Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistance of wheat line kavkaz-k4500 L.6.a.4 to septoria tritici blotch controlled by isolate-specific resistance genes.

ABSTRACT The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, germplasm-derived wheat (Triticum aestivum) Kavkaz-K4500 L.6. A.4 (KK) is one of the major sources of resistance to Septoria tritici blotch (STB). KK is resistant to STB in field conditions in the UK even though a large majority of Mycosphaerella graminicola isolates are virulent to it. The genetics of the resistance of KK to four isolates of M. graminicola were investigated. KK has at least five isolate-specific resistance genes including Stb6 on chromosome 3A plus a second gene for resistance to isolate IPO323, two genes on chromosome 4A, both in the region where Stb7 is located with one designated as Stb12, and a gene designated Stb10 on chromosome 1D. Taken together, the widespread use of KK as a source of resistance to STB, its high resistance in field conditions, and its high susceptibility to M. graminicola isolates, which are virulent to all its resistance genes, suggest that high levels of field resistance to STB might be achieved by pyramiding several isolate-specific resistance genes.
AIR PASSENGER LINKAGES AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN U.S. METROPOLITAN AREAS

The article analyzes the relationship between the structure of airline network and employment growth in 104 metropolitan areas in the United States. Structural changes that accompanied the expansion of the airline system between 1950 and 1980 are documented using network methodology, and the effects of these changes in the airline network on metropolitan employment growth rate, focusing on employment in manufacturing and producer servicises, are assessed using regression analysis and nonrecursive models. Results show that position in the airline network has pervasive effects on metropolitan employment growth and that changes in the network position is a cause rather than a consequence of this employment growth. The article concludes that the reorganization of the airline network has been a critical factor transforming and integrating the spatial economy of the U.S.
Natural encoding of information through interacting impulses

Standard unit of information Bit generates any natural process through discrete (yes-no) interactions, including interactive macro impulses in classical physics and elementary micro impulses of quantum interactions. The elementary interactions of random impulses measures (yes-no) probability events according to Kolmogorov 1-0 law for random process. In a natural interactive process, each impulse step-down action cuts the correlations of the process prior interactive events. This cuts the process entropy, defined by its probability, memorizing the cutting entropy as information hidden in the correlation. Memory “freezes” the information impulse in the cutting off correlation. The interactive impulse reveals information as phenomenon of interaction. The interval of each interaction holds quantity of energy. Each Bit is naturally extracted or erased at the cost of cutting this energyand encoding information in the interacting physical state (by the impulse step-up action). The impulse sequential natural encoding merges memory with the time of memorizing information and compensates the cutting cost by running time intervals of encoding. The information process, preserving the invariant impulse cutting information, binds the inner impulse reversible microprocess and the multiple impulses irreversible macroprocess in information dynamics. The encoding process unites the information path functional integratingobserver's geometrical cellular information structurewhich composes rotating helix of the sequencing cells Bits. This natural encoding satisfied Landauer principle and compensates for the cost of Maxwell Demon. The energy of specific interaction limits the universal code length and density. The conditions and results validate the computer simulation, multiple experiments in coding genetic information, experimental encoding by spiking neurons, others.
Psychiatric morbidity in prisoners

Context: The prevalence of psychiatric illness in correctional settings is significantly elevated, with higher than community rates reported for most mental disorders. Aims: (1) To examine the socio-demographic profile of convicted prisoners. (2) To evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in convicted prisoners. Materials and Methods: 500 convicts were assessed for psychiatric morbidity with the help of (a) Socio-demographic proforma, (b) Pareek Udai and Trivedi G's socio-economic status scale (rural) (household schedule), (c) Kuppuswamy's economic status scale (urban) and (d) Present State Examination (PSE). Results: 23.8% of the convicted prisoners were suffering from psychiatric illness excluding substance abuse. 56.4% of the prisoners had history of substance abuse / dependence prior to incarceration. Conclusions: The results suggest that a substantial burden of psychiatric morbidity exists in the prison population of India and the burden of psychiatric illness in this vulnerable and marginalized population poses a serious challenge to psychiatrists.
Theoretical analysis and verification of ultrasound displacement and strain imaging

Evaluation of internal displacement and strain distributions in tissue under externally applied forces is a necessary step in elasticity imaging. To obtain a quantitative image of the elastic modulus, strain and displacement fields must be measured with reasonable accuracy and inverted based on an accurate theoretical model of soft tissue mechanics. In this paper, results of measured internal strain and displacement fields from gel-based phantoms are compared with theoretical predictions of a linear elastic model. In addition, some aspects of elasticity reconstruction based on measured displacement and strain fields are discussed. <<ETX>>
Temporal behavior of seizures and interictal bursts in prolonged intracranial recordings from epileptic canines

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, but seizure recordings are usually obtained in the acute setting. The chronic behavior of seizures and the interictal bursts that sometimes initiate them is unknown. We investigate the variability of these electrographic patterns over an extended period of time using chronic intracranial recordings in canine epilepsy.
Self-Other Agreement: Comparing its Relationship with Performance in the U.S. and Europe

The use of multi-source feedback has proliferated in the United States in recent years; however, its usefulness in other countries is unknown. Using a large sample of American managers (n=3793), this study first replicated earlier studies demonstrating that simultaneous consideration of self and other ratings of leadership skills is important for managerial performance ratings. In addition, the impact of self-other agreement on performance was investigated among 2732 managers in five European countries (U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Italy). Results indicated that the effect of self and other ratings in the prediction of performance differs between the U.S. and the European countries in that the simultaneous inclusion of both self and other ratings is generally less useful in those countries than in the U.S. Further, the effect of self-other agreement varies among the European countries. Implications for multi-source feedback interventions as well as multi-national personnel management are discussed.
Effectiveness of olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone in patients with chronic schizophrenia after discontinuing perphenazine: a CATIE study.

OBJECTIVE The relative effectiveness of newly started antipsychotic drugs for individuals with schizophrenia may depend on multiple factors, including each patient's previous treatment response and the reason for a new medication trial. This randomized, double-blind study compared olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone in patients who had just discontinued the older antipsychotic perphenazine. METHOD Subjects with schizophrenia (N=114) who had been randomly assigned to and then discontinued perphenazine in phase 1 of the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) schizophrenia study were reassigned randomly to double-blinded treatment with olanzapine, 7.5-30.0 mg/day (N=38); quetiapine, 200-800 mg/day (N=38); or risperidone, 1.5-6.0 mg/day (N=38). The primary aim was to determine whether there were differences among these three treatments in effectiveness, as measured by time to treatment discontinuation for any reason. Secondary outcomes included reasons for treatment discontinuation and measures of drug tolerability. RESULTS The time to treatment discontinuation was longer for patients treated with quetiapine (median, 9.9 months) and olanzapine (7.1 months) than with risperidone (3.6 months). There were no significant differences between treatments on discontinuation due to inefficacy, intolerability, or patient decision. CONCLUSIONS Among this group of patients with chronic schizophrenia who had just discontinued the older antipsychotic perphenazine, quetiapine and olanzapine were more effective than risperidone, as reflected by longer time to discontinuation for any reason. In the context of other results from the CATIE study, the effectiveness and acceptability of antipsychotic drugs appears to vary considerably according to clinical circumstances.
Beyond communication: The development of a training program for hospital and hospice staff in the detection and management of psychological distress—Preliminary results

Abstract Objective: In the United Kingdom, a Four-Tier Model of Psychological Support has been recommended for all patients with cancer and their families. This model suggests that staff at Tier 2, such as nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals, should be proficient in screening for psychological distress and intervening with techniques such as psycho-education and problem solving. Research has suggested that although communication skills training is essential for staff working in cancer services, it does not necessarily improve the detection of specific psychological disorder or staff confidence in intervening with highly distressed patients. The objective was therefore to design a training program that addressed this deficit and was easily accessible to hospital staff. Method:. A training package was developed to train staff in the recommended skills. A literature review of teaching modalities and the effectiveness of different formats was conducted. A four-session program was developed, to be administered by staff at Tiers 3 and 4 of the model, such as clinical psychologists and counsellors. Results: Over 3 years, 255 sets of data were collected from staff who attended the course. Precourse, postcourse, and 6-month follow-up data were collected through the use of confidence questionnaires, developed from the literature. The data show a significant improvement in staff confidence across all domains measured, including confidence in the detection and management of psychological distress (p =.0001). Significance of results: Although the results have limitations and the data are subjective, we can conclude that this course significantly improves staff confidence in dealing with psychological distress and that this increased confidence is maintained over a 6-month follow-up period.
Preoperative chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and adverse effects of preoperative transcatheter chemoembolization (CE) on surgical resection, postoperative outcome, and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. DESIGN A before-after trial comparing a group of patients undergoing liver resection after CE (CE group) with a group of patients undergoing liver resection without prior CE (control group), matched for tumor size and underlying liver disease. SETTING A tertiary care university hospital in a metropolitan area. PATIENTS Twenty-four patients in each group, treated between 1986 and 1992. INTERVENTIONS A mean of 1.6+/-0.2 preoperative CE procedures were performed per patient in the CE group. Tumorectomies, segmentectomies, and major liver resections were performed with a comparable frequency in each group. RESULTS Overall, CE was not associated with a significant reduction of tumor size (7.8+/-1 cm prior to CE vs 7.1+/-1 cm after CE) or alpha-fetoprotein levels (2560+/-2091 microg/L prior to CE vs 1788+/-1270 microg/L after the last CE). Chemoembolization promoted tumor necrosis but did not influence tumor encapsulation, invasion of the capsule, venous permeation, presence of daughter nodules, or surgical margins. Liver resection was rendered more difficult by preoperative CE as a result of pediculitis and gallbladder lesions in 37% of patients, but the postoperative course was not altered. Disease-free survival (33%+/-12% vs 32%+/-12% at 3 years) and overall survival were comparable. CONCLUSIONS Convincing evidence is lacking to support systematic preoperative CE in patients with initially resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Further studies should aim to identify the subgroup of patients who may benefit from this neoadjuvant treatment.
Finding the k shortest simple paths

We describe a new algorithm to enumerate the k shortest simple (loopless) paths in a directed graph and report on its implementation. Our algorithm is based on a replacement paths algorithm proposed by Hershberger and Suri [2001], and can yield a factor Θ(n) improvement for this problem. But there is a caveat: The fast replacement paths subroutine is known to fail for some directed graphs. However, the failure is easily detected, and so our k shortest paths algorithm optimistically uses the fast subroutine, then switches to a slower but correct algorithm if a failure is detected. Thus, the algorithm achieves its Θ(n) speed advantage only when the optimism is justified. Our empirical results show that the replacement paths failure is a rare phenomenon, and the new algorithm outperforms the current best algorithms; the improvement can be substantial in large graphs. For instance, on GIS map data with about 5,000 nodes and 12,000 edges, our algorithm is 4--8 times faster. In synthetic graphs modeling wireless ad hoc networks, our algorithm is about 20 times faster.
Left ventricular remodelling pattern and its relation to clinical outcomes in patients with severe aortic stenosis treated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Introduction Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common compensating process in the pressure overload mechanism of aortic stenosis (AS). Aim To identify a group of patients with a LVH pattern which may alter periprocedural and 1-year outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Material and methods Echocardiographic examinations of 226 patients with severe AS treated with TAVI between March 2010 and February 2016 were retrospectively analysed and correlated with echocardiographic parameters and clinical outcomes in the study group. Ultimately 208 patients were enrolled in the study. Based on left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT) patients were divided into three categories: concentric remodelling (CR), concentric hypertrophy (CH) and eccentric hypertrophy (EH). Most of the patients with severe AS referred for TAVI were found to have CH (n = 150, 72.8%), then EH (n = 33, 16%) and CR (n = 16, 7.8%). Results There were no significant differences between groups in terms of periprocedural outcomes or complications. After a mean observation time of 561.8 ±239.0 days, the observed all-cause mortality rate was 19.9%. After multivariable adjustment, CR remained associated with a higher risk of mortality (HR = 4.31; 95% CI: 1.607–11.538; p = 0.004). Conclusions Left ventricular hypertrophy is common in patients with severe AS prior to TAVI. The LVH pattern does not affect TAVI-related complications. In patients with severe AS referred for TAVI, CR seems to be the least favourable geometry of LVH, increasing the risk of 1-year all-cause death.
Electronic Course Surveys: Does automating feedback and reporting give better results?

This paper discusses an electronic course survey system designed to support evaluation of a modular programme in management taught through distance education. The scale and communication issues raised by distance education, when compounded by a complex rolling modular programme, make conventional evaluation complicated, slow and expensive. To overcome these problems, an automated evaluation process was introduced, partly based on web-based surveying, but significantly emphasising the reporting process and allowing performance indicators and complex analyses to be embedded in high quality word-processed reports, that can be quickly and easily generated after each presentation of a module. The paper discusses the system and the impact that it has had on the evaluation process, before looking to future opportunities for developments in this field, and discussing some of the implications - both expected and unanticipated - that have come out of using automation in the evaluation process.
Altered intracellular redox status in Gaucher disease fibroblasts and impairment of adaptive response against oxidative stress

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder, due to glucosylceramide (GlcCer) accumulation in several body tissues, which causes cellular failure by yet unidentified mechanisms. Several evidence indicates that GD pathogenesis is associated to an impairment in intracellular redox state. In fibroblast primary cultures, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and protein carbonyl content resulted significantly increased in GD patients compared to healthy donors, suggesting that GD cells, facing a condition of chronic oxidative stress, have evolved an adaptive response to survive. The ROS rise is probably due to NAD(P)H oxidase activity, being inhibited by the treatment with diphenylene iodonium chloride. Interestingly, GD cells are more sensitive to H2O2 induced cell death, suggesting a dysregulation in the adaptive response to oxidative stress in which APE1/Ref‐1 plays a central role. We found that the cytoplasmic amounts of APE1/Ref‐1 protein were significantly higher in GD fibroblasts with respect to controls, and that GD cells failed to upregulate its expression upon H2O2 treatment. Both ROS and APE1/Ref‐1 increases are due to GlcCer accumulation, being prevented by treatment of GD fibroblasts with Cerezyme® and induced in healthy fibroblasts treated with conduritol‐β‐epoxide. These data, suggesting that GD cells display an impairment in the cellular redox state and in the adaptive cellular response to oxidative stress, may open new perspectives in the comprehension of GD pathogenesis. J. Cell. Physiol. 212: 223–235, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Let's go beyond taxonomy in diet description: testing a trait-based approach to prey-predator relationships.

Understanding 'Why a prey is a prey for a given predator? ' can be facilitated through trait-based approaches that identify linkages between prey and predator morphological and ecological characteristics and highlight key functions involved in prey selection. Enhanced understanding of the functional relationships between predators and their prey is now essential to go beyond the traditional taxonomic framework of dietary studies and to improve our knowledge of ecosystem functioning for wildlife conservation and management. We test the relevance of a three-matrix approach in foraging ecology among a marine mammal community in the northeast Atlantic to identify the key functional traits shaping prey selection processes regardless of the taxonomy of both the predators and prey. Our study reveals that prey found in the diet of marine mammals possess functional traits which are directly and significantly linked to predator characteristics, allowing the establishment of a functional typology of marine mammal-prey relationships. We found prey selection of marine mammals was primarily shaped by physiological and morphological traits of both predators and prey, confirming that energetic costs of foraging strategies and muscular performance are major drivers of prey selection in marine mammals. We demonstrate that trait-based approaches can provide a new definition of the resource needs of predators. This framework can be used to anticipate bottom-up effects on marine predator population dynamics and to identify predators which are sensitive to the loss of key prey functional traits when prey availability is reduced.
Diagnostic value of adenosine deaminase in nontuberculous lymphocytic pleural effusions

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) can aid in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusions, but false-positive findings from lymphocytic effusions have been reported. The purpose of this study is to assess the ADA levels in nontuberculous lymphocytic pleural effusions (lymphocyte count >50%) of different aetiologies. Altogether, 410 nontuberculous lymphocytic pleural fluid samples were consecutively selected. These included malignant effusions (n=221), idiopathic effusions (n=76), parapneumonic effusions (n=35), postcoronary artery bypass graft surgery effusions (n=6), miscellaneous exudative effusions (n=21) and transudative effusions (n=51). The ADA level reached the diagnostic cut-off for tuberculosis (40 U·L−1) in seven of the 410 cases (1.71%). The negative predictive value of ADA for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis was 99% (403 of 407 cases) in the group of lymphocytic pleural effusions. In five of these seven patients ADA1 and ADA2 were measured, and in all these cases (100%) ADA1/ADAp correctly classified these lymphocytic effusions as nontuberculous (ratio <0.42). This prospective study provides additional evidence that adenosine deaminase levels in nontuberculous lymphocytic pleural effusions seldom exceed the cut-off set for tuberculous effusions. The pleural fluid adenosine deaminase levels were significantly higher in different types of exudative effusions than in transudates. An adenosine deaminase level <40 IU·L−1 virtually excluded a diagnosis of tuberculosis in lymphocytic pleural effusions. Adenosine deaminase1/adenosine deaminasep correctly classified all nontuberculous lymphocytic pleural effusions with high adenosine deaminase levels.
Becoming a Policeman

M A R I A N N E HOPPER MARIANNE HOPPER is an advanced graduate student and a teaching assistant at the University of Texas at Austin. Her interests include social psychology, social disorganization, and the sociology of law. Her current research deals with the use of the dramaturgical model in studying the trial process and especially with the presentation of self in court. She earned her M.A. in sociology from the University of Texas in 1974.
Radon‐222 budget in Catalina Harbor, California: 2. Flow dynamics and residence time in a tidal beach

We measured the flux of water through a beach at the head of Catalina Harbor, California, by monitoring the water table in a transect of wells perpendicular to the shoreline. During a 24‐h period, the volume of sediments filled and drained, the tidal wedge, was 7.4 m3 (m shoreline)−1, and the flux of water pumped across the beach face was 1.0 ± 0.3 m3 d−1 (m shoreline)−1. 222Rn concentrations measured in four wells were used to calculate the minimum age of water in the beach. Radon samples collected below the tidal wedge were not in equilibrium with the production rate, suggesting vertical mixing across the base of the tidal wedge. The age of water ranged from up to 8.0 d landward of the high water mark to less than 2.0 d in the littoral zone. This latter age agreed with an independent estimate of 1.7 ± 0.5 d on the basis of a mass balance for radon at the head of the harbor. However, a mass balance for water in the tidal wedge was significantly greater, 3.0 ± 0.5 d. The difference was most likely due to evasion of radon from wet, unsaturated sediments. Water draining out of the beach was a mixture of water that infiltrated the beach on the previous high tide and older water from either below or the back of the tidal wedge.