Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of landscape configuration and environment on population genetic structure in a sedentary passerine: insights from loci located in different genomic regions

The study of the factors structuring genetic variation can help to infer the neutral and adaptive processes shaping the demographic and evolutionary trajectories of natural populations. Here, we analyse the role of isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by resistance (IBR, defined by landscape composition) and isolation by environment (IBE, estimated as habitat and elevation dissimilarity) in structuring genetic variation in 25 blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) populations. We typed 1385 individuals at 26 microsatellite loci classified into two groups by considering whether they are located into genomic regions that are actively (TL; 12 loci) or not (NTL; 14 loci) transcribed to RNA. Population genetic differentiation was mostly detected using the panel of NTL. Landscape genetic analyses showed a pattern of IBD for all loci and the panel of NTL, but genetic differentiation estimated at TL was only explained by IBR models considering high resistance for natural vegetation and low resistance for agricultural lands. Finally, the absence for IBE suggests a lack of divergent selection pressures associated with differences in habitat and elevation. Overall, our study shows that markers located in different genomic regions can yield contrasting inferences on landscape‐level patterns of realized gene flow in natural populations.
Effect of gender on glucose utilization rates in healthy humans: A positron emission tomography study

Positron emission tomography (PET) was used with 18fluorodeoxyglucose to see if gender differences in resting cerebral glucose utilization could be detected. Thirty‐two healthy subjects (15 women and 17 men; age range: 21–38 yr) were examined using a high‐resolution PET scanner to determine the regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRglc) in 65 gray matter regions of interest. Whole brain CMRglc did not differ significantly between the two genders, nor did any of the regional CMRglc values. Only 1 of 65 ratios of regional‐to‐whole brain CMRglc differed significantly between men and women, which is consistent with chance. These results indicate that there are no differences in resting regional cerebral glucose utilization between young men and women.
Impact of different drying methods on sensory properties of osmotic dehydrated pineapple slices

Drying is an essential process in the preservation of agricultural products. Various drying methods are employed to dry different agricultural products. Each method has its own advantages and limitations. Choosing the right drying system is thus important in the process of drying agricultural products. Drying reduces the possibilities of the contamination by insects and microorganisms so that product is prevented. An experimental study was performed to determine the Sensory Evaluation of pineapple slices subjected to drying in open sun drying, cabinet tray dryer at 50oC, 60oC and 70oC and hot air oven at 50oC, 60oC and 70oC with osmotic treatment indicated that T0 (Control), T1(50oBrix) and T2 (60oBrix). The result obtained showed that a product osmo- treated 60obrix at 50oC tray dried shows the better texture, flavor, color, taste and overall acceptability.
Are there human capital externalities in U.S. states? Evidence from the Current Population Survey

This paper estimates human capital externalities across U.S. states, using the Current Population Survey (CPS) and state-level data. By directly controlling for individual job characteristics and state labor market conditions, we can identify the human capital externality in an augmented Mincerian model. We find that an extra year of state-level average schooling increases individual wages by five percent above and beyond the private return to education. Subsequent analysis finds that the estimated externality is larger in highly-educated, highly-innovative states. These results imply that the positive coefficient for state-level schooling is in fact an externality and that differences in human capital externalities can help explain â€œThe Great Divergenceâ€ in wages between geographic areas with highly-skilled workers versus those with low-skilled workers.
Synchronous adenocarcinoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in a single stomach.

BACKGROUND Synchronous gastric adenocarcinoma and primary gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma are rare, and the characteristics of these tumors are still unclear. METHODS Histology of endoscopic and surgical specimens of 6012 gastric adenocarcinoma and 25 primary gastric MALT lymphoma cases were reviewed. RESULTS Five cases of synchronous tumors were found among 25 primary gastric MALT lymphoma patients (20.0%) and among 6012 gastric adenocarcinoma patients (8.3%). Helicobacter pylori was detected only in two cases (40.0%) of these five synchronous cases. In only one case, two types of malignant cells were mingled each other as a colliding tumor. In other four cases, two pathologies coexisted separately. These two types of malignant tumors were not distinguished by endoscopic or gross findings. CONCLUSIONS Although gastric adenocarcinoma coexists with MALT lymphoma at a relatively high frequency, synchronous carcinoma can be misinterpreted as a multifocal separated lesion of MALT lymphoma owing to their macroscopic resemblance. Therefore, gastric MALT lymphoma patients should be carefully examined by endoscopy, and any suspicious area must be biopsied considering the possibility of coexisting adenocarcinoma. In addition, etiologies other than H. pylori should be considered in these synchronous tumors.
Seasonal weather patterns drive population vital rates and persistence in a stream fish

Climate change affects seasonal weather patterns, but little is known about the relative importance of seasonal weather patterns on animal population vital rates. Even when such information exists, data are typically only available from intensive fieldwork (e.g., mark–recapture studies) at a limited spatial extent. Here, we investigated effects of seasonal air temperature and precipitation (fall, winter, and spring) on survival and recruitment of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) at a broad spatial scale using a novel stage‐structured population model. The data were a 15‐year record of brook trout abundance from 72 sites distributed across a 170‐km‐long mountain range in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA. Population vital rates responded differently to weather and site‐specific conditions. Specifically, young‐of‐year survival was most strongly affected by spring temperature, adult survival by elevation and per‐capita recruitment by winter precipitation. Low fall precipitation and high winter precipitation, the latter of which is predicted to increase under climate change for the study region, had the strongest negative effects on trout populations. Simulations show that trout abundance could be greatly reduced under constant high winter precipitation, consistent with the expected effects of gravel‐scouring flows on eggs and newly hatched individuals. However, high‐elevation sites would be less vulnerable to local extinction because they supported higher adult survival. Furthermore, the majority of brook trout populations are projected to persist if high winter precipitation occurs only intermittently (≤3 of 5 years) due to density‐dependent recruitment. Variable drivers of vital rates should be commonly found in animal populations characterized by ontogenetic changes in habitat, and such stage‐structured effects may increase population persistence to changing climate by not affecting all life stages simultaneously. Yet, our results also demonstrate that weather patterns during seemingly less consequential seasons (e.g., winter precipitation) can have major impacts on animal population dynamics.
Understanding the acceptance of mobile university services: an empirical analysis

The use of mobile technologies is increasingly widespread because of the need of mobility. This study aims to explore the utilisation of mobile phone services in the educational environment and investigate students' expectations and attitudes towards mobile university services in Jordan. Data for this study have been collected using a questionnaire containing 34 questions. Out of the 400 questionnaires that were distributed randomly to students at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University in Jordan, 370 were returned (92.5%). As a result of this study it appears that if students have positive attitude towards mobile university, they will use it. This study found that a large majority of the students indicated their willingness to become users of such services if offered; taking into consideration security and privacy, and social influences as factors that could affect the success of using mobile university in Jordan. This study gives quantified indicators about mobile university and a model that might help in understanding the mobile university environment in Jordan.
Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Brain

The primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), affects the brain mainly by activating a specific receptor (CB1). CB1 is expressed at high levels in many brain regions, and several endogenous brain lipids have been identified as CB1 ligands. In contrast to classical neurotransmitters, endogenous cannabinoids can function as retrograde synaptic messengers: They are released from postsynaptic neurons and travel backward across synapses, activating CB1 on presynaptic axons and suppressing neurotransmitter release. Cannabinoids may affect memory, cognition, and pain perception by means of this cellular mechanism.
Equilibrium Informativeness in Veto-Based Delegation

In veto delegation a biased expert recommends an action that an uninformed decision maker can accept or reject for an outside option. The arrangement is ubiquitous in political institutions, corporations, and consumer markets but has seen limited use in applications due to a poor understanding of the equilibrium set and an ensuing debate over selection. We develop a simple algorithm that constructs every veto equilibrium and identify the most informative equilibrium in a setting that spans prior work. We show that Krishna and Morgan’s (2001) and Mylovanov’s (2008) equilibria are maximally informative in their respective settings and strengthen Dessein’s (2002) comparison of full and veto delegation. In an application we study the relationship between a patient and a doctor with a financial incentive to overtreat, and in contrastwith existing literature showthat the doctor’s bias harms the patient both through excessive treatment and information loss, that the latter can be the dominant effect, and that insurance benefits both parties by improving communication.
Particle-Mediated Intravascular Delivery of Oligonucleotides to Tumors: Associated Biology and Lessons from Genotherapy

For a solid tumor to become life-threatening, an adequate blood supply has to be established. Although neovascularization has dire consequences for the host, it furnishes a common route through which tumors may be accessed and eradicated by drugs. The fact that a tumor's vasculature is relatively more permeable than that of healthy host tissue means selective delivery of drugs may be achieved. The role played by the cells making up the tumor vascular bed, vascular endothelial cells (VECs), has to be evaluated closely in attempts to design ways for enhancing drug delivery to solid tumors via the vasculature. The two major roles of VECs in the body, as barrier and as transport, are both highly pertinent to drug delivery. Our review examines how VECs may be manipulated in vivo to improve the selective delivery of carriers for oligonucleotide constructs to solid tumors. It also discusses how oligonucleotide drugs may be targeted against tumor VECs on the premise that by killing these cells, the tumor itself will perish. Cationic liposomes and microspheres are the major delivery vehicles discussed, with added analyses of such other nucleic acid carriers as nanospheres, dendrimers, and polyethyleneimine.
Functional Identification of Conjugation and Replication Regions of the Tetracycline Resistance Plasmid pCW3 from Clostridium perfringens

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens causes fatal human infections, such as gas gangrene, as well as gastrointestinal diseases in both humans and animals. Detailed molecular analysis of the tetracycline resistance plasmid pCW3 from C. perfringens has shown that it represents the prototype of a unique family of conjugative antibiotic resistance and virulence plasmids. We have identified the pCW3 replication region by deletion and transposon mutagenesis and showed that the essential rep gene encoded a basic protein with no similarity to any known plasmid replication proteins. An 11-gene conjugation locus containing 5 genes that encoded putative proteins with similarity to proteins from the conjugative transposon Tn916 was identified, although the genes’ genetic arrangements were different. Functional genetic studies demonstrated that two of the genes in this transfer clostridial plasmid (tcp) locus, tcpF and tcpH, were essential for the conjugative transfer of pCW3, and comparative analysis confirmed that the tcp locus was not confined to pCW3. The conjugation region was present on all known conjugative plasmids from C. perfringens, including an enterotoxin plasmid and other toxin plasmids. These results have significant implications for plasmid evolution, as they provide evidence that a nonreplicating Tn916-like element can evolve to become the conjugation locus of replicating plasmids that carry major virulence genes or antibiotic resistance determinants.
Association of Depression, Anxiety, and Type D Personality with Cognitive Function in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Background and Objective:Cognitive impairment predicts poor outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), but much remains to be learned about these patients’ cognitive function. We investigated how depression, anxiety, and Type D personality relate to cognitive function in patients with CAD, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and clinical markers of CAD severity. Methods:We evaluated 510 consecutive patients with CAD (364 men, 146 women; mean age 58±9 years) but no history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery or cognitive impairment who were attending a cardiac rehabilitation program. We assessed the patients’ cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Span Test, Digit Symbol Test, and Trail Making Test Part A), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), Type D personality (14-item Type D Scale), and clinical markers of CAD severity. Results:After adjusting for sex, age, education, New York Heart Association functional class, and left ventricular ejection fraction, we found that higher depression symptom scores correlated with longer Digit Symbol Test completion time (&bgr;=0.158, P<0.004). Higher state anxiety scores correlated with worse Digit Span Test backward recall (&bgr;=−0.117, P<0.008) and Trail Making Test Part A scores (&bgr;=0.182, P<0.004). Type D personality correlated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores (&bgr;=−0.148, P=0.001). Conclusions:For patients with CAD undergoing a cardiac rehabilitation program, depression, anxiety, and Type D personality were associated with worse cognitive performance independent of clinical CAD severity and sociodemographic characteristics.
TOXICOKINETICS AND METABOLISM

Chronic administration of o-phenylphenol (OPP) is known to induce urinary bladder tumours in the Fischer rat. The underlying toxic mechanism is poorly understood. Recently, arachidonic acid (ARA)dependent, prostaglandin-H-synthase (PHS)-catalysed metabolic activation of the OPP metabolite phenylhydroquinone (PHQ) to a genotoxic species was suggested to be involved in OPP toxicity. To investigate this hypothesis in more detail, we have studied the eects of OPP and its metabolites on PHS. When microsomal PHS from ovine seminal vesicles (OSV) was used as enzyme source, both OPP, PHQ, and 2-phenyl-1,4benzoquinone (PBQ) inhibited PHS-cyclooxygenase. The inhibitory potency was inversely related to the ARA concentration in the assay; at 7 lM ARA IC50-values were: 13 lM (OPP), 17 lM (PHQ), and 190 lM (PBQ). In cells cultured from OSV, which express high PHS activity, 40 lM OPP almost completely suppressed prostaglandin formation. Studies with microsomal PHS demonstrated that PHQ was an excellent substrate for PHS-peroxidase; both ARA and hydrogen peroxide supported oxidation to PBQ. OPP was only a poor substrate for PHS, but inhibited the ARA-mediated and to a lesser extent also the hydrogen peroxide-mediated in vitro oxidation of PHQ. Moreover, PHQ at up to moderately cytotoxic concentrations (50 lM) did not induce micronuclei in OSV cell cultures. Taken together, our ®ndings do not provide evidence for an ARAdependent, PHS-catalysed formation of genotoxic species from PHQ. Moreover, it seems to be questionable whether such activation can eectively occur in vivo, since OPP and PHQ turned out to be ecient cyclooxygenase inhibitors, and high levels of OPP and PHQ were found at least in the urine of OPP-treated rats. On the other hand, inhibition of the formation of cytoprotective prostaglandins in the urogenital tract may play a crucial role in OPP-induced bladder carcinogenesis.
Implementing Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management in a Decentralized Setting: Italy as a Case Study

Abstract The study explored the sub-national implementation of the Pan-European Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for Sustainable Forest Management in Italy, based on the statistical analysis of answers to a questionnaire provided by representatives of the Italian sub-national forest administrations. The questionnaire explored the implementation of C&I in five applications and through the analytical lenses of ‘suitability of C&I to sub-national contexts’ and ‘adaptability of administrations to C&I’. The analysis of suitability and adaptability made it possible to identify and compare challenges in, and successful experiences with, the implementation of C&I, which were then used to formulate recommendations aimed at encouraging implementation and promoting academic and policy debate. The study reveals that C&I were implemented to a moderate extent. This level of implementation was determined most of all by the suitability of C&I to the Italian sub-national contexts, and less by the adaptability of administrations. Recommendations to foster implementation of and dialogue on C&I include the need for Italian sub-national administrations to transpose the Pan-European C&I into sub-national sets tailored to local circumstances by, for example, modifying existing C&I or integrating these into new customized indicator sets.
The Effect of Continuous Elimination Methods on the Hemostatic Profile of a Cardiac Surgery Patient Monitored using Thromboelastography

Introduction This work is focused on mapping issues of hemostasis in patients during continuous renal replacement therapy, or the possible impact of the use of anticoagulants. Methods The study included 30 consecutive patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy following cardiac surgery in the period of 2009 to 2012. Patients were placed into 2 branches according to the selected method of anticoagulation (regional citrate anticoagulation-RCA, unfractionated heparin UFH). According to the given scheme (t1–t7) thromboelastography and laboratory testing related to the testing of blood clotting during continuous renal replacement therapy were performed. Results The average lifespan of a hemofilter during continuous renal replacement is 58.13 ± 9.968 hours. During continuous renal replacement therapy there are significant changes in the initiation of coagulation according to thromboelastographic parameters (R, K, alpha angle) in both branches of anticoagulation. The maximum image changes in hemostasis occur around 24 hours (t4) from the start of the procedure. The nature of the changes is the procoagulant activity in these parameters. In the branch of regional citrate anticoagulation a higher value of functional fibrinogen is apparent. There was no significant difference in the activation of native blood between UFH and RCA. Conclusions During continuous renal replacement therapy significant changes occur in the thromboelastographic image and the laboratory parameters in blood clotting. The nature of the change is the procoagulant activity. The question remains about the complexity of the changes that TEG is not able to detect, especially in the cellular area.
A biopsychosocial analysis of sexuality in adult males and their partners after severe traumatic brain injury

Abstract Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to investigate changes in sexual function in males and their partners following severe TBI. Secondary aims of the study were to explore the relationship between selected sociodemographic, emotional/behavioural and sexual function variables. Methods: Twenty males with a history of severe TBI and 20 healthy controls (HC) and their respective partners were recruited. Sexual life was assessed with the Sexuality Evaluation Schedule Assessment Monitoring (SESAMO). Study participant level of self-awareness was evaluated by the Awareness Questionnaire, whereas their neuropsychiatric and psychopathological statuses were assessed by the NPI, the HAM-D and STAI. Results: A reduction in desire and frequency of sexual intercourse was found in all survivors and their partners. Moreover, higher levels of survivor depression correlated with lower partner harmony. Survivor feelings toward their partners gradually decreased over time, as did the ability to make decisions as a couple. The comparison with HC couples revealed that both survivors’ and their partners’ exaggerated the extent of disease. Conclusions: After male severe TBI, men appear to have a reduced quality of their sexual life, which may be more a result of relationship dysfunction than a sexual performance deficit related to their brain injury history.
Pakistani Government Secondary Schools Students' Attitudes towards Communicative Language Teaching and Grammar Translation in Quetta, Balochistan.

Students’ attitudes towards an English language teaching approach play an important role for its implementation success or failure. This study measured Pakistani government school students’ attitudes towards Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Grammar Translation (GT). A survey instrument was used to assess students’ attitudes. Data were collected from students at two government secondary schools located in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. A total of 204 students (102 females and 102 males) participated in this present study. Overall, students showed favorable attitudes towards CLT. In contrast, students showed either less favorable attitudes or a neutral stance towards GT. Finally, this study suggests that policy makers consider adopting or adapting CLT to teach English in the aforementioned schools. Recommendations for future research are also suggested.