Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symplasmic Constriction and Ultrastructural Features of the Sieve Element/Companion Cell Complex in the Transport Phloem of Apoplasmically and Symplasmically Phloem-Loading Species

The ultrastructural features of the sieve element/companion cell complexes were screened in the stem phloem of two symplasmically loading (squash, [Cucurbita maxima L.] and Lythrum salicaria L.) and two apoplasmically loading (broad bean [Vicia faba L.] and Zinnia elegans L.) species. The distinct ultrastructural differences between the companion cells in the collection phloem of symplasmically and apoplasmically phloem-loading species continue to exist in the transport phloem. Plasmodesmograms of the stem phloem showed a universal symplasmic constriction at the interface between the sieve element/companion cell complex and the phloem parenchyma cells. This contrasts with the huge variation in symplasmic continuity between companion cells and adjoining cells in the collection phloem of symplasmically and apoplasmically loading species. Further, the ultrastructure of the companion cells in the transport phloem faintly reflected the features of the companion cells in the loading zone of the transport phloem. The companion cells of squash contained numerous small vacuoles (or vesicles), and those of L. salicaria contained a limited number of vacuoles. The companion cells of broad bean and Z. elegans possessed small wall protrusions. Implications of the present findings for carbohydrate processing in intact plants are discussed.
A field study on heavy metals phytoattenuation potential of monocropping and intercropping of maize and/or legumes in weakly alkaline soils

ABSTRACT The study focused on the phytoattenuation effects of monocropping and intercropping of maize (Zea mays) and/or legumes on Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in weakly alkaline soils. Nine growth stages of monocropping maize were chosen to study the dynamic process of extraction of heavy metals. The total content of heavy metals extracted by the aerial part of monocropped maize increased in a sigmoidal pattern over the effective accumulative temperature. The biggest biomass, highest extraction content, and lowest heavy metals bioaccumulation level occurred at physiological maturity. Among the different planting patterns, including monocropping and intercropping of maize and/or soybean (Glycine max), pea (Pisum sativum), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa), the extraction efficiency of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd varied greatly. Only intercropping of maize and soybean yielded relatively higher extraction efficiency for the four metals with no significant difference in the total biomass. Moreover, the heavy metals concentrations in dry biomass from all the planting patterns in the present study were within China's national legal thresholds for fodder use. Therefore, slightly polluted alkaline soils can be safely used through monocropping and intercropping of maize and/or legumes for a range of purposes. In particular, this study indicated that intercropping improves soil ecosystems polluted by heavy metals compared with monocropping.
Discriminative Sparse Representation for Hyperspectral Image Classification: A Semi-Supervised Perspective

This paper presents a novel semi-supervised joint dictionary learning (S2JDL) algorithm for hyperspectral image classification. The algorithm jointly minimizes the reconstruction and classification error by optimizing a semi-supervised dictionary learning problem with a unified objective loss function. To this end, we construct a semi-supervised objective loss function which combines the reconstruction term from unlabeled samples and the reconstruction–discrimination term from labeled samples to leverage the unsupervised and supervised information. In addition, a soft-max loss is used to build the reconstruction–discrimination term. In the training phase, we randomly select the unlabeled samples and loop through the labeled samples to comprise the training pairs, and the first-order stochastic gradient descents are calculated to simultaneously update the dictionary and classifier by feeding the training pairs into the objective loss function. The experimental results with three popular hyperspectral datasets indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other related methods.
MRI and endoscopic ultrasonography in the staging of gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE to determine the diagnostic precision of endoscopic ultrasounds (EUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative staging of gastric cancer. METHODS a prospective, blind study was carried out in 17 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer (GC) using endoscopic biopsy from November 2002 to June 2003. Patients underwent preoperative MRI and EUS. The reference test used was pathology, and laparotomy for non-resectable cases. RESULTS MRI (53%) was better than EUS in the assessment of gastric wall infiltration (35%). MRI (50%) was also superior to EUS (42%) for N staging. After pooling stages T1-T2 and T3-T4 together, results improved for both MRI (67 and 87.5%, respectively) and EUS (67 and 62.5%, respectively) (p < 0.05). N staging--lymph node invasion--results were correct in 50% for MRI as compared to EUS (42%). In classifying positive and negative lymph nodes EUS was superior to MRI (73 versus 54%). CONCLUSIONS MRI was the best method in the assessment of gastric wall infiltration. EUS was superior to MRI for T1 staging, and in the assessment of lymph node infiltration.
Tepper School of Business 1-2008 On-Campus Housing : Theory vs . Experiment

Many universities in the US o¤er on-campus housing opportunities to incoming as well as already enrolled students. Recent research has theoretically as well as experimentally shown that the most common student assignment mechanism used in the US is subject to serious e¢ ciency losses. In this paper we rst show that a particular mechanism which is currently in use at the MIT for about two decades is in fact equivalent to a natural adaptation of the well-known Gale-Shapley mechanism of two-sided matching theory. Motivated from the increasing popularity and success of the Gale-Shapley mechanism in a number of markets, we next experimentally compare the performances of the MIT mechanism with that of the leading theory mechanism Top Trading Cycles. Contrary to theory, the MIT mechanism performs better in terms of e¢ ciency and participation rates, while we observe no signi cant di¤erence between the two mechanisms in terms of truth-telling rates. Our special thanks are due to Yan Chen and Tayfun Sönmez for their kind assistance throughout this project. We would like to thank Harvard Business School and, in particular, Al Roth for their hospitality and nancial support to this project. We also thank David Reiley for useful comments, Siu Kho for software assistance, and seminar/conference participants at Harvard, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Boston College, SCW 2006 (Istanbul), RED 2006 (Bodrum), and Matching Workshop 2007 (Barcelona). All remaining errors are our own. yGuillen: Department of Economics, The University of Sydney, email: p.guillen@econ.usyd. edu.au. Kesten: Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; e-mail: okesten@andrew.cmu. edu. Tel:+1-412 268 9823 Fax: +1-412 268 7064.
Dielectric behavior of XLPE aged under multi-stressing conditions

In this work fresh cables were laboratory aged under multi-stressing conditions at room temperature. Foils were peeled from cables, with approximately 150 ? m thickness, from the outer, middle and inner positions of the XLPE cable insulating layer. For samples obtained from the outer cable layer position, an increasing near-permanent electrical conduction process with aging time was observed. At the middle and inner cable layer positions a flat-loss relaxation process was observed becoming a dominating process on the ageing. In addition, PEA results confirmed that degradation in the outer region of the XLPE cables arises from the simultaneous presence of dipoles and injected space charge that distorts the internal electric field on the ageing.
Style and Function: A Fundamental Dichotomy

Our understanding of the archaeological record has been developed under the culture history paradigm. Its fundamental structure is shown to be stylistic; this characteristic, coupled with historical factors, is seen as the major reason why evolutionary processes have not been extensively employed in explaining cultural change. Consideration of an evolutionary approach suggests that such processes as natural selection have considerable explanatory potential, but it is also suggested that a substantial segment of the archaeological record is not best understood in terms of adaptation. The potential of an evolutionary approach cannot be realized without making a fundamental distinction between functions, accountable in terms of evolutionary processes, and style, accountable in terms of stochastic processes.
A proposal of the proteome before the last universal common ancestor (LUCA)

Abstract The search for understanding the biological nature of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) has been a theoretical challenge and has sparked intense debate in the scientific community. We reconstructed the ancestral sequences of tRNAs in order to test the hypothesis that these molecules originated the first genes. The results showed that the proteome before LUCA may have been composed of basal energy metabolism, namely, compounds with three carbons in the glycolytic pathway, which operated as a distribution centre of substrates for the development of metabolic pathways of nucleotides, lipids and amino acids. Thus, we present a proposal for metabolism in organisms before LUCA that was the initial core for the assembly of further metabolic pathways.
Reduced Numbers and Impaired Function of Regulatory T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Ischemic Stroke Patients

Background and Purpose. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been suggested to modulate stroke-induced immune responses. However, analyses of Tregs in patients and in experimental stroke have yielded contradictory findings. We performed the current study to assess the regulation and function of Tregs in peripheral blood of stroke patients. Age dependent expression of CD39 on Tregs was quantified in mice and men. Methods. Total FoxP3+ Tregs and CD39+FoxP3+ Tregs were quantified by flow cytometry in controls and stroke patients on admission and on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 thereafter. Treg function was assessed by quantifying the inhibition of activation-induced expression of CD69 and CD154 on T effector cells (Teffs). Results. Total Tregs accounted for 5.0% of CD4+ T cells in controls and <2.8% in stroke patients on admission. They remained below control values until day 7. CD39+ Tregs were most strongly reduced in stroke patients. On day 3 the Treg-mediated inhibition of CD154 upregulation on CD4+ Teff was impaired in stroke patients. CD39 expression on Treg increased with age in peripheral blood of mice and men. Conclusion. We demonstrate a loss of active FoxP3+CD39+ Tregs from stroke patient's peripheral blood. The suppressive Treg function of remaining Tregs is impaired after stroke.
Carcass Processing Intensity and Cutmark Creation: An Experimental Approach

Abstract Cutmarks observed in archaeofaunal assemblages are an important source of evidence in the reconstruction of prehistoric butchery strategies. Inherent in these reconstructions is the assumed covariance of the intensity of butchery activities and the resulting cutmarks. This study proposes a simple measure of processing (butchery) intensity—the number of tool strokes amassed during defleshing activities—in an attempt to test this assumption. Data on this measure of processing intensity were collected during the experimental butchery of 16 appendicular carcass segments from large ungulates. Based on the measure of processing intensity utilized here, there seems to be no clear-cut relationship between the number of tool strokes and the resulting frequency of cutmarks or the frequency with which specific bone specimen classes are cutmarked. The results presented here have substantial implications for the interpretation of cutmarks and concomitant assessments of prehistoric human diet and subsistence behavior.
The Effect of Antireflux Surgery on Esophageal Carcinogenesis in Patients With Barrett Esophagus: A Systematic Review

Objective:To determine whether patients with Barrett esophagus who undergo antireflux surgery differ from medically treated patients in incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma and probability of disease regression/progression. Summary Background Data:Barrett esophagus is a risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. A question exists as to whether antireflux surgery reduces this risk. Methods:Query of PubMed (1966 through October 2005) using predetermined search terms revealed 2011 abstracts, of which 100 full-text articles were reviewed. Twenty-five articles met selection criteria. A review of article references and consultation with experts revealed additional articles for inclusion. Studies that enrolled adults with biopsy-proven Barrett esophagus, specified treatment-type rendered, followed up patients with endoscopic biopsies no less than12 months of instituting therapy, and provided adequate extractable data. The incidence of adenocarcinoma and the proportion of patients developing progression or regression of Barrett esophagus and/or dysplasia were extracted. Results:In surgical and medical groups, 700 and 996 patients were followed for a total of 2939 and 3711 patient-years, respectively. The incidence rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma was 2.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.2–5.3) per 1000 patient-years among surgically treated patients and 6.3 (3.6–10.1) among medically treated patients (P = 0.034). Heterogeneity in incidence rates in surgically treated patients was observed between controlled studies and case series (P = 0.014). Among controlled studies, incidence rates were 4.8 (1.7–11.1) and 6.5 (2.6–13.8) per 1000 patient-years in surgical and medical patients, respectively (P = 0.320). Probability of progression was 2.9% (1.2–5.5) in surgical patients and 6.8% (2.6–12.1) in medical patients (P = 0.054). Probability of regression was 15.4% (6.1–31.4) in surgical patients and 1.9% (0.4–7.3) in medical patients (P = 0.004). Conclusions:Antireflux surgery is associated with regression of Barrett esophagus and/or dysplasia. However, evidence suggesting that surgery reduces the incidence of adenocarcinoma is largely driven by uncontrolled studies.
Checklist of benthic macroinvertebrates of the Lago Pratignano (northern Apennines, Italy): an extremely rich ecosystem

A checklist of the macroinvertebrates fauna of the Lago Pratignano is presented here. The Lago Pratignano is a small, natural water body of the high (1,307 m above sea level) Northern Apennines, Italy. It represents an important site for the conservation of endangered flora and amphibians, and its importance for the conservation of the macroinvertebrate fauna is highlighted. The 82 taxa recorded make it an extremely rich habitat. The most represented group was Diptera, with 31 taxa, followed by Coleoptera, with nine, and Oligochaeta and Arachnida, each with eight taxa. Other groups are present in lower numbers. Despite the scant attention to theP study of the macroinvertebrates of small lentic habitats in the Northern Apennines, their importance for the conservation of the invertebrate fauna and the high contribution they give to the biodiversity is highlighted here.
Cost-Effectiveness of Memantine Compared with Standard Care in Moderate-to-Severe Alzheimer Disease in Canada

Objective: To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the addition of memantine to standard care (that is, without acetylcholinesterase inhibitors) with standard care alone in moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease (AD) in Canada. Methods: A 2-year Markov model estimated clinical effects in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and time in complete dependence as well as societal costs in four 6-month cycles. Health states were defined by AD severity assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (moderate = 10 to 19; severe < 10), by level of dependence in activities of daily living, and by death. Transition probabilities were estimated by combining data of patients with moderate-to-severe AD from all relevant clinical trials. QALYs were estimated from a UK epidemiologic study. The initial distribution and use of medical and support services for each health state was obtained from the Canadian Study on Health and Aging with current estimates of frequency of use and unit prices applied. Results: Compared with standard care, the memantine strategy saved more than 1 month of complete dependence and produced 0.03 additional QALYs, with no additional cost. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses give an 83.3% chance that memantine treatment is cost-neutral, an 89.5% chance of its being cost-effective if the decision maker is willing to pay $20 000 for a QALY, and a 96.2% chance with a willingness to pay $100 000 per QALY. Robustness of results was confirmed through 1-way and scenario-based sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Our evaluation found that memantine monotherapy produced relevant health benefit, compared with standard care alone, with no additional costs. Results are consistent with other economic evaluations of memantine conducted in Europe and the United States.
Use of electronic cigarettes among state tobacco cessation quitline callers.

INTRODUCTION Little is known about the prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among tobacco users who seek help from state tobacco quitlines, the reasons for its use, and whether e-cigarettes impact a user's ability to successfully quit tobacco. This study investigates these questions and describes differences among state quitline callers who used e-cigarettes for 1 month or more, used e-cigarettes for less than 1 month, or never tried e-cigarettes. METHODS Data on e-cigarette use were collected from 2,758 callers to 6 state tobacco quitlines 7 months after they received intervention from the quitline program. RESULTS Nearly one third (30.9%) of respondents reported ever using or trying e-cigarettes; most used for a short period of time (61.7% for less than 1 month). The most frequently reported reasons for use were to help quit other tobacco (51.3%) or to replace other tobacco (15.2%). Both e-cigarette user groups were significantly less likely to be tobacco abstinent at the 7-month survey compared with participants who had never tried e-cigarettes (30-day point prevalence quit rates: 21.7% and 16.6% vs. 31.3%, p < .001). Demographic differences between the 3 groups are discussed. CONCLUSIONS This study offers a preliminary look at e-cigarette use among state quitline callers and is perhaps the first to describe e-cigarette use in a large group of tobacco users seeking treatment. The notable rates of e-cigarette use and use of e-cigarettes as cessation aids, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigarettes for this purpose, should inform policy and treatment discussions on this topic.
Comorbidity as a fundamental feature of generalized anxiety disorders: results from the National Comorbidity Study (NCS)

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a relatively commun mental disorder in the general population, afflicting approximately 3% of community residents during their lifetime. It is not a benign condition, since significantly increased disability and dysfunction are found in GAD subjects compared to non‐GAD subjects. For decades GAD has frequently been observed in the context of other mental and substance abuse disorders. Initially the weight of clinical opinion indicated that GAD was a residual disease which should only be diagnosed when other mental disorders are not present. More recently there has been a growing recognition that comorbidity is a fundamental characteristic of the course and nature of GAD. In a series of secondary analyses conducted in subjects in the National Comorbidity Study database, we found that 8 out of 10 subjects with lifetime GAD also had a comorbid mood disorder during their lifetime. We found unipolar disorders to be four times more common in GAD than bipolar disorders (67% vs. 17%), providing indirect support for the previously reported observation that GAD and major depression may share a common genetic diathesis. In addition, our analyses support the conclusion that when comorbid mood disorders are present in GAD, a significant increase in associated disability and dysfunction is also found. Thus this comorbid relationship has important implications for clinical course and outcome.
A clinical picture of ectrodactyly hand.

37-year-old outpatientwomanhas recentlycometoourattention for left shoulder pain, which was successfully treated for bursitis through needle aspiration of 70 mL of blood and intra-articular administration of 4 mg of anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid with complete pain recovery. She was generally well developed, in good health, and married with 3 children. During the examination, it was noted that she is affected by a ectrodactylyc right hand, inwhich therewas absence of proximal and intermediate phalanges of the second, third, and fourth hand rays (Figure). Although movements of the involved hand are limited to the first and fifth fingers, the patient had never required any therapy to improve the function. Whereas phocomelia is a rare birth defect in which the absence of the upper portion of a bone makes a hand or foot attached to the body (flipper-like limbs), ectrodactyly is a rare malformation involving the central rays of the hands and feet, usually affecting 1 to all 4 limbs randomly. 1 The term ectrodactyly was invented by the French anatomist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1832 and means“absence offingers. ” Differently from frequent involvement of both hand(s) and feet of this disease, our case was limited to 1 hand. Literature review showed a peculiar case in which the patient had a single finger (the third) on each hand that worked enough to guarantee sufficient clamp function to manipulate medium-sized objects. 2 Our patient uses the affected right hand for most uses, even to drive. Similarly to ours, a case with involvement of a single hand reported simple absence of the third finger of the right hand, 3 and another description concerned only the left hand in 1 of monozygotic twins. 4 Ectrodactyly is typically found in association with chromosomal rearrangements such as deletions or translocations, in which a failure to maintain median apical ectodermal ridge signaling is the main pathogenic mechanism. 5 Hence, our case is peculiar, because it seems to support a previous finding in which atypical split hand is not genetically determined 4 because none in her family members was affected, and its clinical features point it out as a rare presentation when compared with the worldwide scientific literature.
Variational Principles and Well-Posedness in Optimization and Calculus of Variations

The concluding result of the paper states that variational problems are generically solvable (and even well-posed in a strong sense) without the convexity and growth conditions always present in individual existence theorems. This and some other generic well-posedness theorems are obtained as realizations of a general variational principle extending the variational principle of Deville--Godefroy--Zizler.