Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 Suppresses Ectopic Stem Cell Niche Formation in the Shoot Apical Meristem in a Largely Cytokinin-Independent Manner1[OPEN]

Suppression of stem cell niche respecification in the shoot meristem periphery is mediated by a putative carboxypeptidase. Plants are able to reiteratively form new organs in an environmentally adaptive manner during postembryonic development. Organ formation in plants is dependent on stem cell niches (SCNs), which are located in the so-called meristems. Meristems show a functional zonation along the apical-basal axis and the radial axis. Shoot apical meristems of higher plants are dome-like structures, which contain a central SCN that consists of an apical stem cell pool and an underlying organizing center. Organ primordia are formed in the circular peripheral zone (PZ) from stem cell descendants in which differentiation programs are activated. One mechanism to keep this radial symmetry integrated is that the existing SCN actively suppresses stem cell identity in the PZ. However, how this lateral inhibition system works at the molecular level is far from understood. Here, we show that a defect in the putative carboxypeptidase ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 (AMP1) causes the formation of extra SCNs in the presence of an intact primary shoot apical meristem, which at least partially contributes to the enhanced shoot meristem size and leaf initiation rate found in the mutant. This defect appears to be neither a specific consequence of the altered cytokinin levels in amp1 nor directly mediated by the WUSCHEL/CLAVATA feedback loop. De novo formation of supernumerary stem cell pools was further enhanced in plants mutated in both AMP1 and its paralog LIKE AMP1, indicating that they exhibit partially overlapping roles to suppress SCN respecification in the PZ.
Determinants of Excess and Deficit Cash Holdings of Firms: Evidence from Emerging Market

Using a sample of Indian firms, we study the determinants of corporate cash holdings in an emerging economy. We study the excess and deficit cash holdings and assess the impact of leverage, accrual quality and working capital accruals on cash holdings. We find that after controlling for growth and size, leverage depends upon whether the firm holds excess or deficit cash. Levered firms with high profitability (measured via return on equity—ROE) hold less cash as compared to firms holding less than desired cash even if the profitability is high, and ample growth opportunities are available. We also find that while operating profit has no significant impact on cash holdings, volatility of sales does have a positive and significant impact. Firms having ready access to capital market (proxied by size and amount of leverage) are less likely to hold cash. Therefore, we argue that such firms can focus on value-generating activities without having to worry about liquidity. At the same time, smaller firms with good profitability (measured as return to equity) may also hold less cash as presented in this study.
Xiangshaliujunzi Decoction for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis: a systematic review.

AIM To assess the current clinical evidence of the effectiveness of Xiangshaliujunzi Decoction (XSLJZD) for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis (DGP). METHODS Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from seven major electronic databases including Medline, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang Databases, using search dates from the beginning of the databases to May 2013. No language limitations were applied. We included RCTs that used XSLJZD or a modified XSLJZD compared with a control group for the treatment of DGP. The control groups included conventional treatment (Western medicinal treatment), placebo, and no treatment (blank), but not acupuncture. The main outcome index was clinical effectiveness, which was based on the gastric emptying test and variations in the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms between the treatment and control groups after intervention. Data extraction, analysis, and quality assessment were conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions, Version 5.1. 0. RESULTS Ten RCTs involving 867 patients (441 in the experimental groups, and 426 in the control groups) were identified, and the overall methodological quality was evaluated as generally low. In the treatment groups, all 10 trials used herbs alone as the treatment, whereas all control groups used prokinetic medicine. The period of intervention ranged from 2 to 8 wk. Three classes were used to evaluate treatment efficacy: significant effective, effective, and ineffective, and all trials used the clinical effective rate (based on the gastric emptying test and changes in GI symptoms) to evaluate efficacy. The data showed that the effects of XSLJZD for the treatment of DGP were superior to the control group (n = 867, RR =1.33, 95%CI: 1.24-1.42, Z = 8.11, P < 0.00001). Two trials recorded adverse events, and one trial reported follow-up. CONCLUSION XSLJZD could restore the gastric emptying rate and improve symptoms. However, the evidence remains weak due to the poor methodological quality of the included studies.
Viral Hepatitis in Pregnancy--A study of its Effect on Maternal and Foetal Outcome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The outcome of Hepatitis during pregnancy has been observed to be widely different by various authors, ranging from the benign to fatal. A poor outcome has increasingly been observed in pregnant women suffering from Hepatitis in Central India. Hence, this study was undertaken to study the incidence, causative organisms and chief prognostic factors affecting the outcome of viral hepatitis in pregnant women. METHODS Sixty-eight pregnant women reporting to the hospital with jaundice were enrolled as cases and their Haematological, Biochemical and Viral profiles were studied. Sixteen non- pregnant women were enrolled as controls and a similar workup was done. A comparison was done between the two groups We also divided the cases into two groups--survivors and non- survivors and tried to find out the factors predicting mortality. The unpaired student t test and chi square test were used to find out whether the differences were statistically significant. RESULTS Viral Hepatitis in pregnancy caused a very high maternal mortality (19.1%) and foetal wastage (42.6%). Hepatitis E virus was the commonest causative organism (77.9%) responsible for viral hepatitis during pregnancy. It also caused the highest maternal mortality due to fulminant hepatic failure. Maternal mortality was significantly higher in those women presenting with features of encephalopathy, SIRS, high bilirubin levels and prolonged prothrombin time. Vertical transmission was noted in Hepatitis B and E. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis E is the chief causative organism causing fulminant hepatic failure in pregnant women in Central India. It lead to very high rates of maternal mortality and foetal wastage.
Kinetic and equilibrium studies of Ah receptor-ligand binding: use of [125I]2-iodo-7,8-dibromodibenzo-p-dioxin.

In this report, we have used the radioligand [125I]2-iodo-7,8-dibromo-dibenzo-p-dioxin to describe the kinetics of ligand binding to the Ah receptor prepared from C57BL/6J mouse liver. The higher specific activity of this radioligand (2176 Ci/mmol), compared with the usual tritiated ligand [1,6-3H]2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin (58 Ci/mmol) permitted the study of ligand-receptor interactions at much lower component concentrations. For this radioiodinated ligand, Scatchard analysis of saturation binding curves, determined at six different protein concentrations, indicated that the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant, KD, was directly related to the dilution of the receptor preparation; for example, at 1160 micrograms of protein/ml, KD = 1.6 x 10(-10) M; at 36 micrograms of protein/ml, KD = 1.2 x 10(-11) M. Extrapolation of this function to infinite receptor dilution yielded KD = 6 x 10(-12) M. The addition of 70 micrograms/ml of bovine serum albumin to a receptor preparation of 30 micrograms of protein/ml produced a 10-fold decrease in the slope of the Scatchard plot (i.e., 10-fold increase in the apparent KD). Conversely, enrichment of the receptor by high performance liquid chromatography led to an increased slope and thus decreased estimate of KD. The association rate constant (k1), calculated from the integrated second-order rate equation, was 2.8 x 10(10) M-1 hr-1 and, from the initial velocity equation, had a value of 5.25 x 10(10) M-1 hr-1. The dissociation rate constant was biphasic, consisting of a predominant fast component with a rate constant of 0.36 hr-1 (k-1) and a slower component with a rate constant of 4.2-9.4 x 10(-3) hr-1 (k-2). Higher protein concentrations produced a decrease in estimates of k1 but not k-1 or k-2. The KD determined from the ratio of the kinetic rate constant, k-1/k1 = 6.9 x 10(-12) M, is in excellent agreement with that derived from the results of equilibrium binding experiments extrapolated to infinite dilution, KD = 6 x 10(-12) M. The decrease in KD, observed in equilibrium binding studies upon dilution of the receptor preparation, is best explained by a more accurate classification of "free" radioligand at lower protein concentrations. Finally, ligand binding to the Ah receptor is best described by a two-step process, the formation of an initial complex, characterized by rapid ligand dissociation, which undergoes transformation to a second distinct complex displaying a much slower ligand dissociation rate.
Biomarker Evidence for Photosynthesis During Neoproterozoic Glaciation

Laterally extensive black shales were deposited on the São Francisco craton in southeastern Brazil during low-latitude Neoproterozoic glaciation ∼740 to 700 million years ago. These rocks contain up to 3.0 weight % organic carbon, which we interpret as representing the preserved record of abundant marine primary productivity from glacial times. Extractable biomarkers reflect a complex and productive microbial ecosystem, including both phototrophic bacteria and eukaryotes, living in a stratified ocean with thin or absent sea ice, oxic surface waters, and euxinic conditions within the photic zone. Such an environment provides important constraints for parts of the “Snowball Earth” hypothesis.
Sleep Disorders in Multiple Sclerosis in China: Clinical, Polysomnography Study, and Review of the Literature

Summary: Sleep disorders are common in multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to assess the subjective and objective sleep disturbances in patients with MS and to investigate their relationships with fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. All participants completed standardized questionnaires and underwent nocturnal polysomnography. English literature regarding MS and sleep disorders was systematically reviewed through PubMed searches. Eleven patients with MS with fatigue, 10 patients with MS without fatigue, and 11 controls were included in the study. According to the Pittsburg sleep quality index, 61.9% of the patients with MS were poor sleepers and based on the Epworth sleepiness scale, 38.1% of the patients with MS met the criteria of excessive daytime sleepiness. Additionally, patients with MS had more disturbed sleep with higher total arousal index (P < 0.01) and periodic limb movement arousal index (P < 0.001) than controls. None of the patients or controls had an apnea/hypopnea index greater than five. One patient had restless legs syndrome and four had rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. Our study shows that sleep disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness are frequent in MS.
How does FDI affect domestic firms’ wages? theory and evidence from Vietnam

ABSTRACT This paper explores the role of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) as a determinant of domestic firms’ wages, namely wage spillovers. We first construct a theoretical model to demonstrate that the presence of FDI firms affects domestic firms’ expected average wages via productivity spillovers and a cut-off capability. We then estimate FDI-induced wage spillovers by employing IV-GMM estimator with a five-year panel dataset of a growing service industry in Vietnam. Despite FDI firms on average pay 2.25 times that of domestic firms, they put a downward pressure on domestic firms’ wages. A one percent increase in FDI presence causes domestic firms to cut average wages by 2.03 percent. The estimations also find that firm-specific features are attributable to significant differences in their wages as well as FDI-linked wage spillovers.
A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of local nasal immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis to Parietaria pollen

We assessed the efficacy and safety of local nasal immunotherapy (LNIT) using an extract in macronized powder form of Parietaria pollen, a very important allergenic plant in the Mediterranean and other parts of the world. Twenty‐six patients aged 13–37 years, with seasonal allergic rhinitis to this pollen, were enrolled in a double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial, carried out from autumn 1991 to the end of June 1992. They were selected on the basis of a positive skin‐prick test, radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and intranasal challenge to Parietaria antigen. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of 13; the first group was given Parietaria antigen, and the second placebo. We recorded mean weekly symptom scores and drug consumption for 17 weeks during the pollen season in the year 1992, and specific serum‐IgE and IgG levels. Three patients in the active group withdrew from the study because of bronchial symptoms. A significant difference was observed in mean weekly nasal symptom scores, in drug consumption and in specific nasal threshold to Parietaria allergenic extract in the treated and control groups. No difference was observed in serum IgE and IgG levels. Serum IgE levels rose significantly only in the control group after the pollen season. This study indicates that LNIT may be a useful alternative to traditional subcutaneous immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis.
A Stochastic Volatility Model With Realized Measures for Option Pricing

Abstract Based on the fact that realized measures of volatility are affected by measurement errors, we introduce a new family of discrete-time stochastic volatility models having two measurement equations relating both observed returns and realized measures to the latent conditional variance. A semi-analytical option pricing framework is developed for this class of models. In addition, we provide analytical filtering and smoothing recursions for the basic specification of the model, and an effective MCMC algorithm for its richer variants. The empirical analysis shows the effectiveness of filtering and smoothing realized measures in inflating the latent volatility persistence—the crucial parameter in pricing Standard and Poor’s 500 Index options.
Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Hamburg, Germany: Long-Term Population-Based Analysis Applying Classical and Molecular Epidemiological Techniques

ABSTRACT To determine a detailed picture of tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology in Hamburg, Germany, 423 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from 77.0% of all patients with culture-confirmed TB diagnosed from 1997 to 1999 in Hamburg were analyzed by IS6110 DNA fingerprinting. IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) clusters were assumed to have arisen from recent transmission. Results of contact tracing and additional patient interviews were used for further epidemiological analyses. Of the 423 cases, 398 were included in the cluster analysis, of which 135 (33.9%) were classified into 35 clusters ranging from 2 to 23 patients. Epidemiological links verifying recent transmission could be confirmed for 87 of the 135 clustered patients. Risk factors for recent transmission were calculated by a two-step procedure: first, based on patients with clustered isolates; and second, based on patients with clustered isolates and transmission links. In both analyses, alcohol abuse appeared to be the strongest predictor for recent transmission, followed by a history of previous contact tracing and unemployment. Homelessness, foreign ethnicity, sex, drug addiction, and human immunodeficiency virus positivity were not independent risk factors for clustering in multivariate analyses. Classical contact tracing performed prior to IS6110 RFLP analysis identified only 24 of the 135 clustered patient. In conclusion, recent transmission seems to be frequent in Hamburg and was found to be strongly associated with alcohol abuse. Conventional contact tracing appears to be insufficient for the detection of recent transmission chains. The data presented also indicate that improved TB control strategies, including the use of RFLP for the detection of transmission chains, are needed for TB control in the setting of countries with a low incidence of TB.
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS OF A KEY FLORAL TRAIT IN AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS (RANUNCULACEAE): GENETIC VARIATION IN HERKOGAMY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MATING SYSTEM

Abstract The mating system of flowering plant populations evolves through selection on genetically based phenotypic variation in floral traits. The physical separation of anthers and stigmas within flowers (herkogamy) is expected to be an important target of selection to limit self-fertilization. We investigated the pattern of phenotypic and genetic variation in herkogamy and its effect of self-fertilization in a broad sample of natural populations of Aquilegia canadensis, a species that is highly selfing despite strong inbreeding depression. Within natural populations, plants exhibit substantial phenotypic variation in herkogamy caused primarily by variation in pistil length rather than stamen length. Compared to other floral traits, herkogamy is much more variable and a greater proportion of variation is distributed among rather than within individuals. We tested for a genetic component of this marked phenotypic variation by growing naturally pollinated seed families from five populations in a common greenhouse environment. For three populations, we detected a significant variation in herkogamy among families, and a positive regression between parental herkogamy measured in the field and progeny herkogamy in the greenhouse, suggesting that there is often genetic variation in herkogamy within natural populations. We estimated levels of self-fertilization for groups of flowers that differed in herkogamy and show that, as expected, herkogamy was associated with reduced selfing in 13 of 19 populations. In six of these populations, we performed floral emasculations to show that this decrease in selfing is due to decreased autogamy (within-flower selfing), the mode of selfing that herkogamy should most directly influence. Taken together, these results suggest that increased herkogamy should be selected to reduce the production of low-quality selfed seed. The combination of high selfing and substantial genetic variation for herkogamy in A. canadensis is enigmatic, and reconciling this observation will require a more integrated analysis of how herkogamy influences not only self-fertilization, but also patterns of outcross pollen import and export.
Microglia in brain tumors

Microglia have long been ignored by neurooncologists. This has changed with the realization that microglial cells not only occur within and around brain tumors but also contribute significantly to the actual tumor mass, notably in astrocytic gliomas. In addition, it has been speculated that microglia could play a role in the defense against neoplasms of the nervous system. However, the biological success of these tumors, i.e., their highly malignant behavior, indicates that natural microglial defense mechanisms do not function properly in astrocytomas. In fact, there is evidence that microglial behavior is controlled by tumor cells, supporting their growth and infiltration. This unexpected “Achilles heel” of microglial immune defense illustrates the risk of generalizing on the basis of a single aspect of microglial biology. Microglia are highly plastic cells, capable of exerting cytotoxic functions under conditions of CNS infections, but not necessarily during glioma progression. Thus, the suggestion that microglial activation through stimulation by cytokines (e.g., interferon‐γ) will benefit patients with brain tumors could prove fatally wrong. Therapeutic recruitment of microglia to treat such diffusely infiltrative brain tumors as astrocytic gliomas must be considered premature. GLIA 40:252–259, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Development, Reliability, and Validity of a Clinical Rating Scale for Codependency

Abstract This investigation examined the reliability and validity of a rating scale for codependency in substance abuse treatment. The investigators developed an example-anchored rating scale to operationalize codependency as substance abuse counselors construe it in practice, and recruited 27 counselors for a counterbalanced multiple-treatment experiment. Counselors were randomly assigned to one of four continuing education workshops for rating-scale training, and asked to evaluate codependency in five videotaped cases. Semistructured case interviews were videotaped with a male and a female from five adult populations to vary the gender and codependency of cases: (1) outpatients in treatment for addiction, (2) outpatient spouses, (3) members of Codependents Anonymous, (4) United States Bureau of Land Management smoke jumpers, and (5) college students majoring in business or economics. To control for gender effects, one workshop presented male cases, one workshop presented female cases, and two workshops presented cases of both genders. To control for order effects, the assignment of videotapes to workshops was randomized to counterbalance the order in which counselors viewed them. The findings suggest that the rating scale yields reliable and valid evaluations of codependency without appreciable gender bias.
Aerococcus vaginalis sp. nov., isolated from the vaginal mucosa of a beef cow, and emended descriptions of Aerococcus suis, Aerococcus viridans, Aerococcus urinaeequi, Aerococcus urinaehominis, Aerococcus urinae, Aerococcus christensenii and Aerococcus sanguinicola.

A gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming, catalase-negative, coccoid-shaped bacterial strain, designated BV2(T), was isolated from the vaginal mucosa of a beef cow in Japan. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate shared high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (92.9 %) with Aerococcus suis 1821/02(T) and low similarity (<92.7 %) with any other recognized species of the genus Aerococcus. The DNA G+C content was 44.7 mol%, which is within the range observed among species of the genus Aerococcus (37.5-48.4 mol%). The major cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1ω9c, similar to other type strains of species of the genus Aerococcus. The results of genotypic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses as well as the low degree of DNA-DNA relatedness with all recognized members of the genus Aerococcus indicate that strain BV2(T) represents a novel species of the genus Aerococcus, for which the name Aerococcus vaginalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BV2(T) ( = JCM 19163(T) = DSM 27293(T)). Emended descriptions of Aerococcus suis, Aerococcus viridans, Aerococcus urinaeequi, Aerococcus urinaehominis, Aerococcus urinae, Aerococcus christensenii and Aerococcus sanguinicola are also presented.