Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE IMPACT OF TREE SQUIRRELS (TAMIASCIURUS) ON LIMBER PINE SEED DISPERSAL ADAPTATIONS

Tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus) are important selective agents on conifer reproductive strategies (Smith 1970, 1975). Although this is well established for wind‐dispersed pines, the impact of tree squirrels on bird‐dispersed pines has been largely ignored. I assessed the impact of tree squirrels on the allocation of reproductive energy in the bird‐dispersed limber pine (Pinus flexilis) by comparing its cone and seed traits from three sites in the Rocky Mountains where tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus) are present to those from three mountain ranges in the Great Basin where tree squirrels are absent. As predicted, differences between the two regions in individual cone and seed traits are consistent with the hypothesis that tree squirrels are important selective agents on these traits. In the absence of tree squirrels, limber pine allocates more than twice as much energy to kernel compared with that invested in putative seed defenses (cone, resin, and seed coat) as does limber pine where tree squirrels are present. Such a large difference is particularly striking, because tree squirrels may have become extinct in the Great Basin in only the last 12,000 yr. Although many factors influence the allocation of energy to cones and seeds, no single factor other than the presence of tree squirrels is compatible with the large and consistent differences between limber pine in the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin. These results show that tree squirrels are an important constraint on the evolution of cone and seed traits that promote the dispersal of seeds by birds.
Developmental Programming of Cardiovascular Disease Following Intrauterine Growth Restriction: Findings Utilising A Rat Model of Maternal Protein Restriction

Over recent years, studies have demonstrated links between risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood and adverse events that occurred very early in life during fetal development. The concept that there are embryonic and fetal adaptive responses to a sub-optimal intrauterine environment often brought about by poor maternal diet that result in permanent adverse consequences to life-long health is consistent with the definition of “programming”. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the current knowledge of the effects of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) on long-term cardiac structure and function, with particular emphasis on the effects of maternal protein restriction. Much of our recent knowledge has been derived from animal models. We review the current literature of one of the most commonly used models of IUGR (maternal protein restriction in rats), in relation to birth weight and postnatal growth, blood pressure and cardiac structure and function. In doing so, we highlight the complexity of developmental programming, with regards to timing, degree of severity of the insult, genotype and the subsequent postnatal phenotype.
Noisy SMS text normalization model

Today digital media such as social networks, chat rooms, and forums have gained much importance in human life for information sharing. Users will share their knowledge and emotions in their own languages. This will create a novel syntax to communicate their messages with as much as pithiness as possible. Noisy text is characterized by unusual forms such as abbreviations, phonetic translations, short forms etc. This led to the emergence of text normalization. Cleaning the noisy text has become an important factor for adequate development and deployment of NLP (Natural Language Processing) services such as text-to-speech and automatic translation. In this paper we introduce a channel based normalization model for cleaning the noisy texts. The normalization is based on the types of distortion such as grapheme distortion, abbreviation and phoneme distortion. The model will explore the type of distortion occurred in the noisy word and replace it by using the different channel list. Precursory evaluation shows that the channel model will normalize the noisy word to their standard peer with 96.43 % accuracy.
To Invest or Not to Invest?: The Roles of Product Information, Attitudes Towards Finance and Life Variables in Retail Investor Propensity to Engage with Financial Products

Little is known in the current literature about the factors affecting retail investor (RI) propensity to engage with financial products other than their attitude towards financial risk (ATFR). This study explores the role of a number of variables, thematically grouped into domain-specific (product information and attitudes towards finance) and general impact factors (life variables). Data from 970 UK-based RIs, collected in 2017 across a variant of products, suggest that when analysed thematically, variables related to product information emerge as the most important group of influence factors. While the relevance of ATFR is also vindicated in the findings of this study, the results bring a dose of life-context to situations of financial decision-making by illustrating that information about the product as well as life variables matter significantly, in particular negative emotions and sensation seeking – thereby highlighting a duty of care towards potentially vulnerable people. The study discusses implications arising from the findings in relation to research, practice and policy.
Urban—Rural Disparity of Overweight, Hypertension, Undiagnosed Hypertension, and Untreated Hypertension in China

The objective of this study was to examine the urban—rural variations in the prevalence of overweight, hypertension, undiagnosed hypertension, and untreated hypertension among adults. The China Health and Nutrition Survey was used to study adults 25 to 65 years old. Logistic regression was used to obtain the odds ratios (ORs) after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle variables. Urban adults have a higher probability of being overweight (OR = 1.18, P < .01) and having hypertension (OR = 1.19, P < .1). After further controlling for lifestyle variables, the difference is not significant. Urban hypertensive adults are less likely to be undiagnosed (OR = 0.54, P < .001) and untreated (OR = 0.53, P < .001), even after controlling for socioeconomic and lifestyle variables, suggesting that there are other reasons for the urban—rural disparity of undiagnosed and untreated hypertension. This finding suggests that modifying lifestyles is critical in preventing urban adults from being overweight. Interventions targeting rural adults should promote the awareness and treatment of hypertension.
EXPLORING FOUR DIMENSIONS OF ONLINE INSTRUCTOR ROLES: A PROGRAM LEVEL CASE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to understand the practice of online facilitation in a Midwestern university which has a highly successful traditional MBA program. This study explored the instructors’ perceptions regarding four dimensions of instructor roles using Berge’s [1] classifications: pedagogical, managerial, social, and technical. This study also examined the challenges and issues confronting online instructors when fulfilling these roles. The results suggest that instructors carried out several important roles to varying degrees. The findings reveal a stronger emphasis on the pedagogical roles (course designer, profession-inspirer, feedback-giver, and interaction-facilitator). Emphasizing those roles, the instructors promote three types of interactions: student-content, student-student, and student-teacher. A lesseremphasis on social roles represented mixed feelings regarding its importance to the instructors. While students rated the instructors very positively, the results also indicate that instructors still need to have their roles transformed pedagogically, socially, and technologically if they are to establish a more engaging and fruitful environment for online learning.
We are in need of each other. Paulo Freire and the role of conflicts in education

This paper re-examines the key text Pedagogy of the Oppressed in order to gain an understanding of the nature, valuation and pedagogical use of conflict as perceived by Paulo Freire. I found that conflicts are at the very heart of Freire’s educational philosophy and educational practice. Oppressive domination, whether through conquest, divide and rule, manipulation or cultural invasion, entails contradictions which are the core elements for understanding social injustice and inequality. Traditional (banking or deposit) education serves mainly as a continuation of this painful situation instead of helping to change it. Liberation through problem-posing education is able to change the oppressive situation towards a more humanised society. Struggle and fight are necessary to liberate and educate the people and change the oppressing reality. The concept of conflict is dialectical by nature and Freire recognises the importance and educational power of contradictions, yet strives to surmount the contradictions by changing the great power imbalance in social reality towards a more balanced, humanised reality. The valuation of conflict is such that it becomes the very content of liberating and transformative education in ‘generative themes’ uncovering ‘limit-situations’. Limit situations always contain contradictions. The paper ends with a few lessons learned to reconsider and reinvent the teaching of the conflicts in education in a new way. Among these lessons is the awareness that contradictions are not incompatible incongruities which are irreconcilable and mutually exclusive, but in need of each other (hence the title); that transformative changes create feelings of anxiety and fear in people; that people might not want to be liberated, and arguably not in the way educators want; that education has two contradictory tasks, that is socialisation and liberation at the same time; and finally that a transformative pedagogy needs to include the oppressor’s voice and position, an oppressor that is seen not as an enemy but as an opponent. Together they form a unity.
‘Stand up, if you’re a Zbrojovka fan!’: collective memory, fan engagement and one football stadium

Abstract Football stadiums are for many football fans synonymous not only with sporting affiliation but also local identity. Stadiums provide the ultimate space for creating a shared collective memory – through social encounters, negotiations as well as mutual celebrations. However, those shared narratives usually change when the club moves to a new stadium, with nostalgia overriding the objective advantages of the new venue. In this article, we seek to present a unique case of reviving collective memory regarding an old and abandoned football stadium, Za Lužánkami in Brno, which is closely tied to the history of the local club Zbrojovka. The stadium was built in the early 1950s and for some time it was the largest stadium in the former Czechoslovakia. From 2001, it was left abandoned and in ruins, located in the outer city centre of Brno. In the spring of 2015, a volunteer fan initiative took place at the stadium grounds aimed at refurbishing them and hosting an exhibition match there. Through content analysis and participant observation, we study and problematize the processes of football nostalgia as well as memory revival.
Wear and surface roughness of current prosthetic composites after toothbrush/dentifrice abrasion.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Surface changes of prosthetic composites caused by toothbrushing are known, although composite materials have been improved and are now widely used for various kinds of prosthetic restorations. PURPOSE This study evaluated the influence of toothbrushing on abrasive wear and surface roughness of current prosthetic composites. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seven composite materials (Artglass, Axis, Cesead II, Conquest Sculpture, Estenia, Infis, and Targis) were assessed, and a machinable ceramic material (Cerec 2 Vitablocs) was used as a reference. Composite specimens polymerized with their proprietary curing units and sectioned ceramic specimens were stored in water for 14 days, and subsequently subjected to toothbrush-dentifrice abrasion. The amount of vertical loss and the surface roughness of each specimen after 20,000 strokes were determined with a profilometer. Average values of groups of 5 specimens were compared with ANOVA and Duncan new multiple range test. RESULT Significantly (P < .05) less wear was observed with respect to the Targis (10.01 microm; SD = 0.53 microm) and Estenia (13.04 microm; 1.95 microm) materials than for the other composites assessed, whereas Artglass (34.08 microm; 3.66 microm) and Conquest Sculpture (31.78 microm; 4.67 microm) materials demonstrated the most wear. The least surface roughness was exhibited by Conquest Sculpture (Ra, 0.54 microm; 0.07 microm) material, and the greatest by Cesead II (1.10 microm; 0.13 microm). Ceramic material showed a more wear-resistant (4.54 microm; 0.79 microm) and smoother (0.26 microm; 0.02 microm) surface than any of the composite materials. CONCLUSION Abrasion and surface roughness of the prosthetic composites caused by toothbrushing varied in accordance with the material. Type of prosthetic composite significantly influenced the surface condition after toothbrushing.
Spatial selectivity and intercity cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong

City-regionalism plays an increasingly important role in China’s economic development. This paper analyses new forms of institutional arrangements that promote city-regional governance in the case of Hong Kong and Guangdong. Focusing on implementing the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), we examine two research questions: Why are Guangdong and cities in the PRD strategically selected to implement CEPA and embed Hong Kong-based circulatory capital? How do governments at different scales build coordinated relationships to implement CEPA? Building upon the literature on state rescaling, we argue that governments have engaged in a scalar division of administration – a form of institutional infrastructure that aims to design and implement state strategies of urban and regional development. Within this division, the national government plays a role in steering and decision-making, Guangdong provincial government in coordination and facilitation, and urban governments in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai in actual implementation. CEPA implementation is built upon vertical linkages between governments at different levels in the Mainland and HKSAR government, and horizontal linkages between three free trade subzones (Qianhai, Nansha, and Hengqin) and Hong Kong-based firms and entrepreneurs.
Molecular Cloning and Pharmacological Characterization of the Canine B1 and B2 Bradykinin Receptors

Abstract The dog is a valuable animal model in the study of the physiological role of both the B1 and B2 bradykinin receptors. To more thoroughly characterize the pharmacological properties of the canine kinin receptors we isolated the cDNA sequence encoding the B1 and B2 bradykinin receptor subtypes and overexpressed them in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The cDNA sequence of the canine B1 bradykinin receptor encodes a protein comprised of 350 amino acids that is 76% identical to the human B1 bradykinin receptor. The cDNA sequence of the canine B2 bradykinin receptor encodes a protein of 392 amino acids that is 81% identical to the human B2 bradykinin receptor. The amino acid sequence of the canine B1 and B2 receptors are 35% identical. Pharmacological studies of the cloned receptors revealed that the agonist affinity of the dog B1 receptor is similar to the rodent B1 receptors, and differs from the human form in that there is no preference for the presence of the Nterminal Lys residue of [desArg10]Lysbradykinin. Significantly, the B1 receptor antagonist [desArg9,Leu8]BK behaves as partial agonist on the cloned dog B1 receptor. The dog B2 receptor exhibits the classical pharmacological properties of this receptor subtype.
Characterizing and modeling the efficiency limits in large-scale production of hyperpolarized 129Xe.

The ability to produce liter volumes of highly spin-polarized 129Xe enables a wide range of investigations, most notably in the fields of materials science and biomedical MRI. However, for nearly all polarizers built to date, both peak 129Xe polarization and the rate at which it is produced fall far below those predicted by the standard model of Rb metal vapor, spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP). In this work, we comprehensively characterized a high-volume, flow-through 129Xe polarizer using three different SEOP cells with internal volumes of 100, 200 and 300 cc and two types of optical sources: a broad-spectrum 111-W laser (FWHM = 1.92 nm) and a line-narrowed 71-W laser (FWHM = 0.39 nm). By measuring 129Xe polarization as a function of gas flow rate, we extracted peak polarization and polarization production rate across a wide range of laser absorption levels. Peak polarization for all cells consistently remained a factor of 2-3 times lower than predicted at all absorption levels. Moreover, although production rates increased with laser absorption, they did so much more slowly than predicted by the standard theoretical model and basic spin exchange efficiency arguments. Underperformance was most notable in the smallest optical cells. We propose that all these systematic deviations from theory can be explained by invoking the presence of paramagnetic Rb clusters within the vapor. Cluster formation within saturated alkali vapors is well established and their interaction with resonant laser light was recently shown to create plasma-like conditions. Such cluster systems cause both Rb and 129Xe depolarization, as well as excess photon scattering. These effects were incorporated into the SEOP model by assuming that clusters are activated in proportion to excited-state Rb number density and by further estimating physically reasonable values for the nanocluster-induced, velocity-averaged spin-destruction cross-section for Rb ( ≈4×10-7 cm3s-1), 129Xe relaxation cross-section ( ≈ 4×10-13 cm3s-1), and a non-wavelength-specific, photon-scattering cross-section (σcluster ≈ 1×10-12 cm2). The resulting modified SEOP model now closely matches experimental observations.
Spontaneous and synaptic input from granule cells and the perforant path to dentate basket cells in the rat hippocampus

To characterize excitatory inputs to dentate basket cells from dentate granule cells and the perforant path, the whole‐cell recording technique was used in neonatal rat hippocampal slices. Spontaneous excitatory input to basket cells was also examined and compared to that of other interneurons in the dentate gyrus. Basket cells were separable from other neurons in the dentate gyrus based on morphology and location, as determined by biocytin staining following recording, and by resting membrane potential, propensity to fire action potentials spontaneously, and miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) characteristics. Minimal electrical stimulation of the granule cell layer evoked in basket cells short latency EPSCs that were composed of both N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) and α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionate (AMPA) components as judged by their time course, voltage dependence, and blockade by selective antagonists. Perforant path EPSCs exhibited slower kinetics than EPSCs evoked by granule cell stimulation. Like granule cell evoked EPSCs, however, perforant path EPSCs were composed of both NMDA and AMPA components. Minimal electrical stimulation of the granule cell layer and perforant path evoked monosynaptic EPSCs in only 67% and 62% of the trials, respectively, suggesting that these inputs are as unreliable as previously determined inputs from CA3 pyramidal cells (48%).
Differential Regulation of Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis in R2C and MA-10 Leydig Tumor Cells: Role of SR-B1-Mediated Selective Cholesteryl Ester Transport1

Abstract The rat R2C Leydig tumor cell line is constitutively steroidogenic in nature, while the mouse MA-10 Leydig tumor cell line synthesizes large amounts of steroids only in response to hormonal stimulation. Earlier studies showed abundant cAMP-independent steroid production and constitutive expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein in R2C cells. The objective of the current study was to identify possible genetic alterations in the R2C cell line responsible for rendering it a constitutively steroidogenic cell line, especially those that might have altered its cholesterol homeostatic mechanisms. Measurement of the levels of cholesterol esters and free cholesterol, precursors for steroidogenesis, indicated that R2C mitochondria were fourfold enriched in free cholesterol content compared with MA-10 mitochondria. In addition to the previously demonstrated increased expression of StAR protein, we show that R2C cells possess marginally enhanced protein kinase A activity, exhibit higher capacity to take up extracellular cholesterol esters, and express much higher levels of scavenger receptor-type B class 1 (SR-B1) and hormone sensitive lipase (HSL). These observations suggest that the high level of steroid biosynthesis in R2C cells is a result of the constitutive expression of the components involved in the uptake of cholesterol esters (SR-B1), their conversion to free cholesterol (HSL), and its mobilization to the inner mitochondrial membrane (StAR).
Tmem178 acts in a novel negative feedback loop targeting NFATc1 to regulate bone mass

Significance Excessive osteoclast (OC) activation and joint erosion are often observed in arthritis patients, including children suffering from systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA), even in the absence of active systemic symptoms. Herein, we identify a previously uncharacterized protein, transmembrane protein 178 (Tmem178), as a novel downstream target of the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand/phospholipase C gamma-2 signaling axis in the OC. Surprisingly, Tmem178 functions as a negative regulator of OC differentiation in basal and inflammatory conditions by controlling NFATc1 induction via modulation of Ca2+ fluxes. Importantly, Tmem178 is dysregulated in the context of sJIA, where defective Tmem178 expression is associated with enhanced OC differentiation and erosive disease. These findings represent a novel mechanism of negative feedback that limits osteoclastogenesis and consequent resorptive activity to maintain skeletal integrity. Phospholipase C gamma-2 (PLCγ2)-dependent calcium (Ca2+) oscillations are indispensable for nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) activation and downstream gene transcription driving osteoclastogenesis during skeletal remodeling and pathological bone loss. Here we describe, to our knowledge, the first known function of transmembrane protein 178 (Tmem178), a PLCγ2 downstream target gene, as a critical modulator of the NFATc1 axis. In surprising contrast to the osteopetrotic phenotype of PLCγ2−/− mice, Tmem178−/− mice are osteopenic in basal conditions and are more susceptible to inflammatory bone loss, owing to enhanced osteoclast formation. Mechanistically, Tmem178 localizes to the ER membrane and regulates RANKL-induced Ca2+ fluxes, thus controlling NFATc1 induction. Importantly, down-regulation of Tmem178 is observed in human CD14+ monocytes exposed to plasma from systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients. Similar to the mouse model, reduced Tmem178 expression in human cells correlates with excessive osteoclastogenesis. In sum, these findings identify an essential role for Tmem178 to maintain skeletal mass and limit pathological bone loss.