Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perturbations to trophic interactions and the stability of complex food webs

The pattern of predator–prey interactions is thought to be a key determinant of ecosystem processes and stability. Complex ecological networks are characterized by distributions of interaction strengths that are highly skewed, with many weak and few strong interactors present. Theory suggests that this pattern promotes stability as weak interactors dampen the destabilizing potential of strong interactors. Here, we present an experimental test of this hypothesis and provide empirical evidence that the loss of weak interactors can destabilize communities in nature. We ranked 10 marine consumer species by the strength of their trophic interactions. We removed the strongest and weakest of these interactors from experimental food webs containing >100 species. Extinction of strong interactors produced a dramatic trophic cascade and reduced the temporal stability of key ecosystem process rates, community diversity and resistance to changes in community composition. Loss of weak interactors also proved damaging for our experimental ecosystems, leading to reductions in the temporal and spatial stability of ecosystem process rates, community diversity, and resistance. These results highlight the importance of conserving species to maintain the stabilizing pattern of trophic interactions in nature, even if they are perceived to have weak effects in the system.
An improved approach for web page quality assessment

Internet websites need to be measured and evaluated for quality and better understanding. Several Metrics were proposed to correspond with items that Web usability guideline associate with good design such as word count, total page size in bytes, body text percentage, average link text count and others. This study investigates empirically the web page quality on the basis of the 16 assessed metrics. Support Vector Machine (SVM) model is proposed to predict the good web pages and not good web pages. Web sites are collected from Webby Awards data (2001–2010) and Top Ten PC Magazines. The findings of quantitative analysis of web page attributes are expressed and how these attributes are calculated. The metrics captured in SVM model can be used to predict the website designs the good and the bad.
Prenatal findings in a monozygotic twin pregnancy with Costello syndrome

This report describes the prenatal findings in monozygotic twins with Costello syndrome. At 16 weeks one twin had 9 mm of nuchal oedema: coarctation of the aorta was diagnosed after birth. At 225/7 weeks relative macrocephaly, mild pyelectasia and moderate polyhydramnios were noted in both twins. In the following 4 weeks the polyhydramnios increased significantly without visualisation of filling of the stomach. Between 275/7 and 302/7 weeks a total of 9 l amniotic fluid was drained and at 304/7 weeks prelabor premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) occurred followed by premature labor and delivery. The neonatal period was complicated by growth retardation, deglutition problems, hypotonia, cardiac and respiratory problems. Both twins died on Day 57 because of respiratory insufficiency. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Perceptual Learning in the Rat: Stimulus Differentiation or Latent Inhibition of Common Elements?

Abstract Preexposure to an unreinforced stimulus facilitates learning (perceptual learning) under some conditions, but it can have the opposite effect (latent inhibition) under other conditions. Researchers have suggested that perceptual learning depends on a change of context, whereas latent inhibition is usually context specific. The associative theory explains both phenomena within a single framework. The authors report 4 experiments that show that perceptual learning does not depend on a context change. The experiments suggest that latent inhibition, unlike perceptual learning, depends on passive exposure. Thus the results do not support the associative theory. They are more consistent with Gibson's stimulus-differentiation theory.
The in vivo effects of ethidium bromide on mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA in Candida parapsilosis

The ability of Candida parapsilosis to grow in the presence of high levels of ethidium bromide (EB) has been explored to study the effects of this intercalating dye on DNA in vivo. By employing confocal microscopy we have determined that EB penetrates the cellular membranes and binds rapidly to the nucleolus, whereas mitochondrial DNA becomes stained after a longer exposure to this dye. No detectable staining of the nucleus has been detected under these conditions.
Effect of adding sodium taurocholate to selective media on the recovery of Clostridium difficile from environmental surfaces

The recovery of Clostridium difficile on a medium containing cefoxitin, cycloserine, fructose, and egg yolk was compared with that on media containing one of three preparations of sodium taurocholate. In aerobic environments contaminated with C. difficile, media containing either crude taurocholate from Mann Research Laboratories, New York, N.Y. , or pure taurocholate from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo. , recovered organisms significantly more often than did cefoxitin-cycloserine-fructose-egg yolk agar.
Medical students’ evaluation of tutors in a group‐learning curriculum

This study focused on students’ evaluation of tutors’ effectiveness during an academic term, using a nineteen‐item questionnaire. The study took place within an integrated problem‐solving medical course. Four major factors in the tutor's behaviour were identified as having importance in the rating process: the ability to care for students, a knowledge of course structure and teaching staff philosophy, the ability to encourage independent thinking in students and a knowledge of the specific medical problems being studied. Further analysis suggested that students distinguish between good and bad tutors, those in different medical strands and with differing status. In general, the findings complement those dealing with student evaluation of lectures and to some extent, patient satisfaction with doctors.
Neurochemical evaluation of brain function with 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with fragile X syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common hereditary disorder of intellectual disability. Cognitive deficits involve executive function, attention, learning and memory. Advanced neuroimaging techniques are available, and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can be used as a complementary method to MR imaging to understand disease processes in brain, by in vivo demonstration of brain metabolites. MRS was performed in 13 male patients with FXS full mutation, and 13 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. FXS diagnosis was based on clinical evaluation, followed by detection of FMR1 full mutation. Axial T2 TSE, sagittal T1 SE and coronal 3D MPRAGE images were obtained for both morphological imaging and voxel localization. Following evaluation of conventional images, multivoxel MRS (CSI) through supraventricular white matter and single voxel MRS (svs) with an intermediate echo time (TE:135 ms) from the cerebellar vermis were performed. Choline/Creatine (Cho/Cr), N‐acetyl aspartate/Creatine (NAA/Cr), and Choline/N‐acetyl aspartate (Cho/NAA) ratios were examined at right frontal (RF), left frontal (LF), right parietal (RP), left parietal (LP), and cerebellar vermian (C) white matter. Statistical analyses were done using t‐test and Mann–Whitney U tests. A statistically significant difference was observed in RP Cho/NAA ratio (cell membrane marker/neuroaxonal marker), FXS patients having lower levels than controls (P = 0.016). The results should be evaluated cautiously in parallel to consequences in brain metabolism leading to alterations in neurotransmitter levels, osmoregulation, energy metabolism and oxidative stress response described in animal models. MRS may serve to define a metabolic signature and biomarkers associated with FXS. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interneuron‐mediated inhibition synchronizes neuronal activity during slow oscillation

• A signature of deep sleep in the EEG is large‐amplitude fluctuation of field potential, which reflects alternating periods of activity and silence in the thalamocortical network. • Transitions between active and silent states of sleep slow oscillation are well synchronous between remote populations of neurons with the onsets of silent states synchronized better than the onsets of activity. • We found that synaptic inhibition plays a major role in terminating active cortical states; strong synaptic inhibition is necessary to synchronize onsets of silent states during normal sleep slow oscillation. • We further show that when synaptic inhibition is significantly reduced, active state termination is mediated by intrinsic hyperpolarizing conductances. • Our study suggests that inhibitory interaction in the cortical network actively mediates the patterns of neural activity during slow‐wave sleep and may, therefore, contribute to various brain functions developed during deep sleep.
Underwriter Reputation and the Quality of Certification: Evidence from High-Yield Bonds

This paper provides primary evidence of whether certification via reputable underwriters is beneficial to investors in the corporate bond market. We focus on the high-yield bond market, in which certification of issuer quality is most valuable to investors owing to low liquidity and issuing firms’ high opacity and default risk. We find bonds underwritten by the most reputable underwriters to be associated with significantly higher downgrade and default risk. Investors seem to be aware of this relation, as we further find the private information conveyed via the issuer-reputable underwriter match to have a significantly positive effect on at-issue yield spreads. Our results are consistent with the market-power hypothesis, and contradict the traditional certification hypothesis and underlying reputation mechanism.
Evaluations of biomarkers associated with sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and taxanes for recurrent/advanced breast cancer patients treated with capecitabine-based first-line chemotherapy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the gene expression of biomarkers associated with the sensitivity to fluoropyrimidine and taxanes in recurrent/advanced breast cancer patients treated with first-line capecitabine chemotherapy. We evaluated the clinicopathological/prognostic significance of thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), thymidine phosphorylase (TP), class III &bgr;-tubulin (&bgr;III-tubulin), and stathmin-1 or oncoprotein-18 (STMN1). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 42 patients were used for analysis of TS, DPD, TP, &bgr;III–tubulin, and STMN1 expression with a real-time reverse transcription-PCR technique. Patients were classified into the high-expression and low-expression groups according to the median value of the expression level of each biomarker. There was a significantly longer time to progression (TTP) in the high-TP group (P=0.018). The multivariate analysis revealed that the TP expression (hazard ratio for the low-TP group vs. the high-TP group, 2.873; 95% confidence interval, 1.143–7.223; P=0.025) is independent of prognostic factors for TTP. In the subgroup of patients treated with capecitabine plus taxanes as first-line chemotherapy, TTP was significantly longer in the low-&bgr;III-tubulin group (P=0.047). The gene expression of TS, DPD, and STMN1 failed to have any significant impact on the outcome. These results provide further evidence that the TP expression may be a prognostic factor in breast cancer patients treated with capecitabine-based first-line chemotherapy, and &bgr;III-tubulin can be used to predict the outcome of capecitabine in combination with taxanes as first-line chemotherapy. Therefore, these potential biomarkers should be further evaluated.
Cardiac function after orthotopic liver transplantation and the effects of immunosuppression: A prospective randomized trial comparing cyclosporin (Neoral) and tacrolimus

There are several case reports in the literature that describe cardiac complications in the first few weeks after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients receiving tacrolimus as their primary immunosuppressive therapy. In this study, we investigated the cardiac function of patients on tacrolimus (T) compared with those on cyclosporin (C) (Neoral; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) immunosuppression, after OLT, in a prospective randomized trial. We randomized 40 adult patients with cirrhosis to either T or C with azathioprine and prednisolone immunosuppression and followed up on them for 3 months after OLT. All had detailed clinical, biochemical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic assessments at regular intervals. Abnormalities in cardiac function were common after OLT and significant deterioration in left ventricular diastolic function was demonstrable up to 3 months in both patient groups. Cardiac function was similar in the T and C arms and no significant electrocardiographic differences were observed, although reduced heart rate variability (HRV) and higher mean serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were identified in the T group. The percentage increase in posterior wall thickness was higher in the T group. Cardiac dysfunction as shown by worsening echocardiographic measures of left ventricular diastolic function and by clinical cardiac events is common in the first 3 months after OLT in patients with cirrhosis. HRV and BNP values in the T group were worse than in the C group, but this was not translated to an increase in cardiac clinical events in this study.
Differential retinal angiogenic response to sustained intravitreal release of VEGF and bFGF in different pigmented rabbit breeds

Purpose. To determine if two different breeds of pigmented rabbits can demonstrate differences in the degree of inducible angiogenesis within the retina. Methods. Non-biodegradable Hydron pellets approximately 1.5mm in diameter containing both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were implanted intravitreally over the optic disk of either Dutch belt rabbits or New Zealand White/Black satin cross rabbits. Control animals from both groups were implanted with blank Hydron pellets. Animals were examined periodically over a 30-day period following implantation. Results were documented by fundus photography and flourescein angiography. Stages of neovascularization (NV) were graded between +1 (preproliferative) and +4 (total NV) with +5 for NV complicated by hemorrhage and/or retinal detachment. Results. The angiogenic response in the retinas of pigmented NZW/Black satin cross rabbits (N = 5) following implantation of VEGF/bFGF-containing pellets varied extensively from the Dutch belt animals (N = 7). In the Dutch belt rabbits, grading of the angiogenic response demonstrated either +4 or +5 between day 20 and day 30 after implantation. In contrast, the NZW/Black satin cross animals gave a more muted response with a maximum grade of +2 following exposure to the same amount of VEGF and bFGF. Control eyes that received only blank pellets showed no evidence of retinal NV in either the Dutch belts (N = 5) or the NZW/Black satin cross rabbits (N = 5). Statistical analysis showed a significant interaction effect for breed and pellet type (F = 44.85 with 1df, p < 0.00005), indicating a difference between the breeds in the angiogenic response to the pellet. Moreover, both the NZW/BSC and Dutch belt rabbits displayed a significant increase in angiogenesis with the VEGF/bFGF pellet in comparison to the blank pellet (p = 0.037 and p < 0.00005, respectively). Conclusions. These studies indicate that two different breeds of pigmented rabbits exhibit different angiogenic responses to the same amount of both VEGF and bFGF. Florid retinal NV leading to hemorrhage, fibrovascular membrane formation, and traction retinal detachment occurred in the Dutch belt rabbits while tortuosity and dilatation of existing blood vessels with subsequent regression occurred in the NZW/ Black satin cross animals. Such differences in the angiogenic response may be due to differences in the genetic background of these animals. If genetic heteriogeneity exists for angiogenic responses, then understanding the genetic role in the regulation of angiogenesis will lead to the design of more effective anti-angiogenic agents and can provide predictive outcomes of individual responses to therapy.
Evaluation of In-House and Commercial Serological Tests for Diagnosis of Human Tularemia

ABSTRACT Tularemia is a zoonosis caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Its specific diagnosis remains based on serological methods, while F. tularensis is rarely detected in clinical samples by culture or PCR. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the Serion enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) classic Francisella tularensis IgG and IgM tests (Virion/Serion GmbH Institute, Würzburg, Germany) and the VIRapid tularemia immunochromatographic test (ICT) (Vircell, Granada, Spain) compared to that of the in-house microagglutination test (MAT) and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) currently used at the French National Reference Center for Francisella. We evaluated 256 consecutive sera from 208 patients, including 51 confirmed and 23 probable tularemia cases, and 134 control patients not infected with F. tularensis. The IFA tests displayed 72.5% sensitivity for IgM (cutoff titer ≥80) and 74.5% for IgG (cutoff titer ≥160), and 99.3% specificity for both IgM and IgG. Using cutoffs advocated by the manufacturer, the Serion ELISAs displayed 88.2% sensitivity for IgM and 86.3% for IgG antibodies; specificity was 94.8% for IgM and 95.5% for IgG. Compared to MAT and IFA tests, the Serion ELISAs allowed earlier detection of specific antibodies (1 to 2 weeks versus 2 to 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms). The ICT sensitivity and specificity were 90% and 83.6%, respectively, when considering the cutoff advocated by the manufacturer. In conclusion, the Serion ELISAs are useful as screening tests for tularemia diagnosis, but additional confirmatory tests (such as MAT and IFA) are needed, especially in areas of low endemicity.
Complex SNP-based haplotypes in three human helicases: implications for cancer association studies.

We have initiated a candidate gene approach to study variation and predisposition to cancer in the four major ethnic groups that constitute the U.S. population (African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians). We resequenced portions of three helicase genes (BLM, WRN, and RECQL) identifying a total of 37 noncoding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Haplotype inference predicted 50 haplotypes in BLM, 56 in WRN, and 47 in RECQL in a sample of 600 chromosomes. Approximately 10% of the predicted haplotypes were shared among all ethnic groups. Linkage disequilibrium and recombination effects showed that each locus has taken a diverse evolutionary path. Primate DNA analysis of the same loci revealed one human haplotype per gene shared with the great apes, indicating that the observed diversity occurred since the divergence of humans from the last common ancestor. In BLM, we confirmed the presence of a founder haplotype among Ashkenazi Jews homozygous for the blm(Ash) mutation. The cosegregating haplotype was seen in all (6/6) samples of Ashkenazi descent, whereas in the general population it has a low frequency (0.02) and was not found in African Americans. In WRN, ethnic samples were studied for their haplotype content and the presence or absence of six previously described coding SNPs (cSNPs). Hispanic individuals carrying two of these cSNPs showed a 60% increase in the frequency of a common haplotype (haplotype No. 28). In the pooled sample, no association was found. Because (1) the majority of the haplotypes are population specific and (2) the patterns of linkage disequilibrium, recombination, and haplotype diversity are markedly different between gene regions, these data show the importance of either ethnically matched controls or within-family-based disease-gene association studies.
Disparities in Smoke-Free Workplace Policies Among Food Service Workers

Information is lacking on which groups of workers are protected from job-related environmental tobacco smoke. Data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey are analyzed for trends in smoke-free workplace policies among 38 major occupations. Data are also analyzed to determine the degree of compliance with such policies. Although over three fourths of white collar workers are covered by smoke-free policies, including 90% of teachers, just 43% of the country’s 6.6 million food preparation and service occupations workers benefit from this level of protection. Compliance with workplace restrictions is not a significant human resources issue because only 3.8% of workers reported that someone violated a smoke-free policy in 1999, down from 4.9% in 1996. Protection for workers is increasing, but those in food preparation and service occupations are significantly less protected than others.
Optimizing radio map for WLAN fingerprinting

In this paper, questions related to design of WLAN radio map for fingerprinting based positioning were investigated. The experiment results show that with histogram based algorithms, the positioning accuracy improves as the number of histogram bins increases until the number of bins reaches eight. With the number of bins lower than this, the uneven bin distribution with separate bin for missing samples gives better accuracy than even bin widths. If the calibration data contains samples from several measurement directions, it is beneficial to combine them into one fingerprint, as this decreases the size of the radio map and gives at least the same accuracy as having separate fingerprints for different measurement directions. In the experiments, the combination of the signals from correlating sources before the computation of the radio map and position estimate decreases the positioning accuracy only by 1–2 m, but decreases significantly the size of the radio map. The best method for signal combinations depends on the bin configuration and position estimation algorithm.
Advances in SAR-ISAR blending

Radar signature measurements of targets with or without camouflage in different backgrounds using airborne SAR are complex and expensive. Measurements at many orientations as well as illumination angles have to be performed for each target for completeness. A more efficient solution is to use ground based ISAR measurements of the desired targets and then blend these images into measured SAR scenes. A SAR-ISAR blending method where the target and background are modelled by point scatterer representations is described in this paper. The point scatterer representations for the target and the SAR background are determined by solving two separate inverse problems using ℓ1 and ℓ2-minimization methods. The model for the target measured by ISAR is naturally sparse in the image domain and is therefore solved using an ℓ1-minimization method while the model for the SAR background image that is not sparse is solved using an ℓ2-minimization method. The proposed method is demonstrated and it is determined that it provides an efficient way of evaluating measured ISAR target signatures in measured SAR backgrounds.
Effect of Polysaccharides from Ganoderma applanatum on Immune Responses

Prior intraperitoneal (i.p.) or oral administration of the polysaccharide preparation from a kind of mushroom, Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat. of Basidiomycetes, exerted an enhancing effect on the induction of delayed hypersensitivity (DH) to protein antigen as measured by the footpad reaction (FPR), and expanded the size of T cell memory for the IgG antibody response. One of the active principles was partially purified and found to be associated with a polysaccharide‐rich fraction. The induction of DH was enhanced by treatment with an appropriate dose of the mushroom extract, whereas increasing the dose resulted in almost complete loss of the enhancing activity.