Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial effects and rare outcrossing events in Medicago truncatula (Fabaceae)

In order to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the large amount of RAPD polymorphism found in 1990 in a population of the selfing annual Medicago truncatula GAERTN. (Fabaceae), we have analysed most of the individuals (n = 363) from the same population 6 years later using microsatellite loci. We confirm the result of the earlier study, namely that this population is very polymorphic and highly subdivided, with approximately 37% of the variance distributed among subpopulations, only 50 m apart one from another. We use standard F‐statistics analyses, linkage disequilibria, minimum spanning network, multilocus assignment tests and spatial autocorrelation analyses to test the hypotheses that spatial structure and outcrossing events are involved in maintaining the large amount of genetic diversity at the level of each subpopulation. Interestingly, fine‐scale spatial structure could be observed in only one subpopulation suggesting that other mechanisms are acting elsewhere. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of fine spatial genetic structure in a predominantly selfing species.
Analysis of Gene Targeting and Intrachromosomal Homologous Recombination Stimulated by Genomic Double-Strand Breaks in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

ABSTRACT To investigate the effects of in vivo genomic DNA double-strand breaks on the efficiency and mechanisms of gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells, we have used a series of insertion and replacement vectors carrying two, one, or no genomic sites for the rare-cutting endonuclease I-SceI. These vectors were introduced into the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) gene to produce substrates for gene-targeting (plasmid-to-chromosome) or intrachromosomal (direct repeat) homologous recombination. Recombination at the hprt locus is markedly increased following transfection with an I-SceI expression plasmid and a homologous donor plasmid (if needed). The frequency of gene targeting in clones with an I-SceI site attains a value of 1%, 5,000-fold higher than that in clones with no I-SceI site. The use of silent restriction site polymorphisms indicates that the frequencies with which donor plasmid sequences replace the target chromosomal sequences decrease with distance from the genomic break site. The frequency of intrachromosomal recombination reaches a value of 3.1%, 120-fold higher than background spontaneous recombination. Because palindromic insertions were used as polymorphic markers, a significant number of recombinants exhibit distinct genotypic sectoring among daughter cells from a single clone, suggesting the existence of heteroduplex DNA in the original recombination product.
Working with Standardized Patients: A Primer

This paper presents concepts and strategies for using standardized patients (SP) in teaching and evaluation of nursing students. SP encounters are an alternative to clinical experiences and a standardized criterion for student performance evaluation. Careful development of encounters, selection and training of SPs, support and debriefing of all participants are essential to a positive SP encounter. SP encounters should be developed based on objectives and competency criteria and relate to actual events. Encounter scripts incorporating any "traditional" language often associated with a specific medical condition are beneficial to standardizing the process. SP preparation involves providing background on medical conditions, feedback when practicing the role-play, and validation of performance consistency. Orientation of students and faculty to the SP experience ensures that participants stay in role. SPs can also be utilized to complete written evaluation tools and provide verbal feedback to students. All participants should evaluate the encounter process for future improvement.
Causes of the Convergence Slowdown in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe, 2008-2014

In this paper we analyze the growth and real convergence process of the Central and Eastern European countries which joined the European Union in May 2004, namely Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovenia (henceforth CEEC-8), vis-a-vis the European Union (EU) as a whole, individual EU members, and OECD countries (non-EU members). The analyses cover the period from 1995 to present. Results of testing beta-convergence indicate that in the period 2008-2014 the countries of the CEEC-8 group converged to Mediterranean countries but did not converge to rich countries of the European Union or non-EU OECD countries. We estimate parameters of the dynamic panel model to identify the causes of the convergence slowdown of CEECs. According to the results of the estimation, the low level of innovation in the countries under consideration was the main cause of both the slower TFP growth and the convergence slowdown.
Prediction of Suicidality According to Serum Folate Levels in Depressive Patients Receiving Stepwise Pharmacotherapy

Background: The effects of serum folate levels on suicidal behavior, strongly associated with depression, have not been investigated. Therefore, this study investigated the associations between serum folate levels and suicidal behavior in patients with depressive disorders. Methods: Serum folate levels were measured at baseline in 1,094 patients with depressive disorder, 884 of whom were followed during a 12-month period of stepwise pharmacotherapy. Suicidal behaviors evaluated at baseline were (i) previous suicide attempt and (ii) baseline suicidal severity; behaviors evaluated at follow-up were (iii) increased suicidal severity and iv) fatal/non-fatal suicide attempt. Associations of serum folate levels with four types of suicidal behaviors were analyzed using logistic regression models after adjustment for relevant covariates; they were also examined using area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve analyses. Results: Reduced serum folate levels (<6.0 ng/mL) were independently associated with all four types of suicidal behaviors. AUROC curve analyses indicated that discriminant or prognostic values of reduced serum folate levels were fair for fatal/non-fatal suicide attempt during follow-up, whereas they were modest for previous suicide attempt, baseline suicidal severity, and increased suicidal severity. Conclusions: Serum folate levels could serve as a biomarker of suicidal behavior in depressive patients. However, it should be used as an adjunct rather than a substitute for prediction of suicidal behavior considering its low prognostic values. Further replication studies are needed for its clinical utilization.
Hybrid molecules inhibiting myeloperoxidase activity and serotonin reuptake: a possible new approach of major depressive disorders with inflammatory syndrome

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is accompanied with an imbalance in the immune system and cardiovascular impairments, such as atherosclerosis. Several mechanisms have been pointed out to underlie this rather unexpected association, and among them the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO). The aim of our study was to find compounds that inhibit both MPO and serotonin transporter (SERT) for treating MDD associated with cardiovascular diseases.
COVID-19 Post-acute Sequelae Among Adults: 12 Month Mortality Risk

Background: There are concerns regarding post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, but it is unclear whether COVID-19 poses a significant downstream mortality risk. The objective was to determine the relationship between COVID-19 infection and 12-month mortality after recovery from the initial episode of COVID-19 in adult patients. Methods: An analysis of electronic health records (EHR) was performed for a cohort of 13,638 patients, including COVID-19 positive and a comparison group of COVID-19 negative patients, who were followed for 12 months post COVID-19 episode at one health system. Both COVID-19 positive patients and COVID-19 negative patients were PCR validated. COVID-19 positive patients were classified as severe if they were hospitalized within the first 30 days of the date of their initial positive test. The 12-month risk of mortality was assessed in unadjusted Cox regressions and those adjusted for age, sex, race and comorbidities. Separate subgroup analyses were conducted for (a) patients aged 65 and older and (b) those <65 years. Results: Of the 13,638 patients included in this cohort, 178 had severe COVID-19, 246 had mild/moderate COVID-19, and 13,214 were COVID-19 negative. In the cohort, 2,686 died in the 12-month period. The 12-month adjusted all-cause mortality risk was significantly higher for patients with severe COVID-19 compared to both COVID-19 negative patients (HR 2.50; 95% CI 2.02, 3.09) and mild COVID-19 patients (HR 1.87; 95% CI 1.28, 2.74). The vast majority of deaths (79.5%) were for causes other than respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. Among patients aged <65 years, the pattern was similar but the mortality risk for patients with severe COVID-19 was increased compared to both COVID-19 negative patients (HR 3.33; 95% CI 2.35, 4.73) and mild COVID-19 patients (HR 2.83; 95% CI 1.59, 5.04). Patients aged 65 and older with severe COVID-19 were also at increased 12-month mortality risk compared to COVID-19 negative patients (HR 2.17; 95% CI 1.66, 2.84) but not mild COVID-19 patients (HR 1.41; 95% CI 0.84, 2.34). Discussion: Patients with a COVID-19 hospitalization were at significantly increased risk for future mortality. In a time when nearly all COVID-19 hospitalizations are preventable this study points to an important and under-investigated sequela of COVID-19 and the corresponding need for prevention.
Working Capital Management of Small Firms

The purpose of this paper to investigate the efficiency of working capital management and its impact on small firm’s liquidity, profitability and operating cash flows. Small firms have a considerable amount of fund tied up with current assets and faced with difficulties to access external fund from the capital markets, their current liabilities are an important source of their external financing. The relationship between the study variables examined using dynamic panel data analysis for a panel of 87030 U.S. non-financial firms listed in the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Stock Market, and Over the Counter Market. The analysis is applied at the level of the full sample and divisions of the sample by size. I also examined industry effect within small firms. The results suggest that managers of small firms can increase corporate liquidity, profitability, and operating cash flow of their firms by shortening the cash conversion cycle
Optimal shutter speed sequences for real-time HDR video

A technique to create High Dynamic Range (HDR) video frames is to capture Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images at varying shutter speeds. They are then merged into a single image covering the entire brightness range of the scene. While shutter speeds are often chosen to vary by a constant factor, we propose an adaptive approach. The scene's histogram together with functions judging the contribution of an LDR exposure to the HDR result are used to compute a sequence of shutter speeds. This sequence allows for the estimation of the scene's radiance map with a high degree of accuracy. We show that, in comparison to the traditional approach, our algorithm achieves a higher quality of the HDR image for the same number of captured LDR exposures. Our algorithm is suited for creating HDR videos of scenes with varying brightness conditions in real-time, which applications like video surveillance benefit from.
An empirical study on the relationships among customer psychological empowerment, service fairness and customer attitude

Based on literature review, the authors proposed a conceptual model about the relationships among four service fairness (Distributive fairness, Procedural fairness, Interactional fairness, and Informational fairness), customer psychological empowerment and customer attitude including customer trust, customer satisfaction and customer citizenship behavior. We collected data from a bank in Guangzhou and explore the relationship among these variable using the LISREL. Results suggest that Distributive Fairness, Procedural Fairness, and Informational Fairness have significant effects on Customer Psychological Empowerment while Interactional Fairness does not. At the same time, results show that Customer Psychological Empowerment has direct effects on Customer Trust, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Citizenship Behavior. This study contributes to help the scholars who want to further empirical research on Customer Psychological Empowerment. It will also make great sense to those service companies who want to empower customers in order to improve their trust, satisfaction, and citizenship behavior.
Measurement of glycosylated hemoglobins using boronate affinity chromatography.

A boronate affinity column method for the measurement of glycosylated hemoglobins was evaluated. In the procedure the glycosylated hemoglobins were bound by immobilized boronic acid to separate them from nonglycosylated hemoglobins. Elution of bound glycosylated hemoglobins was carried out with sorbitol buffer, and the absorbance was read at 414 nm. The method was linear to a glycosylated hemoglobin concentration of at least 20 percent. The precision of the method ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 percent (C.V.) within-run, and 3.4 to 5.3 percent day-to-day. The reference interval was 4.8 to 6.4 percent. The method correlated with a cation exchange resin mini-column method (r = 0.94) and a colorimetric method (r = 0.93) but results from the boronate affinity method were higher in diabetic patients. The measured glycosylated hemoglobin was significantly correlated with estimated one-day-mean plasma glucose in diabetic patients (r = 0.54, n = 52, p less than 0.002). The affinity method provides an attractive alternative to earlier methods for measuring glycosylated hemoglobins.
Expression of a synapse‐associated membrane protein, P84/SHPS‐1, and its ligand, IAP/CD47, in mouse retina

P84 and integrin associated protein (IAP) are heterophilic binding partners that are expressed in the central nervous system in addition to a variety of other tissues. Both molecules are known to be involved in cell signaling in nonneural tissues. In the retina, both molecules are expressed prominently in plexiform layers, suggesting a possible association with synapses. Here, we examined the cellular expression and ultrastructural localization of the two molecules in the developing mouse retina. Both appeared to be expressed at one or both sides of synaptic sites, although the expression of IAP in the retina precedes that of P84. Examination of transgenic IAP‐null retinae revealed a failure of P84 to become associated with synaptic sites, suggesting the interaction of P84 with IAP was necessary for P84's synaptic localization. These findings suggest that the signaling activities of P84 and IAP are localized to sites of synaptic contact in the retina. Thus this pair of synapse‐associated molecules represents a bidirectional signaling system that could function to modify synaptic activity or possibly trophic interactions between central neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 416:335–344, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toward Open Societies? Trends in Male Intergenerational Class Mobility in European Countries during Industrialization1

Do the observed increases in intergenerational mobility in European societies in recent decades have their origin in 19th-century industrialization, as is posited by the industrialization thesis? Using over 600,000 marriage records and an internationally and historically comparative measure of occupational class, the authors study total and relative intergenerational mobility of men in Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Sweden between 1800 and 1914. For these countries together and for most countries separately the preindustrial period was characterized by stable or decreasing total and relative mobility, whereas a trend toward greater mobility took place during industrialization, lending qualified support to the industrialization thesis.
Unicellular cyanobacteria Synechocystis accommodate heterotrophic bacteria with varied enzymatic and metal resistance properties

The interactions between heterotrophic bacteria and primary producers have a profound impact on the functioning of marine ecosystem. We characterized the enzymatic and metal resistance properties of fourteen heterotrophic bacteria isolated from a unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. that came from a heavy metal contaminated region of Cochin estuary, southwest coast of India. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, the heterotrophic bacteria were grouped into three phyla: namely Actinobacteria, Firmicute, and Proteobacteria. Overall Proteobacteria showed a higher level of enzyme expression while Actinobacteria and Firmicutes showed higher tolerance to heavy metals. Among Proteobacteria, an isolate of Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus (MMRF‐584) showed highest activities of β‐glucosidase (1.58 ± 0.2 μMml−1 min−1) and laminarinase (1170.17 ± 95.4 μgml−1 min−1), while other two isolates of M. hydrocarbonoclasticus, MMRF‐578 and 581, showed highest phosphatase (44.71 ± 0.2 μMml−1 min−1) and aminopeptidase (33.22 ± 0 μMml−1 min−1) activities respectively. Among Firmicutes, the Virgibacillus sp. MMRF‐571 showed exceptional resistance against the toxic heavy metals Cd (180 mM), Pb (150 mM), and Hg (0.5 mM). Bacillus cereus, MMRF‐575, showed resistance to the highest concentrations of Co (250 mM), Cd (150 mM), Pb (180 mM), Hg (0.5 mM), Ni (280 mM), and Zn (250 mM) tested. Our results show that heterotrophic bacteria with varied enzymatic and metal resistance properties are associated with Synechocystis sp. Further studies to delineate the role of these heterotrophic bacteria in protecting primary producers from toxic effects of heavy metals and their potential application in bioremediation will be appreciated.
The Effect of RANKL/OPG Balance on Reducing Implant Complications

Despite the phenomenal success of implants particularly in the realms of dentistry and orthopaedics, there are still challenges to overcome. The failure of implants resulting from infection, prosthetic loosening, and non-union continue to be the most notorious examples. The cascade of fracture healing and bone repair, especially with the presence of an implant, is complex because it involves a multifaceted immune response alongside the intricate process of bone formation and remodelling. Bone loss is a serious clinical problem that is frequently accompanied by chronic inflammation, illustrating that there is a convoluted relationship between inflammation and bone erosion. The effects of pro-inflammatory factors play a significant role in initiating and maintaining osteoclastogenesis that results in bone resorption by osteoclasts. This is because there is a disruption of the relative ratio between Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κB-Ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), which is central to modulating bone repair and remodelling. This review aims to provide a background to the bone remodelling process, the bone repair cascade post-implantation, and the associated complications. Furthermore, current clinical solutions that can influence bone formation via either internal or extrinsic mechanisms will be described. These efficacious treatments for osteolysis via targeting the RANKL/OPG ratio may be crucial to reducing the incidence of related implant failures in the future.
Simulation of Coordinated Development of an Urban Ecosystem: A Case Study in Guanzhong Urban Agglomeration

Using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, a set of relatively integrated evaluation indexes was developed to analyze the urban planning process in Guanzhong urban agglomeration. Key impact factors of coordinated development obtained from literature analysis were used as input, and the degree of coordinated development during 1988~2008 calculated by principal component analysis and the coordinated development model were used as output. On this basis, a support vector machine model was built to predict the trends of coordinated development. The method was compared with artificial neural network, decision tree, logistic regression and naive Bayesian classifier regarding urban ecosystem coordinated development prediction for Guanzhong urban agglomeration. It is found that the method has the best accuracy rate, hit rate, covering rate and lift coefficient, and provides an effective measurement for urban ecosystem coordinated development prediction.
Can schoolchildren provide valid answers about their respiratory health experiences in questionnaires? Implications for epidemiological studies

To evaluate the relative validity of information on children's respiratory experience given by different informants, we examined and compared the relationship between low ventilatory function (defined as more than 1 standard deviation below the corresponding mean) and schoolchildren's respiratory symptoms or illnesses reported separately by the children and their parents, using a standard respiratory questionnaire. A total of 1,963 children aged 8–12 years from 12 primary schools in three districts of Hong Kong provided parent‐completed and self‐completed questionnaires, as well as acceptable spirometric measurements. Prevalence of low forced expiratory volume ratio (FEV1/FVC) and low forced expiratory flow rate between 25–75% of FVC (FEF25–75) were higher among those with either parent or child‐reported symptoms/illnesses. Child‐reported cough and phlegm performed better than the corresponding parent‐reported symptoms in predicting low FEV1/FVC. The contrary was true for wheezing and bronchitis. For low FEF25–75, parent‐reported wheezing, asthma, and bronchitis performed better, while the opposite was true for cough. Subgroup analysis by age showed that for older children (age 10 or above), child‐reported symptoms/illnesses performed better in general in the prediction of low FEV1/FVC. On the other hand, parent‐reported symptoms/illnesses seemed to have an advantage over child‐reported ones in predicting low FEF25–75. Subgroup analysis by sex did not reveal any clear pattern. Overall, there was little difference between respiratory illness experiences reported by schoolchildren and their parents in terms of their associations with low ventilatory function. In a population‐based study in which schoolchildren are subjects, it would be appropriate for respiratory questionnaires to be administered to the children themselves, especially if they have reached age 10. By doing so, higher response rates, and perhaps also better yields of correct information, may be obtained. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2004; 37:37–42. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.