Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cyclical training enhances the melanophore responses of zebrafish to background colours

Zebrafish respond to visual stimuli to adapt their body colour to the background. If, rather than being a simple on/off reaction to visual stimulation, the colour change involves cognitive and memory‐related processes, training fish with cyclical changes of the background would be expected to increase its ability to change colour. To test this, we developed a standardized procedure for quantifying the responses of melanophores to background changes in living adult specimens of leopard, a zebrafish mutant with spotted stripes. After training with 2‐day cyclical alternation of white and black backgrounds for over 20 days, the proportion of the melanosome‐filled area of dorsal melanophores, which was 20% on the black background before the training, increased up to 97%. In these trained fish, a rapid melanosome aggregation occurred within 10 s of the background change from black to white. The results indicate that the zebrafish melanophore responses can be modulated by learning, in which areal and speed control of melanosome movement are important for dispersion and aggregation, respectively.
Role of Endoscopic Ultrasonography in Esophageal Carcinoma

One hundred and sixty seven consecutive patients with esophageal carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma: n = 108, adenocarcinoma: n = 59) who underwent surgery were preoperatively examined by endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and the results were compared with intraoperative exploration and histopathological evaluation of resection specimens. The T and N stage were correctly determined by EUS in 86% and 73%, respectively. The assessment of the T stage for cases with traversable (n = 124) versus non-traversable (n = 43) tumor stenoses was 85% and 70%, respectively. Prediction of resectability by EUS (89%) was correct for adenocarcinoma (82% actual R0 resection rate), but not for squamous cell cancer (64%). This was due to the high incidence of submucosal microscopic tumor spread of squamous cell cancer not detectable on EUS. We consider EUS an indispensable diagnostic tool in the local staging of esophageal cancer since it provides important information in the assessment of resectability, aids in therapeutic decisions and in determining the prognosis. Our comparably low rate of primary surgery (66%) and the high resection rate of 95% are due to the exact preoperative staging by EUS.
Consanguineous marriages in Jordan: why is the rate changing with time?

The objective of this study was to explore the secular trend in consanguinity in Jordan and the subtypes of consanguineous marriages that may be undergoing a change. A total of 1032 individuals attending a diabetic clinic in Amman were interviewed. The questionnaire provided information on consanguinity status and date of marriage among three generations: the persons interviewed, their parents, parents of their spouses and their offspring. Data on consanguinity status among 5401 marriages was obtained. Generations were named generation 1 for marriages contracted before 1950, generation 2 for marriages contracted between 1950 and 1979, and generation 3 for marriages contracted after 1980. For generations 1, 2, and 3, first‐cousin marriages constituted 20.2, 28.5 and 19.5% of all marriages, respectively, while the subtype of paternal parallel first‐cousin marriages constituted 75.6, 60.3 and 43.3% of all first‐cousin marriages, respectively. The offspring of first‐cousin parents were significantly more prone to marry their relatives than the offspring of non‐consanguineous parents, with rates of first‐cousin marriages among offspring of first‐cousin parents and non‐related parents constituting 25.3 and 17.1% of all marriages, respectively. For generations 1, 2 and 3, the average coefficient of inbreeding was 0.0135, 0.02 and 0.0142, respectively. In conclusion, first‐cousin marriage rate among a representative population from Amman showed a significant decline among marriages contracted after 1980 compared to marriages contracted between 1950 and 1979, but not to marriages contracted before 1950. The proportion of paternal parallel first cousins among first‐cousin marriages showed a steady decline from one generation to the next.
Topic Document Model Approach for Naive Bayes Text Classification

The multinomial naive Bayes model has been widely used for probabilistic text classification. However, the parameter estimation for this model sometimes generates inappropriate probabilities. In this paper, we propose a topic document model for the multinomial naive Bayes text classification, where the parameters are estimated from normalized term frequencies of each training document. Experiments are conducted on Reuters 21578 and 20 Newsgroup collections, and our proposed approach obtained a significant improvement in performance compared to the traditional multinomial naive Bayes.
A probabilistic mobile text entry system for agglutinative languages

In this work, a probabilistic mobile text entry system based on statistical language models is proposed. Mobile devices having limited keyboards usually produce ambiguous inputs due to multiple letter assignment to each key. Faster typing can be achieved by predicting the intended word which decreases the number of required keystrokes. Currently available methodologies mostly rely on dictionaries, which are impractical for agglutinative languages. The complex morphological structure of these languages gives rise to very high number of word forms that cannot be efficiently covered by any dictionary. The proposed system uses n-gram letter probabilities and K Best Viterbi decoding to generate a list of predictions. The dictionary based method and the proposed probabilistic system are evaluated against a typical agglutinative language, Turkish. The experimental results indicate that the proposed system outperforms the dictionary based method with a 33% improvement in performance.
Variability in fitness effects and the limitations of lineage selection

Natural selection is sensitive not only to the effect of a trait on total number of offspring produced but also to how a trait affects an individual’s entire lineage of descendants. Here we show how a large number of seemingly disparate evolutionary problems, including sex, evolvability, and cooperation, all share the property that fitness varies among members of a lineage. This feature makes it difficult to summarize the evolutionary fate of an allele based solely on its effects on individual reproduction. We show that attempts to average over this variability are often justified, but can sometimes cause misleading results. We then describe a number of intriguing new evolutionary phenomena that have emerged in studies that explicitly model the fate of alleles that influence long-term lineage dynamics. We conclude with prospects for generalizations of population genetics theory and discuss how this theory might be applied to the evolution of infectious diseases.
How not to revisit Highway 61: Negative repetition effects in a post-cue naming task

Repetition effects were studied in a post-cue naming task, in which participants were cued to name one of two stimuli following their presentation. When pairs of pictures were repeated in a second block, former distractors (not named in Block 1) were named faster than former targets (named in Block 1). This negative repetition effect was not found when two words rather than two pictures were used or when a semantic categorization task was used with two pictures. From this we conclude that the effect reflects a process of mapping from a semantic representation to a name. Negative repetition was not found with a simultaneous selection cue, suggesting that it arose only when there was competition for name selection. It was also dependent on memory for previous acts of semantic naming. We propose that negative repetition reflects a form of speech monitoring that is applied when there is competition in the process of mapping from semantic to name representations.
Block by amiloride and its derivatives of mechano‐electrical transduction in outer hair cells of mouse cochlear cultures.

1. The effects of amiloride and amiloride derivatives on mechano‐electrical transducer currents in outer hair cells of the cultured neonatal mouse cochlea were examined under whole‐cell voltage clamp. 2. At ‐84 mV transducer currents were reversibly blocked by the extracellular application of the pyrazinecarboxamides amiloride, benzamil, dimethylamiloride, hexamethyleneiminoamiloride, phenamil and methoxynitroiodobenzamil with half‐blocking concentrations of 53, 5.5, 40, 4.3, 12 and 1.8 microM, respectively. Hill coefficients were determined for all but the last of these compounds and were 1.7, 1.6, 1.0, 2.2 and 1.6, respectively, suggesting that two drug molecules co‐operatively block the transducer channel. 3. Both the structure‐activity sequence for amiloride and its derivatives and the mechanism of the block of the transducer channel appear to be different from those reported for the high‐affinity amiloride‐sensitive epithelial Na+ channels but similar to those of stretch‐activated channels in Xenopus oocytes. 4. The block by all pyrazinecarboxamides was voltage dependent with positive membrane potentials releasing the block. The form of the voltage dependence is consistent with a voltage‐independent binding of the drug to a site that is accessible at hyperpolarized but not at depolarized potentials, suggesting that the transducer channel undergoes a voltage‐dependent conformational change. The channel was not blocked by 1 mM amiloride from the intracellular side at either negative or positive membrane potentials. 5. The kinetics of the block were studied using force steps or voltage jumps. The results suggest that the drug binding site is only accessible when the transducer channel is open (open‐channel block) and that the channel cannot close when the drug molecules are bound. 6. The time dependence and voltage dependence of the block together reveal that the transducer channel has at least two open conformational states, the transition between which is voltage dependent.
C-Terminal truncations of syncytin-1 (ERVWE1 envelope) that increase its fusogenicity

Abstract Syncytin-1, the envelope protein of ERVWE1, an endogenous retrovirus of the HERV-W family, plays an important role in regulating fusion of the placental trophoblast. At least one of its receptors is expressed on a variety of human cell types. Its ability to fuse cells makes it an attractive candidate molecule in gene therapy against cancer. We studied the relevance of sequences in the cytoplasmic tail of syncytin-1 for inducing cell-cell fusion. We generated a series of C-terminally truncated syncytin-1 variants. Sequences immediately adjacent to the transmembrane region of syncytin-1 were necessary for inducing optimal fusion, whereas the extreme C-terminus of syncytin-1 partially inhibited its fusogenicity. Two variants of syncytin-1, truncated after residues 483 and 515, were significantly hyperfusogenic compared to wild-type syncytin-1. Cellular and cell-surface expression levels of these two variant proteins were similar to those of wild-type syncytin-1. In testing the latter we found that only a very minor portion of recombinantly expressed cellular syncytin-1 was fully mature and expressed on the cell surface. Our results contribute to the understanding of the structure-function relationship of syncytin-1, and might have implications for the use of this molecule in gene therapy.
Newborn calf welfare: A review focusing on mortality rates

Abstract Calf mortality control is vitally important for farmers, not only to improve animal welfare, but also to increase productivity. High calf mortality rates can be related to larger numbers of calves in a herd, employee performance, severe weather, and the neonatal period covering the first 4 weeks of life. Although the basic premise of preventing newborn calf mortality is early detection and treatment of calves at risk for failure of passive transfer of immunoglobulins, calf mortality due to infectious diseases such as acute diarrhea increases in the presence of these physical and psychological stressors. This suggests that farmers should not ignore the effects of secondary environmental factors. For prevention rather than cure, the quality of the environment should be improved, which will improve not only animal welfare but also productivity. This paper presents a review of the literature on newborn calf mortality and discusses its productivity implications.
Correlates of Unmet Need for Contraception in Ethiopia: Evidence from 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

The highest proportion of unmet need for contraception is found in sub-Saharan Africa. Although unmet need for contraception declined from 36% in 2000 to 25% in 2011 in Ethiopia, it is still far from satisfying the demand. The data for this study is obtained from the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify correlates of unmet need for contraception. Accordingly, 18% of women have unmet need for spacing and 9.6% for limiting. Age, educational level, number of children and religion were significant correlates of unmet needs for spacing and limiting. In addition, place of residence was significant correlate for spacing while age at marriage and knowledge of contraceptives were significant correlates for limiting. Expanding contraceptive accessibility and methods mix in rural areas; empowering women; and engaging religious and community leaders in educating the community about family planning (FP) are recommendations to satisfy the demand of contraception.
PAI-1 gene 4G/5G polymorphism, cytokine levels and their relations with metabolic parameters in obese children

Summary Obesity is associated with the changes of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) levels. However, the precise effect of the 4G allele on obesity is still contradictory. Here, we aimed to elucidate the role of the 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene on the PAI-1 level and determine the associations between cytokines, glucose and lipid metabolism parameters in obese children. Thirty-nine obese children (mean age 11.4 ± 3.3 years) and 38 age-matched healthy control group (mean age 10.3 ± 3.5 years) were included in the study. In all cases, serum levels of glucose, lipid and insulin were measured, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) was calculated, and 4G/5G polymorphism of PAI-1 gene, plasma PAI-1 level and serum TNFα and TGFβ levels were studied. The mean relative body mass index (BMI) and HOMA-IR score, VLDL,TG, insulin, PAI-1,TNFα levels were higher, and HDL and TGFβ levels were lower in the obese group. The frequency of the 4G/4G genotype was considerably higher in obese children than in controls. Also, a positive correlation was found between PAI-1 and TNFα levels, and relative BMI, HOMA-IR score, insulin,TG, HDL levels. TGFβ was inversely correlated only with relative BMI. There was no correlation among three cytokines. In conclusion, childhood obesity contributes to higher PAI-1 andTNFα and lowerTGFβ levels. Especially PAI-1 andTNFα accompany insulin resistance and dyslipidemia.
Effects of a 15-Day Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat Diet in Resistance-Trained Men

Abstract Waldman, HS, Krings, BM, Basham, SA, Smith, JW, Fountain, BJ, and McAllister, MJ. Effects of a 15-day low carbohydrate, high-fat diet in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3103–3111, 2018—This study examined the effects of a 15-day isocaloric low carbohydrate (<25% E), high-fat (>50% E) (LCHF) diet on physiological and metabolic alterations in resistance-trained (RT) men. College-aged RT men (n = 11) completed 4 V[Combining Dot Above]O2max tests using treadmill every 5 days during the 15-day trial. Blood was drawn intravenously pre-exercise across each experimental trial for insulin, cortisol, and glucose. Pulmonary data were collected and substrate oxidation (OXI) was calculated during exercise. Body mass decreased (p < 0.04) with no further changes in anthropometric measures. Time to exhaustion was not affected across each day. Insulin dropped below baseline values (p < 0.0005). Cortisol increased from baseline to day 5 (p < 0.004) but returned back to near baseline at day 10, whereas glucose remained within normal range throughout the duration of the study. Carbohydrate (CHO) OXI dropped (p < 0.001) from baseline to day 5, and fat OXI increased from baseline to day 5 (p < 0.0001). Heart rate decreased from baseline to day 5 (p < 0.001) and again from day 10 to 15 (p < 0.02). Oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) decreased from day 5 to 10 (p < 0.0001). A nonketo LCHF diet appears to favor RT men by altering metabolic markers without decrements in aerobic performance and be a potential diet intervention used by coaches. However, the reported cardiorespiratory responses should be interpreted reasonably because of the possibility the subjects running economy improved over experimental trials.
Bortezomib cumulative dose, efficacy, and tolerability with three different bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone regimens in previously untreated myeloma patients ineligible for high-dose therapy

Substantial efficacy has been demonstrated with bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone in phase III studies in transplant-ineligible myeloma patients using various twice-weekly and once-weekly bortezomib dosing schedules. In VISTA, the regimen comprised four 6-week twice-weekly cycles, plus five 6-week once-weekly cycles. In the GIMEMA MM-03-05 study, the bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone regimen was either per VISTA (‘GIMEMA twice-weekly’), or comprised nine 5-week once-weekly cycles (‘GIMEMA once-weekly’). In the GEM2005MAS65 study, the regimen comprised one 6-week twice-weekly cycle, plus five 5-week once-weekly cycles. We evaluated the cumulative bortezomib dose administered during bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone, as well as efficacy and tolerability, using patient-level study data. Over all bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone cycles (nine in VISTA/GIMEMA; six in GEM2005MAS65), the median cumulative bortezomib dose administered was 38.5, 42.1, 40.3, and 32.9 mg/m2 in VISTA, GIMEMA twice-weekly, GIMEMA once-weekly, and GEM2005MAS65, respectively, and the respective proportions of planned bortezomib dose actually delivered were 57.0%, 62.3%, 86.1%, and 90.4%. Response rates following bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone were 74–87% and appeared generally similar between studies. Three-year survival rates were 67.9–75.7% across studies. Grade 3/4 peripheral neuropathy rates were 13% in VISTA and 14% in GIMEMA twice-weekly, but were lower at 2% in GIMEMA once-weekly and 7% in GEM2005MAS65. Discontinuations and bortezomib dose reductions due to peripheral neuropathy were reduced in GIMEMA once-weekly versus VISTA and GIMEMA twice-weekly. Exclusive or predominant use of once-weekly bortezomib dosing in GIMEMA once-weekly and GEM2005MAS65 resulted in high efficacy, comparable with that demonstrated in VISTA, and similar cumulative bortezomib dose with reduced toxicity. Trials are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: VISTA (Identifier:00111319), GIMEMA MM-03-05 (Identifier:01063179), and GEM2005MAS65 (Identifier:00443235).
Preparation of Specifically Labeled 14C-(Lignin)- and 14C-(Cellulose)-Lignocelluloses and Their Decomposition by the Microflora of Soil

Microbial decomposition of lignocellulose in soil was studied using radioisotope techniques. Natural lignocelluloses containing 14C in either their lignin or cellulose (glucan) components were prepared by feeding plants l-[U-14C]phenylalanine or d-[U-14C]glucose, respectively, through their cut stems. Detailed chemical and chromatographic characterization of labeled lignocelluloses from three hardwood and three softwood species showed that those labeled by the [14C]glucose incorporation method contained specifically labeled cellulosic components, whereas those labeled by the [14C]phenylalanine incorporation method contained specifically labeled lignin components. Microbial degradation of these differentially labeled lignocelluloses was followed by monitoring 14CO2 evolution from selected soil samples incubated with known amounts of radiolabeled lignocelluloses. The lignin components of the six woods were shown to be decomposed in soil 4 to 10 times more slowly than their cellulosic components. These rates of mineralization were comparable to the generalized patterns previously reported in the literature. The present technique, however, was thought to be simpler, more sensitive, and less prone to interference than methods previously available.
Targeted Disruption of NFATc3, but Not NFATc4, Reveals an Intrinsic Defect in Calcineurin-Mediated Cardiac Hypertrophic Growth

ABSTRACT A calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) regulatory pathway has been implicated in the control of cardiac hypertrophy, suggesting one mechanism whereby alterations in intracellular calcium handling are linked to the expression of hypertrophy-associated genes. Although recent studies have demonstrated a necessary role for calcineurin as a mediator of cardiac hypertrophy, the potential involvement of NFAT transcription factors as downstream effectors of calcineurin signaling has not been evaluated. Accordingly, mice with targeted disruptions in NFATc3 and NFATc4 genes were characterized. Whereas the loss of NFATc4 did not compromise the ability of the myocardium to undergo hypertrophic growth, NFATc3-null mice demonstrated a significant reduction in calcineurin transgene-induced cardiac hypertrophy at 19 days, 26 days, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 10 weeks of age. NFATc3-null mice also demonstrated attenuated pressure overload- and angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy. These results provide genetic evidence that calcineurin-regulated responses require NFAT effectors in vivo.
Craniofacial sutures: Morphology, growth, and in vivo masticatory strains

The growth and morphology of craniofacial sutures are thought to reflect their functional environment. However, little is known about in vivo sutural mechanics. The present study investigates the strains experienced by the internasal, nasofrontal, and anterior interfrontal sutures during masticatory activity in 4–6‐month‐old miniature swine (Sus scrofa). Measurements of the bony/fibrous arrangements and growth rates of these sutures were then examined in the context of their mechanical environment. Large tensile strains were measured in the interfrontal suture (1,036 μϵ ± 400 SD), whereas the posterior internasal suture was under moderate compression (−440 μϵ ± 238) and the nasofrontal suture experienced large compression (−1,583 μϵ ± 506). Sutural interdigitation was associated with compressive strain. The collagen fibers of the internasal and interfrontal sutures were clearly arranged to resist compression and tension, respectively, whereas those of the nasofrontal suture could not be readily characterized as either compression or tension resisting. The average linear rate of growth over a 1‐week period at the nasofrontal suture (133.8 μm, ± 50.9 S.D) was significantly greater than that of both the internasal and interfrontal sutures (39.2 μm ± 11.4 and 65.5 μm ± 14.0, respectively). Histological observations suggest that the nasofrontal suture contains chondroid tissue, which may explain the unexpected combination of high compressive loading and rapid growth in this suture. J. Morphol. 242:167–179, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.