Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Valid and Reliable Measures of Postural Stability

Abstract Background/Objective: The development of simple postural stability tests that relate to performance of activities of daily living (ADL) and can be quickly performed in a clinical setting may assist clinicians in determining appropriate wheelchair configurations and postural supports in an efficient manner. The study's purpose was to validate 3 clinical measures of reach-functional reach (FR), reach area (RA), and bilateral reach (BR)-against the performance of ADL tasks. Methods: Two groups of 20 subjects differing by time since spinal cord injury were tested. Three measures of reach-FR, RA, and BR-were recorded with and without permitting compensatory strategies. Subjects also attempted a series of ADL tasks. Group 2 subjects participated in test-retest reliability of the reach measures and to measure reach while using compensatory strategies. Correlation, ANOVA, and linear regression were used for analysis. Results: Regression analysis showed that injury level was a significant predictor of success in performing ADL tasks (%ADL). Significant but not strong correlations were found between %ADL and all uncompen-sated reach measures. Within Group 2 subjects, compensated FR (r= 0.663) and RA (r= 0.647) were more related to the %ADL score than the uncompensated FR (r= 0.348) and RA (r= 0.305) measurements. BR had the strongest relationship with %ADL scores (P = 0.031) and was the only significant uncompensated reach measurement within the regression analyses. Discussion and Conclusion: While working with clients on seated stability and functional movement, clinicians should be encouraged to incorporate BR tasks because it has the strongest relationship to ADL performance. Researchers interested in studying postural control and stability during functional tasks should consider using uncompensated reach measures.
Predicting the risk of dialysis and transplant among patients with CKD: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Providers need a reliable way to identify patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the highest risk of progression to end-stage renal disease so they can intervene to slow progression and refer patients to nephrology for comanagement. We developed a risk score to predict the 5-year risk of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with stage 3 or 4 CKD. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS Participants were members of a health maintenance organization and met Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative criteria for stage 3 or 4 CKD during 1999 or 2000: two estimated glomerular filtration rate values of 15 to 59 mL/min/1.73 m(2). PREDICTOR Characteristics collected during routine clinical practice. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS We ascertained the onset of RRT (dialysis or kidney transplantation) using the health maintenance organization databases. Cox regression predicted patient risk of RRT and generated a risk scoring system. RESULTS 9,782 patients experienced a 3.3% five-year progression to RRT (95% confidence interval, 2.9 to 3.7). Using 6 characteristics (age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, diabetes, anemia, and hypertension), the risk score discriminated the highest risk patients effectively: 19.0% of patients in the highest risk quintile experienced progression, and 0.2% of patients in the lowest risk quintile experienced progression. The c statistic also showed effective discrimination: 0.89 on a scale of 0.5 to 1.0. Predicted and observed risks agreed within 1.0%--effective calibration. We present a range of predicted risk cutoff values from 1% to 20% and their test properties for decision makers' consideration. LIMITATIONS Characteristics were measured without a protocol. CONCLUSIONS The risk score can help providers identify patients with CKD at the highest risk of progression to improve referral to nephrology for comanagement. A separate risk score for mortality also is needed.
Histology, histochemistry, and emptying mechanism of the venom glands of some elapid snakes

The venom glands of several species of elapid snakes are described. The main venom gland consists of many tubules which usually contain large amounts of secretion product. The accessory gland surrounds the entire venom duct and is usually composed of uniform mucous epithelium. The epithelium lining the tubules of the accessory gland of Naja naja is composed of two distinct types of cells. Histochemical tests indicate that the main venom gland reacts with mercury bromphenol blue and PAS but not with alcian blue. The accessory gland reacts with PAS and alcian blue, and not with mercury bromphenol blue. Treatment of sections with sialidase demonstrates the presence of a sialomucin in the accessory gland. Stimulation of the muscles associated with the venom gland offers an indication of the venom expulsion mechanism of Bungarus caeruleus. A comparison of the venom apparatus of elapid and viperid snakes emphasizes marked differences in the internal anatomy of the venom glands, muscles associated with the gland, and arrangement of glandular components. The morphological differences and dissimilar venom expulsion mechanisms support the recent view of the polyphyletic origin of venomous snakes.
Cre‐inducible site‐specific recombination in zebrafish oligodendrocytes

Background: The conditional Cre/lox system has recently emerged as a valuable tool for studies on both embryonic and adult Zebrafish. Temporal control and site‐specific recombination are achieved by using the ligand‐inducible CreERT2 and administration of the drug tamoxifen (TAM) or its active metabolite, 4‐Hydroxytamoxifen (4‐OHT). Results: Here we report the generation of a transgenic Zebrafish line, which expresses an mCherry‐tagged variant of CreERT2 under the control of the myelin basic protein a (mbpa) promoter. Our analysis shows that larval and adult expression of the transgene recapitulates the endogenous mbpa expression pattern in oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, combination with a Cre‐dependent EGFP reporter results in EGFP‐expressing oligodendrocytes in the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerve in TAM‐ or 4‐OHT‐treated larvae and 4‐month‐old fish, but not in untreated controls. Conclusions: The transgenic Zebrafish line Tg(mbpa:mCherry‐T2A‐CreERT2) elicits CreERT2 expression specifically in myelinating glia cells. Cre‐inducible targeted recombination of genes in oligodendrocytes will be useful to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms of myelination in vivo during development (myelination) and regeneration (remyelination) after injury to the central nervous system (CNS). It will also allow targeted expression and overexpression of genes of interest (transgenes) in oligodendrocytes at defined developmental and adult stages. Developmental Dynamics 246:41–49, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In vivo antimalarial action of a lipophilic iron (III) chelator: Suppression of plasmodium vinckei infection by reversed siderophore

We assessed in vivo antimalarial action of a lipophilic iron (III) chelator belonging to a new synthetic family of biomimetic siderophores previously termed reversed siderophores (RSFs). The family member, RSF ileum2, was chosen for its high membrane permeability and fast irreversible inhibition of human malaria parasite growth in vitro. [Shanzer A, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:6585, 1991 and Lytton SD, et al., Blood 81:214, 1993]. The lipophilic drug was administered to Swiss mice by subcutaneous route in fractionated coconut oil at a dosage of 0.37 g/kg every 8 hr with no adverse reactions observed. After 3–4 injections demonstrable suppression of Plasmodium vinckei petteri infection was observed and an additional 3–4 injections resulted in 2–3‐fold lower parasitemia with prolonged survival time over sham‐injected control mice.
Incremental Computation of Set Difference Views

Views can be computed by means of recomputation or they can be computed incrementally. Incremental view computation outperforms view recomputation in many situations. This is particularly true in distributed database environments such as data warehousing environments. The authors present and analyze two algorithms for the incremental computation of relational set difference views. Set differences occur naturally in the definition of the set-division operator and in rewritten nested queries. The I/O efficiency of the incremental algorithms is compared to each other and to efficient recomputation algorithms. The cost analysis strongly indicates that incremental computation of set difference views outperforms recomputation of set difference views in many situations.
A survey of usability capability maturity models: implications for practice and research

Improving the position and effectiveness of user-centred design (UCD) in software and product development is a challenge in many companies. One step towards improvements is to carry out a usability capability maturity (UCM) assessment to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a development organisation in UCD. While several diverse UCM models have been introduced, little research has been published in the public domain on these models. The paper aims to fill this gap by analysing the main features of the models. The results show that most models represent different approaches – although some of them have the same roots – meaning that understanding one model is not enough to understand the basics of another model. All models can be used for examining the status of UCD in individual development projects. In addition, models provide various means for assessment of the status of UCD in other organisational areas. The level of documentation of models varies a lot, and very few empirical research results exist. Based on the results, implications for practice and research are suggested.
The Arabidopsis RING E3 Ubiquitin Ligase AtAIRP3/LOG2 Participates in Positive Regulation of High-Salt and Drought Stress Responses1[C][W][OA]

A ubiquitin ligase has dual functions in ABA-mediated drought stress and in amino acid export in Arabidopsis. Really Interesting New Gene (RING) E3 ubiquitin ligases have been implicated in cellular responses to the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) as well as to environmental stresses in higher plants. Here, an ABA-insensitive RING protein3 (atairp3) loss-of-function mutant line in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was isolated due to its hyposensitivity to ABA during its germination stage as compared with wild-type plants. AtAIRP3 contains a single C3HC4-type RING motif, a putative myristoylation site, and a domain associated with RING2 (DAR2) domain. Unexpectedly, AtAIRP3 was identified as LOSS OF GDU2 (LOG2), which was recently shown to participate in an amino acid export system via interaction with GLUTAMINE DUMPER1. Thus, AtAIRP3 was renamed as AtAIRP3/LOG2. Transcript levels of AtAIRP3/LOG2 were up-regulated by drought, high salinity, and ABA, suggesting a role for this factor in abiotic stress responses. The atairp3/log2-2 knockout mutant and 35S:AtAIRP3-RNAi knockdown transgenic plants displayed impaired ABA-mediated seed germination and stomata closure. Cosuppression and complementation studies further supported a positive role for AtAIRP3/LOG2 in ABA responses. Suppression of AtAIRP3/LOG2 resulted in marked hypersensitive phenotypes toward high salinity and water deficit relative to wild-type plants. These results suggest that Arabidopsis RING E3 AtAIRP3/LOG2 is a positive regulator of the ABA-mediated drought and salt stress tolerance mechanism. Using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid, in vitro, and in vivo immunoprecipitation, cell-free protein degradation, and in vitro ubiquitination assays, RESPONSIVE TO DEHYDRATION21 was identified as a substrate protein of AtAIRP3/LOG2. Collectively, our data suggest that AtAIRP3/LOG2 plays dual functions in ABA-mediated drought stress responses and in an amino acid export pathway in Arabidopsis.
A case-control study of protection against tuberculosis by BCG revaccination in Recife, Brazil.

SETTING Metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil. OBJECTIVE To estimate the additional protection against tuberculosis (TB) provided by a second dose of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. DESIGN Case-control study. Cases were cases of TB newly diagnosed by the TB control programme, independent of clinical form. Three matched neighbourhood controls were selected using a systematic routine, starting from the case's address. The matching was within the age groups 7-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years. RESULTS Analysis was conducted among 169 cases and 477 controls. For the efficacy of BCG revaccination against TB overall, matched (crude) vaccine effectiveness (VE) was -3 (95% CI -50-29) and matched (adjusted) VE was 8 (95% CI -77-52). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that a second dose of BCG does not offer additional protection. Revaccination should not be offered. As large numbers of subjects are already vaccinated and vaccine appears to offer some protection in older subjects, further studies with larger sample sizes could investigate the potential efficacy of revaccination with BCG in the age group > or = 15 years.
National Interests in International Society

Martha Finnemore gir i sin bok National Interests in International Society et fint bidrag til den konstruktivistiske debatten innen fagfeltet internasjonal politikk. Boka er et resultat av at den kalde krigens dager er over. Under den kalde krigen og dens endimensjonale sikkerhetsbilde var realismen eller nyrealismen et fruktbart perspektiv for a beskrive internasjonal politikk. Da vi sa enden pa denne perioden med Murens fall i 1989, fikk det store konsekvenser for den teoretiske debatten i fagfeltet. En stormakt var borte, og USA sto alene igjen. Hvordan skulle man na definere det internasjonale systemets natur? Hva var na USAs interesser pa den internasjonale arena? Hva star USA for, hvilke normer og verdier bekjenner man seg til? Under den kalde krigen var de politiske frontene klare, stormaktene fa og deres interesser lette a definere og sto som en kausal forklaringsfaktor for statlig adferd. Det var liten debatt omkring disse interessene – hva de var og hvordan de virket inn pa staters handlinger. Finnemore onsker a problematisere interessebegrepet. Hun onsker a besvare sporsmal av typen: Hvordan vet stater hva de vil? Hvem definerer staters interesser? Hvor kommer interessene fra? Og hun noyer seg ikke med a definere. Hun vil forsta. Det er dette som er mye av kjernen i konstruktivismen: forstaelse av hvorfor ting og forhold har blitt som de har blitt. Det er ikke alltid staters handlinger er rasjonelle. Kan det hende at det eksisterer normer og verdier stater bekjenner seg til som ikke direkte er i deres interesse? Hvordan skal man i tilfelle forklare dem i et realistisk perspektiv hvor alt staten gjor er styrt av nettopp interesser? Det er her konstruktivismen trenger seg fram, og Martha Finnemores bok er et eksempel pa dette nye perspektivet. Boka bestar av til sammen 5 kapitler som kan deles inn i 3 deler. I kapittel 1 introduseres bokas tema: Hvordan statlige interesser Bokspalte
Protective Effect of Sea buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides L.) Leaves on Ochratoxin-A Induced Hepatic Injury in Japanese Quail

The present study was designed to study the efficac y of sea buckthorn (SBT) against ochratoxin-A (OTA) induced hepatic damage in Japanese quail. Day old quail chicks were divided i nto 6 groups and fed a basal quail chick mash containing 2% SBT-leaf powder (Group SX), OTA at a dietary level of 3 ppm (Group OX), 25 ppm L-β-phenylalanine with OTA (Group OP), 2% dietary level of SBT leaf powder plus with OTA (Group OS), SBT-leaf extract in drinking water with OTA (Group OSS) and a standard toxin-free feed (Group CX) for 21 da ys. OTA led to anorexia, diarrhea, heavy mortality and marked depr ession in body weight. Addition of SBT was found to lower the clinical sig ns mortality in birds treated with OTA. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), uric acid, cholesterol, total protein and albumin values were improved by S BT in OTA treated birds. Grossly, there was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) enlarged and pale liver in OX birds on 21 day, whereas the severity of gross l esions found lower in OS, OSS and OP birds at this interval. Similarly, the severity of microscopic lesions such as degenerative, necrotic and inflammatory changes were less pronounced in OS, OSS and OP birds than in OX on 21 day. The addition of SBT in the water or diet of qu ail enhanced regenerative changes in the liver on 7 and 14 days. In conclusion, the inclusion of SBT-leaf powder and extract in water w as found to reduce the intensity of OTA-induced hepatic injury in Japanese quail.
Analysis of Chemical Reactions in Gliding-Arc Reactors With Water Spray Into Flowing Oxygen

In this paper, a mathematical model describing the chemical-reaction kinetics for gliding-arc discharge reactors with water-spray injection in a carrier gas of oxygen is developed based upon assumed temperature profiles and high-temperature reactions for nine chemical species. The plug-flow reactor model shows that rapid quenching of OH by steep temperature drops strongly favors the production of stable molecular species such as H<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Increasing the water flow rate leads to higher H<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production at fixed inlet oxygen carrier flow rates; however, the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production rate levels off at higher water feed. The mathematical model can describe within a factor of two, the experimentally reported production rates of H<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> if account is made for some water and gas bypassing of the electrode/plasma region. The model is used to assess the two applications of such a discharge including the following applications: (1) destruction of chemical species by high-temperature OH radical reactions and (2) efficient formation of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> by lower energy pulsed discharge. In the first case, the large amounts of OH radical formed in the high-temperature region of the discharge can lead to rapid and effective degradation of compounds that even have low reactivity with OH. In the second case, lower power, hence lower temperature, can lead to optimal production of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> for postplasma applications.
Characterization of the Monoterpene Synthase Gene tps26, the Ortholog of a Gene Induced by Insect Herbivory in Maize1[W][OA]

Plants damaged by insects can synthesize and release volatile chemicals that attract natural enemies of the herbivore. The maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) terpene synthase gene stc1 is part of that indirect defense response, being induced in seedling blades in response to herbivory by beet army worm. Many genes in maize are duplicated because of a past whole-genome duplication event, and several of these orthologs display different expression patterns. We report here the isolation and characterization of tps26 and confirm by homology and synteny criteria that it is the ortholog of stc1. Prior genetic analysis revealed that the stc1 function is not duplicated, raising the interesting question of how the two orthologs have become differentiated in their expression. tps26 encodes a 633-amino acid protein that is highly conserved with STC1. Like stc1, tps26 is induced by wounding, but in the roots and leaf sheath, instead of the blade, and not in response to beet army worm feeding. tps26 maps near a quantitative trait locus for Southwestern corn borer resistance, making it a plausible candidate gene for that quantitative trait locus. However, while possessing highly polymorphic tps26 alleles, the resistant and susceptible parents of the mapping population do not differ in levels of tps26 expression. Moreover, tps26 is not induced specifically by Southwestern corn borer feeding. Therefore, although they share a wounding response, the stc1 and tps26 maize orthologs differ in their tissue specificity and their induction by insect herbivores. The N termini of STC1 and TPS26 are predicted to encode plastid transit peptides; fusion proteins of green fluorescent protein to either N terminus localized to the plastid, confirming that prediction. The mature proteins, but not the respective complete proteins, were active and synthesized a blend of monoterpenes, indicating that they are monoterpene synthases. A gene closely related to stc1/tps26 is found in the sorghum (Sorghum spp.) genome at a location that is not orthologous with stc1. The possible origin of stc1-like genes is discussed.
The Biochemistry of C 4 Photosynthesis

C 4 photosynthesis consists of the coordinated function of two cell types in the leaves, usually designated mesophyll cells (MC) and bundle sheath cells (BSC), because enzymes of the C4 pathway are located separately in these morphologically distinct cell types. In C4 leaves, atmospheric CO2 enters through stomata and is first accessible to MC, where it is fixed by phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase to form oxaloacetate, and then malate and aspartate. These Ca dicarboxylic acids are transported to BSC where they are decarboxylated, and the released CO2 refixed by ribulose1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase (Rubisco) and assimilated through the enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon reduction (PCR) cycle to form sucrose and starch. Although anatomic differentiation is apparent in BSC, they are functionally similar to C3 MC in carbon assimilation except for the presence of enzymes concerned with decarboxylation of C4 acids. The physiological significance of separate but coordinate function of the two cell types in Ca photosynthesis is the specialization of MC for generation of a high concentration of CO2 in BSC in order to reduce the oxygenase activity of Rubisco and consequential reduction of photorespiration. Without consideration of a possible positive function of photorespiration in C3 plants (cf., Osmond and Grace, 1995), it is clear that Ca plants have the capacity to perform effective photosynthesis under conditions in which RuBP oxygenase activity is restricted. Ca photosynthesis can be visualized as a mechanism to provide Rubisco with near saturating CO2 when C4 plants can afford a high stomatal conductance, or to provide sufficient CO2 for survival and growth when stomatal conductance is low.
A Spatial Econometric Analysis of the Irreversibility of Long Term Unemployment in Australia

Bill Mitchell and Anthea Bill use spatial econometric techniques to test whether there is evidence to support the hypothesis that the long-term unemployed represent a constraint on growth. They find no such evidence, which calls into question the logic of the plethora of active labour market programs that are aimed at the unemployed. The paper finds that employment growth or lack of it strongly impacts on regional long-term and short-term unemployment.
Size‐Dependent Mortality Induces Life‐History Changes Mediated through Population Dynamical Feedbacks

The majority of taxa grow significantly during life history, which often leads to individuals of the same species having different ecological roles, depending on their size or life stage. One aspect of life history that changes during ontogeny is mortality. When individual growth and development are resource dependent, changes in mortality can affect the outcome of size‐dependent intraspecific resource competition, in turn affecting both life history and population dynamics. We study the outcome of varying size‐dependent mortality on two life‐history types, one that feeds on the same resource throughout life history and another that can alternatively cannibalize smaller conspecifics. Compensatory responses in the life history dampen the effect of certain types of size‐dependent mortality, while other types of mortality lead to dramatic changes in life history and population dynamics, including population (de‐)stabilization, and the growth of cannibalistic giants. These responses differ strongly among the two life‐history types. Our analysis provides a mechanistic understanding of the population‐level effects that come about through the interaction between individual growth and size‐dependent mortality, mediated by resource dependence in individual vital rates.