Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Genomic SSR Locus Polymorphisms on the Identification and Classification of Chrysanthemum Cultivars in China

The Chinese traditional chrysanthemum is a notable group of chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat.) in which the phenotypic characteristics richly vary. At present, there is a serious controversy regarding homonyms and synonyms within this group. Moreover, the current international chrysanthemum classification systems are not comprehensive enough to be used on Chinese traditional chrysanthemums. Thus, we first identified a broad collection of 480 Chinese traditional chrysanthemum cultivars using the unique DNA fingerprints and molecular identities that were established by 20 simple sequence repeat markers. Five loci, which distinguished all of the selected cultivars, were identified as the core loci to establish unique fingerprints and molecular identities with 19 denary digits for each cultivar. A cluster analysis based on Nei's genetic distance indicated that the selected cultivars were clustered according to their horticultural classification. Population structure analysis was subsequently performed with K values ranging from 2 to 14, and the most likely estimate for the population structure was ten subpopulations, which was nearly consistent with the clustering result. Principal component analysis was further performed to verify the classification results. On the basis of the Q-matrices of K = 10, a total of 19 traits were found to be associated with 42 markers. Taken together, these results can serve as starting points for the identification and classification of chrysanthemums based on the polymorphism of microsatellite markers, which is beneficial to promote the marker-assisted breeding and international communication of this marvelous crop.
Wrinkly-Spreader Fitness in the Two-Dimensional Agar Plate Microcosm: Maladaptation, Compensation and Ecological Success

Bacterial adaptation to new environments often leads to the establishment of new genotypes with significantly altered phenotypes. In the Wrinkly Spreader (WS), ecological success in static liquid microcosms was through the rapid colonisation of the air-liquid interface by the production of a cellulose-based biofilm. Rapid surface spreading was also seen on agar plates, but in this two-dimensional environment the WS appears maladapted and rapidly reverts to the ancestral smooth (SM)-like colony genotype. In this work, the fitness of WS relative to SM in mixed colonies was found to be low, confirming the WS instability on agar plates. By examining defined WS mutants, the maladaptive characteristic was found to be the expression of cellulose. SM-like revertants had a higher growth rate than WS and no longer expressed significant amounts of cellulose, further confirming that the expression of this high-cost polymer was the basis of maladaptation and the target of compensatory mutation in developing colonies. However, examination of the fate of WS-founded populations in either multiple-colony or single mega-colony agar plate microcosms demonstrated that the loss of WS lineages could be reduced under conditions in which the rapid spreading colony phenotype could dominate nutrient and oxygen access more effectively than competing SM/SM-like genotypes. WS-like isolates recovered from such populations showed increased WS phenotype stability as well as changes in the degree of colony spreading, confirming that the WS was adapting to the two-dimensional agar plate microcosm.
Distinct germline progenitor subsets defined through Tsc2–mTORC1 signaling

Adult tissue maintenance is often dependent on resident stem cells; however, the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity existing within this self‐renewing population is poorly understood. Here, we define distinct subsets of undifferentiated spermatogonia (spermatogonial progenitor cells; SPCs) by differential response to hyperactivation of mTORC1, a key growth‐promoting pathway. We find that conditional deletion of the mTORC1 inhibitor Tsc2 throughout the SPC pool using Vasa‐Cre promotes differentiation at the expense of self‐renewal and leads to germline degeneration. Surprisingly, Tsc2 ablation within a subset of SPCs using Stra8‐Cre did not compromise SPC function. SPC activity also appeared unaffected by Amh‐Cre‐mediated Tsc2 deletion within somatic cells of the niche. Importantly, we find that differentiation‐prone SPCs have elevated mTORC1 activity when compared to SPCs with high self‐renewal potential. Moreover, SPCs insensitive to Tsc2 deletion are preferentially associated with mTORC1‐active committed progenitor fractions. We therefore delineate SPC subsets based on differential mTORC1 activity and correlated sensitivity to Tsc2 deletion. We propose that mTORC1 is a key regulator of SPC fate and defines phenotypically distinct SPC subpopulations with varying propensities for self‐renewal and differentiation.
Mixing representation levels: The hybrid approach to automatic text generation

Natural language generation systems (NLG) map non-linguistic representations into strings of words through a number of steps using intermediate representations of various levels of abstraction. Template based systems, by contrast, tend to use only one representation level, i.e. fixed strings, which are combined, possibly in a sophisticated way, to generate the final text. In some circumstances, it may be profitable to combine NLG and template based techniques. The issue of combining generation techniques can be seen in more abstract terms as the issue of mixing levels of representation of different degrees of linguistic abstraction. This paper aims at defining a reference architecture for systems using mixed representations. We argue that mixed representations can be used without abandoning a linguistically grounded approach to language generation.
Clinician Experiences Assessing Work Disability Related to Mental Disorders

Objective Medical certification is one of the basic administrative mechanisms used by social policies aimed at income protection. The assessment of work disability is central to the income protection application. Yet, there is evidence suggesting that determining work disability related to mental disorders is challenging. Although essential to the disability application process, few studies have looked at physician and other clinician experiences with the process. However, this type of information is critical to developing processes to support providers who participate in the assessments. This purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of physicians and other clinicians assessing public long-term work disability related to mental disorders. Methods This is an exploratory and descriptive study using qualitative methods. Clinician input was gathered through focus groups and individual in-depth interviews. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed to identify recurrent and significant themes that arose during the focus groups and individual interviews. Results Many of the experiences that the clinicians in this sample discussed related to the difficulty of trying to fill the roles of advocate and medical expert as well as the challenge of determining the impact of functional capacity and work ability. The findings also highlight the current gap in knowledge about the factors that affect successful functioning in general and at work in particular. Conclusions Given the challenges created by the current state of knowledge, it may be useful to consider a category of “partial disability”. In addition, the fact that work disability depends on the interaction between the experience of the mental disorder and specific job requirements and the fact that people applying for public long-term disability are not working, it might be helpful to offer a clear description and guidelines of the meaning of work ability.
Estimating the Extent of Parameter Bias in the Classical Twin Design: A Comparison of Parameter Estimates From Extended Twin-Family and Classical Twin Designs

Abstract The classical twin design (CTD) circumvents parameter indeterminacy by assuming (1) negligible higher-order epistasis; and (2) either nonadditive genetic or common environmental effects are nonexistent, creating two potential sources of bias (Eaves et al., 1978; Grayson, 1989). Because the extended twin-family design (ETFD) uses many more unique covariance observations to estimate parameters, common environmental and nonadditive genetic parameters can be simultaneously estimated. The ETFD thereby corrects for what is likely to be the largest of the two sources of bias in CTD parameter estimates (Keller & Coventry, 2005). In the current paper, we assess the extent of this and other potential sources of bias in the CTD by comparing all published ETFD parameter estimates to CTD parameter estimates derived from the same data. CTD estimates of the common environment were lower than ETFD estimates of the common environment for some phenotypes, but for other phenotypes (e.g., stature in females and certain social attitudes), what appeared as the common environment was resolved to be assortative mating in the ETFD. On average, CTD estimates of nonadditive genetic factors were 43% lower, and additive genetic factors 63% higher, than ETFD estimates. However, broad-sense heritability estimates from the CTD were only 18% higher than ETFD estimates, highlighting that the CTD is useful for estimating broad-sense but not narrow-sense heritability. These results suggest that CTD estimates can be misleading when interpreted literally, but useful, albeit coarse, when interpreted properly.
Infiltration-excess runoff properties of dryland floodplain soil types under simulated rainfall conditions

Abstract The study estimated infiltration-excess runoff properties of three floodplain soil-types under aquifer water management at Anglo American Kolomela Iron Ore mine in Postmasburg, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Rainstorm regimes of amounts 60 (high), 30 (medium), and 15 (low) mm with respective intensities of 1.61, 0.52, and 0.27 mm min−1 were simulated on 1 m2 plot with 1% slope. Infiltration-excess runoff properties were affected by a rainstorm, but not soil-type. When combined with rainstorm, soil-type affected accumulative run-off rates. High rainstorm had different (p ≤ 0.05) accumulative runoff rates (0.1–0.61 mm min−1) and increased with clay content. Different response times of 4, 10, and 17 min for respective high, medium, and low rainstorms were quickest on higher clay plus silt content and bulk-density under high and lower rainstorms, respectively. Lower rainstorms had similar effects on accumulative runoff rates (0.01–0.05 mm min−1), total runoff yield (0.59–18 mm), and runoff coefficients (4.29–18%). Under the high rainstorm, total runoff yields (11.4–25.8 mm) and runoff coefficients (19–42.9%) were different and increased with clay plus fine-silt content. Although simulated rainstorms had constant intensities, results showed high rainstorms to be of primal influence on infiltration-excess runoff. Clay plus silt content and bulk-density influenced infiltration-runoff properties for respective high and lower rainstorms. Apart from rainstorm characteristics, surface clay plus silt content and bulk-density are important for harnessing surface runoff in floodplains for aquifer recharge.
New PWM strategy for nine-switch inverters with minimum number of semiconductor switching

Controllability of the nine-switch inverter is studied with the switched linear system model. On the basis of analysis results, a novel space vector pulse modulation (SVPWM) strategy is proposed. Compared with the classic SVPWM strategy, the number of operation modes used in the novel modulation strategy is reduced by half, therefore the switching sequence of the vectors can be simplified. In addition, the switching frequencies of the power semiconductors are significantly reduced by two-thirds. Therefore, the switching losses of the power devices can be reduced and the efficiency of the inverter can be improved. Simulation and experimental results verified the correctness of the proposed SVPWM strategy.
Measurement-Based Modeling of Vehicle-to-Vehicle MIMO Channels

Vehicle-to-vehicle (VTV) communications are of interest for applications within traffic safety and congestion avoidance, but the development of suitable communications systems requires accurate models for VTV propagation channels. This paper presents a new wideband MIMO (multiple-input-multiple-output) channel model for VTV channels based on extensive MIMO channel measurements performed at 5.2 GHz in rural environments in Lund, Sweden. The measured channel characteristics, in particular the non-stationarity of the channel statistics, motivate the use of a geometry-based stochastic channel model (GSCM) instead of the classical tapped-delay line model. We introduce generalizations of the generic GSCM approach and find it suitable to distinguish between diffuse and discrete scattering contributions. The time-variant contributions from discrete scatterers are tracked over time and delay using a high resolution algorithm, and our observations motivate their power being modeled as a combination of a deterministic part and a stochastic part. The paper gives a full model parameterization and the model is verified by comparison of MIMO antenna correlations derived from the channel model to those obtained directly from measurements.
Evolution of the beam diameter in a multimode fiber link through offset connectors

We find that using an overfilled launch, transmission of an 8-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) signal can suffer a significant power penalty due to modal noise or fiber bandwidth fluctuations if an offset connector is located before the 300-m-long multimode fiber link. This is an important problem as multimode fiber links in the premises typically contain several (potentially offset) connectors. A possible solution in state-of-the-art multimode fibers having a small refractive index center defect is to employ a single-mode center launch. To evaluate the robustness of this technique in the presence of several offset connectors in the link, a thorough study of the evolution of the beam diameter is performed. It suggests that at least five standard connectors may be employed without incurring significant power penalties.
Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation after a First AIDS-Defining Event: Temporal Changes in Clinical Attitudes in the ICONA Cohort

Background Time of starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) after diagnosis of specific AIDS-defining event (ADE) is a crucial aspect. Objectives of this study were to evaluate if in patients diagnosed with ADE the time to ART initiation may vary according to year of diagnosis and type of ADE. Methods All HIV+ persons diagnosed with an ADE over the 6 months prior to or after enrolment in the Icona Foundation study cohort and while ART-naive were grouped according to type of diagnosis: Those with ADE requiring medications interacting with ART [group A], those with ADE treatable only with ART [B] and other ADE [C]. Survival analysis by Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate the percentage of people starting ART, overall and after stratification for calendar period and ADE group. Multivariable Cox regression model was used to investigate association between calendar year of specific ADE and time to ART initiation. Results 720 persons with first ADE were observed over 1996–2013 (group A, n = 171; B, n = 115; C, n = 434). By 30 days from diagnosis, 27% (95% CI: 22–32) of those diagnosed in 1996–2000 had started ART vs. 32% (95% CI: 24–40) in 2001–2008 and 43% (95% CI: 33–47) after 2008 (log-rank p = 0.001). The proportion of patients starting ART by 30 days was 13% (95% CI 7–19), 40% (95% CI: 30–50) and 38% (95% CI 33–43) in ADE groups A, B and C (log-rank p = 0.0001). After adjustment for potential confounders, people diagnosed after 2008 remained at increased probability of starting ART more promptly than those diagnosed in 1996–1999 (AHR 1.72 (95% CI 1.16–2.56). Conclusions In our “real-life” setting, the time from ADE to ART initiation was significantly shorter in people diagnosed in more recent years, although perhaps less prompt than expected.
Differential Activity of Caspase-3 Regulates Susceptibility of Lung and Breast Tumor Cell Lines to Paclitaxel

Recent development of tumor resistance to paclitaxel presents a major problem to cancer treatment. An unsettled controversy in the cancer chemotherapy field, however, is whether caspases play a prominent role in paclitaxel-induced death in tumors. Previous studies suggest that cleavage of caspase-3 is not instrumental for the execution of death in tumors treated with paclitaxel, while other reports indicate that caspase-dependent pathways may be critical for paclitaxel cytotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the role of caspase-3 in breast and lung tumor cell line sensitivity to paclitaxel. Clonogenic survival and live/dead viability-assays, together with enzymatic activity and cell proliferation assays, reveal that the levels of paclitaxel-induced caspase-3 enzymatic activity in tumor cells correlate directly with tumor sensitivity to the drug.We observed a 2-fold increase in caspase-3 activity in 4T1-Luc breast tumor cells, but a 3-fold and 4-fold decrease in A549 and A427 lung tumor cell lines, respectively. Together, our results suggest that caspase-activation and activity levels are not only key determinants of paclitaxel-induced death in tumors but also serve as good indicators for tumor susceptibility to paclitaxel therapy. Our studies also indicate that within clinically relevant doses of paclitaxel, the ability to rid tumor populations of dormant tumor cells controls the rate of tumor recurrence.
Comparison of medication safety effectiveness among nine critical access hospitals.

PURPOSE The rates of medication errors across three different medication dispensing and administration systems frequently used in critical access hospitals (CAHs) were analyzed. METHODS Nine CAHs agreed to participate in this prospective study and were assigned to one of three groups based on similarities in their medication-use processes: (1) less than 10 hours per week of onsite pharmacy support and no bedside barcode system, (2) onsite pharmacy support for 40 hours per week and no bedside barcode system, and (3) onsite pharmacy support for 40 or more hours per week with a bedside barcode system. Errors were characterized by severity, phase of origination, type, and cause. Characteristics of the medication being administered and a number of best practices were collected for each medication pass. Logistic regression was used to identify significant predictors of errors. RESULTS A total of 3103 medication passes were observed. More medication errors originated in hospitals that had onsite pharmacy support for less than 10 hours per week and no bedside barcode system than in other types of hospitals. A bedside barcode system had the greatest impact on lowering the odds of an error reaching the patient. Wrong dose and omission were common error types. Human factors and communication were the two most frequently identified causes of error for all three systems. CONCLUSION Medication error rates were lower in CAHs with 40 or more hours per week of onsite pharmacy support with or without a bedside barcode system compared with hospitals with less than 10 hours per week of pharmacy support and no bedside barcode system.
Broadband CPW-Fed Circularly Polarized Square Slot Antenna With Inverted-L Strips for UWB Applications

This letter presents a new design for a circularly polarized square slot antenna (CPSSA). The proposed single-layer antenna composed of a square ground plane embedded with two unequal-size inverted-L strips around two opposite corners is capable of generating a resonant mode for exciting two orthogonal E vectors. In this model, compared to the previous CPSSA structures, the impedance bandwidth and the axial ratio bandwidth of antenna are increased, which is four times wider than the impedance bandwidth of previous similar designs. The designed CPSS antenna with size 60 × 60 × 0.8 mm3 operates over the frequency band between 2.67 and 13 GHz (4.74:1, 132%) for VSWR <; 2, exhibiting a 32.2% (4.9-6.9 GHz, 1.5:1) circular polarization (CP) bandwidth. Throughout this letter, the improvement process of the axial ratio (AR) and S\\ properties are presented and discussed in detail.
Neighborhood social participation, use of anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs, and women's propensity for disability pension: a multilevel analysis

Aims: The increasing number of people on disability pension in Sweden is of concern for Swedish policy-makers, and there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind disability pension. We investigated (i) whether women living in the same neighborhood have a similar propensity for disability pension that relates to neighborhood social participation, and (ii) whether there is an association between anxiolytic-hypnotic drug (AHD) use and disability pension in women that is modified by the neighborhood context. Methods: We used multilevel logistic regression with 12,156 women aged 45 to 64 (first level) residing in 95 neighborhoods (second level) in the city of Malmö (250,000 inhabitants), Sweden, who participated in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (1991—96). Results: Both AHD use (OR=2.09, 95% CI 1.65, 2.65) and neighborhood rate of low social participation (OR=11.85, 95% CI 5.09, 27.58) were associated with higher propensity for disability pension. The interval odds ratio indicated that the influence of neighborhood social participation was large compared with the unexplained variance between the neighborhoods. The association between AHD use and disability pension was not modified by the neighborhood context. The median odds ratio was 1.44 after adjusting for individual characteristics and 1.27 after the additional adjusting for neighborhood social participation. Conclusions: Women living in the same neighborhood appear to have a similar propensity for disability pension, beyond individual characteristics, and this contextual effect seems largely explained by neighborhood social participation. In addition, AHD use might increase the propensity for disability pension in women.
Electron microscopy of Treponema pallidum (Nichols) cultivated in tissue cultures of Sf1Ep cells

The in vitro interaction between Treponema pallidum and Sf1Ep cells during treponemal replication was investigated by using transmission electron microscopy. The Sf1Ep cells grown on Teflon-treated cover slips after 12 days of cocultivation were fixed in situ, overlaid with agar, embedded, and vertically sectioned. Large numbers of treponemes were found extracellularly not only at the upper cell surfaces but also in the narrow spaces between the cells and between the cells and the cover slips. These narrow spaces supported treponemal growth and survival, as did those at the upper cell surfaces. Although few in number, organisms were also seen in cell vacuoles either surrounded by a membrane or free in the cytoplasm. Some extracellular treponemes attached to host cells by body spirals or the terminal end and formed electron-dense layers at attachment sites. Some treponemes were often surrounded with amorphous, extracellular material which appeared to "connect" them to host cell surface. After 12 days of cocultivation, host cells showed excessive vacuolation and appeared to be damaged. This did not seem to be due to treponemal infection alone, because cells from uninfected cultures also showed similar vacuolation.