Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two distinct redox cascades cooperatively regulate chloroplast functions and sustain plant viability

Significance A fundamental challenge for the plant life cycle is how to manage fluctuating light conditions. The thiol-based redox regulation in chloroplasts is a significant system for controlling chloroplast functions in response to light signals. Although chloroplasts likely possess a complex redox network supported by multiple redox-mediator proteins and target enzymes, the whole organization and biological significance have not been fully resolved. We performed biochemical and reverse-genetic studies and concluded that (i) two major redox systems via the ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin and NADPH-thioredoxin reductase C pathways differentially but cooperatively drive chloroplast redox regulation and (ii) their concerted action is critical for plant autotrophic growth. The regulatory circuits presented in this work contribute to the understanding of how plants survive in continuously changing environments. The thiol-based redox regulation system is believed to adjust chloroplast functions in response to changes in light environments. A redox cascade via the ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase (FTR)/thioredoxin (Trx) pathway has been traditionally considered to serve as a transmitter of light signals to target enzymes. However, emerging data indicate that chloroplasts have a complex redox network composed of diverse redox-mediator proteins and target enzymes. Despite extensive research addressing this system, two fundamental questions are still unresolved: How are redox pathways orchestrated within chloroplasts, and why are chloroplasts endowed with a complicated redox network? In this report, we show that NADPH-Trx reductase C (NTRC) is a key redox-mediator protein responsible for regulatory functions distinct from those of the classically known FTR/Trx system. Target screening and subsequent biochemical assays indicated that NTRC and the Trx family differentially recognize their target proteins. In addition, we found that NTRC is an electron donor to Trx-z, which is a key regulator of gene expression in chloroplasts. We further demonstrate that cooperative control of chloroplast functions via the FTR/Trx and NTRC pathways is essential for plant viability. Arabidopsis double mutants impaired in FTR and NTRC expression displayed lethal phenotypes under autotrophic growth conditions. This severe growth phenotype was related to a drastic loss of photosynthetic performance. These combined results provide an expanded map of the chloroplast redox network and its biological functions.
A model of insulin fibrils derived from the x‐ray crystal structure of a monomeric insulin (despentapeptide insulin)

The crystal structure of despentapeptide insulin, a monomeric insulin, has been refined at 1.3 Å spacing and subsequently used to predict and model the organization in the insulin fibril. The model makes use of the contacts in the densely packed despentapeptide insulin crystal, and takes into account other experimental evidence, including binding studies with Congo red. The dimensions of this model fibril correspond well with those measured experimentally, and the monomer–monomer contacts within the fibril are in accordance with the known physical chemistry of insulin fibrils. Using this model, it may be possible to predict mutations in insulin that might alleviate problems associated with fibril formation during insulin therapy. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
Relating two techniques for handling uncertainties in IMRT optimization

Radiotherapy treatment planning is associated with uncertainties. Examples are uncertainties in the tumour location due to organ movement or the inter/intra observer variability in target definition. Different approaches to incorporate uncertainties into IMRT optimization have been proposed. In this note, we point out a relation between two previously published methods: the coverage probability approach and the concept of optimizing the expectation value of an objective function that depends on a set of random variables. Both concepts are generally different, but turn out to be equivalent in special cases.
Ancestry Matters

Patrilineality, the organization of kinship, inheritance, and other key social processes based on patrilineal male descent, has been a salient feature of social organization in China and many other societies for centuries. Because patrilineage continuity or growth was the central focus of reproductive strategies in such societies, we introduce the number of patrilineal male descendants generations later as a stratification outcome. By reconstructing and analyzing 20,000 patrilineages in two prospective, multi-generational population databases from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century China, we show that patrilineages founded by high-status males had higher growth rates for the next 150 years. The elevated growth rate of these patrilineages was due more to their having a lower probability of extinction at each point in time than to surviving patrilineal male descendants having larger numbers of sons on average. As a result, male descendants of high-status males account for a disproportionately large share of the male population in later generations. In China and elsewhere, patrilineal kin network characteristics influence individuals’ life chances; effects of a male founder’s characteristics on patrilineage size many generations later thus represent an indirect channel of status transmission that has not been considered previously.
Continuous right ventricular volumetry by fast-response thermodilution during right ventricular ischemia: Head-to-head comparison with conductance catheter measurements*

Objective:To evaluate the accuracy of right ventricular ejection fraction and right ventricular end-diastolic volume obtained by volumetric pulmonary artery catheter, using the conductance catheter as reference method. Design:Prospective, comparative study. Setting:Research laboratory of a university hospital. Subjects:Seven young female German landrace pigs. Interventions:Ligation of the distal right coronary artery to induce temporary acute ischemia. Measurements and Main Results:Right ventricular ejection fraction and right ventricular end-diastolic volume were measured simultaneously with a volumetric pulmonary artery catheter and the conductance catheter technique (reference method), in an animal model of acute right ventricular ischemia. Measurements were performed at baseline, during ischemia, and during reperfusion. The methods were compared with Bland-Altman analyses and their diagnostic accuracy to detect ischemia was quantified by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. For right ventricular ejection fraction measurements, Bland-Altman analysis indicated a bias of −9.9% indicating underestimation by pulmonary artery catheter with limits of agreement ranging from −26% to 6.1%. The data showed a trend for more underestimation at higher right ventricular ejection fraction values. For right ventricular end-diastolic volume, a bias of 31 mL, indicating overestimation by pulmonary artery catheter was found. Limits of agreement ranged from −25 mL to 88 mL. Ischemia induced a decrease in right ventricular ejection fraction and an increase in right ventricular end-diastolic volume, as expected, which was detected by conductance catheter with a significant higher diagnostic accuracy indicated by a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.98 (p < .001) and 0.92 (p < .001), respectively. Corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 86%, respectively, for right ventricular ejection fraction conductance catheter (cutoff value = <40%), and 86% and 100% for right ventricular end-diastolic volumeconductance catheter (cutoff value = >94 mL). However, diagnostic accuracy for right ventricular ejection fraction pulmonary artery catheter and end-diastolic volume pulmonary artery catheter to detect ischemia was limited with area under the curve 0.76 (p = .06) and 0.57 (p = .65), respectively. Conclusions:Accuracy of volumetric pulmonary artery catheter in conditions of right ventricular ischemia is low and inadequate for diagnosis of right ventricular ischemia and failure.
Play SMILE Game with ERiSA: a user study on game companions

This paper describes the evaluation of our fully integrated virtual game companions framework (ERiSA) [4]. We conducted three user studies with different scenarios using two versions of The Smile Game[4] in semi-public and public spaces. In our study, we show that the game companions' personality was successfully perceived by the participants while interacting and playing with the game companions. Topic about the game itself was the most popular topic with total 598 occurrences in our studies. Moreover, facial expressions is the most performed type of attack in the game. Finally, from the large number of video data collected, we aim to automatically learn the interaction rules and additional attack movements.
Poverty Dynamics of Female-headed Households in Pakistan: Evidence from PIHS 2000-01 and PSLM 2004-05

The paper attempts to empirically test a naive version of what is rather stylistically termed as “feminisation of poverty”, using the sub-sample of female -headed households (FHHs) from two household surveys in Pakistan. Although, the database is constrained by quality factors and small sample size, the following findings add to the richness of current research in this area: (a) The numerical incidence of poverty among households headed by females is less than that for all households in the country, at the national, urban and rural level for both the years. This can be traced to the finding that more than 70 percent of households headed by females receive remittances, (b) The incidence of poverty among FHHs during the period 2000-01 to 2004-05 did not decline as fast as it did for mixed households, nationwide. In urban areas, it did not decline at all, (c) Among the determinants of poverty of FHHs, illiteracy, dependency and rural residence exacerbate poverty, while remittances domestic and/ or foreign reduce poverty, (d) The dynamics of incidence of poverty among FHHs during the period indicated that Illiteracy as the factor exacerbating poverty became less important in 2004-05. Moreover, residence in rural areas was also a weaker factor in determining the incidence of poverty. By far the most notable contribution in reducing the incidence of poverty was self-employment in agriculture in 2004-05.
The Determinants of Price in Online Auctions: More Evidence from Quantile Regression

This study explores how seller reputations affect auction prices, and concludes that earlier findings may be biased due to the misspecification of seller reputation. This paper contributes to the literature by offering significant empirical evidence using Taiwanese Internet auction data. Our study reveals that the influence of seller reputations on auction prices is significant, irrespective of the assumptions of linear and non-linear relationships with price. However, failure to consider the non-linear setting of seller reputation would have led us to overestimate the impact of reputations on prices because marginal returns to an incremental increase in reputation declines rapidly for sellers who have more than 15 scores. In addition, using quantile regression, this study finds evidence of considerable differences in their impact on auction prices dependent on the distribution of price levels.
Utility of draining pleural effusions in mechanically ventilated patients

Purpose of review Pleural effusions are prevalent in mechanically ventilated patients, and clinicians frequently consider draining the effusions. It is controversial whether patients benefit from pleural drainage in terms of either physiological or clinical outcomes. Recent findings Pleural drainage may be undertaken for a variety of reasons. Effusions are an important potential source of infection in patients with undifferentiated sepsis. Pleural drainage may improve hypoxemia or lung mechanics, but the physiological response depends on a complex interplay between lung and chest wall compliance, applied positive end-expiratory pressure and drainage volume. Pleural effusions may be associated with significant cyclic lung recruitment and collapse during tidal ventilation. Because effusions are primarily accommodated by descent of the diaphragm, they can also impair diaphragm mechanics significantly. There is very limited data in the literature to support the use of pleural drainage to accelerate liberation from mechanical ventilation, and there are no randomized controlled trials published to date. Summary Pleural drainage may benefit certain patient populations based on individual physiological considerations, but randomized controlled trials evaluating the impact on weaning outcomes are lacking. Future research efforts should focus on identifying patient populations most likely to benefit and clarify the mechanisms by which weaning may be accelerated after pleural drainage.
Clinical efficacy of periodontal plastic surgery procedures: consensus report of Group 2 of the 10th European Workshop on Periodontology.

AIM The scope of the discussions of this consensus report was to assess the strength of the scientific evidence and make clinical and research recommendations for surgical interventions to cover exposed root surfaces and enhance soft tissues at implants. METHODS Discussions were informed by three systematic reviews covering single recessions, multiple recessions and soft-tissue deficiencies at implants. The strength of the evidence was assessed using a modification in GRADE. The group also emphasized the need to report the experience of the surgeon and the performance of the control intervention (CONSORT guidelines for non-pharmacological treatment). RESULTS A moderate strength of evidence supported the following statements for single (moderately deep, mostly maxillary) recessions without inter-dental attachment loss: (i) The addition of a connective tissue graft (CTG) improved outcomes of coronally advanced flaps (CAF). (ii) The addition of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) improved the outcomes of CAF. For multiple recessions, preliminary data indicate that flaps specifically designed to treat this condition are worthy of additional attention. Emerging data indicate that it is possible to obtain complete root coverage at sites with some inter-dental attachment loss. With regards to soft-tissue deficiencies at implants, several procedures are available, but great heterogeneity among studies does not allow drawing conclusions at this time. CONCLUSIONS The group highlighted that periodontal plastic procedures are complex, technique-sensitive interventions that require advanced skills and expertise. At single recessions, the addition of autologous CTG or EMD under CAF improves complete root coverage and may be considered the procedure of choice at maxillary anterior and premolar teeth. The adjunctive benefit needs to be put in the context of increased morbidity of the donor area or increased cost. Additional research is needed to: (i) assess the role of alternatives to autologous soft-tissue grafting in combination with CAF; (ii) identify the optimal surgical design and the need for additional soft-tissue grafting (or alternatives) at multiple recessions, recessions with inter-dental attachment loss and soft-tissue deficiencies at implants.
Visualization for genome function analysis using immersive projection technology

We discuss application possibilities of virtual reality technologies such as immersive projection technology, to the field of genome science, and the guiding principles for the visualization of genome information are proposed. In addition, we develop a visualization methodology by using immersive projection technology for pair-wise comparison between cluster sets generated from different gene expression datasets. Our methodology could display the distribution of overlaps between two hierarchical cluster sets based on hepatocellular carcinomas and hepatoblastomas.
An Algorithm for Air Cargo Forwarders Consolidation Problem

Cargo consolidation operation significantly affected the profit of air cargo forwarders. The problem of cargo consolidation is an NP-hard. In order to solve realistically large-scale cargo consolidation problems, this paper transformed the air cargo forwarders consolidation problem to well-known set covering problem based on mixed integer programming model and used Lagrangian relaxation to develop a recursive heuristic algorithm, and discussed the problems of feasible solution determination and set adjustment. A numerical experiment was tested. The results show that the algorithm is feasible with high computing efficiency, and generates solutions very close to optimal solution.
Social groups have a representation of their own: Clues from neuropsychology

The most relevant evidence for the organization of the conceptual knowledge in the brain was first provided by the patterns of deficits in brain-damaged individuals affecting one or another semantic category. Patients with various etiologies showed a disproportionate impairment in producing and understanding names of either living (fruits, vegetables, animals) or nonliving things (tools, vehicles, clothes). These double dissociations between spared and impaired recognition of living and nonliving things led to suggest that these categories are discretely represented in the brain. Recently social groups were found to be represented independently of traditional living and nonliving categories. Here we tested 21 patients with different types of primary dementia with three word sorting tasks tapping their conceptual knowledge about living and nonliving entities and social groups. Patients double dissociated in categorizing words belonging to the three categories. These findings clarify that knowledge about social groups is distinct from other semantic categories.
An emotion engine for intelligent robot

An emotion is the element that provides the various expression methods and continuous interest to a user. This paper focuses on an emotion engine for emotional interaction between a human and a robot. The emotion engine includes emotion feature generation and internal status module. We apply emotion engine to an emotional experimental robot platform. The proposed emotion engine can be used in the development of emotional robot or cyber characters.
Guilt Appeals in Advertising: An Exploratory Study

A two-stage exploratory study was conducted to assess the effect of guilt as an advertising appeal. A sample of 46 working mothers were asked to respond to three advertisements for a microwavable dinner product in which the message intent was to create guilt (i.e., low, medium, and high). The advertisements were constructed following a content analysis of several popular women's magazines. A set of 18 adjectives covering both guilt- and nonguilt-related items was provided for each advertisement. The adjective sets had a five-point response range, with endpoints labeled “Not at All” to “Very. ” A varimax factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, including factors of guilt, anger, and happiness. An analysis of variance identified significant changes in subjects' perceived guilt, anger, and happiness across the three advertisements. Further, medium guilt appeals were more effective in inducing guilt in respondents than those either low or high in guilt. Finally, as the level of guilt represented in an advertisement increased, the subjects' anger also increased.
Antinutrients and Digestibility (in vitro) of Soaked, Dehulled and Germinated Cowpeas

Phytic acid, polyphenols, protein and starch digestibility (in vitro) in two varieties, namely CS-46 and CS-88, of soaked, dehulled and germinated cowpeas were determined. Soaking for 12 hours, dehulling of soaked seeds and germination for different time periods (24, 36 and 48 h) contributed significantly in reducing the phytic acid and polyphenol content of cowpeas. Removal of seed coat (dehulling) of soaked cowpeas reduced the polyphenols by 70–71 %. Soaking (12 h) brought about an improvement in protein and starch digestibility which further increased after dehulling. Progressive increase in digestibility (protein and starch) was noticed, with an increase in germination period. Dehulling of soaked seeds was most effective in reducing the polyphenolic content, and germination in enhancing protein and starch digestibility.
Analysis of detailed patterns of contour shapes using wavelet local extrema

We propose a method to analyze detailed patterns on contour shapes. In this method, we express detailed patterns using wavelet local extrema which are obtained through wavelet transforms. Based on this description, two features of detailed patterns, the properties of small fractions (or corners) constituting the detailed patterns and the arrangement of these corners are extracted. Using these two important features, the similarities between two detailed patterns can be examined. The proposed method is applied to detailed patterns of leaf contours and some hand-drawn contours to show its feasibility.
Prolonged isoflurane anesthesia in a case of catastrophic asthma

A 13‐year‐old female patient with life‐threatening asthma was treated with the inhalational anesthetic agent, 1% isoflurane, for 202 h (140 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) hours). The patient survived and exhibited no significant side effects attributable to the medication. The present patient report provides additional clinical information supporting the utilization of long‐term isoflurane general anesthesia in the management of refractory status asthmaticus that have not responded to aggressive medical management.
The predictive role of 24 h RAIU with respect to the outcome of low fixed dose radioiodine therapy in patients with diffuse toxic goiter

radioactive iodine uptake (rAIU) is a test used to differentiate hyperthyroidism from thyroiditis and to calculate the radioiodine dose for treatment of Graves’ disease. We aimed to evaluate the predictive role of 24h rAIU with respect to the outcome of radioiodine therapy in patients with diffuse toxic goiter (DTG). METHODs: case records of patients with DTG treated with radioactive iodine were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups based on 24h rAIU (normal range: 15% 35% at 24 h): the first group included patients with 24h rAIU values equal to or less than 50%, while the second group included patients with 24h rAIU values of over 50%. Gland size, duration of disease, treatment with antithyroid drugs (ATD) and its duration were the other factors considered. success of the first dose of I was defined as a euthyroid or hypothyroid status at 12 months post-therapy without the need for additional radioiodine or ATD therapy. Data were analyzed with 95% power and 1% type I error (α=0.01). rEsULTs: six hundred thirty-three (633) consecutive patients with DTG were given a fixed-dose (5mci) of radioiodine between January 1987 and December 2006. One hundred seventy-five patients (175) had an rAIU ≤50% and 458 patients had an rAIU >50%. Firstdose success rate in the former group was 81.7% and in the second group 68.6% (p=0.001). The overall first-dose success was 72%. Multivariate analysis confirmed the significant role of 24h rAIU data to predict a successful outcome. cONcLUsION: A 24h rAIU value of ≤50% appears to be associated with a significantly better outcome compared to that of a 24h rAIU value of >50% in patients with DTG given as treatment a fixed dose of 185 MBq radioiodine.