Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Literature study and DNA barcoding of traditional Chinese medicine Qinghao(Artemisia annua L.) ].

The original plant of traditional Chinese medicine "Qinghao" is Artemisia annua L. in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. As a different plant, Artemisia carvifolia Buch. -Ham was called "Qinghao" in the Chinese medicine. The relationship of "Qinghao" and Artemisia carvifolia Buch. -Ham was confusion for a long time. In this paper, we summarizes the information of "Qinghao" which is listed in Chinese ancient books, and compared to the identification features of both A. annua and A. carvifolia. The results suggest that "Qinghao" in ancient time includes both A. annua and A. carvifolia. At present, the utilization value of A. annua is low because lack of resources and artemisinin, and most of scholars believe that the original plant of "Qinghao" is A. annua. Then, combined with DNA barcode technology, A. annua and A. carvifolia has been distinguished from each other based on morphological characteristics, phenological period and molecular characteristics.
Survey of ketolactia, determining the main predisposing management factors and consequences in Hungarian dairy herds by using a cow-side milk test

The aims of the survey were to determine the prevalence of ketosis in dairy herds by measuring the concentration of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) in milk by Keto-Test (Sanwa Kagaku Kenkyusho, Nagoya, Japan); risk factors and the relationship with postpartum diseases were investigated. 1667 early lactating (days in milk 0–75) cows were tested in 52 dairy herds in 2013 and 2014 years. In total, 29.3 per cent of samples were positive (BHBAMILK ≥100 µmol/l), including 3.7 per cent high positives (BHBAMILK ≥500 µmol/l). The prevalence was similar in herds with less than or more than 9000 kg milk yield (0.34 and 0.38, respectively, P=0.4); however, it was higher in the herds with more than 1000 cows than in smaller herds (<500 and 500–1000 cows) (0.46, P=0.03). The BHBA level in milk was in a non-linear positive relationship with parity (P=0.01), associated with retained placenta (P=0.0006), mastitis (P=0.02) and clinical ketosis (P<0.001). The results confirm the high prevalence of ketolactia in Hungarian dairy herds and its links to herd-related and cow-related risk factors and diseases occurring commonly in fresh cows.
Insurance Expansions: Do They Hurt Those They are Designed to Help?

Seeking to redress health disparities across income and race, many policy-makers mandate health insurance benefits, presuming that equalized benefits will help equalize use of beneficial health services. This paper tests that presumption by measuring health care use by a diverse population with comprehensive health insurance. Focusing on use of mental health care and pharmaceuticals, it finds that even when insurance benefits and access are constant, whites and those with high incomes consume more of these benefits than other people do. This suggests that privileged classes extract more health care services even when everyone pays equal premiums for equal insurance coverage.
A Landing Spot Approach for Enhancing the Performance of UAV-Aided Wireless Networks

UAV-aided wireless networks allow ultra-flexible deployment of wireless resources when and where it matters. Despite their promise, such networks are severely hindered by the limited on-board battery budget. This paper introduces a novel yet simple approach to circumvent this problem, based on the concept of so-called landing spots (LSs). LSs allow to trade-off throughput for rest time. We also derive a dynamic program which optimally exploits any given LS setup for UAV trajectory design. Our study shows that LSs dramatically enhance the lifetime of flying radio access networks while only moderately affecting the throughput performance. In IoT data- harvesting settings, LSs substantially increase the total collected data payload for a given battery budget.
Adiponectin Regulation in Type 2 Diabetic Rats: Effects of Insulin, Metformin and Dexamethasone

Adiponectin is a protein synthesized from adipose tissue, increases peripheral glucose utilization in liver and skeletal muscle. Adiponectin expression and secretion are decreased during obesity and insulin resistance. In this study, the effect of insulin, metformin and dexamethasone on serum lipid profiles was examined in Type 2 Diabetic (T2D) rats. T2D was induced by feeding rats a high fat diet for 4 weeks plus medium dose of Streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mk kg-1 BW). Adiponectin, adiponectin receptors (AdipoR-1 and AdipoR-2), leptin, Peroxisome Prolifrator Activated Receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL), Pyruvate Kinase (PK), enolase and Glucose Trasporter-2 (GLUT-2) expression in epididymal adipose and liver tissue were examined using RT-PCR. Results showed that metformin improved insulin resistance by normalizing serum lipid profiles in diabetic rats, while dexamethasone did not alter it. Metformin up-regulated adiponectin, AdipoR-1 and AdipoR-2 expression, while insulin and dexamethasone down-regulated them. Leptin expression was decreased while PPARγ, HSL, PK, enolase and GLUT-2 expression was increased by metformin administration. Dexamethasone failed to improve insulin resistance in T2D rats. In conclusion, metformin ameliorates T2D through controlling adiponectin expression and its consequent genes of lipids and glucose metabolism.
Full allogeneic fusion of embryos in a holothuroid echinoderm

Whole-body chimaeras (organisms composed of genetically distinct cells) have been directly observed in modular/colonial organisms (e.g. corals, sponges, ascidians); whereas in unitary deuterostosmes (including mammals) they have only been detected indirectly through molecular analysis. Here, we document for the first time the step-by-step development of whole-body chimaeras in the holothuroid Cucumaria frondosa, a unitary deuterostome belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most derived unitary metazoan in which direct investigation of zygote fusibility has been undertaken. Fusion occurred among hatched blastulae, never during earlier (unhatched) or later (larval) stages. The fully fused chimaeric propagules were two to five times larger than non-chimaeric embryos. Fusion was positively correlated with propagule density and facilitated by the natural tendency of early embryos to agglomerate. The discovery of natural chimaerism in a unitary deuterostome that possesses large externally fertilized eggs provides a framework to explore key aspects of evolutionary biology, histocompatibility and cell transplantation in biomedical research.
Randomised controlled trial of a theory-based behavioural intervention to reduce formula milk intake

Objective To assess the efficacy of a theory-based behavioural intervention to prevent rapid weight gain in formula milk-fed infants. Design In this single (assessor) blind, randomised controlled trial, 669 healthy full-term infants receiving formula milk within 14 weeks of birth were individually randomised to intervention (n=340) or attention-matched control (n=329) groups. The intervention aimed to reduce formula milk intakes, and promote responsive feeding and growth monitoring to prevent rapid weight gain (≥+0.67 SD scores (SDS)). It was delivered to mothers by trained facilitators up to infant age 6 months through three face-to-face contacts, two telephone contacts and written materials. Results Retention was 93% (622) at 6 months, 88% (586) at 12 months and 94% attended ≥4/5 sessions. The intervention strengthened maternal attitudes to following infant feeding recommendations, reduced reported milk intakes at ages 3 (−14%; intervention vs control infants), 4 (−12%), 5 (−9%) and 6 (−7%) months, slowed initial infant weight gain from baseline to 6 months (mean change 0.32 vs 0.42 SDS, baseline-adjusted difference (intervention vs control) −0.08 (95% CI −0.17 to −0.004) SDS), but had no effect on the primary outcome of weight gain to 12 months (baseline-adjusted difference −0.04 (−0.17, 0.10) SDS). By 12 months, 40.3% of infants in the intervention group and 45.9% in the control group showed rapid weight gain (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.17). Conclusions Despite reducing milk intakes and initial weight gain, the intervention did not alter the high prevalence of rapid weight gain to age 12 months suggesting the need for sustained intervention. Trial registration number ISRCTN20814693.
Insulin suppresses the production of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)

Significance Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) regulates phosphate and vitamin D metabolism and induces left heart hypertrophy. The importance of FGF23 is supported by the consequences of FGF23 deficiency: FGF23-deficient mice have a significantly reduced life span and recapitulate human age-associated diseases. Moreover, FGF23 has gained attention as a potential disease biomarker due to its positive correlation with disease activity, progression, and outcome in chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular disorders. It is, however, not entirely clear whether FGF23 merely indicates disease or actively contributes to disease progression. Therefore, it is important to explore the regulation of FGF23 production, which is similarly incompletely understood. Our paper identifies fundamental insulin/IGF1-dependent PI3K/Akt/FOXO1 signaling as a key suppressor of FGF23 formation. Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is produced by bone cells and regulates renal phosphate and vitamin D metabolism, as well as causing left ventricular hypertrophy. FGF23 deficiency results in rapid aging, whereas high plasma FGF23 levels are found in several disorders, including kidney or cardiovascular diseases. Regulators of FGF23 production include parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitriol, dietary phosphate, and inflammation. We report that insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) are negative regulators of FGF23 production. In UMR106 osteoblast-like cells, insulin and IGF1 down-regulated FGF23 production by inhibiting the transcription factor forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) through phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt signaling. Insulin deficiency caused a surge in the serum FGF23 concentration in mice, which was reversed by administration of insulin. In women, a highly significant negative correlation between FGF23 plasma concentration and increase in plasma insulin level following an oral glucose load was found. Our results provide strong evidence that insulin/IGF1-dependent PI3K/PKB/Akt/FOXO1 signaling is a powerful suppressor of FGF23 production in vitro as well as in mice and in humans.
Antioxidant potential of African medicinal plants

Cellular damage or oxidative injury arising from free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) now appears the fundamental mechanism underlying a number of human neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, inflammation, viral infections, autoimmune pathologies and digestive system disorders. Free radical are generated through normal metabolism of drugs, environmental chemicals and other xenobiotics as well as endogenous chemicals, especially stress hormones (adrenalin and noradrenalin). Accumulated evidence suggests that ROS can be scavenged through chemoprevention utilizing natural antioxidant compounds present in foods and medicinal plants. Africa is blessed with enormous biodiversity resources, but plagued with several diseases, including those with ROS as the etiological factor. In this review, research on the antioxidant potential of medicinal plants of African origin between 1965 and September, 2004 is considered. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (2), pp. 128-133, 2005
Conformations of peptoids in nanosheets result from the interplay of backbone energetics and intermolecular interactions

Significance Commonly observed secondary structures of proteins, such as α-helices and β-sheets, are built from a trans-amide backbone with residues sampling a single region of the Ramachandran plot. Here we report a secondary structure displayed by biomimetic peptoid polymers in which the backbone exhibits the cis conformation and alternating residues display rotational states of opposed (pseudo)chirality. This structure is linear and untwisted and enables strands to pack densely into extended bilayer nanosheets. The conformations adopted by the molecular constituents of a supramolecular assembly influence its large-scale order. At the same time, the interactions made in assemblies by molecules can influence their conformations. Here we study this interplay in extended flat nanosheets made from nonnatural sequence-specific peptoid polymers. Nanosheets exist because individual polymers can be linear and untwisted, by virtue of polymer backbone elements adopting alternating rotational states whose twists oppose and cancel. Using molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical simulations, together with experimental data, we explore the design space of flat nanostructures built from peptoids. We show that several sets of peptoid backbone conformations are consistent with their being linear, but the specific combination observed in experiment is determined by a combination of backbone energetics and the interactions made within the nanosheet. Our results provide a molecular model of the peptoid nanosheet consistent with all available experimental data and show that its structure results from a combination of intra- and intermolecular interactions.
Nano-second scale dynamic voltage scaler based on charge-pump and BW-DAC

This paper presents a nano-second scale dynamic voltage scaler (DVS) based on charge-pump and binary weighted Digital-to-Analog Converter (BW-DAC). The charge redistribution BW-DAC can rapidly generate the desired output voltage based on digital input code. Also, it enables us to generate fine-grain voltage steps based on the conversion ratio of the DAC. The charge-pump circuit maintains the output voltage of the DAC when the voltage decreases due to the load circuit is drawing current from the DAC. The proposed architecture has been implemented using a 130 nm CMOS process. The measurement results of the proposed 6-bit DVS architecture show an accurate 64 output voltage levels from 0V to 1.476 V with an input voltage of 1.5 V. It shows an efficiency of 84% and a ripple voltage of as small as 24.6 mV. It shows nano-second settling time of 83.6 nS.
Noncatalytic chalcone isomerase-fold proteins in Humulus lupulus are auxiliary components in prenylated flavonoid biosynthesis

Significance Here, we identify two noncatalytic chalcone isomerase-fold proteins, which are critical for high-efficiency prenylchalcone production in Humulus lupulus. Our results provide insights into their evolutionary development from the ancestral noncatalytic fatty acid-binding chalcone isomerase-fold proteins to specialized auxiliary proteins supporting flavonoid biosynthesis in plants, and open up the possibility of producing high-value plant prenylchalcones using heterologous systems. Xanthohumol (XN) and demethylxanthohumol (DMX) are specialized prenylated chalconoids with multiple pharmaceutical applications that accumulate to high levels in the glandular trichomes of hops (Humulus lupulus L.). Although all structural enzymes in the XN pathway have been functionally identified, biochemical mechanisms underlying highly efficient production of XN have not been fully resolved. In this study, we characterized two noncatalytic chalcone isomerase (CHI)-like proteins (designated as HlCHIL1 and HlCHIL2) using engineered yeast harboring all genes required for DMX production. HlCHIL2 increased DMX production by 2.3-fold, whereas HlCHIL1 significantly decreased DMX production by 30%. We show that CHIL2 is part of an active DMX biosynthetic metabolon in hop glandular trichomes that encompasses a chalcone synthase (CHS) and a membrane-bound prenyltransferase, and that type IV CHI-fold proteins of representative land plants contain conserved function to bind with CHS and enhance its activity. Binding assays and structural docking uncover a function of HlCHIL1 to bind DMX and naringenin chalcone to stabilize the ring-open configuration of these chalconoids. This study reveals the role of two HlCHILs in DMX biosynthesis in hops, and provides insight into their evolutionary development from the ancestral fatty acid-binding CHI-fold proteins to specialized auxiliary proteins supporting flavonoid biosynthesis in plants.
Deep Neural Models of Semantic Shift

Diachronic distributional models track changes in word use over time. In this paper, we propose a deep neural network diachronic distributional model. Instead of modeling lexical change via a time series as is done in previous work, we represent time as a continuous variable and model a word’s usage as a function of time. Additionally, we have also created a novel synthetic task which measures a model’s ability to capture the semantic trajectory. This evaluation quantitatively measures how well a model captures the semantic trajectory of a word over time. Finally, we explore how well the derivatives of our model can be used to measure the speed of lexical change.
In vitro Regeneration and Comparison of Phenolic Content , Antioxidant and Antityrosinase Activity of in vivo and in vitro Grown Asparagus officinalis

Asparagus officinalis as a valuable medicinal plant has a low multiplication rate using the conventional methods. This study was carried out to establish an efficient in vitro propagation protocol and also to compare some biological activities of in vivo and in vitro grown Asparagus. The nodal explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or kinetin (Kn) and Indolebutyric acid (IBA), under light and dark conditions. After 6 weeks of culture, the highest percentage (100%) of callus formation was found in 17 of treatments under dark condition and 3 treatments under light condition. Also between the two groups of hormones, Kn +IBA showed better results in promoting callus formation. The highest average number of shoots (4.25) of size 4 mm or more per explant, formed under dark condition using 1.5 mg/L BAP mixed with 0.05 mg/L NAA. Rooting was best induced in shoots excised from shoot cultures which were proliferated on MS medium supplemented with an optimal concentration of 0.4 mg/L IBA (2 roots per explant). In the second part of the study, the extracts of in vivo and in vitro grown plants as well as callus tissue were tested for their total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant and antityrosinase activities, using two different extraction solvents (methanol and hexane). The methanol extract of in vivo grown plants showed a significantly higher amount of total phenolic and flavonoid content. The antioxidant activity of tested samples followed this order; in vivo plant > callus > in vitro plant.
Metformin use in the first year after kidney transplant, correlates, and associated outcomes in diabetic transplant recipients: A retrospective analysis of integrated registry and pharmacy claims data

While guidelines support metformin as a therapeutic option for diabetic patients with mild‐to‐moderate renal insufficiency, the frequency and outcomes of metformin use in kidney transplant recipients are not well described. We integrated national U.S. transplant registry data with records from a large pharmaceutical claims clearinghouse (2008‐2015). Associations (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% LCLaHR95% UCL) of diabetes regimens (with and excluding metformin) in the first year post‐transplant with patient and graft survival over the subsequent year were quantified by multivariate Cox regression, adjusted for recipient, donor, and transplant factors and propensity for metformin use. Among 14 144 recipients with pretransplant type 2 diabetes mellitus, 4.7% filled metformin in the first year post‐transplant; most also received diabetes comedications. Compared to those who received insulin‐based regimens without metformin, patients who received metformin were more likely to be female, have higher estimated glomerular filtration rates, and have undergone transplant more recently. Metformin‐based regimens were associated with significantly lower adjusted all‐cause (aHR 0.180.410.91), malignancy‐related (aHR 0.450.450.99), and infection‐related (aHR 0.120.320.85) mortality, and nonsignificant trends toward lower cardiovascular mortality, graft failure, and acute rejection. No evidence of increased adverse graft or patient outcomes was noted. Use of metformin‐based diabetes treatment regimens may be safe in carefully selected kidney transplant recipients.
Sequencing-based counting and size profiling of plasma Epstein–Barr virus DNA enhance population screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Significance We identified differentiating molecular characteristics of plasma EBV DNA between nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and non-NPC subjects. Sequencing-based analysis revealed higher amounts of plasma EBV DNA and generally longer fragment lengths of plasma viral molecules in NPC patients than in non-NPC subjects. Based on these findings, we have developed a highly accurate blood-based test for screening of NPC. Such an approach is shown to enhance the positive predictive value and demonstrate a superior performance for NPC screening. It also obviates the need of a follow-up blood sample and therefore allows single time-point testing. We believe that this more clinically practical protocol would facilitate NPC screening on a population scale. Circulating tumor-derived DNA testing for cancer screening has recently been demonstrated in a prospective study on identification of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) among 20,174 asymptomatic individuals. Plasma EBV DNA, a marker for NPC, was detected using real-time PCR. While plasma EBV DNA was persistently detectable in 97.1% of the NPCs identified, ∼5% of the general population had transiently detectable plasma EBV DNA. We hypothesized that EBV DNA in plasma of subjects with or without NPC may have different molecular characteristics. We performed target-capture sequencing of plasma EBV DNA and identified differences in the abundance and size profiles of EBV DNA molecules within plasma of NPC and non-NPC subjects. NPC patients had significantly higher amounts of plasma EBV DNA, which showed longer fragment lengths. Cutoff values were established from an exploratory dataset and tested in a validation sample set. Adopting an algorithm that required a sample to concurrently pass cutoffs for EBV DNA counting and size measurements, NPCs were detected at a positive predictive value (PPV) of 19.6%. This represented superior performance compared with the PPV of 11.0% in the prospective screening study, which required participants with an initially detectable plasma EBV DNA result to be retested within 4 weeks. The observed differences in the molecular nature of EBV DNA molecules in plasma of subjects with or without NPC were successfully translated into a sequencing-based test that had a high PPV for NPC screening and achievable through single time-point testing.
Does competition in the out-patient sector improve quality of medical care? Evidence from administrative data

We use administrative data from the largest sickness fund in Germany to analyze the relationship between the district density of general and medical practitioner and the quality of care provided to the frail elderly. The quality of care is studied considering prescriptions of potentially inappropriate drugs. We find evidence for a significant positive effect of the share of general and medical practitioners in the population on the provided outpatient health care services.