Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salicylic Acid in Rice (Biosynthesis, Conjugation, and Possible Role)

Salicylic acid (SA) is a natural inducer of disease resistance in some dicotyledonous plants. Rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) had the highest levels of SA among all plants tested for SA content (between 0.01 and 37.19 [mu]g/g fresh weight). The second leaf of rice seedlings had slightly lower SA levels than any younger leaves. To investigate the role of SA in rice disease resistance, we examined the levels of SA in rice (cv M-201) after inoculation with bacterial and fungal pathogens. SA levels did not increase after inoculation with either the avirulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae D20 or with the rice pathogens Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast, and Rhizoctonia solani, the causal agent of sheath blight. However, leaf SA levels in 28 rice varieties showed a correlation with generalized blast resistance, indicating that SA may play a role as a constitutive defense compound. Biosynthesis and metabolism of SA in rice was studied and compared to that of tobacco. Rice shoots converted [14C]cinnamic acid to SA and the lignin precursors p-coumaric and ferulic acids, whereas [14C]benzoic acid was readily converted to SA. The data suggest that in rice, as in tobacco, SA is synthesized from cinnamic acid via benzoic acid. In rice shoots, SA is largely present as a free acid; however, exogenously supplied SA was converted to [beta]-O-D-glucosylSA by an SA-inducible glucosyltransferase (SA-GTase). A 7-fold induction of SA-GTase activity was observed after 6 h of feeding 1 mM SA. Both rice roots and shoots showed similar patterns of SA-GTase induction by SA, with maximal induction after feeding with 1 mM SA.
Intermediate- to Long-Term Results of Combined Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation

Background: Cartilage injury associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures is common; however, relatively few reports exist on concurrent cartilage repair with ACL reconstruction. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) has been utilized successfully for treatment of moderate to large chondral defects. Hypothesis: ACL insufficiency with relatively large chondral defects may be effectively managed with concurrent ACL reconstruction and ACI. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Patients undergoing concurrent ACL primary or revision reconstruction with ACI of single or multiple cartilage defects were prospectively evaluated for a minimum 2 years. Pre- and postoperative outcome measures included the modified Cincinnati Rating Scale (MCRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, visual analog pain scales, and postsurgery satisfaction surveys. ACI graft failure or persistent pain without functional improvement were considered treatment failures. Results: Twenty-six patients were included, with 13 primary and 13 revision ACL reconstructions performed. Mean defect total surface area was 8.4 cm2, with a mean follow-up of 95 months (range, 24-240 months). MCRS improved from 3.62 ± 1.42 to 5.54 ± 2.32, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index from 45.31 ± 17.27 to 26.54 ± 17.71, and visual analog pain scale from 6.19 ± 1.27 to 3.65 ± 1.77 (all Ps <.001). Eight patients were clinical failures, 69% of patients were improved at final follow-up, and 92% stated they would likely undergo the procedure again. No outcome correlation was found with regard to age, body mass index, sex, defect size/number, follow-up time, or primary versus revision ACL reconstruction. In subanalysis, revision ACL reconstructions had worse preoperative MCRS scores and greater defect surface areas. However, revision MCRS score improvements were greater, resulting in similar final functional scores when compared with primary reconstructions. Conclusion: Challenging cases of ACL tears with large chondral defects treated with concurrent ACL reconstruction and ACI can lead to moderately improved pain and function at long-term follow-up. Factors associated with clinical failure are not clear. When combined with ACI, patients undergoing revision ACL reconstructions have worse function preoperatively compared with those undergoing primary reconstructions but have similar final outcomes.
Inside Geopolitics of Energy Special Issue: Energy Poverty and Development

Editorial Board Peter Adam Preety Bhandari Fatih Birol Ged Davis Robert Ebel George Eynon Fereidun Fesharaki Herman Franssen Antoine Halff Paul Horsnell Wenran Jiang Tatsu Kambara Alex Kemp Walid Khadduri David Knapp Michal Moore Edward Morse Francisco Parra Robert Priddle John Roberts Adnan Shihab-Eldin Robert Skinner Subroto Paul Tempest R. James Woolsey Wu Lei Geopolitics of Energy was founded by the late Melvin A. Conant of Washington, DC in 1979. Since 1993, it has been published under the auspices of the Canadian Energy Research Institute. ®
The Evolution of the Ribosome and the Genetic Code

The evolution of the genetic code is mapped out starting with the aminoacyl tRNA-synthetases and their interaction with the operational code in the tRNA acceptor arm. Combining this operational code with a metric based on the biosynthesis of amino acids from the Citric acid, we come to the conclusion that the earliest genetic code was a Guanine Cytosine (GC) code. This has implications for the likely earliest positively charged amino acids. The progression from this pure GC code to the extant one is traced out in the evolution of the Large Ribosomal Subunit, LSU, and its proteins; in particular those associated with the Peptidyl Transfer Center (PTC) and the nascent peptide exit tunnel. This progression has implications for the earliest encoded peptides and their evolutionary progression into full complex proteins.
Cognitive Complexity and Attentional Control in the Bilingual Mind

In the analysis and control framework, Bialystok identifies analysis (representation) and control (selective attention) as components of language processing and has shown that one of these, control, develops earlier in bilingual children than in comparable monolinguals. In the theory of cognitive complexity and control (CCC), Zelazo and Frye argue that preschool children lack the conscious representation and executive functioning needed to solve problems based on conflicting rules. The present study investigates whether the bilingual advantage in control can be found in a nonverbal task, the dimensional change card sort, used by Zelazo and Frye to assess CCC. This problem contains misleading information characteristic of high-control tasks but minimal demands for analysis. Sixty preschool children, half of whom were bilingual, were divided into a group of younger (M = 4,2) and older (M = 5,5) children. All the children were given a test of English proficiency (PPVT-R) and working memory (Visually-Cued Recall Task) to assure comparability of the groups and then administered the dimensional change card sort task and the moving word task. The bilingual children were more advanced than the monolinguals in the solving of experimental problems requiring high levels of control. These results demonstrate the role of attentional control in both these tasks, extends our knowledge about the cognitive development of bilingual children, and provides a means of relating developmental proposals articulated in two different theoretical frameworks, namely, CCC and analysis-control.
Sensitivity of tracer transport to model resolution, forcing data and tracer lifetime in the general circulation model ECHAM5

The transport of tracers in the general circulation model ECHAM5 is analysed using 9 independent idealized tracers with constant lifetimes released in di ﬀ erent altitude regions of the atmosphere. The source regions were split into the tropics, Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The dependency of tracer transport on model resolution is 5 tested in the resolutions T21L19, T42L19, T42L31, T63L31 and T106L31, by employ-ing tracers with a globally uniform lifetime of 5 months. Each of the experiments uses prescribed sea surface temperatures and sea ice ﬁelds of the 1990s. The inﬂuence of meteorology and tracer lifetimes were tested by performing additional experiments in the T63L31 resolution, by nudging ECHAM5 towards the European Centre for Medium 10 Range Weather Forecast 40 years re-analysis data (ERA40), and by using tracer lifetimes of 0.5 and 50 months, respectively. The transport of tracers is faster in the ﬁner resolution models and is mostly dependent on the number of vertical levels. We found a decrease in the inter-hemispheric transport of tracers with source region at the surface or the tropopause in the coarse resolution models due to increasing recirculation 15 within the source region and vertical mixing. However, a coarse model resolution leads to enhanced inter-hemispheric transport in the stratosphere. The use of ERA40 data only slightly a ﬀ ects the inter-hemispheric transport of surface and tropopause tracers, whereas it increases the inter-hemispheric and vertical transport in the stratosphere by up to 100% and by a factor of 2.5, respectively. The inter-hemispheric transport time 20 was deduced from simulations with tracers of inﬁnite lifetime and source regions at the surface in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Again, the transport was found to
Number of siblings and school achievement in sub Sahara Africa

This paper uses biographical data from Dakar and Yaounde, two big African cities, to study the link between the number of siblings and school attainment. The data describe all fertility events meet by parents and the sibling? s size structure of every child over time. The average sibling size effect is estimated first. Then, the sibling? s size at given age effect is estimated. The results show that, in Dakar, both the overall and age specific siblings size effect on education are negative and statistically significant. In Yaounde, the overall effect is not significant, but we observed negative effects at some schooling ages (between 14 and 16). This paper uses biographical data from Dakar and Yaounde, two big African cities, to study the link between the number of siblings and school attainment. The data describe all fertility events meet by parents and the sibling? s size structure of every child over time. The average sibling size effect is estimated first. Then, the sibling? s size at given age effect is estimated. The results show that, in Dakar, both the overall and age specific siblings size effect on education are negative and statistically significant. In Yaounde, the overall effect is not significant, but we observed negative effects at some schooling ages (between 14 and 16).
Platelet-Rich Plasma

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been utilized in surgery for 2 decades; there has been a recent interest in the use of PRP for the treatment of sports-related injuries. PRP contains growth factors and bioactive proteins that influence the healing of tendon, ligament, muscle, and bone. This article examines the basic science of PRP, and it describes the current clinical applications in sports medicine. This study reviews and evaluates the human studies that have been published in the orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine literature. The use of PRP in amateur and professional sports is reviewed, and the regulation of PRP by antidoping agencies is discussed.
Psychosocial factors and T lymphocyte counts in Brazilian peacekeepers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte numbers in Brazilian peacekeepers. METHODS: Venous blood was collected from 759 peacekeepers who had just returned from a peace mission in Haiti. Among the 759 soldiers, 642 individuals completed the psychosocial measures. CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte counts were measured by flow cytometry using a commercially available kit. Psychosocial factors, including military peace force stressors, clinical stress, anxiety and depression, were recorded. As a reference for T lymphocyte numbers, we measured T lymphocyte counts in 75 blood donors from the Instituto de Biologia do Exército, Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: The median numbers of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the blood donors were 819 cells/µl and 496 cells/µl, respectively, with a CD4:CD8 ratio of 1.6. Significantly (p<0.05) lower CD4 T cell counts (759 cells/µl) were recorded for peacekeepers, with similar CD8 levels (548 cells/µl) and smaller CD4:CD8 ratios (1.3, p<0.001) compared to blood donors. These differences were due to a group of 14 military personnel with CD4 and CD8 medians of 308 and 266 cells/µl, respectively. Only one (7.1%) of these 14 individuals was diagnosed with clinical stress compared with 13.5% of the individuals with normal levels of CD4 T lymphocytes. One individual out of 628 (0.16%) had a Lipp's Stress Symptom Inventory score of 3, indicating near exhaustion. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of psychological disorders was low and there were no associations with CD4 or CD8 T cell numbers.
An Efficient Automatic Attendance System using Fingerprint Verification Technique

The main aim of this paper is to develop an accurate, fast and very efficient automatic attendance system using fingerprint verification technique. We propose a system in which fingerprint verification is done by using extraction of minutiae technique and the system that automates the whole process of taking attendance, Manually which is a laborious and troublesome work and waste a lot of time, with its managing and maintaining the records for a period of time is also a burdensome task. For this purpose we use fingerprint verification system using extraction of minutiae techniques. The experimental result shows that our proposed system is highly efficient in verification of user fingerprint.
Immunomodulatory Effects of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 on Allergic Airway Inflammation in a Mouse Model

Background Hygiene hypothesis demonstrates that the lack of microbial exposure would promote the development of allergic airway disease (AAD). Therefore, the gut microbiota, including Escherichia coli (E. coli), would probably offer a potential strategy for AAD. Objective To investigate whether E. coli infection is able to suppress the induction of AAD and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods Nonpathogenic E. coli ATCC 25922 was infected by gavage before AAD phase in three patterns: 108 or 106 CFU in neonates or 108 CFU in adults. Then mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to induce allergic inflammation in both the upper and lower airways. Hallmarks of AAD, in terms of eosinophil infiltration and goblet cell metaplasia in subepithelial mucosa, Th2 skewing of the immune response, and levels of T regulate cells (Tregs), were examined by histological analysis, ELISA, and flow cytometry, respectively. Results E. coli, especially neonatally infected with an optimal dose, attenuated allergic responses, including a decrease in nasal rubbing and sneezing, a reduction in eosinophil inflammation and goblet cell metaplasia in subepithelial mucosa, decreased serum levels of OVA-specific IgE, and reduced Th2 (IL-4) cytokines. In contrast, this effect came with an increase of Th1 (IFN-r and IL-2) cytokines, and an enhancement of IL-10-secreting Tregs in paratracheal lymph nodes (PTLN). Conclusion E. coli suppresses allergic responses in mice, probably via a shift from Th1 to Th2 and/or induction of Tregs. Moreover, this infection is age- and dose-dependent, which may open up novel possibilities for new therapeutic interventions.
Particulate bioglass in the regeneration of alveolar bone in dogs: clinical, surgical and radiographic evaluations

Bone loss, either by trauma or other diseases, generates an increasing need for substitutes of this tissue. This study evaluated Bioglass as a bone substitute in the regeneration of the alveolar bone in mandibles of dogs by clinical, surgical and radiological analysis. Twenty-eight adult dogs were randomly separated into two equal groups. In each animal, a bone defect was created on the vestibular surface of the alveolar bone between the roots of the fourth right premolar tooth. In the treated group, the defect was immediately filled with bioglass, while in the control, it remained unfilled. Clinical evaluations were performed daily for a week, as well as x-rays immediately after surgery and at 8, 14, 21, 42, 60, 90 and 120 days post-operative. Most animals in both groups showed no signs of inflammation and wound healing was similar. Radiographic examination revealed a gradual increase of radiopacity in the region of the defect in the control group. In the treated group, initial radiopacity was higher than that of adjacent bone, decreasing until 21 days after surgery. Then it gradually increased until 120 days after sur gery, when the defect became undetectable. The results showed that Bioglass integrates into bone tissue, is biocompatible and reduced the period for complete bone regeneration.
TorsinA rescues ER-associated stress and locomotive defects in C. elegans models of ALS

ABSTRACT Molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases converge at the interface of pathways impacting cellular stress, protein homeostasis and aging. Targeting the intrinsic capacities of neuroprotective proteins to restore neuronal function and/or attenuate degeneration represents a potential means toward therapeutic intervention. The product of the human DYT1 gene, torsinA, is a member of the functionally diverse AAA+ family of proteins and exhibits robust molecular-chaperone-like activity, both in vitro and in vivo. Although mutations in DYT1 are associated with a rare form of heritable generalized dystonia, the native function of torsinA seems to be cytoprotective in maintaining the cellular threshold to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Here we explore the potential for torsinA to serve as a buffer to attenuate the cellular consequences of misfolded-protein stress as it pertains to the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The selective vulnerability of motor neurons to degeneration in ALS mouse models harboring mutations in superoxide dismutase (SOD1) has been found to correlate with regional-specific ER stress in brains. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a system to model ER stress, we generated transgenic nematodes overexpressing either wild-type or mutant human SOD1 to evaluate their relative impact on ER stress induction in vivo. These studies revealed a mutant-SOD1-specific increase in ER stress that was further exacerbated by changes in temperature, all of which was robustly attenuated by co-expression of torsinA. Moreover, through complementary behavioral analysis, torsinA was able to restore normal neuronal function in mutant G85R SOD1 animals. Furthermore, torsinA targeted mutant SOD1 for degradation via the proteasome, representing mechanistic insight on the activity that torsinA has on aggregate-prone proteins. These results expand our understanding of proteostatic mechanisms influencing neuronal dysfunction in ALS, while simultaneously highlighting the potential for torsinA as a novel target for therapeutic development.
Transductive kernel learning Apprentissage transductif des noyaux

Transductive inference techniques are nowadays becoming standard in machine learning due to their relative success in solving many real-world applications. Among them, kernel-based methods are particularly interesting but their success remains highly dependent on the choice of kernels. The latter are usually handcrafted or designed in order to capture better similarity in training data. In this paper, we introduce a novel transductive learning algorithm for kernel design and classiﬁcation. Our approach is based on the minimization of an energy function mixing i) a reconstruction term that factorizes a matrix of input data as a product of a learned dictionary and a learned kernel map ii) a ﬁdelity term that ensures consistent label predictions with those provided in a ground-truth and iii) a smoothness term which guarantees similar labels for neighboring data and allows us to iteratively diﬀuse kernel maps and labels from labeled to unlabeled data. Solving this minimization problem makes it possible to learn both a decision criterion and a kernel map that guarantee linear separability in a high dimensional space and good generalization performance. Experiments conducted on object class segmentation, show improvements with respect to baseline as well as related work on the challenging VOC database.
Local people's perception on Climate Change, its impact and adaptation practices in Himalaya to Terai regions of Nepal

The study showed that average temperature has increased from 0.6 to 0.980 C over the last 30 years and precipitation is characterized by large inter-annual variability with substantial decrease in amount over the last five years. The annual temperature increasing trend followed 0.055>0.0455>0.035>0.02 0C yr-1 from Middle Mountain, Siwlik, Himalayan and Teari regions respectively. More than 80 percent HHs responded that they have perceived increased temperature and expressed low amount snowfall in High mountain and rainfall in Mid mountain and Terai region over the last five years. Low amount of snow fall in the Himalayan region affected to the Nomad groups due low grass available to feed their livestock. Furthermore, local collector reported that there was lower availability of the medicinal plant such as Nirmasi and Jimbu due to low precipitation in the High mountain region. Similarly, more than 75 % respondent explored that monsoon has started one or two weeks later and increased the more number of drought days in the Mid-mountain and Terai. Study found that there was also decreased in water sources, ground water, and increased siltation and sedimentation in the downstream Terai region. Furthermore, change in flowering and fruiting time in some species, increased invade species like Agerative spp, Lantana camera in the farm land as well as forest land. Adaptation measures such as use of water source, community forest management, planting trees and grasses in the farm land, crop diversification were practiced by local people in their farm land as well as communal land. Natural resource degradation, poverty are already severe problems in this region, and there will be more severe problems in future if present scenario continues, particularly because small farmers do not have adequate resources to adopt to cope with CC impact. Study showed that Mid-mountain region is less vulnerable through climate change than other regions. Furthermore, no any policies and programs have been formulated for adaptation strateragy in this region. It is suggested that policy and program should formulate holistic approach and develop low cost technology for adaption to CC impact and improve livelihood of the local communities.