Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IL-17 Markedly Up-Regulates β-Defensin-2 Expression in Human Airway Epithelium via JAK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways1

Using microarray gene expression analysis, we first observed a profound elevation of human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) message in IL-17-treated primary human airway epithelial cells. Further comparison of this stimulation with a panel of cytokines (IL-1α, 1β, 2–13, and 15–18; IFN-γ; GM-CSF; and TNF-α) demonstrated that IL-17 was the most potent cytokine to induce hBD-2 message (>75-fold). IL-17-induced stimulation of hBD-2 was time and dose dependent, and this stimulation also occurred at the protein level. Further studies demonstrated that hBD-2 stimulation was attenuated by IL-17R-specific Ab, but not by IL-1R antagonist or the neutralizing anti-IL-6 Ab. This suggests an IL-17R-mediated signaling pathway rather than an IL-17-induced IL-1αβ and/or IL-6 autocrine/paracrine loop. hBD-2 stimulation was sensitive to the inhibition of the JAK pathway, and to the inhibitors that affect NF-κB translocation and the DNA-binding activity of its p65 NF-κB subunit. Transient transfection of airway epithelial cells with an hBD-2 promoter-luciferase reporter gene expression construct demonstrated that IL-17 stimulated promoter-reporter gene activity, suggesting a transcriptional mechanism for hBD-2 induction. These results support an IL-17R-mediated signaling pathway involving JAK and NF-κB in the transcriptional stimulation of hBD-2 gene expression in airway epithelium. Because IL-17 has been identified in a number of airway diseases, especially diseases related to microbial infection, these findings provide a new insight into how IL-17 may play an important link between innate and adaptive immunity, thereby combating infection locally within the airway epithelium.
Monthly storminess over the Po River Basin during the past millennium (800–2018 CE)

Reconstructing the occurrence of diluvial storms over centennial to millennial time-scales allows for placing the emergence of modern damaging hydrological events in a longer perspective to facilitate a better understanding of their rate of return in the absence of significant anthropogenic climatic forcing. These extremes have implications for the risk of flooding in sub-regional river basins during both colder and warmer climate states. Here, we present the first homogeneous millennium-long (800–2018 CE) time-series of diluvial storms for the Po River Basin, northern Italy, which is also the longest such time-series of monthly data for the entire Europe. The monthly reconstruction of damaging hydrological events derives from several types of historical documentary sources and reveals 387 such events, allowing the construction of storm severity indices by transforming the information into a monthly, quantitative, record. A period of reduced diluvial storms occurred in the ninth and tenth centuries, followed by a stormier period culminating in the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. More complex patterns emerge in the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, with generally wetter and stormier conditions than during other centuries. From the seventeenth century onwards the number of damaging hydrological events decreases, with a return in recent decades to conditions similar to those prior to the thirteenth century The flood frequency tended to increase for all seasons during periods of low solar irradiance, suggesting the presence of solar-induced circulation changes resembling the negative phases of the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability as a controlling atmospheric mechanism.
Regulation of DNA replication and cellular responses to perturbations in replication in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis

When a cell grows and divides to give rise to genetically identical cells, the genome of the cell is duplicated prior to cell-division. The process of genomic duplication is called DNA replication, and is closely coordinated with other processes in the cell, such as growth rate, and cell division. The mechanisms that regulate when DNA replication initiates and how cells respond to perturbations in replication are not well understood. I used the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis to address these questions. My research showed that a conserved component of the DNA replication machinery, processivity P-clamp, regulates the initiation of replication. This regulation appears to affect the loading of helicase, a replication component that generates the single-strand DNA template for replication. My results indicate that the replication initiation protein DnaA is the likely target of P-clamp regulation. I also observed that in vivo, in B. subtilis, most of the DNA replication machinery, including P-clamp, can associate with the origin of replication before helicase. This is in stark contrast to in vitro studies in other bacteria. I also addressed the question of how B. subtilis responds to perturbations in DNA replication and DNA damage. My results demonstrate that the conserved recombination protein, RecA, mediates most of the transcriptional response under the tested conditions. More than 75% of the RecA-mediated transcriptional response is due to the expression of phage and mobile element genes and their indirect effects. Under conditions of replication elongation arrest, there is still a significant recA-independent response, at least part of which is mediated by the replication protein DnaA. The DnaA-mediated response appears to be conserved in other bacteria, as homologues if the affected genes also have DnaA binding sites in their promoter regions. Previously, one of the DnaA regulated genes, sda, has been shown to affect cell viability after perturbations in replication. Here I showed that another DnaA-regulated gene,ftsL, also affects cell survival after replication arrest by coordinating replication and cell-division. I believe that my results have furthered our understanding of how replication is coordinated with other cell-cycle processes, and have raised interesting questions for future investigation. Thesis Advisor: Alan D. Grossman Title: Professor of Biology
Compact Qca Based Serial-Parallel Multiplier For Signal Processing Applications

—Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is a promising nanoscale technology with great prospect to provide compact circuits with low energy consumption when compared to CMOS technology. The increasing demand for efficient signal processors necessitates the design of adders and multipliers which occupy less area and consume less power. Serial adders are area efficient architectures that can compute n-bit addition with a single adder but takes more time when compared to n-bit parallel adders. Serial-parallel multipliers have simple, regular and scalable structures in contrast to multipliers that implement more complex multiplication algorithms. This paper proposes two novel energy and area efficient 4-bit QCA based serial-parallel multiplier circuits. Initially a QCA based serial adder is designed and then a 2-bit serial-parallel multiplier is realized. This multiplier is scaled up to form a 4-bit serial-parallel multiplier. A Baugh-Wooley (parallel) multiplier is constructed as a case study to illustrate differences between coplanar and multilayer crossovers in QCA. The design and simulation of the QCA circuits are performed using QCADesigner-E. Circuits are evaluated based on cell count, area and energy dissipation. It can be inferred from the simulation results that the proposed 4-bit serial-parallel multipliers have reduced cell count, area and energy dissipation.
ARE MALLARDS DECLINING IN NORTH AMERICA

Whether mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) numbers have declined in recent years has been a subject of concern and debate among waterfowl biologists, wildlife managers, and administrators. Further controversy surrounds the reason for the presumed decline. One opinion holds that the decline, if it exists, is simply a reflection of a dry period, with fewer ponds available to support mallards. The opposing view is that mallards have declined more severely than wetland numbers, and have not responded to subsequent improvements in wetlands. Verifying a decline seems relatively straightforward; after all, waterfowl have been counted in extensive and systematic surveys of major North American breeding grounds every year since 1955. Resolution of the debate is confounded, however, by the fact that the surveys were expanded several times in early years. Also, surveys began during what was apparently a wet period, with more basins containing water than have been recorded since; thus, mallard estimates from initial surveys may not be a representative starting point from which to draw comparisons. We address 3 primary questions: (1) have numbers of breeding mallards in the surveyed area declined since the mid-1950s; (2) if so, are the changes due to variation in the number of wet ponds; and (3) has the relationship between mallard numbers and number of wet ponds changed in recent years?
Factors Influencing Children’s Appraisals of Interparental Conflict: The Role of Parent-Child Relationship Quality

The cognitive contextual model proposes that children’s appraisals of interparental conflict (IPC) can influence their adjustment. In addition, previous research revealed that interparental disputes may reflect on parent-child relationship that is linked with children’s self-blame and threat appraisals concerning IPC. However, there is a scarcity of research directly addressing the intervening role of the parent-child relationship on children’s appraisals of IPC. Thus, we investigated the mediating role of different aspects of the parent-child relationship (i.e., psychological control, warmth, and attachment security) in the link between IPC and self-blame and threat appraisals. Participants were 1,309 children, their mothers, and their fathers. SEM analyses indicated that higher IPC was related to higher parental psychological control and lower child attachment security, which in turn was associated with higher self-blame or threat appraisals. The pattern of relationships was similar across child and parent gender.
Realizing Inclusive SAI: contextualizing indicators to better evaluate gender and intergenerational inequity in SAI processes and outcomes – cases from Southern and Western Africa

ABSTRACT Despite increasing sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) investments, indicators for detecting gender and intergenerational inequities in SAI costs and benefits sharing often remain overgeneralized, theoretical, or locally irrelevant. We examine the relative value of, and how to, customize standard SAI indicators to detect such inequities in specific socio-cultural contexts to enhance data collection for evidence-based decision making in fostering gender/youth inclusive SAI. Using focus-group discussions and key informant interviews among farmers and diverse government, NGO, private sector, and academic stakeholders in two districts in Malawi and three in Ghana, we assess the perceived roles, differentiated needs/priorities of men, women and youth, and the sharing of SAI burdens and benefits within farming households. We investigate what context-appropriate questions to ask, to whom, and how, to collect reliable information on indicators of SAI-investment inequities. Results illuminate context-specific, gendered and intergenerational factors shaping access to and ownership of productive resources, household decision making, SAI participation, and appropriateness of selected indicators. Combining farmers' and local field-expert' perspectives offers practical insights for customizing inequity indicators. Findings highlight advantages of local contextualization of SAI indicators, including insights on appropriate data-collection approaches that challenge orthodox survey/quantitative methods for detecting and assessing gender/age inequities to foster inclusive SAI.
On the role of Ural Blocking in driving the Warm Arctic–Cold Siberia pattern

We use reanalysis data to substantiate the role of Ural blocking (UB) in driving the Warm Arctic–Cold Siberia (WACS) pattern, which represents an anti‐correlation of surface temperature between the Barents–Kara Seas and central Asia. We confirm a robust link between UB and the WACS pattern on daily to subseasonal time‐scales. UB controls the pace of the WACS pattern; warming over the Barents–Kara Seas and cooling over central Asia peak 3–5 days after the UB onset. The observed sea ice deficit over the Barents–Kara Seas in the weeks prior to UB onset is not statistically significant when the long‐term trend in sea ice is removed. Thus, the sea ice deficit may not have a direct impact on UB occurrence but it develops as a delayed response to UB. The interannual variability of the WACS pattern is also strongly linked to UB. We identify an upward trend in wintertime UB in recent decades that accounts for a cooling rate of 1°C/decade over central Asia. Over the Barents–Kara Seas, UB trends explain a small fraction of the warming, which is dominated by Arctic amplification. Finally, the link between UB and the WACS pattern is statistically robust over the ERA‐Interim period but weaker during the 1990s when the lowest UB activity was observed.
State Affordable Housing Appeals Systems and Access to Opportunity: Evidence From the Northeastern United States

ABSTRACT In many U.S. states, local governments exercise extensive control over land-use regulation. Much scholarly research indicates that local restrictions on multifamily residential development have contributed to rapid housing cost increases, particularly in the West Coast and the Northeast. Such evidence has led scholars and policymakers to advocate state intervention in local land-use regulation, in order to constrain local discretion over permitting multifamily housing. This article provides the most comprehensive comparison to date of housing outcomes associated with state affordable housing appeals systems (SAHASs) in the northeastern U.S. SAHASs enable developers of certain below-market-rate and mixed-income housing projects to request an override of local land-use regulation. We describe the essential attributes of a SAHAS and provide empirical data to assess housing outcomes in the four northeastern states where such systems have been adopted – Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Our findings are consistent with previous claims that a SAHAS can increase access to opportunity, and that the Massachusetts system has been particularly effective. We conclude by discussing features of the Massachusetts system that may explain its relative efficacy, and we describe how state and federal policymakers could improve data collection practices related to state intervention in local land-use regulation.
Antipsychotic effects of philenoptera cyanescens (schum. & thonn.) roberty (leguminosae) leaf extract and fractions against ketamine-induced psychosis in mice

This study investigated the antipsychotic potentials of Philenoptera cyanescens (PC) methanol extract and fractions against ketamine-induced psychosis in Balb/C mice. The methods used were the hyper-locomotion, stereotype behaviour, Y-maze and Forced Swim Test models. The extrapyramidal effect of the active fractions was tested using the catalepsy model. The crude extract and all fractions at varying doses significantly reduced ketamineinduced hyperactivity and stereotype behaviour with dichloromethane fraction being the most active compared with the standards. Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions (250 mg/kg) reversed the cognitive impairments enhanced by ketamine at the 1st, 5th, and 10th day of the experiments and also decreased the immobility time in the FST model at 11th and 15th days post treatment. The two fractions did not induce catalepsy and also inhibited the cataleptic effect induced by haloperidol. The results established that Philenoptera cyanescens possesses antipsychotic effect against positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of psychosis.
The Benefits of Interactive and Individual Rehearsals for Developing Second Language Communicative Ability

The present study examined whether oral interactive (pair) rehearsals and individual rehearsals promote second language (L2) learners’ communication ability. The participants were 60 first-year students from two required English classes at a national university in Japan. One class was designated as ‘the compulsory rehearsal’ group (CR, n=28); the other as ‘the free rehearsal’ group (FR, n=32). In class, participants engaged in a five-minute conversation in pairs five times on different topics during the course, while at home, they were required (CR) or encouraged (FR) to engage in two interactive rehearsals with a partner and five individual rehearsals per conversation. Pre- and post-conversation tests were conducted in pairs, and each student’s performance was assessed using a rubric developed for this study. Multiple regression analysis showed that the frequencies of both an interactive rehearsal and an individual rehearsal were significant predictors of the students’ improvement in the conversation test (R2 = .304, Interactive Rehearsal: β = .37, p < .05, Individual Rehearsal: β = .39, p < .05). It also revealed that interactive rehearsals helped learners improve their L2 communicative ability, while individual rehearsals were likely to improve their ability to express their ideas.
Induction of the Synthesis of Melanin and Pteridine in Cells Isolated from the Axolotl Embryo

It has previously been reported that when LiCl and tyrosine is added to ectodermal cells isolated from the blastula of Ambystoma mexicanum, then the synthesis of melanin is initiated in cells not normally engaged in this activity (mesenchyme cells, nerve cells and undifferentiated animal cells). In the present paper it has been shown that to obtain this effect tyrosine (0.02 mM) has to be present in the culture medium during at least one of the first seven days of culture, thus several days before melanin is produced. It is concluded that the added tyrosine is acting as an inductor of, and not as a substrate for the synthesis of melanin.
The evolution of business models of Polish health resort enterprises

Abstract Aim/purpose – The aim of the paper is to explore the evolution of business models of health resort enterprises. The sector is perceived in this research as a case of a particular, traditional sector based on natural (here: balneological) resources which has been undergoing significant changes. In addition to the analysis of the evolution of business models, the purpose was to investigate the role of different categories of resources, e.g. infrastructure or relational competences, in substituting natural resources in the creation of business models. Design/methodology/approach – The exploration was based on a quantitative approach and survey research. The data gathered through the questionnaire were used in cluster analysis which adopted the agglomeration (hierarchical) method, i.e. grouping of features by Ward’s method. Findings – Business models in the health resort sector in Poland have evolved and the major change incorporated their shift from business models focused on an idiosyncratic category of resources, i.e. natural, balneological resources, to business models based on other categories, like human resources, e.g. employees’ competences, tangible resources like modern infrastructure or financial resources (for example contracts). The application of a clustering method facilitated tracing the evolution of business models from various perspectives, such as the importance of interorganiational cooperation, different value propositions, and focus on various customer segments. Research implications/limitations – The research implication for management studies is the recognition and presentation of the categories (archetypes) of business models of health resort enterprises in Poland as well as the characteristics of the evolution of business models within the scope of their components. The primary practical implication from a managerial perspective is to provide the basis for evaluation of opportunities and threats related to the adopted business model when comparing to the alternatives currently chosen by competitors. The major limitation of the research is the small sample size. Originality/value/contribution – The paper presents the results of the original research conducted among health resort enterprises in Poland. The paper identifies and characterises various categories (archetypes) of business models of the health resort enterprises in Poland as well as the evolution of the building blocks of implemented business models. The study contributes to the discussion on the usefulness of resource-based-view (RBV) as a theoretical perspective of business model research. The results are consistent with RBV as well as adhere to competence approach and relational view. From a practical perspective, they offer a recipe (formula) for managers of health resort enterprises interested in introducing changes into their business models.
Harvest Season and Genotype Affect Head Quality and Shelf-Life of Ready-to-Use Broccoli

Pre-harvest climatic conditions and genotype may have important effects on head quality and post-harvest performance of fresh-cut broccoli. The present work evaluates the effect of the growing cycle (summer–autumn (SA), winter (W), winter–spring (WS), and spring (S)) and genotype on qualitative (dry matter, concentration of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and color) and antioxidative (ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, total phenol concentrations, and antioxidant capacity) traits of broccoli heads and minimally processed florets. The WS raw product showed the best color indices (L* = 38.6, C* = 9.3 and h° = 123.8) as well as the highest chlorophyll (0.23 µg mg−1 fresh weight) but the lowest total phenol concentration (5.5 µg mg−1 dry weight - DW), whereas the ascorbic acid level (2.3 µg mg−1 DW) was comparable to or lower than that the other growing cycles. The WS florets confirmed their best visual quality, even showing an improved total phenol level after 14 days of cold storage. The climatic conditions experienced by broccoli plants grown in SA, W, and S periods were stressful as they resulted in a slight reduction in the visual quality of the heads, though only the SA florets showed a distinctive decay during storage. The lower post-harvest performance of SA grown broccoli was confirmed in all the tested cultivars, despite ‘Naxos’ seeming more tolerant. On the contrary, the greatest content of ascorbic acid (3.2 µg mg−1 DW) in the W heads and of phenols (11.1 µg mg−1 DW) in S heads was maintained during storage, thus preserving floret color.
Haematological changes in naturally infested dairy animal at central zone of vidarbha

India is a predominantly agrarian country with more than 75% of its population living in villages, 80 % of which depending on agriculture and its allied actitivities for their livelihood. Rural dairying constitutes an integral and interwoven part of agriculture farming (Gupta 1997). The parasitic especially the helminthes infection result in great economic losses to livestock industry due to deterioration on health and reduced production of animal (Mahesh Kumar, 2002).