Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Defective Long-Distance Auxin Transport Regulation in the Medicago truncatula super numeric nodules Mutant1[W]

Long-distance auxin transport was examined in Medicago truncatula and in its supernodulating mutant sunn (super numeric nodules) to investigate the regulation of auxin transport during autoregulation of nodulation (AON). A method was developed to monitor the transport of auxin from the shoot to the root in whole seedlings. Subsequently, the transport was monitored after inoculation of roots with the nodulating symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. The sunn mutant showed an increased amount of auxin transported from the shoot to the root compared to the wild type. The auxin transport capacity of excised root segments was similar in wild type and sunn, suggesting that the difference in long-distance auxin transfer between them is due to loading in the shoot. After inoculation, wild-type seedlings showed decreased auxin loading from the shoot to the root; however, the sunn mutant failed to reduce the amount of auxin loaded. The time of reduced auxin loading correlated with the onset of AON. Quantification of endogenous auxin levels at the site of nodule initiation showed that sunn contained three times more auxin than wild type. Inoculation of sunn failed to reduce the level of auxin within 24 h, as was observed in the wild type. We propose a model for the role of auxin during AON of indeterminate legumes: 1) high levels of endogenous auxin are correlated with increased numbers of nodules, 2) inoculation of roots reduces auxin loading from the shoot to the root, and 3) subsequent reduction of auxin levels in the root inhibits further nodule initiation.
Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese

Background: Despite the large volume of research dedicated to health-related behavior change, chronic disease costs continue to rise, thus creating a major public health burden. Health literacy, the ability to seek, understand, and utilize health information, has been identified as an important factor in the course of chronic conditions. Little research has been conducted on the relationship between health literacy and health-related behaviors and health status in elderly Chinese. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between health literacy and health-related behaviors and health status in China. Methods: The subjects enrolled in this study were selected based on a stratified cluster random sampling design. Information involving >4500 older adults in 44 pension institutions in Urumqi, Changji, Karamay, and Shihezi of Xinjiang between September 2011 and June 2012 was collected. The Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire (China Health Education Centre, 2008) and a Scale of the General Status were administered and the information was obtained through face-to-face inquiries by investigators. A total of 1452 respondents met the inclusion criteria. A total of 1452 questionnaires were issued and the valid response rate was 96.14% (1396 of 1452). Factors affecting health literacy and the relationship to health literacy were identified by one-way ANOVA and a multiple linear regression model. Results: The average health literacy level of the elderly in nursing homes was relatively low (71.74 ± 28.35 points). There were significant differences in the health literacy score among the factors of age, gender, race, education level, household income, marital conditions, and former occupation (p < 0.001). The health literacy score was significantly associated with smoking, drinking, physical exercise, and health examination (p < 0.001). The elderly with higher health literacy scores were significantly less likely to have risky behaviors (smoking, regular drinking, and lack of physical exercise), and in turn significantly more likely to undergo health examinations regularly, report good self-rated health, and significantly more likely to access sufficient health information from multiple sources (p < 0.001). No differences were noted between the health literacy score and BMI (p > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the independent influencing factors of health literacy included education level, race, former occupation, household income, age, physical exercise, health examination, smoking, and health information access (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Health literacy was significantly associated with health-related behaviors in elderly Chinese. Further longitudinal studies are needed to help confirm that improving health literacy in the elderly may be effective in changing health-related behaviors. To reduce risky habits, educational interventions to improve health literacy should be simultaneously conducted in health promotion work.
Incorporating Personalized Contextual Information in Item-based Collaborative Filtering Recommendation

After reviewing the prior work and problem of collaborative filtering recommendation approaches, an approach incorporating personalized contextual information in item-based collaborative filtering is proposed to solve the problem. The approach provides recommendations based on user personalized contextual information besides the typical information on users and items used in most of the current recommendation systems. In this paper, several approaches are proposed to calculate context-based item differences, learn personalized contextual information for every user and predict ratings based on well-known item-based collaborative filtering Slope One. Finally, we experimentally evaluate our approach and compare it to Slope One. The experiment al results show that our approach provide s more precision recommendations than Slope One.
Evolution of the Cell from Primordial Living Systems

A hypothesis for the emergence of a cell system from primitive, non-cellular, living systems is proposed. The first living system is assumed to have been a reflexively catalytic system which showed the biological properties of self-formation in at least some of its variants. Natural selection would have acted on such a system and further development might be viewed in terms of selection pressures which would tend to extend the period of survival of the individual systems and shortern the period needed for self-formation. It is argued that functions and structures anticipatory of present cell systems would be selected under such conditions. Special attention is given to the emergence of the genetic apparatus; it is concluded that it emerged not as the primitive and simplest form of an organism but as a considerably later development, after establishment of a metabolically complex system. Natural selection is viewed as an ordering principle in biopoietic studies.
The Predominant Actinomyces spp. Isolated from Infected Dentin of Active Root Caries Lesions

Actinomyces are Gram-positive pleomorphic rods (GPPR) which form a large proportion of the oral microflora of all mammals. They have been implicated in root caries, although their role in dental caries initiation and progression is not well-understood. Many studies have focused on Actinomyces naeslundii, but few reports have documented other members of the GPPR. Therefore, we investigated the GPPRs isolated from infected dentin of active root caries lesions (n = 9) to determine which species were the most frequently isolated. The GPPR were isolated under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions and identified by biochemical and physiological tests to the species level according to the new taxonomy. Of 654 GPPR isolates investigated, 607 were identified as belonging to the genus Actinomyces. Of these, 242 were identified as A. israelii, 225 as A. gerencseriae, 109 as A. naeslundii, 15 as A. odontolyticus, and 13 as A. georgiae. Individual strains of A. israelii (n = 56) and A. gerencseriae (n = 46) were also investigated at the DNA level by means of Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic polymerase chain-reactions (REP-PCR) for the study of clonal diversity. Although only a small number of isolates was investigated, REP-PCR showed that the genotypes of both A. gerencseriae and A. israelii populations were heterogeneous within individual root caries lesions. A. gerencseriae and A. israelii strains from the same lesions did not share the same REP-PCR patterns, showing the robustness of the identification scheme. A significantly greater proportion of A. gerencseriae was isolated from the aerobic plates (p < 0.05), while the proportion of A. israelii was significantly (p < 0.05) greater from anaerobic plates. The role of individual Actinomyces spp. in the root caries process remains unclear, since various populations of GPPRs were isolated from individual active root caries lesions.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN SPANISH NON-LISTED FAMILY FIRMS 1

The aim of the study is to analyze the effect of the presence of outsiders (affiliated and independents) on the board of directors on firm performance in family SMEs, also considering the generational effect. To test our hypotheses that outside directors act as agents or stewards, we examined the relation between firm performance and the proportion of affiliated and independent directors on the board, using data from nonlisted family firms in Spain. Our findings show the existence of a positive impact of affiliated directors on firm performance in family firms. It is also important to note the different behaviour between family firms run by the first generation and those run by subsequent generations. In this case, the presence of independents on the board has a positive effect on performance when the firm is run by the first generation. When the firm is run by second and subsequent generations, the presence of independents has no effect on performance.
Hypertension, Periodontal Disease, and Potassium Intake in Nonsmoking, Nondrinker African Women on No Medication

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of periodontitis and/or tooth loss with hypertension by excluding the common confounders. Eighty-one Tanzanian women who were aged 46–58 years, nonsmokers, nonalcoholic drinkers, and on no medication underwent clinical examination. Multiple-regression analysis showed that the severity of periodontitis was significantly correlated with increased systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Simple-regression analysis indicated that the severity of periodontitis was inversely correlated with 24-hour urinary excretion of potassium (r = −0.579, P = 0.0004) and also inversely with the frequency of intakes of green vegetables (r = −0.232, P = 0.031) and fruits (r = −0.217, P = 0.0043). Low-potassium intake in the diet mostly accompanied by low dietary fiber intake increases BP as well as periodontal inflammation. Potassium intake may be an important factor linking periodontitis and hypertension in middle-aged nonsmoking and nonalcoholic women on no medication, although chronic inflammation such as periodontitis may cause hypertension through a more direct mechanism.
Newer Anticoagulants as an Alternate to Warfarin in Atrial Fibrillation: A Changing Paradigm

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia responsible for one third of the hospitalizations because of cardiac rhythm disturbances. Atrial fibrillation leads to stroke, heart failure, and other causes of mortality. Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, is the first-line agent for the prophylaxis of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Limitations associated with warfarin have led to development of new anticoagulants targeting different sites in the coagulation cascade. A direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran, has been evaluated in clinical studies for prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation. Factor Xa inhibitors, direct as well as indirect inhibitors, are in various stages of development for their antithrombotic effect. This article reviews the studies done on these novel anticoagulants and their prophylactic potential for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation.
Methanol Production by a Broad Phylogenetic Array of Marine Phytoplankton

Methanol is a major volatile organic compound on Earth and serves as an important carbon and energy substrate for abundant methylotrophic microbes. Previous geochemical surveys coupled with predictive models suggest that the marine contributions are exceedingly large, rivaling terrestrial sources. Although well studied in terrestrial ecosystems, methanol sources are poorly understood in the marine environment and warrant further investigation. To this end, we adapted a Purge and Trap Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (P&T-GC/MS) method which allowed reliable measurements of methanol in seawater and marine phytoplankton cultures with a method detection limit of 120 nanomolar. All phytoplankton tested (cyanobacteria: Synechococcus spp. 8102 and 8103, Trichodesmium erythraeum, and Prochlorococcus marinus), and Eukarya (heterokont diatom: Phaeodactylum tricornutum, coccolithophore: Emiliania huxleyi, cryptophyte: Rhodomonas salina, and non-diatom heterokont: Nannochloropsis oculata) produced methanol, ranging from 0.8–13.7 micromolar in culture and methanol per total cellular carbon were measured in the ranges of 0.09–0.3%. Phytoplankton culture time-course measurements displayed a punctuated production pattern with maxima near early stationary phase. Stabile isotope labeled bicarbonate incorporation experiments confirmed that methanol was produced from phytoplankton biomass. Overall, our findings suggest that phytoplankton are a major source of methanol in the upper water column of the world’s oceans.
Evaluation of the Polyphenolic, Nutritive and Biological Activities of the Acetone, Methanol and Water Extracts of Amaranthus asper~!2009-06-16~!2010-02-02~!2010-04-14~!

The nutritional, phytochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the acetone, methanol and water extracts of the leaves of Amaranthus asper were investigated using standard analytical methods in order to assess the numerous potential of the plant leaves. The proximate analysis showed that the leaves of this plant contained moisture, ash, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre, energy and carbohydrate. Elemental analysis in mg/100 g (DW) indicated that the leaves contained sodium (0.0373), potassium (2.872), calcium (2.504), Magnesium (0.569), Iron (419), Zinc (26), phosphorus (0.177), Copper (18), Manganese (91), and Nitrogen (1.78). The chemical composition in mg/100 g (DW) for alkaloid, saponins, and phytate were 0.3, 7.0 and 9.25 respectively. Comparing the nutrient and chemical constituents with recommended dietary allowance (RDA) values, the results reveal that the leaves contain an appreciable amount of nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals and low levels of toxicants. At 1mg/ml, the acetone extract caused 98.2% ABTS radical scavenging inhibition while the methanol, water and BHT caused inhibition at 95.4, 97.1 and 99.3% respectively. The result for DPPH scavenging activity was close to that of ABTS. The plant was also rich in the different polyphenols analyzed in this study. The ferrous reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values for acetone extract (1084.9) is much higher than that of methanol (143.5), water (42.4), BHT (63.5), and catechin (972.02) but lower than those of ascorbic acid (1632.1) and quercetin (3107.3). The methanol extract has antibacterial activity against all the Gram-positive organisms used in this study. This study has to some extent validated the need for the use of the leaves of Amaranthus asper for nutritional and medicinal purposes.
Competition on the Nasdaq and the Impact of Recent Market Reforms

This paper examines the effect of recent market reforms on the competitive structure of the Nasdaq. Our results show that changes in inventory and information costs cannot explain the post-reform decrease in bid-ask spreads. We interpret this as evidence that the reforms have reduced Nasdaq dealers' rents. Additionally, we find that the difference between NYSE and Nasdaq spreads have been greatly diminished with the new rules. Further, the reforms have resulted in an exit, "ceteris paribus", from the industry for market making. Overall, our results provide strong evidence that the reforms have improved competition on the Nasdaq. Copyright The American Finance Association 2000.
Pharmacologically Induced Thoracic and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Mice

Aortic aneurysms are common among the elderly population. A large majority of aortic aneurysms are located at two distinct aneurysm-prone regions, the abdominal aorta and thoracic aorta involving the ascending aorta. In this study, we combined two factors that are associated with human aortic aneurysms, hypertension and degeneration of elastic lamina, to induce an aortic aneurysm in mice. Roles of hemodynamic conditions in the formation of aortic aneurysms were assessed using two different methods for inducing hypertension and antihypertensive agents. In 9-week–old C57BL/6J male mice, hypertension was induced by angiotensin II or deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension; degeneration of elastic lamina was induced by infusion of &bgr;-aminopropionitrile, a lysyl oxidase inhibitor. Irrespective of the methods for inducing hypertension, mice developed thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms (38% to 50% and 30 to 49%, respectively). Aneurysms were found at the two aneurysm-prone regions with site-specific morphological and histological characteristics. Treatment with an antihypertensive agent, amlodipine, normalized blood pressure and dramatically reduced aneurysm formation in the mice that received angiotensin II and &bgr;-aminopropionitrile. However, treatment with captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, did not affect blood pressure or the incidence of aortic aneurysms in the mice that received deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt and &bgr;-aminopropionitrile. In summary, we have shown that a combination of hypertension and pharmacologically induced degeneration of elastic laminas can induce both thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms with site-specific characteristics. The aneurysm formation in this model depended on hypertension but not on direct effects of angiotensin II to the vascular wall.
VO2/hydrogel hybrid nanothermochromic material with ultra-high solar modulation and luminous transmission

Although vanadium dioxide (VO2) is the most well studied thermochromic material, it is limited by its intrinsic properties of low solar modulation (ΔTsol) and low luminous transmission (Tlum) arising from the high luminous absorption of VO2 at both high and low temperature and its increased reflectivity at low temperature. A range of approaches, including nanothermochromism, nanoporosity, moth eye nanostructuring, and antireflection, have been deployed, but none of them, by experiment or by simulation, could reach even half the value of ΔTsol (∼35%) with a high average Tlum (>60%) as produced by our novel fabricated VO2/hydrogel hybrid. The hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic phase transition of PNIPAm at ∼30 °C predominantly controls the luminous modulation, while monoclinic-to-rutile phase transition of the VO2 nanoparticles at ∼68 °C mainly contributes to the infrared modulation. This is the first reported hybrid integrating inorganic with organic thermochromic materials; it offers unprecedentedly good thermochromic properties and thus opens up a new research direction.
Safety evaluation of sewage‐sludge‐derived fuels by comparison with other fuels

The utility of sewage sludge as a biomass fuel is taken as a new approach to recycle unwanted wastes as renewable energy and deal with global warming. However, safety caring of this new type of fuel is a premise before it is practically used in boilers. Thermal behaviors of four sludge‐derived fuels which are under development were examined by several calorimeters (such as thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, C80 and thermal activity monitor) at temperature ramp and isothermal conditions. Heat generation at relatively low temperatures was observed. The corresponding spontaneous ignition was detected in an adiabatic spontaneous ignition tester at 80∘C in some sludge species. Moreover, a certain amount of gaseous evolution was accompanied when the sludge fuels were stored at room temperature and at 60∘C. Oxidation is mainly responsible for the heat and gas release from the sludge fuels. The hazards of the sewage sludge fuels were also compared with a bituminous coal and a refuse‐derived fuel, which have the main feature of spontaneous ignition. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improving the Efficiency of Stroke Trials: Feasibility and Efficacy of Group Adjudication of Functional End Points

Background and Purpose— Use of the modified Rankin scale (mRS) in multicenter trials may be limited by interobserver variability. We assessed the effect of this on trial power and developed a novel group adjudication approach. Methods— We generated power and sample size estimates from simulated trials modeled with varying mRS reliability. We conducted a virtual acute stroke trial across 14 UK sites to develop a group adjudication approach. Traditional mRS interviews, performed at local sites, were digitally recorded and scored by adjudication committee. We assessed the effect of translation by comparing scores in translated mRS interviews, originally conducted in English and Mandarin. Agreement was measured using &kgr; and weighted &kgr; (&kgr;w) statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results— Statistical simulations suggest that improving mRS reliability from &kgr;=0.25 to &kgr;=0.5 or 0.7 may allow reductions in sample size of n=386 or 490 in a typical n=2000 study. Our virtual acute stroke trial included 370 participants and 563 mRS video assessments. We adjudicated mRS in 538 of 563 (96%) study visits. At 30 and 90 days, 161 of 280 (57.5%) and 131 of 258 (50.8%) clips showed interobserver disagreement. Agreement within the adjudication committee was good (30-day &kgr;w=0.85 [95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.86]; 90-day &kgr;w=0.86 [95% confidence interval, 0.82–0.88]) without significant or systematic bias in mRS scoring compared with the local mRS. Interobserver reliability of translated mRS assessments was similar to native language clips (native [n=69] &kgr;w=0.91 [95% confidence interval, 0.94–0.99]; translated [n=89] &kgr;w=0.90 [95% confidence interval, 0.83–0.96]). Conclusions— Achievable improvements in interobserver reliability may substantially reduce study sample size, with associated financial benefits. Central adjudication of mRS assessments is feasible (including across international centers), valid and reliable despite the challenges of mRS assessment in large clinical trials.
Anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy

Anticoagulation during continuous renal replacement therapy should aim for an optimal filter performance allowing the delivery of an adequate dose of renal replacement therapy. On the other hand, the patient's safety should not be endangered. Although numerous options have been proposed, none of them appears to be ideal. Unfractionated heparin is still the most widely used anticoagulant. Reported experience with low-molecular-weight heparin is limited and does not confirm the anticipated increased safety. Regional citrate anticoagulation has been shown to reduce bleeding complications during continuous haemodialysis. A recent report demonstrates the feasibility and safety of citrate anticoagulation during continuous predilution haemofiltration. However, its use is labour intensive and the prevention of side-effects requires meticulous monitoring. Hirudin, a selective thrombin inhibitor, appears to be a suitable, although not completely safe, alternative in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Continuous renal replacement therapy without anticoagulation may result in acceptable filter lives in patients with reduced coagulatory potential or an increased risk of bleeding. Although receiving little attention in the literature, the adequate selection of treatment characteristics may also contribute to an improved filter performance.