Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vestigial singing behaviour persists after the evolutionary loss of song in crickets

The evolutionary loss of sexual traits is widely predicted. Because sexual signals can arise from the coupling of specialized motor activity with morphological structures, disruption to a single component could lead to overall loss of function. Opportunities to observe this process and characterize any remaining signal components are rare, but could provide insight into the mechanisms, indirect costs and evolutionary consequences of signal loss. We investigated the recent evolutionary loss of a long-range acoustic sexual signal in the Hawaiian field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Flatwing males carry mutations that remove sound-producing wing structures, eliminating all acoustic signalling and affording protection against an acoustically-orientating parasitoid fly. We show that flatwing males produce wing movement patterns indistinguishable from those that generate sonorous calling song in normal-wing males. Evolutionary song loss caused by the disappearance of structural components of the sound-producing apparatus has left behind the energetically costly motor behaviour underlying normal singing. These results provide a rare example of a vestigial behaviour and raise the possibility that such traits could be co-opted for novel functions.
Avian Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Efficiently Transduces Neurons in the Embryonic and Post-Embryonic Chicken Brain

The domestic chicken is an attractive model system to explore the development and function of brain circuits. Electroporation-mediated and retrovirus (including lentivirus) vector-mediated gene transfer techniques have been widely used to introduce genetic material into chicken cells. However, it is still challenging to efficiently transduce chicken postmitotic neurons without harming the cells. To overcome this problem, we searched for a virus vector suitable for gene transfer into chicken neurons, and report here a novel recombinant virus vector derived from avian adeno-associated virus (A3V). A3V vector efficiently transduces neuronal cells, but not non-neuronal cells in the brain. A single A3V injection into a postembryonic chick brain allows gene expression selectively in neuronal cells within 24 hrs. Such rapid and neuron-specific gene transduction raises the possibility that A3V vector can be utilized for studies of memory formation in filial imprinting, which occurs during the early postnatal days. A3V injection into the neural tube near the ear vesicle at early embryonic stage resulted in persistent and robust gene expression until E20.5 in the auditory brainstem. We further devised an A3V-mediated tetracycline (Tet) dependent gene expression system as a tool for studying the auditory circuit, consisting of the nucleus magnocellularis (NM) and nucleus laminaris (NL), that primarily computes interaural time differences (ITDs). Using this Tet system, we can transduce NM neurons without affecting NL neurons. Thus, the A3V technology complements current gene transfer techniques in chicken studies and will contribute to better understanding of the functional organization of neural circuits.
New graduates’ perceptions of preparedness to provide speech-language therapy services in general and dysphagia services in particular

Background Upon graduation, newly qualified speech-language therapists are expected to provide services independently. This study describes new graduates’ perceptions of their preparedness to provide services across the scope of the profession and explores associations between perceptions of dysphagia theory and clinical learning curricula with preparedness for adult and paediatric dysphagia service delivery. Methods New graduates of six South African universities were recruited to participate in a survey by completing an electronic questionnaire exploring their perceptions of the dysphagia curricula and their preparedness to practise across the scope of the profession of speech-language therapy. Results Eighty graduates participated in the study yielding a response rate of 63.49%. Participants perceived themselves to be well prepared in some areas (e.g. child language: 100%; articulation and phonology: 97.26%), but less prepared in other areas (e.g. adult dysphagia: 50.70%; paediatric dysarthria: 46.58%; paediatric dysphagia: 38.36%) and most unprepared to provide services requiring sign language (23.61%) and African languages (20.55%). There was a significant relationship between perceptions of adequate theory and clinical learning opportunities with assessment and management of dysphagia and perceptions of preparedness to provide dysphagia services. Conclusion There is a need for review of existing curricula and consideration of developing a standard speech-language therapy curriculum across universities, particularly in service provision to a multilingual population, and in both the theory and clinical learning of the assessment and management of adult and paediatric dysphagia, to better equip graduates for practice.
Recent advances in modeling and experiments of Kevlar ballistic fibrils, fibers, yarns and flexible woven textile fabrics – a review

Ballistic impact onto flexible woven textile fabrics is a complicated multi-scale problem given the structural hierarchy of the materials, anisotropic material behavior, projectile geometry–fabric interactions, impact velocity and boundary conditions. Although this subject has been an active area of research for decades, the fundamental mechanisms, such as material failure, dynamic response and multi-axial loading occurring at the lower length scales during impact, are not well understood. This paper reviews the recent advances in modeling and experiments of Kevlar ballistic fibrils, fibers, yarns and flexible woven textile fabrics pertinent to the deformation modes occurring during impact and serves to identify topics worthy of further investigation that will advance the basic understanding of the phenomena governing transverse impact. This review also explores aspects such as homogeneous versus heterogeneous behavior of yarns consisting of individual fibers and the inelastic transverse behavior of the fiber, which is not considered in the previous review papers on this topic.
The Breast-Screening Brawl

Should regular mammography screening be recommended for women in their forties? The question has sparked a controversy that culminated last month at the National Cancer Institute, in a meeting that ended with accusations of fraud and bureaucratic chicanery. Stoking the controversy is sparse and contradictory evidence about whether screening really helps reduce breast cancer mortality in this age group, concern about false positives and unnecessary surgery, and a radical difference in outlook between the radiologists who favor screening and the epidemiologists and public health experts who urge caution.
A Carnivorous Plant Fed by Its Ant Symbiont: A Unique Multi-Faceted Nutritional Mutualism

Scarcity of essential nutrients has led plants to evolve alternative nutritional strategies, such as myrmecotrophy (ant-waste-derived nutrition) and carnivory (invertebrate predation). The carnivorous plant Nepenthes bicalcarata grows in the Bornean peatswamp forests and is believed to have a mutualistic relationship with its symbiotic ant Camponotus schmitzi. However, the benefits provided by the ant have not been quantified. We tested the hypothesis of a nutritional mutualism, using foliar isotopic and reflectance analyses and by comparing fitness-related traits between ant-inhabited and uninhabited plants. Plants inhabited by C. schmitzi produced more leaves of greater area and nitrogen content than unoccupied plants. The ants were estimated to provide a 200% increase in foliar nitrogen to adult plants. Inhabited plants also produced more and larger pitchers containing higher prey biomass. C. schmitzi-occupied pitchers differed qualitatively in containing C. schmitzi wastes and captured large ants and flying insects. Pitcher abortion rates were lower in inhabited plants partly because of herbivore deterrence as herbivory-aborted buds decreased with ant occupation rate. Lower abortion was also attributed to ant nutritional service. The ants had higher δ15N values than any tested prey, and foliar δ15N increased with ant occupation rate, confirming their predatory behaviour and demonstrating their direct contribution to the plant-recycled N. We estimated that N. bicalcarata derives on average 42% of its foliar N from C. schmitzi wastes, (76% in highly-occupied plants). According to the Structure Independent Pigment Index, plants without C. schmitzi were nutrient stressed compared to both occupied plants, and pitcher-lacking plants. This attests to the physiological cost of pitcher production and poor nutrient assimilation in the absence of the symbiont. Hence C. schmitzi contributes crucially to the nutrition of N. bicalcarata, via protection of assimilatory organs, enhancement of prey capture, and myrmecotrophy. This combination of carnivory and myrmecotrophy represents an outstanding strategy of nutrient sequestration.
An Investigation into the Long-Term Excessive Deflection of PC Viaducts by Using 3D Multi-scale Integrated Analysis

This paper investigates the causes of excessive long-term deflection of PC bridge viaducts by using 3D integrated mate- rial-structural analyses to take into account the coupled chemo-physics at various scales from the molecular size of wa- ter to the structural members. The excessive deflection observed at site is found to be rooted in the deformation of ce- ment paste stemming from both externally applied loads and internal stresses driven by capillary surface tension and disjoining pressures in micro-pores. Not only the former but also the later effect is focused in the serviceability control of PC viaducts. It is found that the nonlinear, long-term deflection of the bridge viaduct can be approximately separated into the components of deflections provoked by external mechanistic and internal thermodynamic actions, even though each component is nonlinearly associated with the thermodynamic states of moisture in micro-pores of cement hydrates.
ournal of C osmology and A stroparticle hysics Structure formation with massive neutrinos: going beyond linear theory

We compute non-linear corrections to the matter power spectrum taking the time-and scale-dependent free-streaming length of neutrinos into account. We adopt a hybrid scheme that matches the full Boltzmann hierarchy to an eﬀective two-ﬂuid description at an intermediate redshift. The non-linearities in the neutrino component are taken into account by using an extension of the time-ﬂow framework. We point out that this remedies a spurious behaviour that occurs when neglecting non-linear terms for neutrinos. This behaviour is related to how eﬃciently short modes decouple from long modes and can be traced back to the violation of momentum conservation if neutrinos are treated linearly. Furthermore, we compare our results at next to leading order to various other methods and quantify the accuracy of the ﬂuid description. Due to the correct decoupling behaviour of short modes, the two-ﬂuid scheme is a suitable starting point to compute higher orders in perturbations or for resummation methods. neutrino masses from cosmology, cosmological parameters from LSS
Harnessing ICT to Increase Agricultural Production: Evidence From Kenya

Sending SMS messages with agricultural advice to smallholder farmers increased yields by 11.5% relative to a control group with no messages. These effects are concentrated among farmers who had no agronomy training and had little interaction with sugar cane company staff at baseline. A follow-up trial of the same intervention has, however, no significant impact on yields. * The project would not have been possible without the collaboration and inputs of Mumias Sugar Company managers and field workers. We acknowledge funding from JPAL ATAI, USAID Development Innovation Ventures, PEDL, and the Basis Assets and Market Access Research Program. Gretchen Carrigan, Noah Mambo, Seth Blumberg, Ludovica Gazzé, and Mayara Silva provided excellent research assistance. We also thank the IPA Kenya team for managing data collection. Participants at seminars at the Paris School of Economics, Harvard, Stanford, the 2013 Basis Technical Meeting, and the 2013 IPA/PEDL SME conference provided valuable suggestions. ** Ravindra Ramrattan worked on this research as Project Associate for IPA. In September 2013, he was one of the victims of the Westgate Shopping Center terrorist attack. Ravindra is sorely missed by his coauthors and by all his friends in Kenya.
Pretransplant IgA-Anti-Beta 2 Glycoprotein I Antibodies As a Predictor of Early Graft Thrombosis after Renal Transplantation in the Clinical Practice: A Multicenter and Prospective Study

Background Graft thrombosis is a devastating complication after renal transplantation. We recently described the association of anti-beta-2-glycoprotein-I (IgA-ab2GP1) antibodies with early graft loss mainly caused by thrombosis in a monocenter study. Methods Multicenter prospective observational cohort study. Setting and participants Seven hundred forty patients from five hospitals of the Spanish Forum Renal Group transplanted from 2000 to 2002 were prospectively followed-up for 10 years. Outcomes Early graft loss and graft loss by thrombosis. Measurements The presence of IgA anti-B2GP1 antibodies in pretransplant serum was examined using the same methodology in all the patients. Results At transplantation, 288 patients were positive for IgA-B2GP1 (39%, Group-1) and the remaining were negative (Group-2). Graft loss at 6 months was higher in Group-1 (12.5 vs. 4.2% p < 0.001), vessel thrombosis being the most frequent cause of early graft loss, especially in Group-1 (6.9 vs. 0.4% p < 0.001). IgA-aB2GP1 was the most important independent risk factor for graft thrombosis (hazard ratio: 13.83; 95% CI: 3.17–60.27, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the, presence of IgA-aB2GP1 was associated with early graft loss and delayed graft function. At 10 years, survival figures were also lower in Group-1: graft survival was lower compared with Group-2 (60.4 vs. 76.8%, p < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in Group-1 (19.8 vs. 12.2%, p = 0.005). Limitations Patients were obtained during a 3-year period (1 January 2000–31 December 2002) and kidneys were only transplanted from brain-dead donors. Nowadays, the patients are older and the percentage of sensitized and retransplants is high. Conclusion In a prospective observational multicenter study, we were able to corroborate that pretransplant presence of IgA-aB2GP1 was the main risk factor for graft thrombosis and early graft loss. Therefore, a prospective study is needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic anticoagulation to avoid this severe complication.
A Simple Phosphate-Buffered-Saline-Based Extraction Method Improves Specificity of HIV Viral Load Monitoring Using Dried Blood Spots

ABSTRACT Although Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan (CAP/CTM) systems are widely used in sub-Saharan Africa for early infant diagnosis of HIV from dried blood spots (DBS), viral load monitoring with this system is not practical due to nonspecific extraction of both cell-free and cell-associated viral nucleic acids. A simplified DBS extraction technique for cell-free virus elution using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) may provide an alternative analyte for lower-cost quantitative HIV virus load (VL) testing to monitor antiretroviral therapy (ART). We evaluated the CAP/CTM v2.0 assay in 272 paired plasma and DBS specimens using the cell-free virus elution method and determined the level of agreement, sensitivity, and specificity at thresholds of target not detected (TND), target below the limit of quantification (BLQ) (<20 copies/ml in plasma or <400 copies/ml in DBS), and VL of <1,000 copies/ml, and VL of <5,000 copies/ml. Reported plasma VL ranged from TND, or <20, to 5,781,592 copies/ml, and DBS VL ranged from TND, or <400, to 467,600 copies/ml. At <1000 copies/ml, agreement between DBS and plasma was 96.7% (kappa coefficient, 0.93; P < 0.0001). The mean difference between DBS and plasma VL values was −1.06 log10 copies/ml (95% confidence interval [CI], −1.17, −0.97; P < 0.0001). At a treatment failure threshold of >1,000 copies/ml, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) were 92.7%, 100%, 100%, and 94.3%, respectively. PBS elution of DBS offers a sensitive and specific method for monitoring plasma viremia among adults and children on ART at the WHO-recommended threshold of >1,000 copies/ml on the Roche CAP/CTM system.
Biological Features of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Objective: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have a supportive role in hematopoiesis and as components of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment may present alterations during acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and be affected by chemotherapeutic agents. We examined the biological and functional characteristics of MSCs in ALL diagnosis and treatment and their effect on MSC qualitative properties. Materials and Methods: Immunophenotypic characterization, evaluation of clonogenicity, and proliferative capacity were measured. Apoptotic features, cell-cycle analysis, and stromal cell-derived factor 1α and angiopoietin-1 levels in MSC supernatant at diagnosis and in different phases of treatment were assessed. Chemotherapy was administered according to the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-2000 protocol. BM samples from children with solid tumors without BM involvement were used as the control group. Results: The morphology, the immunophenotypic profile, and the apoptotic characteristics of the MSCs were not affected by leukemia. The secretion of factors involved in the trafficking of hematopoietic cells in the BM seems to be upregulated at diagnosis in comparison to the treatment phases. MSCs are influenced by the disease in terms of their functional characteristics such as clonogenicity and proliferation rate. These effects cease as soon as treatment is initiated. Chemotherapy does not seem to exert any effect on any of the MSC features examined. Conclusion: MSCs from children with ALL are affected by their interaction with the leukemic environment, but this phenomenon ceases upon treatment initiation, while no effect is observed by chemotherapy itself.
Maize YABBY Genes drooping leaf1 and drooping leaf2 Regulate Plant Architecture[OPEN]

Maize drooping leaf genes are necessary for proper leaf development and reside within quantitative trait locus regions for agronomically important leaf architecture traits. Leaf architecture directly influences canopy structure, consequentially affecting yield. We discovered a maize (Zea mays) mutant with aberrant leaf architecture, which we named drooping leaf1 (drl1). Pleiotropic mutations in drl1 affect leaf length and width, leaf angle, and internode length and diameter. These phenotypes are enhanced by natural variation at the drl2 enhancer locus, including reduced expression of the drl2-Mo17 allele in the Mo17 inbred. A second drl2 allele, produced by transposon mutagenesis, interacted synergistically with drl1 mutants and reduced drl2 transcript levels. The drl genes are required for proper leaf patterning, development and cell proliferation of leaf support tissues, and for restricting auricle expansion at the midrib. The paralogous loci encode maize CRABS CLAW co-orthologs in the YABBY family of transcriptional regulators. The drl genes are coexpressed in incipient and emergent leaf primordia at the shoot apex, but not in the vegetative meristem or stem. Genome-wide association studies using maize NAM-RIL (nested association mapping-recombinant inbred line) populations indicated that the drl loci reside within quantitative trait locus regions for leaf angle, leaf width, and internode length and identified rare single nucleotide polymorphisms with large phenotypic effects for the latter two traits. This study demonstrates that drl genes control the development of key agronomic traits in maize.
Trial of CBT for impulse control behaviors affecting Parkinson patients and their caregivers

Objective: To test the effects of a novel cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)–based intervention delivered by a nurse therapist to patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with clinically significant impulse control behaviors (ICB). Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial comparing up to 12 sessions of a CBT-based intervention compared to a waiting list control condition with standard medical care (SMC). A total of 27 patients were randomized to the intervention and 17 to the waiting list. Patients with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of <24 were excluded. The coprimary outcomes were overall symptom severity and neuropsychiatric disturbances in the patients and carer burden and distress after 6 months. Secondary outcome measures included depression and anxiety, marital satisfaction, and work and social adjustment in patients plus general psychiatric morbidity and marital satisfaction in carers. Results: There was a significant improvement in global symptom severity in the CBT intervention group vs controls, from a mean score consistent with moderate to one of mild illness-related symptoms (χ2 = 16.46, p < 0.001). Neuropsychiatric disturbances also improved significantly (p = 0.03), as did levels of anxiety and depression and adjustment. Measures of carer burden and distress showed changes in the desired direction in the intervention group but did not change significantly. General psychiatric morbidity did improve significantly in the carers of patients given CBT. Conclusions: This CBT-based intervention is the first to show efficacy in ICB related to PD in terms of patient outcomes. The hoped-for alleviation of carer burden was not observed. The study demonstrates the feasibility and potential benefit of a psychosocial treatment approach for these disturbances at least in the short term, and encourages further larger-scale clinical trials. Classification of evidence: The study provides Class IV evidence that CBT plus SMC is more effective than SMC alone in reducing the severity of ICB in PD, based upon Clinical Global Impression assessment (χ2 = 16.46, p < 0.001): baseline to 6-month follow-up, reduction in symptom severity CBT group, 4.0–2.5; SMC alone group, 3.7–3.5.
New progress in roles of nitric oxide during hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury

Hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury (HIRI) is a clinical condition which may lead to cellular injury and organ dysfunction. The role of nitric oxide (NO) in HIRI is complicated and inconclusive. NO produced by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation plays a protective role during early HIRI. But eNOS overexpression and the resulting excessive NO bioavailability can aggravate liver injury. NO induced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) may have either a protective or a deleterious effect during the early phase of HIRI, but it may protect the liver during late HIRI. Here, we reviewed the latest findings on the role of NO during HIRI: (1) NO exerts a protective effect against HIRI by increasing NO bioavailability, downregulating p53 gene expression, decreasing inflammatory chemokines, reducing ROS via inhibiting the mitochondrial respiratory chain, activating sGC-GTP-cGMP signal pathway to reduce liver cell apoptosis, and regulating hepatic immune functions; (2) eNOS protects against HIRI by increasing NO levels, several eNOS/NO signal pathways (such as Akt-eNOS/NO, AMPK-eNOS/NO and HIF-1α-eNOS/NO) participating in the anti-HIRI process, and inhibiting over-expression of eNOS also protects against HIRI; and (3) the inhibition of iNOS prevents HIRI. Thus, the adverse effects of NO should be avoided, but its positive effect in the clinical treatment of diseases associated with HIRI should be recognized.