Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression Divergence and Functional Redundancy of Polygalacturonases in Floral Organ Abscission

The importance of cell separation in plant development cannot be overemphasized. The polygalacturonases (PGs) are the one of cell wall hydrolytic enzyme families that has been associated with various cell separation processes in plant development including seed germination, dehiscence, organ abscission, and fruit ripening. Both Arabidopsis and rice PG gene family have expanded in a lineage-specific fashion after the split more than 150 million years ago. Tandem duplications and large-scale duplications are the major contributors to the current PG family size n Arabidopsis. The spatial expression analysis of the 66 Arabidopsis PG family members have led us to conclude that different duplication mechanisms affect the expression divergence differently. This becomes more apparent when temporal examination of expression is conducted in five developmental stages of floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis. Nine distinct patterns of PGs are identified during floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis. Four PGs are specifically up-regulated during abscission associated with cell separation process. Careful understanding of relationships among Arabidopsis PGs in a context of evolution together with expression analysis of these PGs will facilitate the functional study of PGs specifically in floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis.
Evolution of turkish higher education system in the last decade

Turkey has witnessed a rapid massification in its higher education sector. The rate of total gross enrollment in Turkish higher education reached 79 percent in 2014 while it was 31 percent in 2004 and surpassed OECD averages. This study aims to depict the trends observed in the Turkish higher education sector. In this context, the changes observed in enrolment rates, faculty and student compositions, expenditures and publication outputs of Turkish higher education institutions during the last decade are discussed. In addition, a comparison with OECD averages are provided to understand the relative position of Turkey compared to other countries. Analyses have shown that Turkish higher education system performs very well in terms of higher education enrollment rates, female students, and female faculty members. Meanwhile, this study has revealed that Turkish higher education system needs to improve its performance in terms of quantity of faculty members, doctorate students, and international students, funds received from abroad, participation of private sector, and quantity and quality of scientific publications. It is considered that issues which are exacerbated with the rapid expansion of Turkish higher education system can be handled effectively via deploying a comprehensive database regarding Turkish higher education system, promoting data based policy making, determining clear and measurable targets with associated costs in the national policy documents, and establishing a performance evaluation system for universities.
A 5-year prospective clinical study of submerged and nonsubmerged Paragon system implants in the edentulous mandible.

PURPOSE The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the clinical outcome of two different surgical protocols in the edentulous mandible: submerged and nonsubmerged. Further, the Paragon dental implant with a titanium plasma-sprayed surface was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-nine consecutively treated patients with 168 implants supporting fixed prostheses were included. All but 3 patients were provided 6 implants, placed via nonsubmerged healing on one side and submerged healing on the other. Data were collected from patient records and radiographs. Twenty-four patients participated in the 5-year clinical follow-up examination. RESULTS After 5 years, all patients still had their mandibular fixed prostheses in function. Cumulative survival rates were 100% for prostheses and 99.4% for implants. However, 3 implants fractured in 1 patient. One submerged implant was lost before loading but no further implants were lost during follow-up. The radiographic bone loss was small for all implants with a mean of 0.14 mm (standard deviation [SD]: 0.37) at 1 year and 0.42 mm (SD: 0.48) at 5 years for nonsubmerged implants and 0.17 mm (SD: 0.32) at 1 year and 0.51 mm (SD: 0.33) at 5 years for submerged implants. Nineteen implants (including the 3 that fractured) presented annual bone loss exceeding 0.2 mm after the first year, yielding a cumulative success rate of 86.2% after 5 years. CONCLUSION Single-stage surgery was shown to have the same predictability as two-stage surgery in the anterior edentulous mandible. Paragon implants with a titanium plasma-sprayed surface showed a fracture rate of 2.2% and a success rate of 86.2% after 5 years.
[Meta-analyses of the associations of genome-wide association study- linked gene loci with Kawasaki disease].

OBJECTIVE Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common autoimmune vasculitis. It has been regarded as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. This study aimed to assess the relationship between genome-wide association study (GWAS)-linked gene loci and KD. METHOD By March of 2013, the published GWAS literatures of KD were retrieved from the databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang, and the gene loci associated with KD at genome-wide significance of P < 5.0×10(-8) were determined. For each of the gene loci, one single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with strong association with KD was chosen for meta-analysis. Then the published case-control studies reporting the associations of the SNPs with KD were collected from English and Chinese databases with the same criteria. The Meta-analyses were conducted with RevMan 5.1 software after screening and evaluation. RESULT A total of 4 gene loci including FCGR2A, BLK, CD40 and HLA were observed having association with KD at genome-wide significance of P < 5.0×10(-8) in at least one GWAS. The risk alleles of the SNPs in the gene loci were all more common in patients with KD relative to controls in the systematic reviews with 8, 4, 6 and 4 extracted case-control studies, respectively[ FCGR2A rs1801274: P < 0.001, OR = 1.40, 95% CI (1.30, 1.51); BLK rs2254546: P < 0.001, OR = 1.69, 95% CI (1.52, 1.88); CD40 rs4813003: P < 0.001, OR = 1.31, 95% CI (1.22, 1.41); HLA rs2857151: P < 0.001, OR = 1.41, 95% CI (1.27, 1.57)]. The significant publication bias was not observed in the meta-analyses. CONCLUSION Our results confirmed the overall association of the 4 gene loci with KD in observed populations, together with the consistent presence of the relationship between BLK or HLA and KD in the populations, suggesting that it is hopeful to find the genetic marker combination predicting the risk of KD, the formation of secondary coronary artery lesions and the resistance of intravenous immunoglobulin, by further seeking the function SNPs of the gene loci and investigating the effect on the important clinical phenotypes of KD.
Aortic Smooth Muscle Relaxants KMUP-3 and KMUP-4, Two Nitrophenylpiperazine Derivatives of Xanthine, Display cGMP-Enhancing Activity: Roles of Endothelium, Phosphodiesterase, and K+ Channel

The cellular mechanisms of vasorelaxant effects of newly synthesized KMUP-3 and KMUP-4 were investigated in rat aortic smooth muscle (RASM). KMUP-3 (7-[2-[4-(4-nitrobenzene)piperazinyl]ethyl]-1,3-dimethylxanthine) and KMUP-4 (7-[2-[4-(2-nitrobenzene)piperazinyl]ethyl]-1,3-dimethylxanthine) elicited concentration-dependent relaxation of endothelium-intact and denuded RASM precontracted with phenylephrine. Relaxant responses were also produced by the PDE inhibitors theophylline, milrinone, rolipram, and zaprinast (1 nM-100 μM). The relaxant responses of KMUP-3 and KMUP-4 were reduced by endothelium removal and by the presence of the NOS inhibitor L-NAME (100 μM), the sGC inhibitor ODQ (1 μM), the adenylyl cyclase (AC) inhibitor SQ 22536 (100 μM), and the prostaglandin inhibitor indomethacin (10 μM). Additionally, the vasorelaxations of both agents were also attenuated by pretreatment with the nonselective K+ channel blocker TEA (10 mM), the KATP channel blocker glibenclamide (1 μM), the voltage-dependent K+ (KV) channel blocker 4-AP (100 μM), and Ca2+-dependent K+ (KCa) channel blockers apamin (1 μM) and charybdotoxin (ChTX, 0.1 μM). In addition, elevated extracellular K+ (80 mM) interferes with KMUP-3- and KMUP-4-induced vasorelaxations. Preincubation with both agents (1 μM) significantly enhanced the dilator responses of isoproterenol and SNP. KMUP-3 and KMUP-4 inhibited PDE activities and increased cAMP and cGMP levels in primary culture of RASM that were inhibited by SQ 22536 and ODQ, respectively. In cultured HUVECs, KMUP-3 and KMUP-4 (0.1 μM), more potent than YC-1, significantly increased the expression of eNOS protein. In summary, KMUP-3 and KMUP-4 induce aortic relaxations through both endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Mechanisms of vasorelaxation induced by both compounds involve multiple processes, such as accumulation of cyclic nucleotides partly as a result of PDE inhibition, K+-channel activation, and indomethacin-sensitive endothelium function.
Senior Public Managers’ Organizational Commitment: Do Private Sector Experience and Tenure Make a Difference?

ABSTRACT: Drawing on the literature on sector imprinting, we examine whether private sector experience is related to organizational commitment among senior public managers. We also explore the role that position and organizational tenure play in shaping that commitment, since tenure length is often associated with greater commitment, and assumed to be an important mediator of employee and organizational outcomes. Multi-level analyses of a large multinational survey of senior managers from the central governments of 16 European countries indicate that a greater proportion of private relative to public sector work experience is associated with weaker organizational commitment among senior public managers. In addition, position and organizational tenure are both positively related to commitment. Mediation analysis suggests that the mechanism through which the negative effect of private sector experience on senior managers’ organizational commitment operates is individuals’ shorter tenure in the same organization. All of these results hold when we analyze the affective, continuance, and normative dimensions of commitment separately.
Plaque radiotherapy for juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma. Visual acuity and survival outcome.

OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of plaque radiotherapy on the visual acuity of patients with juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma and to determine the clinical predictive factors for radiation retinopathy, radiation papillopathy, local tumor recurrence, and distant metastasis. DESIGN A retrospective review of the medical records of 93 patients with juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma who were treated initially with plaque radiotherapy. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 78 months, radiation retinopathy developed in 81 patients (87%) and radiation papillopathy developed in 48 patients (52%) after a mean interval of 21 and 27 months, respectively. The univariate variables that were significant predictors of radiation retinopathy were history of diabetes mellitus (P = .05) and use of a notched radioactive plaque (P = .04). The factors predictive of radiation papillopathy were age (> 45 years; P = .01), history of diabetes mellitus (P = .05), mushroom-shaped tumor configuration (P = .006), and nasal location of the tumor (P = .04). By using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, we found that the proportion of the 93 patients with radiation retinopathy was 87 (94%) at 5 years and with radiation papillopathy was 53 (57%) at 5 years. By using life-table analysis, we found that the proportion of the 93 patients who experienced a decrement of at least 3 lines of visual acuity was 67 (72%) by 50 to 60 months. Local tumor recurrence was documented in 14 patients (15%) after a mean interval of 41 months. The age of the patient (< 35 years; P = .02) and the superior (P = .004) and inferior (P = .05) locations of the tumor were predictive of local tumor recurrence. Distant metastasis developed in 11 patients (12%) after a mean interval of 44 months. The factors predictive of distant metastasis were a tumor with a basal diameter larger than 6.0 mm (P = .05), the superior location of the tumor (P = .01), and local tumor recurrence (P < .001). CONCLUSION Based on these observations, plaque radiotherapy remains a potential option vs enucleation for the management of juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma.
Economic evaluation of nivolumab for the treatment of second-line advanced squamous NSCLC in Canada: a comparison of modeling approaches to estimate and extrapolate survival outcomes

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world and is associated with significant mortality. Nivolumab demonstrated statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were previously treated. The cost-effectiveness of nivolumab has not been assessed in Canada. A contentious component of projecting long-term cost and outcomes in cancer relates to the modeling approach adopted, with the two most common approaches being partitioned survival (PS) and Markov models. The objectives of this analysis were to estimate the cost-utility of nivolumab and to compare the results using these alternative modeling approaches. Methods Both PS and Markov models were developed using docetaxel and erlotinib as comparators. A three-health state model was used consisting of progression-free, progressed disease, and death. Disease progression and time to progression were estimated by identifying best-fitting survival curves from the clinical trial data for PFS and OS. Expected costs and health outcomes were calculated by combining health-state occupancy with medical resource use and quality-of-life assigned to each of the three health states. The health outcomes included in the model were survival and quality-adjusted-life-years (QALYs). Results Nivolumab was found to have the highest expected per-patient cost, but also improved per-patient life years (LYs) and QALYs. Nivolumab cost an additional $151,560 and $140,601 per QALY gained compared to docetaxel and erlotinib, respectively, using a PS model approach. The cost-utility estimates using a Markov model were very similar ($152,229 and $141,838, respectively, per QALY gained). Conclusions Nivolumab was found to involve a trade-off between improved patient survival and QALYs, and increased cost. It was found that the use of a PS or Markov model produced very similar estimates of expected cost, outcomes, and incremental cost-utility.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for postoperative recurrent primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVES Postoperative recurrent primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a troublesome complication and an important issue to be discussed. This study is to determine whether Re-video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) should be performed for postoperative recurrent PSP (PORP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients who had underwent needlescopic VATS for PSP between Jan. 2007 and Dec. 2011 were reviewed. RESULTS VATS was initially performed on 239 patients with PSP in total. Eleven patients were found to have PORP during a follow-up period of 36.95 months. Nine patients received Re-VATS and only two patients receiving conservative treatment had no further recurrence. No conversion to thoracotomy, blood transfusion and prolong air leak were recorded. CONCLUSIONS Even for smaller size cases, Re-VATS, which is technically feasible, safe and effective with better cosmetics and minor postoperative pain, should be a strong contender as priority treatment.
Stochastic Low-Rank Bandits

Many problems in computer vision and recommender systems involve low-rank matrices. In this work, we study the problem of finding the maximum entry of a stochastic low-rank matrix from sequential observations. At each step, a learning agent chooses pairs of row and column arms, and receives the noisy product of their latent values as a reward. The main challenge is that the latent values are unobserved. We identify a class of non-negative matrices whose maximum entry can be found statistically efficiently and propose an algorithm for finding them, which we call LowRankElim. We derive a $\DeclareMathOperator{\poly}{poly} O((K + L) \poly(d) \Delta^{-1} \log n)$ upper bound on its $n$-step regret, where $K$ is the number of rows, $L$ is the number of columns, $d$ is the rank of the matrix, and $\Delta$ is the minimum gap. The bound depends on other problem-specific constants that clearly do not depend $K L$. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such result in the literature.
The Effect of Antithyroid Treatment on Atrial Conduction Times in Patients with Subclinical Hyperthyroidism

Background: Prolonged atrial conduction time measured by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) has been associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation. We aimed to evaluate the effect of subclinical hyperthyroidism (SH) and antithyroid treatment on atrial conduction time. Methods: A total of 30 patients with SH (26 females; mean age 34.8 ± 8.5 years) and 30 age‐ and gender‐matched controls were included. Using TDI, atrial conduction time was measured from the lateral mitral annulus, septal mitral annulus, and lateral tricuspid annulus. Intra‐ and interatrial conduction delay were calculated. TDI and thyroid hormone levels were studied at the time of enrollment and after achievement of euthyroid state with propylthiouracil treatment. Patients were followed for 14 ± 3 weeks. Results: Atrial conduction time at the lateral and septal mitral annulus were significantly higher in patients with SH compared to controls. Both inter‐, right, and left intraatrial electromechanical delay were prolonged in patients with SH compared to control subjects (21.3 ± 6.1 vs. 13.9 ± 4.3, P < 0.001 and 4.2 ± 3.5 vs. 2.3 ± 1.9, P = 0.014 and 17.1 ± 6.0 vs. 11.6 ± 3.8, P < 0.001, respectively). After achievement of euthyroid state, inter‐ and left intraatrial electromechanical delay were significantly decreased compared to baseline values and approximated to the values of the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: SH is associated with prolonged atrial conduction time. After achievement of euthyroid state, decrement in atrial conduction time may reveal how the antithyroid treatment may prevent the development of atrial fibrillation in these patients.
Plasma, aqueous and vitreous homocysteine levels in proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Background/Aims To compare homocysteine (Hcy) concentration in the blood plasma, vitreous and aqueous of eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) against control, and to investigate associations between Hcy concentration in blood plasma with that of aqueous and vitreous in these two groups. Methods Blood plasma, aqueous and vitreous samples were collected during combined cataract and pars plana vitrectomy from 20 eyes with PDR and 21 eyes of patients without diabetes mellitus. Hcy concentration in the samples was determined by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Results The mean Hcy concentration (± standard deviation) of blood plasma, vitreous and aqueous were 13.7± 2.2 μmol/l, 3.4±0.7 μmol/l and 1.6±0.3 μmol/l respectively in the PDR group; in the control group, they were 10.4±1.1 μmol/l, 2.6±0.9 μmol/l and 1.2±0.2 μmol/l, respectively. The estimated geometric mean of Hcy concentration of all three variables in the PDR group was about 30% higher than control. In the PDR group, Hcy concentration between the blood plasma and vitreous was significantly associated (ρ=0.71; p-value < 0.001), as was that between the blood plasma and aqueous (ρ=0.68; p-value < 0.001). In the control group, only Hcy concentration in the blood plasma and vitreous was significantly associated (ρ=0.66; p-value = 0.001). Conclusion The geometric mean of Hcy concentration in the blood plasma, vitreous and aqueous of the PDR group was significantly higher than control. The Hcy levels in the blood plasma and vitreous were also significantly associated in both groups. However, the blood plasma and aqueous were significantly associated only in the PDR group.
Business centre or bedroom community? The development of employment in small and medium-sized towns

ABSTRACT This study scrutinizes the development of employment towards business centres or bedroom communities in Swiss small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs). It analyzes an original data set of all 152 SMSTs in Switzerland. Bayesian multilevel and spatial regression techniques examine regional and local explanatory factors affecting the development of employment. Evidence is found for employment growth if an SMST is embedded in a dynamic network, meaning that employment growth in neighbouring cities and towns creates spillover effects for SMSTs. Thus, if local administrations want to influence their employment structure, they are well advised to engage in regional economic policy-making.
Farmers’ willingness to pay for an environmental certification scheme: Promising evidence for water saving

In recent years, the certification of environmental sustainability has been adopted by a large number of farms. A wide range of recent literature proved consumers’ preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for certification claiming for reduced environmental impact of food production, whereas the literature on farmers’ preference for a specific scheme design is scant. This study aims at investigating the possibilities of developing an environmental certification (EC) for agricultural products that is more tailored to farmers’ expectations. Data from an original survey among 116 producers from Italy, Croatia, and Greece were used to investigate the most preferred elements of a hypothetical EC for a general agricultural product, by means of a choice experiment. Although differences emerge in relation to the nationality of respondents, the results on average suggest a clear preference and a higher WTP by farmers for a certification that may guarantee an efficient use of water resources. Furthermore, farmers are found to be more inclined toward a public certifying body and the possibility to receive technical assistance for the scheme adoption.
Do Fundamentals Drive Cryptocurrency Prices?

We test the theoretical prediction that blockchain trustworthiness and transaction benefits determine cryptocurrency prices. We measure these two fundamentals with blockchain computing power (i.e., hashrate) and network size, respectively, and find a significant long-run relationship between these blockchain characteristics and the prices of five prominent cryptocurrencies. We also document that the returns of the five cryptocurrencies are exposed to fundamental-based risk factors related to computing power and network size, even after controlling for Bitcoin returns and cryptocurrency momentum. In out-of-sample tests, the computing power and network factors can explain the return variation of a broad set of cryptocurrencies.