Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confocal image analysis of spatial variations in immunocytochemically identified calmodulin during pollen hydration, germination and pollen tube tip growth in Nicotiana tabacum L.

Summary Using monoclonal anti-calmodulin antibodies in conjunction with confocal scanning laser microscopy we have analysed the spatial variations in the distribution pattern of calmodulin (CaM) during the sequential events of pollen hydration, germination and tube growth in Nicotiana tabacum. These immunocytochemical observations have been complemented by immunochemical studies wherein the anti-calmodulin antibody raised against pea CaM recognises a polypeptide of c. 18 kDa in the pollen extracts. Digitisation of confocally acquired optical sections of immunofluorescence images reveals that in hydrated pollen a high level of CaM is consistently present in the region of the germinal apertures. Subsequently, with the onset of germination a high CaM concentration was found associated with the plasma membrane of the germination bubble and in the cytoplasm in its vicinity, while in the vegetative cytoplasm a weak diffuse and intense punctate signal was registered. CaM immunostain was also detected in association with the plasma membrane of the tube tips in both short and long pollen tubes. Furthermore, the cytosol of the tubes invariably manifested an apically focused CaM gradient. We were, however, unable to detect any vacuolar association of CaM in the older regions of the pollen tubes. Although punctate immunostain was obvious across the pollen tube numerous punctate structures were invariably present in the extreme tip. The possible implications of these findings in development of cell polarity, polarised growth, maintenance of calcium homeostasis and CaM interactions with other mechanochemical motor proteins in effecting propulsion of organelles during pollen hydration, germination and pollen tube growth are discussed.
An Analysis of Pricing Power Allocation in Supply Chains of Random Yield and Random Demand

This paper studies the issue of pricing power allocation in supply chains of random yield and random demand. Motivated by the reality, we consider two cases: the retailer is leader and the supplier is leader. In each case, we present some new contracts under which the supply chain can be coordinated and the profit can be arbitrarily divided between the supplier and the retailer. Based on these contracts, the leader can make its profit reach the highest point, where the highest point denotes the maximum possible profit of the leader. Although the wholesale price can not make the supplier's profit reach the highest point when the supplier is leader, we study the optimal profits and decisions under the wholesale price contract by a numerical example.
FastSum: Fast and Accurate Query-based Multi-document Summarization

We present a fast query-based multi-document summarizer called FastSum based solely on word-frequency features of clusters, documents and topics. Summary sentences are ranked by a regression SVM. The summarizer does not use any expensive NLP techniques such as parsing, tagging of names or even part of speech information. Still, the achieved accuracy is comparable to the best systems presented in recent academic competitions (i.e., Document Understanding Conference (DUC)). Because of a detailed feature analysis using Least Angle Regression (LARS), FastSum can rely on a minimal set of features leading to fast processing times: 1250 news documents in 60 seconds.
Characterization of the P450 Monooxygenase NysL, Responsible for C-10 Hydroxylation during Biosynthesis of the Polyene Macrolide Antibiotic Nystatin in Streptomyces noursei

ABSTRACT The nysL gene, encoding a putative P450 monooxygenase, was identified in the nystatin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces noursei. Although it has been proposed that NysL is responsible for hydroxylation of the nystatin precursor, experimental evidence for this activity was lacking. The nysL gene was inactivated in S. noursei by gene replacement, and the resulting mutant was shown to produce 10-deoxynystatin. Purification and an in vitro activity assay for 10-deoxynystatin demonstrated its antifungal activity being equal to that of nystatin. The NysL protein was expressed heterologously in Escherichia coli as a His-tagged protein and used in an enzyme assay with 10-deoxynystatin as a substrate. The results obtained clearly demonstrated that NysL is a hydroxylase responsible for the post-polyketide synthase modification of 10-deoxynystatin at position C-10. Kinetic studies with the purified recombinant enzyme allowed determination of Km and kcat and revealed no inhibition of recombinant NysL by either the substrate or the product. These studies open the possibility for in vitro evolution of NysL aimed at changing its specificity, thereby providing new opportunities for engineered biosynthesis of novel nystatin analogues hydroxylated at alternative positions of the macrolactone ring.
Does timing and announcement matter? Restricting the production of pigs within a dynamic CGE model

In this paper we address the issue of timing and announcement within a dynamic applied general equilibrium model of the Danish economy. Specifically we analyse the introduction of a quota on the production of pigs. Two scenarios are analysed, namely the introduction of a once-off quota without any previous announcement and secondly, an announced gradually phased in production quota. Our findings suggest that the adjustment path is smoother when the policy is announced compared with the one being implemented without warning. This is the result of investors anticipating correctly future adjustments in prices and rental rates when making their investment decisions. Hence, the capital stock starts to adjust from the start of the simulation. When the quota is implemented without warning investors adjusts fully when the quota is implemented. In the long run, however, we find that the alternative timing strategies lead to similar results.
AlGaInP-Based LEDs With Al-doped ZnO Transparent Conductive Layer Grown by MOCVD

In this paper, Al-doped ZnO (AZO) grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using H<sub>2</sub>O as an oxidizer was employed as a transparent conductive layer (TCL) in AlGaInP-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A direct ohmic contact structure was observed between the AZO and the carbon-doped p<sup>+</sup>-GaP (p<sup>+</sup>-GaP:C) contact layer with a specific contact resistance of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathsf {2.2} \times \mathsf {10}^{{\mathsf {-4}}} $ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{{\mathsf {2}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. It is attributed to the unintentional hydrogen-doped n<sup>++</sup>-AZO interfacial layer at the clear interface of the AZO/p<sup>+</sup>-GaP:C. A forward voltage (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{f}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of 1.99 V at 20 mA was achieved, which is lower than that of the ITO-TCL LED with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{f}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 2.07 V. In addition, compared with the conventional LED without TCL and the ITO-TCL LED, the studied LED demonstrates high output power and high wall-plug efficiencies. These results indicate that the AZO-TCL grown by MOCVD using H<sub>2</sub>O as an oxidizer is an effective current spreading layer for high-performance AlGaInP-based LED application.
MicroRNA: A new player in stem cells

microRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of endogenous non‐protein‐coding small RNAs, which negatively regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level in many developmental and metabolic processes. miRNAs regulate a variety of biological processes, including developmental timing, signal transduction, tissue differentiation and maintenance, disease, and carcinogenesis. Emerging evidence demonstrates that miRNAs also play an essential role in stem cell self‐renewal and differentiation. Some miRNAs are specifically expressed in stem cells, control stem cell self‐renewal, and differentiation through negatively regulating the expression of certain key genes in stem cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 209: 266–269, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ecological Sustainability and On-Site Effluent Treatment Systems

In non-sewered urban and rural residential developments, domestic wastewaters are treated and disposed of on-site. Surveys indicate that the performance of domestic systems needs to be significantly improved to overcome potential public health and nuisance problems caused by failing systems. Many current effluent disposal practices are clearly not sustainable according to the accepted definitions of ecological sustainability. It is essential that the on-site disposal of domestic effluent is considered as an integral part of the land development process. Individual soil and site assessment needs to be undertaken in the design and sizing of effluent disposal systems. An important implication from the consideration of land capability criteria for on-site effluent disposal is that individual lot sizes will need to be larger in future developments of this nature.
Age‐related changes in the function of T cells

At the start of the last century in the United Kingdom, only 24% of the 587,830 deaths registered were of individuals over 65, but by the end of the century these figures had changed markedly. Of the 558,052 deaths in 1997, 84% were in the population over 65. This “right shift” in the survival curve is projected to continue. The UK Government Actuary's Department forecast that by 2020, 11.75 million people (19% of the population) will be over 65 rising to 15.1 million people (25% of the population) by 2040. Older members of society show infections of the urinary tract, respiratory tract, skin, soft tissue or intra‐abdominal region, infectious endocarditis, bacterial meningitis, tuberculosis, and herpes zoster, at a higher incidence than among younger adults. Moreover, mortality rates for these diseases are often 2–3 times higher among elderly patients than younger individuals with the same disease. The higher morbidity and mortality from these infections, plus the increased prevalence of specific cancers and certain autoimmune diseases point to an immune system deteriorating with age. At the core of the immune system are the T cells and this review analyses possible causes for the changes in T cell function that may account for the deterioration of the immune system. Any intervention to reverse the decline in the immune system must have a rational basis built on a hypothesis‐driven inquiry, and one such intervention process is presented here. Microsc. Res. Tech. 62:508–513, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Is breastfeeding protective for blood pressure in schoolchildren? A cohort study in northeast Brazil.

Objective: This study assessed the influence of breastfeeding and nutritional status of full-term infants on blood pressure at school age. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort of 375 infants recruited at birth between 1993 and 1994 in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A sample of 213 8-year-old children had their blood pressure measured. A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the influence of low birth weight and breastfeeding duration on blood pressure, adjusting for socioeconomic conditions, maternal nutritional status, eating habits, growth rate (0–6 months), and the children's anthropometry at 8 years. Results: Mean values of children's blood pressure were significantly higher with lower duration of breastfeeding. Higher per capita family income, maternal body mass index and height, child's weight and length at birth, and child anthropometric dimensions at 8 years of age were associated with higher levels of blood pressure. The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that children who were breastfed for less than 40 days had higher systolic blood pressures, explaining 2.2% of its variation. Anthropometry at 8 years of age explained the higher variance in systolic blood pressure (12.6%) with emphasis on waist circumference (9.5%), followed by per capita income (3.2%) and maternal height (2.1%). Birth weight and length had no influence on blood pressure levels in this age group. Conclusions: Children's waist circumference, duration of breastfeeding, socioeconomic conditions, and maternal nutritional status influenced blood pressure levels of schoolchildren born full term, rather than low birth weight.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder at Ages 13-18: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement.

OBJECTIVE "Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder" (DMDD) has been introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. but the utility of this new label and the clinical correlates of the children it describes are yet to be determined. METHODS A proxy for the DMDD diagnosis was extracted from the National Comorbidity Survey - Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) data on 6483 adolescents (51.4% female) including Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) diagnoses and measures of impaired functioning from the Sheehan Disability Scale. Cross tabulations and logistic regression were used to assess for prevalence and comorbidity. RESULTS A total of 310 (5.26%) adolescents met the criteria for DMDD when diagnostic hierarchy and frequency of outbursts were not considered. At the low end of prevalence estimation, only nine adolescents (0.12%) met the most stringent proxy diagnosis, and they also met criteria for a number of comorbid disorders and functional impairment. The rates of comorbidity and functional impairment in adolescents with bipolar disorder were the same, irrespective of their meeting criteria for DMDD. CONCLUSIONS The DMDD diagnosis captures a small group of adolescents with multiple other psychiatric and neurologic conditions. The specificity of this diagnostic label, therefore, at least in adolescents, remains an open question.
Endoscopic Surgery for Recurrent Inverted Papilloma

Objectives/Hypothesis Inverted papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses is noted for its high rate of recurrence. The feasibility of endoscopic treatment for inverted papilloma has been shown in the literature; however, reports discussing the efficacy of endoscopic surgery for recurrent diseases are rare. The study determined the effectiveness of endoscopic surgery for recurrent inverted papilloma and described when endoscopic medial maxillectomy was indicated.
Airway dendritic cell phenotypes in inflammatory diseases of the human lung

Airway dendritic cells (DCs) are key regulators of pulmonary immune responses. However, information is limited regarding the characteristics of airway DCs in human lung diseases. Plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and myeloid DCs (mDCs) were analysed using four-colour flow cytometry in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from nonsmoking controls and patients with sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pneumonia (in the presence or absence of immunosuppression). Compared with controls, immunocompetent patients with pneumonia displayed strongly enhanced pDC counts in BALF. In contrast, pDC counts in BALF from immunocompromised patients with pneumonia were even lower than in controls. This discrepancy was not explained by a different chemotactic milieu in the airways; all patients with pneumonia were characterised by strongly increased concentrations of the pDC-attracting chemokine, CXC chemokine ligand 10, in BALF. Patients with IPF were characterised by normal percentages of DC subtypes. However, the mDCs of patients with IPF were not as mature (CD83-positive) as those of controls. Patients with sarcoidosis displayed a unique increase in CD1a-negative mDCs in the airways. In addition, there was altered expression of costimulatory molecules (increased CD80 and decreased CD86 expression) on mDCs in patients with sarcoidosis. These data suggest that inflammatory diseases of the human lung are associated with a differential phenotype and recruitment of airway dendritic cells.
Preventive Interventions for Back and Neck Pain Problems: What is the Evidence?

Study Design. A review of controlled trials. Objectives. To determine which interventions are used to prevent back and neck pain problems as well as what the evidence is for their utility. Summary of Background Data. Given the difficulty in successfully treating long-term back and neck pain problems, there has been a call for preventive interventions. Little is known, however, about the value of preventive efforts for nonpatients, e.g., in the general population or workplace. Methods. The literature was systematically searched to locate all investigations that were: 1) specifically designed as a preventive intervention; 2) randomized or nonrandomized controlled trials; and, 3) using subjects not seeking treatment. Outcome was evaluated on the key variables of reported pain, report of injury, dysfunction, time off work, health-care utilization, and cost. Conclusions were drawn using a grading system. Results. Twenty-seven investigations meeting the criteria were found for educational efforts, lumbar supports, exercises, ergonomics, and risk factor modification. For back schools, only one of the nine randomized trials reported a significant effect, and there was strong evidence that back schools are not effective in prevention. Because the randomized trials concerning lumbar supports were consistently negative, there is strong evidence that they are not effective in prevention. Exercises, conversely, showed stable positive results in randomized controlled trials, giving consistent evidence of relatively moderate utility in prevention. Because no properly controlled trials were found for ergonomic interventions or risk factor modification, there was not good quality evidence available to draw a conclusion. Conclusions. The results concerning prevention for subjects not seeking medical care are sobering. Only exercises provided sufficient evidence to conclude that they are an effective preventive intervention. There is a dire lack of controlled trials examining broad-based multidimensional programs. The need for high quality outcome studies is underscored.
Multi-institutional profile of adults admitted to pediatric intensive care units.

IMPORTANCE Growing numbers of persons with childhood-onset chronic illnesses are surviving to adulthood. Many use pediatric hospitals for their inpatient needs. To our knowledge, the prevalence and characteristics of adult pediatric intensive care unit patients have not been reported. OBJECTIVES To estimate the proportion of adults admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), characterize them, and compare them with older adolescents. DESIGN One-year cross-sectional analysis. SETTING Pediatric intensive care units in the United States that participated in the Virtual Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Systems. PARTICIPANTS Pediatric intensive care unit patients 15 years or older admitted in 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We compared adults with adolescents across clinical characteristics and outcomes. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the independent association of age with PICU mortality. RESULTS Seventy PICUs had 67 629 admissions; 1954 admissions (2.7%) were patients 19 years or older; and 9105 admissions (13.5%) were patients aged 15 to 18 years. The proportion of adults (≥19 years) varied considerably by PICU (range, 0%-9.2%). As age increased, the proportion of patients who had a complex chronic condition and planned or perioperative admissions increased; the proportion of trauma-related admissions decreased. Patients aged 21 to 29 years had a 2 times (95% CI, 1.3-3.2; P = .004) greater odds of PICU mortality compared with adolescent patients, after adjusting for Paediatric Index of Mortality score, sex, trauma, and having a complex chronic condition. Being 30 years or older was associated with a 3.5 (95% CI, 1.3-9.7; P = .01) greater odds of mortality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this multi-institutional study, adults constituted a small but high-risk proportion of patients in some PICUs, suggesting that these PICUs should have plans and protocols specifically focused on this group.
Perisynaptic organization of plasma membrane calcium pumps in cerebellar cortex

Calcium, a ubiquitous intracellular messenger, regulates numerous intracellular signaling pathways. To permit specificity of signal transduction and prevent unwanted cross‐talk between pathways, sites of calcium entry in neurons are localized to specific membrane domains. To test whether Ca2+ extrusion pumps might exhibit analogous compartmentalization, we used immunohistochemistry to determine the subcellular localization of the two main plasma membrane Ca2+‐ATPase (PMCA) isoforms in the cortex of the rat cerebellum. We find that both PMCA2 and PMCA3 are targeted to distinct compartments within the plasma membrane. In the molecular layer, both isoforms were at highest levels within synaptic profiles, but PMCA2 was postsynaptic and PMCA3 was presynaptic. Moreover, inside these compartments, both pumps exhibited nonuniform distributions. These data imply that cerebellar neurons possess remarkably effective mechanisms to target and restrict PMCA2 and ‐3 to specific membrane domains, raising the possibility that calcium pumps contribute to local Ca2+ signaling. J. Comp. Neurol. 500:1127–1135, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Wage Differential of Migrant Workers in China Based on the Improved Brown Decomposition Approach

This paper employs the 2009's surveyed data of migrant workers and uses the improved Brown Decomposition approach to measure the gender wage difference of migrant workers in China.The result shows that there exists a severe gender wage difference among migrant workers.In the aspect of the structure of wage gap,the gender discrimination of unexplained factors takes up 83.94 percent while human capital and social capital are little in thier influence.From the perspective of within-the-industry and between-the-industry,there is 83.49 percent caused by within-the-industry while between-the-industry plays a little role in the total difference.So,eliminating the gender discrimination and creating a fair labor market are the important way to improve the gender wage differential of migrant workers.
Neurologic evaluation of acute lacrimomimetic effect of cyclosporine in an experimental rabbit dry eye model.

PURPOSE To evaluate neurologically acute lacrimation caused by cyclosporine (CsA) eyedrops in rabbit. METHODS Normal adult male New Zealand White rabbits and those that underwent parasympathectomy each received a single instillation of 0.1% CsA or vehicle eyedrops. Schirmer tear test (STT) results, flow rate of lacrimal gland (LG) fluid from the excretory lacrimal duct of the main LG, and blink rate (over a 3-minute period) were measured before and after instillation of CsA or vehicle. Light microscopy was performed to examine the main LG in vitro. Protein release from LG fragments was assessed after incubation with CsA for 30 minutes. RESULTS In normal rabbits, the STT value and the flow rate of LG fluid were significantly increased after treatment with CsA compared with vehicle (P < 0.05). In contrast, no changes were found in denervated eyes. The blink rate of CsA-treated eyes was significantly higher than that of vehicle-treated eyes in normal rabbits (P < 0.005), whereas that of denervated eyes decreased significantly after CsA instillation compared with before administration (P < 0.005). Light microscopy showed that the cytoplasm of acinar cells was packed with secretory granules in denervated LG tissue 7 days after parasympathectomy. The same finding was observed 3 hours after CsA instillation. CsA had no stimulatory effect on protein release by acinar cells in LG fragments at all concentrations tested. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CsA has no direct effect on tear fluid secretion from the LG in an acute model. Instead, CsA increases reflex tear flow.