Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility to Disease Across Developmental Stages: Examining the Effects of an Entomopathogen on a Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Pest

Abstract An important but under studied component of grasshopper ecology is how pathogens affect grasshopper population dynamics. However, insect population responses to disease may depend upon age demographics which vary temporally. In a field experiment, we varied grasshopper [Camnula pellucida (Scudder)] developmental stage (3rd instar, 4th instar, 5th instar, and adults) and fungal pathogen exposure (lab and field) and measured grasshopper mortality and survival. Lab exposed grasshoppers were directly inoculated with the pathogen, while field exposed grasshoppers were passively exposed to naturally occurring spores. Disease increased grasshopper mortality rates and decreased overall survival. However, this effect varied with grasshopper developmental stage and mode of pathogen exposure. Adults were far less susceptible to fungal infection than nymphs. Disease mortality was 52% higher in lab exposed grasshoppers compared to individuals exposed to a natural fungal epizootic in the field. Lab exposure decreased 3rd instar survival rates more than exposure to the pathogen in the field. In contrast, grasshopper survival was invariant with disease exposure for 4th and 5th instars due to peak levels of naturally occurring fungal spores. By August 2010, the field epizootic was declining and food availability became the most important determinant of adult grasshopper survival. Therefore, age demographics may need to be considered when predicting how grasshopper populations will respond to disease.
Effect of the consumption of a cheese enriched with probiotic organisms (Bifidobacterium lactis bi-07) in improving symptoms of constipation.

CONTEXT Constipation is a very common symptom in the general population. One way of non-pharmacological treatment of constipation is through the addition of probiotics to food. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate de effect of the consumption of a fresh cheese, enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 on the symptoms of constipated women. METHODS A randomized controlled trial, carried out in the Basic Health Units of Guaporé's City - RS/Brazil, between January and May 2012, with 30 constipated women. The patients were randomized into two groups whom received, for 30 days, 30 g of fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 (n = 15) or regular fresh cheese (n = 15). Constipation symptoms were evaluated according to ROMA III Consensus, before and after the nutritional intervention. Also, data of clinical and anthropometric characteristics of the individuals were collected. Accepted level of significance 5% (P≤0,05). RESULTS The medium age of the studied population was 37,5±14,4 years in the intervention group and 40,8±12,8 years in the control group. After 30 days we observed that the ingestion of fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 promoted benefic effects on the symptoms of strength to evacuate. CONCLUSION The consumption of 30g/day of a fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 has beneficial effects on constipation symptoms.
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) — seabird covariation off central California and possible forecasting applications

We evaluated covariation between Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) abundance and seabird breeding success in central California, USA, and compared potential forecasts to predictive models based on jack (2-year-old male) returns in the previous year. Stepwise regression models based on seabird breeding success in the previous year were comparable to or stronger than jack-based models. Including seabird breeding success in the current year improved the strength of the relationships. Combined approaches that included seabird and jack data further improved the models in some cases. The relationships based on seabird breeding success remained relatively strong over both shorter (1990-2004) and longer (1976-2004) time periods. Regression models based on multivariate seabird or combined seabird-jack indices were not as strong as stepwise regression models. Our results indicate that there is significant covariation in the responses of salmon and seabirds to variability in ocean conditions and that seabird data may offer an alternate way of forecasting salmon abundance in central California.
Love songs, bird brains and diffusion tensor imaging

The song control system of songbirds displays a remarkable seasonal neuroplasticity in species in which song output also changes seasonally. Thus far, this song control system has been extensively analyzed by histological and electrophysiological methods. However, these approaches do not provide a global view of the brain and/or do not allow repeated measurements, which are necessary to establish causal correlations between alterations in neural substrate and behavior. Research has primarily been focused on the song nuclei themselves, largely neglecting their interconnections and other brain regions involved in seasonally changing behavior. In this review, we introduce and explore the song control system of songbirds as a natural model for brain plasticity. At the same time, we point out the added value of the songbird brain model for in vivo diffusion tensor techniques and its derivatives. A compilation of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data obtained thus far in this system demonstrates the usefulness of this in vivo method for studying brain plasticity. In particular, it is shown to be a perfect tool for long‐term studies of morphological and cellular changes of specific brain circuits in different endocrine/photoperiod conditions. The method has been successfully applied to obtain quantitative measurements of seasonal changes of fiber tracts and nuclei from the song control system. In addition, outside the song control system, changes have been discerned in the optic chiasm and in an interhemispheric connection. DTI allows the detection of seasonal changes in a region analogous to the mammalian secondary auditory cortex and in regions of the ‘social behavior network’, an interconnected group of structures that controls multiple social behaviors, including aggression and courtship. DTI allows the demonstration, for the first time, that the songbird brain in its entirety exhibits an extreme seasonal plasticity which is not merely limited to the song control system as was generally believed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of low-fat diet on breast cancer survival: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Even though many studies have examined the possible effect of low-fat diet on breast cancer survival, the relationship remains unclear. OBJECTIVES To summarize the current evidence about the effect of post-diagnostic low-fat diet on recurrence and all-cause mortality of breast cancer. METHODS We conducted a search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library and as a result two randomized controlled trials (RCT) and one large multi-center prospective cohort study with 9,966 breast cancer patients were included in this report. RESULTS Post-diagnostic low-fat diet reduced risk of recurrence of breast cancer by 23% (HR=0.77, 95%CI 0.63 to 0.94, P=0.009) and all cause mortality of breast cancer by 17% (HR=0.83, 95%CI 0.69 to 1.00, P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis suggested the post-diagnostic low-fat diet can improve breast cancer survival by reducing risk of recurrence. However, more trials of the relationship between low-fat diet and all- cause mortality of breast cancer are still needed.
NKCC1-Dependent GABAergic Excitation Drives Synaptic Network Maturation during Early Hippocampal Development

A high intracellular chloride concentration in immature neurons leads to a depolarizing action of GABA that is thought to shape the developing neuronal network. We show that GABA-triggered depolarization and Ca2+ transients were attenuated in mice deficient for the Na–K–2Cl cotransporter NKCC1. Correlated Ca2+ transients and giant depolarizing potentials (GDPs) were drastically reduced and the maturation of the glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in CA1 delayed. Brain morphology, synaptic density, and expression levels of certain developmental marker genes were unchanged. The expression of lynx1, a protein known to dampen network activity, was decreased. In mice deficient for the neuronal Cl−/HCO3− exchanger AE3, GDPs were also diminished. These data show that NKCC1-mediated Cl− accumulation contributes to GABAergic excitation and network activity during early postnatal development and thus facilitates the maturation of excitatory and inhibitory synapses.
Impact of High Performance Work Practices on Employees ’ Performance in Pakistan : Examining the Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

The financial sector of Pakistan has been witnessing high growth since the last two decades. Due to increase of branch network, competition among banks has increased. In this intense competition, employees play pivotal role in the competitiveness of financial sector. To line with this, this study aims to find the impact of high performance work practices on employees’ performance through mediating role of employee engagement in banking sector of Pakistan. For this purpose, data were collected from employees working in the banking sector of district Multan, Pakistan. Questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection from a sample of two hundred employees. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17 was used for data analysis. Factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the validity and reliability of the measured constructs. Similarly, correlation and regression analysis indicated that all the study variables were positively related to each other. More specifically, high performance work practices had positive and significant impact on the employee engagement and employee performance. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that employee engagement mediated the relationship between high performance work practices and employee performance.
Hirschsprung’s disease: genetic mutations in mice and men

Hirschsprung’s disease is a neuronal dysplasia of the hindgut, characterised by a loss of neurones, which affects about 1 in 5000 live births.1 Genetic factors have been implicated in the aetiology of this disease in about 20% of cases and a dominant pattern of inheritance has been revealed in several families.2 3The pathogenesis of the aganglionosis is often attributed to a failure of migration of neural crest cells, although this has not been proven. Recently, mutations in a developmentally regulated receptor tyrosine kinase gene, ret, and mutations in the endothelin receptor-B gene (ENDR-B) have both been linked to familial Hirschsprung’s disease in humans.4-6 Moreover, certain mutant mouse strains—namely piebald lethal and lethal spotted—exhibit striking similarities to the human condition. The mutation which gives rise to piebald lethal has now been found to be in the ENDR-B gene,7 and the mutation associated with lethal spotted occurs in the gene for endothelin-3 (ET-3), a ligand for ENDR-B.8 Two transgenic mouse lines have been developed which also reflect the human disease: ret-k− , which has aloss of function mutation of the retgene,9 and ENDR-B null.10 In addition, the introduction of a Lac-Z reporter gene into neural crest cells of aganglionic mice has made it possible to study directly the fate of enteric neuroblasts which are affected by “Hirschsprung’s-like” mutations.11 Here, we review the possible roles of RET and endothelin in the normal development of the enteric nervous system, and the significance of their mutated forms in the pathogenesis of familial aganglionosis. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of the lesions which have been implicated in congenital forms of Hirschsprung’s disease. Disruption of these genes in the mouse, either by transgenic “knockout” approaches or in mutant mouse lines, offers the prospect of greater understanding of both the cellular and developmental bases of the human disease.
Stroke in pregnancy and the puerperium

Stroke is a recognised complication of pregnancy, contributing to more than 12% of all maternal deaths. Estimated incidence rates vary considerably from 4.3 to 210 strokes per 100 000 deliveries. Atherosclerosis is rare in young adults, and so other causes of stroke become increasingly likely. Aetiological factors important in pregnancy include hypercoagulability due to maternal physiological changes, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, cerebral venous thrombosis, paradoxical embolism, postpartum cerebral angiopathy and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Management of patients with pregnancy-related stroke should generally proceed as for non-pregnant patients, although there are a number of important areas specific to pregnancy which will be considered here.
Excess of Deleterious Mutations around HLA Genes Reveals Evolutionary Cost of Balancing Selection

Deleterious mutations are expected to evolve under negative selection and are usually purged from the population. However, deleterious alleles segregate in the human population and some disease-associated variants are maintained at considerable frequencies. Here we test the hypothesis that balancing selection may counteract purifying selection in neighboring regions and thus maintain deleterious variants at higher frequency than expected from their detrimental fitness effect. We first show in realistic simulations that balancing selection reduces the density of polymorphic sites surrounding a locus under balancing selection, but at the same time markedly increases the population frequency of the remaining variants, including even substantially deleterious alleles. To test the predictions of our simulations empirically, we then use whole exome sequencing data from 6,500 human individuals and focus on the most established example for balancing selection in the human genome, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Our analysis shows an elevated frequency of putatively deleterious coding variants in non-HLA genes localized in the MHC region. The mean frequency of these variants declined with physical distance from the classical HLA genes, indicating dependency on genetic linkage. These results reveal an indirect cost of the genetic diversity maintained by balancing selection, which has hitherto been perceived as mostly advantageous, and have implications both for the evolution of recombination and also for the epidemiology of various MHC-associated diseases.
Higher Education Quality and Student Satisfaction Nexus: Evidence from Zambia

This paper contributes to the service quality literature by applying the service performance (SERVPERF) model in an under-researched Zambian universities context. Therefore, it examines the influence of each service quality dimension on overall service satisfaction and behavioural intentions in terms of loyalty and positive word of mouth. Based on a quantitative correlational design, primary data were collected from 656 senior final year undergraduate students at one public university. The findings indicate that service quality performance dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, empathy and assurance) are each significantly positively related to overall customer satisfaction which in turn affects behavioural intentions. For scholars, administrations and policy makers, the study shows that the service performance model is a valid and useful framework for assessing and monitoring how students form their service quality perceptions and behavioural intentions. This paper is the first to extend the service performance model of service quality into the under researched developing country context of higher education in Zambia.
The Clinical Significance of a Retroaortic Left Renal Vein

Purpose A retroaortic left renal vein (RLRV) is located between the aorta and the vertebra and drains into the inferior vena cava. Urological symptoms can be caused by increased pressure in the renal vein. To evaluate the clinical importance of RLRV, we reviewed patients' medical records and radiologic findings. Materials and Methods Nine patients who were studied with multidetector computed tomography at our institution from January 2003 to December 2009 had urologic symptoms with RLRV. We retrospectively reviewed these patients' medical records and analyzed their clinical characteristics. Results The patients' mean age was 46.0±20.1 years (range, 17-65 years) and the male to female ratio was 5 to 4. The urologic symptoms of the initial diagnosis were various (hematuria: 5 of the 9 patients; left flank pain: 4 of the 9 patients; inguinal pain: 1 of the 5 male patients; and gross hematuria: 1 of the 9 patients). The distribution among the type I, II, III, and IV of RLRV was 6, 2, 1, and 0 patients, respectively. The concomitant diseases were ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO; 2 of the 9 patients) and varicocele (2 of the 5 male patients). One patient with UPJO underwent pyeloplasty and the other patient with UPJO underwent nephrectomy due to a nonfunctional atrophied kidney. The microscopic hematuria was not resolved with conservative management for long-term follow-up. Conclusions Hematuria and inguinal or flank pain seem to be common in patients with RLRV. The most common type of RLRV was type I. It appeared that the microscopic hematuria continued in the long-term follow-up.
Weather Derivatives and Stochastic Modelling of Temperature

We propose a continuous-time autoregressive model for the temperature dynamics with volatility being the product of a seasonal function and a stochastic process. We use the Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard model for the stochastic volatility. The proposed temperature dynamics is flexible enough to model temperature data accurately, and at the same time being analytically tractable. Futures prices for commonly traded contracts at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on indices like cooling- and heating-degree days and cumulative average temperatures are computed, as well as option prices on them.
A Prediction Model to Identify Patients at High Risk for 30-Day Readmission After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background—The Affordable Care Act creates financial incentives for hospitals to minimize readmissions shortly after discharge for several conditions, with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to be a target in 2015. We aimed to develop and validate prediction models to assist clinicians and hospitals in identifying patients at highest risk for 30-day readmission after PCI. Methods and Results—We identified all readmissions within 30 days of discharge after PCI in nonfederal hospitals in Massachusetts between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2008. Within a two-thirds random sample (Developmental cohort), we developed 2 parsimonious multivariable models to predict all-cause 30-day readmission, the first incorporating only variables known before cardiac catheterization (pre-PCI model), and the second incorporating variables known at discharge (Discharge model). Models were validated within the remaining one-third sample (Validation cohort), and model discrimination and calibration were assessed. Of 36 060 PCI patients surviving to discharge, 3760 (10.4%) patients were readmitted within 30 days. Significant pre-PCI predictors of readmission included age, female sex, Medicare or State insurance, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. Post-PCI predictors of readmission included lack of &bgr;-blocker prescription at discharge, post-PCI vascular or bleeding complications, and extended length of stay. Discrimination of the pre-PCI model (C-statistic=0.68) was modestly improved by the addition of post-PCI variables in the Discharge model (C-statistic=0.69; integrated discrimination improvement, 0.009; P<0.001). Conclusions—These prediction models can be used to identify patients at high risk for readmission after PCI and to target high-risk patients for interventions to prevent readmission.
Early- vs late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment

Objective: To evaluate the differences between early-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (EO-SVCI) and late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (LO-SVCI) with regard to pathologic burden, structural changes, and cognitive function. Methods: We prospectively recruited 142 patients from a single referral center. Patients were divided into EO-SVCI (n = 30, age at onset <65 years) and LO-SVCI (n = 112, age at onset ≥65 years) groups. All patients underwent neuropsychological tests, 3T brain MRI, and [11C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)–PET. We compared pathologic burden such as small vessel disease and amyloid burden; structural changes such as structural network, cortical thickness, and hippocampal volume; and cognitive function between EO-SVCI and LO-SVCI. Results: EO-SVCI patients had more lacunes, while LO-SVCI patients had higher PiB standardized uptake value ratios. EO-SVCI patients exhibited more severe structural network disruptions in the frontal area, while LO-SVCI patients exhibited more severe cortical and hippocampal atrophy. Although disease severity did not differ between the 2 groups, frontal-executive dysfunction was more severe in EO-SVCI patients. Conclusions: EO-SVCI patients showed more vascular related factors, while LO-SVCI patients exhibited more Alzheimer disease–related characteristics. The greater number of lacunes in EO-SVCI might account for the more severe frontal network disruption and frontal-executive dysfunction, while the greater amyloid burden in LO-SVCI might account for the more severe cortical and hippocampal atrophy. Our findings suggest that the age at onset is a crucial factor that determines distinct features in SVCI patients, such as pathologic burden, structural changes, and cognitive function.
A randomized art-gallery algorithm for sensor placement

This paper descirbes a placement strategy to compute a set of “good” locations where visual sensing will be most effective. Throughout this paper it is assumed that a {\em polygonal 2-D map} of a workspace is given as input. This polygonal map --- also known as a {\em floor plan} of {\em layout} --- is used to compute a set of locations where expensive sensing tasks (such as 3-D image acquisition) could be executed. A map-building robot, for example, can visit these locations in order to build a full 3-D model of the workspace. The sensor placement strategy relies on a randomized algorithm that solves a variant of the {\em art-gallery problem}-\cite{Oro87, She92, Urr97} : Find the minimum set of guards inside a polygonal workspace from which the entire workspace boundary is visibe. To better take into account the limitations of physical sensors, the algorithm computes a set of guards that satisfies incidence and range constraints. Although the computed set of guards is not guaranteed to have minimum size, the algorithm does compute with high probability a set whose size is at most a factor $\big0{ (n + h) \cot \log(c \ (n + h) )$ from the optimal size$c$, where $n$ is the number of edges in the input polygonal map and $n$ the number of obstacles in its interior (holes).