Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth–defense trade-offs shape population genetic composition in an iconic forest tree species

Significance Genetic diversity is critical for ecological resilience and is maintained when different traits are advantageous in different environments. Traits are not entirely independent, however: When trade-offs occur, selection on one trait may indirectly act on another. Here we examine how environmentally mediated selection for growth interacts with a trade-off between growth and herbivore defense in experimental aspen stands. We show that even an environmentally fixed trait trade-off can lead to real-time divergence in population genetic composition between environments. The underlying growth–defense trade-off led to an eco-evolutionary dynamic wherein high-competition environments selected for fast-growing trees and thus ultimately selected against herbivore resistance. This discovery reveals how patterns of genetic covariation, coupled with environmental variation, can link ecological and evolutionary processes. All organisms experience fundamental conflicts between divergent metabolic processes. In plants, a pivotal conflict occurs between allocation to growth, which accelerates resource acquisition, and to defense, which protects existing tissue against herbivory. Trade-offs between growth and defense traits are not universally observed, and a central prediction of plant evolutionary ecology is that context-dependence of these trade-offs contributes to the maintenance of intraspecific variation in defense [Züst and Agrawal, Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 68, 513–534 (2017)]. This prediction has rarely been tested, however, and the evolutionary consequences of growth–defense trade-offs in different environments are poorly understood, especially in long-lived species [Cipollini et al., Annual Plant Reviews (Wiley, 2014), pp. 263–307]. Here we show that intraspecific trait trade-offs, even when fixed across divergent environments, interact with competition to drive natural selection of tree genotypes corresponding to their growth–defense phenotypes. Our results show that a functional trait trade-off, when coupled with environmental variation, causes real-time divergence in the genetic architecture of tree populations in an experimental setting. Specifically, competitive selection for faster growth resulted in dominance by fast-growing tree genotypes that were poorly defended against natural enemies. This outcome is a signature example of eco-evolutionary dynamics: Competitive interactions affected microevolutionary trajectories on a timescale relevant to subsequent ecological interactions [Brunner et al., Funct. Ecol. 33, 7–12 (2019)]. Eco-evolutionary drivers of tree growth and defense are thus critical to stand-level trait variation, which structures communities and ecosystems over expansive spatiotemporal scales.
Functionalized Calcium Phosphates with Anti-Resorptive, Anti-Angiogenetic and Anti-Bacteric Properties

This PhD thesis was addressed to study the interaction between calcium phosphates and several functionalizing agents, in order to develop new materials with enhanced biological performance, suitable for biomedical applications in the orthopedic field. The functionalizing molecules taken into consideration include several bisphosphonates, namely risedronate, zoledronate, and alendronate, and a molecule from the large group of flavonoids, quercetin (3, 3’, 4’, 5, 7-pentahydroxy-flavone). Functionalization of several calcium phosphates, namely hydroxyapatite, octacalcium phosphate and anhydrous dicalcium phosphate (monetite), was performed following different strategies: direct synthesis and adsorption from solution. In particular, the study carried out on risendronate adsorption on four hydroxyapatites with different composition provided useful information on the influence of the characteristics of the supports on the mechanisms of adsorption and release of the bisphosphonate. The materials developed during these three years include also octacalcium phosphate at different content of alendronate, as well as octacalcium phosphate at different content of zoledronate, and coatings of mixed composition, octacalcium phosphate – calcium alendronate, which were deposited on titanium substrates using Maple Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation. Quercetin functionalized hydroxyapatite was obtained thanks to a modified method of synthesis, which implies phase transformation from monetite, as well as through adsorption from solution. Adsorption from solution was successfully applied also to load the flavonoid on alendronate functionalized hydroxyapatite, monetite and monetite with a partial substitution of strontium to calcium ion. Finally polydopamine coating of octacalcium phosphate and α-tricalcium phosphate was utilized to induce reduction of silver ions and decorate the calcium phosphates with silver nanoparticles- Most of the developed materials have been submitted to biological in vitro tests, displaying both the beneficial properties (anti-osteoporotic and/or anti-inflammatory and/or anti-tumoral and/or anti-microbic) of the functionalizing agent(s) and the excellent bioactivity of the inorganic phase.
Outcomes of Subtotal Parathyroidectomy Versus Total Parathyroidectomy With Autotransplantation for Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism

Objectives: Due to the paucity of data and controversy regarding the preferred surgical approach for managing tertiary HPT, we sought to investigate the outcomes of different surgical approaches in managing this challenging disease. Methods: We performed a multi-center retrospective study to include patients with tertiary HPT who underwent STPX or total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation (TPX-A). Results: One hundred five patients had kidney transplant, and 43 were on dialysis. In the kidney transplant group, 61 patients underwent STPX, and 44 for TPX-A. Patients’ demographics were not significantly different (48.61 ± 9.31 vs 47.95 ± 12.73 years, P = 0.759. The postoperative follow-up showed that the TPX-A cohort had a higher rate of hypoparathyroidism (N = 20, 45.45%) versus (N = 14, 22.95%) with the STPX cohort (P = 0.013). The cure among the TPX-A cohorts (84.09%) over the STPX cohort (73.77%) (P = 0.153). The long-term follow-up showed that the rate of developing temporary (N = 16, 41.03%) or permanent (N = 8, 20.51%) hypoparathyroidism was significantly higher among patients who underwent TPX-A over the patients who underwent STPX (N = 7, 17.95%), and (N = 4, 10.26%), respectively (P = 0.012). There was no statistical difference between the persistence (N = 3, 7.69%) or the recurrence (N = 2, 5.13%) of the HPT in the TPX-A cohort and the STPX cohort (N = 2, 5.13%). (N = 4, 10.26%), respectively, P = 0.644. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest multi-center study that compared different approaches for managing tertiary HPT. Showing that STPX is the better modality in patients diagnosed with tertiary HPT and had kidney transplants avoiding the risk of hypoparathyroidism.
Evaluation of the remineralisation of enamel by different formulations and concentrations of fluoride toothpastes in vitro

Aims: To investigate the remineralising potential of toothpastes with different formulations of fluoride (F): amine fluoride (AmF), sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP), sodium fluoride (NaF) and stannous fluoride (SnF) on artificial subsurface caries lesions in vitro. A secondary aim was to investigate the remineralising potential of toothpastes containing sodium fluoride (NaF) formulation at different F concentrations (500, 1000, 1450, 2800 and 5000 ppm F) on artificial subsurface caries lesions in vitro. Materials and methods: Bovine enamel slabs were subjected to a pH cycling model after 2 weeks of immersion in a demineralisation buffer, to produce subsurface enamel lesions. The pH cycling regime ran for 28 days. Enamel subsurface lesion images were taken using a Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence (QLF) system under controlled conditions at baseline and endpoint of the experiment. All ﬂuorescence images were examined with analysing software (QA2 version 1.16; Inspektor Research Systems). Results: For the different F compounds, significant (p < 0.05) remineralising potential was observed for the NaF, SnF and MFP groups in descending order. Lesion remineralisation for the AmF and F-free groups was not significant. As for the different fluoride concentrations, all fluoride concentrations showed significant (p < 0.05) remineralisation potential when compared to the 0 ppm F control group, but no significance was found between groups. Conclusions: From the results of phase A of this in vitro study, it was concluded that: A statistically significant remineralisation of enamel subsurface lesions in comparison with the baseline was found in all groups except the AmF group. Furthermore, NaF toothpaste had the highest remineralising potential on artificial subsurface carious lesions in vitro, followed by SnF then MFP, while AmF was less than the F-free toothpaste. The results of phase B of this in vitro study, concluded that: A statistically significant remineralisation of enamel subsurface lesions in comparison with the baseline was found in all groups. However, there was no difference in the effect of toothpastes with sodium fluoride (NaF) formulation and different concentrations (500, 1000, 1450, 2800, and 5000 ppm F) on remineralisation of artificial subsurface carious lesions in vitro, and no apparent dose response was present related to the concentration of fluoride.
A randomized controlled trial of inhaled ciclesonide for outpatient treatment of symptomatic COVID-19 infections

Importance Systemic corticosteroids are commonly used in the treatment of severe COVID-19. However, their role in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate disease is less clear. The inhaled corticosteroid ciclesonide has shown early promise as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Objective To determine whether the inhaled steroid ciclesonide is efficacious in patients with high risk for disease progression and can reduce the incidence of long-term COVID-19 symptoms or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2. Design This was a phase III, multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of ciclesonide metered-dose inhaler (MDI) for the treatment of non-hospitalized participants with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Patients were screened from June 11, 2020 to November 3, 2020. Setting The study was conducted at 10 centers throughout the U.S. public and private, academic and non-academic sites were represented among the centers. Participants Participants were randomly assigned to ciclesonide MDI 160 g per actuation, two actuations twice a day (total daily dose 640 g) or placebo for 30 days. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary endpoint was time to alleviation of all COVID-19 related symptoms (cough, dyspnea, chills, feeling feverish, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell) by Day 30. Secondary endpoints included subsequent emergency department visits or hospital admissions for reasons attributable to COVID-19. Results 413 participants were screened and 400 (96.9%) were enrolled and randomized (197 in the ciclesonide arm and 203 in the placebo arm). The median time to alleviation of all COVID-19-related symptoms was 19.0 days (95% CI: 14.0, 21.0) in the ciclesonide arm and 19.0 days (95% CI: 16.0, 23.0) in the placebo arm. There was no difference in resolution of all symptoms by Day 30 (odds ratio [OR] 1.28, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.97). Participants treated with ciclesonide had fewer subsequent emergency department visits or hospital admissions for reasons attributable to COVID-19 (OR 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.85). No subjects died during the study. Conclusions and Relevance Ciclesonide did not achieve the primary efficacy endpoint of time to alleviation of all COVID-19-related symptoms. Future studies of inhaled steroids are needed to explore their efficacy in patients with high risk for disease progression and in reducing the incidence of long-term COVID-19 symptoms or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2.
Relative Clinical Outcomes Comparing Manual and Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty at Minimum 1-Year Follow-up

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) demonstrates excellent durability using jig-based manual techniques (manual TKA [mTKA]), but significant rates of dissatisfaction remain. Modifications of mTKA techniques and TKA implant designs to improve outcomes have had minimal success. Studies comparing relative outcomes of mTKA and robotic-assisted TKA (raTKA) are limited. Purpose: This study sought to compare outcomes of mTKA and raTKA in patients at a single institution. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all primary TKAs performed by 1 surgeon from 2015 to 2017. In all, 139 consecutive mTKAs (2015–2016) and 148 consecutive raTKAs (2016–2017) were included. No cases were excluded. Patient demographics, complications, readmission rates, and clinical and patient-reported outcomes were compared at a minimum of 1-year follow-up. A post hoc student t test and Pearson χ2 test were used for continuous and categorical data. Results: We found that mTKA patients compared with raTKA patients required significantly longer length of stay (LOS) (1.73 vs 1.18 days, respectively), greater morphine milligram equivalents consumption (89.6 vs 65.2, respectively), and increased physical therapy (PT) visits (13.0 vs 11.0, respectively) with increased 30-day readmission rates (4.3 vs 0.7%, respectively) that approached significance. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement and the University of California at Los Angeles activity score did not differ significantly comparing raTKA with mTKA patients at 1 year. There were no differences in complication rates. Conclusion: Significant early clinical benefits were noted with raTKA, including lower opioid requirements, shorter LOS, and fewer PT visits when compared with mTKA. A reduction in 30-day readmission rates was noted with raTKA that was not significant. Excellent clinical results with similar patient-reported outcomes were noted in both groups at 1-year follow-up. Further prospective investigations at longer follow-up intervals comparing these techniques are warranted.
Preoperative Guidance With Weight-Bearing Computed Tomography and Patient-Specific Instrumentation in Foot and Ankle Surgery

The use of preoperative and intraoperative guidance in foot and ankle surgery has grown substantially in recent years. Weight-bearing computed tomography (WBCT) and patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) are used in total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) to achieve precise bone cutting and implant positioning, and intraoperative 3-dimensional (3D) imaging has been used to reduce complications and improve clinical outcomes in other foot and ankle surgical procedures. This narrative review of the literature focuses on the evidence supporting the use of WBCT and PSI in TAA and looks at other promising technologies used to guide foot and ankle surgery.
eDeepSave: Saving DNN Inference using Early Exit During Handovers in Mobile Edge Environment

Recent advances in deep neural networks (DNNs) have substantially improved the accuracy of intelligent applications. One effective scheme known as DNN partition further improves the speed of the inference by partitioning the DNN to a mobile device and its connected edge server to jointly process the inference. However, one of the challenges is how to maintain the service during handovers to avoid interruptions. Inspired by the recently developed early exit technique, where the DNN inference can be accelerated by leaving at an earlier exit point, we propose eDeepSave, a promising solution to save a large portion of video frames that cannot be handled during handovers. eDeepSave comprises three subschemes: (1) save the partially completed frames that are affected when the handover begins. (2) determine which frames we should save during a handover to maximize the number of saved frames. (3) repartition the last arriving frame before the end of the handover with a provable performance bound so that the frames after the handover can be processed without experiencing congestion. We build up a real-world prototype for the field experiments and extensive simulations, showing that eDeepSave can save up to 100% of the affected frames during handover.
Fluorescence Quenching-Based Evaluation of Glucose Oxidase Composite with Conducting Polymer, Polypyrrole

Glucose oxidase (GOx) composites with conducting polymers (e.g., polypyrrole (Ppy)) are excellent nanobiomaterials suitable for the design of bioelectronic devices such as biosensors and biofuel cells. Here, we address the spectroscopic properties of GOx, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and composites of these compounds with polypyrrole (Ppy). The exploration of native GOx and FAD solutions confirmed that about 5% of FAD dissociated from GOx during the period of solution preparation, and this fraction remained constant for 1 month. It has been found that the Ppy, which formed composites with FAD and GOx, facilitated the removal of FAD molecules from GOx and twice reduced the fluorescence decay rate. Differences in the FAD and Ppy average fluorescence relaxation times showed that the FAD composite with Ppy and Ppy effectively quenched the FAD fluorescence and FAD could not freely unfold. The intramolecular electron transfer took place between adenine and isoalloxazine moieties over the first 5 ps after .
Alkyl Arylinium Iodocuprate Clusters: Structural and Spectroscopic Diversity

7 Introduction . 8 Structural features of Copper(I) iodide ([CuxIy] , where n = x–y) complexes . 8 Charge transfer and photophysical characteristics of [CuxIy] n clusters . 12 Applications to industry . 14 Attempts to engineer anionic [CuxIy] n clusters and [R][CuxIy] n salts . 14 This Project . 17 Experimental . 21 General . 21 [RPy][I] Syntheses . 21 H-NMR spectra of [RPy][I] salts . 28 [RAr][CuI2] – Syntheses . 39 X-ray crystallography . 45 Results and Discussion.51 Overview . 51 Synthesis Results . 51 Crystallographic results . 55 [CuxIy] n clusters . 57 {[CuI2] }n and {[Cu2I4] }n . 58
Artiﬁcial language learning

Artiﬁcial language learning experiments, ﬁrst used as early as the 1950s, have helped language acquisition researchers answer longstanding questions about how learners derive representations and make generalizations based on exposure to limited data. Recently, they have been co-opted by theoretical linguists to test hypotheses about how properties of human cognition shape natural language phonology, morphology, and syntax. Empirical evidence derived from these methods has been used to build more precise accounts of the link between how languages are learned (and processed) and cross-linguistic tendencies long-noted in the typological record. This chapter explains why artiﬁcial language learning is an important tool in the syntactician’s toolbox, what phenomena it has been used to study to date, and where research with these methods is heading in the future.
Proposed Theoretical Framework for Predicting Green Purchase Intention of Consumers: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

The best predictor of human behaviour is People’s intentions to act in certain way. Intention plays a major role in predicting green purchase behavior because purchase intention strongly increases the likelihood of decision to buy the green product. The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for predicting green purchase intention of consumers by extending the theory of planned behaviour.
Copy Number of an Integron-Encoded Antibiotic Resistance Locus Regulates a Virulence and Opacity Switch in <named-content content-type='genus-species'>Acinetobacter baumannii</named-content> AB5075

We describe a novel genetic mechanism in which tandem amplification of a plasmid-borne integron regulates virulence, opacity variation, and global gene expression by altering levels of a putative small RNA (sRNA) in Acinetobacter baumannii AB5075. Copy number of this amplified locus correlated with the rate of switching between virulent opaque (VIR-O) and avirulent translucent (AV-T) cells. We found that prototypical VIR-O colonies, which exhibit high levels of switching and visible sectoring with AV-T cells by 24 h of growth, harbor two copies of this locus. However, a subset of opaque colonies that did not form AV-T sectors within 24 h were found to harbor only one copy. The colonies with decreased sectoring to AV-T were designated low-switching opaque (LSO) variants and were found to exhibit a 3-log decrease in switching relative to that of the VIR-O. Overexpression studies revealed that the element regulating switching was localized to the 5= end of the aadB gene within the amplified locus. Northern blotting indicated that an sRNA of approximately 300 nucleotides (nt) is encoded in this region and is likely responsible for regulating switching to AV-T. Copy number of the 300-nt sRNA was also found to affect virulence, as the LSO variant exhibited decreased virulence during murine lung infections. Global transcriptional profiling revealed that 100 genes were differentially expressed between VIR-O and LSO variants, suggesting that the 300-nt sRNA may act as a global regulator. Several virulence genes exhibited decreased expression in LSO cells, potentially explaining their decreased virulence. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii remains a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Widespread multidrug resistance in this species has prompted the WHO to name carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii as its top priority for research and development of new antibiotics. Many strains of A. baumannii undergo a highfrequency virulence switch, which is an attractive target for new therapeutics targeting this pathogen. This study reports a novel mechanism controlling the frequency of switching in strain AB5075. The rate of switching from the virulent opaque (VIR-O) to the avirulent translucent (AV-T) variant is positively influenced by the copy number of an antibiotic resistance locus encoded on a plasmid-borne composite integron. Our data suggest that this locus encodes a small RNA that regulates opacity switching. Low-switching opaque variants, which harbor a single copy of this locus, also exhibit decreased virulence. This study increases our understanding of this critical phenotypic switch, while also identifying potential targets for virulence-based A. baumannii treatments.