Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classical and molecular cytogenetic studies of top onion, Allium x proliferum (Moench) Schrader

Top, tree or Egyptian onion, Allium x proliferum (Moench) Schrader, 2n=2x=16, is a minor, vegetatively propagated garden crop in Europe, North America and North East Asia. Several clones of the top onion were found to be locally cultivated in the region of South Croatia under the name “Ljutika-talijanka”. One of these, clone Biorina, was studied by means of both classi­ cal cytogenetic techniques (karyotyping and meiosis) as well as molecular techniques (genomic in situ hybridization, GISH and flow cytometry). Analysis of a Feulgen stained karyotype revealed its pseudodiploid structure, since among 16 chromosomes no homologous pairs could be detected. A high frequency of heteromorphic bivalents, followed by univalents and a rare occurrence of multivalents, was recorded in meiosis in the pollen mother cells. Although bivalents with random chiasmata prevailed, we observed occasional occurrence of the bivalents with localized chiasmata. All pollen degenerates at the one-nucleate stage, resulting in complete pollen sterility. Using GISH, we identified the parental origin of all 16 chromosomes and confirmed the hybrid status o f the analyzed clone: 8 longer chromosomes originated from the Allium cepa L. parent, whereas 8 shorter chromosomes originated from the Allium fistulosum L. parent. The investigated clone had an intermediate amount of DNA (26.98 pg DNA/2C) as compared to its parent species, A. cepa (31.95 pg DNA/2C) and A. fistulosum (21.62 pg DNA/2C).
Let there be light: Dissecting how PRIME networks work based on actual traffic traces

AMIs represent the first steps towards a fully operational Smart Grid and NB-PLC technologies, such as PRIME, are winning momentum in such AMI deployments. PRIME standard leaves some parameters up to meter manufacturers. So, how do communications in PRIME networks actually work? To the best of the authors knowledge, this paper represents the first study that provides an answer to this question. By dissecting a traffic trace from a test carried out in the Network Integration Laboratory of the Spanish DSO Union Fenosa Distribución, we show that communications parameters that may influence overall network performance take different values depending on the manufacturer and firmware version. We also obtain the time that the concentrator needs to read a 24hour consumption report from each of the smart meters in the network, which indeed represents a communications performance indicator and can be used for cross-validation of communications performance simulations. This work sets the foundation of a certain hot research topic in Smart Grids in coming years. On one side, typical scenarios can be characterized (e.g., for simulation purposes) by applying data mining techniques to analyze large traffic traces datasets. On the other side, it inspires carrying out research to propose optimal parameter configurations depending on the specific constraints of given scenarios.
Kinetic analysis of tear interference images in aqueous tear deficiency dry eye before and after punctal occlusion.

PURPOSE Kinetic analysis of sequential tear interference images was used to investigate how the precorneal lipid film spread and distributed in aqueous tear deficiency (ATD) dry eye. METHODS One eye of 17 patients with ATD was randomly selected for this noncomparative case series. Twelve patients also had noninflamed meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Sequential images were digitized and analyzed on computer. Data were further compared in 9 of the 17 cases before and after punctal occlusion (PO). Outcome measures included speed and pattern of lipid spread and resultant lipid layer thickness in the superior, central, and inferior cornea. Intensity and red/green/blue (RGB) color spectra of the tear interference image were compared before and after PO. RESULTS After lid blinking, it took a longer time (2.2 +/- 1.1 second) to reach a stable lipid film in all eyes with ATD compared with normal subjects (P < 0.0001). Because of this retarded spread, the thickest lipid film was located at the inferior cornea adjacent to the lid margin, with a gradient spreading toward the superior cornea (P = 0.01). As a result, the lipid film was thinner than normal on the superior cornea in 10 of 17 (59%) ATD eyes. Fifteen of 17 eyes (88%) showed vertical streaking, rather than a normal horizontal propagation pattern on the superior cornea. Such a lipid-deficient state and uneven distribution did not correlate with the presence or absence of MGD. The lipid spread time was shortened (P = 0.008), the distribution of the lipid film was more even, and the thickness approached normal in all nine eyes after PO. CONCLUSIONS In this study, kinetic analysis of tear interference images provided evidence that retardation of lipid spread is, but MGD is not, the main reason for the increased thickness of precorneal lipid film in the inferior cornea of eyes with ATD. As a result, lipid film is deficient in the superior cornea and unevenly distributed, further destabilizing the tear film. The fact that PO significantly improves lipid spread, evenness, and thickness suggests that the performance of lipid film is also dictated by the amount of aqueous tear fluid. These findings provide new insight into the interaction between the lipid film and the aqueous tear fluid.
Immersion, Presence, Interactivity: Towards a Joint Understanding of Factors Influencing Virtual Reality Acceptance and Use

Virtual Reality (VR) has started to diffuse into the market. Research can accompany this process by providing insights into adoption of the technology. However, although first studies have been conducted early, there are few empirical findings shedding light on issues of acceptance and use of VR. This is because the used models often suffer from omissions or only partially cover important variables for distinct characteristics of the technology, especially immersion, presence, and interactivity. Additionally, the applied variables are occasionally incorrectly specified. To lay a better foundation for investigating adoption and diffusion of VR, we explore relevant influence factors based on insights from previous works and a qualitative study with 20 participants. Besides issues of misspecification, our findings show that many contextual factors have been neglected. Moreover, we identify content quality, initial excitement, isolation, and distraction as new potentially relevant factors.
Overview on ESD Protection Designs of Low-Parasitic Capacitance for RF ICs in CMOS Technologies

CMOS technology has been widely used to implement radio-frequency integrated circuits (RF ICs). However, the thinner gate oxide in nanoscale CMOS technology seriously degrades the electrostatic discharge (ESD) robustness of RF ICs. Therefore, on-chip ESD protection designs must be added at all input/output pads in RF circuits against ESD damages. To minimize the impacts from ESD protection circuit on RF performances, ESD protection circuit at input/output pads must be carefully designed. An overview on ESD protection designs with low parasitic capacitance for RF circuits in CMOS technology is presented in this paper. The comparisons among these ESD protection designs are also discussed. With the reduced parasitic capacitance, ESD protection circuit can be easily combined or co-designed with RF circuits. As the operating frequencies of RF circuits increase, on-chip ESD protection designs for RF applications will continuously be an important design task.
How Connected is the Global Sovereign Credit Risk Network?

We apply the Diebold-Yilmaz connectedness index methodology on sovereign credit default swaps (SCDSs) to estimate the network structure of global sovereign credit risk. In particular, using the elastic net estimation method, we separately estimate networks of daily SCDS returns and volatilities for 38 countries between 2009 and 2014. Our results reveal striking differences between the network structures of returns and volatilities. In SCDS return networks, developing and developed countries stand apart in two big clusters. In the case of the SCDS volatility networks, however, we observe regional clusters among emerging market countries along with the developed-country cluster. We also show that global factors are more important than domestic factors in the determination of SCDS returns and volatilities. Finally, emerging market countries are the key generators of connectedness of sovereign credit risk shocks while severely problematic countries as well as developed countries play relatively smaller roles.
Effect of a Guarantee Time on Sample Size Determination for Testing the Ratio of Means from Two Lifetime Distributions

Abstract This paper studies the problem of sample size determination for testing the ratio of means from two lifetime distributions when thresholds, or guarantee times, are present in the survival distributions. We consider several different approaches of sample size determination based on different distributional assumptions and discuss the role that guarantee times play in these sample size computations. We show that the guarantee times, if they exist, can significantly affect the sample size computations. The Aging Intervention Testing Program from the National Institute on Aging is used to demonstrate our results.
Differential Subcellular Targeting of Glutamate Receptor Subtypes during Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity

Homeostatic processes are believed to contribute to the stability of neuronal networks that are perpetually influenced by Hebbian forms of synaptic plasticity. Whereas the rules governing the targeting and trafficking of AMPA and NMDA subtypes of glutamate receptors during rapid Hebbian LTP have been extensively studied, those that are operant during homeostatic forms of synaptic strengthening are less well understood. Here, we used biochemical, biophysical, and pharmacological approaches to investigate glutamate receptor regulation during homeostatic synaptic plasticity. We show in rat organotypic hippocampal slices that prolonged network silencing induced a robust surface upregulation of GluA2-lacking AMPARs, not only at synapses, but also at extrasynaptic dendritic and somatic regions of CA1 pyramidal neurons. We also detected a shift in NMDAR subunit composition that, in contrast to the cell-wide surface delivery of GluA2-lacking AMPARs, occurred exclusively at synapses. The subunit composition and subcellular distribution of AMPARs and NMDARs are therefore distinctly regulated during homeostatic synaptic plasticity. Thus, because subunit composition dictates key channel properties, such as agonist affinity, gating kinetics, and calcium permeability, the homeostatic synaptic process transcends the simple modulation of synaptic strength by also regulating the signaling and integrative properties of central synapses.
Towards the quantification of residual milk allergens in caseinate-fined white wines using HPLC coupled with single-stage Orbitrap mass spectrometry

A method based on LC-ESI-high-resolution (HR)-MS analysis, using a single-stage Orbitrap mass spectrometer, was developed for the quantification of casein allergens potentially present in white wines as a result of fining by caseinate. The method consists of (1) extraction from the matrix by ultrafiltration, (2) digestion with trypsin and (3) detection/quantification of residual caseins, obtained by monitoring the LC-MS response of representative tryptic peptides (peak areas in extracted-ion chromatograms). Method linearity was assessed first on caseinate solutions prepared either in water or in wine matrix (the ultrafiltration residue of a protein-free white wine). Limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.1 to 0.3 µg ml−1 (S/N = 3) in water, and between 0.15 and 0.7 µg ml−1 in wine matrix, depending on the selected peptide. Method repeatability and reproducibility, measured as response variability (standard deviation) due to LC-MS analysis alone and to both enzymatic digestion and LC-MS analysis, were assessed on caseinate standard solutions in water and ranged from 5 to 12% and from 8 to 20%, respectively. A higher variability was usually observed for the peptide marker response in the case of matrix-matched samples, the only exception being peptide GPFPIIV from β-casein, the marker also providing the highest sensitivity. The method was finally applied to a casein-free white wine (‘Greco di Tufo’) fined with caseinate at different concentrations, after discarding the precipitate due to casein–wine components aggregation. Minimum detectable added caseinate concentrations (i.e. those corresponding to responses with S/N = 3) were estimated between 39 and 51 µg ml−1, according to the peptide marker chosen. These limits are compatible with caseinate concentrations typically adopted for wine-fining purposes. Moreover, a cross-check with the calibration performed in wine matrix led to an estimation of the concentration of dissolved caseinate to be in the low ng ml−1 range.
Novel cell culture technique for primary ductal carcinoma in situ: role of Notch and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Notch signaling pathways have been implicated in self-renewal of normal breast stem cells. We investigated the involvement of these signaling pathways in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. METHODS Samples of normal breast tissue (n = 15), pure DCIS tissue of varying grades (n = 35), and DCIS tissue surrounding an invasive cancer (n = 7) were used for nonadherent (i.e., mammosphere) culture. Mammosphere cultures were treated at day 0 with gefitinib (an EGFR inhibitor), DAPT (N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl-L-alanyl)]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester) (a gamma-secretase inhibitor), or Notch 4-neutralizing antibody. Mammosphere-forming efficiency (MFE) was calculated by dividing the number of mammospheres of 60 microm or more formed by the number of single cells seeded and is expressed as a percentage. The Notch 1 intracellular domain (NICD) was detected immunohistochemically in paraffin-embedded DCIS tissue from 50 patients with at least 60 months of follow-up. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS DCIS had a greater MFE than normal breast tissue (1.5% versus 0.5%, difference = 1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.62% to 1.25%, P<.001). High-grade DCIS had a greater MFE than low-grade DCIS (1.6% versus 1.09%, difference = 0.51%, 95% CI = 0.07% to 0.94%, P = .01). The MFE of high-grade DCIS treated with gefitinib in the absence of exogenous EGF was lower than that of high-grade DCIS treated with mammosphere medium lacking gefitinib and exogenous EGF (0.56% versus 1.36%, difference 0.8%, 95% CI = 0.33% to 1.4%, P = .004). Increased Notch signaling as detected by NICD staining was associated with recurrence at 5 years (P = .012). DCIS MFE was reduced when Notch signaling was inhibited using either DAPT (0.89% versus 0.51%, difference = 0.38%, 95% CI = 0.2% to 0.6%, P<.001) or a Notch 4-neutralizing antibody (0.97% versus 0.2%, difference = 0.77%, 95% CI = 0.52% to 1.0%, P<.001). CONCLUSION We describe a novel primary culture technique for DCIS. Inhibition of the EGFR or Notch signaling pathways reduced DCIS MFE.
Fundamental Causes of Health Disparities: Stratification, the Welfare State, and Health in the United States and Iceland∗

Research has established that those with higher social status have better health. Less is known about whether this relationship differs cross-nationally and whether it operates similarly across different institutional arrangements. To examine the relationship between stratification and health, two Western, industrialized societies at opposite ends of an equal/unequal continuum are compared: the United States and Iceland. Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey and the 1998 Health and Living Standards of Adult Icelanders survey, I draw from two theoretical perspectives. First, I explore the notion of fundamental causes of disease by examining whether stratification has similar effects on health. Second, I examine whether the organization of welfare states affects this relationship. The results show that education, employment, and relative poverty have similar effects on health in both nations, thus supporting the notion of a fundamental cause. However, in Iceland relative affluence has a weaker relationship with health. Further, being a parent, regardless of marital status, has a stronger positive relationship with good health in Iceland. Welfare state intervention may be most successful in equalizing health outcomes by supporting families and by removing advantages traditionally accumulated by the wealthy in capitalist societies.
Tumor volume in pharyngolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: comparison at CT, MR imaging, and FDG PET and validation with surgical specimen.

PURPOSE To compare computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) for delineation of gross tumor volume (GTV) in pharyngolaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and to validate results with the macroscopic surgical specimen when available. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-nine patients with stages II-IV squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiation therapy or chemotherapy and radiation therapy (n = 20) or with total laryngectomy (n = 9) were enrolled. Ten patients had oropharyngeal, 13 had laryngeal, and six had hypopharyngeal tumors. CT, MR imaging, and PET were performed with patients immobilized in a customized thermoplastic mask, and images were coregistered. GTVs obtained with the three modalities were compared quantitatively and qualitatively. If patients underwent total laryngectomy, images were validated with the surgical specimen after three-dimensional coregistration. The effect of each modality was estimated with linear mixed-effects models. Adjustments for multiple comparisons were made with the Bonferonni or Sidak method. RESULTS For oropharyngeal tumors and for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal tumors, no significant difference (P >.99) was observed between average GTVs delineated at CT (32.0 and 21.4 cm(3), respectively) or MR imaging (27.9 and 21.4 cm(3), respectively), whereas average GTVs at PET were smaller (20.3 [P </=.10] and 16.4 cm(3) [P </=. 01], respectively). GTVs from surgical specimens were significantly smaller (12.6 cm(3), P </=. 06). In nine patients for whom a surgical specimen was available, no modality adequately depicted superficial tumor extension; this was due to limitations in spatial resolution. In addition, false-positive results were seen for cartilage, extralaryngeal, and preepiglottic extensions. CONCLUSION Compared with GTVs at CT and MR imaging, GTVs at FDG PET were smaller. In nine patients for whom a surgical specimen was available, PET was found to be the most accurate modality. However, no modality managed to depict superficial tumor extension.
Equivalent network representation for thickness vibration modes in piezoelectric plates with a linearly graded parameter

Equivalent network representation is derived for thickness vibration modes in piezoelectric plates with a linearly graded parameter. The network is composed of a transmission line of a finite length, which is linked to the electric excitation port via ideal transformers connected serially at both ends. The ratios of the two transformers are different from each other and frequency dependent. Two frequency-dependent capacitors of the same value but opposite sign appear at the electric port. The frequency characteristic of the input electric admittance of the resonator, which shows the unique feature of the graded piezoelectric plate, is demonstrated by the equivalent network analysis.
Group training in patients with COPD – Long-term effects after decreased training frequency

Purpose. To investigate effects of decreased training frequency in patients with COPD. Methods. Forty-three COPD patients participated in a controlled study. The intervention group (30 patients) trained 3 times a week during 3 months and once a week during 6 months. Before, after 3 and 9 months all patients performed walking tests, cycle ergometer tests and responded questionnaires on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (SGRQ, SF-36). Results. At 9 months compared to 3 months there were no changes in distance walked in the groups. Both groups decreased their VO2peak and the training group deteriorated in HRQoL. At 9 months compared to baseline the training group showed increased distance walked compared to the control group. In the disease-specific SGRQ the training group tended to improve their activity score while the control group tended to deteriorate in total score. In SF-36 the control group decreased their physical component score. Conclusion. Training once a week does not seem to be sufficient to maintain the level achieved after the 3-month period of training in COPD patients. However, training once a week during 6 months preceded by 3 months of high frequency training seems to prevent deterioration in physical capacity and HRQoL compared to baseline. Further studies are needed to investigate how to best sustain the benefits gained after physical training.
SCOPING REVIEW OFINTERNET GAME ADDICTION WITH A FOCUS ON THE RISK, PROTECTION, IMPACT FACTORS, AND INTERVENTION PROTOCOLS

Background: Internet game among adolescents seems problematic and has been associated with various psychosocial problems such as aggressive behavior, insomnia, and self-centeredness, as well as being easily petulant, hot-tempered, disobedient to parents and violent. Additionally, these adolescents are more likely to steal their parents’ money, develop poor money management skills, and display other negative forms of behavior associated with an imitation of violent game behavior and engaging in aggressive speech. Aims: This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of articles published on internet game addiction to understand what evidence exists of the protective, risk and impact factors of game addiction following the intervention protocols related to the specified topic. Methods: The standard method of scoping review was applied. Inclusion criteria were Thai and English articles that had been published online during 2012-2017. The participants were adolescents aged 13-18 years old. Notably, non-empirical studies, theses, book reviews, and commentaries were excluded from this scoping study. The databases CINAHL, Google Scholar, and Thai journal online were employed to search for the articles using the key phrase “ internet game addiction” at the initial step. Six hundred and sixty titles were retrieved from the database. Three authors read the titles and abstracts and then selected the relevant articles related to the topic. Ultimately, eighty-four articles were included. In the second step, the inclusion criterion was applied, and non-relevant studies were excluded. For the third step, the selected references were then listed, and the full-text articles were obtained. Results: The authors included 18 studies for review that consisted of mixed method, descriptive cross-sectional and experimental studies. Primarily, papers published in Thailand were selected (7 articles), followed by those published in China, Turkey, Norway, Germany, Greek, Hong Kong 1 Financial support for this research is provided by Boromarajonnani College of Nursing Changwat Nontaburi. 2 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kulnaree Hanpatchaiyakul at Email: kulnaree@bcnnon.ac. th and kulanree1122@gmail.com