Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combining Enhanced Root and Shoot Growth Reveals Cross Talk between Pathways That Control Plant Organ Size in Arabidopsis1[C][W][OA]

Functionally distinct Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genes that positively affect root or shoot growth when ectopically expressed were combined to explore the feasibility of enhanced biomass production. Enhanced root growth resulting from cytokinin deficiency was obtained by overexpressing CYTOKININ OXIDASE/DEHYDROGENASE3 (CKX3) under the control of the root-specific PYK10 promoter. Plants harboring the PYK10-CKX3 construct were crossed with four different transgenic lines showing enhanced leaf growth. For all combinations, the phenotypic traits of the individual lines could be combined, resulting in an overall growth increase. Unexpectedly, three out of four combinations had more than additive effects. Both leaf and root growth were synergistically enhanced in plants ectopically expressing CKX3 and BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1, indicating cross talk between cytokinins and brassinosteroids. In agreement, treatment of PYK10-CKX3 plants with brassinolide resulted in a dramatic increase in lateral root growth that could not be observed in wild-type plants. Coexpression of CKX3 and the GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR5 (GRF5) antagonized the effects of GRF5 overexpression, revealing an interplay between cytokinins and GRF5 during leaf cell proliferation. The combined overexpression of CKX3 and GIBBERELLIN 20-OXIDASE1 led to a synergistic increase in leaf growth, suggesting an antagonistic growth control by cytokinins and gibberellins. Only additive effects on root and shoot growth were visible in plants ectopically expressing both CKX3 and ARABIDOPSIS VACUOLAR PYROPHOSPHATASE1, hinting at an independent action mode. Our results show new interactions and contribute to the molecular and physiological understanding of biomass production at the whole plant level.
An Investigation of Phonology and Orthography in Spoken-Word Recognition

The possible influence of initial phonological and/or orthographic information on spoken-word processing was examined in six experiments modelled after and extending the work Jakimik, Cole, and Rudnicky (1985). Following Jakimik et al., Experiment 1 used polysyllabic primes with monosyllabic targets (e.g., BUCKLE—BUCK / b ^ k @ l /—/ b ^ k /; MYSTERY—MISS, / m I s t 2 r i /—/ m I s /). Experiments 2, 3, and 4 used polysyllabic primes and polysyllabic targets whose initial syllables shared phonological information (e.g., NUISANCE—NOODLE, / n u s I n s /—/ n u d @ l /), orthographic information (e.g., RATIO—RATIFY, /r e Si o /—/ r æ t I f a I /), both (e.g., FUNNEL—FUNNY, / f ^ n @ l /—/ f ^ n i /), or were unrelated (e.g., SERMON—NOODLE, / s Å m @ n /—/ n u d @ l /). Participants engaged in a lexical decision (Experiments 1, 3, and 4) or a shadowing (Experiment 2) task with a single-trial (Experiments 2 and 3) or subsequent-trial (Experiments 1 and 4) priming procedure. Experiment 5 tested primes and targets that varied in the number of shared graphemes while holding shared phonemes constant at one. Experiment 6 used the procedures of Experiment 2 but a low proportion of related trials. Results revealed that response times were facilitated for prime—target pairs that shared initial phonological and orthographic information. These results were confirmed under conditions when strategic processing was greatly reduced suggesting that phonological and orthographic information is automatically activated during spoken-word processing.
Gender difference in the incidence of shingles

We investigated age- and gender-specific incidence of shingles reported in a large sentinel practice network monitoring a defined population over the years 1994–2001. In total, 5915 male and 8617 female incident cases were studied. For each age group, we calculated the relative risk of females to males presenting with shingles. Incidence rates of chickenpox and herpes simplex were examined similarly. Shingles incidence was greater in females in each age group (except for 15–24 years). Relative risks (female to male) were greatest in age groups 45–64 years (1·48) and 0–14 years (1·43). There were no gender differences in the incidence of chickenpox except in the 15–24 years age group (female excess): for herpes simplex there were female excesses in all age groups. Gender-specific age-standardized incidence rates of shingles were calculated for each year and showed a consistent female excess in each of the 8 years (average annual excess 28%).
A preliminary association study of fat mass and obesity associated gene polymorphisms and degenerative disc disease in a Chinese Han population

Objective To assess whether polymorphisms of the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) are associated with the presence and severity of degenerative disc disease (DDD) in a Chinese Han population. Methods In this case–control study, patients with DDD and controls matched for age, sex and body mass index were genotyped for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FTO. Disease severity was measured using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score. Allelic, genotypic and genotype–phenotype association analyses were performed. Results A total of 80 patients with DDD and 80 controls were studied. All six SNPs were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of allele G and genotype G/G of the SNP rs11076008 were significantly associated with DDD after Bonferroni correction. No associations were shown between the SNPs studied and sex or disease severity. Conclusion The SNP rs11076008 of FTO may play an important role in the development of DDD in a Chinese Han population. The G/G genotype and/or G allele may be a risk factor for DDD. These results suggest that FTO is a DDD predisposition gene and may support a close relationship between obesity and DDD.
Distributed turbo block codes in wireless relay networks

This paper proposes distributed turbo block codes (DTBC) for wireless relay networks by using extended Bose, Chaudhuri, Hocquenghem (eBCH) codes as the constituent codes. The proposed technique assumes all channels are orthogonal and requires two phases to complete the transmission. In the first phase, the source broadcasts its information together with the parity bit sequence from the first code. The relay received the data from the source and process the data by using decode and forward protocol. The decoded systematic data at relay is interleaved and encoded by the second encoder. For the second phase, the parity sequence generated by the second encoder at relay is forwarded to the destination. In order to retrieve the original information bits, the signals received at destination from the source and relay are processed by using turbo iterative decoding technique, and for that purpose, soft-input soft-output Chase-Phyndiah (CP) algorithm is used for the decoding. We have conducted a series of simulations to study the effect of different iteration numbers at destination, different numbers of test pattern for Chase algorithm at destination and different locations of relay in a line network model. From our results, we showed that the proposed cooperative scheme outperforms the non-cooperative system as long as the relay is not too far away from the source. Finally, we presented the results of the proposed system by using different constituent codes with different minimum Hamming distances.
Response Surface Model for Anesthetic Drug Interactions

Background Anesthetic drug interactions traditionally have been characterized using isobolographic analysis or multiple logistic regression. Both approaches have significant limitations. The authors propose a model based on response-surface methodology. This model can characterize the entire dose–response relation between combinations of anesthetic drugs and is mathematically consistent with models of the concentration–response relation of single drugs. Methods The authors defined a parameter, &thgr;, that describes the concentration ratio of two potentially interacting drugs. The classic sigmoid Emax model was extended by making the model parameters dependent on &thgr;. A computer program was used to estimate response surfaces for the hypnotic interaction between midazolam, propofol, and alfentanil, based on previously published data. The predicted time course of effect was simulated after maximally synergistic bolus dose combinations. Results The parameters of the response surface were identifiable. With the test data, each of the paired combinations showed significant synergy. Computer simulations based on interactions at the effect site predicted that the maximally synergistic three-drug combination tripled the duration of effect compared with propofol alone. Conclusions Response surfaces can describe anesthetic interactions, even those between agonists, partial agonists, competitive antagonists, and inverse agonists. Application of response-surface methodology permits characterization of the full concentration–response relation and therefore can be used to develop practical guidelines for optimal drug dosing.
The management of patients with arteriovenous malformations and associated intracranial aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE Few published studies have focused specifically on the unique management issues encountered in treating patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and associated intracranial aneurysms. The primary objective of this study was to retrospectively review the clinical and radiographic features of these patients. METHODS Medical records of all patients seen at Stanford University Hospital between 1988 and 1996 with a diagnosis of AVMs were retrospectively reviewed. Aneurysms were identified by conventional angiography and characterized by size, number, and location relative to the AVMs. AVMs were graded according to the Spetzler-Martin scale. Odds ratios were calculated for the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Variables included age, sex, number of aneurysms, and AVM grade. RESULTS Forty-five of 600 patients (7.5%) were identified as having coexisting intracranial aneurysms. All 45 patients had high-flow malformations, and 58% had AVMs of Spetzler-Martin Grade IV or higher. A majority of patients had multiple aneurysms. There was a statistically significant increase in AVM hemorrhage in female patients (odds ratio, 8.53 [1.87-38.98]; P < 0.005). There was no statistically significant correlation between the development of hemorrhage and either age, AVM grade, or the number of aneurysms. Twenty-three patients (51%) presented with intracranial hemorrhage: bleeding occurred from the AVMs in 15 and from ruptured aneurysms in 5, and the source of the bleeding could not be determined in 3. Overall, nine patients (20%) bled from ruptured aneurysms: five at presentation, two during or within 3 weeks of AVM treatment, and two from new aneurysms. Two of these nine patients died as a direct result of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Five patients (11%) developed new aneurysms. CONCLUSION Aneurysms associated with AVMs are at risk for rupture before, during, and immediately after treatment of the AVMs. New aneurysms may arise in patients with high-flow AVMs. The risk of intracranial hemorrhage from either source is higher in female patients. To reduce the complications of intracranial hemorrhage in these patients, we recommend a management protocol designed to treat the aneurysms by surgical or endovascular means before administering definitive therapy for the AVMs. Meticulous intraoperative blood pressure control and fluid management during aneurysm surgery is critical to avoid hemorrhage from the AVMs.
Another Post‐Heroic View on Entrepreneurship: The Role of Employees in Networking the Start‐Up Process

Moving beyond the present post&#8208;heroic perspective known from leadership and entrepreneurship research that emphasizes the importance of external context, we shift the focus from the entrepreneurial luminary and his or her core team to the entrepreneurial firm as an organization with employees. This organizational view captures the vital role of employees, in particular for deepening the external relationships of the firm. Towards this end, the authors investigate how three antecedents increase the organizational innovativeness of start&#8208;ups: (i) the external relationships of the start&#8208;up; (ii) the initiation and maintenance of such relationships through networking by entrepreneurs and employees; and (iii) the differentiation of hierarchical levels in this process. A survey&#8208;based study drawing from the data of 96 entrepreneurs and 228 employees in start&#8208;ups is conducted. To analyse the data, the authors tested the conditional indirect effects through a multilevel moderated mediation analysis. According to the results, interorganizational relationships (IORs) are particularly effective for entrepreneurial innovativeness if networking practices are pursued at the employee level. The collective involvement of employees in fact has a mediation effect compared with the individual efforts developed by the entrepreneur. These findings advance the post&#8208;heroic perspective by emphasizing the distinctive role of employees in the utilization of IORs.
An Investigation of GIS Overlay and PCA Techniques for Urban Environmental Quality Assessment: A Case Study in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The United Nations estimates that the global population is going to be double in the coming 40 years, which may cause a negative impact on the environment and human life. Such an impact may instigate increased water demand, overuse of power, anthropogenic noise, etc. Thus, modelling the Urban Environmental Quality (UEQ) becomes indispensable for a better city planning and an efficient urban sprawl control. This study aims to investigate the ability of using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to model the UEQ with a case study in the city of Toronto via deriving different environmental, urban and socio-economic parameters. Remote sensing, GIS and census data were first obtained to derive environmental, urban and socio-economic parameters. Two techniques, GIS overlay and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were used to integrate all of these environmental, urban and socio-economic parameters. Socio-economic parameters including family income, higher education and land value were used as a reference to assess the outcomes derived from the two integration methods. The outcomes were assessed through evaluating the relationship between the extracted UEQ results and the reference layers. Preliminary findings showed that the GIS overlay represents a better precision and accuracy (71% and 65%), respectively, comparing to the PCA technique. The outcomes of the research can serve as a generic indicator to help the authority for better city planning with consideration of all possible social, environmental and urban requirements or constraints.
Changes in circulating microRNAs are associated with childhood obesity.

CONTEXT Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are valuable biomarkers of metabolic diseases and potential therapeutic targets in this field. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to define the circulating pattern of miRNAs in childhood obesity. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The genome-wide circulating miRNA profile was assessed by RT-PCR in 10 boys (5 lean and 5 obese children). The most relevant miRNAs were cross-sectionally validated in 85 lean versus 40 obese children (63 boys and 62 girls) and longitudinally evaluated in samples from the same children when they were ≈ 7 and ≈ 10 years old (23 boys and 22 girls). RESULTS The cross-sectional validation study disclosed that 15 specific circulating miRNAs were significantly deregulated in prepubertal obesity, including the decreased miR-221 and miR-28-3p and increased concentrations in plasma of miR-486-5p, miR-486-3p, miR-142-3p, miR-130b, and miR-423-5p (all P < .0001). The circulating concentration of these miRNAs was significantly associated with body mass index and other measures of obesity such as percent fat mass, waist, regional fat distribution and with laboratory parameters such as homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, high-molecular-weight adiponectin, C-reactive protein, and circulating lipids in concordance with anthropometric associations. Plasma concentrations of 10 of these circulating miRNAs changed significantly and differently during the 3-year follow-up in children who increased or decreased their normalized weight. CONCLUSION This study provides the first evidence that circulating miRNAs are deregulated in prepubertal obese children. Thus, the very early detection of an abnormal circulating miRNA profile may be a promising strategy to identify obese children who may suffer from metabolic abnormalities.
The Informational Role of the Media in Private Lending: THE INFORMATIONAL ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN PRIVATE LENDING

* We appreciate the helpful comments of Christian Leuz, participants at the Yale Fall 2013 conference and seminar participants at LBS and Penn State. We are very grateful to Vincent Pham for excellent research assistance. We thank the Thomson Reuters Loan Pricing Corporation for providing loan data and Raven Pack for media data. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Kenan-In this paper, we examine the informational role of the business press in the private debt market. We find that the media content leading up to a loan origination significantly affects the interest spread on syndicated loans, with more positive content leading to lower spreads. This effect is more pronounced for more information-sensitive loans and is substantially enhanced by broad dissemination. We also find that the amplification effect of dissemination on the impact of media content is more pronounced for more opaque non-rated borrowers. We further show that the sensitivity of loan spreads to media content significantly differs between relationship and non-relationship lenders, with relationship lenders under-reacting to positive media content, consistent with their information advantage protecting them from competition. We also demonstrate that the broad dissemination of positive media content undermines relationship lenders' information advantage and enhances the competitiveness of the loan market, as borrowers are more likely to switch to non-relationship lenders following a positive public signal provided by the media. Overall, we view our findings as supporting the importance of the media as an information intermediary in the private debt market. Banks incorporate a diverse information set derived from both public and private sources when assessing borrowers' creditworthiness and structuring loan contracts. As a natural consequence of the private lending process, incumbent lenders have ongoing access to private borrower-specific information not available to new lenders, typically endowing them with a substantial information advantage. For example, lenders may access nuanced information about firm fundamentals that is not fully reflected in hard information, such as accounting performance measures. Lenders also obtain soft information regarding intangible characteristics such as managers' skills, abilities and honesty. Further, lenders may access proprietary information related to new product developments and strategic plans, some of which are subject to lender approval due to the covenant restrictions imposed by lending contracts. 1 Incumbent lenders' information advantage can create a threat of adverse selection, thus weakening competition from prospective lenders for a borrower's loans. The differential availability of borrower-specific information across potential lenders, if substantial, may …
Coiled coil miniprotein randomization on phage leads to charge pattern mimicry of the receptor recognition determinant of interleukin 5

Phage display was used to identify sequences that mimic structural determinants in interleukin5 (IL5) for IL5 receptor recognition. A coiled coil stem loop (CCSL) miniprotein scaffold library was constructed with its turn region randomized and panned for binding variants against human IL5 receptor α chain (IL5Rα). Competition enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays identified CCSL‐phage selectants for which binding to IL5Rα was competed by IL5. The most frequently selected and IL5‐competed CCSL‐phage contain charged residues Arg and Glu in their turn sequences, in this regard resembling a β strand sequence in the ‘CD turn’ region, of IL5, that has been proposed to present a key determinant for IL5 receptor α chain recognition. The most dominant CCSL‐phage selectant sequence, PVEGRV, contains a negative/positive charge pattern similar to that seen in the original CD turn. To test the relatedness of CCSL‐phage selectant sequences to the IL5 receptor recognition epitope, PVEGRV was grafted into the sequence 87–92 of a monomeric IL5. The resulting IL5 variant, [87PVEGRV92]GM1, was able to bind to IL5Rα in biosensor assays, to elicit TF‐1 cell proliferation and to induce STAT5 phosphorylation in TF‐1 cells. The results help discern sequence patterns in the IL5 CD turn region which are key in driving receptor recognition and demonstrate the utility of CCSL miniprotein scaffold phage display to identify local IL5 mimetic sequence arrangements that may ultimately lead to IL5 antagonists. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Technetium 99m Single Positron Emission Computed Tomography Scanning for Assessing Mandible Invasion in Oral Cavity Cancer

Objectives To study the accuracy of single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning and compare its results to clinical examination, Panorex, and computed tomography (CT) scanning with respect to determining mandibular invasion by oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer, and to define the role of SPECT scanning in the preoperative assessment of oromandibular cancer.
The Impact of Bank Credit on Labor Reallocation and Aggregate Industry Productivity

Using a difference-in-difference methodology, we find that the state-level deregulation of local U.S. banking markets leads to significant increases in the reallocation of labor within local industries towards small firms with higher marginal products of labor. Using plant-level data, we propose and examine an approach that quantifies the industry productivity gains from labor reallocation and find that these gains are economically important. Our analysis suggests that labor reallocation is a significant channel through which local banking markets affect the aggregate productivity and performance of local industries.