , Proc. Roy. Soc. B 143, 103-113 (1954). rf Kimura, M. , these PROCEEDINGS, 42, 336-340 (1956). 6 Lewontin, R. C. , Genetics 43, 419-434 (1958). 7Wright, S. , Proc. Sixth Intern. Congr. Genetics, 356-366 (1932). 8 Wright, S. , Bul. Amer. Math. Soc. 48, 223-246 (1942). 9 Wright, S. , Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology 20, 16-24 (1955).
Mid-infrared spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis of heat-treated obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon) wood.

The chemical structure change and rheological behaviour of heat-treated Obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon) wood were investigated. Wood samples were treated at 160 and 200°C for 30, 60 and 120 minutes. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were employed to characterize the chemical structure and rheological property of the heat-treated wood, respectively. Infrared data showed that there was a reduction in the number of hydroxyl groups (one of the factors normally attributed to water absorption) of heat treated wood relative to the control samples. The relative cellulose crystallinity increased slightly which may be one of the factors contributing to the stiffness of the heat-treated wood. The latter increases with increasing treatment temperature and time. The rheological properties of the wood samples were tested while submerged in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone solvent under saturated conditions. DMA results showed that the increasing heat treatment time caused an increase in the glass transition temperature relative to the control sample, irrespective of the treatment temperature. Therefore, heat treatment at moderately high temperatures (160 and 200 °C) showed an interesting potential which could be used to reduce water absorption and improve flexural modulus of Obeche wood.
Damping Wind and Wave Loads on a Floating Wind Turbine

Offshore wind energy capitalizes on the higher and less turbulent wind speeds at sea. To enable deployment of wind turbines in deep-water locations, structures are being explored, where wind turbines are placed on a floating platform. This combined structure presents a new control problem, due to the partly unconstrained movement of the platform and ocean wave excitation. If this additional complexity is not dealt with properly, this may lead to a significant increase in the structural loads and, potentially, instability of the controlled system. In this paper, the wave excitation is investigated, and we show the influence that both wind speed, wave frequencies and misalignment between wind and waves have on the system dynamics. A new control model is derived that extends standard turbine models to include the hydrodynamics, additional platform degrees of freedom, the platform mooring system and tower side-side motion, including gyroscopic effects. The models support a model-based design that includes estimators for wind speed and wave frequency. The design is applied to a number of examples representing different wind and wave conditions and successfully demonstrates a reduction in the structural oscillations, while improving power performance.
Strain Echocardiography Parameters Correlate With Disease Severity in Children and Infants With Sepsis*

Objectives: In the progression of severe sepsis, sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction contributes to severity of illness and ultimate mortality. Identification of sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction causing depressed cardiac function during critical illness has implications for ongoing patient management. However, assessing pediatric cardiac function traditionally relies on echocardiographic qualitative assessment and measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction or fractional shortening. These metrics are often insensitive for detecting early or regional myocardial dysfunction. Strain echocardiography is a contemporary echocardiographic modality that may be more sensitive to perturbations in cardiac function. This investigation hypothesizes that strain echocardiography metrics correlate with severity of illness in pediatric sepsis despite normal fractional shortening. Design: Single-center retrospective observational study. Setting: Tertiary 36-bed medical/surgical PICU. Patients: Pediatric patients admitted with sepsis. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Twenty-three children with sepsis received an echocardiogram in the study period. Patients with sepsis demonstrated abnormal peak systolic longitudinal strain for age (mean = –0.13 ± 0.07; p < 0.01) and low normal peak systolic circumferential strain (mean = –0.17 ± 0.14; p = 0.02) compared with internal controls as well as previously published normal values. Depressed strain was demonstrated in the septic patients despite having normal fractional shortening (mean = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.38–0.43). On initial echocardiographic imaging, worsening peak systolic longitudinal strain was associated with increasing lactate (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Pediatric patients with sepsis demonstrate evidence of depressed strain echocardiography parameters not shown by fractional shortening that correlate with clinical indices of sepsis severity. Whether strain echocardiography could eventually assist in grading pediatric sepsis severity and affect management is an area for potential future investigation.
Learning functions across many orders of magnitudes

Learning non-linear functions can be hard when the magnitude of the target function is unknown beforehand, as most learning algorithms are not scale invariant. We propose an algorithm to adaptively normalize these targets. This is complementary to recent advances in input normalization. Importantly, the proposed method preserves the unnormalized outputs whenever the normalization is updated to avoid instability caused by non-stationarity. It can be combined with any learning algorithm and any non-linear function approximation, including the important special case of deep learning. We empirically validate the method in supervised learning and reinforcement learning and apply it to learning how to play Atari 2600 games. Previous work on applying deep learning to this domain relied on clipping the rewards to make learning in different games more homogeneous, but this uses the domain-specific knowledge that in these games counting rewards is often almost as informative as summing these. Using our adaptive normalization we can remove this heuristic without diminishing overall performance, and even improve performance on some games, such as Ms. Pac-Man and Centipede, on which previous methods did not perform well.
Update on topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

Topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are a novel addition to the armamentarium of medical glaucoma treatment; dorzolamide has been available since 1995 and brinzolamide since 1998. They lower intraocular pressure by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase, a key enzyme for aqueous humor formation. Intraocular pressure–lowering activity of the substances appears to be the same and is similar to that of most other agents, but it does not reach the activity of the unselective β-blocker timolol or the prostaglandin latanoprost. On concomitant treatment, additivity is reached with all other topical agents. A possible improvement of blood flow may offer an additional benefit, but its significance for the long-term outcome for human glaucoma remains to be shown. Side effects are mostly local. A more physiologic pH of brinzolamide appears to be advantageous.
The Shared Experience of Care: A Social Identity Approach to Understanding the Motivation of People who Work in Social Care.

Widely viewed as under-valued and under-paid, yet sentimentalized as working more for love than money, the social care workforce is a fundamental economic and social resource; the importance of which is growing in line with the rapidly aging, global and national population (Care Quality Commission, 2012; DoH 2009; International Helptheaged, 2013). Classic motivation theories, which focus on economic and individualistic work motives, fail to fully account for the high rates of satisfaction and commitment among care workers, (Skills for Care 2007, 2013; Stevens et al 2010). Yet a growing body of empirical research demonstrates that health and social care workers’ motivation is related to patient/client satisfaction and wellbeing (Maben et al., 2012). Moreover the quality of the relationship between the carer and client contributes to the motivation and the wellbeing of both (Wilson, 2009; Wilson et al., 2009). Therefore this thesis seeks to better understand the collective and relational aspects of care workers’ motivation. It does this by detailing a program of research which examines care workers motivations through a social identity lens that asks ‘what’s in it for us’ as well as ‘what’s in it for me’ (Haslam 2004). A social identity perspective on motivation focuses on how workers experience themselves and their work at a personal, relational and organizational level (Ashforth et al 2008; Ellemers et al., 2004). In doing so it offers a multi-dimensional, theoretical framework through which to understand the dynamics of care workers’ motivations. Moreover, this framework offers an empirically proven psychological framework for explaining why adopting a relationshipcentered approach to care is pivotal for organizations to achieve a compassionate care
Absorption cross-section of the human body in a reverberant environment

The interiors of mass transit vehicles act as pseudo-reverberant environments which are loaded by the bodies of passengers. This study models the broadband loading characteristics of the human body, first by simulation with spherical approximations, then by measurement of nine human subjects in a reverberation chamber. The absorption cross-section of the subjects is calculated from the loaded and unloaded transmission coefficients, and compared to the models and additionally to full-wave simulations conducted during research into human exposure. It is found to vary depending on the physical characteristics of the individual subject, with reliance on each individual characteristic being frequency-dependent. Sources of systematic error are identified and further refinements to the measurement and calculation are suggested.
WebView: A Graphical Aid for Revisiting Web Pages

Current commercial web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer provide a wide and diverse range of utilities, such as history lists and bookmarks, that support revisiting previously seen pages on the web. Yet previous research indicates that these utilities are largely unused. In this paper, we present an alternative utility called WebView; a prototype designed to improve the efficiency and usability of page revisitation. It does this by paying particular attention to how previous pages are represented visually, and by integrating many revisitation capabilities into a single display space. Our preliminary evaluation of WebView indicates that users are enthusiastic about the functionality provided, and that it improves the efficiency of some navigational acts.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Antiretroviral Therapy and Markers of Lymphatic Filariasis Infection: A Cross-sectional Study in Rural Northern Malawi

Background Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are major public health problems. Individuals may be co-infected, raising the possibility of important interactions between these two pathogens with consequences for LF elimination through annual mass drug administration (MDA). Methodology and Principal Findings We analysed circulating filarial antigenaemia (CFA) by HIV infection status among adults in two sites in northern Malawi, a region endemic for both LF and HIV. Stored blood samples and data from two geographically separate studies were used: one a recruitment phase of a clinical trial of anti-filarial agent dosing regimens, and the other a whole population annual HIV sero-survey. In study one, 1,851 consecutive adult volunteers were screened for HIV and LF infection. CFA prevalence was 25.4% (43/169) in HIV-positive and 23.6% (351/1487) in HIV-negative participants (p=0.57). Geometric mean CFA concentrations were 859 and 1660 antigen units per ml of blood (Ag/ml) respectively, geometric mean ratio (GMR) 0.85, 95%CI 0.49-1.50. In 7,863 adults in study two, CFA prevalence was 20.9% (86/411) in HIV-positive and 24.0% (1789/7452) in HIV–negative participants (p=0.15). Geometric mean CFA concentrations were 630 and 839 Ag/ml respectively (GMR 0.75, 95%CI 0.60-0.94). In the HIV-positive group, antiretroviral therapy (ART) use was associated with a lower CFA prevalence, 12.7% (18/142) vs. 25.3% (67/265), (OR 0.43, 95%CI 0.24-0.76). Prevalence of CFA decreased with duration of ART use, 15.2% 0-1 year (n=59), 13.6% >1-2 years (n=44), 10.0% >2-3 years (n=30) and 0% >3-4 years treatment (n=9), p<0.01 χ2 for linear trend. Conclusions/Significance In this large cross-sectional study of two distinct LF-exposed populations, there is no evidence that HIV infection has an impact on LF epidemiology that will interfere with LF control measures. A significant association of ART use with lower CFA prevalence merits further investigation to understand this apparent beneficial impact of ART.
Research in Science Education: Threshold Concepts

This article introduces the idea of threshold concepts as a means to better understand student learning and, hence, to develop an enhanced curriculum to facilitate that learning. The debate surrounding threshold concepts is relatively recent and has mainly been focused within other disciplines such as economics, maths and history. Following on from their contributions to a conference in the UK on threshold concepts in geography, earth and environmental sciences, the authors are seeking to open the debate more widely to the geoscience community and thereby begin to develop an understanding of what this new approach to learning means for our subject area.
Long-Term Effects of Irbesartan Treatment and Smoking on Nucleic Acid Oxidation in PatientsWith Type 2 Diabetes andMicroalbuminuria An Irbesartan Microalbuminuria Type 2 Diabetes in Hypertensive Patients ( IRMA ) 2 substudy

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The Irbesartan Microalbuminuria Type 2 Diabetes in Hypertensive Patients (IRMA) 2 study was a 2-year multicenter randomized double-blind trial comparing irbesartan (150 and 300 mg once daily) with placebo. We studied a subgroup of 50 patients where urine samples were available for analysis of albumin and the oxidatively modified guanine nucleosides 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-29-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo).
The journey of becoming and being a mother raising a disabled child : the transformations between and across social positions

ii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Background 1 New frameworks 3 Why mothers? 6 Policies, legislation and service programmes 8 Research questions 10 Thesis structure 11 Chapter Two: Literature Review 14 How disability is understood 14 Sociology of health and illness 15 Social model 18 Stigma 26 Professionals 30 Contextualised motherhood and care 36 Childhood 36 Motherhood 39 Mothers with a disabled child 45 Care 52 Conclusion 57 Chapter Three: Methodology 59 Standpoints 59 Locating mothers 60 Locating researchers: insiders or outsiders? 63 Research Method 70 Conceptual Framework 70 The research design 74
Did the Eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo Volcano Affect Cirrus Properties

Some observations suggest that the volcanic aerosols produced by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption may have altered cirrus. The authors look for evidence that such modification of cirrus is extensive enough to be climatically significant by comparing three satellite-based cirrus datasets produced by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) analysis, the split-window analysis, and the Improved Initialization Inversion (3I) analysis. Since the former two have not been compared in detail before, such a comparison was conducted here. When applied to the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data, both the ISCCP and splitwindow analyses identify about 0.2‐0.3 cirrus cloud amounts in tropical latitudes; however, there are detailed differences of classification for about half of these clouds. The discrepancies are attributed to the simplified assumptions made by both methods. The latter two datasets are derived from infrared radiances, so they are less sensitive to volcanic aerosols than the ISCCP analysis. After the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, the ISCCP results indicate a notable decrease of thin cirrus over ocean, accompanied by a comparable increase of altocumulus and cumulus clouds; over land, there are no significant changes. In contrast, results from the split-window and 3I analyses show little change in thin cirrus amount over either ocean or land that is associated with the volcanic eruption. The ISCCP results can, therefore, be understood as a misclassification of thin cirrus because additional reflected sunlight by the volcanic aerosol makes the cirrus clouds appear to be optically thicker. Examinations of the split-window signature show no significant change in infrared emissivity (or optical thickness). These results indicate that the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic aerosol did not have a significant systematic effect on tropical cirrus properties (such as cloud amount and optical thickness), but do not exclude the occurrence of temporary, local effects. Hence, these results suggest that there is no significant climate feedback produced by aerosol‐ cirrus‐radiative interactions.