Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Auxins and Associated Metabolic Changes on Cuttings of Hybrid Aspen

In the present study, an attempt was made to induce rooting from single-node cuttings of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) with different concentrations of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-Butytric acid (IBA) and 1-Naphthylacetic acid (NAA). Among the three auxins used, 0.54 mM NAA showed more effective induction on rooting as compared to IAA and IBA at the whole level. Thereafter, 0.54 mM NAA was used further for the anatomical and biochemical investigation. The results showed that it took 12 days from the differentiation of primordium to the appearance of young adventitious roots under NAA application. It was found that endogenous IAA, Zeatin riboside (ZR) and Gibberellic Acid (GA3) levels increased, but Abscisic acid (ABA) decreased in cuttings with NAA treatment. In contrast to the endogenous IAA level, NAA resulted in a decrease in IAA-oxidase (IAAO) activity. Similarly, the decreased peroxidase (POD) activity, consistent with down-regulation of expressed levels of POD1 and POD2, was observed in NAA-treated cuttings. Moreover, NAA resulted in a higher activity in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) compared with control cuttings. Collectively, the study highlighted that 0.54 mM NAA is efficient on rooting in hybrid aspen, and its effect on metabolic changes during rooting was discussed, which can provide valuable information for propagating hybrid aspen.
Hepatotoxicity of pyrazinamide: cohort and case-control analyses.

RATIONALE Relatively little is known about the hepatotoxicity of pyrazinamide. OBJECTIVES We compared continuation-phase regimens incorporating pyrazinamide, isoniazid, and/or rifampin with those containing isoniazid and rifampin to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of pyrazinamide. METHODS Cohort and nested case-control analyses were conducted on a cohort of 3,007 patients with active tuberculosis (TB) managed at government chest clinics under a TB control program with treatment started from January 1 through June 30, 2001. Cases included all patients with probable hepatotoxicity from 12 or more weeks after starting treatment. Hepatotoxicity was considered probable when serum alanine transaminase exceeded three times the upper limit of normal. Each case was matched by sex and age with three control subjects selected randomly from the rest of the cohort. Treatment regimens of cases within 4 weeks preceding hepatotoxicity were compared with those of matched control subjects in comparable periods relative to the date of commencing treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Hepatotoxicity occurred in 150 (5.0%) patients at any time including 48 (1.6%) cases. From 12 or more weeks after starting treatment, the estimated risk of hepatotoxicity was 2.6% for regimens incorporating pyrazinamide, isoniazid, and/or rifampin, and 0.8% for standard regimens containing isoniazid and rifampin. Multivariable conditional logistic analysis showed a significant association between hepatotoxicity and, respectively, hepatitis B, previous hepatotoxicity, and treatment regimens. The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of hepatotoxicity for regimens incorporating pyrazinamide, isoniazid, and/or rifampin relative to standard regimens was 2.8 (1.4-5.9). CONCLUSIONS Adding pyrazinamide to isoniazid and rifampin increases the risk of hepatotoxicity appreciably.
Couple's Labor Supply, Taxes, and the Division of Housework in a Gender-Neutral Lab

We use a lab-in-the-field experiment to investigate intra-couple labor supply decisions and the division of housework under individual and joint income taxation systems. In order to eliminate problems of endogenous intra-couple time use decisions, we exogenously varied not only the taxation system but also the intra-couple roles of primary and secondary earners. Using work effort as a proxy for labor supply, 62 established couples, both cohabiting and married (124 participants), performed real effort tasks under a piece rate payment system within a given time. Prior to this paid task, couples had to decide upon the allocation of an unpaid task serving as our proxy for housework. In our gender neutral lab, we find tax-effects only on men’s labor supply but not on women’s and no gender differences in the allocation of housework. Instead, the allocation of housework follows a purely economic rationale with the majority of secondary earners taking responsibility. This is even confirmed by a shift to a more egalitarian allocation when individual taxation is applied. However, one result replicates real world findings with married male participants providing more labor supply than cohabiting men and married women less than cohabiting women. This result hinges on the stability of specialization in married couples, which seems to overcome the gender neutral lab.
Age‐Dependent Synapse Withdrawal at Axotomised Neuromuscular Junctions in Wlds Mutant and Ube4b/Nmnat Transgenic Mice

Axons in WldS mutant mice are protected from Wallerian degeneration by overexpression of a chimeric Ube4b/Nmnat (Wld) gene. Expression of Wld protein was independent of age in these mice. However we identified two distinct neuromuscular synaptic responses to axotomy. In young adult Wlds mice, axotomy induced progressive, asynchronous synapse withdrawal from motor endplates, strongly resembling neonatal synapse elimination. Thus, five days after axotomy, 50–90 % of endplates were still partially or fully occupied and expressed endplate potentials (EPPs). By 10 days, fewer than 20 % of endplates still showed evidence of synaptic activity. Recordings from partially occupied junctions indicated a progressive decrease in quantal content in inverse proportion to endplate occupancy. In Wlds mice aged > 7 months, axons were still protected from axotomy but synapses degenerated rapidly, in wild‐type fashion: within three days less than 5 % of endplates contained vestiges of nerve terminals. The axotomy‐induced synaptic withdrawal phenotype decayed with a time constant of ∼30 days. Regenerated synapses in mature Wlds mice recapitulated the juvenile phenotype. Within 4–6 days of axotomy 30–50 % of regenerated nerve terminals still occupied motor endplates. Age‐dependent synapse withdrawal was also seen in transgenic mice expressing the Wld gene. Co‐expression of Wld protein and cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) in axons and neuromuscular synapses did not interfere with the protection from axotomy conferred by the Wld gene. Thus, Wld expression unmasks age‐dependent, compartmentally organised programmes of synapse withdrawal and degeneration.
Relating Traits to Diversification: A Simple Test

We describe a simple comparative method for determining whether rates of diversification are correlated with continuous traits in species‐level phylogenies. This involves comparing traits of species with net speciation rate (number of nodes linking extant species with the root divided by the root to tip evolutionary distance), using a phylogenetically corrected correlation. We use simulations to examine the power of this test. We find that the approach has acceptable power to uncover relationships between speciation and a continuous trait and is robust to background random extinction; however, the power of the approach is reduced when the rate of trait evolution is decreased. The test has low power to relate diversification to traits when extinction rate is correlated with the trait. Clearly, there are inherent limitations in using only data on extant species to infer correlates of extinction; however, this approach is potentially a powerful tool in analyzing correlates of speciation.
Quantifying the role of online news in linking conservation research to Facebook and Twitter

Conservation science needs to engage the general public to ensure successful conservation interventions. Although online technologies such as Twitter and Facebook offer new opportunities to accelerate communication between conservation scientists and the online public, factors influencing the spread of conservation news in online media are not well understood. We explored transmission of conservation research through online news articles with generalized linear mixed‐effects models and an information theoretic approach. In particular, we assessed differences in the frequency conservation research is featured on online news sites and the impact of online conservation news content and delivery on Facebook likes and shares and Twitter tweets. Five percent of articles in conservation journals are reported in online news, and the probability of reporting depended on the journal. There was weak evidence that articles on climate change and mammals were more likely to be featured. Online news articles about charismatic mammals with illustrations were more likely to be shared or liked on Facebook and Twitter, but the effect of news sites was much larger. These results suggest journals have the greatest impact on which conservation research is featured and that news site has the greatest impact on how popular an online article will be on Facebook and Twitter.
Macular Pigment Optical Density Relates to Foveal Thickness

Purpose Macular pigment is composed of 2 dietary carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and is mainly present at the nerve fiber layers and ganglion cell layers of the retina, with peak concentrations in the fovea. It is thought to function as a blue-light filter and antioxidant, and therefore protect the retina from damaging influences that are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. This study was performed to investigate the suggested positive relationship between foveal macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and foveal retinal thickness. Methods We determined MPOD and foveal thickness in the right eyes of 40 healthy Caucasian subjects (5 men, 35 women) recruited at the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands. Their mean age was 24.4±8.7 years. MPOD was determined by using a novel method of heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP), where subjects have to detect flicker instead of conventionally minimizing a present flicker motion. Foveal thickness parameters were obtained using optical coherence tomography (OCT 3). Results We found a positively significant correlation between MPOD and central foveal thickness (r=0.359, p=0.027). In addition, we found a negatively significant correlation between foveal thickness and foveal width (r=–0.558, p<0.001). Conclusions Our data confirm the previously suggested positively significant correlation between MPOD and central foveal thickness. The observed negative relationship between foveal thickness and foveal width may be explained by eccentric scans on the OCT. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2009; 19: 836–41)
A possible role of hypervariable region 1 quasispecies in escape of hepatitis C virus particles from neutralization

We examined serial changes in the hypervariable region 1(HVR1) quasispecies both in immune and nonimmune complexed hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles from 12 patients with chronic hepatitis C to elucidate the mechanism by which genetic diversification of HCV during the course of infection allows escape of virus from the humoural immune response. Immune and nonimmune complexes were separated by differential flotation centrifugation and immunoprecipitation, and their HVR1 quasispecies were determined by subcloning and sequencing. The presence of a specific antibody against a specific viral clone in serum was examined in two patients by Western blotting of the corresponding recombinant HVR1 protein. The distribution of HVR1 quasispecies in both immune and nonimmune complexes conspicuously changed over time in most of the patients studied. In seven patients, various HCV clones serially shifted from nonimmune complexes to immune complexes. In four of them, a group of clones with similar HVR1 sequences to each other remained predominant in nonimmune complexes, whereas minor clones with sequences considerably divergent from the predominant clones shifted from nonimmune complexes to immune complexes. These results suggest a mechanism for persistent infection of HCV, in which major HCV clones escape from neutralization by anti‐HVR1 antibodies by generating considerably divergent minor ‘decoy’ clones which may be preferentially neutralized.
Cramer-Rao bounds for location of unknown multiple sources in a multipath environment

The authors derive expressions for the Cramer-Rao bound on the location parameters of several stochastic sources. The source signals are Gaussian, with unknown mean and variance parameters. In this way, they are able to derive expressions that encompass the commonly considered models of unknown deterministic and zero-mean stochastic source signals. The inverse of the Cramer-Rao bound for the location parameters is the sum of two components, one representing the information in the mean of the observations, and the other associated to its stochastic nature. Both these components are equal to the information for the corresponding known source signal case minus a loss term due to lack of knowledge of the source signal moments. <<ETX>>
Arthroscopic meniscectomy: Treatment costs and postoperative function in a historical perspective

We report short-term data from 82 consecutive patients with arthroscopic meniscectomy 1995-1998 in stable knees and without severe cartilage changes. All patients were treated as outpatients, the operating time was, on average, 23 SD12 minutes and 3 of 4 patients were back at work within 1 week. Almost half of the patients still had some knee problems 3 months after surgery, but thereafter a substantial improvement was seen. We also report original data from a consecutive series of patients having arthroscopic meniscectomy 1980-81. In that series, the frequency of total meniscectomies was higher, the operating time longer, but the time to recovery was shorter than in 1995-98. In contrast to 1995-98, most of the patients in 1980-81 were followed by the doctor and had supervised rehabilitation. However, sick leave was similar in the two series. The total costs for an arthroscopic meniscectomy in 1998 was less than half the costs in 1980-81. We conclude that the improved technique for arthroscopic meniscectomy during the last 15-20 years and less supervised rehabilitation have reduced the costs, but not the recovery time.
Differentiation of Human Tumour‐associated Dendritic Cells into Endothelial‐like Cells: An Alternative Pathway of Tumour Angiogenesis

Until recently, the only accepted mechanism of tumour vascularization was the sprouting of endothelial cells (EC) from pre‐existing vessels, while recent studies suggest the contribution of stem cell‐derived endothelial progenitors as well as cells from the myeloid lineage. Here, we show a new way of endothelial differentiation that involves the specific modulation of monocytes by the tumour environment. The tumour milieu is characterized by the presence of cytokines and lactate which induce the differentiation of tumour‐invading monocytes into tumour‐associated dendritic cells (DC). Additional incubation of tumour‐associated DC with pro‐angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and oncostatin M, led to transdifferentiation into endothelial‐like cells. The cells showed strong expression of von Willebrand factor and VE‐Cadherin, both classical EC markers, while leukocytic markers were reduced. In addition, they were able to form network‐like structures on matrigel, which could be blocked by the DNA‐based drug Defibrotide. This finding may be of great therapeutic relevance for tumour therapy.
Variation in HLA class I antigen-processing genes and susceptibility to human papillomavirus type 16-associated cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND Persistent infection with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is a primary etiological factor for the development of cervical cancer. Genes involved in antigen processing influence both the repertoire of antigens presented by HPV16-infected cells and the nature of HPV16-specific immune responses. Genetic variation in these genes may affect protein structure and function and, consequently, the ability of an individual to clear HPV infection. METHODS Thirty-five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 5 genes (LMP2, TAP1, LMP7, TAP2, and Tapasin) were investigated for association with susceptibility to HPV16-associated cervical cancer. Sequencing of these genes resulted in the discovery of 15 previously unreported SNPs. Microsphere-array flow cytometry-based genotyping was conducted on 787 samples from Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women (241 randomly selected control subjects, 205 HPV16-positive control subjects, and 341 HPV16-positive case subjects with cervical cancer). RESULTS For 9 SNPs, 8 of which had not previously been reported in the context of cervical cancer, there were statistically significant differences between the genotype distribution in case subjects and that in control subjects. Haplotype analysis of 3 haplotype blocks revealed 3 haplotypes with significant differences in frequency in case-control comparisons. Both HPV16-specific and non-type-specific differences in genotype distribution were seen. CONCLUSIONS Genes involved in antigen processing for HLA class I presentation may contribute to susceptibility to cervical cancer.
Phrenic nerve conduction studies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: The most common etiology of hypercapnic respiratory failure is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the differential diagnosis also includes neuromuscular disorders. We studied the specificity of reduced amplitude phrenic nerve compound motor action potential (CMAP) to diagnose neuromuscular disorders. Methods: A group of patients with advanced COPD were recruited prospectively and compared with controls. Phrenic nerve CMAPs were measured bilaterally using supraclavicular surface stimulation and bipolar recording (G1: 5 cm above the xiphoid; G2: 16 cm from G1). Results: A group of 20 patients (15 men) and a group of 29 controls (15 men) were included. Phrenic nerve CMAPs of patients with COPD had significantly longer latency and higher amplitude. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure and reduced phrenic nerve CMAP amplitude most probably have a neuromuscular disorder affecting the diaphragm and not COPD or another lung disorder. Muscle Nerve 47: 504–509, 2013
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in the kidney: does it more than simply attract monocytes?

There is an increasing body of evidence that the CC chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of progression of renal failure. This is based on observations both in various animal models of renal damage and in different types of human renal disease (for review, see [1]). Locally produced MCP-1 seems to be particularly involved in the initiation and progression of tubulointerstitial damage. The latter has been documented in experiments using transgenic mice with nephrotic serum-induced nephritis: compared with wild-type mice, MCP-1-deficient mice exhibit less tubulointerstitial lesions, but they exhibit no differences in glomerular lesions [2]. There is, however, evidence that MCP-1 also plays a role in the progression of glomerular lesions, since glomerular expression of MCP-1 correlates with the degree of renal damage in inflammatory [3] and non-inflammatory [4] models of glomerular injury. Furthermore, in humans with crescentic glomerulonephritis, MCP-1 is not only expressed in tubular epithelial cells and leukocytes infiltrating the tubulointerstitium, but also in crescents and parietal epithelium [5]. In experimental crescentic glomerulonephritis, administration of antibodies to MCP-1 decreases the extent of proteinuria, reduces glomerulosclerosis and improves renal dysfunction [6]. Of importance, a consistent increase of urinary MCP-1 concentration is found in patients or animals Correspondence and offprint requests to: Stephan R. Orth, Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Hospital of Berne (Inselspital), CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland. Email: stephan.orth@insel.ch Nephrol Dial Transplant (2002) 17: 2043–2047
Miniaturized C-Band SIW Filters Using High-Permittivity Ceramic Substrates

This paper introduces an effective way to build efficient miniature C-band filters using high-permittivity ceramics. The objective was to evaluate the feasibility of such filters using commercial electromagnetic simulators and a conventional fabrication process. For the demonstration, the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology was chosen. Compared with planar solutions, this configuration offers good quality factors and good electrical performances as a consequence. However, its dimensions are large, leading to unacceptably large footprints for many applications. The solution proposed in this paper is based on a ceramic substrate with a permittivity of 90, which allowed us to work with shorter wavelengths. In comparison with a standard alumina substrate (permittivity εr= 9.9, this approach makes it possible to reduce the footprint up to nine times. Two prototypes were realized on a Trans-Tech ceramic substrate (thickness = 635 μm, εr = 90, and tanδ = 9 · 10-4. The first prototype is a folded sixth-order SIW filter including a cross coupling combining coplanar waveguide probes and a thin microstrip line on an InterVia substrate. The second one is a folded eighth-order SIW filter without cross couplings. Here, we compare the sixth-order prototype with an identical one built on alumina. The eighth-order filter, which had no alumina counterpart, is a potentially useful alternative for situations where complex technological steps must be avoided.
Dialect analysis and modeling for automatic classification

In this paper, we present our recent work in the analysis and modeling of speech under dialect. Dialect and accent significantly influence automatic speech recognition performance, and therefore it is critical to detect and classify non-native speech. In this study, we consider three areas that include: (i) prosodic structure (normalized f0, syllable rate, and sentence duration), (ii) phoneme acoustic space modeling and sub-word classification, and (iii) word-level based modeling using large vocabulary data. The corpora used in this study include: the NATO N-4 corpus (2 accents, 2 dialects of English), TIMIT (7 dialect regions), and American and British English versions of the WSJ corpus. These corpora were selected because the contained audio material from specific dialects/accents of English (N-4), were phonetically balanced and organized across U.S. (TIMIT), or contained significant amounts of read audio material from distinct dialects (WSJ). The results show that significant changes occur at the prosodic, phoneme space, and word levels for dialect analysis, and that effective dialect classification can be achieved using processing strategies from each domain.
An Evaluation of a Breast-Feeding Education Intervention Among Spanish-Speaking Families

Abstract This study assessed the impact of an educational breast-feeding intervention on the knowledge, attitudes and perceived ability to access breast-feeding resources among Spanish-speaking Latino families making breast-feeding decisions. Conducted in cooperation with the local office of The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), this university-based, multidisciplinary outreach and research project was held in a semirural part of Utah, where Latinos constitute the fastest and largest growing group of the population and have the lowest breast-feeding duration rates. The results suggested that teaching a lactation class in Spanish to Latino women significantly increased their willingness to breast-feed and empowered them by increasing their belief that they could breast-feed even if they work or attend school, that they would not have a problem with insufficient milk, and that they would not need to limit their diet to breast-feed. Additionally, the study indicated that Latino women are more likely to access health care services from agencies providing services in Spanish, regardless of their secondary fluency in English.