Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Biology of Canadian weeds. 150 Erechtites hieraciifolius (L.) Raf. ex DC.

Darbyshire, S. J., Francis, A. , DiTommaso, A. and Clements, D. R. 2012. The Biology of Canadian weeds. 150 Erechtites hieraciifolius (L.) Raf. ex DC. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 729-746. Erechtites hieraciifolius, American burnweed, is a herbaceous annual in the Asteraceæe native to forest zones of eastern North America, but introduced to parts of Europe and the Pacific region. Confusion sometimes arises in distinguishing it from other weedy rayless composites in Canada, such as Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and Conyza canadensis (Canada fleabane). A pioneer therophyte species of forest zones, it occurs in large numbers when associated with major disturbances such as forest fires, but is also common in areas of smaller scale disturbance such as shores, forest edges and wind-throws. Soil conditions may vary greatly in nutrient content, moisture content, pH and salinity. In Canada, it is generally considered a minor garden and agricultural weed. It is most common in crops such as lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa) and vegetable crops; however, it occasionally occurs in other field and forage crops. Impacts include a variety of problems contributing to increased production costs or crop yield losses, including herbicide resistance, resource competition, and as a reservoir harbouring crop pathogens. It has been valued as a medicinal herb for treating a variety of ailments. Populations may grow rapidly in response to disturbances typical of managed landscapes, but E. hieraciifolius can usually be effectively controlled by chemical, cultural or manual weed control tactics.
Endothelial potassium channels, endothelium‐dependent hyperpolarization and the regulation of vascular tone in health and disease

1. The elusive nature of endothelium‐derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) has hampered detailed study of the ionic mechanisms that underlie the EDHF hyperpolarization and relaxation. Most studies have relied on a pharmacological approach in which interpretations of results can be confounded by limited specificity of action of the drugs used. Nevertheless, small‐, intermediate‐ and large‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channels (SKCa, IKCa and BKCa, respectively) have been implicated, with inward rectifier K+ channels (KIR) and Na+/K+‐ATPase also suggested by some studies.
Characterization of B2-Bradykinin Receptors in Rabbit Principal Cells of the Collecting Duct

Bradykinin (BK) plays a key role in collecting duct functions. Using an established line of principal cells of the rabbit collecting duct (R.C. SV3), we examined the characteristics of the BK receptors in these cells. [3H]-BK bound specifically to R.C. SV3. Saturation binding analyses allowed KD (968 ± 232 pM) and Bmax values (356 ± 43 fmol/mg protein) to be calculated. Competitive displacement of [3H]-BK was observed with Hoe-140, a specific type 2 BK receptor (BKR-2) antagonist, but not with des arg9-BK, a BKR-1 agonist. The presence of BKR-2 was confirmed by the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. BK stimulated cytosolic calcium and inositol phosphate formation in a dose-dependent manner (from 1 nM to 1 µM). BK also inhibited the arginine vasopressin dependent increase of cyclic adenosine monophosphate. This effect could not be related to the production of prostaglandin E2. These results demonstrate the presence of high-affinity BKR-2 in the principal cells of the rabbit collecting duct that are linked to phospholipase C activity and are involved in arginine vasopressin related regulatory loops.
Effect of preventive home visits by a nurse on the outcomes of frail elderly people in the community: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Timely recognition and prevention of health problems among elderly people have been shown to improve their health. In this randomized controlled trial the authors examined the impact of preventive home visits by a nurse compared with usual care on the outcomes of frail elderly people living in the community. METHODS A screening questionnaire identified eligible participants (those aged 70 years or more at risk of sudden deterioration in health). Those randomly assigned to the visiting nurse group were assessed and followed up in their homes for 14 months. The primary outcome measure was the combined rate of deaths and admissions to an institution, and the secondary outcome measure the rate of health services utilization, during the 14 months; these rates were determined through a medical chart audit by a research nurse who was blind to group allocation. RESULTS The questionnaire was mailed to 415 elderly people, of whom 369 (88.9%) responded. Of these, 198 (53.7%) were eligible, and 142 consented to participate and were randomly assigned to either the visiting nurse group (73) or the usual care group (69). The combined rate of deaths and admissions to an institution was 10.0% in the visiting nurse group and 5.8% in the usual care group (p = 0.52). The rate of health services utilization did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates were significantly higher in the visiting nurse group (90.1% and 81.9%) than in the usual care group (53.0% and 0%) (p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION The trial failed to show any effect of a visiting nurse other than vastly improved vaccination coverage.
Natural Resource Governance : Does Social Media Matter ? Oasis

In this paper we study the relationship between communication and ”transparency of information” and governance by exploring the link between social media and natural resource governance. Using a cross-country analysis, we document a robust and statistically significant positive relationship between Facebook penetration (a proxy for social media) and natural resource governance. It follows that countries with higher facebook penetration levels enjoy natural resource governance of better quality than countries with low levels of facebook penetration. The positive effect of facebook is robust to controlling for other determinants of institutional quality, additional controls, outliers, inter alia.
Ric-8 Proteins Are Molecular Chaperones That Direct Nascent G Protein α Subunit Membrane Association

Control of the insertion of G protein α subunits into endomembranes by Ric-8 proteins regulates the abundance and function of heterotrimeric G proteins. Membrane Insertion Determines Function The proteins Ric-8A (resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase 8A) and Ric-8B are guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that enhance signaling mediated by heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding proteins (G proteins); however, whether their GEF function is required to potentiate G protein signaling has not been demonstrated. Gabay et al. derived embryonic stem cell lines from Ric-8A– or Ric-8B–deficient mice and found substantial defects in the abundance of G protein α subunits at the plasma membrane and in G protein–mediated signaling. Regulation of G protein abundance by Ric-8 proteins occurred posttranslationally. In the absence of Ric-8 proteins, G protein α subunits integrated into endomembranes poorly, resulting in decreased association with G protein βγ dimers and reduced heterotrimer formation. G proteins that did not associate with the membrane were rapidly degraded. Together, these data suggest that Ric-8 proteins act as chaperones for the association of G protein α subunits with endomembranes, thus controlling the biosynthesis of heterotrimeric G proteins. Ric-8A (resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase 8A) and Ric-8B are guanine nucleotide exchange factors that enhance different heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein) signaling pathways by unknown mechanisms. Because transgenic disruption of Ric-8A or Ric-8B in mice caused early embryonic lethality, we derived viable Ric-8A– or Ric-8B–deleted embryonic stem (ES) cell lines from blastocysts of these mice. We observed pleiotropic G protein signaling defects in Ric-8A−/− ES cells, which resulted from reduced steady-state amounts of Gαi, Gαq, and Gα13 proteins to <5% of those of wild-type cells. The amounts of Gαs and total Gβ protein were partially reduced in Ric-8A−/− cells compared to those in wild-type cells, and only the amount of Gαs was reduced substantially in Ric-8B−/− cells. The abundances of mRNAs encoding the G protein α subunits were largely unchanged by loss of Ric-8A or Ric-8B. The plasma membrane residence of G proteins persisted in the absence of Ric-8 but was markedly reduced compared to that in wild-type cells. Endogenous Gαi and Gαq were efficiently translated in Ric-8A−/− cells but integrated into endomembranes poorly; however, the reduced amounts of G protein α subunits that reached the membrane still bound to nascent Gβγ. Finally, Gαi, Gαq, and Gβ1 proteins exhibited accelerated rates of degradation in Ric-8A−/− cells compared to those in wild-type cells. Together, these data suggest that Ric-8 proteins are molecular chaperones required for the initial association of nascent Gα subunits with cellular membranes.
Refractive Status in Eyes with Inhomogeneous or Irregular Pupils

Purpose In some eyes, aberrometric measurements of the refractive error can differ by more than 1 diopter from standard subjective refraction. We aim to understand the reasons for these discrepancies and to study the role of both amplitude (irregular or inhomogeneous pupil transmission) and phase (aberrations) of the wavefront. Methods The spherical equivalent was measured by different subjective, objective, and aberrometric methods in a population of 177 eyes. We first analyzed the degree of correlation between the outcomes of the different methods. Then we analyzed cases showing the highest discrepancies (>1 diopter) between subjective and aberrometric spherical equivalent. The refractive error sensing method was generalized and applied here to include the effect of inhomogeneous pupil transmittance (Stiles-Crawford effect) and irregular pupil shapes on refractive error. Results Objective and aberrometric methods showed a strong correlation with subjective methods (R2 > 0.89 in all cases). However, individual data points may show large discrepancies. Several eyes with discrepancies of 1 D or even 2 D usually presented higher values of higher-order aberration (mainly coma and/or spherical aberration) than average, which may cause these eyes to have a natural bifocal (or even multifocal) optical performance. Refractive error sensing analysis suggests that this multifocal performance could explain the high objective-subjective discrepancies found in these eyes. Nevertheless, the Stiles-Crawford effect (or irregular pupils) can substantially modify the energy distribution, tending to minimize multifocal effects, thus minimizing discrepancies between aberrometric and subjective refraction. Conclusions Discrepancies between aberrometric and subjective refraction may appear in aberrated eyes when aberrometric methods ignore the impact of the wavefront amplitude (inhomogeneous or irregular pupil transmittance.) The generalized refractive error sensing proposed here seems promising and able to provide a reliable clinical refraction in monofocal and multifocal eyes.
Rescheduling for New Orders

This paper considers scheduling problems where a set of original jobs has already been scheduled to minimize some cost objective, when a new set of jobs arrives and creates a disruption. The decision maker needs to insert the new jobs into the existing schedule without excessively disrupting it. Two classes of models are considered. First, we minimize the scheduling cost of all the jobs, subject to a limit on the disruption caused to the original schedule, where this disruption is measured in various ways. In the second class, a total cost objective, which includes both the original cost measure and the cost of disruption, is minimized. For both classes and various costs based on classical scheduling objectives, and for almost all problems, we provide either an efficient algorithm or a proof that such an algorithm is unlikely to exist. We also show how to extend both classes of models to deal with multiple disruptions in the form of repeated arrivals of new jobs. Our work refocuses the extensive literature on scheduling problems towards issues of rescheduling, which are important because of the frequency with which disruptions occur in manufacturing practice.
Family planning services in developing countries: an opportunity to treat asymptomatic and unrecognised genital tract infections?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of asymptomatic and unrecognised genital tract infections among women attending a family planning clinic in rural South Africa. METHODS: 189 consecutive women had genital samples taken to diagnose infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Candida albicans, Treponema pallidum, and HIV, and to diagnose bacterial vaginosis. RESULTS: Mean age was 25 years; 155 (82%) were unmarried, 156 (83%) were currently using contraception, and 41 (22%) reported having an STD treated in the preceding 12 months. Although none volunteered abnormal urogenital symptoms, 74 (39%) had at least one elicited by direct questioning. 119 women (63%) had at least one genital infection: N gonorrhoeae (eight; 4%), C trachomatis (14; 8%), T vaginalis (26; 14%), C albicans (56; 30%), active syphilis (15; 8%), HIV (44; 24%), and bacterial vaginosis (29; 15%). 49 women (26%) had multiple infections. Most infections (71; 60%) were asymptomatic. Symptomatic women failed to recognise and report their symptoms, and routine services failed to detect the infections. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of genital tract infection is high among these women, most infections are asymptomatic, and symptomatic infections are frequently not recognised. Women attending family planning clinics in such settings should be screened for syphilis and offered testing for HIV infection. Strategies to detect and treat other genital infections need to be developed.
Inadequate weight gain in obese women and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA): a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objectives: To examine the association between small for gestational age (SGA) and inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) in obese women (compared with Institute of Medicine [IOM] guidelines) stratified by obesity classes. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of original researches with sufficient information about inadequate GWG in obese women stratified by obesity classes. SGA as the chief outcome was extracted and assessed in our analysis. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through Ovid from 28 May 2009 to 1 December 2015. Quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Results: 480 citations were screened and 13 studies (437 512 obese women) were included. Obese women who gained weight below the guidelines had higher risks of SGA than those who gained weight within the guidelines (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.14–1.43). The same conclusions were also confirmed in Class I, Class II and Class III of obese women: Class I (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.22–1.54); Class II (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.24–1.54); Class III (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.14–1.36). Conclusions: From our analysis, the guidelines of IOM can be applied to all the classes of obesity. More accurate boundaries for each obesity class should be established to evaluate the maternal and fetal risks. Diverse populations are thus necessary for more studies in the future.
Antimalarial activity of crude extracts from Brazilian plants studied in vivo in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice and in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum in culture.

1. Ninety-five crude extracts obtained with either organic solvents or water from 48 Brazilian plants or parts of plants were evaluated experimentally as blood schizontocides. Seventy-three extracts were obtained from 33 plants randomly collected using an empirical approach, and 22 from 15 "medicinal" plants. 2. The crude extracts were screened in vivo at up to 1.0 g/kg, po, for 4 days in mice infected with blood forms of Plasmodium berghei and parasitemia was determined on the fifth day. 3. Six plants, 2 randomly collected, Vernonia brasiliana and Eupatorium squalidum, and 4 "medicinal" plants, Acanthospermum australe, Esenbeckia febrifuga, Lisianthus speciosus, and Tachia guianensis, were partly active against the rodent malaria, i.e., they showed 40-50% inhibition of P. berghei multiplication. Forty-two plants whose extracts presented no antimalarial activity are reported. 4. Four extracts with antimalarial activity were also tested in vitro using P. falciparum cultures and two of them, V. brasiliana and A. australe, were active. Extracts of V. brasiliana caused about 50% inhibition of parasite multiplication at relatively low doses (40 ng/ml) as compared to chloroquine (30 ng/ml) and quinine (50 ng/ml). 5. The relatively high percentage of positive results obtained here for "medicinal" plants vs randomly chosen plants demonstrates the effectiveness of the ethnopharmacological approach to drug testing.
Physical changes associated with adolescence in boys.

IN A PREVIOUS paper 1 a description was given of certain physical changes accompanying adolescence in girls. The value of such information to the pediatrician was discussed, with particular reference to the normal range of individual variation in sexual maturation. In the present study a similar report is made for boys. The general literature on adolescent bodily changes and various studies of female adolescence were cited in the earlier publication. In addition, a number of studies have dealt specifically with male adolescent development. 2 These range from concise descriptions of developmental processes to broad discussions of the relation of sexual maturation to behavior in adolescence. MATERIALS AND METHODS The 59 boys reported on in this paper are, like the girls in the earlier study, 1 regular participants in the long-term study of growth and development under way at the Fels Research Institute for the Study of Human Development. 3 The
Staphylococcus aureus DivIB is a peptidoglycan‐binding protein that is required for a morphological checkpoint in cell division

Bacterial cell division is a fundamental process that requires the coordinated actions of a number of proteins which form a complex macromolecular machine known as the divisome. The membrane‐spanning proteins DivIB and its orthologue FtsQ are crucial divisome components in Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria respectively. However, the role of almost all of the integral division proteins, including DivIB, still remains largely unknown. Here we show that the extracellular domain of DivIB is able to bind peptidoglycan and have mapped the binding to its β subdomain. Conditional mutational studies show that divIB is essential for Staphylococcus aureus growth, while phenotypic analyses following depletion of DivIB results in a block in the completion, but not initiation, of septum formation. Localisation studies suggest that DivIB only transiently localises to the division site and may mark previous sites of septation. We propose that DivIB is required for a molecular checkpoint during division to ensure the correct assembly of the divisome at midcell and to prevent hydrolytic growth of the cell in the absence of a completed septum.
Boric acid inhibits alveolar bone loss in rats by affecting RANKL and osteoprotegerin expression.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effects of systemic boric acid on the levels of expression of RANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG) and on histopathologic and histometric changes in a rat periodontitis model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-four Wistar rats were divided into three groups of eight animals each: nonligated (NL); ligature only (LO); and ligature plus treatment with boric acid (BA) (3 mg/kg per day for 11 d). A 4/0 silk suture was placed in a subgingival position around the mandibular right first molars; after 11 d the rats were killed, and alveolar bone loss in the first molars was histometrically determined. Periodontal tissues were examined histopathologically to assess the differences among the study groups. RANKL and OPG were detected immunohistochemically. RESULTS Alveolar bone loss was significantly higher in the LO group than in the BA and NL groups (p < 0.05). The number of inflammatory infiltrate and osteoclasts in the LO group was significantly higher than that in the NL and BA groups (p < 0.05). The numbers of osteoblasts in LO and BA groups were significantly higher compared with NL group (p < 0.05). There were significantly more RANKL-positive cells in the LO group than in the BA and NL groups (p < 0.05). There was a higher number of OPG-positive cells in the BA group than in the LO and NL groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The present study shows that systemic administration of boric acid may reduce alveolar bone loss by affecting the RANKL/OPG balance in periodontal disease in rats.
Procedure for the simultaneous large‐scale isolation of pullulanase and 1,4‐α‐glucan phosphorylase from Klebsiella pneumoniae involving liquid–liquid separations

A procedure for the simultaneous large‐scale isolation of pullulanase and 1,4‐alpha;‐glucan phosphorylase from Klebsiella pneumoniae is described. The pullulanase is solubilized from the cell wall by cholate treatment; cells and cell debris are removed by partition in a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐dextran two‐phase system and from the upper (PEG) phase of this system the pullulanase is isolated by ultrafiltration and precipitation with N‐cetyl,N‐,N‐,N‐trimethyl ammonium bromide to a purity of about 80% with a yield of 70%. The preparations are free of α‐amylase activity. The cell containing dextran‐rich phase is passed through a Manton‐Gaulin homogenizer. Then the phosphorylase is separated from the cell debris by partition in a second PEG‐dextran system. From the top phase of this system the phosphorylase is isolated by distribution in a PEG‐salt two‐phase system followed by batch adsorption on carboxymethyl‐Sephadex in a yield of 55%, a purity of around 90%, and nearly free of glycosyltransferase activity. All steps in the isolation of the two enzymes can be performed easily in a large scale.
Carotid intima–media thickness in post-coarctectomy patients with exercise induced hypertension

The significance of exercise blood pressure in post-coarctectomy patients and its relation to clinical outcome and organ damage is still unknown. Several authors have suggested that patients with exercise induced hypertension might be amenable to antihypertensive medication or limitation of strenuous physical activity.1 However, recently Swan and colleagues2 discouraged the use of exercise testing for the assessment of blood pressure profiles in these patients. Intima–media thickness (IMT) is nowadays considered a validated and reproducible end point for atherosclerosis.3 The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between exercise induced hypertension and carotid IMT in adult post-coarctectomy patients. From 2001 until 2002, all 137 consecutive adult post-coarctectomy patients (89 male) from our tertiary referral centre participated in this study. The protocol was approved by the institutional review committee and informed consent was obtained from all participants. In all patients significant residual aortic stenosis or re-coarctation had been ruled out by magnetic resonance imaging within two years of the start of this study. Risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as smoking and serum lipids, were assessed. All patients underwent 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the right arm. Patients were considered hypertensive when mean daytime systolic blood pressure was …