Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Left Ventricular Performance Following Correction of Free Aortic Regurgitation

Left ventricular (LV) myocardial contractility, or inotropic state, was characterized in terms of the instantaneous relations between velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (VCF), determined cineangiographically, and LV wall tension (hoop stress), calculated from LV dimensions and pressure, in five patients before and 7 to 10 mo after aortic valve replacement for free aortic regurgitation. Preoperatively the cardiac index was reduced or the LV end-diastolic pressure was markedly increased (or both occurred) in four patients, in each of whom depression of inotropic state was documented by a reduced VCF at maximum wall tension, ranging from 0.13 to 1.07 circumferences (circ)/sec (normal, > 1.40 circ/sec) at wall tensions of 318 to 464 g/cm2 (normal, 178 to 417 g/cm2). In one patient in whom LV end-diastolic pressure and cardiac index were normal preoperatively, VCF was 1.66 circ/sec at a maximum tension of 440 g/cm2. Following operation, LV end-diastolic pressure fell in the four patients with depressed inotropic state (average decrease, 23 mm Hg) and cardiac index increased (average increase, 0.93 L/min/m2). However, no change in the tension-velocity relation was observed postoperatively, VCF ranging from 0.27 to 1.14 circ/sec in these patients, indicating that no change had occurred in the inotropic state. In addition, a fixed abnormality in diastolic LV pressure-volume characteristics, determined from preoperative and postoperative measurements of pressure and radius during diastole, had occurred in patients with depressed myocardial function. In contrast, in the patient with normal myocardial function, LV end-diastolic radius was reduced by 33% postoperatively while end-diastolic pressure was unchanged, suggesting reversal of stress relaxation, or creep, following relief of volume overload.
A Comprehensive Reference Transcriptome Resource for the Common House Spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Parasteatoda tepidariorum is an increasingly popular model for the study of spider development and the evolution of development more broadly. However, fully understanding the regulation and evolution of P. tepidariorum development in comparison to other animals requires a genomic perspective. Although research on P. tepidariorum has provided major new insights, gene analysis to date has been limited to candidate gene approaches. Furthermore, the few available EST collections are based on embryonic transcripts, which have not been systematically annotated and are unlikely to contain transcripts specific to post-embryonic stages of development. We therefore generated cDNA from pooled embryos representing all described embryonic stages, as well as post-embryonic stages including nymphs, larvae and adults, and using Illumina HiSeq technology obtained a total of 625,076,514 100-bp paired end reads. We combined these data with 24,360 ESTs available in GenBank, and 1,040,006 reads newly generated from 454 pyrosequencing of a mixed-stage embryo cDNA library. The combined sequence data were assembled using a custom de novo assembly strategy designed to optimize assembly product length, number of predicted transcripts, and proportion of raw reads incorporated into the assembly. The de novo assembly generated 446,427 contigs with an N50 of 1,875 bp. These sequences obtained 62,799 unique BLAST hits against the NCBI non-redundant protein data base, including putative orthologs to 8,917 Drosophila melanogaster genes based on best reciprocal BLAST hit identity compared with the D. melanogaster proteome. Finally, we explored the utility of the transcriptome for RNA-Seq studies, and showed that this resource can be used as a mapping scaffold to detect differential gene expression in different cDNA libraries. This resource will therefore provide a platform for future genomic, gene expression and functional approaches using P. tepidariorum.
Dairy Cattle Production, Processing and Handling of Milk and Milk Products in Enemay District, East Gojjam, Amhara, Ethiopia

The objective of the study were to assess dairy cattle production systems, processed milk products and handling systems of cow milk and milk products in the highlands of Ethiopia. The study was conducted from 2017 to 2018 in Enemay district, Amhara, Ethiopia. The sample kebeles and household for the study were selected based on stratification and purposive sampling techniques. Three rural and 2 urban and pre urban kebeles were selected. From each kebele 30 households (A total of 150 households) were selected randomly from those have at least two lactating cows. Dairy cooperatives and private farms were included during the study. Descriptive statistics was employed for data analysis using Statistical Procedures for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Dairy cattle production systems that identified in the study areas were rural smallholder or mixed crop- livestock production which accounts 98% and the rest 2% were urban and pre urban system. Out of the total milk produced per households per day 0.42 Â± 1.8 liters was used for traditional milk processing. The study also revealed that 40.2% of the respondents were process milk into different milk products. The three most prioritized milk and milk products in the area were butter, ghee and whole milk with their ascending ranking order. The finding revealed that the most of respondents (89.4%) did not use udder washing before milking. The majority of the respondents practiced washing of their milk utensils (90.6%) and milkerâs hands (73.6%) before milking are practiced. There should be training for farmers and dairy cooperatives about milking hygienic practices, feeding and health care managements for their dairy cattle animals. The study also suggests that improved and appropriate milk processing technologies like churner and cram separator should be accessible in place to improve milk processing for sustainable dairy production.
Hypoglycemic potency of selected medicinal plants in Nigeria.

A preliminary phytochemical screening and hypoglycemic activities of the ethanolic extracts of phyllanthus niruri, fruits of Solanum melogena var esculentus, leaves and fruits of Solanum Xanthocarpum were investigated. All plant extracts were found to contain alkaloids and tannins, while saponin was found in all plants except Phyllanthus niruri. Coumarin was detected only in Solanum xanthocarpum (leaves), while anthrancenosides was detected in Phyllanthus niruri Solanum xanthocarpum (fruit) only. Hypoglycemic activity of all plants extracts were determined by postprandial glucose test after administration of extracts at 10mg/100g body weight to adult albino rats. Postprandial plasma glucose level was measured at 30 minutes intervals for 2 hours. The result of this study showed that all extracts had hypoglycemic activity with Solanum melongena var esculentus having the highest activity. Thus, the plants may be effective in the management of hyperglycemia may be attributed to the phytochemicals present in them plants.
Optimal System of Loops on an Orientable Surface

Abstract Every compact orientable boundaryless surface M can be cut along simple loops with a common point v0, pairwise disjoint except at v0, so that the resulting surface is a topological disk; such a set of loops is called a {\it system of loops} for M. The resulting disk may be viewed as a polygon in which the sides are pairwise identified on the surface; it is called a polygonal schema. Assuming that M is a combinatorial surface, and that each edge has a given length, we are interested in a shortest (or optimal) system of loops homotopic to a given one, drawn on the vertex-edge graph of M. We prove that each loop of such an optimal system is a shortest loop among all simple loops in its homotopy class. We give an algorithm to build such a system, which has polynomial running time if the lengths of the edges are uniform. As a byproduct, we get an algorithm with the same running time to compute a shortest simple loop homotopic to a given simple loop.
Chromosome 5 Monosomy of Candida albicans Controls Susceptibility to Various Toxic Agents, Including Major Antifungals

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is a prevailing fungal pathogen with a diploid genome that can adapt to environmental stresses by losing or gaining an entire chromosome or a large portion of a chromosome. We have previously found that the loss of one copy of chromosome 5 (Ch5) allows for adaptation to the toxic sugar l-sorbose. l-Sorbose is similar to caspofungin and other antifungals from the echinocandins class, in that it represses synthesis of cell wall glucan in fungi. Here, we extended the study of the phenotypes controlled by Ch5 copy number. We examined 57 strains, either disomic or monosomic for Ch5 and representing five different genetic backgrounds, and found that the monosomy of Ch5 causes elevated levels of chitin and repressed levels of 1,3-β-glucan components of the cell wall, as well as diminished cellular ergosterol. Increased deposition of chitin in the cell wall could be explained, at least partially, by a 2-fold downregulation of CHT2 on the monosomic Ch5 that encodes chitinase and a 1.5-fold upregulation of CHS7 on Ch1 that encodes the protein required for wild-type chitin synthase III activity. Other important outcomes of Ch5 monosomy consist of susceptibility changes to agents representing four major classes of antifungals. Susceptibility to caspofungin increased or decreased and susceptibility to 5-fluorocytosine decreased, whereas susceptibility to fluconazole and amphotericin B increased. Our results suggest that Ch5 monosomy represents an unrecognized C. albicans regulatory strategy that impinges on multiple stress response pathways.
Upper and intermediate circulation in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean in October 1999 and April 2000

The upper and intermediate circulation (0–1200 m) in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean is examined thanks to Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (LADCP) measurements carried out during two cruises in October 1999 and April 2000. Several new features of the equatorial circulation are discussed. It is shown that the secondary South Subsurface CounterCurrent (sSSCC) laying at 6°S–400 m depth, had a deep extension at 165°E with a maximum core velocity around 5°S–1000 m. Furthermore the Equatorial Intermediate Current (EIC) and the Lower EIC (LEIC) displayed a strong temporal variability between 165°E and 180°, as these two westward currents were replaced by eastward flow along the equator on the second cruise. Finally during the April 2000 cruise the zonal velocity profile carried out at the equator east of the Gilbert Island (around 175°E) broke into small vertical scales, possibly reflecting topographic effect and/or destabilization mechanism that leads to the formation of long zonal jet‐like structures.
Principles of Treatment for Periprosthetic Femoral Shaft Fractures Around Well‐fixed Total Hip Arthroplasty

&NA; Postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures around the stem of a total hip arthroplasty are increasing in frequency. To obtain optimal results, full appreciation of the clinical evaluation, classification, and modern management principles and techniques is required. Although periprosthetic femoral fracture associated with a loose stem requires complex revision arthroplasty, fractures associated with a stable femoral stem can be managed effectively with osteosynthesis principles familiar to most orthopaedic surgeons. Femoral fracture around a stable femoral stem is classified as a Vancouver type B1 fracture. The preferred treatment consists of internal fixation, following open or indirect reduction. Emerging techniques, such as percutaneous plating and the use of locking plates, have been used with increasing frequency. Preliminary results of these techniques are promising; however, further prospective comparative studies are required.
The phosphorus dilemma in organically farmed grasslands – are legume presence and phytodiversity incompatible?

ABSTRACT Organic grassland farmers are caught between the pressure to operate profitably and the need to ensure ecosystem services like nature conservation. Phosphorus (P) management is at the core of this dilemma: grassland legumes, which are vital for nitrogen (N) inputs, forage quantity and quality, have high P requirements. However, rising soil P contents lead to decreased phytodiversity. We examined this ‘P dilemma’ based on data of a study in typical organically managed grasslands in north-eastern Germany. We found a slight, but not significant negative correlation between the soil P contents and phytodiversity. Such a negative correlation was much clearer in broader ecological studies of European grasslands, probably due to a scale effect. Despite comparably small P concentrations, we detected only moderate species richness. Thus, other factors besides P concentrations are limiting phytodiversity here, probably N concentrations. The P concentrations in the biomass of various legume species indicated P limitations for most of them. We conclude that a bundle of adapted management measures could reconcile economic and environmental requirements of organic farmers to a certain degree and thus lessen the conflict between the two ecosystem services ‘biodiversity’ and ‘forage production’. EDITED BY Christine Fürst
FungiFun2: a comprehensive online resource for systematic analysis of gene lists from fungal species

Summary: Systematically extracting biological meaning from omics data is a major challenge in systems biology. Enrichment analysis is often used to identify characteristic patterns in candidate lists. FungiFun is a user-friendly Web tool for functional enrichment analysis of fungal genes and proteins. The novel tool FungiFun2 uses a completely revised data management system and thus allows enrichment analysis for 298 currently available fungal strains published in standard databases. FungiFun2 offers a modern Web interface and creates interactive tables, charts and figures, which users can directly manipulate to their needs. Availability and implementation: FungiFun2, examples and tutorials are publicly available at https://elbe.hki-jena.de/fungifun/. Contact: steffen.priebe@hki-jena.de or joerg.linde@hki-jena.de
Accuracy Analysis of a Multi-View Stereo Approach for Phenotyping of Tomato Plants at the Organ Level

Accessing a plant's 3D geometry has become of significant importance for phenotyping during the last few years. Close-up laser scanning is an established method to acquire 3D plant shapes in real time with high detail, but it is stationary and has high investment costs. 3D reconstruction from images using structure from motion (SfM) and multi-view stereo (MVS) is a flexible cost-effective method, but requires post-processing procedures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential measuring accuracy of an SfM- and MVS-based photogrammetric method for the task of organ-level plant phenotyping. For this, reference data are provided by a high-accuracy close-up laser scanner. Using both methods, point clouds of several tomato plants were reconstructed at six following days. The parameters leaf area, main stem height and convex hull of the complete plant were extracted from the 3D point clouds and compared to the reference data regarding accuracy and correlation. These parameters were chosen regarding the demands of current phenotyping scenarios. The study shows that the photogrammetric approach is highly suitable for the presented monitoring scenario, yielding high correlations to the reference measurements. This cost-effective 3D reconstruction method depicts an alternative to an expensive laser scanner in the studied scenarios with potential for automated procedures.
Incidence and survival of remnant disks around main-sequence stars

We present photometric ISO 60 and 170 um measurements, complemented by some IRAS data at 60 ${\mu\textrm{m}}$, of a sample of 84 nearby main-sequence stars of spectral class A, F, G and K in order to determine the incidence of dust disks around such main-sequence stars. Fifty stars were detected at 60 ${\mu\textrm{m}}$; 36 of these emit a flux expected from their photosphere while 14 emit significantly more. The excess emission we attribute to a circumstellar disk like the ones around Vega and β Pictoris. Thirty four stars were not detected at all; the expected photospheric flux, however, is so close to the detection limit that the stars cannot have an excess stronger than the photospheric flux density at 60 ${\mu\textrm{m}}$. Of the stars younger than 400 Myr one in two has a disk; for the older stars this is true for only one in ten. We conclude that most stars arrive on the main sequence surrounded by a disk; this disk then decays in about 400 Myr. Because (i) the dust particles disappear and must be replenished on a much shorter time scale and (ii) the collision of planetesimals is a good source of new dust, we suggest that the rapid decay of the disks is caused by the destruction and escape of planetesimals. We suggest that the dissipation of the disk is related to the heavy bombardment phase in our Solar System. Whether all stars arrive on the main sequence surrounded by a disk cannot be established: some very young stars do not have a disk. And not all stars destroy their disk in a similar way: some stars as old as the Sun still have significant disks.
Cues for lexical tone perception in children: acoustic correlates and phonetic context effects.

PURPOSE The authors investigated the effects of acoustic cues (i.e., pitch height, pitch contour, and pitch onset and offset) and phonetic context cues (i.e., syllable onsets and rimes) on lexical tone perception in Cantonese-speaking children. METHOD Eight minimum pairs of tonal contrasts were presented in either an identical phonetic context or in different phonetic contexts (different syllable onsets and rimes). Children were instructed to engage in tone identification and tone discrimination. RESULTS Cantonese children attended to pitch onset in perceiving similarly contoured tones and attended to pitch contour in perceiving different-contoured tones. There was a decreasing level of tone discrimination accuracy, with tone perception being easiest for same rime-different syllable onset, more difficult for different rime-same syllable onset, and most difficult for different rime-different syllable onset phonetic contexts. This pattern was observed in tonal contrasts in which the member tones had the same contour but not in ones in which the member tones had different contours. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that in addition to pitch contour, the pitch onset is another important acoustic cue for tone perception. The relative importance of acoustic cues for tone perception is phonetically context dependent. These findings are discussed with reference to a newly modified TRACE model for tone languages (TTRACE).
Building a Better Random Number Generator for Stochastic Computing

Stochastic circuits (SCs) offer tremendous area and power-consumption benefits at the expense of computational inaccuracies. They require random num-ber sources (RNSs) to implement stochastic number generators (SNGs) for all of their inputs. It is common for an SC to have a large number of primary and auxiliary inputs. Often the associated SNGs take up as much as 80% of the entire circuit area, so sharing RNSs is a very important goal in stochastic computing. Such sharing often leads to large correlation errors that have to be resolved via costly decorrelation methods. Linear feed-back shift registers (LFSRs) are typically used as RNSs. However, we show that their deterministic and linear behavior can interfere with commonly used decorrelation methods, causing systematic computation errors, and limiting the possibilities of sharing LFSRs between SNGs. We therefore propose a novel pseudo-random number generator SBoNG for stochastic circuits that combines an LFSR with a non-linear S-box function. An SBoNG does not interfere with decorrelation and can be shared effi-ciently by multiple SNGs. Consequently, SBoNGs scale very well in SCs with large numbers of inputs.
Variational Multinomial Logit Gaussian Process

Gaussian process prior with an appropriate likelihood function is a flexible non-parametric model for a variety of learning tasks. One important and standard task is multi-class classification, which is the categorization of an item into one of several fixed classes. A usual likelihood function for this is the multinomial logistic likelihood function. However, exact inference with this model has proved to be difficult because high-dimensional integrations are required. In this paper, we propose a variational approximation to this model, and we describe the optimization of the variational parameters. Experiments have shown our approximation to be tight. In addition, we provide data-independent bounds on the marginal likelihood of the model, one of which is shown to be much tighter than the existing variational mean-field bound in the experiments. We also derive a proper lower bound on the predictive likelihood that involves the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the approximating and the true posterior. We combine our approach with a recently proposed sparse approximation to give a variational sparse approximation to the Gaussian process multi-class model. We also derive criteria which can be used to select the inducing set, and we show the effectiveness of these criteria over random selection in an experiment.
Pericardial Adipose Tissue, Atherosclerosis, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT), a regional fat depot that surrounds the heart, is associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic risk factor profile. The associations among PAT, cardiometabolic risk factors, and coronary artery calcification (CAC) and abdominal aortic artery calcification (AAC) in African American populations have not been explored. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,414 African Americans (35% men; mean ± SD age 58 ± 11 years) drawn from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) underwent multidetector computed tomography assessment of abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and PAT between 2007 and 2009. Cardiometabolic risk factors, CAC, and AAC were examined in relation to increments of PAT and VAT. RESULTS PAT was significantly correlated with BMI, waist circumference, and VAT (r = 0.35, 0.46, and 0.69; all P < 0.0001). PAT (per 1-SD increase) was associated with elevated levels of systolic blood pressure (P < 0.04), fasting glucose, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein and lower levels of HDL (all P values<0.0001). PAT was also associated with metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR] 1.89; P < 0.0001), hypertension (1.48; P < 0.0006), and diabetes (1.40; P < 0.04); all associations were diminished after further adjustment for VAT (most P > 0.05). However, the association of PAT with CAC but not with AAC remained significant (OR 1.34 [95% CI 1.10–1.64]; P < 0.004) after multivariable and VAT adjustment. CONCLUSIONS PAT is significantly correlated with most cardiometabolic risk factors and CAC in the JHS cohort. The results suggest that PAT is an important VAT depot that may exert a local effect on the coronary vasculature.