Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogeographic Sympatry and Isolation of the Eurasian Badgers (Meles, Mustelidae, Carnivora): Implications for an Alternative Analysis using Maternally as Well as Paternally Inherited Genes

In the present study, to further understand the phylogenetic relationships among the Eurasian badgers (Meles, Mustelidae, Carnivora), which are distributed widely in the Palearctic, partial sequences of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (539–545 base-pairs) as a maternal genetic marker, and the sex-determining region on the Y-chromosome gene (SRY: 1052–1058 base-pairs), as a paternal genetic marker, were examined. The present study revealed ten SRY haplotypes from 47 males of 112 individuals of the Eurasian Continent and Japan. In addition, 39 mtDNA haplotypes were identified from those animals. From the phylogeography of both the uniparentally inherited genes, four lineages were recognized as Japanese, eastern Eurasian, Caucasian, and western Eurasian. The distribution patterns of the mtDNA lineages showed the existence of a sympatric zone between the eastern and western Eurasian lineages around the Volga River in western Russia. Furthermore, the present study suggested that in the Japanese badgers, the larger genetic differentiation of the Shikoku population was attributable to geographic history in the Japanese islands.
Body Work: The Social Construction of Women's Body Image

Introduction. Experimental Body Image Research. Critique of Body Image Research. Discursive Constitution of the Body. 'What Other Women Look Like Naked': Reading a Popular Women's Magazine Practices of Subjectification: 'Body Image' Discourse in Popular Women's Magazines. Body Image Talk - One Woman's Account of Her Experiences. Clinical Implications - from Theory to Clinical Practice.
Vertical maxillary growth in unilateral cleft lip and palate. A comparison of two surgical protocols

7 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS 8 ABBREVIATIONS 9 INTRODUCTION 11 Categories of clefts 11 Epidemiology 12 Etiology 12 Overview of embryonic craniofacial development 12 Normal maxillary growth 14 The surgical protocol in Gothenburg 16 Maxillary growth in CLP 19 Follow-up of growth and dental occlusion 19 AIMS OF THE STUDY 21 Overall aim 21 Specific aims 21 PATIENTS AND METHODS 22 Patients 22 Cast model analysis 23 Cephalometric analysis 24 Precision of measurements 26 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 27 ETHICAL APPROVAL 28 RESULTS 29 DISCUSSION 31 CONCLUSIONS 35 CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH 36 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 37 REFERENCES 38
Correction: Depression among Chinese University Students: Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates

The correct affiliation for author Yuan Liang is: Department of Social Medicine, Public Health School, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China The correct affiliation for author Lin Wang is: Psychology Department of the Public Health Institute of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
Genotyping Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum by Using Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units

ABSTRACT A novel category of variable tandem repeats (VNTR) called mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRUs) has been identified for Mycobacterium ulcerans (n = 39), M. marinum (n = 27), and one related organism. Fifteen MIRU loci were identified in the genome of M. marinum and were used to genotype M. ulcerans, M. marinum, and an M. marinum-like organism that is considered a possible missing link between M. marinum and M. ulcerans. Seven MIRU loci were polymorphic, and locus-specific PCRs for four of these loci differentiated seven M. ulcerans genotypes, four M. marinum genotypes, and a unique genotype for the missing link organism. The seven M. ulcerans genotypes were related to six different geographic origins of isolates. All isolates from West and Central Africa, including old and recent isolates, belonged to the same genotype, emphasizing the great spatiotemporal homogeneity among African isolates. Unlike the M. ulcerans genotypes, the four M. marinum genotypes could not be clearly related to the geographic origins of the isolates. According to MIRU-VNTR typing, all M. ulcerans and M. marinum isolates of American origin were closely related, suggesting a common American ancestor for these two pathogenic species on the American continents. MIRU typing has significant potential value for discriminating between reoccurrence and reinfection for M. ulcerans disease.
Mild cognitive impairment and everyday functioning in older adults

The relations between mild cognitive impairment without dementia (MCI/CIND) and everyday functional abilities were examined using data from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA). Individuals were identified with MCI/CIND if both caregiver report and clinician judgment agreed on the presence of cognitive impairment in the absence of dementia. Cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons indicated that individuals with MCI/CIND demonstrated a broad range of impairment in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) compared to individuals with no cognitive impairment (NCI). In cross-sectional analyses, neuropsychological measures of memory and psychomotor speed were significantly related to impairment in eight areas of functioning. In addition, poorer memory performance was significantly predictive of future impairment in money management. A research personnel award was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Aging, to support HT in the preparation of this manuscript. The Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) was funded by the Seniors’ Independence Research Program, through the National Health Research and Development Program (NHRDP) of Health Canada (project no. 6606-3954-MC(S)). Additional funding was provided by Pfizer Canada Incorporated through the Medical Research Council/Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada Health Activity Program, NHRDP (project no. 6603-1417-302 (R)), Bayer Incorporated, the British Columbia Health Research Foundation (projects no. 38 (93-2) and no. 34 (96-1)). The CSHA was coordinated through the University of Ottawa and the Division of Aging and Seniors, Health Canada.
ZOOGEOGRAPHY AND BIODIVERSITY OF MISSOURI CAVES AND KARST

The Missouri Cave Life Database contains 927 species and about 12,500 observation and collection records. About 1,038 (17%) of Missouri's 6,200 caves and cave springs are biocaves with at least one species record, but only 491 sites (8%) have five or more species recorded. Missouri has 82 troglobites (67 described, 15 undescribed), including 49 aquatic and 33 terrestrial species. The aquatics include 30 described and six undescribed stygobites, plus 13 described phreatobites. The terrestrials include 24 described and nine undescribed species. Six of the troglobites (four described) may actually be troglophiles, edaphobites or neotroglobites. There are about 215 troglophiles (17 aquatic), 203 trogloxenes (20 aquatic) and 407 accidentals or of uncertain ecological classification (27 aquatic). Karst zoogeographic regions include the broad Springfield and Salem plateaus; the Boone, Hannibal, St. Louis, Jefferson-Ste. Genevieve, and Perryville karsts; and an isolated area, Caney Mountain. Troglobites are currently known from 728 Missouri sites, including 597 caves (10% of known caves). Twenty-five troglobites, eight of which are new species, occur at single sites only. Missouri shares 48 troglobites with other states, exhibiting relatively low diversity in terrestrial troglobites compared to areas east of the Mississippi River, but high aquatic biodiversity. Values for species richness (SR), troglobites, site endemism (SE) and biodiversity (B) were derived to rank and compare caves for conservation planning. Many species and biologically important biocaves were added to the Missouri Natural Heritage Database and the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, a long-range, statewide conservation plan. Further work should focus on poorly known regions.
Isolated guitar transcription using a deep belief network

Music transcription involves the transformation of an audio recording to common music notation, colloquially referred to as sheet music. Manually transcribing audio recordings is a difficult and time-consuming process, even for experienced musicians. In response, several algorithms have been proposed to automatically analyze and transcribe the notes sounding in an audio recording; however, these algorithms are often general-purpose, attempting to process any number of instruments producing any number of notes sounding simultaneously. This paper presents a polyphonic transcription algorithm that is constrained to processing the audio output of a single instrument, specifically an acoustic guitar. The transcription system consists of a novel note pitch estimation algorithm that uses a deep belief network and multi-label learning techniques to generate multiple pitch estimates for each analysis frame of the input audio signal. Using a compiled dataset of synthesized guitar recordings for evaluation, the algorithm described in this work results in an 11% increase in the f-measure of note transcriptions relative to Zhou et al.'s transcription algorithm in the literature. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of deep, multi-label learning for the task of polyphonic transcription. ABSTRACT 5 Music transcription involves the transformation of an audio recording to common music notation, colloquially referred to as sheet music . Manually transcribing audio recordings is a difﬁcult and time-consuming process, even for experienced musicians. In response, several algorithms have been proposed to automatically analyze and transcribe the notes sounding in an audio recording; however, these algorithms are often general-purpose, attempting to process any number of instruments producing any number of notes sounding simultaneously. This paper presents a polyphonic transcription algorithm that is constrained to processing the audio output of a single instrument, speciﬁcally an acoustic guitar. The transcription system consists of a novel note pitch estimation algorithm that uses a deep belief network and multi-label learning techniques to generate multiple pitch estimates for each analysis frame of the input audio signal. Using a compiled dataset of synthesized guitar recordings for evaluation, the algorithm described in this work results in an 11% increase in the f -measure of note transcriptions relative to Zhou et al.’s transcription algorithm. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of deep, multi-label learning for the task of polyphonic transcription.
Fetal and infant markers of adult heart diseases

There is growing evidence of an increasingly complex and multifactorial aetiology of heart diseases.1 w1 It seems likely that the large geographic variations in cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality,w2 even though at least partly genetic in origin, are influenced by factors acting prenatally and in early life, or by a combination of factors present throughout the life course. Changes in fetal growth pattern have been related to adult disease risk,1 and there are many theories about the underlying mechanisms affecting cell division during critical periods of tissue development. The critical periods vary according to the tissue in question, and that is why there have been attempts to explore the timing of exposure in order to predict more specifically the adult disease risk. This article examines: firstly the historical evolution of theories on childhood factors which have an influence in adulthood; secondly what is known today about the effect of early life factors on heart disease risk; and thirdly the specific problems in longitudinal studies which explore these factors and adult disease risk. ### Biological programming: a new theoretical model about the aetiology of heart disease The dawn of modern epidemiology came after the second world war, first with ecological studies comparing CVD incidence and mortality, and subsequently multicentre cross sectional and follow up studies on CVD.w3 The studies showed that populations with high CVD mortality have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and that smoking and obesity are common among these populations.w4This led to the lifestyle model in understanding the aetiology of chronic diseases, where the key issues are health behaviour and the interaction between genes and an adverse environment in adult life. This was consequently followed by intervention programmes, which have significantly improved heart disease risk status in many countries.w3 However, lifestyle factors only explain part of the heart disease risk, which is why …
Association of breast cancer and cytokine gene polymorphism in Turkish women.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of cytokine gene polymorphism with the development of breast cancer. METHODS The study was carried out in Uludag University Medical School, Bursa, Turkey. The study included 38 patients with breast cancer admitted to the Medical Oncology outpatient clinic, and 24 healthy controls, age and sex matched, from the Internal Medicine Department between 2004 and 2005. All genotyping of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), tumor growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) experiments were performed using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primers. RESULTS The frequencies of IL-6-174GC genotype and IL-10 (-1082, -819, -592) GCC/ATA haplotype were significantly higher in the patient group (p=0.0008) when compared with controls (p=0.020). Significantly lower frequencies of IL-10 (-1082, -819, -592) ACC/ATA haplotype were observed in the patient group in comparison to the controls (p=0.026). The distribution of IFN-gamma +874, TNF-alpha 308, and TGF-beta1 codon 10-25 genotypes failed to show any statistical significant association with the development of breast cancer. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that IL-10 (-1082, -819, -592) GCC/ATA haplotype and IL-6-174 GC genotype seem to be potential risk factors for the development of breast cancer. The presence of IL-10ACC/ATA haplotype may be protective for the oncogenesis of breast cancer.
RED CELLS , IRON , AND ERYTHROPOIESIS The common hereditary elliptocytosis-associated a-spectrin L 260 P mutation perturbs erythrocyte membranes by stabilizing spectrin in the closed dimer conformation

• The common HE mutation aL260P reduces spectrin tetramer links between junctional complexes in red cell membranes by favoring closed dimers. • Favoring closed spectrin dimer formation is a new mechanism of red cell membrane destabilization by hereditary anemia mutations. Hereditary elliptocytosis (HE) and hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP) are common disorders of erythrocyte shape primarily because of mutations in spectrin. The most common HE/HPP mutations are located distant from the critical ab-spectrin tetramerization site, yet still interfere with formation of spectrin tetramers and destabilize the membrane by unknownmechanisms. To address this question, we studied the common HE-associated mutation, aL260P, in the context of a fully functional mini-spectrin. The mutation exhibited wild-type tetramer binding in univalent binding assays, but reduced binding affinity in bivalent-binding assays. Biophysical analyses demonstrated the mutation-containing domain was only modestly structurally destabilized and helical content was not significantly changed. Gel filtration analysis of the aL260P mini-spectrin indicated more compact structures for dimers and tetramers compared with wild-type. Chemical crosslinking showed structural changes in the mutant mini-spectrin dimer were primarily restricted to the vicinity of the aL260P mutation and indicated large conformational rearrangements of this region. These data indicate the mutation increased the stability of the closed dimer state, thereby reducing tetramer assembly and resulting in membrane destabilization. These results reveal a novel mechanism of erythrocyte membrane destabilization that could contribute to development of therapeutic interventions for mutations in membrane proteins containing spectrin-type domains associated with inherited disease. (Blood. 2013;122(17):3045-3053)
Spreading of semisolid formulations: An update

A considerable problem associated with the manufacture of topically applied pharmaceutical products is the establishment of reliable techniques for their characterization. the efficacy of a topical therapy depends on the patient spreading the ding formulation in an even layer to administer a standard dose. Spreadability is therefore an important characteristic of these formulations and is responsible for correct dosage transfer to the target site, ease of application on the substrate, extrudability from the package, and most important, consumer preference. This article discusses the various aspects of spreading, including the factors affecting it, the techniques available for its assessment, and various additives and interactions that can alter the spreadability of the final formulation.
A distributed control technique for the multilevel cascaded converter

The modular multilevel cascaded converter (MMCC) has been considered as a promising solution for integrating the utility-grade renewables to the medium-voltage (MV) power system. However, the implementation becomes difficult with the centralized control architecture as the cascaded numbers increase. This paper presents a distributed control technique for the cascaded converter, which significantly reduces the complexity and increases the flexibility to expand the system. Experimental results carried out on a 7-level star-connected cascaded converter are included to validate the proposed approach.
The Caenorhabditis elegans LET‐418/Mi2 plays a conserved role in lifespan regulation

The evolutionarily conserved nucleosome‐remodeling protein Mi2 is involved in transcriptional repression during development in various model systems, plays a role in embryonic patterning and germ line development, and participates in DNA repair and cell cycle progression. It is the catalytic subunit of the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase (NuRD) complex, a key determinant of differentiation in mammalian embryonic stem cells. In addition, the Drosophila and C. elegans Mi2 homologs participate in another complex, the MEC complex, which also plays an important developmental role in these organisms. Here we show a new and unexpected feature of the C. elegans Mi2 homolog, LET‐418/Mi2. Lack of LET‐418/Mi2 results in longevity and enhanced stress resistance, a feature that we found to be conserved in Drosophila and in Arabidopsis. The fact that depletion of other components of the NuRD and the MEC complexes did not result in longevity suggests that LET‐418 may regulate lifespan in a different molecular context. Genetic interaction studies suggest that let‐418 could act in the germ‐cell‐loss pathway, downstream of kri‐1 and tcer‐1. On the basis of our data and on previous findings showing a role for let‐418 during development, we propose that LET‐418/Mi2 could be part of a system that drives development and reproduction with concomitant life‐reducing effects later in life.
Contraction‐induced muscle damage in humans following calcium channel blocker administration

Following contraction‐induced damage of skeletal muscle there is a loss of calcium homeostasis. Attenuating the damage‐induced rise in myocellular calcium concentration may reduce proteolytic activation and attenuate other indices of damage; calcium channel blockers have been shown to be effective in this regard. The effect of administration of a calcium channel blocker (CCB), amlodipine, on indices of muscle damage following a unilateral ‘damage protocol’, during which subjects performed 300 maximal isokinetic (0.52 rad s−1) eccentric contractions with the knee extensors was investigated. The design was a randomized, double‐blind crossover. On one occasion, prior to the damage protocol, subjects consumed CCB for 7 days prior to and for 7 days following the damage protocol. Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis prior to (baseline) and following the damage protocol at 4 h and 24 h post‐damage. Isometric peak knee extensor torque was reduced (P < 0.05) immediately post‐, 24 h post‐ and 48 h post‐damage protocol compared to pre‐exercise values with no effect of treatment. Desmin disruption was attenuated (P < 0.05) with CCB versus placebo at 4 h post‐damage. Z‐band streaming was significantly (P < 0.05) elevated compared to baseline at both times post‐damage, but was lower with CCB at 4 h (P < 0.05). Damage resulted in increased inflammatory cell (macrophage) infiltration into skeletal muscle at both 4 h and 24 h post‐damage, with no effect of CCB. Neutrophil number was elevated by the damage protocol, but was higher at 24 h post‐damage in the CCB condition (P < 0.05). Creatine kinase (CK) activity was higher (P < 0.05) at 24 h and 48 h following the damage protocol compared to baseline, with no effect of treatment. In conclusion, the reduction in desmin disruption and Z‐band streaming indicates that CCB attenuated, or delayed, the contraction‐induced damage to sarcomeric proteins.
Analise de um modelo matematico de condução-convecção do tipo campo de fases para solidificação

Neste trabalho apresentaremos resultados de existencia e regularidade das solucoes de alguns modelos matematicos relativamente simples (primeiras aproximacoes) de conducao-conveccao do tipo campo de fases que tratam problemas de solidificacao de materiais puros ou impuros (ligas). A caracteristica fundamental dos modelos tratados neste trabalho e que o indicador das fases, a fracao solida, dependera apenas do campo de fases. Para o caso de ligas binarias obtivemos a existencia de solucoes apenas quando a concentracao inicial do soluto e suficientemente pequena (isto e, para materiais dopantes). Estes modelos sao governados pela equacao do campo de fases, pela equacao do calor e/ou a equacao da concentracao, acopladas com as equacoes de Navier-Stokes modificadas por um termo fonte que simula a zona mushy (interface liquido/soli.so) como um meio poroso. Para tratarmos tal sistema, procedemos da seguinte forma: primeiramente o sistema e adequadamente regularizado e uma sequencia de solucoes aproximadas e obtida aplicando-se o Teorema de ponto fixo de Leray-Schauder. Depois, por um processo de passagem ao limite nas equacoes regularizadas, obtemos uma solucao usando argumentos de compacidade. A seguir, por argumentos de bootstraping, prova-se que a solucao e de fato mais regular do que inicialmente considerada Abstract
Properties of Azotobacter vinelandii rhodanese.

Rhodanese (thiosulfate: cyanide sulfurtransferase, E.C. 2.8.1.1) was purified from the nitrogen fixing organism Azotobacter vinelandii, and its amino acid composition was determined. The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain of M(r) 29,000 which showed an apparent pI of 4.7 and no presence of isoenzymes. Steady-state initial velocity measurements indicate that the enzyme catalyzes the transfer of sulfane sulfur of thiosulfate either to cyanide or to dihydrolipoate by way of a double displacement mechanism.