Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydraulic engineering of the angiosperm leaf: do the Baileyan trends in perforation plate evolution account for the origin of high vein density?

When looking at the intricate and delicate network of leaf veins, it is not necessary to be a botanist to feel amazed at such a wonderful example of evolutionary engineering (Fig. 1). This complex plumbing system is finely designed to assure capillary water delivery to photosynthetic mesophyll cells, thus replacing the huge amount of water they lose to the atmosphere during the transpiration process. In fact, water loss is unavoidably coupled to stomatal opening and CO2 diffusion from the atmosphere into the leaf interior, which is crucial to fuel photosynthetic processes. The structure–function relationships of this marvellous ‘irrigation’ system have intrigued researchers for many years. Only during the last decade, however, have we finally started to understand the important connections between the overall patterns and length of veins fitting in a unit of leaf surface area, generally termed ‘vein density’ (and expressed in mmmm ), and the leaf efficiency in terms of photosynthetic capacity and resistance to environmental stresses (Sack & Scoffoni, 2013). In a new study by Feild & Brodribb, in this issue of New Phytologist (pp. 720–726), novel evidence suggests that high leaf vein density is driven by the evolution of vessels and a decrease of vein thickness.
40Ar/39Ar dating of the Mumbai tholeiites and Panvel flexure: intense 62.5 Ma onshore–offshore Deccan magmatism during India-Laxmi Ridge–Seychelles breakup

S U M M A R Y Mumbai, located on the western Indian continental margin, exposes Danian-age Deccan magmatic units of diverse compositions, dipping seaward due to the Panvel flexure. The GhatkoparPowai tholeiitic sequence contains seaward-dipping (thus pre-flexure) flows and subvertical (thus post-flexure) dykes. We present new 40Ar/39Ar ages of 62.4 ± 0.7 and 62.4 ± 0.3 Ma (2σ ) on two flows, and 62.2 ± 0.3, 62.8 ± 0.3 and 61.8 ± 0.2 Ma on three dykes, showing that this sequence is much younger than the main 66–65 Ma Deccan sequence in the Western Ghats escarpment. The mutually indistinguishable ages of the Ghatkopar-Powai tholeiites overlap with available 40Ar/39Ar ages of 62.6 ± 0.6 and 62.9 ± 0.2 Ma for the seaward-dipping Dongri rhyolite flow and 62.2 ± 0.6 Ma for the Saki Naka trachyte intrusion, both from the uppermost Mumbai stratigraphy. The weighted mean of these eight 40Ar/39Ar ages is 62.4 ± 0.1 Ma (2 SEM), relative to an MMhb-1 monitor age of 523.1 ± 2.6 Ma (2σ ), and indicates essentially contemporaneous volcanism, intrusion and tectonic flexure. This age also coincides with the rift-to-drift transition of the Seychelles and Laxmi Ridge-India breakup and the emplacement of the Raman-Panikkar-Wadia seamount chain in the axial part of the Laxmi Basin. Pre-rift magmatism is seen in the 64.55 Ma Jogeshwari basalt in Mumbai and 63.5–63.0 Ma intrusions in the Seychelles. Post-rift magmatism is seen in the 60.8–60.9 Ma Manori trachyte and Gilbert Hill basalt intrusions in Mumbai and 60–61 Ma syenitic intrusions in the Seychelles. The Mumbai area thus preserves the pre-, synand post-rift onshore tectonomagmatic record of the breakup between the Seychelles and the Laxmi Ridge-India. Voluminous submarine volcanism forming the Raman, Panikkar and Wadia seamounts in the Laxmi Basin represents the offshore syn-rift magmatism.
Decentralized TOA-based localization in non-synchronized wireless networks with partial, asymmetric connectivity

Classical methods for cooperative time-of-arrival (TOA)-based self-localization in wireless sensors networks usually rely either on synchronization between sensors or on two-way TOA (TW-TOA) measurements. However, when the connectivity in the network is limited, accurate synchronization of the nodes may be too costly to attain, and full TW-TOA measurements may not be available either, especially when the connectivity matrix is asymmetric. Centralized processing for the location estimation is also rarely feasible under such conditions. In this paper we propose an algorithm (method and protocol) for decentralized, cooperative TOA-based self-localization, which does not require synchronization and does not involve any “hand-shaking” procedures (of the kind required for TW-TOA measurements) between sensors. The procedure involves a single initial transmission by each sensor, followed by reports of the received TOAs by each sensor, followed by an iterative procedure in which each sensor estimates its own timing offset and position, as well as the timing-offsets and positions of relevant neighboring sensors, and announces its estimation results. We demonstrate convergence of the procedure to accurate estimates of the position of nearly all sensors, e.g., in scenarios involving 50 - 200 sensors in an area of 20 by 20 Km with an average 1:3 connectivity.
Evidence for Both Abnormal Set Point of PTH Stimulation by Calcium and Adaptation to Serum Calcium in Hemodialysis Patients with Hyperparathyroidism

In vitro studies of parathyroid glands removed from dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia have demonstrated the presence of an increased set point of parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulation by calcium (set point [PTHstim]), suggesting an intrinsic abnormality of the hyperplastic parathyroid cell. However, clinical studies on dialysis patients have not observed a correlation between the set point (PTHstim) and the magnitude of hyperparathyroidism. In the present study, 58 hemodialysis patients with moderate to severe hyperparathyroidism (mean PTH 780 ± 377 pg/ml) were evaluated both before and after calcitriol treatment to establish the relationship among PTH, serum calcium, and the set point (PTHstim) and to determine whether changes in the serum calcium, as induced by calcitriol treatment, modified these relationships. Calcitriol treatment decreased serum PTH levels and increased the serum calcium and the setpoint (PTHstim); however, the increase in serum calcium was greater than the increase in the setpoint (PTHstim). Before treatment with calcitriol, the correlation between the set point (PTHstim) and the serum calcium was r = 0.82, p < 0.001, and between the set point (PTHstim) and PTH was r = 0.39, p = 0.002. After treatment with calcitriol, the correlation between the set point (PTHstim) and the serum calcium remained significant (r = 0.70, p < 0.001), but the correlation between the set point (PTHstim) and PTH was no longer significant (r = 0.09); moreover, a significant correlation was present between the change in the set point (PTHstim) and the change in serum calcium that resulted from calcitriol treatment (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). The correlation between the residual values (deviation from the regression line) of the set point (PTHstim), derived from the correlation between PTH and the set point (PTHstim), and serum calcium was r = 0.77, p < 0.001 before calcitriol and r = 0.72, p < 0.001 after calcitriol. In conclusion, the set point (PTHstim) increased after a sustained increase in the serum calcium, suggesting an adaptation of the set point to the existing serum calcium; the increase in serum calcium resulting from calcitriol treatment was greater than the increase in the set point (PTHstim); the set point (PTHstim) was greater in hemodialysis patients with higher serum PTH levels; and the correlation between PTH and the set point (PTHstim) may be obscured because the serum calcium directly modifies the set point (PTHstim).
A dynamic zone defines interneuron remodeling in the adult neocortex

The contribution of structural remodeling to long-term adult brain plasticity is unclear. Here, we investigate features of GABAergic interneuron dendrite dynamics and extract clues regarding its potential role in cortical function and circuit plasticity. We show that remodeling interneurons are contained within a “dynamic zone” corresponding to a superficial strip of layers 2/3, and remodeling dendrites respect the lower border of this zone. Remodeling occurs primarily at the periphery of dendritic fields with addition and retraction of new branch tips. We further show that dendrite remodeling is not intrinsic to a specific interneuron class. These data suggest that interneuron remodeling is not a feature predetermined by genetic lineage, but rather, it is imposed by cortical laminar circuitry. Our findings are consistent with dynamic GABAergic modulation of feedforward and recurrent connections in response to top-down feedback and suggest a structural component to functional plasticity of supragranular neocortical laminae.
The MoLfa1 Protein Regulates Fungal Development and Septin Ring Formation in Magnaporthe oryzae

Septins play a key regulatory role in cell division, cytokinesis, and cell polar growth of the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae). We found that the organization of the septin ring, which is essential for appressorium-mediated infection in M. oryzae, requires long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which act as mediators of septin organization at membrane interfaces. However, it is unclear how septin ring formation and LCFAs regulate the pathogenicity of the rice blast fungus. In this study, a novel protein was named MoLfa1 because of its role in LCFAs utilization. MoLfa1 affects the utilization of LCFAs, lipid metabolism, and the formation of the septin ring by binding with phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs), thereby participating in the construction of penetration pegs of M. oryzae. In addition, MoLfa1 is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and interacts with the ER-related protein MoMip11 to affect the phosphorylation level of Mps1. (Mps1 is the core protein in the MPS1-MAPK pathway.) In conclusion, MoLfa1 affects conidia morphology, appressorium formation, lipid metabolism, LCFAs utilization, septin ring formation, and the Mps1-MAPK pathway of M. oryzae, influencing pathogenicity.
A network meta-analysis for toxicity of eight chemotherapy regimens in the treatment of metastatic/advanced breast cancer

Objective To compare the incidence of toxicity of 8 different chemotherapy regimens, including doxorubicin + paclitaxel, doxorubicin, capecitabine, CMF (cyclophosphamide + methotrexate + 5-fluorouracil), FAC (fluorouracil + doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide), doxorubicin + docetaxel, doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel in the treatment of metastatic/advanced breast cancer. Results This network meta-analysis included 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The findings revealed that, with regard to capecitabine alone regimen exhibited higher incidence of nausea/vomiting than doxorubicin + paclitaxel regimen, doxorubicin alone regimen and paclitaxel alone regimen in the treatment of patients with metastatic/advanced breast cancer (OR = 32.48, 95% CI = 1.65~2340.57; OR = 22.75, 95% CI = 1.03~1923.52; OR = 59.63, 95% CI = 2.22~5664.88, respectively). Furthermore, doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide regimen had lower incidence of febrile neutropenia than doxorubicin + docetaxel (OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.03~0.96). No significant difference in the incidence of stomatitis was observed among eight chemotherapy regimens. Materials and Methods We initially searched PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase databases from the founding of these databases to January 2016. Eligible studies investigating the 8 different chemotherapy regimens for treatment of metastatic/advanced breast cancer were included for direct and indirect comparison. The odds ratio (OR) and surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) value of the incidence of toxicity among eight chemotherapy regimens were analyzed. Conclusions Capecitabine alone regimen and doxorubicin + docetaxel regimen may have a more frequent toxicity in the treatment of metastatic/advanced breast cancer.
Accidental ingestion of E-cigarette liquid nicotine in a 15-month-old child: an infant mortality case of nicotine intoxication

Electronic cigarettes are novel tobacco products that are frequently used these days. The cartridge contains liquid nicotine and accidental poisoning, even with a small oral dose, endangers children. We present here a mortality case of a 15-month-old child who ingested liquid nicotine mistaking it for cold medicine. When the emergency medical technicians arrived, she was found to have pulseless electrical activity. Spontaneous circulation was restored after approximately 40 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The cotinine level in her urine was 1,716 ng/mL. Despite intensive supportive care, severe anoxic brain injury was found on computed tomography and the child ultimately died. This fatality highlights the need for public health efforts to minimize such accidents.
USING UML FOR STATING AND HANDLING REGULATIONS IN THE RESOURCE (RE)SCHEDULING PROBLEM

In the class of (re)scheduling problems where humans constitute the main resource, the scheduling process is influenced by a great number of regulations. The complexity and the dynamic nature of these regulations impose the need for an efficient, flexible and user-friendly way to express and manage them. Our approach, called REDOM, in the form of a Regulations Handling System and a special purpose language, fulfils the above requirements and is well accepted by users. To improve REDOM we considered the Unified Modeling Language and its specific language for constraint definition known as Object Constraint Language. We developed visual REDOM for the visual representation and handling of regulations.
Contribution of Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging to Acute Stroke Assessment

Background— Susceptibility-weighted (SW) MRI provides insight into the pathophysiology of acute stroke. We report on the use of SW imaging (SWI) sequences in clinical practice and highlight the future applications. Summary of Review— SWI exploits the magnetic susceptibility effects generated by local inhomogeneities of the magnetic field. The paramagnetic properties of deoxyhemoglobin support signal changes related to acute hemorrhage and the intravascular spontaneous blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) effect. SWI allows the early detection of acute hemorrhage within 6 hours after symptom onset. SWI may also identify previous microbleeds in acute ischemia; however, the impact of these findings on thrombolytic therapy safety has not been definitely established. The diagnosis of arterial occlusion is usually performed by magnetic resonance angiography. SWI allows intravascular clot detection at the acute stage. Substantial experimental data suggest that spontaneous BOLD contrast may improve tissue viability assessment. The ratio of oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin, measured by MRI in the capillary and venous compartments, reflects the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen. The combination of magnetic resonance (MR)-measured OEF and cerebral blood flow, via perfusion studies, may provide information about tissue viability. Conclusions— SWI offers a spectrum of current clinical applications and may improve our knowledge of the pathophysiology of acute stroke.
Ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy: a review of 247 patients from 1991 to 2004

Borderline ovarian tumors account for 15% of epithelial ovarian cancers and are different from invasive malignant carcinoma. Majority are early stage, occurring in women in the reproductive age group, where fertility is important. We reviewed retrospectively 247 such cases treated at the Gynaecological-Oncology Unit, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, between January 1991 and December 2004. The mean age was 38 years (16–89 years). Majority of the cases (92%) were FIGO stage I (Ia, 75%; Ib, 1%; and Ic, 16%). Seven (3.5%) patients were diagnosed as having stage II disease, six (2.5%) as stage IIIa, two (1%) as stage IIIb, and four (2%) as stage IIIc. Histological origin was as follows: mucinous (68%), serous (26%), endometrioid (2.6%), and clear cell (1.2%). Primary surgical procedures undertaken were as follows: hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (52%), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (33%), or ovarian cystectomy (15%). Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered in 13 patients (5.2% of cases), of which 4 patients were given chemotherapy only because of synchronous malignancies. There were six recurrences (2.4% of cases). Overall mean time to recurrence was 59 months. Recurrence rate for patients who underwent a primary pelvic clearance was 1.6% compared to fertility-sparing conservative surgery (3.3%; although P= 0.683). No significant difference was noted in recurrence and mortality between staged versus unstaged procedures. The overall survival rate was 98.0%. There were a total of five deaths (2.8%): three (1.5%) from invasive ovarian/peritoneal carcinoma and two from synchronous uterine malignancies. It appears that surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, with conservative surgery where fertility is desired or pelvic clearance if the family is complete. Surgical staging is important to identify invasive extraovarian implants that portend an adverse prognosis. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is not established.
Effects of Intermediates between Vitamins K2 and K3 on Mammalian DNA Polymerase Inhibition and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Previously, we reported that vitamin K3 (VK3), but not VK1 or VK2 (=MK-4), inhibits the activity of human DNA polymerase γ (pol γ). In this study, we chemically synthesized three intermediate compounds between VK2 and VK3, namely MK-3, MK-2 and MK-1, and investigated the inhibitory effects of all five compounds on the activity of mammalian pols. Among these compounds, MK-2 was the strongest inhibitor of mammalian pols α, κ and λ, which belong to the B, Y and X families of pols, respectively; whereas VK3 was the strongest inhibitor of human pol γ, an A-family pol. MK-2 potently inhibited the activity of all animal species of pol tested, and its inhibitory effect on pol λ activity was the strongest with an IC50 value of 24.6 μM. However, MK-2 did not affect the activity of plant or prokaryotic pols, or that of other DNA metabolic enzymes such as primase of pol α, RNA polymerase, polynucleotide kinase or deoxyribonuclease I. Because we previously found a positive relationship between pol λ inhibition and anti-inflammatory action, we examined whether these compounds could inhibit inflammatory responses. Among the five compounds tested, MK-2 caused the greatest reduction in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced acute inflammation in mouse ear. In addition, in a cell culture system using mouse macrophages, MK-2 displayed the strongest suppression of the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Moreover, MK-2 was found to inhibit the action of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. In an in vivo mouse model of LPS-evoked acute inflammation, intraperitoneal injection of MK-2 in mice led to suppression of TNF-α production in serum. In conclusion, this study has identified VK2 and VK3 intermediates, such as MK-2, that are promising anti-inflammatory candidates.
Podosomes in adhesion, migration, mechanosensing and matrix remodeling

Cells use various actin‐based motile structures to allow them to move across and through matrix of varying density and composition. Podosomes are actin cytoskeletal structures that form in motile cells and that mediate adhesion to substrate, migration, and other specialized functions such as transmigration through cell and matrix barriers. The podosome is a unique and interesting entity, which appears in the light microscope as an individual punctum, but is linked to other podosomes like a node on a network of the underlying cytoskeleton. Here, we discuss the signals that control podosome assembly and dynamics in different cell types and the actin organising proteins that regulate both the inner actin core and integrin‐rich surrounding ring structures. We review the structure and composition of podosomes and also their functions in various cell types of both myeloid and endothelial lineage. We also discuss the emerging idea that podosomes can sense matrix stiffness and enable cells to respond to their environment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Minimizing the Operational Cost of Data Centers via Geographical Electricity Price Diversity

Data centers, serving as infrastructures for cloud services, are growing in both number and scale. However, they usually consume enormous amounts of electric power, which lead to high operational costs of cloud service providers. Reducing the operational cost of data centers thus has been recognized as a main challenge in cloud computing. In this paper we study the minimum operational cost problem of fair request rate allocations in a distributed cloud environment by incorporating the diversity of time-varying electricity prices in different regions, with an objective to fairly allocate requests to different data centers for processing while keeping the negotiated Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between request users and the cloud service provider to be met, where the data centers and web portals of a cloud service provider are geographically located in different regions. To this end, we first propose an optimization framework for the problem. We then devise a fast approximation algorithm with a provable approximation ratio by exploiting combinatorial properties of the problem. We finally evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm through experimental simulation on real-life electricity price data sets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is very promising, which not only outperforms other existing heuristics but also is highly scalable.
Field and Evaluation Methods Used to Test the Performance of a Stormceptor® Class 1 Stormwater Treatment Device in Australia

Field testing of a proprietary stormwater treatment device was undertaken over 14 months at a site located in Nambour, South East Queensland. Testing was undertaken to evaluate the pollution removal performance of a Stormceptor® treatment train for removing total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) from stormwater runoff. Water quality sampling was undertaken using natural rainfall events complying with an a priori sampling protocol. More than 59 rain events were monitored, of which 18 were found to comply with the accepted sampling protocol. The efficiency ratios (ER) observed for the treatment device were found to be 83% for TSS, 11% for TP and 23% for TN. Although adequately removing TSS, additional system components, such as engineered filters, would be required to satisfy minimum local pollution removal regulations. The results of dry weather sampling tests did not conclusively demonstrate that pollutants were exported between storm events or that pollution concentrations increased significantly over time.
Comet 81P/Wild 2 Under a Microscope

The Stardust spacecraft collected thousands of particles from comet 81P/Wild 2 and returned them to Earth for laboratory study. The preliminary examination of these samples shows that the nonvolatile portion of the comet is an unequilibrated assortment of materials that have both presolar and solar system origin. The comet contains an abundance of silicate grains that are much larger than predictions of interstellar grain models, and many of these are high-temperature minerals that appear to have formed in the inner regions of the solar nebula. Their presence in a comet proves that the formation of the solar system included mixing on the grandest scales.