Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beyond Intraocular Pressure: Neuroprotective Strategies for Future Glaucoma Therapy

Background. All currently approved glaucoma medications are directed toward lowering intraocular pressure. However, it is apparent that there are pressure-independent mechanisms associated with the development of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. There has been considerable effort to develop therapeutics that rescue the retinal ganglion cells from undergoing secondary degeneration after the original insult has occurred. This therapeutic strategy has been termed neuroprotection. Methods. The literature was reviewed to examine the current knowledge of the degenerative cascade involved in glaucomatous damage, with emphasis on potential therapeutic targets for neuroprotective strategies. Results. There are a number of promising areas of research for new glaucoma therapies including glutamate antagonists, calcium channel blockers, antioxidants, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, neurotrophins, and anti-apoptotic agents. Conclusions. Glaucoma is a complex disease with a number of risk factors and mechanisms leading to ganglion cell death. Future glaucoma therapy will likely include neuroprotectants that could be used as an adjunct therapy with other medications designed to lessen the initial insult (i.e., intraocular pressure–lowering compounds). As the word neuroprotection becomes more popular, care must be taken in evaluating the research literature for clinically effective therapies.
Hybrid triggering control for average consensus of multi-agent systems

This paper investigate the event-triggered consensus problem for multi-agent systems in the average consensus case. An event of each agent is triggered only when certain measurement error reaches some prescribed threshold. Then at each event time instant, each agent communicates with its neighbors, sends information to them and then updates its controller. In the event design in this work, we use discontinuous threshold and as a result, the continuous communication among agents is avoided. This may reduce energy consumption in practice. To exclude the Zeno behavior, we propose an event/time hybrid triggering scheme. Then asymptotic consensus can be guaranteed while the Zeno behavior can be avoided. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is then extended to a self-triggered case and thus continuous self-state monitoring can be further avoided. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by simulation examples.
Conventional and Molecular Breeding for Development of Drought Tolerant Maize Cultivars

Abstract In crop plants, possibility of attaining higher production level depends on the magnitude of genetic potential of germplasm and environmental conditions. Drought being the major abiotic stress, adversely affects the growth and development ultimately economic yield of maize crop in variety of ways. The precise knowledge of drought sensitive crop stages, drought tolerance imparting traits, screening techniques and breeding strategies are having the fundamental prerequisite for development of drought tolerant maize cultivars. After screening of germplasm on account of sensitive stages and tolerance imparting traits under appropriate environmental conditions, classical or molecular breeding can be adopted for developing cultivars suitable for moisture limited condition. Conventional method of hybrid breeding for drought tolerance is been utilized for long history. Currently, with science and technology advancement in genomics and phenomics, molecular breeding would have the significant role in the development of drought tolerant maize cultivars. Keywords: Maize, drought, MAS, QTLs, transgenics Cite this article: Manjeet Kumar, Meenakshi Uniyal, Naveen Kumar, Sudhir Kumar, Rishipal Gangwar. Conventional and Molecular Breeding for Development of Drought Tolerant Maize Cultivars. Research & Reviews: Journal of Crop Science and Technology . 2015; 4(1): 1–3p.
Selection for high immunogenicity in drug-resistant sublines of murine lymphomas demonstrated by plaque assay.

The immunogenicity of lymphoma L1210 and three L1210 sublines, resistant to methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone), 4,4'-diacetyldiphenylurea bis(guanylhydrazone), or guanazole (L1210/GZL), respectively, was evaluated. Syngeneic DBA/2J mice were given a single i.p. injection of serially diluted suspension of irradiated cells from L1210 or L1210 sublines. Five days later spleen cells from the immunized mice were tested for the presence of plaque-forming cells using the immunizing lymphoma cell lines as target. Sera collected from the animals were examined for cytolytic antibody activity by lysis in gel using the same target cells. For comparison, the H-2 immunogenicity of L1210 and its sublines was investigated in H-2-incompatible allogeneic mice. The following results were obtained. (a) All the sublines showed increased immunogenicity and susceptibility to lysis as compared to L1210 cells. The number of plaque-forming cells/spleen ranged from 100 for L1210 to 4450 for L1210/GZL, the most immunogenic subline, and the antibody titer ranged from 1/8 for L1210 to 1/128 for L1210/GZL. (b) All the sublines carried common tumor-associated antigens that apparently made primary contributions to the increased immunogenicity. (c) The common tumor-associated antigens were also expressed on L1210 cells, although in a lesser defree, as evidenced by the definite, albeit low, capacity of L1210 cells to absorb DBA/2J anti-L1210/GZL antibodies. (d) Spleen and thymus cells of DBA/2J mice as well as unrelated murine ascites tumor cells did not cause significant absorption of these antibodies. (e) Only a partial inverse relationship could be demonstrated between tumor-associated antigens but the lowest for H-2. The above results would seem compatible with the hypothesis that the increased immunogenicity of drug-resistant L1210 sublines is attributable to the selection of preexisting highly immunogenic cells during immunosuppression by treatments selecting for drug resistance.
Racial Redistricting and Realignment in Southern State Legislatures

Competing logit models of the link between the racial composition of districts and party are estimated and then analyzed for all state legislative elections held in the South from 1990 to 1998. Using these models and a decomposition model developed by Grofman and Handley (1998), we decompose changes in seats won by the Democrats since 1990 into redistricting, realignment, and interaction effects. Racial redistricting harmed the Democrats in all states and cost the Democrats control of at least two state Houses. However, the ongoing realignment toward the Republicans played a much greater role in Democratic losses. We find little evidence to support the white-backlash theory, but conclude that Democratic candidates fare better in highland districts compared to other heavily white regions of the South. acial redistricting emerged as one of the most fiercely debated policy questions among scholars, judges, and politicians during the 1990s. While the battle has raged along multiple fronts-normative, constitutional, methodological-the central empirical contention revolves around the policy's partisan impact. Critics of racial redistricting claim, and Republicans hope, that packing black voters into majority-minority districts cripples the Democratic party outside of the safe seats it creates for black representatives (e.g., Bullock 1995; Lublin 1997; Lublin and Voss 1998; Swain 1995a, 1995b; Thernstrom and Thernstrom 1997). Friendlier analysts, by contrast, downplay the damage nearby Democrats typically will suffer (e.g., Engstrom 1995; Grofman and Handley 1998; LDF 1994; McDonald and Lucas 1998; Petrocik and Desposato 1998). The true electoral effect of racial redistricting remains unclear. ' Virtually all studies of racial redistricting's partisan impact have focused solely on one or two congressional elections.2 Whatever their practical significance, these high-profile contests provide few actual cases to test how electoral borders shape Democratic fortunes, especially in the critical range where African Americans fall just short of a majority. Restricting attention to congressional elections unnecessarily limits the scope of analysis, since the hypothesized behavioral regularities that undergird this empirical debate are not unique to national politics.
Functional divergence of the TFL1‐like gene family in Arabidopsis revealed by characterization of a novel homologue

The TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) gene of Arabidopsis plays an important role in regulating flowering time and in maintaining the fate of inflorescence meristem (IM). TFL1 is a homologue of CENTRORADIALIS (CEN) from Antirrhinum, which is only involved in IM maintenance. Recent mutational studies and the genome project revealed that TFL1 belongs to a small gene family in Arabidopsis, in which functional divergence may have occurred among the members.
Apoptosis of human pancreatic carcinoma cell-1 cells induced by Yin Chen Hao Decoction.

AIM To evaluate human pancreatic carcinoma cell line (PANC-1) cells apoptosis and Bcl-2 and Bax expression induced by Yin Chen Hao Decoction (YCHD). METHODS The cell growth inhibitory rate was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis of PANC-1 cells before and after treatment with YCHD was determined by TUNEL staining. Expression of the apoptosis-associated genes, Bcl-2 and Bax, was detected by immunohistochemical staining and reverse transcription -PCR. RESULTS YCHD inhibited the growth of PANC-1 cells. Following treatment with YCHD for 24-96 h, the apoptotic rate of PANC-1 cells increased with time. In addition, the positive rate of Bcl-2 protein expression decreased in a time-dependent manner, whereas the positive rate of Bax protein expression increased in a time-dependent manner. Following treatment of with YCHD for 24-96h, expression of BAX mRNA increased gradually and BCL-2 mRNA reduced gradually with time. CONCLUSION YCHD induces apoptosis of PANC-1 cells mediated in part via up-regulation of BAX and down-regulation of BCL-2.
Ammonia synthons for the multicomponent assembly of complex γ-lactams

The synthesis of γ-lactams that are unsubstituted at the 1-position (nitrogen) as well as their subsequent N-functionalization is reported. A recently discovered four-component reaction (4CR) is employed with either an ammonia precursor or a protected form of ammonia that can be deprotected in a subsequent synthetic step. These methods represent the first multicomponent assembly of complex lactam structures that are unsubstituted at nitrogen. In addition, two methods for the introduction of nitrogen substituents that are not possible through the original 4CR are reported. X-ray crystallographic analysis of representative structures reveals conformational changes in the core structure that will enable future deployment of this chemistry in the design and synthesis of diverse collections of lactams suitable for the discovery of new biological probes.
Intrapartum predictors of maternal levator ani injury

Damage to the pelvic floor during vaginal childbirth is common, and may take the form of levator avulsion or irreversible overdistension of the levator hiatus (microtrauma). Such trauma is a major risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse later in life. In this study we aimed to identify intrapartum risk factors for levator trauma.
Effects of macronutrient intake on thigh muscle mass during home‐based walking training in middle‐aged and older women

We examined whether post‐exercise macronutrient supplementation during a 5‐month home‐based interval walking training (IWT) accelerated exercise‐induced increases in skeletal muscle mass and strength in healthy middle‐aged and older women. Thirty‐five women (41–78 years) were randomly divided into two groups: IWT alone (CNT, n = 18) or IWT plus post‐exercise macronutrient (7.6 g protein, 32.5 g carbohydrate, and 4.4 g fat) supplementation (NUT, n = 17). For IWT, all subjects were instructed to repeat five or more sets of 3‐min low‐intensity walking at 40% peak aerobic capacity (Vo2 peak), followed by a 3‐min high‐intensity walking above 70% Vo2 peak per day for 4 or more days per week. We determined Vo2 peak, thigh muscle tissue area by computer tomography, and thigh muscle strength in all subjects before and after IWT. We found that an increase in hamstring muscle tissue area was 2.8 ± 1.2% in NUT vs −1.0 ± 0.7% in CNT and that in isometric knee flexion force was 16.3 ± 3.7% in NUT vs 6.5 ± 3.0% in CNT; both were significantly higher in NUT than in CNT (both, P < 0.001). Thus, post‐exercise macronutrient supplementation enhanced the increases in thigh muscle mass and strength, although partially, in home‐based IWT in middle‐aged and older women.
Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager On-Orbit Geometric Calibration and Performance

The Landsat 8 spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2013 carrying the Operational Land Imager (OLI) payload for moderate resolution imaging in the visible, near infrared (NIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands. During the 90-day commissioning period following launch, several on-orbit geometric calibration activities were performed to refine the prelaunch calibration parameters. The results of these calibration activities were subsequently used to measure geometric performance characteristics in order to verify the OLI geometric requirements. Three types of geometric calibrations were performed including: (1) updating the OLI-to-spacecraft alignment knowledge; (2) refining the alignment of the sub-images from the multiple OLI sensor chips; and (3) refining the alignment of the OLI spectral bands. The aspects of geometric performance that were measured and verified included: (1) geolocation accuracy with terrain correction, but without ground control (L1Gt); (2) Level 1 product accuracy with terrain correction and ground control (L1T); (3) band-to-band registration accuracy; and (4) multi-temporal image-to-image registration accuracy. Using the results of the on-orbit calibration update, all aspects of geometric performance were shown to meet or exceed system requirements.
World Mental Health Day 2018, but how aware are medical students?

Abstract With the recent global interest in mental health, there has been an increase in the number of people coming forward to discuss the once frowned upon illness. It is true that some progress has been made in terms of establishing an equal footing within the health and social care landscape with the help of various campaigns. However, there is still much work to be done with regards to removing the stigma of mental health within the healthcare sector itself. It is no surprise that mental illness statistics are significantly higher amongst medical practitioners due to the high-stress nature of their jobs, yet it is believed to be under reported. Interestingly, there is emerging evidence that physician burn out stems early in their careers whilst in medical school, suggesting areas that need improvement in medical education with regards to how medical students view and handle mental illness. As such, two issues have been identified and discussed here - the stigmatisation of mental illness whilst in medical school and the underemphasis of mental illness as compared to other physical health problems in medical education. It is hoped that discussing these issues can help stimulate subsequent positive changes.
Modified Ferriman–Gallwey Score in Hirsutism and its Association with Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Hirsutism is the presence of terminal hair in females in males pattern. It occurs in 5%–15% of women. Modified Ferriman–Gallwey (mFG) score of ≥ 8 is considered hirsutism, but there are populations with a low mFG score. In clinical practice, hirsutism is subjective. Although hirsutism is considered as a purely esthetic problem, it is associated with many underlying disorders, especially androgen excess disorders. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) disease is the most common cause of androgen excess in females, and there are reports of its association with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome occurs alone in hirsutism. Aims: To assess mFG score in patients who consider themselves as hirsute. To study the association between metabolic syndrome and hirsutism. Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study design was adopted. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical data. The severity of hirsutism was assessed using mFG score and metabolic syndrome was diagnosed by the American Heart Association criteria. mFG score was expressed as mean and Student's t-test and Chi-square statistic were used as the tests of significance. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: The mean mFG score was 5.5. Metabolic syndrome was present in 44%. About 65.2% of patients with score ≥8 had metabolic syndrome, whereas only 37.7% of patients with score <8 had metabolic syndrome (P = 0.019). Metabolic syndrome (P = 0.018) and PCOS (P = 0.003) were the significant variables in logistic regression analysis. Triglyceride levels ≥150 mg/dl and waist circumference ≥88 cm were the components of metabolic syndrome that were significantly associated with hirsutism (P = 0.006 in both). Conclusions: To find the ideal cutoff of mFG score to define hirsutism in our population, a population study among females in the reproductive age group has to be conducted. As there is a definite association of hirsutism and metabolic syndrome, and metabolic syndrome can result in cardiovascular complications, any women presenting with terminal hair in a male pattern should be evaluated for metabolic syndrome irrespective of the mFG score.
Vestibular Assessments in Children With Global Developmental Delay: An Exploratory Study

Purpose: To compare results of 3 clinical vestibular tests between children with global developmental delay (GDD) and children with typical development (TD) and investigate the test-retest reliability. Methods: Twenty children with GDD (aged 4.1-12.1 years) and 11 age-matched controls with TD participated. Participants with GDD underwent 2 sessions of testing. Each session consisted of the Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (CTSIB), Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) test, and the modified Emory Clinical Vestibular Chair Test (m-ECVCT). Results: Up to 33% of the children with GDD had abnormal DVA scores. m-ECVCT results of children with GDD demonstrated larger variance than children with TD. The CTSIB score was significantly reduced in the group with GDD. The test-retest reliability varied, with good reliability for the m-ECVCT and CTSIB, and fair reliability for the DVA. Conclusions: Findings suggest vestibular involvement in children in GDD. The clinical tests demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability.
Analysts’ Forecasts and Asset Pricing: A Survey

This survey reviews the literature on sell-side analysts’ forecasts and their implications for asset pricing. We review the literature on the supply and demand forces shaping analysts’ forecasting decisions as well as on the implications of the information they produce for both the cash flow and the discount rate components of security returns. Analysts’ forecasts bring prices in line with the expectations they embody, consistent with the notion that they contain information about future cash flows. However, analysts’ forecasts exhibit predictable biases, and the market appears to underreact to the information in forecasts and to not fully filter the biases in forecasts. Analysts’ forecasts are also helpful in estimating expected returns on securities, but evidence on the relation between analysts’ forecasts and expected returns is still scarce. We conclude by identifying unanswered questions and offering suggestions for future research.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production triggers unconventional secretion of antioxidant enzymes

Nutrient deprivation triggers the release of signal-sequence-lacking antioxidant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). We now report that secreted SOD1 is functionally active and accompanied by export of other antioxidant enzymes such as thioredoxins, (Trx1 and Trx2) and peroxiredoxin Ahp1. Our data reveal that starvation increases mitochondrial activity, which generates higher, but non-toxic, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibiting mitochondrial activity or ROS prevents antioxidants secretion. We suggest that in response to ROS production that can permeate the plasma membrane, the cells respond by secreting antioxidants to prevent ROS-mediated damage in the extracellular space. These findings provide an understanding of why cells secrete signal sequence lacking antioxidant enzymes in response to starvation.
Abnormality Detection via Iterative Deformable Registration and Basis-Pursuit Decomposition

We present a generic method for automatic detection of abnormal regions in medical images as deviations from a normative data base. The algorithm decomposes an image, or more broadly a function defined on the image grid, into the superposition of a normal part and a residual term. A statistical model is constructed with regional sparse learning to represent normative anatomical variations among a reference population (e.g., healthy controls), in conjunction with a Markov random field regularization that ensures mutual consistency of the regional learning among partially overlapping image blocks. The decomposition is performed in a principled way so that the normal part fits well with the learned normative model, while the residual term absorbs pathological patterns, which may then be detected through a statistical significance test. The decomposition is applied to multiple image features from an individual scan, detecting abnormalities using both intensity and shape information. We form an iterative scheme that interleaves abnormality detection with deformable registration, gradually improving robustness of the spatial normalization and precision of the detection. The algorithm is evaluated with simulated images and clinical data of brain lesions, and is shown to achieve robust deformable registration and localize pathological regions simultaneously. The algorithm is also applied on images from Alzheimer's disease patients to demonstrate the generality of the method.
Institutionalization or Decoupling? An Exploratory Analysis of the UN Global Compact Lead Initiative

Institutionalization occurs when organizations adopt policies and practices in an attempt to increase their legitimacy and competitive position. This process assumes that an organization's formal policies (macro‐level) are translated into organizational practices (micro‐level). This translation, however, can fail to occur, resulting in organizational decoupling and de‐institutionalization. Drawing on an institutionalization typology based on different levels of legitimacy (macro) and taken‐for‐grantedness (micro), the article draws on data from an assessment of the United Nations Global Compact LEAD initiative, assessing the extent to which this initiative is being institutionalized in the member firms and examining the implications for the LEAD initiative and our thinking about institutionalization.