Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential carbon stock in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract Global concern about climate change motivates for increasing interests in revising the management plan of natural ecosystems to include carbon sequestration services. Such revision must be informed of knowledge of carbon storage capacity of these ecosystems and the underlying factors. Here, the aim is twofold: to quantify the carbon stock that could be expected from the diversity of trees (~500 species) in the Kruger National Park (KNP; ~2 million ha) if all individual trees recorded in 110 plots of 50 m × 50 m grow to their maximal potential; and to test the predictive power of several potential correlates of the physiology of carbon storage. The results indicated the KNP is a potential reservoir of ~2 × 108 tonnes of carbon with a total mean density (above + below-ground carbon) of ~105 tonnes ha−1, a carbon density comparable with that of many other natural systems. Carbon storage in the KNP did not correlate with phylogeny and species abundance, but did so with phenology and wood density. However, only 4% of the variation in carbon storage was explained, indicating that key determinants of carbon storage are missing in this analysis. Although this study suffered a number of limitations that are presented, the expectation from this study is that it would raise increased interests into the potential of carbon stocked in the KNP in South Africa as one of the key diverse services this park provides beyond biodiversity conservation.
Dynamic Eye Tracking Based Metrics for Infant Gaze Patterns in the Face-Distractor Competition Paradigm

Objective To develop new standardized eye tracking based measures and metrics for infants’ gaze dynamics in the face-distractor competition paradigm. Method Eye tracking data were collected from two samples of healthy 7-month-old (total n = 45), as well as one sample of 5-month-old infants (n = 22) in a paradigm with a picture of a face or a non-face pattern as a central stimulus, and a geometric shape as a lateral stimulus. The data were analyzed by using conventional measures of infants’ initial disengagement from the central to the lateral stimulus (i.e., saccadic reaction time and probability) and, additionally, novel measures reflecting infants gaze dynamics after the initial disengagement (i.e., cumulative allocation of attention to the central vs. peripheral stimulus). Results The results showed that the initial saccade away from the centrally presented stimulus is followed by a rapid re-engagement of attention with the central stimulus, leading to cumulative preference for the central stimulus over the lateral stimulus over time. This pattern tended to be stronger for salient facial expressions as compared to non-face patterns, was replicable across two independent samples of 7-month-old infants, and differentiated between 7 and 5 month-old infants. Conclusion The results suggest that eye tracking based assessments of infants’ cumulative preference for faces over time can be readily parameterized and standardized, and may provide valuable techniques for future studies examining normative developmental changes in preference for social signals. Significance Standardized measures of early developing face preferences may have potential to become surrogate biomarkers of neurocognitive and social development.
Hippocampal Excitability Increases during the Estrous Cycle in the Rat: A Potential Role for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

To test the hypothesis that induction of BDNF may contribute to changes in hippocampal excitability occurring during the female reproductive cycle, we examined the distribution of BDNF immunoreactivity and changes in CA1 and CA3 electrophysiology across the estrous cycle in rats. Hippocampal BDNF immunoreactivity increased on the day of proestrus as well as on the following morning (estrus), relative to metestrus or ovariectomized animals. Changes in immunoreactivity were clearest in mossy fiber axons of dentate gyrus granule cells, which contain the highest concentration of BDNF. Increased immunoreactivity was also apparent in the neuropil-containing dendrites of CA1 and CA3 neurons. Electrophysiological recordings in hippocampal slices showed robust cycle-dependent differences. Evoked responses of CA1 neurons to Schaffer collateral stimulation changed over the cycle, with larger maximum responses at both proestrus and estrus relative to metestrus. In area CA3, repetitive hilar stimuli frequently evoked multiple population spikes at proestrus and estrus but only rarely at other cycle stages, and never in slices of ovariectomized rats. Hyperexcitability in area CA3 at proestrus was blocked by exposure to the high-affinity neurotrophin receptor antagonist K252a, or an antagonist of the α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor, whereas it was induced at metestrus by the addition of BDNF to hippocampal slices. These studies suggest that hippocampal BDNF levels change across the estrous cycle, accompanied by neurophysiological responses that resemble the effects of BDNF treatment. An estrogen-induced interaction of BDNF and α7 nicotinic receptors on mossy fibers seems responsible for estrous cycle changes in area CA3. Periovulatory changes in hippocampal function may, thus, involve estrogen-induced increases in BDNF expression.
Trial of Computerized Screening for Adolescent Behavioral Concerns

OBJECTIVE. Injury risk, depressive symptoms, and substance use are the leading causes of adolescent morbidity and death. The goal of this randomized, controlled trial was to determine whether computerized screening with real-time printing of results for pediatricians increased the identification of these adolescent behavioral concerns. METHODS. A total of 878 primary care patients 11 to 20 years of age participated in computerized behavioral screening (the Health eTouch system) in waiting rooms of 9 urban clinics. These clinics all served predominantly low-income patients. The clinics were randomly assigned to have pediatricians receive screening results either just before face-to-face encounters with patients (immediate-results condition) or 2 to 3 business days later (delayed-results condition). RESULTS. Fifty-nine percent of Health eTouch respondents had positive results for ≥1 of the following behavioral concerns: injury risk behaviors, significant depressive symptoms, or substance use. Sixty-eight percent of youths in the immediate-results condition who screened positive were identified as having a problem by their pediatrician. This was significantly higher than the recognition rate of 52% for youths in the delayed-results condition. CONCLUSION. Immediate provision of an adolescent's self-report of behavioral concerns to a pediatrician increased recognition of those problems, compared with the delayed provision of results.
Sample size determination for constrained longitudinal data analysis

The longitudinal data analysis model proposed by Liang and Zeger (Sankhyā: Indian J. Stat. Ser. B 2000; 62:134–148) uses the baseline as well as postbaseline values as the dependent variables, and the baseline mean responses are constrained to be the same across treatment groups due to randomization. Compared with the conventional longitudinal analysis of covariance, this approach can correctly estimate the variance of within‐group mean changes and achieve the specified coverage probabilities. General results on the sample size and power calculations for this model in the presence of missing data are obtained. The sample size relationship between the constrained and unconstrained longitudinal data analysis is established. Simple expressions for sample size calculation are obtained for the compound symmetry and first‐order autoregressive correlation structures. The sensitivity of the sample size requirement to the configuration of correlation structure and retention pattern is assessed. The performance of several ad hoc approximations for longitudinal data analysis sample size calculation is evaluated. Simulation studies are conducted to assess the validity of the proposed sample size formulas with deviation from normality. The sample size formulas are also illustrated in detail using real clinical trial data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High affinity germinal center B cells are actively selected into the plasma cell compartment

A hallmark of T cell–dependent immune responses is the progressive increase in the ability of serum antibodies to bind antigen and provide immune protection. Affinity maturation of the antibody response is thought to be connected with the preferential survival of germinal centre (GC) B cells that have acquired increased affinity for antigen via somatic hypermutation of their immunoglobulin genes. However, the mechanisms that drive affinity maturation remain obscure because of the difficulty in tracking the affinity-based selection of GC B cells and their differentiation into plasma cells. We describe a powerful new model that allows these processes to be followed as they occur in vivo. In contrast to evidence from in vitro systems, responding GC B cells do not undergo plasma cell differentiation stochastically. Rather, only GC B cells that have acquired high affinity for the immunizing antigen form plasma cells. Affinity maturation is therefore driven by a tightly controlled mechanism that ensures only antibodies with the greatest possibility of neutralizing foreign antigen are produced. Because the body can sustain only limited numbers of plasma cells, this “quality control” over plasma cell differentiation is likely critical for establishing effective humoral immunity.
Topic adaptation for machine translation of e-commerce content

We describe effort to improve machine translation of item titles found in a large e-commerce inventory through topic modeling and adaptation. Item titles are short texts which typically contain brand names that do not have to be translated, and item attributes whose translation often depends on the context. Both issues call for robust methods to integrate context information in the machine translation process in order to reduce translation ambiguity. We survey both existing topic adaptation approaches and propose novel methods that augment the standard phrase-table models with sparse features and dense features measuring the topic match between each phrase-pair and the input text. We report extensive experiments on the translation of item titles from English into Brazilian Portuguese, and show the impact of topic adaptation both with and without domain adaptation.
The Fate of Incoming Stimuli during NREM Sleep is Determined by Spindles and the Phase of the Slow Oscillation

The present study aimed at identifying the neurophysiological responses associated with auditory stimulation during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG)/functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings. It was reported earlier that auditory stimuli produce bilateral activation in auditory cortex, thalamus, and caudate during both wakefulness and NREM sleep. However, due to the spontaneous membrane potential fluctuations cortical responses may be highly variable during NREM. Here we now examine the modulation of cerebral responses to tones depending on the presence or absence of sleep spindles and the phase of the slow oscillation. Thirteen healthy young subjects were scanned successfully during stage 2–4 NREM sleep in the first half of the night in a 3 T scanner. Subjects were not sleep-deprived and sounds were post hoc classified according to (i) the presence of sleep spindles or (ii) the phase of the slow oscillation during (±300 ms) tone delivery. These detected sounds were then entered as regressors of interest in fMRI analyses. Interestingly wake-like responses – although somewhat altered in size and location – persisted during NREM sleep, except during present spindles (as previously published in Dang-Vu et al., 2011) and the negative going phase of the slow oscillation during which responses became less consistent or even absent. While the phase of the slow oscillation did not alter brain responses in primary sensory cortex, it did modulate responses at higher cortical levels. In addition EEG analyses show a distinct N550 response to tones during the presence of light sleep spindles and suggest that in deep NREM sleep the brain is more responsive during the positive going slope of the slow oscillation. The presence of short temporal windows during which the brain is open to external stimuli is consistent with the fact that even during deep sleep meaningful events can be detected. Altogether, our results emphasize the notion that spontaneous fluctuations of brain activity profoundly modify brain responses to external information across all behavioral states, including deep NREM sleep.
Diabetic autoimmune markers in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND There is an increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Absence of known diabetes autoimmune markers is sometimes required to confirm the diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To identify clinical and autoimmune characteristics of type 2 diabetes in a pediatric population. METHOD We report an analysis of 48 children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes, compared with 39 randomly selected children with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed and followed at the Loma Linda University Pediatric Diabetes Center. Ethnic, familial, seasonal, and autoimmune marker characteristics are outlined. To determine the reliability of antibody testing in confirming the type of diabetes at diagnosis, we studied the incidence of positive islet cell antibodies (ICAs), glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADs), and insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) at diagnosis in both groups. ICA512, GADs, and IAAs were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS The cohort with type 2 diabetes had a similar gender distribution as the group with type 1 diabetes but a significantly higher age at diagnosis. Ethnic background was significantly different between the 2 groups, predominantly Hispanic in type 2 and white in type 1. Body mass index was significantly higher in type 2 diabetes (mean = 31.24 kg/m(2)). Among the patients with type 2 diabetes, 33% presented in diabetic ketoacidosis, random blood glucose at diagnosis ranged from 11.4 to 22.25 mmol/L (228-445 mg/dL), fasting C-peptide levels ranged from 0.89 to 2.7 nmol/L (2.7-8.2 ng/mL; normal: <1.36 nmol/L), and hemoglobin A(1C) was 10.8 +/- 3.5% (normal: <6.6%). None of these parameters was significantly different from the type 1 diabetes group. Although the incidence of diabetes antibody markers was significantly lower in type 2 versus type 1 diabetes, 8.1% of patients with type 2 diabetes had positive ICAs, 30.3% had positive GADs, and 34.8% had positive IAAs without ever being treated with insulin. In the type 2 diabetes group, none of the Hispanic patients had ICAs. However, there was no significant correlation between any of the diabetes antibodies and obesity, presence of acanthosis nigricans, or family history of diabetes. The frequency of thyroid antibodies was not significantly different from the group with type 1 diabetes. Daily insulin requirements 1 year after diagnosis were significantly lower in type 2 diabetes, ranging from 0 to 1.2 U/kg with a mean of 0.33. CONCLUSION Absence of diabetes autoimmune markers is not a prerequisite for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents.
Assessment of workload during pediatric trauma resuscitation

BACKGROUND Trauma resuscitations are high-pressure, time-critical events during which health care providers form ad hoc teams to rapidly assess and treat injured patients. Trauma team members experience varying levels of workload during resuscitations resulting from the objective demands of their role-specific tasks, the circumstances surrounding the event, and their individual previous experiences. The goal of this study was to determine factors influencing workload experienced by trauma team members during pediatric trauma resuscitations. METHODS Workload was measured using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (TLX). TLX surveys were administered to four trauma team roles: charge nurse, senior surgical resident (surgical coordinator), emergency medicine physician, and junior surgical resident or nurse practitioner (bedside clinician). A total of 217 surveys were completed. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were used to examine the relationship between workload and patient and clinical factors. RESULTS Bedside clinicians reported the highest total workload score (208.7), followed by emergency medicine physicians (156.3), surgical coordinators (144.1), and charge nurses (129.1). Workload was higher during higher-level activations (235.3), for events involving intubated patients (249.0), and for patients with an Injury Severity Score greater than 15 (230.4) (p, 0.001 for all). When controlling for potential confounders using multiple linear regression, workload was increased during higher level activations (79.0 points higher, p = 0.01) and events without previous notification (38.9 points higher, p = 0.03). Workload also remained significantly higher for the bedside clinician compared with the other three roles (p ⩽ 0.005 for all). CONCLUSION Workload during pediatric trauma resuscitations differed by team role and was increased for higher-level activations and events without previous notification. This study demonstrates the validity of the TLX as a tool to measure workload in trauma resuscitation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic study, level II.
Comparative study of the thymidine kinase and thymidylate kinase activities and of the feedbach inhibition of thymidine kinase in normal and neoplastic human tissue.

SUMMARYActivitylevelsofthymidinekinaseandthymidylate kinaseweredetermined inextractsfrom23matchedhumanneoplasticandnormaltissuepairs.Thymidinekinaseactivitywashigherinthetumorthaninthecorresponding normaltissue,withtwoexceptions,bronchogenic carcinomaandhypernephroma.Thymidylate kinaseactivitywashigherinthetumorthaninthecorrespondingnormaltissueinallcases.Feedbackinhibitionofthymidinekinaseactivityhasbeenstudiedin17ofthesepairstodate. Exogenousthymidine-5'-tniphosphate (theend-productofthekinasereactionsequence)significantlyinhibitedthephosphorylation ofthymidineinallofthetumorextractstothesameorevengreaterextentthaninthecorresponding normaltissueextracts. Theseresultsindicatethatthefeedbackcontrolmechanismoftheâ€œsalvageâ€spathwayforthesynthesisofthymidine-5'-phosphates isoperativeinneoplastictissues.INTRODUCTIONExtractsofgrowingcellsandtissuescontainenzymesthatcanphosphorylatethymidinetoTMP2andthencetoTDPandTTP(7,42). Theseenzymeshavenotbeenobservedtoanyappreciable extentinnormal,nonregenerating liverbutwerefoundinregenerating ratliverandvarioushepatomas(3â€”5,12,14â€”16,37,50). Whenratliverundergoesactiveregenerationafterpartialhepatectomy, thereisasignificantin
PDGF-receptor tyrosine kinase blocker AG1295 selectively attenuates smooth muscle cell growth in vitro and reduces neointimal formation after balloon angioplasty in swine.

BACKGROUND Signaling through protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) is a major contributor to the transmission of mitogenic stimuli to the interior of the cell and nucleus. The present study was designed to determine the effect of the tyrphostin AG1295, a selective blocker of PDGF-receptor PTK, on the growth of porcine and human smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in culture, on the outgrowth kinetics of SMCs from porcine and human arterial explants, and on neointimal formation after balloon injury in pigs. METHODS AND RESULTS SMCs for culture were obtained from porcine abdominal aortas, human internal mammary arteries, and endarterectomy tissue from a single human carotid artery. Addition of AG1295 to SMCs before PDGF stimulation completely inhibited PDGF-beta-receptor tyrosine phosphorylation without affecting the level of PDGF-beta-receptor. AG1295 resulted in a selective, reversible inhibition of SMC proliferation in culture (76%) with only mild (13.5%) inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation. The number of SMCs accumulating around explants of porcine carotid arteries and human endarterectomy specimens 12, 15, 19, 22, and 24 days after plating was reduced by 82% to 92% in AG1295-treated compared with nontreated specimens, and initiation of SMC outgrowth was markedly delayed. The numbers of cells accumulated 10 days after initiation of outgrowth were significantly lower in treated versus control explants. Local intravascular delivery of AG1295-impregnated polylactic acid-based nanoparticles (130+/-25 nm) to the site of balloon injury to porcine femoral arteries resulted in significant reductions in intima/media area ratio and luminal cross-sectional area narrowing by neointima compared with contralateral control arteries to which empty nanoparticles were applied (0.15+/-0.07 versus 0.09+/-0.03, P=.046 and 20+/-4% versus 10+/-4%, P=.0009, n=6 for both). CONCLUSIONS The tyrphostin AG1295, a selective blocker of PDGF-receptor kinase, exerts a marked inhibitory effect on the activation, migration, and proliferation of porcine and human SMCs in vitro and an approximately 50% inhibitory effect on neointimal formation after balloon injury in porcine femoral arteries when delivered via biodegradable nanoparticles. Further studies appear to be warranted to evaluate the applicability of this novel approach to the interventional setting.
Exercise rehabilitation following intensive care unit discharge for recovery from critical illness: executive summary of a Cochrane Collaboration systematic review

Skeletal muscle wasting and weakness are major complications of critical illness and underlie the profound physical and functional impairments experienced by survivors after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). Exercise‐based rehabilitation has been shown to be beneficial when delivered during ICU admission. This review aimed to determine the effectiveness of exercise rehabilitation initiated after ICU discharge on primary outcomes of functional exercise capacity and health‐related quality of life. We sought randomized controlled trials, quasi‐randomized controlled trials, and controlled clinical trials comparing an exercise intervention commenced after ICU discharge vs. any other intervention or a control or ‘usual care’ programme in adult survivors of critical illness. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica Database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were searched up to February 2015. Dual, independent screening of results, data extraction, and quality appraisal were performed. We included six trials involving 483 patients. Overall quality of evidence for both outcomes was very low. All studies evaluated functional exercise capacity, with three reporting positive effects in favour of the intervention. Only two studies evaluated health‐related quality of life and neither reported differences between intervention and control groups. Meta‐analyses of data were precluded due to variation in study design, types of interventions, and selection and reporting of outcome measurements. We were unable to determine an overall effect on functional exercise capacity or health‐related quality of life of interventions initiated after ICU discharge for survivors of critical illness. Findings from ongoing studies are awaited. Future studies need to address methodological aspects of study design and conduct to enhance rigour, quality, and synthesis.