Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of low growth temperature on Hill reaction and Photosystem 1 activities in three biotypes of Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. with different sensitivity to atrazine and ALS-inhibiting herbicides

A possible influence of low growth temperature on the photochemical activity of isolated mesophyll chloroplasts was studied in three biotypes of kochia [Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad. ] that showed either double resistance to both atrazine and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors (Bubny biotype), resistance to ALS inhibitors but not to atrazine (Jihlava biotype), or sensitivity to both types of herbicides (Karlin biotype). Plants 5 or 12 weeks old since the date of sowing were examined. The Bubny biotype displayed the lowest values of Hill reaction activity (HRA) among all biotypes examined, and a significantly lower activity of Photosystem (PS) 1 compared to the Karlin biotype; this applied both for the control and low temperature-grown plants and for both plant ages studied. The comparison of HRA and PS1 activity in the Jihlava and Karlin biotypes showed lower values of both parameters for the Jihlava biotype. The HRA of plants grown at low temperature conditions was usually only slightly lower compared to the control plants of all three biotypes examined. The activity of PS1 in the kochia biotypes grown under low-temperature conditions increased markedly and significantly compared to the control plants; this increase was slightly higher in the atrazine-sensi tive biotypes Jihlava and Karlin than in the resistant biotype Bubny. The differences between resistant and susceptible biotypes in the HRA diminished under low-temperature conditions whereas the differences in PS1 activity increased.
The influence of phospholipid membranes on bovine calcitonin secondary structure and amyloid formation

Calcitonin, a peptide hormone associated with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, has the potential to form amyloid fibrils and may be a valuable model for investigating the role of peptide–membrane interactions in β‐sheet and amyloid formation. Via a new model peptide system, bovine calcitonin, we found that the exposure of peptide to phospholipid membranes altered its structure relative to the structures formed in aqueous solutions. Of particular relevance to the amyloidoses, incubation of calcitonin with cholesterol‐rich and ganglioside‐containing membranes resulted in significant enrichment in the β‐sheet and amyloid content of the peptide. The formation of amyloid was also accelerated in these systems. A correlation between the phospholipid‐induced structural alterations and calcitonin binding affinities to phospholipid membranes was evident. Bovine calcitonin has considerably higher binding affinity for the phospholipid systems that enhanced its β‐sheet and amyloid structure. Electrostatic forces were not the governing forces behind the observed behavior, as supported by the fact that the ionic strength did not affect the peptide structures or binding affinities. A Van't Hoff analysis of the temperature‐dependent peptide binding affinities indicated that binding led to an increase in enthalpy and possibly an increase in entropy of the peptide–membrane systems. Experiments with other amyloid‐forming peptides such as β‐amyloid of Alzheimer's disease have also shown similar results and may indicate the need to manipulate peptide–membrane interactions in order to control amyloid formation and its associated disease.
Female Labor Market Participation and Economic Growth: The Case of Pakistan

Female labor force plays a significant role in the economic development of a country. The core objective of this paper is to examine the nexus between female labor force participation rate and Pakistan’s economic growth using time series data for the period 1990-2014. The data was extracted from World Development Indicators database. Augmented-Dickey Fuller (ADF) test was applied to examine the data for unit root. The results show that both the variables--- female labor force participation rate and economic growth---are stationary at first difference i.e. I(1). The error correction model (ECM) and Johansen co-integration tests were used to examine the co-integration relation between the variables. The econometric results conclude that there is long-run and a U-shaped link between economic growth and women labor force participation rate of Pakistan. The results conclude that lower female labor force participation rate leads to lower economic growth in Pakistan. This paper has important policy implications, suggests that policies intend to remove such barriers could help to enhance the Pakistan’s economic growth.
Will Visual Discomfort among Visual Display Unit (VDU) Users Change in Development When Moving from Single Vision Lenses to Specially Designed VDU Progressive Lenses?

Purpose. Three types of progressive additions lenses (PAL) specially designed for VDU-work and one single vision lens were compared in a prospective field study. The aim was to investigate if these progressive lenses created a difference in the development of visual discomfort compared to single vision lenses when working on an optimized VDU-workstation. Methods. The study had a prospective, parallel group design, with four groups of VDU-workers. Approximately 40 subjects in each group, selected after careful task analysis with special attention towards the visual angles and distances to the work tasks. The groups were followed over one year. A questionnaire concerning visual conditions, working conditions, discomfort in different body areas, the status of the subjects’ optometric corrections, psychological factors both at work and at home, amount, frequency and duration of VDU-work etc. was filled in before the intervention, after six months and after one year. No other contact was made with the subjects. The VDU-lenses included were Interview (Essilor), Gradal RD (Zeiss) and Technica (American Optical). Pain intensity and duration were assessed on a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before the intervention, and six and twelve months after the intervention. All subjects were given a complete optometric examination. Results. Only small changes in the development of headache and visual discomfort were registered. However, the subjective evaluation of area of clear vision and overall satisfaction was significantly improved for the Interview and Gradal RD lens (p < 0.05). There were no significant changes for Technica and single vision lenses. Conclusion. Lens designs that cover viewing distances from near and out to approximately 2 meters work well compared to lens designs trying to cover greater range of clear vision. When tasks analysis shows that single vision correction may be used, this is still an acceptable solution.
Evaluation of cerebral aneurysms with helical CT: correlation with conventional angiography and MR angiography.

PURPOSE To evaluate detection of intracranial aneurysms with helical computed tomography (CT) and compare the results with those of conventional angiography and magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one patients with 30 intracranial aneurysms were studied with helical CT and conventional angiography; 17 of the patients (24 aneurysms) also underwent MR angiography. RESULTS All aneurysms 3 mm or larger in greatest dimension were seen with helical CT and MR angiography; no aneurysms smaller than 3 mm were apparent with either modality. Of the 21 aneurysms demonstrated with both helical CT and MR angiography, 11 were seen equally well with both techniques; six were seen better with helical CT owing to flow-related or motion artifact at MR angiography, and four were seen better with MR angiography because calcium partially obscured them at helical CT. CONCLUSION Helical CT is a promising noninvasive method of imaging the intracranial vasculature and is comparable with standard MR angiographic techniques in demonstrating aneurysms.
Reversal of Hindbrain Herniation after Maternal-fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele Subsequently Impacts on Brain Stem Function

The aim of our study was to delineate whether the reversal of hindbrain herniation (HH) following fetal myelomeningocele (fMMC) closure subsequently reduces the incidence and severity of HH-associated brainstem dysfunction (BSD). Prior to the NIH-sponsored Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) trial, 54 children underwent fMMC closure at our institution. Forty-eight (89%) families participated in a structured survey focusing on HH-associated BSD (e.g., apnea, neurogenic dysphagia [ND], gastro-esophageal reflux disease [GERD], neuro-ophthalmologic disturbances [NOD]). Median age at follow-up was 72 months (range: 46-98). Fifty-percent required shunting. HH-related symptoms were completely absent in 15 (63%) non-shunted and 10 (42%) shunted children (P=0.15). No HH-related death occurred and none developed severe persistent cyanotic apnea. ND was reported in 2 (8%) non-shunted and 9 (38%) shunted infants (P=0.03). Mild GERD (medically managed) developed in 2 (8%) without and 6 (25%) with shunt placement (P=0.24). NOD was found in 6 (25%) and 13 (54%) of non-shunted and shunted children, respectively (P=0.07). The majority of fMMC children developed no or only mild BSD at follow-up. Our data support the hypothesis that neurodevelopmental deficits associated with MMC are at least partially acquired and that reversal of HH following fMMC surgery may help to reduce the incidence and severity of BSD.
An Accurate Inductance Profile Measurement Technique for Switched Reluctance Machines

Accurate modeling of switched reluctance machines (SRMs) is necessary in order to achieve satisfactory control performance. Due to their highly nonlinear characteristics, the exact inductance profile for SRMs in one electrical period ought to be obtained. The purpose of this paper is to propose an accurate method to model the SRM magnetization characteristic, representing the accurate inductance profile, in order to achieve higher control performance. Furthermore, the innovative method proposed in this paper addresses a diverse way to minimize overall losses, compared to conventional methods. Instead of using a specific apparatus for measurement, the proposed method directly uses the saturation feature of the phase inductance. This paper discusses the advantages and improvements of the proposed method compared to conventional methods. Finally, the results computed by finite-element analysis are compared with the experimental results in terms of SRM magnetization characteristics.
Diminished autonomic nervous system responsiveness in rheumatoid arthritis of recent onset.

OBJECTIVE To investigate responsiveness of the autonomic nervous system in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of recent onset. METHODS 21 patients (17 women, mean age 55.7 years) and 20 healthy controls (16 women, mean age 52.7 years) were subjected to 4 tasks eliciting divergent autonomic reactions: film watching, mild physical exercise, cognitive discrimination, and the Stroop color-word interference test. Changes in heart rate, diastolic (DBP) and systolic (SBP) blood pressure, and skin conductance relative to pretask baseline values were computed and related to erythrocyte sedimentation rate, pain, mobility, and dexterity. RESULTS Mean autonomic levels of patients were normal, as well as autonomic responses to film watching and mild physical exercise. Diminished autonomic responses were observed during cognitive discrimination and during the Stroop test. Blood pressure responses were negatively related to pain severity, but positively to impaired dexterity. CONCLUSION Diminished autonomic nervous system response is observed in RA of recent onset, most clearly in patients with more severe pain. This suggests that it is associated with primary pathophysiological mechanisms.
Sex, clinical presentation, and outcome in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries in Acute Coronary Syndromes IIb Investigators.

BACKGROUND Studies have reported that women with acute myocardial infarction have in-hospital and long-term outcomes that are worse than those of men. METHODS To assess sex-based differences in presentation and outcome, we examined data from the Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries in Acute Coronary Syndromes IIb study, which enrolled 12,142 patients (3662 women and 8480 men) with acute coronary syndromes, including infarction with ST-segment elevation, infarction with no ST-segment elevation, and unstable angina. RESULTS Overall, the women were older than the men, and had significantly higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and prior congestive heart failure. They had significantly lower rates of prior myocardial infarction and were less likely ever to have smoked. A smaller percentage of women than men had infarction with ST elevation (27.2 percent vs. 37.0 percent, P<0.001), and of the patients who presented with no ST elevation (those with myocardial infarction or unstable angina), fewer women than men had myocardial infarction (36.6 percent vs. 47.6 percent, P<0.001). Women had more complications than men during hospitalization and a higher mortality rate at 30 days (6.0 percent vs. 4.0 percent, P<0.001) but had similar rates of reinfarction at 30 days after presentation. However, there was a significant interaction between sex and the type of coronary syndrome at presentation (P=0.001). After stratification according to coronary syndrome and adjustment for base-line variables, there was a nonsignificant trend toward an increased risk of death or reinfarction among women as compared with men only in the group with infarction and ST elevation (odds ratio, 1.27; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.98 to 1.63; P=0.07). Among patients with unstable angina, female sex was associated with an independent protective effect (odds ratio for infarction or death, 0.65; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.49 to 0.87; P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS Women and men with acute coronary syndromes had different clinical profiles, presentation, and outcomes. These differences could not be entirely accounted for by differences in base-line characteristics and may reflect pathophysiologic and anatomical differences between men and women.
Effect of silkworm hemolymph on N‐linked glycosylation in two Trichoplusia ni insect cell lines

A recombinant N‐linked glycoprotein, secreted human placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP), was produced in two Trichoplusia ni insect cell lines using the baculovirus expression vector. Silkworm hemolymph (SH) was added to TNMFH + 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) medium to a concentration of 2.5% or 5%, and SEAP production and glycosylation in the presence of SH were compared with controls devoid of hemolymph. Growing Tn‐4s cells in 5% SH‐supplemented medium required progressive adaptation of the cells to SH, and adapted cells had a SEAP specific yield decreased by 2.5‐fold compared with control cells not exposed to SH. Although SEAP produced in the control possessed little complex glycosylation (<1%), SEAP produced by SH‐adapted cells in the presence of 5% SH possessed 8.7% sialylated structures, as well as unusual, asialylated, agalactosylated structures with a high degree of polymerization (DP). On the basis of enzymatic and mass‐spectrometric analyses, we propose that these structures are glucosylated, high‐mannose oligosaccharides. SEAP was also produced by Tn‐4s cells without adaptation to SH when SH was added just prior to baculovirus infection, but SEAP specific yield was adversely affected (approximately fourfold reduction compared with control devoid of hemolymph), and glycosylation of SEAP produced under these conditions was characterized by large amounts of high‐mannose and high‐DP structures and an absence of complex structures. Similarly, Tn5B1‐4 cells that were not adapted to SH had a SEAP specific yield reduced by approximately fivefold in SH‐containing medium; however, these cells were able to produce 13.5% sialylated SEAP in the presence of 2.5% SH, whereas complex structures were not produced in the absence of SH. We propose that SH improves glycosylation either directly or indirectly by decreasing SEAP specific yield. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 83: 695–705, 2003.
The mediating roles of coping and adjustment in the relationship between personality and academic achievement.

BACKGROUND Existing literature has documented relationships between personality traits and academic achievement as well as some of the mechanisms underlying these links. However, the pathways by which personality traits are associated with achievement during stressful educational circumstances require further investigation. AIMS This study examined a model of the roles of conscientiousness and neuroticism in achievement during the typically stressful university transition, with a focus on coping strategies and academic adjustment to university as mediators in the putative chain of events linking the dispositional traits with achievement. SAMPLE The sample comprised 498 first-year students attending a metropolitan university in Australia. METHODS A multiwave design was used with measures of the personality traits administered at the beginning of the semester, measures of coping administered 4 weeks thereafter, and data on academic adjustment collected mid-semester. Students' GPA data were retrieved at the end of the semester. RESULTS In structural equations analyses, conscientiousness was associated with greater primary control engagement coping and lesser narrow disengagement coping, whereas the opposite was found for neuroticism. Furthermore, conscientiousness and neuroticism were indirectly associated with academic adjustment via the coping strategies, and the personality factors were also indirectly associated with achievement via the coping strategies and academic adjustment linked serially in three-path mediated sequences. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study replicate existing data concerning the direct and indirect relationships of personality with coping and adjustment, and extend these data by elucidating the pathways through which conscientiousness and neuroticism are linked with achievement during a typically stressful educational event.
A Multisensor Data-Fusion Approach for ADL and Fall classification

This paper deals with an advanced approach for the monitoring of elders and people with neurological pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer). The system that adopts a multisensor approach is able to recognize critical events, such as falls or prolonged inactivity, to monitor the user posture, and to notify the alerts to caregivers. In particular, this paper focuses on smart algorithms developed for the activities of daily living (ADL) classification, which use the information provided by inertial sensors embedded in the user device. In particular, a novel multisensor data-fusion approach, combining data from an accelerometer and a gyroscope, is presented. Apart from alert management, the information provided by this system is useful to track the evolution of the user pathology, also during rehabilitation tasks. Results obtained during tests with users demonstrate suitable performances of the adopted paradigm, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, in performing falls and ADL classification tasks. The average value of the sensitivity index for the classes of falls and ADL considered through this paper is 0.81, while the average value of the specificity index is 0.98.
Adoption of International Standards on Auditing (Isa): Do Institutional Factors Matter?

Informed by the neo-institutional perspective, this study seeks for the first time to investigate empirically the determinants of ISA adoption and commitment to harmonisation on a cross-national basis (89 countries). The findings show that the protection of minority interests, regulatory enforcement, lenders/borrowers rights, foreign aid, prevalence of foreign ownership, educational attainment and particular forms of political system (level of democracy) prevailing in a country, are observed to be significant predictors of the extent of commitment to the adoption and harmonisation of ISAs. Our statistical analysis therefore suggests that coercive, mimetic and normative pressure have a significant impact on ISA adoption relative to economic (efficiency-led) factors. Our findings imply that current efforts by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and other international agencies to implement ISAs need to recognise that a broad set of institutional factors, rather than narrow economic ones, are of relevance in the development of audit policymaking, practice and regulation worldwide.
[Analysis of soft tissue thickness in persons with malocclusions of Class II division 1 and Class II division 2].

INTRODUCTION Different malocclusions indicate different thickness of facial soft tissue. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to establish the differences in the thickness of facial soft tissue profile in persons with dentoskeletal Class II/1 and II/2 relationship. METHODS In the study we used cephalometric rendgenograms profile analysis of 60 patients aged 12-18 years of the Dental Clinic in Nis who had not previously undergone orthodontical treatment. According to the dentoskeletal jaws relations the patients were divided into two groups with Class II division 1 and Class II class division 2. In all of them the standard dentoskeletal profile analysis by Steiner and soft tissue profile analysis by Burston was done. The obtained findings were statistically analyzed and the comparison between the studied groups was performed. RESULTS The results indicated the following: in the patients with Class II/1 relationship there was a significantly thinner upper lip (t=5.741; p<0.0001), thinner upper lip sulcus (t=3.858; p<0.001) and significantly thinner lower lip (t=2.009; p<0.05) in relation to the patients with Class 11/2. Compensatory effect in the Class II/1 patients was more distinctive in females, as their soft tissue profiles were thicker. In Class 11/2 patients this relationship was in favor of males. CONCLUSION The facial soft tissue profile indicated significant differences in the thickness dependant on the type of malocclusion and gender. Because of their great variability and a significant participation in the formation of the profile, while planning orthodontic therapy, it is necessary to pay them full attention, with obligatory analysis of the dentoskeletal profile.
Do faster swimmers spend longer underwater than slower swimmers at World Championships?

Abstract The main objectives of the present research were (1) to examine the relationships between the distances travelled underwater during the start and turn segments with swimming race performance at the elite level and (2) to determine if the individualised-distance start and turn parameters affect the overall race performance. The race parameters of the 100 and 200 m events during 2013 World Championships were measured by an innovative image-processing system (InThePool® 2.0). Overall, 100 m race times were largely related to faster start velocities in men's breaststroke and freestyle events. Conversely, overall, 200 m race times were largely related to longer starting distances in the women's butterfly events, to longer turn distances in men's and women's backstroke and women's butterfly events and to shorter turn distances in women's freestyle events. Changes on the start or turn velocities could represent moderate time improvements in most of the 100 m events, whereas modifications on the start or turn distances (especially in the last turn) could provide elite swimmers with time improvements of practical importance on the 200 m events. The evaluation of races by individualised-distance parameters should be provided to elite swimmers in order to decide the most appropriate race segment configuration for each event.