Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate change impacts in Bhutan: challenges and opportunities for the agricultural sector

The Kingdom of Bhutan is nestled in the Himalayas, sharing borders with India to the south and China to the north. The country is a net carbon sink and has committed to ensuring that 60% of its total land area will remain as forest. Despite efforts to encourage sustainable economic growth at the national level, the impacts of climate change, driven partly by the global greenhouse gas emissions, will continue to affect Bhutan. The agricultural sector, which employs about 69% of the total population, is the most vulnerable to the changing climate. There is need to identify which crops may become unsuitable under climate projections and, equally, which crops may offer new opportunities to rural communities. A joint study by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF), funded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was undertaken to assess the impacts of climate change on five key crops (i.e. rice, maize, potato, chili and tomato) and three diversification crops (i.e. quinoa, kiwi and cardamom). The results of the study will help decision makers identify which areas may require interventions due to the imminent loss of climate suitability for the crops. Equally, the results can be used to provide input on suitable locations to test the diversification crops and potential areas for expansion of the key crops. The analysis was undertaken using the most up-to-date climate models and an ecological niche model and was analyzed in ArcGIS. It was a collaborative study, which included a 2-week capacity building workshop between CIAT and MoAF and an additional case study to integrate knowledge on gender and climate change.
Nitrogen dynamics in manured Saskatchewan soils

Introduction The behavior of manure nitrogen in Saskatchewan soils is of agronomic and environmental interest. The value of manure as a fertilizer is most often considered in its role as a nitrogen source for crop growth, although other nutrients such as phosphorus can also contribute to crop response (Schoenau et al., 1999; Olson and Papworth, 1999). Concerns surrounding the use of manures as fertilizers include the fate of excess nitrogen lost from the soil through leaching and gaseous evolution. The objective of this paper is to consider our current state of understanding of the behavior of manure nitrogen added to Saskatchewan soils.
Urea amidolyase. I. Properties of the enzyme from Candida utilis.

Abstract Candida utilis contains an inducible enzyme, urea amidolyase, which catalyzes the decomposition of urea with formation of carbon dioxide and ammonia. This reaction is accompanied by the cleavage of ATP with liberation of equimolar amounts of ADP and inorganic phosphate, is strictly dependent for activity on divalent (Mg++ or Mn++) and monovalent (K+, Rb+, Cs+, or NH4+) cations, and requires catalytic amounts of bicarbonate. A detailed consideration of these properties is presented for the enzyme purified approximately 150-fold from C. utilis. Urea amidolyase activity is induced in C. utilis by urea and other substances which most likely are enzymatically degraded to urea. Repression of the enzyme occurs when low evels of ammonia are present in the medium. Extracts of other yeasts, such as Candida flareri and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as of the unicellular green algae Chlorella ellipsoidea, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, also contain urea amidolyase activity when these organisms are grown in media containing urea as the sole source of nitrogen.
An electronic prompt in dispensing software to promote clinical interventions by community pharmacists: a randomized controlled trial.

UNLABELLED What is already known about this subject. Computerized prompts and reminders have been shown to be effective in changing the behaviour of health professionals in a variety of settings. There is little literature describing or evaluating electronic decision-support for pharmacists. What this study adds. An electronic prompt in dispensing software for a targeted clinical intervention has a significant effect on pharmacists' behaviour. A markedly increased rate of recording and performing the targeted clinical intervention was found. The effect of the prompt reduces markedly once the prompt is deactivated. AIM To evaluate the effect of an electronic prompt in dispensing software on the frequency of clinical interventions recorded by community pharmacists. METHOD An electronic decision-support prompt identifying patients for a targeted proactive clinical intervention was developed and implemented. Each time an oral antidiabetic agent was dispensed, a prompt was displayed reminding pharmacists to discuss the suitability of aspirin therapy in eligible patients with diabetes. The prompt was randomly assigned to 31 of 52 metropolitan pharmacies in Melbourne (Australia) for 6 weeks, with the remaining pharmacies as controls. RESULTS One hundred and fifty pharmacists in 52 pharmacies recorded a total of 2396 clinical interventions at an intervention rate of 0.92 interventions per 100 patients [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58, 1.23]. Pharmacists recorded a total of 201 target interventions related to aspirin therapy in diabetes at an intervention rate of 2.55 interventions per 100 diabetic patients (95% CI 0.85, 4.24). All of the targeted clinical interventions were recorded in the prompt arm; no targeted interventions were recorded in the control group. The effect of the prompt decreased over the study period and was not maintained after prompt deactivation. CONCLUSION An electronic prompt significantly increased pharmacists' recording of the targeted clinical intervention in diabetic patients. An electronic decision-support prompt has significant potential to promote community pharmacists' contribution to the quality use of medicines.
Computed tomography evaluation of the normal craniocervical junction craniometry in 100 asymptomatic patients.

OBJECT Most of the craniometric relationships of the normal craniocervical junction (CCJ), especially those related to angular craniometry, are still poorly studied and based on measurements taken from simple plain radiographs. In this study, the authors performed a craniometric evaluation of the CCJ in a population without known CCJ anomalies. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the normal CCJ craniometry based on measurements obtained from CT scans. METHOD The authors analyzed 100 consecutive CCJ CT scans obtained in adult patients who were admitted at their tertiary hospital for treatment of non-CCJ conditions between 2010 and 2012. A total of 17 craniometrical measurements were performed, including the relation of the odontoid with the cranial base, the atlantodental interval (ADI), the clivus length, the clivus-canal angle (CCA)-the angle formed by the clivus and the upper cervical spine, and the basal angle. RESULTS The mean age of the 100 patients was 50.6 years, and the group included 52 men (52%) and 48 women (48%). In 5 patients (5%), the tip of the odontoid process was more than 2 mm above the Chamberlain line, and in one of these 5 patients (1% of the study group). it was more than 5 mm above it. One patient had a Grabb-Oakes measurement above 9 mm (suggesting ventral cervicomedullary encroachment). The mean ADI value was 1.1 mm. The thickness of the external occipital protuberance ranged from 7.42 to 22.36 mm. The mean clivus length was 44.74 mm, the mean CCA was 153.68° (range 132.32°-173.95°), and the mean basal angle was 113.73° (ranging from 97.06°-133.26°). CONCLUSIONS The data obtained in this study can be useful for evaluating anomalies of the CCJ in comparison with normal parameters, potentially improving the diagnostic criteria of these anomalies. When evaluating CCJ malformations, one should take into account the normal ranges based on CT scans, with more precise bone landmarks, instead of those obtained from simple plain radiographs.
Variation of Magnetic Particle Imaging Tracer Performance With Amplitude and Frequency of the Applied Magnetic Field

The magnetic response of magnetic particle imaging (MPI) tracers varies with the slew rate of the applied magnetic field, as well as with the tracer's average magnetic core size. Currently, 25 kHz and 20 mT/μ0 drive fields are common in MPI, but lower field amplitudes may be necessary for patient safety in future designs. We studied how several different sizes of monodisperse MPI tracers behaved under different drive field amplitude and frequency, using magnetic particle spectrometry and ac hysteresis for drive field conditions at 16, 26, and 40 kHz, with field amplitudes from 5 to 40 mT/μ0. We observed that both field amplitude and frequency can influence the tracer behavior, but that the magnetic behavior is consistent when the slew rate (the product of field amplitude and frequency) is consistent. However, smaller amplitudes provide a correspondingly smaller field of view, sometimes resulting in excitation of a minor hysteresis loop.
MPTP induces alpha‐synuclein aggregation in the substantia nigra of baboons

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) neurotoxicity reproduces many of the features of Parkinson's disease (PD). α-Synuclein has been identified as a prominent component of the Lewy body (LB), the pathological hallmark of PD. MPTP-treated primates have been reported to develop intraneuronal inclusions but not true Lewy bodies. We administered MPTP to baboons and used a monoclonal α-synuclein antibody to define the relationship between neuronal degeneration and α-synuclein immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra. MPTP-induced neuronal degeneration was associated with the redistribution of α-synuclein from its normal synaptic location to aggregates in degenerating neuronal cell bodies. α-Synuclein aggregation induced by MPTP models the early stages of Lewy body formation and may be a fundamental step in the evolution of neuronal degeneration in PD.
Multi-View 3D Human Tracking in Crowded Scenes

This paper presents a robust multi-view method for tracking people in 3D scene. Our method distinguishes itself from previous works in two aspects. Firstly, we define a set of binary spatial relationships for individual subjects or pairs of subjects that appear at the same time, e.g. being left or right, being closer or further to the camera, etc. These binary relationships directly reflect relative positions of subjects in 3D scene and thus should be persisted during inference. Secondly, we introduce an unified probabilistic framework to exploit binary spatial constraints for simultaneous 3D localization and cross-view human tracking. We develop a cluster Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to search the optimal solution. We evaluate our method on both public video benchmarks and newly built multi-view video dataset. Results with comparisons showed that our method could achieve state-of-the-art tracking results and meter-level 3D localization on challenging videos.
Transfection of CD14 into 70Z/3 cells dramatically enhances the sensitivity to complexes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LPS binding protein

Bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) causes fatal shock in humans and experimental animals. The shock is mediated by cytokines released by direct LPS stimulation of cells of monocytic origin (monocyte/macrophage [MO]). Recent studies have supported the concept that the plasma protein, LPS binding protein (LBP), plays an important role in controlling MO responses to LPS. Specifically, evidence has been presented to suggest that CD14, a membrane protein present in MO, serves as a receptor for complexes of LPS and the plasma protein LPS binding protein (LBP). In this function CD14 mediates attachment of LPS- bearing particles opsonized with LBP and appears to play an important role in regulating cytokine production induced by complexes of LPS and LBP. The CD14-, murine pre-B cell line 70Z/3 responds to LPS by synthesis of kappa light chains and consequent expression of surface IgM. To better understand the role of CD14 in controlling cellular responses to LPS, we investigated the effect of transfection of CD14 into 70Z/3 cells on LPS responsiveness. We report here that transfection of human or rabbit CD14 cDNA into 70Z/3 cells results in membrane expression of a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored CD14. When LPS is complexed with LBP, CD14-bearing 70Z/3 cells bind more LPS than do the parental or 70Z/3 cells transfected with vector only. Remarkably, the expression of CD14 lowers the amount of LPS required to stimulate surface IgM expression by up to 10,000-fold when LPS dose- response curves in the CD14-, parental and CD14-bearing, transfected 70Z/3 cells are compared. In contrast, the response of CD14-bearing 70Z/3 cells and the parental 70Z/3 cell line (CD14-) to interferon gamma is indistinguishable. LPS stimulation of the parental and CD14- bearing 70Z/3 cells results in activation of NF-kB. These data provide evidence to support the concept that the LPS receptor in cells that constitutively express CD14 may be a multiprotein complex containing CD14 and membrane protein(s) common to a diverse group of LPS- responsive cells.
Transient Ocular Wavefront Data in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Purpose We report transient ocular wavefront and blood glucose data for one patient with acute type 1 diabetes mellitus after the treatment with insulin has been initiated. Case Report The wavefront data for both eyes of a 34-year-old male patient were examined by a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor. Refraction data and higher-order aberrations were recorded during 130 days for eyes in natural conditions, without cycloplegia. At the beginning, we sampled data every 3 to 4 days and enlarged the intervals, when values settled. In total, we report 20 measurements and 1 baseline entry. Blood glucose levels were recorded at least six times a day during the complete period. For the equivalent sphere, we recorded a bilateral hyperopic shift of 5 D from −2.75 DS to +2.25 DS, followed by a reverse myopic shift of the same amount. The equivalent sphere peaked about 15 to 18 days after the treatment with insulin had begun. Cylinder values kept remarkably stable. Higher-order aberrations are dominated by the spherical aberration. The Zernike coefficient c12 for both eyes changed substantially from OD 0.036 &mgr;m and OS 0.062 &mgr;m to OD 0.24 &mgr;m and OS 0.22 &mgr;m (5 mm pupil diameter) following the time pattern of the equivalent sphere. About 60 days after they had reached their peak, all refraction values and higher-order aberrations stabilized at their baseline levels. The baseline was defined by records taken 4 years before the treatment with insulin was commenced. Conclusions Wavefront aberrometry gives quantitative insights in the transient alteration and recovering of the eye’s optics whilst the therapy of acute type 1 diabetes mellitus is being initiated. The data of this case support the assumption that variations in the crystalline lens, most probably the modification of its refractive gradient index, as a cause for the transient behavior. An explanation is still missing.
Myeloid Deletion of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2−Related Factor 2 Increases Atherosclerosis and Liver Injury

Objective—To determine the impact of hematopoietic deletion of nuclear factor− (erythroid-derived 2) like 2 factor (Nrf2) on the development of atherosclerosis and liver injury in an obese, hypercholesterolemic mouse model. Methods and Results—Two-month-old male low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice were lethally irradiated and transplanted with either wild type or Nrf2-deficient (Nrf2−/−) bone marrow cells. At 3 months of age, mice were placed on an obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD), high-cholesterol diet for 7 months. Despite no differences in body weight, body fat percentage, liver fat, plasma glucose, lipids, or insulin, the HFD-fed Nrf2−/− bone marrow recipients had increased proinflammatory vascular gene expression, a significant increase in atherosclerosis area (18% versus 28%; P=0.018) and lesion complexity, and a marked increase in liver fibrosis. The acceleration of vascular and liver injury may arise from enhanced macrophage migration, inflammation, and oxidative stress resulting from myeloid Nrf2 deficiency. Conclusion—Myeloid-derived Nrf2 activity attenuates atherosclerosis development and liver inflammation and fibrosis associated with obesity. Prevention of oxidative stress in macrophage and other myeloid lineage cells may be an important therapeutic target to reduce inflammation-driven complications of obesity.
Exact Joint Sparse Frequency Recovery via Optimization Methods

Frequency recovery/estimation from discrete samples of superimposed sinusoidal signals is a classic yet important problem in statistical signal processing. Its research has recently been advanced by atomic norm techniques that exploit signal sparsity, work directly on continuous frequencies, and completely resolve the grid mismatch problem of previous compressed sensing methods. In this paper, we investigate the frequency recovery problem in the presence of multiple measurement vectors (MMVs) which share the same frequency components, termed as joint sparse frequency recovery and arising naturally from array processing applications. To study the advantage of MMVs, we first propose an ℓ2,0 norm like approach by exploiting joint sparsity and show that the number of recoverable frequencies can be increased except in a trivial case. While the resulting optimization problem is shown to be rank minimization that cannot be practically solved, we then propose an MMV atomic norm approach that is a convex relaxation and can be viewed as a continuous counterpart of the ℓ2,1 norm method. We show that this MMV atomic norm approach can be solved by semidefinite programming. We also provide theoretical results showing that the frequencies can be exactly recovered under appropriate conditions. The above results either extend the MMV compressed sensing results from the discrete to the continuous setting or extend the recent super-resolution and continuous compressed sensing framework from the single to the multiple measurement vectors case. Extensive simulation results are provided to validate our theoretical findings and they also imply that the proposed MMV atomic norm approach can improve the performance in terms of reduced number of required measurements and/or relaxed frequency separation condition.
Interdependency of formation and localisation of the Min complex controls symmetric plastid division

Plastid division represents a fundamental biological process essential for plant development; however, the molecular basis of symmetric plastid division is unclear. AtMinE1 plays a pivotal role in selection of the plastid division site in concert with AtMinD1. AtMinE1 localises to discrete foci in chloroplasts and interacts with AtMinD1, which shows a similar localisation pattern. Here, we investigate the importance of Min protein complex formation during the chloroplast division process. Dissection of the assembly of the Min protein complex and determination of the interdependency of complex assembly and localisation in planta allow us to present a model of the molecular basis of selection of the division site in plastids. Moreover, functional analysis of AtMinE1 in bacteria demonstrates the level of functional conservation and divergence of the plastidic MinE proteins.
DOK3 Modulates Bone Remodeling by Negatively Regulating Osteoclastogenesis and Positively Regulating Osteoblastogenesis

Osteoclastogenesis is essential for bone remodeling and normal skeletal maintenance. Receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL) promotes osteoclast differentiation and function but requires costimulation of immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based activation motif (ITAM)‐coupled immunoreceptors. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells‐2 (TREM2) coupled to ITAM‐adaptor protein DNAX activation protein 12kDA (DAP12) provides costimulation of intracellular calcium signaling during osteoclastogenesis. Previously, we found that downstream of kinase‐3 (DOK3) physically associates with DAP12 to inhibit toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐induced inflammatory signaling in macrophages. However, whether and how DOK3 modulates DAP12‐dependent osteoclastogenesis is unknown and the focus of this study. Bone microarchitecture and histology of sex‐ and age‐matched wild‐type (WT) and DOK3‐deficient (DOK3‐/‐) mice were evaluated. Male and female DOK3‐/‐ mice have significantly reduced trabecular bone mass compared with WT mice with increased TRAP+ osteoclasts in vivo. In vitro, DOK3‐/‐ bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMMs) have increased macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF)‐induced proliferation and increased sensitivity to RANKL‐induced osteoclastogenesis. Compared with WT, DOK3‐/‐ osteoclasts are significantly larger with more nuclei and have increased resorptive capacity. Mechanistically, DOK3 limits osteoclastogenesis by inhibiting activation of Syk and ERK in response to RANKL and M‐CSF. DOK3 is phosphorylated in a DAP12‐dependent manner and associates with Grb2 and Cbl. Compared with DAP12‐/‐ mice with high bone mass, DOK3‐ and DAP12‐ doubly deficient mice (DKO) have normalized bone mass, indicating that DOK3 also limits DAP12‐independent osteoclastogenesis in vivo. In vitro osteoclasts derived from DKO mice are mononuclear with poor resorptive capacity similar to DAP12‐/‐ osteoclasts. Histomorphometry reveals that DOK3‐/‐mice also have reduced osteoblast parameters. DOK3‐/‐ osteoblasts have reduced in vitro osteoblastogenesis and increased osteoprotegerin (OPG) to RANKL expression ratio compared with WT osteoblasts. Co‐culture of WT and DOK3‐/‐ osteoblasts with pre‐osteoclasts reveals a reduced capacity of DOK3‐/‐ osteoblasts to support osteoclastogenesis. These data indicate that DOK3 regulates bone remodeling by negatively regulating M‐CSF‐ and RANKL‐mediated osteoclastogenesis and positively regulating osteoblastogenesis. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.