Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of leaf hydraulic conductance in the regulation of stomatal conductance in almond and olive in response to water stress.

The decrease of stomatal conductance (gs) is one of the prime responses to water shortage and the main determinant of yield limitation in fruit trees. Understanding the mechanisms related to stomatal closure in response to imposed water stress is crucial for correct irrigation management. The loss of leaf hydraulic functioning is considered as one of the major factors triggering stomatal closure. Thus, we conducted an experiment to quantify the dehydration response of leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) and its impact on gs in two Mediterranean fruit tree species, one deciduous (almond) and one evergreen (olive). Our hypothesis was that a higher Kleaf would be associated with a higher gs and that the reduction in Kleaf would predict the reduction in gs in both species. We measured Kleaf in olive and almond during a cycle of irrigation withholding. We also compared the results of two methods to measure Kleaf: dynamic rehydration kinetics and evaporative flux methods. In addition, determined gs, leaf water potential (Ψleaf), vein density, photosynthetic capacity and turgor loss point. Results showed that gs was higher in almond than in olive and so was Kleaf (Kmax = 4.70 and 3.42 mmol s(-1) MPa(-1) m(-2), in almond and olive, respectively) for Ψleaf > -1.2 MPa. At greater water stress levels than -1.2 MPa, however, Kleaf decreased exponentially, being similar for both species, while gs was still higher in almond than in olive. We conclude that although the Kleaf decrease with increasing water stress does not drive unequivocally the gs response to water stress, Kleaf is the variable most strongly related to the gs response to water stress, especially in olive. Other variables such as the increase in abscisic acid (ABA) may be playing an important role in gs regulation, although in our study the gs-ABA relationship did not show a clear pattern.
Radiation therapy for pediatric craniopharyngioma.

OBJECT The treatment of craniopharyngioma is highly controversial. Continued advances in limited surgery and radiation therapy have maintained excellent local disease control while minimizing treatment-related sequelae. Further analyses of outcomes are necessary to characterize the long-term effects of radiation therapy. METHODS An extensive literature review was performed for all studies including radiation therapy, with or without surgery, for pediatric craniopharyngioma. RESULTS The authors identified 32 papers describing radiation therapy for treatment of pediatric craniopharyngioma, with disease control ranging from 44 to 100%. Modern studies report at least 90% disease control with 5-year follow-up. Fifteen studies reported outcomes, demonstrating that more than two-thirds of patients treated with surgery and radiation therapy have favorable outcomes, and this rate is more than 85% in the modern era. CONCLUSIONS Conservative surgery and radiation therapy results in long-term disease control in pediatric patients with craniopharyngioma that is comparable to results obtained with radical surgery alone. However, children with craniopharyngioma remain vulnerable to late treatment failures and side effects from radiation therapy, including endocrinopathies, vasculopathies, and secondary tumors, which may be detrimental to the quality of life. Long-term follow-up beyond 5-10 years is necessary to assess tumor control relative to functional outcomes.
Omega-3 fatty acids do not alter P-wave parameters in electrocardiogram or expression of atrial connexins in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

AIMS We previously reported omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3PUFAs) supplementation does not reduce atrial fibrillation (AF) following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of n-3 PUFAs on electrocardiogram (ECG) atrial arrhythmic markers and compare with expression of gap-junction proteins, Connexins. METHODS AND RESULTS Subset of clinical trial subjects with right atrial sampling during CABG surgery included. Twelve-lead ECG performed at recruitment and at surgery [after supplementation with n-3 PUFA (∼1.8 g/day) or matched placebo] for ∼14 days. Electrocardiograms analysed for maximum P-wave duration (P-max) and difference between P-max and minimum P-wave duration, P-wave dispersion (PWD). Right atrial specimens analysed for expression of Connexins 40 and 43 using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot. Serum levels of n-3 PUFA at baseline, at surgery, and atrial tissue levels at surgery collated from file. Postoperative AF was quantified by analysing data from stored continuous electrograms. A total of 61 patients (n-3 PUFA 34, Placebo 27) had ECG analysis and AF burden, of which 52 patients (26 in each group) had qPCR and 16 (8 in each group) had western blot analyses for Connexins 40 and 43. No difference between the two groups in ECG parameters or expression of Connexin 40 or 43. P-wave dispersion in the preoperative ECG independently predicted occurrence of AF following CABG surgery. CONCLUSIONS Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation does not alter pro-arrhythmic P-wave parameters in ECG or connexin expression in human atrium with no effect on the incidence of AF following CABG surgery.
The Impact of Urge Urinary Incontinence on Quality of Life: Importance of Patients' Perspective and Explanatory Style

OBJECTIVES: The impact of urinary incontinence (UI) on health‐related quality of life (QoL) is significant yet variable, but little is known about patient‐defined content areas regarding the influence of UI on QoL and whether patient‐specific factors correlate with specific content areas of UI‐related QoL. In order to identify the most valid content areas for a new UI‐related QoL questionnaire, our primary goal was to determine the content areas of greatest concern regarding UI‐related QoL among older persons with urge incontinence. The second goal was to examine the possible role of patients' explanatory style as a mediator of UI impact on health‐related QoL. Data on the questionnaire will be presented elsewhere.
Context-Dependent Upper Limb Prosthesis Control for Natural and Robust Use

Pattern recognition and regression methods applied to the surface EMG have been used for estimating the user intended motor tasks across multiple degrees of freedom (DOF), for prosthetic control. While these methods are effective in several conditions, they are still characterized by some shortcomings. In this study we propose a methodology that combines these two approaches for mutually alleviating their limitations. This resulted in a control method capable of context-dependent movement estimation that switched automatically between sequential (one DOF at a time) or simultaneous (multiple DOF) prosthesis control, based on an online estimation of signal dimensionality. The proposed method was evaluated in scenarios close to real-life situations, with the control of a physical prosthesis in applied tasks of varying difficulties. Test prostheses were individually manufactured for both able-bodied and transradial amputee subjects. With these prostheses, two amputees performed the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure test with scores of 58 and 71 points. The five able-bodied individuals performed standardized tests, such as the box&block and clothes pin test, reducing the completion times by up to 30%, with respect to using a state-of-the-art pure sequential control algorithm. Apart from facilitating fast simultaneous movements, the proposed control scheme was also more intuitive to use, since human movements are predominated by simultaneous activations across joints. The proposed method thus represents a significant step towards intelligent, intuitive and natural control of upper limb prostheses.
Purification and Properties of the Plasmid Maintenance Proteins from the Borrelia burgdorferi Linear Plasmid lp17

ABSTRACT The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi carries more plasmids than any other bacterium, many of which are linear with covalently closed hairpin ends. These plasmids have also been referred to as mini-chromosomes and essential genetic elements and are integral components of its segmented genome. We have investigated two plasmid maintenance proteins, BBD14 (the replication initiator) and BBD21 (a presumptive ParA orthologue), encoded by the linear plasmid lp17; these proteins are representatives of paralogous families 62 and 32, respectively. We have purified recombinant 6-his-BBD21 and shown it possesses an ATPase activity. 6-his-BBD14 initially could not be overexpressed in Escherichia coli by itself. It was only effectively overproduced in recombinant form through coexpression with other B. burgdorferi proteins and codon optimization. Although the mechanism for increased production through coexpression is not clear, this method holds promise for expression and purification of other B. burgdorferi proteins, a number of which have remained recalcitrant to purification from E. coli. Finally, we present evidence for the physical interaction of BBD14 and BBD21, a feature suggesting that BBD21 and the paralogous family 32 proteins are more likely involved in DNA replication than functioning as simple ParA orthologues as previously surmised based upon sequence homology. Such a role would not preclude a function in plasmid partitioning through interaction with the replication initiator.
Ours are always the best ? A study of consumer ethnocentrism amongst urban adult Chinese consumers

This study aims to test urban adult Chinese consumers’ level of consumer ethnocentrism and examining the moderating effects of location, age group and education levels. It collected 367 questionnaires in ShenyangNorthern China and Shenzhen – Southern China. The findings suggested urban adult Chinese consumers have relative low level of ethnocentrism beliefs. There is no strong negative bias towards foreign products, which means they do not evaluate foreign products negatively. Consumers living in Northern China have stronger ethnocentrism beliefs than those living in Southern China. Older generation holds stronger ethnocentric views than the younger generation and education plays a major role. More educated consumers are more likely to be more open minded about foreign products and services. Generally speaking, strident protectionism or calls for blanket bans or boycott of foreign goods are unlikely to occur in China. CE does not pose a serious threat to foreign products.
2I-6 Imaging the Electromechanical Wave Activation of the Left Ventricle in Vivo

The heart is a mechanical pump that is electrically driven. We have previously shown that the contractility of the cardiac muscle can reliably be used in order to assess the extent of ischemia. In this paper, in vivo imaging (35 MHz) was performed on anesthetized mice before and after left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation at high frame rates (Vevo 770, Visualsonics, Inc.) in order to better explore the electromechanical coupling within the heart muscle. The acquisition was triggered on the mouse electrocardiogram (ECG) and yielded a high frame rate of 8 kHz. RF signals from long-axis views were digitized and stored in real-time at a similar sampling rate for off-line processing. Axial displacements were estimated using 1D cross-correlation (window size of 60 microns, overlapping at 90%) and displayed at 8 kHz. The mice were initially imaged during sinus rhythm (i.e., at the natural pacing of the heart (100 ms period)), right-atrial pacing (at 100 ms) and right-ventricular pacing (at 100 ms). Pacing was achieved using catheterization through the right side of the heart, where the catheter carried nine electrodes that could be separately activated for varying the pacing location. In some of the scans, the catheter was within the imaging field-of-view and allowed for imaging of the pacing wave during ventricular pacing. The most pronounced wave propagating during sinus rhythm and atrial pacing was the contraction wave, or wave originating at the isovolumic contraction phase, that propagated along the longitudinal direction of the myocardium initiating radial thickening in its path. The contraction wave started at the apex, right at the QRS peak, and then propagated along the septum first and then the posterior wall. So, the direction of propagation was counterclockwise in a long-axis view. A relaxation wave was also detected propagating across the septum, i.e., from the endo- to the epicardial level. Right-atrial pacing, i.e., similar to sinus rhythm, induced the same counter-clockwise pattern as in the sinus rhythm during contraction. Right-ventricular pacing induced a reverse direction on the contraction wave that started from the tip of the catheter (close to the base) with two waves propagating from base to apex, one along the septum and one along the posterior wall. In summary, strong contraction waves were imaged at 8 kHz frame rate in the septum (from base to apex) and the posterior wall (from apex to base) that changed direction or speed according to the pacing scheme induced. These preliminary results indicate that through electromechanical coupling, motion estimation at high frame rates may yield a novel non-invasive method for conduction mapping of the live myocardium and diagnosis of related diseases
Uniqueness of Nonnegative Tensor Approximations

We show that for a nonnegative tensor, a best nonnegative rank-r approximation is almost always unique, its best rank-one approximation may always be chosen to be a best nonnegative rank-one approximation, and the set of nonnegative tensors with nonunique best rank-one approximations forms an algebraic hypersurface. We show that the last part holds true more generally for real tensors and, thereby, determine a polynomial equation, so that a real or nonnegative tensor that does not satisfy this equation is guaranteed to have a unique best rank-one approximation. We also establish an analogue for real or nonnegative symmetric tensors. In addition, we prove a singular vector variant of the Perron-Frobenius theorem for positive tensors and apply it to show that a best nonnegative rank-r approximation of a positive tensor can never be obtained by deflation. As an aside, we verify that the Euclidean distance (ED) discriminants of the Segre variety and the Veronese variety are hypersurfaces and give defining equations of these ED discriminants.
Risk factors for 5-year mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.

CONTEXT Multiple factors contribute to mortality in older adults, but the extent to which subclinical disease and other factors contribute independently to mortality risk is not known. OBJECTIVE To determine the disease, functional, and personal characteristics that jointly predict mortality in community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years or older. DESIGN Prospective population-based cohort study with 5 years of follow-up and a validation cohort of African Americans with 4.25-year follow-up. SETTING Four US communities. PARTICIPANTS A total of 5201 and 685 men and women aged 65 years or older in the original and African American cohorts, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Five-year mortality. RESULTS In the main cohort, 646 deaths (12%) occurred within 5 years. Using Cox proportional hazards models, 20 characteristics (of 78 assessed) were each significantly (P<.05) and independently associated with mortality: increasing age, male sex, income less than $50000 per year, low weight, lack of moderate or vigorous exercise, smoking for more than 50 pack-years, high brachial (>169 mm Hg) and low tibial (< or = 127 mm Hg) systolic blood pressure, diuretic use by those without hypertension or congestive heart failure, elevated fasting glucose level (>7.2 mmol/L [130 mg/dL]), low albumin level (< or = 37 g/L), elevated creatinine level (> or = 106 micromol/L [1.2 mg/dL]), low forced vital capacity (< or = 2.06 mL), aortic stenosis (moderate or severe) and abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction (by echocardiography), major electrocardiographic abnormality, stenosis of internal carotid artery (by ultrasound), congestive heart failure, difficulty in any instrumental activity of daily living, and low cognitive function by Digit Symbol Substitution test score. Neither high-density lipoprotein cholesterol nor low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with mortality. After adjustment for other factors, the association between age and mortality diminished, but the reduction in mortality with female sex persisted. Finally, the risk of mortality was validated in the second cohort; quintiles of risk ranged from 2% to 39% and 0% to 26% for the 2 cohorts. CONCLUSIONS Objective measures of subclinical disease and disease severity were independent and joint predictors of 5-year mortality in older adults, along with male sex, relative poverty, physical activity, smoking, indicators of frailty, and disability. Except for history of congestive heart failure, objective, quantitative measures of disease were better predictors of mortality than was clinical history of disease.
Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis

Objective To examine whether patients’ trust in the health care professional is associated with health outcomes. Study selection We searched 4 major electronic databases for studies that reported quantitative data on the association between trust in the health care professional and health outcome. We screened the full-texts of 400 publications and included 47 studies in our meta-analysis. Data extraction and data synthesis We conducted random effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions and calculated correlation coefficients with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Two interdependent researchers assessed the quality of the included studies using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Results Overall, we found a small to moderate correlation between trust and health outcomes (r = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.19–0.29). Subgroup analyses revealed a moderate correlation between trust and self-rated subjective health outcomes (r = 0.30, 0.24–0.35). Correlations between trust and objective (r = -0.02, -0.08–0.03) as well as observer-rated outcomes (r = 0.10, -0.16–0.36) were non-significant. Exploratory analyses showed a large correlation between trust and patient satisfaction and somewhat smaller correlations with health behaviours, quality of life and symptom severity. Heterogeneity was small to moderate across the analyses. Conclusions From a clinical perspective, patients reported more beneficial health behaviours, less symptoms and higher quality of life and to be more satisfied with treatment when they had higher trust in their health care professional. There was evidence for upward bias in the summarized results. Prospective studies are required to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay between trust and health outcomes.
Turning Waste into Value: Nanosized Natural Plant Materials of Solanum incanum L. and Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir with Promising Antimicrobial Activities

Numerous plants are known to exhibit considerable biological activities in the fields of medicine and agriculture, yet access to their active ingredients is often complicated, cumbersome and expensive. As a consequence, many plants harbouring potential drugs or green phyto-protectants go largely unnoticed, especially in poorer countries which, at the same time, are in desperate need of antimicrobial agents. As in the case of plants such as the Jericho tomato, Solanum incanum, and the common African tree Pterocarpus erinaceus, nanosizing of original plant materials may provide an interesting alternative to extensive extraction and isolation procedures. Indeed, it is straightforward to obtain considerable amounts of such common, often weed-like plants, and to mill the dried material to more or less uniform particles of microscopic and nanoscopic size. These particles exhibit activity against Steinernema feltiae or Escherichia coli, which is comparable to the ones seen for processed extracts of the same, respective plants. As S. feltiae is used as a model nematode indicative of possible phyto-protective uses in the agricultural arena, these findings also showcase the potential of nanosizing of crude “waste” plant materials for specific practical applications, especially—but not exclusively—in developing countries lacking a more sophisticated industrial infrastructure.
Incidence and Predictors of Maternal Cardiovascular Mortality and Severe Morbidity in the Netherlands: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective To assess incidence and possible risk factors of severe maternal morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease in the Netherlands. Design A prospective population based cohort study. Setting All 98 maternity units in the Netherlands. Population All women delivering in the Netherlands between August 2004 and August 2006 (n = 371,021) Methods Cases of severe maternal morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease were prospectively collected during a two-year period in the Netherlands. Women with cardiovascular complications during pregnancy or postpartum who were admitted to the ward, intensive care or coronary care unit were included. Cardiovascular morbidity was defined as cardiomyopathy, valvular disease, ischaemic heart disease, arrhythmias or aortic dissection. All women delivering in the same period served as a reference cohort. Main outcome measures Incidence, case fatality rates and possible risk factors. Results Incidence of severe maternal morbidity due to cardiovascular disease was 2.3 per 10,000 deliveries (84/358,874). Maternal mortality rate from cardiovascular disease was 3.0 per 100,000 deliveries (11/358,874). Case fatality rate in women with severe maternal morbidity due to cardiovascular disease was 13% (11/84). Case fatality rate was highest in aortic dissection (83%). Pre-existing acquired or congenital heart disease was identified in 34% of women. Thirty-one percent of women were of advanced maternal age (>35 years of age) and 5 percent above 40 years of age. Possible risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity were caesarean section (either resulting in or as a result of cardiovascular disease), multiple pregnancy, prior caesarean section, non-Western ethnicity and obesity. Conclusions In the Netherlands cardiovascular disease is a rare cause of severe maternal morbidity with an incidence of 2.3 per 10,000 deliveries and a high case fatality rate of 13%. Cardiovascular complications develop mostly in women not known with cardiac disease pre-pregnancy.
Employment and Income Potentiality of Tourism Development in Amhara Region Ethiopia.

A few members of less developed countries of sub-Sahara Africa have realized the potential of tourism development for rapid socio-economic development, capable of generating foreign exchange; reduce unemployment and improving the standard of the people. Amhara region of Ethiopia is an example of regions blessed with abundance and diversified tourism sites with potentials of contributing to the socio-economic development not only of the region but also to the country at large. This paper examines four Tourism Enterprises which include Hotel, Souvenir, Tour guide and Water transport businesses to pin point the potentiality of tourism as catalyst of development. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources, using inventory field survey and questionnaire administration. Data generated were analysed using simple statistical methods as frequencies and percentages. It concludes that developments of Tourism Businesses are generators of employment and income not only for the entrepreneurs but to the entire region with a high multiplier effect on the national economy. Keywords : Tourism Enterprises, Employment, Income, Amhara Region and Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies of Management Vol. 1 (2) 2008: pp. 74-82