Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of removing the polar lobe in centrifuged eggs of Dentalium.

Classical evidence for the existence of morphogenetic substances was provided by experiments with spiralian eggs possessing a polar lobe: Ilyanassa (Crampton, 1896; Clement, 1952, 1956, 1962); Dentalium (Wilson, 1904); Chaetopterus (Tyler, 1930); Sabellaria (Hatt, 1932; Novikoff, 1938); and Mytilus (Rattenbury & Berg, 1954). Eggs from which the polar lobe had been removed developed into embryos with specific abnormalities. In Dentalium, after removal of the polar lobe at the trefoil stage, a trochophore larva is formed without post-trochal region and apical tuft. Removal of the polar lobe at second cleavage causes a larva without post-trochal region, but with an apical tuft. Wilson concluded that specific cytoplasmic materials essential to the formation of the apical tuft are contained in the first but no longer in the second polar lobe. Centrifuging the uncleaved egg just before first cleavage will disturb the normal distribution of substances. The morphogenetic substance for the apical tuft may be also displaced, so that at the formation of the first polar lobe this substance is not only present in the lobe, but also in the blastomeres. The object of the present investigation was to study the effect of removing the first polar lobe in eggs centrifuged immediately before the beginning of first cleavage. MATERIAL AND METHODS All experiments were carried out at the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute at Curacao (Neth. Ant.) with the local species Dentalium antillarum, which is abundant in inner Piscadera Bay. The animals could be obtained easily by collecting the superficial bottom material at a depth of 3-4 m. The material was sieved on the spot and the animals were picked out in the laboratory. They could be kept alive for weeks in small glass aquaria with a bottom of sand and in running sea-water. Mature animals are j- 1 in. in length with a translucent shell, through which the gonads can be observed under a dissecting microscope. In the ovary the 1 Author's address: Zoological Laboratory, Janskerkhof 3, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
The agricultural roots of industrial development: ‘forward linkages’ in reform era China

A classic literature argues that improvements in agricultural productivity result in higher non-agricultural output, particularly at low levels of development. The proposed mechanisms for these ‘forward linkages’ centre on increases in the supply of factors—usually labour or capital—or demand externalities in product markets. Regardless of the mechanism, empirical evidence for substantial linkages from agriculture is limited. In this paper, I show that improvements in agricultural productivity were an important factor in the growth of the non-agricultural sector in early reform-era China. I obtain plausibly exogenous variation in agricultural productivity growth by exploiting the fact that reforms between 1978 and 1984 were more beneficial to farmers endowed with land suited to cash crops. Then, using a newly digitised panel of economic data for 561 counties, I trace the growth of agricultural and non-agricultural output over forty years. Over the 15 or 25 year periods following the reforms, I estimate elasticities of county level non-agricultural output with respect to agricultural output of 1.2 or 0.8. Several pieces of additional evidence indicate that the linkages identified were primarily due to higher agricultural surpluses increasing the supply of capital to local non-state firms.
Comparison of bone mineral density with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, quantitative ultrasound and single energy x-ray absorptiometry.

OBJECTIVE We conducted this prospective study to establish the correlation between dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and single energy x-ray absorptiometry (SXA) and to establish the role of QUS and SXA as a screening tool for osteoporosis. METHODS We carried out measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine and femoral neck using DXA, QUS of heel using ultrasound densitometer, and BMD of forearm using SXA. We performed all the measurements at the Nuclear Medicine Division of King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between 2002 and 2004. We obtained the measurements of 437 female adult patients, aged 20-87 years. RESULTS We expressed all the values as mean +/- SD. The BMD (g/cm2) of lumbar spine was 1 +/- 0.18, and femoral neck was 0.88 +/- 0.17. The broad band ultrasound attenuation (BUA) of the heel was 74.9 +/- 39.1 dB/MHz, the speed of sound (SOS) was 1542.5 +/- 81.4 m/s, and the estimated BMD was 0.52 +/- 0.15 (g/cm2). The BMD of forearm showed a value of 0.44 +/- 0.10 g/cm2. The best correlation was between absolute values of BMD of lumbar spine and femoral neck (r=0.71, p=0.000). The correlation between BMD of lumbar spine, QUS heel and forearm BMD was significant, but low to moderate (r=0.43-0.64, p=0.000). A strong correlation existed between the various parameters of heel, namely, BUA, SOS and estimated BMD (r=0.85-0.96, p=0.000). We used the World Health Organization (WHO) criterion of T-score to diagnose the patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia with each modality. We diagnosed a maximum number of patients to have osteoporosis with BMD estimation of lumbar spine (31%), followed by femoral neck (14%), forearm (11%), and heel (6%). CONCLUSION The correlation between all modalities was significant, but varied from high to low. It was high between lumbar spine and femoral neck, moderate between lumbar spine and forearm and low between lumbar spine and QUS of heel. When we used the same WHO criterion of T-score (more than -2.5 SD below normal), QUS detected significantly less numbers with osteoporosis. We conclude that with the present cut-off of T-score, the QUS may not be used as a screening tool. It may need some modification of T-score. However, we need larger multi-center studies with a larger number of patients for further validation.
Re-theorizing the ‘structure–agency’ relationship: Figurational theory, organizational change and the Gaelic Athletic Association

This article illustrates how the figurational sociology associated with Norbert Elias provides an alternative theoretical framework for explaining the relationship between, ‘individual-organization-society’ and organizational change, and in so doing transverses what is conceived as a false dichotomy between structure and agency. Through an historical case study of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland, the ‘individual-organization-society’ relationship is conceptualized as overlapping figurations and organizational change is explained as figurational dynamics—the shifting social interdependencies between the individuals and groups comprising an organization, between that organization and other organizations, between social groups on a higher level of integration and competition. In tandem with this, the article illustrates how changes in the sources of power and identity are connected with these figurational dynamics.
Activation of Rac and Cdc42 Video Imaged by Fluorescent Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Single-Molecule Probes in the Membrane of Living Cells

ABSTRACT Rho family G proteins, including Rac and Cdc42, regulate a variety of cellular functions such as morphology, motility, and gene expression. We developed fluorescent resonance energy transfer-based probes which monitored the local balance between the activities of guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins for Rac1 and Cdc42 at the membrane. These probes, named Raichu-Rac and Raichu-Cdc42, consisted of a Cdc42- and Rac-binding domain of Pak, Rac1 or Cdc42, a pair of green fluorescent protein mutants, and a CAAX box of Ki-Ras. With these probes, we video imaged the Rac and Cdc42 activities. In motile HT1080 cells, activities of both Rac and Cdc42 gradually increased toward the leading edge and decreased rapidly when cells changed direction. Under a higher magnification, we observed that Rac activity was highest immediately behind the leading edge, whereas Cdc42 activity was most prominent at the tip of the leading edge. Raichu-Rac and Raichu-Cdc42 were also applied to a rapid and simple assay for the analysis of putative guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) in living cells. Among six putative GEFs and GAPs, we identified KIAA0362/DBS as a GEF for Rac and Cdc42, KIAA1256 as a GEF for Cdc42, KIAA0053 as a GAP for Rac and Cdc42, and KIAA1204 as a GAP for Cdc42. In conclusion, use of these single-molecule probes to determine Rac and Cdc42 activity will accelerate the analysis of the spatiotemporal regulation of Rac and Cdc42 in a living cell.
Adults' and infants' perception of infant-directed speech and song

Infant-directed speech, also sometimes described as “musilanguage”, has acoustic characteristics overlapping with those of infant-directed singing. In the present contribution we determine whether native-English-speaking adults and infants from native-English speaking households discriminate between infant-directed speech and song in a nonnative language and which acoustic features are typical of their speech or song perception. Twentyfour native English-speaking adults rated Russian speech and song samples taken from naturalistic infant-directed recordings. Furthermore, 32 infants (6 to 9 months) were tested in a head-turn preference procedure on a selection of the stimuli rated by adults. Results showed that both infant and adults discriminated between infant-directed speech and singing in a foreign language. In adults, tempo and pitch variability accounted for perceived differences. Moreover, infants, independently of age, attended longer to song than to speech – an intriguing result underlining the importance of studying infantdirected singing and its role for early linguistic development.
Structural proteins of oncogenic ribonucleic acid viruses. Interspec II, a new interspecies antigen.

Abstract Two Rauscher murine leukemia virus polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 69,000 and 71,000 have been purified and characterized. These polypeptides contained a previously undescribed interspecies antigenic determinant of mammalian oncogenic C type RNA viruses (interspec II), as was demonstrated by the reaction of the murine antigen with anti-feline leukemia virus serum. Radioimmunoassay analysis showed that both polypeptides were precipitated by the anti-feline virus serum, indicating that they each contained the interspecies determinant or that they were closely associated and coprecipitated. The interspec II antigen was distinguished from the known gs-3 interspecies antigen (interspec I) and the virus RNA-dependent DNA polymerase by protein purification, physical properties, and immunological analysis. The new antigen was not detected by competition radioimmunoassay in uninfected mouse cells or mouse cells productively infected with vesicular stomatitis virus.
Psychometric properties of the Irish Management Standards Indicator Tool.

BACKGROUND Work Positive is Ireland's national policy initiative to control work-related stress. Since the introduction of the UK Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards (MS) in 2004, a number of studies have been undertaken to assess the potential adaptation of the MS framework within Ireland. AIMS To investigate the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the Irish version of the MS Indicator Tool (ROI-MSIT). METHODS Between February 2011 and June 2014, we collected data from a wide range of public and private sector organizations that used the ROI-MSIT. In addition to the ROI-MSIT, respondents completed the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine whether the ROI-MSIT maintained the structure of the UK instrument. The internal consistency of the ROI-MSIT was also assessed to determine its reliability, while its criterion-related validity was explored through correlation analysis with the WHO-5. RESULTS Data were collected from 7377 participants. The factor structure of the ROI-MSIT consisted of six factors; the Demands, Control, Peer Support, Relationships and Role factors were equivalent to the original UK factors. Like the Italian version, a principal factor emerged that combined the Manager Support and Change domains. Cronbach's alpha scores ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. Finally, the ROI-MSIT's subscales and WHO-5 were positively correlated (r = 0.42-0.59, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The ROI-MSIT is reliable and valid, with a factor structure similar to the original UK instrument and the Italian MSIT. Further psychometric evaluation of the ROI-MSIT is recommended.
Association of haplotypes of β2‐adrenoceptor polymorphisms with lung function and airway responsiveness in a pediatric cohort

We evaluated the influence of haplotypes of β2‐adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) polymorphisms on lung function and airway responsiveness (AR) in a pediatric cohort recruited before birth and followed up to 11 years of age. The subjects (180) were the participants in a prospective study of lung function and AR. They have been assessed five times (at 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, 6 and 11 years of age) for lung function and AR. The two ADRB2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu were genotyped by PCR‐RLFP and their haplotypes inferred using the program PHASE. An association between the haplotype arg16gln27 and the prevalence of positive AR was found at age 6 years (P = 0.009). The gly16gln27 haplotype was associated with higher FEV1 (P = 0.015) at age 6 and both higher FEV1 and FVC (P = 0.018 and P = 0.001, respectively) at age 11. In contrast, arg16gln27 was associated with both lower FEV1 and FVC (P = 0.028 and P = 0.011, respectively) at age 11. Children with the gly16gln27 haplotype were less likely to have asthma‐ever or doctor‐diagnosed asthma at age 11 (OR: 0.38; P = 0.019 and OR: 0.31; P = 0.041, respectively). In conclusion, haplotypes of β2‐adrenoceptor polymorphisms are associated with lung function, AR, and asthma susceptibility in childhood. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2006; 41: 1233–1241. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Automatic Label Correction and Appliance Prioritization in Single Household Electricity Disaggregation

Electricity disaggregation focuses on classification of individual appliances by monitoring aggregate electrical signals. In this paper we present a novel algorithm to automatically correct labels, discard contaminated training samples, and boost signal to noise ratio through high frequency noise reduction. We also propose a method for prioritized classification which classifies appliances with the most intense signals first. When tested on four houses in Kaggles Belkin dataset, these methods automatically relabel over 77% of all training samples and decrease error rate by an average of 45% in both real power and high frequency noise classification.
A longitudinal study of abnormalities on MRI and disability from multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND In patients with isolated syndromes that are clinically suggestive of multiple sclerosis, such as optic neuritis or brain-stem or spinal cord syndromes, the presence of lesions as determined by T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain increases the likelihood that multiple sclerosis will develop. We sought to determine the relation between early lesion volume, changes in volume, and long-term disability. METHODS Seventy-one patients in a serial MRI study of patients with isolated syndromes were reassessed after a mean of 14.1 years. Disability was measured with the use of Kurtzke's Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS; possible range, 0 to 10, with a higher score indicating a greater degree of disability). RESULTS Clinically definite multiple sclerosis developed in 44 of the 50 patients (88 percent) with abnormal results on MRI at presentation and in 4 of 21 patients (19 percent) with normal results on MRI. The median EDSS score at follow-up for those with multiple sclerosis was 3.25 (range, 0 to 10); 31 percent had an EDSS score of 6 or more (including three patients whose deaths were due to multiple sclerosis). The EDSS score at 14 years correlated moderately with lesion volume on MRI at 5 years (r=0.60) and with the increase in lesion volume over the first 5 years (r=0.61). CONCLUSIONS In patients who first present with isolated syndromes suggestive of multiple sclerosis, the increases in the volume of the lesions seen on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in the first five years correlate with the degree of long-term disability from multiple sclerosis. This relation is only moderate, so the volume of the lesions alone may not be an adequate basis for decisions about the use of disease-modifying treatment.
Updated assessment of the association of the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with lung cancer risk in the Chinese population.

BACKGROUND Published studies have reported relationships between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln polymorphism and lung cancer risk in Chinese population. However, the epidemiological results remained controversial. The objective of this study was to clarify the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with lung cancer risk in the Chinese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Systematic searches were performed through the database of Medline/Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI and WanFang Medical Online. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of the association. RESULTS Overall, we observed an increased lung cancer risk among subjects carrying XRCC1 codon 399 Gln/Gln genotype (OR=1.36, 95%CI: 1.09-1.71) in the Chinese population on the basis of 19 studies with 5,416 cases and 5,782 controls. We did not observe any association between XRCC1 codon 399 Arg/Gln and Arg/Gln+Gln/Gln polymorphisms and lung cancer risk (OR=1.00, 95%CI: 0.92-1.08 and OR=1.05, 95%CI: 0.97- 1.13, respectively). Limiting the analysis to studies with controls in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), we observed an increased lung cancer risk among subjects carrying XRCC1 codon 399 Gln/Gln genotype (OR=1.18, 95%CI: 1.01-1.38). When stratified by source of control, we observed an increased lung cancer risk among subjects carrying XRCC1 codon 399 Arg/Gln+Gln/Gln genotype on the basis of hospitalized patient-based controls (OR=1.21, 95%CI: 1.04-1.42) and among subjects carrying XRCC1 codon 399 Gln/Gln genotype on the basis of healthy subject-based controls (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.04-1.43). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicated that certain XRCC1 Arg399Gln variants might affect the susceptibility of lung cancer in Chinese population. Larger sample size studies are required to confirm our findings.
Effect of a family history of psoriasis and age on comorbidities and quality of life in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: Results from the ARIZONA study

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease whose clinical characteristics vary from patient to patient. We aimed to analyze how comorbidities and quality of life (QoL, as per the Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]) may be affected by a family history of psoriasis and by age. The ARIZONA study was a multicenter, cross‐sectional study in 1022 adult patients diagnosed with moderate to severe psoriasis at least 6 months prior to inclusion. The severity of psoriasis and the proportion of patients with comorbidities were not affected by the presence of a family history. The regression analysis revealed that the presence of a family history of psoriasis was associated with the effect on the patient's QoL (P = 0.002), regardless of disease severity. The mean DLQI total score varied significantly across age groups (5.1 ± 5.3 for the 18–30‐year group, 5.7 ± 6.5 for the 31–60‐year group and 3.8 ± 5.1 for the >60‐year group; P = 0.001). In conclusion, the presence of a family history of psoriasis appears to disrupt QoL in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, but it hardly affected the prevalence of comorbid conditions. The effect of age on QoL was particularly noticeable in younger patients, highlighting its negative impact. As expected, older patients appeared to be burdened with a higher number of comorbidities than their younger counterparts.
Effects of Racial Prejudice on the Health of Communities: A Multilevel Survival Analysis.

OBJECTIVES We examined whether and how racial prejudice at both the individual and community levels contributes to mortality risk among majority as well as minority group members. METHODS We used data on racial attitudes from the General Social Survey (1993-2002) prospectively linked to mortality data from the National Death Index through 2008. RESULTS Whites and Blacks living in communities with higher levels of racial prejudice were at an elevated risk of mortality, independent of individual and community sociodemographic characteristics and individually held racist beliefs (odds ratio = 1.24; 95% confidence interval = 1.04, 1.49). Living in a highly prejudiced community had similar harmful effects among both Blacks and Whites. Furthermore, the interaction observed between individual- and community-level racial prejudice indicated that respondents with higher levels of racial prejudice had lower survival rates if they lived in communities with low degrees of racial prejudice. Community-level social capital explained the relationship between community racial prejudice and mortality. CONCLUSIONS Community-level racial prejudice may disrupt social capital, and reduced social capital is associated with increased mortality risk among both Whites and Blacks. Our results contribute to an emerging body of literature documenting the negative consequences of prejudice for population health.
Observed subseasonal variability of oceanic barrier and compensated layers.

Abstract A monthly gridded analysis of barrier-layer and compensated-layer width based on observed vertical profiles of temperature and salinity and covering the period 1960–2007 is explored for evidence of subseasonal variability and its causes. In the subtropics and midlatitudes this variability is mostly evident during the local cold season when barrier layers and compensated layers are present. There is significant variability of anomalous (nonseasonal) barrier-layer and compensated-layer width on interannual periods, while in the North Pacific longer-term changes are also detectable. In the winter North Pacific a salinity-stratified barrier layer exists at subpolar latitudes. Farther south along the Kuroshio Extension a compensated layer exists. The width of the barrier layer varies from year to year by up to 60 m while compensated-layer width varies by half as much. During the observation period the barrier-layer width decreased in response to a strengthening of the Aleutian low pressure system, the.