Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Metagenomics Reveals the Distinctive Adaptive Features of the Spongia officinalis Endosymbiotic Consortium

Current knowledge of sponge microbiome functioning derives mostly from comparative analyses with bacterioplankton communities. We employed a metagenomics-centered approach to unveil the distinct features of the Spongia officinalis endosymbiotic consortium in the context of its two primary environmental vicinities. Microbial metagenomic DNA samples (n = 10) from sponges, seawater, and sediments were subjected to Hiseq Illumina sequencing (c. 15 million 100 bp reads per sample). Totals of 10,272 InterPro (IPR) predicted protein entries and 784 rRNA gene operational taxonomic units (OTUs, 97% cut-off) were uncovered from all metagenomes. Despite the large divergence in microbial community assembly between the surveyed biotopes, the S. officinalis symbiotic community shared slightly greater similarity (p < 0.05), in terms of both taxonomy and function, to sediment than to seawater communities. The vast majority of the dominant S. officinalis symbionts (i.e., OTUs), representing several, so-far uncultivable lineages in diverse bacterial phyla, displayed higher residual abundances in sediments than in seawater. CRISPR-Cas proteins and restriction endonucleases presented much higher frequencies (accompanied by lower viral abundances) in sponges than in the environment. However, several genomic features sharply enriched in the sponge specimens, including eukaryotic-like repeat motifs (ankyrins, tetratricopeptides, WD-40, and leucine-rich repeats), and genes encoding for plasmids, sulfatases, polyketide synthases, type IV secretion proteins, and terpene/terpenoid synthases presented, to varying degrees, higher frequencies in sediments than in seawater. In contrast, much higher abundances of motility and chemotaxis genes were found in sediments and seawater than in sponges. Higher cell and surface densities, sponge cell shedding and particle uptake, and putative chemical signaling processes favoring symbiont persistence in particulate matrices all may act as mechanisms underlying the observed degrees of taxonomic connectivity and functional convergence between sponges and sediments. The reduced frequency of motility and chemotaxis genes in the sponge microbiome reinforces the notion of a prevalent mutualistic mode of living inside the host. This study highlights the S. officinalis “endosymbiome” as a distinct consortium of uncultured prokaryotes displaying a likely “sit-and-wait” strategy to nutrient foraging coupled to sophisticated anti-viral defenses, unique natural product biosynthesis, nutrient utilization and detoxification capacities, and both microbe–microbe and host–microbe gene transfer amenability.
Genetic and BMI Risks for Predicting Blood Pressure in Three Generations of West African Dogon Women

The study of genetic polymorphisms and body mass index (BMI) among African women in Africa and in the United States contributes to our understanding of the genetic and environmental risk factors for hypertension. African American women have the highest prevalence of hypertension and obesity compared to other ethnic groups in the United States. Using a cross-sectional research design, we examined the effects of genetic and environmental risks of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and BMI on blood pressure (BP) among three generations of West African Dogon women (N = 199). We genotyped six SNPs located in the candidate genes known to be related to hypertension. We tested the associations between these SNPs and systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) with Fisher’s exact tests, chi-square tests for independence, and multivariable linear mixed models. The SNP rs8179526 (SLC4A5) was significantly associated with SBP adjusted for age, age2, and BMI (p = .02). The “C” allele variant of rs8179526 (allele frequency of 0.445) was associated with higher SBP. This SNP did not deviate from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) with p value of . 772. The SNP × BMI interaction effects associated with SBP and DBP were not significant. rs8179526 is located on the SLC4A5 gene on chromosome 2. SLC4A5 encodes a protein that transports sodium and bicarbonate across cell membranes while regulating cellular pH and contains several SNPs linked to elevated BP. Knowledge of the SNP’s effect on hypertension among West African women can help health practitioners educate their patients about genetic risks of developing hypertension.
A genus-level supertree of the Dinosauria

One of the ultimate aims of systematics is the reconstruction of the tree of life. This is a huge undertaking that is inhibited by the existence of a computational limit to the inclusiveness of phylogenetic analyses. Supertree methods have been developed to overcome, or at least to go around this problem by combining smaller, partially overlapping cladograms. Here, we present a very inclusive generic–level supertree of Dinosauria (covering a total of 277 genera), which is remarkably well resolved and provides some clarity in many contentious areas of dinosaur systematics.
Interactions of Vecuronium and Atracurium in an In Vitro Nerve‐Muscle Preparation

Atracurium and vecuronium were compared when given alone and in combination in the in vitro rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation stimulated via the phrenic nerve. The slopes of the log dose response curves of atracurium and vecuronium were parallel; their ED50s were 1.12 ± 0.0035·10–5 M and 5.89 ± 0.16·10–6 M, respectively. The combination's log dose response curves were significantly shifted to the left when compared with those of either relaxant alone; an increased potency is displayed by the combination. These observations indicate nondepolarizing musclerelaxant synergy for the combination of equal proportions of vecuronium and atracurium. The synergistic interaction of vecuronium and atracurium in this in vitro-model is not dependent on pharmacokinetic factors such as uptake, distribution, and biodegradation as are present in the in vivo animal models and in humans. Synergy of vecuronium and atracurium in vitro is a new finding and is consistent with hypotheses of multiple receptor sites and different modes of action of the “competitive” neuromuscular blocking agents. This degree of synergy, seen in the in vitro animal data, if extrapolatable to humans, is probably of little clinical significance.
Impact of a brief worry-based cognitive therapy group in psychosis: a study of feasibility and acceptability

Abstract Previous research suggests that CBT focusing on worry in those with persecutory delusions reduces paranoia, severity of delusions and associated distress. This preliminary case series aimed to see whether it is feasible and acceptable to deliver worry-focused CBT in a group setting to those with psychosis. A secondary aim was to examine possible clinical changes. Two groups totalling 11 participants were run for seven sessions using the Worry Intervention Trial manual. Qualitative and quantitative data about the experience of being in the group was also collected via questionnaires, as was data on number of sessions attended. Measures were delivered pre- and post-group and at 3-month follow-up. These included a worry scale, a measure of delusional belief and associated distress and quality of life measures. Of the 11 participants who started the group, nine completed the group. Qualitative and quantitative feedback indicated that most of the participants found it acceptable and helpful, and that discussing these issues in a group setting was not only tolerable but often beneficial. Reliable Change Index indicated that 6/7 of the group members showed reliable reductions in their levels of worry post-group and 5/7 at follow-up. There were positive changes on other measures, which appeared to be more pronounced at follow-up. Delivering a worry intervention in a group format appears to be acceptable and feasible. Further research with a larger sample and control group is indicated to test the clinical effectiveness of this intervention. Key learning aims (1) To understand the role of worry in psychosis. (2) To learn about the possible feasibility of working on worry in a group setting. (3) To be aware of potential clinical changes from the group. (4) To consider acceptability for participants of working on worries in a group setting.
Caloric Test versus Rotational Chair Test in Patients with Peripheral Vestibulopathy

OBJECTIVE: 1) To correlate caloric results with sinusoidal an d step-velocity rotary chair gain, phase, asymmetry and time co nstant values in all patients; 2) To evaluate sensitivity, specificity, positive predict ive value and negative predictive value of both tests in patients with vestibular diz ziness. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Academic tertiary care vestibular function test ce nter PATIENTS: Two hundred randomly selected patients (132 with c l nically suspected vestibular dysfunction and 68 with suspe cted non-vestibular dizziness) evaluated in the Dizziness and Balance Center with bi thermal binaural caloric and sinusoidal and step-velocity rotary chair tests. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 1. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive va lue (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of caloric and rotational chair testing patients with and without suspected vestibular dysfunction. 2. Correlation of the following measures in all pati en s: a) degree of caloric weakness versus 0.025 Hz vestibule-ocular reflex (V OR) gain, b) degree of caloric asymmetry versus 0.025 Hz VOR phase, c) caloric asym metry versus 100 deg/s step velocity time constants, d) total eye speed versus 0.025 Hz gain, and e) total eye speed versus 0.025 Hz phase. RESULTS: In patients with a suspected diagnosis of vestibula r dysfunction, caloric testing demonstrated 68% sensitivity, 86% specificity, 95% PPV and 31% NPV. In similar fashion, rotary chair testing showed 44% sensitivit y, 84% specificity, 88% PPV and 23% NPV value. Combining the two tests resulted in a slight increase in sensitivity (73%) with a consequent decline in specificity (74% ) and no substantial change in PPV (94%) or NPV (33%). In all patients, significant correlations were noted between; 1) percentage caloric weakness and 0.025 and 0.05 H z phase, 2) percentage caloric weakness and average step vel ocity time constant (Tc), 3) total eye speed and 0.025 and 0.05 Hz phase, and 4) 0.02 5, . 5 and 0.25 Hz phase and Tc (Pearson coefficients, p<0.05). However, no sign ificant relationships were noted with caloric testing and rotary chair gain, asymmet ry or 0.5 Hz phase measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Both caloric and rotary chair test abnormalit ies are quite specific with high positive predictive value but only moderately sensi tive in identifying patients with suspected vestibular disease. There is agreement be tween caloric asymmetry and total eye speed with lower frequency phase and Tc b ut not gain or asymmetry values. These results support the notion that a pos itive finding in either test alone or in combination is consistent with a suspected clin ical diagnosis of vestibular disease (high specificity and PPV) whereas normal t ests do not rule out a vestibular problem (low sensitivity). Finally, caloric abnorma lities positively correlate with lower frequency phase and time constant tests. Received: February 8, 2014. Revised: March 19, 2014 Accepted: June 18, 2014
Emergency Department Allies: A Controlled Trial of Two Emergency Department–Based Follow-up Interventions to Improve Asthma Outcomes in Children

OBJECTIVE. We sought to study the impact of emergency department (ED)–based intensive primary care linkage and initiation of asthma case management on long-term, patient-oriented outcomes for children with an asthma exacerbation. METHODS. Our study was a randomized, 3-arm, parallel-group, single-blind clinical trial. Children aged 2 through 17 years treated in a pediatric ED for acute asthma were randomly assigned to standard care (group 1), including patient education, a written care plan, and instructions to follow up with the primary care provider within 7 days, or 1 of 2 interventions. Group 2 received standard care plus assistance with scheduling follow-up, while group 3 received the above interventions, plus enrollment in a case management program. OUTCOMES. The primary outcome was the proportion of children having an ED visit for asthma within 6 months. Other outcomes included change in quality-of-life score and controller-medication use. RESULTS. Three hundred fifty-two children were enrolled; 78% completed follow-up, 69% were black, and 70% had persistent asthma. Of the children, 37.8% had a subsequent ED visit for asthma, with no difference among the treatment groups (group 1: 38.4%; group 2, 39.2%; group 3, 35.8%). Children in all groups had a substantial, but similar, increase in their quality-of-life score. Controller-medication use increased from 69.4% to 81.4%, with no difference among the groups. CONCLUSION. ED-based attempts to improve primary care linkage or initiate case management are no more effective than our standard ED care in improving subsequent asthma outcomes over a 6-month period.
Information Provision, Market Incentives, and Household Electricity Consumption: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Trial

We evaluate a large-scale field deployment in which close to 7,000 households subject to time-of-using electricity pricing were provided with an in-home display that provides real-time feedback on electricity consumption and price. We find that receipt of the device results in a reduction in average electricity consumption of about 3%, with this effect roughly constant across hours of the day. We find evidence that households respond to this information in part by forming habits rather than adjusting their load-shifting behavior. We also find that real-time information has an ambiguous effect on household responsiveness to electricity prices, counter to existing literature where information increases responsiveness to price.
Overlapping robust decentralized connective stabilization for interconnected systems with loop structure via dynamic state feedback

An overlapping robust decentralized connective stabilization method based on dynamic state feedback is proposed for a kind of large-scale interconnected systems with loop topological structure. Firstly, the state space of an interconnected system is expanded by using inclusion principle of large-scale systems and the system is divided into a series of pair-wise subsystems in the expanded space. Then, the robust decentralized controllers based on dynamic state feedback for each pair-wise subsystem are designed by using LMI method and Lyapunov theory. Next, the designed repeatedly controllers for every subsystem are contracted back to the original space. Coordination of the control laws can be achieved, so that the original interconnected system is robust connectively stable. Finally, the proposed method is applied to AGC control design of a three-area interconnected power system with loop structure. Simulation results show the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method.
Cyclophilin 20-3 relays a 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid signal during stress responsive regulation of cellular redox homeostasis

The jasmonate family of phytohormones plays central roles in plant development and stress acclimation. However, the architecture of their signaling circuits remains largely unknown. Here we describe a jasmonate family binding protein, cyclophilin 20-3 (CYP20-3), which regulates stress-responsive cellular redox homeostasis. (+)-12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) binding promotes CYP20-3 to form a complex with serine acetyltransferase 1, which triggers the formation of a hetero-oligomeric cysteine synthase complex with O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase B in chloroplasts. The cysteine synthase complex formation then activates sulfur assimilation that leads to increased levels of thiol metabolites and the buildup of cellular reduction potential. The enhanced redox capacity in turn coordinates the expression of a subset of OPDA-responsive genes. Thus, we conclude that CYP20-3 is a key effector protein that links OPDA signaling to amino acid biosynthesis and cellular redox homeostasis in stress responses.
Organic grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) seeds as a protein source for weaned piglets: Effects of seed treatment and different inclusion rates on animal performance

Abstract Organically produced pork occupies only a small niche in the European meat market, with one of the main reasons being the shortage of locally produced high-quality protein sources. In an effort to promote currently under-utilized protein sources, two feeding trials were conducted with grass pea seeds as feed for weaned piglets. The grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a hardy grain legume that produces protein-rich seeds, but, as other grain legumes, it contains several anti-nutritive compounds. Apart from trypsin inhibitors and tannins, it also contains the neurotoxin β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (ODAP) which may cause nerve damage in farm animals as well as humans. The content of both trypsin inhibitors and ODAP can be greatly reduced by hydrothermal treatment; therefore both raw and hydrothermally treated grass pea seeds were used in the two feeding trials. Diets were fed to 152 and 144 piglets [crosses of (Pietrain × Duroc) × (Landrace × Large White)] respectively, during their rearing phase directly after weaning. In experiment 1, a control diet was compared with two diets containing 10 and 20% raw grass pea seeds, plus one diet with 20% treated grass pea seeds, respectively (as fed basis). In experiment 2, a control diet was compared with one diet containing 20% raw grass pea seeds and two diets containing 20 and 30% treated grass pea seeds, respectively (as fed basis). Grass pea seeds contained 265 and 271 g kg−1 crude protein (as fed basis) in the first and second experiment, respectively, and had an amino acid profile similar to peas (Pisum sativum), including relatively low contents of methionine and cysteine. Hydrothermally treated grass pea seeds were found to be a valuable protein source that was well accepted by piglets. At an inclusion rate of 20–30% in diets, feed intake and daily weight gain of piglets was very similar to that of the control treatment. However, including 20% raw grass pea seeds had a significant negative effect on feed intake in experiment 1 and on daily weight gain in experiment 2. Therefore, hydrothermal treatment of grass pea seeds is recommended prior to feeding to piglets.
Nonlinear effects of a robust control design

The nonlinear effects of a robust /spl mu/-synthesis power system stabilizer (MPSS) using a bifurcation subsystem-based control design methodology is studied in this paper. A normal form representation of the nonlinear power system model is introduced such that the nonlinear model can be approximated up to the second order. An MPSS is designed using a bifurcation subsystem-based control design methodology, and the second-order interaction indices of the system with MPSS and conventional excitation control are calculated. The analysis of the nonlinear effects shows that the MPSS becomes dominant in dynamics by replacing the inertial dynamics that were dominant in the original system.
Quadrature Mode of Photogalvanic Autocorrelation of Ultra-Short Laser Pulses

A new mode of interferometric autocorrelation based on the linear photogalvanic effect in non-centrosymmetric crystals is proposed. It involves simultaneous measurement of two autocorrelation signals being in quadrature to each other with respect to the phase difference (time delay) of recombined laser pulses. This mode eliminates adverse influence of occasional phase difference, light intensity variations, or current saturation on the accuracy of the measurements. Possibility to obtain frequency chirping coefficients by using the quadrature mode of photogalvanic autocorrelation is discussed.
Effects of inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria to minimize panicle grain shattering habit for increased yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Locally isolated Bacillus subtilis (UPMB10) as nitrogen fixer and B. pumillus (GM118) as phosphate solubilizer act as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The objective of this study is to determine the response of single and co-inoculation of these PGPR on the panicle breaking strength to minimize panicle grain shattering to increase rice yield. The ability to fix nitrogen and solubilize phosphate, production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and grain yield production of single and co-inoculants of PGPR were studied. The result demonstrated that single and combined inoculations were able to fix nitrogen and solubilize phosphate. Besides, the ability of UPMB10 and mix inoculation to produce high concentration of IAA enables them to provide a high breaking force needed to detach grain from panicle compared to GM118 and in turn increase the rice grain yield. Hence, this study showed the potential single and combined inoculations as a biofertilizer to increase rice productivity in the granary areas of Malaysia. Key words: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), co-inoculation, Bacillus, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), grain shattering, yield, Oryza sativa L.
Measuring the Economic Output of the Education Sector in the National Accounts

This research paper constructs two experimental measures of the economic output of the education sector for Canada: an income-based measure and a cost-based measure. The measures differ from the existing measure currently used in the National Accounts, which is based on the volume of total input, and can be used to examine the productivity performance of the education sector. Both approaches are predicated on the notion that the output of the education sector represents investment in human capital. The income-based approach measures investment in education as increments in the future stream of earnings arising from education. The cost-based approach measures investment as total expenditures related to education.