Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Genetics of a Pattern.

aper is concerned with the problem of the genetic control of morphoT: 2ezs. Previous attacks on this problem have usually taken, as their starting point, some single mutant gene with well-marked morphological effects, and an attempt has been made to derect the earliest effect of this gene. A second approach has been through the study of mosaics (STERN 1954, 1956). The techniques used in this paper are mainly those of quantitative genetics; an attempt has been made to deduce the nature of the developmental processes and their genetic control by studying the range of variation in the end products of these processes, that is, by studying adult variation. I t is thus an extension of the line of thought which has led WADDINGTON ( 1942) to suggest processes of epigenetic canalization. Although a major mutant gene, ocelliless, has been used in our experiments, this gene has been not so much an object of study in itself as a source of observable variation: an environmental shock during development causing comparabje variation would have served equally well. The pattern chosen for study (Figure 1) was that of the three ocelli and the three pairs of associated bristles: the ocellar setae, anterior vertical setae and postvertical setae, lying in the anterior, middle and posterior region of the head respectively. The arrangement of macrochaetae and ocelli shown in the figure
Arterial stiffness and the development of hypertension

Evidence is accumulating in support of the plausible notion that lower arterial elasticity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease manifestations. Conventional indices of arterial stiffness are compared to a newer method (blood pressure-adjusted pulsatile arterial diameter change) in terms of blood pressure dependence. Impaired elasticity of larger arteries is an antecedent factor in the natural history of blood pressure elevation at the population level. Strong evidence supports the notion that lower arterial elasticity in the medium-sized arteries is associated with the development of hypertension.
Towards Sustainable Clothing Disposition: Exploring the Consumer Choice to Use Trash as a Disposal Option

The textile and apparel supply chain plays an integral role in providing consumers with a continuous supply of apparel that must ultimately be discarded. Viewing the consumer as a player in the process between the supply chain and the post-consumer textile waste stream, this study was designed to explore the consumer apparel disposition process with an eye towards understanding how both supply chain members and post-consumer waste entities can interact with consumers to reduce the amount of apparel discarded in landfills. Hanson’s Consumer Product Disposition Process framework was used to help guide the research. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-four female consumers in the United States to address three main research questions. The findings revealed several themes: use of both “compensatory” and “non-compensatory” choice heuristics in decision making; a “usable life” and the “personal nature” of garments as barriers to non-trash disposal options; and the need to “create awareness” and “provide assurance” to encourage alternative disposal modes. Implications for apparel producers and retailers, secondhand stores and textile recyclers are discussed.
Do different circadian typology measures modulate their relationship with personality? A test using the Alternative Five Factor Model

The relationship between personality and circadian typology shows some inconsistent results and it has been hypothesized that the model used to measure personality might have a moderating effect on this relationship. However, it has never been explored if this inconsistency was dependent on the questionnaire used to measure differences in circadian rhythms as well. We explored this issue in a sample of 564 university students (32% men; 19–40 years) using the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire, which is based on an evolutionary-biological approach, in combination with the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and the reduced Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ). Both questionnaires detected differences between circadian typologies in Sociability (highest in evening types; ET) and Impulsive Sensation-Seeking scales (highest in ET), while the CSM also detected differences in Activity (lowest in ET) and Aggression-Hostility (highest in ET). Further, both questionnaires detected differences between circadian typologies in the subscales General Activity (morning types [MT] higher than ET), Impulsivity (ET highest) and Sensation-Seeking (highest in ET). Differences between circadian typologies/groups in the subscales Parties (highest in ET) and Isolation Intolerance (lowest in MT) were only detected by the rMEQ. The CSM clearly separated evening types from neither and morning types while the rMEQ showed that neither types are not intermediate but closer to evening types in General Activity and Isolation Intolerance, and closer to morning types in Impulsive Sensation-Seeking, Parties, Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking. The obtained results indicate that the relationship between circadian typology and personality may be dependent on the instrument used to assess circadian typology. This fact may help to explain some of the conflicting data available on the relationship between these two concepts.
Microwave resonances in nanogranular (Fe0.7Co0.3)71B22Ni7 films

A detailed characterization and analysis of the microwave properties of a set of nanogranular (Fe0.7Co0.3)71B22Ni7 films under an applied magnetic dc field ranging from 0 to 45 kA/m is presented. A full microwave characterization of the films is performed up to 20 GHz using a vector network analyzer (VNA) connected to a matched microstripline or coplanar waveguide, loaded with the films. The evolution of the FMR frequencies and line-widths is derived as a function of the field applied along the easy axis (in-plane) and discussed with reference to the film nanostructure and the combination of anisotropy, demagnetizing and applied fields.
A Mass Spectrometric-Derived Cell Surface Protein Atlas

Cell surface proteins are major targets of biomedical research due to their utility as cellular markers and their extracellular accessibility for pharmacological intervention. However, information about the cell surface protein repertoire (the surfaceome) of individual cells is only sparsely available. Here, we applied the Cell Surface Capture (CSC) technology to 41 human and 31 mouse cell types to generate a mass-spectrometry derived Cell Surface Protein Atlas (CSPA) providing cellular surfaceome snapshots at high resolution. The CSPA is presented in form of an easy-to-navigate interactive database, a downloadable data matrix and with tools for targeted surfaceome rediscovery (http://wlab.ethz.ch/cspa). The cellular surfaceome snapshots of different cell types, including cancer cells, resulted in a combined dataset of 1492 human and 1296 mouse cell surface glycoproteins, providing experimental evidence for their cell surface expression on different cell types, including 136 G-protein coupled receptors and 75 membrane receptor tyrosine-protein kinases. Integrated analysis of the CSPA reveals that the concerted biological function of individual cell types is mainly guided by quantitative rather than qualitative surfaceome differences. The CSPA will be useful for the evaluation of drug targets, for the improved classification of cell types and for a better understanding of the surfaceome and its concerted biological functions in complex signaling microenvironments.
Stochastic Optimization by Simulation: Convergence Proofs for the GI/G/1 Queue in Steady-State

Approaches like finite differences with common random numbers, infinitesimal perturbation analysis, and the likelihood ratio method have drawn a great deal of attention recently as ways of estimating the gradient of a performance measure with respect to continuous parameters in a dynamic stochastic system. In this paper, we study the use of such estimators in stochastic approximation algorithms, to perform so-called "single-run optimizations" of steady-state systems. Under mild conditions, for an objective function that involves the mean system time in a GI/G/1 queue, we prove that many variant of these algorithms converge to the minimizer. In most cases, however, the simulation length must be increased from iteration to iteration, otherwise the algorithm may converge to the wrong value. One exception is a particular implementation of infinitesimal perturbation analysis, for which the single-run optimization converges to the optimum even with a fixed and small number of ends of service per iteration. As a by-product of our convergence proofs, we obtain some properties of the derivative estimators that could be of independent interest. Our analysis exploits the regenerative structure of the system, but our derivative estimation and optimization algorithms do not always take advantage of that regenerative structure. In a companion paper, we report numerical experiments with an M/M/1 queue, which illustrate the basis convergence properties and possible pitfalls of the various techniques.
A Spontaneously Arising Pancreatic Tumor Does Not Promote the Differentiation of Naive CD8+ T Lymphocytes into Effector CTL1

In this report, we address whether a growing tumor provides sufficient inflammatory signals to promote activation, clonal expansion, and acquisition of effector functions by naive tumor-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes. CD8+ T lymphocytes obtained from hemagglutinin (HA)-specific clone 4 TCR-transgenic mice were injected into recipient mice that spontaneously develop pancreatic tumors expressing HA as a tumor-associated Ag (RIP-Tag2-HA mice). When 3 × 106 clone 4 CD8+ T cells were transferred into tumor-bearing mice, the cells became activated in the pancreatic lymph nodes where they proliferated and acquired effector functions such as cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production. Surprisingly, reducing the number of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells led to a parallel reduction in the proportion of the activated cells that exhibited effector functions, suggesting that CTL differentiation was induced by the large numbers of activated CD8+ T cells and not the tumor environment. Provision of tumor-specific CD4+ helper cells provided the signals required to promote both the development of CTL effector functions and increased clonal expansion, resulting in tumor eradication. Considering that only small numbers of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells would be present in a conventional T cell repertoire, these data suggest that tumor growth alone may not provide the inflammatory signals necessary to support the development of CD8+ T cell effector functions.
Association of income and prescription drug coverage with generic medication use among older adults with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether low-income seniors and those without prescription drug coverage are more likely to use generic cardiovascular drugs than more affluent and better insured adults. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis. METHODS We used data from the 2001 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Analyses included noninstitutionalized survey respondents over age 65 years with hypertension who used > or =1 multisource cardiovascular drugs (N = 1710). We examined the association of income and prescription coverage with use of generic versions of multisource drugs from 5 classes: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists (beta-blockers), calcium channel blockers, alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonists (alpha-blockers), and thiazide diuretics. RESULTS Rates of generic medication use were 88.5% (beta-blockers); 92.8% (thiazides); 58.7% (calcium channel blockers); 60.7% (ACE inhibitors); and 52.6% (alpha-blockers). In multivariate analysis of generic medication use aggregated across the 5 drug classes, individuals with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level were modestly more likely to use generic medications compared with seniors with incomes above 300% of the poverty level. Seniors who lacked prescription coverage were more likely to use generics than those who had employer-sponsored coverage, although the association was of marginal statistical significance (relative risk = 1.29, 95% confidence interval = 1.00, 1.60). CONCLUSION Seniors with low incomes or no prescription coverage were only somewhat more likely to use generic cardiovascular drugs than more affluent and insured seniors. These findings suggest that physicians and policy makers may be missing opportunities to reduce costs for Medicare and its economically disadvantaged beneficiaries.
Therapeutic node dissections in malignant melanoma.

In the absence of distant disease, therapeutic node dissections in malignant melanoma, i.e., dissections of regional nodal basins for palpable suspicious or biopsy-proven positive nodes, offer the chance of cure. The 5-year survival rates after therapeutic lymphadenectomy closely correlate with expected cure rates. Although they varied greatly in the literature, from 19% to 38%, the currently obtainable survival rates are in the upper ranges of this spectrum because patients now are closely followed-up and operated for early palpable nodal disease. Properly done, these procedures carry a low morbidity, but they should be done thoroughly to completely eradicate regional disease and avoid recurrences in the same nodal basin to achieve the maximum survival that is surgically attainable.
Ocular Signs Related to Overweight and Arterial Hypertension in Children: A Systematic Review

Background: The ocular effects of obesity and hypertension need to be established and can be used as prognostic markers. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of ophthalmological alterations in children and adolescents who are overweight and/or have SAH. Methods: The database for this study included all observational studies (CS, cohort, case-control and “baseline” description of randomized clinical trials) with children and/or adolescents who were overweight, obese or had SAH and that measured ophthalmological alterations. Results: Comparative studies with healthy children demonstrated positive association between body adiposity with retinal venular dilation, and SAH with retinal arteriolar narrowing. Different retinal fundus cameras and computer-assisted programs to evaluate the retinal vessels, variations in the methods of analysis, adjustments, populations, were the main arguments against formal meta-analysis. The heterogeneity was too high (I2 >90%, in fixed or randomized effects), and the lack of linearity, normal distribution and homoscedasticity did not recommend meta-regression. Conclusion: Obesity and SAH show associations with ophthalmological alterations, especially with retinal vessel diameter. Lack of standardization does not allow a quantitative evaluation.
Escitalopram Administered in the Luteal Phase Exerts a Marked and Dose-Dependent Effect in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

This is the first placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), escitalopram, in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Women with PMDD (intention-to-treat population, n = 151) were treated intermittently for 3 months, during luteal phases only, with 10 mg/d escitalopram, 20 mg/d escitalopram, or placebo. Escitalopram was found to exert a marked and a dose-dependent symptom-reducing effect, 20 mg/d being clearly superior to 10 mg/d. Although the primary outcome parameter, that is, the sum of the symptoms irritability, depressed mood, tension, and affective lability, was decreased by 90% with 20 mg/d escitalopram, the effect of active treatment on breast tenderness, food craving, and lack of energy was more modest and not significantly different from that of placebo; this outcome supports our previous assumption that the former symptoms are more inclined to respond to intermittent administration of an SSRI than are the latter. Although the placebo response was high, the difference between the placebo group and the 20-mg/d escitalopram group with respect to the percentage of subjects displaying 80% or greater reduction in the rating of the cardinal symptom of PMDD, that is, irritability, was considerable: 30% versus 80%. Adverse events were those normally reported in SSRI trials, such as nausea and reduced libido, and were not more common in patients given 20 mg/d of escitalopram than in patients given the lower dose. This study supports the usefulness of escitalopram for the treatment of PMDD and sheds further light on how different components of this syndrome are differently influenced by intermittent administration of an SSRI.
Bioavailability of sedimentary metals from a contaminated bay

Sediments are considered the sink for metals in aquatic environments because of their strong metal-binding capacity, but they are a potential source for metal ingestion by marine benthic animals as well. Sediment contamination is now a major environmental problem in many countries, including China. This study examines the bioavailability to a marine suspension-feeder (the clam Mactra veneriformis) and a deposit-feeder (the peanut worm Sipunculus nudus) of sediment-bound Cd, Cr and Zn along a gradient of metal contamination. To this end, metal assimilation efficiency and metal extraction by gut juice were quantified and compared. Metal concentrations in sediments col- lected from 4 sites were 5.40 to 43.7 mgCd kg -1 , 32.8 to 71.2 mgCr kg -1 , and 278 to 5 380 mgZn kg -1 . Metal assimilation by the clams was independent of the metal concentration in the sediment. In the deposit-feeding sipunculid, the bioavailability of sediment-bound Cd increased with increasing con- tamination of the sediment, as a result of the increasing partitioning of Cd into the easily exchange- able phase, and decreasing partitioning into the reducible phase. Cd assimilation also increased with increasing total organic carbon content in the sediments.The Cd assimilation efficiency was directly correlated to Cd extraction by gut juices collected in vitro from the peanut worm. No such relation- ship was found for Cr and Zn. Geochemical and biological controls on metal bioavailability therefore differ between the metals and with the extent of sediment contamination. The limitation of the radio- tracer technique to quantify metal assimilation efficiency by marine benthic invertebrates from sedi- ments should be recognized when it is used to predict metal concentrations in target animals.
ong-term soil microbial community and enzyme activity responses to an ntegrated cropping-livestock system in a semi-arid region

Water availability is a primary limiting factor facing agricultural systems in most semi-arid regions across the world. This study is part of a larger long-term project to develop and evaluate integrated crop and livestock systems in order to reduce dependence on underground water sources by optimizing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production in the Texas High Plains of U.S. Selected microbial, chemical and biochemical properties were studied (between 7 and 10 years) in a clay loam soil (fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustolls) under continuous cotton compared to an integrated cropping-livestock system that included cotton, forage, and Angus-cross-stocker beef steers (initial body weight 249 kg). For the integrated system, steers grazed in sequence a perennial warm-season grass ‘WW-B. Dahl’ old world bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii) paddock, and then rye (Secale cereale L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in two paddocks (stages) of a rotation with cotton. Our previous studies after 5 years showed greater microbial biomass C (MBC) in perennial pasture (193 mg kg−1 soil) and the rotation when sampled under rye or cotton (average of 237 mg kg−1 soil) compared to continuous cotton (124 mg kg−1 soil) at 0–5 cm. After 7 years, MBC became significantly higher in the rotation independent of the crop compared to continuous cotton in this study. At the end of 10 years, total C was higher in both the rotation and pasture of the integrated cropping-livestock system (average across grazing treatments: 17.3 g kg−1 soil) compared to continuous cotton (11.4 g C kg−1 soil). Soil MBC and several enzyme activities were higher under non-grazed areas compared to grazed areas within the integrated cropping-livestock system in some samplings. Microbial community structure of pasture soil showed higher FAME indicators for G− (i.e., a17:0 and cy19:0) and actinomycetes (i.e., 10Me17:0) under grazed areas compared to non-grazed areas. Microbial community structure of pasture soil showed higher fungal populations compared to continuous cotton. The rotation showed intermediate sum of bacterial FAME indicators among systems (continuous cotton > rotation > pasture) and a tendency for numerically slightly higher fungi:bacterial ratios compared to continuous cotton. This study demonstrated increases in microbial biomass and enzyme activities of C-, N-, Pand S-cycling within an integrated cropping-livestock system that may s in s represent positive change
Estrategia docente para el desarrollo de la competencia digital en el aula universitaria

En el presente articulo, se expone la fase inicial de una investigacion realizada con estudiantes de primer curso de Ingenieria sobre una estrategia docente cuyo fin es el desarrollo de la competencia digital. Mediante la metodologia de trabajo de la investigacion-accion, este estudio investigativo se encuadra en el paradigma cualitativo y en una perspectiva multimodal en el uso de los instrumentos. Este analisis se sustenta en dos estrategias de aprendizaje: una es de caracter conceptual —sobre el uso profesional de Internet y de las redes sociales— y la otra es aplicada y practica —materializada en la realizacion de un blog personal. Este trabajo es de interes por la metodologia empleada y por los resultados positivos en cuanto al objetivo que persigue la docencia de esta materia. La efectividad de dichas estrategias se ha puesto de manifiesto en los resultados de las encuestas realizadas sobre la accion formativa, en el numero elevado de estudiantes que han realizado un blog personal, en los resultados evaluativos satisfactorios que han obtenido y en la calidad de sus participaciones. Concluimos que la propuesta metodologica de la investigacion-accion se muestra adecuada para continuar investigando sobre la competencia digital en cursos superiores y en otros grados universitarios.
Linkage studies on the Marinesco‐Sjøgren syndrome and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism

Marinesco‐Sjøigren syndrome and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism were observed in two kindreds, and they were found to occur together in 9 out of 10 affected individuals. The last patient had Marinesco‐Sjøigren syndrome without manifestations of hypogonadism, and similar findings were observed in two affected sisters from a third kindred.