Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Alleles Conferring Resistance to Gray Leaf Spot in Maize Derived from its Wild Progenitor Species Teosinte

Gray leaf spot (GLS; causal agent Cercospora zeae-maydis and Cercospora zeina) is an important maize (Zea mays L.) disease in the United States. Current control methods for GLS include using resistant cultivars, crop rotation, chemical applications, and conventional tillage to reduce inoculum levels. Teosinte (Z. mays subsp. parviglumis) is the wild progenitor of maize and easily forms hybrids with current maize inbreds. The aims of this study were to identify alleles from teosinte that, when introduced into temperate maize germplasm, conferred significant levels of GLS resistance. A population of 693 BC4S2 near isogenic lines (NILs), developed by crossing nine different teosinte accessions into the background of the maize inbred B73, were evaluated for GLS resistance in replicated field trials over 2 yr. Six markers significantly associated with GLS resistance were identified using 768 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers used to genotype this population. Twenty-seven individual NILs that differed significantly from B73 for GLS resistance and that carried teosinte introgressions at the significantly associated SNPs at bins 2.04, 3.06, 4.07, 5.03, 8.06, and 9.03 were selected for follow-up studies. F2:3 populations were developed by crossing each selected NIL to B73 followed by self-pollinating the progeny twice. These F2:3 populations were evaluated for GLS resistance and genotyped at the loci of interest. In most cases, single-marker analysis validated predicted allelic substitution effects from the original NIL populations. J.R. Lennon, M. Krakowsky and M. Goodman, Dep. of Crop Science, North Carolina State Univ., Box 7620, Raleigh, NC 27695; P.J. Balint-Kurti, Dep. of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State Univ., Box 7616, Raleigh, NC 27695, M. Krakowsky and P.J. Balint-Kurti, USDA–ARS, Plant Science Research Unit, Box 7631, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC 27695; S. Flint-Garcia, USDA–ARS, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO 65211 and Division of Plant Sciences, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. Received 3 July 2014. Accepted 17 Nov. 2014. *Corresponding author (pjbalint@ncsu. edu, Peter.Balint-Kurti@ars.usda.gov). Abbreviations: DIS, disease score; DTA, days to anthesis; GLS, gray leaf spot; JLM, joint linkage mapping; LOD, logarithm of odds; LSMean, least squares mean; NAM, nested association mapping; NIL, near isogenic line; QTL, quantitative trait loci; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism. Published in Crop Sci. 56:209–218 (2016). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2014.07. 0468 © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. Published December 30, 2015
Facilitated Expansion of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Single‐Cell Enzymatic Dissociation

Traditionally, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are propagated by mechanical dissection or enzymatic dissociation into clusters of cells. To facilitate up‐scaling and the use of hESC in various experimental manipulations, such as fluorescence‐activated cell sorting, electroporation, and clonal selection, it is important to develop new, stable culture systems based on single‐cell enzymatic propagation. Here, we show that hESCs, which were derived and passaged by mechanical dissection, can be rapidly adjusted to propagation by enzymatic dissociation to single cells. As an indication of the stability of this culture system, we demonstrate that hESCs can be maintained in an undifferentiated, pluripotent, and genetically normal state for up to 40 enzymatic passages. We also demonstrate that a recombinant trypsin preparation increases clonal survival compared with porcine trypsin. Finally, we show that human foreskin fibroblast feeders are superior to the commonly used mouse embryonic fibroblast feeders in terms of their ability to prevent spontaneous differentiation after single‐cell passaging. Importantly, the culture system is widely applicable and should therefore be of general use to facilitate reliable large‐scale cultivation of hESCs, as well as their use in various experimental manipulations.
Security Design with Ratings

We investigate the effect of public information, such as ratings, on the security design problem of a privately informed issuer. We show that the presence of ratings has important implications for both the form of security designed and the amount of inefficient retention. The model predicts that issuers will design informationally sensitive securities (i.e., levered equity) when ratings are sufficiently informative relative to the gains from trade. Otherwise, issuers opt for a standard debt contract. In either case, informative ratings increase market liquidity by decreasing the reliance on inefficient retention to convey high quality, and perhaps counterintuitively, decrease price informativeness.
Orthotic comfort is related to kinematics, kinetics, and EMG in recreational runners.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between differences in comfort and changes in lower extremity kinematic and kinetic variables and muscle activity in response to foot orthoses. METHODS Twenty-one recreational runners volunteered for this study. Three orthotic conditions (posting, custom-molding, and posting and custom-molding) were compared with a control (flat) insert. Lower extremity kinematic, kinetic, and EMG data were collected for 108 trials per subject and condition in nine sessions per subject for overground running at 4 m.s-1. Comfort for all orthotic conditions was assessed in each session using a visual analog scale. The statistical tests used included repeated measures ANOVA, linear regression analysis, and discriminant analysis (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS Comfort ratings were significantly different between orthotic conditions and the control condition ([lower, upper] confidence limits; posting: [-3.1, -0.8]; molding: [0.4, 3.4]; and posting and molding: [-1.1, 1.9]); 34.9% of differences in comfort were explained by changes in 15 kinematic, kinetic, and EMG variables. The 15 kinematic, kinetic, and EMG variables that partially explained differences in comfort classified 75.0% of cases correctly to the corresponding orthotic condition. DISCUSSION In general, comfort is an important and relevant feature of foot orthoses. Evaluations of foot orthoses using comfort do not only reflect subjective perceptions but also differences in functional biomechanical variables. Future research should focus on defining the relationship between comfort and biomechanical variables for material modifications of footwear, different modes of locomotion, and the general population.
The Benefits and Costs of Residential Mobility Programmes for the Poor

By enabling low-income families to move from high- to low-poverty neighbourhoods, tenant-based rental subsidies for poor families have the potential to reduce the degree of economic segregation in the US. This paper provides a framework for identifying the benefits and costs of such housing mobility programmes, and reviews the available empirical evidence on the net effects of quasi- or formal randomised housing mobility experiments. The best available evidence suggests that families in public housing who receive rental subsidies to move from high- to lower-poverty areas may experience reductions in welfare receipt and improvements in health status. Such moves may also improve schooling outcomes for children and reduce their problem behaviours. The benefits to society from these changes are substantial when measured in dollar terms. Unfortunately, very little is currently known about the effects of housing-mobility efforts on non-participants.
Differential privacy preserving clustering in distributed datasets using Haar wavelet transform

The goal of privacy preserving clustering (PPC) is to preserve the privacy of data during clustering analysis. Most of the existing PPC algorithms are based on heuristic notions without provable privacy. Differential privacy is the strong notion of privacy introduced to overcome this problem. However, the lower degree of utility is the serious drawback of the techniques, which preserve differential privacy. In addition, high dimensionality of data is another drawback of the most existing PPC techniques, which leads to low efficiency of them. This paper proposes differential-based algorithms for PPC in horizontally and vertically distributed datasets. To overcome the above two drawbacks, we have used orthogonal discrete wavelet transforms (DWT) for obtaining perturbed data with both low data dimensionality and less noise addition. Our algorithms are implemented and experimented using some well-known datasets. The results show that the proposed algorithms guarantee an appropriate level of both utility and privacy of the published data.
Resolution dependence of cumulus statistics in radiative-convective equilibrium

Ein theoretisches Modell welches die Fluktuationen innerhalb eines Wolkenensembles beschreibt, stellt die Basis fur stochastische Konvektionsparametrisierung dar. Hochaufgeloste, idealisierte Simulationen eines Wolkenensembles uber einer homogenen Meeresoberflache werden benutzt um die Gultigkeit des theoretischen Modells im Strahlungs-Konvektions-Gleichgewicht zu evaluieren. Im ersten Schritt dieser Studie werden Kontrollsimulationen mit einer horizontalen Auflosung von 2 km durchgefuhrt, wobei funf verschiedene Abkuhlungsraten benutzt werden um das Wolkenensemble anzutreiben. In den Kontrollsimulationen wird die Gultigkeit einer exponentiellen Verteilung des vertikalen Massenflusses und der Wolkengrosen fur alle Abkuhlungsraten nachgewiesen. Desweiteren, nimmt die Anzahl der Wolken im Modellgebiet mit steigender Abkuhlungsrate linear zu, wohingegen nur eine schwache Abhangigkeit der mittleren Wolkengrosen und deren Vertikalgeschwindigkeiten von der Starke der Abkuhlungsrate beobachtet wird. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen eine gute Ubereinstimmung mit dem theoretischen Modell. Im zweiten Teil dieser Studie wird die Gitterweite in den numerischen Simulationen sukzessive bis zu einer Auflosung von 125 m verfeinert. Hierbei treten signifikante Anderungen in der Wolkenstatistik und der Struktur der Wolkenfelder auf. Die Grose der Wolken nimmt mit zunehmender Auflosung stark ab, wohingegen die Anzahl der Gitterpunkte innerhalb einer Wolke ansteigt, da diese mit zunehmender Auflosung besser auf dem numerischen Gitter dargestellt werden konnen. Im Gegensatz zu den zufallig verteilten Wolken in den Kontrollsimulationen, wird in den feinaufgelosten Wolkenfeldern beobachtet, dass sich die einzelnen konvektiven Zellen in bandartigen Strukturen um wolkenfreie Gebiete anordnen. Der Umkreis einer Wolke in dem diese Cluster-Effekte beobachtet werden, scheint indes unabhangig von der horizontalen Auflosung zu sein. Mit feiner werdender Auflosung weicht daruber hinaus die Wahrscheinlichkeitsdichteverteilung der Wolkengrosen und des vertikalen Massenflusses immer starker von der exponentiellen Verteilung ab. Fur grosere Werte in den Verteilungen zeigen sich Ubereinstimmungen mit einer Power-Law Verteilung. Durch die Partitionierung der Wolken-Cluster in deren zugrundeliegende, einzelne Aufwindbereiche kann die erwartete, exponentielle Verteilung des Massenflusses und der Wolkengrosen wieder hergestellt werden. Das theoretische Modell ist daher in hochaufgelosten Simulationen fur die einzelnen Aufwindbereiche gultig, allerdings mussen die Cluster-Effekte im Wolkenensemble hierbei berucksichtigt werden.
Nutrient Resuscitation and Growth of Starved Cells in Sandstone Cores: a Novel Approach to Enhanced Oil Recovery

Klebsiella pneumoniae, which was reduced in size (0.25 by 0.5 μm) by carbon deprivation, was injected into a series of sandstone cores and subjected to separate treatments. Scanning electron microscopy of 400-mD cores showed these small starved cells in nearly every core section. The cells were a mixture of small rods and cocci with little or no biofilm production. Continuous or dose stimulation with sodium citrate allowed the cells to grow throughout the sandstone and completely plug the length of the core. The resuscitated cells were larger than the starved cells (up to 1.7 μm) and were encased in glycocalyx. Scanning electron microscopic results of resuscitation in situ with half-strength brain heart infusion broth showed that a shallow “skin” plug of cells formed at the core inlet and that fewer cells were located in the lower sections. Starved cells also penetrated 200-mD cores and were successfully resuscitated in situ with sodium citrate, so that the entire core was plugged. Nutrient resuscitation of injected starved cells to produce full-size cells which grow and block the rock pores may be successfully applied to selective plugging and may effectively increase oil recovery.
Linoleic acid, a dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, and the aetiology of ulcerative colitis: a nested case–control study within a European prospective cohort study

Objective: Dietary linoleic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is metabolised to arachidonic acid, a component of colonocyte membranes. Metabolites of arachidonic acid have pro-inflammatory properties and are increased in the mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The aim of this investigation was to conduct the first prospective cohort study investigating if a high dietary intake of linoleic acid increases the risk of developing incident ulcerative colitis. Design and setting: Dietary data from food frequency questionnaires were available for 203 193 men and women aged 30–74 years, resident in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany or Italy and participating in a prospective cohort study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). These participants were followed up for the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Each case was matched with four controls and the risk of disease calculated by quartile of intake of linoleic acid adjusted for gender, age, smoking, total energy intake and centre. Results: A total of 126 participants developed ulcerative colitis (47% women) after a median follow-up of 4.0 years (range, 1.7–11.3 years). The highest quartile of intake of linoleic acid was associated with an increased risk of ulcerative colitis (odds ratio (OR) = 2.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23 to 5.07, p = 0.01) with a significant trend across quartiles (OR = 1.32 per quartile increase, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.66, p = 0.02 for trend). Conclusions: The data support a role for dietary linoleic acid in the aetiology of ulcerative colitis. An estimated 30% of cases could be attributed to having dietary intakes higher than the lowest quartile of linoleic acid intake.
Physiological Patterns During Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique Compared With Patterns While Reading Sanskrit and A Modern Language

This study tested the prediction that reading Vedic Sanskrit texts, without knowledge of their meaning, produces a distinct physiological state. We measured EEG, breath rate, heart rate, and skin conductance during: (1) 15-min Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice; (2) 15-min reading verses of the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit; and (3) 15-min reading the same verses translated in German, Spanish, or French. The two reading conditions were randomly counterbalanced, and subjects filled out experience forms between each block to reduce carryover effects. Skin conductance levels significantly decreased during both reading Sanskrit and TM practice, and increased slightly during reading a modern language. Alpha power and coherence were significantly higher when reading Sanskrit and during TM practice, compared to reading modern languages. Similar physiological patterns when reading Sanskrit and during practice of the TM technique suggests that the state gained during TM practice may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.
Audio and visually augmented teleconferencing

As an efficient tool for office automation, teleconferencing systems have recently been attracting considerable attention. This paper describes the audio and visually augmented teleconferencing (AVAT) systems which facilitate the mutual exchange of the audio and visual information through an ordinary telephone network or a 64-kbit/s ISDN. First, the teleconferencing systems are analyzed and classified hierarchically from the standpoint of communication media and their functions, and then AVAT system features are clarified among the systems. Through existing AVAT system examples, the present status of and future tendencies for technologies that are vital to the configuration of AVAT systems are reviewed.
Millimeter wave beam-alignment for dual-polarized outdoor MIMO systems

Fifth generation (5G) wireless systems are expected to employ smaller cells within a heterogeneous network. Multiple antenna communication at millimeter wavelengths is a promising technology for both backhaul and access within these networks. We discuss a dual-polarized channel model for an outdoor, millimeter wave system and propose a beam-alignment algorithm that exploits the orthogonal polarizations. The proposed beam-alignment algorithm reduces the beam search time by sounding the orthogonal polarizations in parallel. Moreover, noise and interference immunity is improved with a joint search method. The proposed beam-alignment algorithm enables closed-loop multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication for either backhaul or access scenarios.
Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Adjunctive Therapy Ameliorated the Incidence of Chronic Hepatitis in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

We conducted a National Health Insurance Research Database-based Taiwanese nationwide population-based cohort study to evaluate whether Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) treatment decreased the incidence of chronic hepatitis in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. A total of 81171 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer within the defined study period. After randomly equal matching, data from 13856 patients were analyzed. Hazard ratios of incidence rate of chronic hepatitis were used to determine the influence and therapeutic potential of CHM in patients with breast cancer. The patients with breast cancer receiving CHM treatment exhibited a significantly decreased incidence rate of chronic hepatitis even across the stratification of age, CCI score, and treatments. The cumulative incidence of chronic hepatitis for a period of seven years after initial breast cancer diagnosis was also reduced in the patients receiving CHM treatment. The ten most commonly used single herbs and formulas were effective in protecting liver function in patients with breast cancer, where Hedyotis diffusa and Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San were the most commonly used herbal agents. In conclusion, our study provided information that western medicine therapy combined with CHM as an adjuvant modality may have a significant impact on liver protection in patients with breast cancer.
Lung Clearance Index and Structural Lung Disease on Computed Tomography in Early Cystic Fibrosis.

RATIONALE The lung clearance index is a measure of ventilation distribution derived from the multiple-breath washout technique. It has been suggested as a surrogate for chest computed tomography to detect structural lung abnormalities in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF); however, the associations between lung clearance index and early structural lung disease are unclear. OBJECTIVES We assessed the ability of the lung clearance index to reflect structural lung disease on the basis of chest computed tomography across the entire pediatric age range. METHODS Lung clearance index was assessed in 42 infants (ages 0-2 yr), 39 preschool children (ages 3-6 yr), and 38 school-age children (7-16 yr) with CF before chest computed tomography and in 72 healthy control subjects. Scans were evaluated for CF-related structural lung disease using the Perth-Rotterdam Annotated Grid Morphometric Analysis for Cystic Fibrosis quantitative outcome measure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS In infants with CF, lung clearance index is insensitive to structural disease (κ = -0.03 [95% confidence interval, -0.05 to 0.16]). In preschool children with CF, lung clearance index correlates with total disease extent. In school-age children, lung clearance index correlates with extent of total disease, bronchiectasis, and air trapping. In preschool and school-age children, lung clearance index has a good positive predictive value (83-86%) but a poor negative predictive value (50-55%) to detect the presence of bronchiectasis. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that lung clearance index may be a useful surveillance tool to monitor structural lung disease in preschool and school-age children with CF. However, lung clearance index cannot replace chest computed tomography to screen for bronchiectasis in this population.
Characteristics of an unclassified Mycobacterium species isolated from patients with Crohn's disease

The characteristics of an unclassified Mycobacterium sp. isolated from three patients with Crohn's disease are presented. The organism is extremely fastidious and mycobactin dependent and may require up to 18 months of incubation for primary isolation. Colony morphology is rough. Characteristics are unlike those of any presently defined species. The isolates produced postive niacin, catalase, and 2-week arylsulfatase reactions and were susceptible to neotetrazolium chloride (1:40,000), streptomycin (2 micrograms/ml), and rifampin (0.25 micrograms/ml). Chromogenicity, nitrate reduction, quantitative catalase, Tween hydrolysis, urease, tellurite reduction, pyrazinamidase, and 3-day arylsulfatase tests were negative, and the isolates were resistant to thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (10 micrograms/ml) and isoniazid (10 micrograms/ml). Optimum growth in broth was determined to be in 7H9 medium with Dubos oleic albumin complex, Tween 80, and mycobactin J at 37 degrees C without CO2 or agitation and in low medium depth. This Mycobacterium sp. may be a subspecies or biovariant of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, or it may represent a new species of Mycobacterium. It is suggested that this Mycobacterium sp. may play an etiological role in some cases of Crohn's disease.
Supramolecular nanoparticles that target phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase overcome insulin resistance and exert pronounced antitumor efficacy

Ashish A. Kulkarni, Bhaskar Roy, Poornima S. Rao, Gregory A. Wyant, Ayaat Mahmoud, Madhumitha Ramachandran, Poulomi Sengupta, Aaron Goldman, Venkata Ramana Kotamraju, Sudipta Basu, Raghunath A Mashelkar, Erkki Ruoslahti, Daniela M. Dinulescu, Shiladitya Sengupta. Laboratory for Nanomedicine, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Indo–US Joint Center for Nanobiotechnology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Cancer Research Center, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, CA and Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology, Bio II, Rm. #3119 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Indian Institute for Science Education Research (IISER), Pune, India. National Chemical Laboratories, Pune, India. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brookline, MA, USA;