Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacillus: A Biological Tool for Crop Improvement through Bio-Molecular Changes in Adverse Environments

Crop productivity is affected by environmental and genetic factors. Microbes that are beneficial to plants are used to enhance the crop yield and are alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Pseudomonas and Bacillus species are the predominant plant growth-promoting bacteria. The spore-forming ability of Bacillus is distinguished from that of Pseudomonas. Members of this genus also survive for a long time under unfavorable environmental conditions. Bacillus spp. secrete several metabolites that trigger plant growth and prevent pathogen infection. Limited studies have been conducted to understand the physiological changes that occur in crops in response to Bacillus spp. to provide protection against adverse environmental conditions. This review describes the current understanding of Bacillus-induced physiological changes in plants as an adaptation to abiotic and biotic stresses. During water scarcity, salinity and heavy metal accumulate in soil, Bacillus spp. produce exopolysaccharides and siderophores, which prevent the movement of toxic ions and adjust the ionic balance and water transport in plant tissues while controlling the pathogenic microbial population. In addition, the synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellic acid and1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase by Bacillus regulates the intracellular phytohormone metabolism and increases plant stress tolerance. Cell-wall-degrading substances, such as chitosanase, protease, cellulase, glucanase, lipopeptides and hydrogen cyanide from Bacillus spp. damage the pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses and pests to control their populations in plants and agricultural lands. The normal plant metabolism is affected by unfavorable environmental stimuli, which suppress crop growth and yield. Abiotic and biotic stress factors that have detrimental effects on crops are mitigated by Bacillus-induced physiological changes, including the regulation of water transport, nutrient up-take and the activation of the antioxidant and defense systems. Bacillus association stimulates plant immunity against stresses by altering stress-responsive genes, proteins, phytohormones and related metabolites. This review describes the beneficial effect of Bacillus spp. on crop plants, which improves plant productivity under unfavorable climatic conditions, and the current understanding of the mitigation mechanism of Bacillus spp. in stress-tolerant and/or stress-resistant plants.
Expression of GFAT1 and OGT in podocytes: Transport of glucosamine and the implications for glucose uptake into these cells

Glutamine:fructose‐6‐phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) and N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase (OGT) participate in glucosamine (GlcN) production and its utilization in O‐glycosylation, one of key post‐translational modifications of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. For this purpose, cells require a high rate of intracellular production of GlcN and/or significant GlcN delivery. We studied the expression of GFAT1 and OGT and measured uptake of glucose and GlcN in cultured rat podocytes, the main cellular component of glomerular filtration barrier. RT‐PCR revealed the presence of both GFAT1 and OGT mRNA. Immunofluorescence of GFAT1 has shown staining signal diffused within the cytoplasm of the cell body and processes. However, OGT was distinctly visible around the nucleus and, in diffuse form, within the cytoplasm of cell bodies and processes. Glucose was transported (1.3 ± 0.2 nmol/min/mg protein) mainly by facilitative transporter systems whilst GlcN uptake (1.1 ± 0.2 nmol/min/mg protein) in a significant part, involved a sodium‐dependent transporter. There was interplay between glucose and GlcN uptake. In the presence of GlcN (50 µM), the rate of glucose uptake decreased by about 50%. The rate of GlcN uptake decreased by 28% in the presence of 5.6 mM glucose. Our results suggest that cultured podocytes possess limited ability to synthesize GlcN internally and therefore may need to receive GlcN from the extracellular environment. J. Cell. Physiol. 225: 577–584, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of previous trauma on acute plasma cortisol level following rape.

OBJECTIVE The authors examined the relationships among history of previous assault, severity of rape, acute plasma cortisol level after rape, and development of rape-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD Blood samples were drawn from 37 adult female rape victims within 51 hours after they had been raped. The subjects were assessed for history of previous assault and for the presence of PTSD 17-157 days (mean = 90 days) after the rape. RESULTS Women with a history of previous assault had a lower mean acute cortisol level after the rape but a higher probability of subsequently developing PTSD. A significant interaction between history of previous assault and the severity of the index rape was observed: only women who had never been assaulted before had higher cortisol levels following high-severity rapes (those which included injury or multiple types of penetration) than low-severity rapes. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that previous traumatization may attenuate the acute cortisol response to trauma.
Ruptured intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms: An evaluation of prognostic factors of treatment outcome

Objective Intracranial spontaneous vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms commonly occur in the third to fifth decades of life, and are mostly associated with hypertension. Patients present with intracranial haemorrhage or thromboembolic events. Patients who present with intracranial haemorrhage carry about a 70% risk of recurrent bleeding. Patients with a posterior-inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) or ipsilateral dominant vertebral artery involve selecting which parent vessel could not be sacrificed. Recent reconstructive techniques such as stent-assisted coiling embolisation and flow-diverting stents are effective treatments of choice. Methods Seventeen patients presented subarachnoid haemorrhage and nine patients with other symptoms. Sacrificing the parent vertebral artery was the first choice for surgical or endovascular methods. Endovascular reconstructive treatment by stent-assisted coiling embolisation was indicated in dissecting vertebral artery aneurysms with ipsilateral dominant vertebral artery or PICA involvement. Clinical outcomes were determined using the modified Rankin Score (mRS) at 90 days, with favourable outcomes defined as 0 to 2. Results Of the patients presenting with ruptured aneurysms, 11 (61.1%) had a good clinical outcome, with a mRS of 0–2. Favourable Hunt and Hess grading (65%), mild to moderate GCS (65%) and total occlusion of aneurysms after treatment (65%) were significantly good prognostic factors in patients with ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms. Conclusion Endovascular parent vessel sacrifice could be the first choice to treat a ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm. Stent-assisted coiling to preserve the patency of the parent artery and its branches is a promising treatment for vertebral artery dissections.
Discrimination of Sustained Musical Instrument tones resynthesized with piecewise-linear Approximation of harmonic amplitude envelopes

Harmonic amplitude envelopes of eight sustained musical instrument tones were approximated using piecewise-linear segments to investigate how the discrimination of approximated tones varies with the number of breakpoints and instruments. Using a twoalternative forced-choice paradigm, listeners judged whether approximated tones sounded different than originals. Apart from basic statistical analysis, various error measurements were evaluated based on the results of the listening tests. Relative-amplitude spectral error and relative-amplitude critical-band error were found to be the best error metrics for predicting discrimination, accounting for about 81-82% of the discrimination variance. Strong correlations were measured between discrimination scores and modified spectral incoherence based on the three strongest harmonics, with breath noise in the flute and bow noise in the violin appearing to cause increased discrimination between original and piecewise-linear-approximated sounds.
Building Evaluation Capacity

This two-guide set for evaluators and others interested in evaluation grew out of a National Science Foundation funded effort to improve cross project evaluations. Guide 1, Designing a Cross-Project Evaluation, focuses on evaluation design including identification and operationalization of program goals, building of logic models, and selection of indicators and appropriate measures for these indicators. Guide 2, Collecting and Using Data in Cross-Project Evaluation, lays out multiple issues involved in data collection, strengths and weaknesses of different data collection formats, and methods for ensuring data quality, confidentiality, and the protection of human subjects.
Socioeconomic position and heart rate recovery after maximal exercise in children.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether socioeconomic (SE) position is associated with first-minute (1-minute) heart rate (HR) recovery in healthy children and adolescents (hereafter referred to as children). DESIGN In a cross-sectional study, we compared 1-minute HR recovery in 3 groups of children (low, medium, and high SE) using multivariable analysis. The groups were based on neighborhood SE data extracted from the US 2000 census database. SETTING Children's Hospital Boston. PARTICIPANTS Four hundred eighty children referred for exercise testing to exclude cardiac disease and discharged as showing normal results. MAIN EXPOSURES Socioeconomic position and body mass index (BMI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Heart rate recovery after a maximal treadmill exercise test (Bruce protocol) following a consistent 1-minute cool-down period. RESULTS The low SE group had a higher proportion of children with a high BMI (> or =85th percentile) (P = .07) and exercised for a shorter duration, controlling for age, sex, and BMI (P < .001). After adjusting for age (P < .001) and sex (P < .001), a significant interaction of SE group with BMI was found (P = .04). There was no difference in HR recovery in the 3 SE groups in children with a normal BMI (<85th percentile). Among children with a high BMI, only those from low and middle SE neighborhoods had impaired 1-minute HR recovery. CONCLUSION Children with a high BMI in low and middle SE positions appear to have worse cardiovascular health compared with children with a high BMI in a high SE position.
Differentiated-Type Vulval Intraepithelial Neoplasia Has a High-Risk Association With Vulval Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective: To assess the potential malignant risk of vulval premalignant conditions, in particular, to investigate whether there is a difference in the cancer risk between women with the 2 types of vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). Methods: All vulval biopsy specimens taken for any reason in a single center for a 5-year period were identified. The histologic reports of 1309 biopsy specimens from 802 women were reviewed, and all pathologic conditions present were recorded for each woman. Reports of patients with biopsy specimens containing usual-type VIN, differentiated-type VIN, lichen sclerosus, and squamous hyperplasia were selected and analyzed for the presence of metachronous or subsequent carcinoma to give a proportional risk for each condition. Results: Five hundred eighty women were identified with premalignant vulval conditions: 171 had usual-type VIN, 70 had differentiated-type VIN, 191 had lichen sclerosus, 145 had squamous hyperplasia, and 3 had other conditions not included in this analysis. Within these groups, the numbers of women with prior, synchronous, or subsequent vulval squamous cell carcinoma were 44 (25.7%), 60 (85.7%), 53 (27.7%), and 53 (31.7%), respectively (P = 0.000). Conclusions: Differentiated-type VIN is significantly more associated with vulval squamous cell carcinoma than usual-type VIN.
Inflation and Monetary Policy transmission in the euro area: a FAVAR approach

This paper presents an empirical analysis of monetary policy transmission through the interest rate channel in the euro area. In particular, we employ a FAVAR approach and introduce its recent extension to the cointegration framework: the FECM specification. In line with the literature, we find that a positive shock on the Policy instrument impacts price indexes negatively. Theory-consistent results are also found for money aggregates and inflation survey forecasts. Besides, we notice that the Policy rate actually plays little role in explaining the variance of most macroeconomic variables (usually less than 8%). Finally the contribution of the Policy rate to inflation has relatively been constant over the period 1999:Q1-2014:Q4, with the exception of the recent financial crisis.
Distributed Resource Allocation Assisted by Intercell Interference Mitigation in Downlink Multicell MC DS-CDMA Systems

This paper investigates the allocation of resources, including subcarriers and spreading codes, as well as intercell interference (ICI) mitigation for multicell downlink multicarrier direct-sequence code division multiple-access systems, which aim to maximize the system’s spectral efficiency (SE). The analytical benchmark scheme for resource allocation and ICI mitigation is derived by solving or closely solving a series of mixed integer non-convex optimization problems. Based on the optimization objectives the same as the benchmark scheme, we propose a novel distributed resource allocation assisted by ICI mitigation scheme referred to as resource allocation assisted by ICI mitigation (RAIM), which requires very low implementation complexity and demands little backhaul resource. Our RAIM algorithm is a fully distributed algorithm, which consists of the subcarrier allocation (SA) algorithm named RAIM-SA, spreading code allocation (CA) algorithm called RAIM-CA and the ICI mitigation algorithm termed RAIM-IM. The advantages of the RAIM are that its CA only requires limited binary ICI information of intracell channels, and it is able to make mitigation decisions without any knowledge of ICI information. Our simulation results show that the proposed RAIM scheme, with very low complexity required, achieves significantly better SE performance than other existing schemes, and its performance is very close to that obtained by the benchmark scheme.
Outcome of tuberculosis treatment in Hamburg: a survey, 1997-2001.

SETTING Federal State of Hamburg, Germany, 1997-2001. OBJECTIVE To determine risk factors affecting the treatment outcome for tuberculosis according to the WHO/IUATLD classification. DESIGN Prospective evaluation among patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis during the period 1997-1999. RESULTS Five hundred and eighteen (467 new and 51 re-treatment) cases started a course of treatment (average duration 36.1 +/- 15.5 weeks), resulting in cure for 416 (80.3%) and treatment completed for three (0.6%) patients; 449 patients (86.7%) initially received a three-drug regimen. Treatment interruption occurred in 54 (10.4%), and failure in 12 (2.3%) cases; 32 (6.2%) patients died (irrespective of cause). Alcohol dependence appeared to be the strongest risk factor for persistence of disease, followed by homelessness and unemployment. The risk of treatment interruption was six times higher among alcoholics (OR = 6.0), five times higher among drug abusers (OR = 5.2) and three times higher among the homeless (OR = 3.0) than in other patients. CONCLUSION Although the current treatment management in Hamburg is considered to be effective, a further improvement in the proportion of patients who complete treatment can be achieved by increased public health surveillance of subpopulations with the above-mentioned risk factors.
When Collateral Supply is Accounted For Epicardial Stenosis Does Not Increase Microvascular Resistance

Background— The relationship between epicardial stenosis and microvascular resistance remains controversial. Exploring the relationship is critical, as many tools used in interventional cardiology imply minimal and constant resistance. However, variable collateralization may impact well on these measures. We hypothesized that when collateral supply was accounted for, microvascular resistance would be independent of epicardial stenosis. Methods and Results— Forty patients with stable angina were studied before and following percutaneous intervention. A temperature and pressure sensing guide wire was used to derive microvascular resistance using the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR), defined as the hyperemic distal pressure multiplied by the hyperemic mean transit time. Lesion severity was assessed using fractional flow reserve. For comparison, evaluation of an angiographically normal reference vessel from the same subject also was undertaken. Both simple IMR (sIMR) and IMR corrected for collateral flow (cIMR) were calculated. When collateral supply was not accounted for, there was a significant difference in IMR values between the culprit, the post PCI, and nonculprit values (culprit sIMR 26.68±2.06, nonculprit sIMR 18.37±1.89, P=0.002; post percutaneous intervention sIMR 18.5±1.94 versus culprit sIMR 26.68±2.06, P<0.0001). However, when collateral supply was accounted for there was no difference observed (cIMR 16.96±1.78 versus nonculprit sIMR 18.37±1.89, P=0.52; post percutaneous intervention sIMR 18.5±1.94 versus cIMR 16.96±1.78, P=0.42). Conclusions— When collateral supply is accounted for, epicardial stenosis does not increase microvascular resistance in patients with stable angina.
Anchor technique: Use of stent retrievers as an anchor to advance thrombectomy catheters in internal carotid artery occlusions

In three recent cases of acute complete internal artery occlusions, we used stent retriever deployed through the mechanical aspiration/distal access catheters to achieve recanalization. In all cases the stent retriever was used as an anchor and supplemented mechanical thrombectomy. This report describes the technical details of the procedure and presents an alternative plan of action in difficult cases when standard thrombectomy techniques do not work.
Worry and Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation among Buddhist (Thai) and Christian (Canadian) Elderly Persons

An investigation of the relationship between Allport's concept of religious orientation and worry was conducted with samples (N = 104) of elderly Buddhist Thais and Christian Canadians. Participants ranged in age between sixty-five and ninety years old (mean = 71). A multiple regression analysis revealed that overall for both Buddhists and Christians an intrinsic orientation toward religion was associated with lesser worry. Furthermore, an extrinsic orientation among Buddhists, in contrast to Christians, was found to be linked to greater worry. These results were discussed in the context of the practice and beliefs of Buddhism and Christianity.
NoTabNab: Protection against the “tabnabbing attack”

In recent years phishing attacks have become one of the most important problems of online security. Aza Raskin, the creative lead of Mozilla Firefox team, proposed a new type of phishing attack, “tabnabbing attack” as he names it. The attack is different from classical phishing attacks; while classical attacks rely on deception of users with a similar URL and/or content in appearance to the original site, this attack uses our memory weakness and false perception that browser tabs are immutable i.e., do not change while inactive. We develop a Firefox add-on to protect users against this attack. Our method is based on the fact that a phishing web site should change its layout radically to look like the original site. This add-on watches the open tabs and indicates whether one changes its layout, favicon and/or title to become like another site.
The psychosocial impact of anaphylaxis on young people and their parents

Background Anaphylaxis is a potentially life‐threatening disorder that can affect people of all ages. Young people are at a disproportionately increased risk of anaphylaxis deaths for reasons that include a failure to institute appropriate long‐term management regimens. A pre‐requisite for effective supported self‐management of young people with anaphylaxis is a better understanding of the factors that contribute to risk‐taking behaviour.
A double-masked randomized crossover study comparing the effect of latanoprost/timolol and brimonidine/timolol fixed combination on intraocular pressure and ocular blood flow in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

PURPOSE Ocular blood flow dysregulation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. Whereas the effect of single antiglaucoma substances on ocular blood flow has been addressed in various experiments, evidence for fixed combinations is sparse. In the present study, we set out to compare the effects of latanoprost 0.005%/timolol 0.5% (LT) fixed combination and brimonidine 0.2%/timolol 0.5% (BT) fixed combination on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular blood flow. METHODS In the present study, which followed a randomized, double-masked 2-way crossover design, 16 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and 2 patients with ocular hypertension were included. The patients underwent a 6-week treatment with LT and a 6-week treatment with BT after a washout for previous antiglaucoma medication. Optic nerve head blood flow (ONHBF) was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry; retrobulbar flow velocities were measured using color Doppler imaging in the ophthalmic artery, the central retinal artery, and the posterior ciliary arteries. IOP was measured at 8 AM, 12 PM, and 4 PM. RESULTS The mean baseline IOP was 25.3±2.8 mmHg. Both drugs were equally effective in reducing IOP (LT: -35.0%±10.0%; BT: -33.6%±8.8%, P=0.463 between groups). In addition, no difference in ocular perfusion pressure was observed between the 2 treatment groups (P=0.1, between groups). Neither LT nor BT altered ONHBF (P=0.4, baseline vs. treatment) and no effect on flow velocities in the retrobulbar vessels was seen with either of the 2 treatments. CONCLUSIONS In the present study, a 6-week treatment with LT or BT was equally effective in reducing IOP. In addition, none of the administered drugs induced a significant effect on ocular blood flow parameters.
The Effect of Event Supportive Service Environment and Authenticity in the Quality–Value–Satisfaction Framework

This study draws on environmental psychological theory to reintegrate the ongoing development of “environmental” cues in the tourism event context. Existing service perception scales often commingle service quality and physical cues; thus, this study proposes their separation and redefinition, as well as tests the effect of the supportive service environment on festival program quality in the experience of participants. The moderating effect of perceived authenticity in the quality–value–satisfaction process is also investigated. The results challenge the traditional view of program quality by highlighting that the service environment is a key antecedent to the quality–value–satisfaction framework. In contrast, the relationships among service environment, program quality, perceived value, and customer satisfaction are contingent on the extent to which participants perceive the authenticity of an event.