Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stable Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin content in interspecific F1 and backcross populations of wild Brassica rapa after Bt gene transfer

Stable expression of a transgene may lead to increased fitness for wild plants after acquiring the transgene via crop–weed hybridization. Here, we investigate the stability of Bt toxin content in wild Brassica rapa acquiring the Bt gene from Bt Brassica napus. The Bt toxin content in nine Bt‐expressing B. napus lines was 0.80–1.70 µg/g leaf tissue throughout the growing season. These nine lines were crossed with three accessions of wild B. rapa and the Bt gene was successfully transferred to interspecific hybrids (F1) and successive backcross generations (BC1 to BC4). The Bt toxin level in F1 and BC progenies containing the Bt gene remained at 0.90–3.10 µg/g leaf tissue. This study indicates that the Bt gene can persist and be stably expressed in wild B. rapa.
Renal Cystic Disease Proteins Play Critical Roles in the Organization of the Olfactory Epithelium

It was reported that some proteins known to cause renal cystic disease (NPHP6; BBS1, and BBS4) also localize to the olfactory epithelium (OE), and that mutations in these proteins can cause anosmia in addition to renal cystic disease. We demonstrate here that a number of other proteins associated with renal cystic diseases – polycystin 1 and 2 (PC1, PC2), and Meckel-Gruber syndrome 1 and 3 (MKS1, MKS3) – localize to the murine OE. PC1, PC2, MKS1 and MKS3 are all detected in the OE by RT-PCR. We find that MKS3 localizes specifically to dendritic knobs of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), while PC1 localizes to both dendritic knobs and cilia of mature OSNs. In mice carrying mutations in MKS1, the expression of the olfactory adenylate cyclase (AC3) is substantially reduced. Moreover, in rats with renal cystic disease caused by a mutation in MKS3, the laminar organization of the OE is perturbed and there is a reduced expression of components of the odor transduction cascade (Golf, AC3) and α-acetylated tubulin. Furthermore, we show with electron microscopy that cilia in MKS3 mutant animals do not manifest the proper microtubule architecture. Both MKS1 and MKS3 mutant animals show no obvious alterations in odor receptor expression. These data show that multiple renal cystic proteins localize to the OE, where we speculate that they work together to regulate aspects of the development, maintenance or physiological activities of cilia.
Hemicraniectomy and Moderate Hypothermia in Patients With Severe Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— We compared the clinical course of 36 consecutive patients with severe acute ischemic stroke (more than two thirds of the middle cerebral artery territory) treated with hemicraniectomy (CE; n=17) or moderate hypothermia (MH; n=19) in terms of intracranial pressure control, mortality, and specific treatment parameters. Methods— Over a period of 18 months, patients with severe ischemic stroke were treated with CE when the nondominant hemisphere was affected and with MH when the dominant hemisphere was affected. MH (33°C) was induced with either cold blankets and fans (n=11) or endovascular cooling (n=8). Intracranial pressure was monitored invasively in all cases. Results— Age, sex, cranial CT findings, level of consciousness, and time to treatment were similar between the 2 groups; significant differences were noted in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (20 [range, 18 to 22] and 17 [range, 16 to 18] for MH and CE, respectively) but were not present when NIHSS score was corrected for aphasia (17 [range, 15 to 19] and 17 [range, 16 to 18] for MH and CE, respectively). Mortality was 12% for CE and 47% for MH; 1 patient treated with MH died as a result of treatment complications (sepsis) and 3 of intracranial pressure crises that occurred during rewarming. Duration of mechanical ventilation and of neurological intensive care unit stay did not significantly differ, but duration of catecholamine application and maximal catecholamine dosage were significantly higher in the MH group. Conclusions— In patients with severe ischemic stroke, CE results in lower mortality and lower complication rates compared with MH. Both treatment modalities, however, are associated with intensive medical treatment and a prolonged stay in the neurological intensive care unit.
Performance evaluation of carbide tools in drilling CFRP-Al stacks

Composite-metal stack is an ideal combination of materials which unites the advantages of each dissimilar material in a substantial weight. However, drilling dissimilar materials has been a challenge since the composite-metal stacks are at demand in industries. It is important to choose the appropriate drill geometry regarding the stacking sequence and utilize proper machining parameters in order to achieve damage free and precession holes. This experimental study was conducted on dry drilling of CFRP/Al2024/CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic). Four types of twist drills with various geometries, both coated and uncoated, were utilized to study the effect of machining parameters on hole quality. It was observed that increasing feed rate entails an increase in entrance delamination, whereas exit delaminations and fiber fraying at 2nd CFRP exit diminished with increasing feed rate. It was also found that four facet tools performed better than two facet tools in terms of fiber delamination. Most accurate hole was attained on 2nd CFRP; however, it was found that increasing feed significantly affects the hole size on 1st CFRP.
Radial Salt Transport in Corn Roots ' Grace

Summtiizary. Primary roots of solution--grown, 5-day-old or 6-day-old seedlings of corn (Zea mays L.) 10 to 14 cm in length were used to study radial salt trtansport. Measurements were made of the volume of root pressure exudation, salt concentration of the exudate, and rate of salt movement into the xylem exudate. The 32p uptake, 09 consumption, and dehydrogenase activity of the root cortex and stele also were studied. These roots produced copious root pressure exudate containing 4 to 10 times the concentration of 32p in the external solution. Freshly separated stele from 5-day-old roots accumulated 32p as rapidly as the cortex from which it was se! parated and the stele of intact roots also accumulated 32P. Separated stele hfas a higher oxygen uptake than cortex. It also shows strong dehydrogenase activity with the tetrazolium test. The high oxygen consumption, 32p tuptake and strong dehydrogenase activity indicate that the cells of the stele probably play a direct role in salt transport. These data raise dotubts concerning theories of radial salt transport into the xylem based on the assumption that the stele is unable to accumulate salt vigorously.
ER network dynamics are differentially controlled by myosins XI-K, XI-C, XI-E, XI-I, XI-1, and XI-2

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of higher plants is a complex network of tubules and cisternae. Some of the tubules and cisternae are relatively persistent, while others are dynamically moving and remodeling through growth and shrinkage, cycles of tubule elongation and retraction, and cisternal expansion and diminution. Previous work showed that transient expression in tobacco leaves of the motor-less, truncated tail of myosin XI-K increases the relative area of both persistent cisternae and tubules in the ER. Likewise, transient expression of XI-K tail diminishes the movement of organelles such as Golgi and peroxisomes. To examine whether other class XI myosins are involved in the remodeling and movement of the ER, other myosin XIs implicated in organelle movement, XI-1 (MYA1),XI-2 (MYA2), XI-C, XI-E, XI-I, and one not, XI-A, were expressed as motor-less tail constructs and their effect on ER persistent structures determined. Here, we indicate a differential effect on ER dynamics whereby certain class XI myosins may have more influence over controlling cisternalization rather than tubulation.
Robust development of synfire chains from multiple plasticity mechanisms

Biological neural networks are shaped by a large number of plasticity mechanisms operating at different time scales. How these mechanisms work together to sculpt such networks into effective information processing circuits is still poorly understood. Here we study the spontaneous development of synfire chains in a self-organizing recurrent neural network (SORN) model that combines a number of different plasticity mechanisms including spike-timing-dependent plasticity, structural plasticity, as well as homeostatic forms of plasticity. We find that the network develops an abundance of feed-forward motifs giving rise to synfire chains. The chains develop into ring-like structures, which we refer to as “synfire rings. ” These rings emerge spontaneously in the SORN network and allow for stable propagation of activity on a fast time scale. A single network can contain multiple non-overlapping rings suppressing each other. On a slower time scale activity switches from one synfire ring to another maintaining firing rate homeostasis. Overall, our results show how the interaction of multiple plasticity mechanisms might give rise to the robust formation of synfire chains in biological neural networks.
Pain during depression and relationship to rejection sensitivity

Objective: Approximately 50% of patients with depression report symptoms of pain, yet the clinical and biological mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies, however, support the contention that depression, as well as pain distress and rejection distress, share the same neurobiological circuits. In this study, we aimed to examine the hypothesis that perception of increased pain during depression is related to increased rejection sensitivity.
Phylogeny of primary photosynthetic eukaryotes as deduced from slowly evolving nuclear genes.

*Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Hayama Center for Advanced Studies, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa, Japan; The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tokyo, Japan; §Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan; and kDepartment of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, School of Advanced Sciences, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa, Japan
Good‐bye to tropical alpine plant giants under warmer climates? Loss of range and genetic diversity in Lobelia rhynchopetalum

Abstract The main aim of this paper is to address consequences of climate warming on loss of habitat and genetic diversity in the enigmatic tropical alpine giant rosette plants using the Ethiopian endemic Lobelia rhynchopetalum as a model. We modeled the habitat suitability of L. rhynchopetalum and assessed how its range is affected under two climate models and four emission scenarios. We used three statistical algorithms calibrated to represent two different complexity levels of the response. We analyzed genetic diversity using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and assessed the impact of the projected range loss. Under all model and scenario combinations and consistent across algorithms and complexity levels, this afro‐alpine flagship species faces massive range reduction. Only 3.4% of its habitat seems to remain suitable on average by 2,080, resulting in loss of 82% (CI 75%–87%) of its genetic diversity. The remaining suitable habitat is projected to be fragmented among and reduced to four mountain peaks, further deteriorating the probability of long‐term sustainability of viable populations. Because of the similar morphological and physiological traits developed through convergent evolution by tropical alpine giant rosette plants in response to diurnal freeze‐thaw cycles, they most likely respond to climate change in a similar way as our study species. We conclude that specialized high‐alpine giant rosette plants, such as L. rhynchopetalum, are likely to face very high risk of extinction following climate warming.
Step scaling and behaviour selection in a constrained set of manual material handling transfers

Predictive biomechanical analysis of manual material handling (MMH) transfers is dependent on accurate prediction of foot locations relative to the task. Previous studies have classified common acyclic stepping patterns used during those transfer tasks, but the influence of walking distance prior to the transfer is not well understood. Twenty men and women performed transfers for a minimum of six different delivery distance conditions. The number of steps used by the participants ranged from two to seven. A theoretical framework for idealised step-scaling strategies is proposed and compared with the experimental data. The maximum observed increase in step length prior to delivery was 1.43 times the nominal step length calculated for each participant. The data suggest that although participants can scale their steps to facilitate the use of a single terminal stance at the transfer, the majority of participants chose to utilise a combination of stepping strategies if the preferred contralateral lead foot strategy could not be easily implemented. Practitioner summary: Accurate foot placements are needed for predictive biomechanical analysis of MMH. A laboratory study investigated the influence of previous step positions on MMH. A flexible step-scaling strategy, in which step lengths and strategy were varied, suggests that analysis based on simulated movements should consider multiple lifting postures.
A Thematic Literature Review

The purpose of this review was to investigate within the literature the link between transcendent phenomena and peaceful death. The objectives were firstly to acknowledge the importance of such experiences and secondly to provide supportive spiritual care to dying patients. Information surrounding the aforementioned concepts is underreported in the literature. The following 4 key themes emerged: spiritual comfort; peaceful, calm death; spiritual transformation; and unfinished business. The review established the importance of transcendence phenomena being accepted as spiritual experiences by health care professionals. Nevertheless, health care professionals were found to struggle with providing spiritual care to patients who have experienced them. Such phenomena are not uncommon and frequently result in peaceful death. Additionally, transcendence experiences of dying patients often provide comfort to the bereaved, assisting them in the grieving process.
Integrating effect of forming in fatigue life prediction: review of present scenario and challenges

Plastic deformation of sheet metals during forming induces complex residual stresses in the component owing to its geometry and material anisotropy. The residual stresses affect the durability of the components. Fatigue life estimation incorporating the forming-induced residual stresses is limited. In the present work, the state-of-the-art in modelling sheet metal forming, residual stress estimation and fatigue life prediction are reviewed. The challenges in integrating the residual stress owing to forming and fatigue life prediction are brought out. The parameters influencing the sheet metal forming, residual stresses and fatigue are discussed to emphasize the complexity of the present problem.
Improve the fatigue life of titanium alloys; Part 2

As discussed in part 1 of this article (AM and P, March 1994), the mechanical properties associated with a given microstructure of titanium alloys can be markedly superior in some respects while inferior in others, or they may represent a compromise. Since the surface of a mechanically loaded part often experiences service conditions different than the bulk, it can make sense to tailor microstructural variations from the surface to the interior to meet the differing requirements, as is done in the carburizing of steels. As demonstrated in the following examples, cold working induced by mechanical surface treatments can be used to develop a surface microstructure different from that in the bulk, thus combining the optimum features of both, even in cases where conventional thermomechanical processing may not be practical, as in thick sections. A distinct advantage to be gained by altering the surface microstructure is that such alterations are more stable than those induced by mechanical surface treatments alone. Mechanical surface treatments such as shot peening and surface rolling can be applied alone or in combination with various heat treatments to develop optimum properties in mechanically loaded titanium parts. The particular treatment applied should reflect the type of alloy ([alpha],more » [alpha] + [beta], or [beta]), to make use of its characteristic response to heat treatment and/or thermomechanical processing. « less
Umelb: Cross-lingual Textual Entailment with Word Alignment and String Similarity Features

This paper describes The University of Melbourne NLP group submission to the Crosslingual Textual Entailment shared task, our first tentative attempt at the task. The approach involves using parallel corpora and automatic word alignment to align text fragment pairs, and statistics based on unaligned words as features to classify items as forward and backward before a compositional combination into the final four classes, as well as experiments with additional string similarity features.
An Empirical Study of the Physician-Induced Demand Hypothesis —The Cost Function Approach to Medical Expenditure of the Elderly in Japan—

Increased medical expenditures for the elderly have become a social problem in Japan. One of the most powerful arguments to explain this increase is the physician-induced demand hypothesis. In this article, we adopt the expenditure function approach to examine the physician-induced demand hypothesis. In this approach, the improvement of health due to medical treatment is adjusted in the model and the nonvalid use of medical services can be measured. Furthermore, we allow for the possibility of substitution between hospital services and outpatient care. A change in the physician-population ratio may lead to a change in the ratio of inpatient service to outpatient care, and this may result in the medical expenditure. Therefore, to determine the degree of the reflection, we have allowed for the possibility of the substitution. We conclude that when the number of physicians per capita increases, the use of inpatient services and of outpatient services increases with statistical significance, respectively. The substitution between hospital services and outpatient services also exists. Moreover, the demand for inpatient or outpatient services is significantly influenced by the self-payment price.
Height Dependency of Aerosol‐Cloud Interaction Regimes

This study investigates the height dependency of aerosol‐cloud interaction regimes in terms of the joint dependence of the key cloud microphysical properties (e.g., cloud droplet number concentration and cloud droplet relative dispersion) on aerosol number concentration (Na) and vertical velocity (w). The three distinct regimes with different microphysical features are the aerosol‐limited regime, the updraft‐limited regime, and the transitional regime. The results reveal two new phenomena in updraft‐limited regime: (1) the “condensational broadening” of cloud droplet size distribution in contrast to the well‐known “condensational narrowing” in the aerosol‐limited regime and (2) above the level of maximum supersaturation; some cloud droplets are deactivated into interstitial aerosols in the updraft‐limited regime, whereas all droplets remain activated in the aerosol‐limited regime. Further analysis shows that the particle equilibrium supersaturation plays important role in understanding these unique features. Also examined is the height of warm rain initiation and its dependence on Na and w. The rain initiation height is found to depend primarily on either Na or w or both in different Na‐w regimes, suggesting a strong regime dependence of the second aerosol indirect effect.
Half of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Cases Were Left Undiagnosed in Prisons of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia: Implications for Tuberculosis Control

Introduction Prison settings have been often identified as important but neglected reservoirs for TB. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed pulmonary TB and assess the potential risk factors for such TB cases in prisons of the Tigray region. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2013 and February 2014 in nine prisons. A standardized symptom-based questionnaire was initially used to identify presumptive TB cases. From each, three consecutive sputum samples were collected for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) microscopy and culture. Blood samples were collected from consented participants for HIV testing. Result Out of 809 presumptive TB cases with culture result, 4.0% (95% CI: 2.65–5.35) were confirmed to have undiagnosed TB. The overall estimated point prevalence of undiagnosed TB was found to be 505/100,000 prisoners (95% CI: 360–640). Together with the 27 patients who were already on treatment, the overall estimated point prevalence of TB would be 793/100,000 prisoners (95% CI: 610–970), about four times higher than in the general population. The ratio of active to passive case detection was 1.18:1. The prevalence of HIV was 4.4% (36/809) among presumptive TB cases and 6.3% (2/32) among undiagnosed TB cases. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, chewing Khat (adjusted OR = 2.81; 95% CI: 1.02–7.75) and having had a close contact with a TB patient (adjusted OR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.05–4.51) were found to be predictors of undiagnosed TB among presumptive TB cases. Conclusions This study revealed that at least half of symptomatic pulmonary TB cases in Northern Ethiopian prisons remain undiagnosed and hence untreated. The prevalence of undiagnosed TB in the study prisons was more than two folds higher than in the general population of Tigray. This may indicate the need for more investment and commitment to improving TB case detection in the study prisons.
A review of gambling disorder and substance use disorders

In the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), gambling disorder was recategorized from the “Impulse Control Disorder” section to the newly expanded “Substance-related and Addictive Disorders” section. With this move, gambling disorder has become the first recognized nonsubstance behavioral addiction, implying many shared features between gambling disorder and substance use disorders. This review examines these similarities, as well as differences, between gambling and substance-related disorders. Diagnostic criteria, comorbidity, genetic and physiological underpinnings, and treatment approaches are discussed.