Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF 1080 ON NON-TARGET SPECIES During

During a study of the carrion-feeding behaviour of the Australasian harrier (Circus approximans gouldi) I became interested in the secondary exposure of harriers to pesticides, and came across "Contamination of forest ecosystems by sodium fluoroacetate (Compound 1080)" by J. A. Peters (1975), in volume 22 of the Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society. In Model II (page 36) "Toxicity of carrot baits and lethal dosage rates" I was surprised to see that the author gave the average live weight of a "hawk" as 2.5 kg. The live weights of Australasian harriers measured in New Zealand are less than one-third of this: males 604.9 g (n = 60), females 800.0 g (n = 69) (Carroll, 1970). On consulting the references given by Peters, I found that Atzert (1971) gave the weight of "hawks", referring to the American rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus sancti-johannis), ferruginous rough-legged hawk (Buteo regalis) and the marsh hawk (Circus cyaneus hudsonicus) as 2.51b (1.14 kg). The misreading of pounds as kilograms is perhaps understandable , but should have been detected before publication. Of greater concern, however, is Peters' use of data on North American species and genera that do not occur in New Zealand. Most readers would have assumed, lacking a contrary statement, that the "hawk" in Model II referred to the Australasian harrier. As Tucker and Haegele (1971), one of Peters' references, pointed out, ". predicting species LD50 to one of the chemicals on the basis of the LD50 of another species could lead to considerable errors. The pairing of species also failed to show any correlation between phylogenetic relationships and toxilogic susceptibility"; they concluded that "there was generally a large variability between species in their susceptibility to any given compound". Even if the Australasian harrier had the same lethal dose level (LD100) as the 12 mg/kg for "hawks" quoted by Peters, the recalculated level of toxin required for a lethal dose for a harrier weighing 0.7 kg is 8.4 mg rather than 30 mg, and 2.1 carrot baits are required for the lethal amount, rather than 7. Therefore, an Australasian harrier would receive a lethal dose from eating the gut of an opossum containing approximately two lethal opossum doses (= two carrot baits). Other data listed in Model II are equally misleading: 1. The "magpie" quoted is the American magpie (Pica pica hudsonia: Corvidae) not Gymnorhina tibicen: Cractididae which occurs in New Zealand. …
Investigational drugs for pruritus

Introduction: Chronic pruritus (CP), defined as itch lasting for > 6 weeks, is a burdensome symptom of several different diseases, dermatological and systemic, with a high negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Given the manifold aetiologies of CP, therapy is often difficult. In recent years, however, novel substances have been developed for treatment of certain CP entities and identified targets. Areas covered: In this review, the authors present a survey of targets currently believed to be promising (H4R, IL-31, MOR, KOR, GRPR, NGF, NK-1R, TRP channels) and related investigational drugs that are in the preclinical or clinical stage of development. Some substances have already undergone clinical testing, but only one of them (nalfurafine) has been licensed so far. Many of them are most likely to exert their effects on the skin and interfere there with the cutaneous neurobiology of CP. Expert opinion: Currently, the most promising candidates for new therapeutic agents in CP are neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists and substances targeting the kappa- or mu-opioid receptor, or both. They have the potential to target the neuronal pathway of CP and are thus of interest for several CP entities. The goal for the coming years is to validate these concepts and move forward in developing new drugs for the therapy of CP.
Compactness Aromaticity of Atoms in Molecules

A new aromaticity definition is advanced as the compactness formulation through the ratio between atoms-in-molecule and orbital molecular facets of the same chemical reactivity property around the pre- and post-bonding stabilization limit, respectively. Geometrical reactivity index of polarizability was assumed as providing the benchmark aromaticity scale, since due to its observable character; with this occasion new Hydrogenic polarizability quantum formula that recovers the exact value of 4.5 a03 for Hydrogen is provided, where a0 is the Bohr radius; a polarizability based–aromaticity scale enables the introduction of five referential aromatic rules (Aroma 1 to 5 Rules). With the help of these aromatic rules, the aromaticity scales based on energetic reactivity indices of electronegativity and chemical hardness were computed and analyzed within the major semi-empirical and ab initio quantum chemical methods. Results show that chemical hardness based-aromaticity is in better agreement with polarizability based-aromaticity than the electronegativity-based aromaticity scale, while the most favorable computational environment appears to be the quantum semi-empirical for the first and quantum ab initio for the last of them, respectively.
Effect of biomimetic zinc‐containing tricalcium phosphate (Zn–TCP) on the growth and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Several studies have shown the effectiveness of zinc‐tricalcium phosphate (Zn–TCP) for bone tissue engineering. In this study, marine calcareous foraminifera possessing uniform pore size distribution were hydrothermally converted to Zn–TCP. The ability of a scaffold to combine effectively with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a key tissue‐engineering aim. In order to demonstrate the osteogenic ability of MSCs with Zn–TCP, the scaffolds were cultured in an osteogenic induction medium to elicit an osteoblastic response. The physicochemical properties of Zn–TCP were characterized by XRD, FT–IR and ICP–MS. MSCs were aspirated from rat femurs and cultured for 3 days before indirectly placing four samples into each respective well. After culture for 7, 10 and 14 days, osteoblastic differentiation was evaluated using alizarin red S stain, measurement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, cell numbers and cell viability. XRD and FT–IR patterns both showed the replacement of CO32– with PO43–. Chemical analysis showed zinc incorporation of 5 mol%. Significant increases in cell numbers were observed at 10 and 14 days in the Zn–TCP group, while maintaining high levels of cell viability (> 90%). ALP activity in the Zn–TCP group was statistically higher at 10 days. Alizarin red S staining also showed significantly higher levels of calcium mineralization in Zn–TCP compared with the control groups. This study showed that MSCs in the presence of biomimetically derived Zn–TCP can accelerate their differentiation to osteoblasts and could potentially be useful as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Framework for Next Generation Icbt Applications for SAD patients

Our paper aims to develop a web-based IT system based on a framework for internet based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) and Computer based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CCBT) applications, for the treatment of mild to moderate Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) diagnoses. We place our research in the intervention area of iCBT, where the facilitation of interaction with therapists in a non-threatening environment, peer interaction, and access to self-help and educational resources, will likely lead to changes in the perception of the self and a reduction of SAD symptoms in patients. The contributions of the paper are: (1) a generalizable framework for computer based therapies; (2) a new design approach, informed by Activity Theory that leverages the SAD model to deliver the conceptual framework; and (3) an implemented artifact for evaluation.
Medical and non‐medical direct costs of chronic low back pain in patients consulting primary care physicians in France

A retrospective, observational, cohort study in primary care. To determine the total direct medical and non‐medical cost of chronic low back pain (LBP) in France and its associated factors. Chronic LBP affects 5–10% of the population its burden in France is unknown. Ninety‐eight randomly selected general practitioners included 796 adult patients with chronic LBP between October 2001 and December 2002. Direct costs due to physician visits, investigations, medications, hospitalizations, and other medical and non‐medical resource use were collected for the 6 months prior to study visit. Costs both reimbursed and not by the French health insurance system were considered. Quality of life (QoL) and disease severity were measured using Short Form (SF)‐8 and Roland‐Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), respectively. Costs were updated to represent 2007 prices. Men represented 50.6% of the 796 patients, mean age was 53 ± 11.3 years, and the duration of LBP was more than 1 year in 80.9% of patients. The total mean cost per patient over six months was 715.6€ (95% CI: 644.2–797.8). Of these costs, 22.9% related to care provided by physiotherapists and allied specialists, 19.5% to medications, 17.4% to hospitalizations, 9.6% to investigations, and 12.5% to physician fees. In multivariate analysis, the factors associated with the cost of chronic LBP were disease severity (RMDQ score) and age of the patients. LBP is a disease that is both common and costly.
EXO70A1-Mediated Vesicle Trafficking Is Critical for Tracheary Element Development in Arabidopsis[W][OA]

Genes encoding for EXO70, a component of the exocyst complex, are highly expanded in plant genomes, with reasons unknown. EXO70A1 expressed primarily in tracheary elements regulates vesicle trafficking during xylem formation, suggesting that individual EXO70 members in plants may act in cell type– or cargo-specific exocytosis. Exocysts are highly conserved octameric complexes that play an essential role in the tethering of Golgi-derived vesicles to target membranes in eukaryotic organisms. Genes encoding the EXO70 subunit are highly duplicated in plants. Based on expression analyses, we proposed previously that individual EXO70 members may provide the exocyst with functional specificity to regulate cell type– or cargo-specific exocytosis, although direct evidence is not available. Here, we show that, as a gene expressed primarily during tracheary element (TE) development, EXO70A1 regulates vesicle trafficking in TE differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutations of EXO70A1 led to aberrant xylem development, producing dwarfed and nearly sterile plants with very low fertility, reduced cell expansion, and decreased water potential and hydraulic transport. Grafting of a mutant shoot onto wild-type rootstock rescued most of these aboveground phenotypes, while grafting of a wild-type shoot to the mutant rootstock did not rescue the short root hair phenotype, consistent with the role of TEs in hydraulic transport from roots to shoots. Histological analyses revealed an altered pattern of secondary cell wall thickening and accumulation of large membrane-bound compartments specifically in developing TEs of the mutant. We thus propose that EXO70A1 functions in vesicle trafficking in TEs to regulate patterned secondary cell wall thickening.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Expressive Writing Moderates the Relation between Intrusive Thoughts and Depressive Symptoms

The author investigated whether expressive writing enhances emotional adaptation to a stressful event (graduate entrance exams) by reducing event-related intrusive thoughts or by desensitizing people to such thoughts. Participants in the experimental group, who were instructed to write their deepest thoughts and feelings about the exam, exhibited a significant decline in depressive symptoms from 1 month (Time 1) to 3 days (Time 2) before the exam. Participants in the control group, who wrote about a trivial topic, maintained a relatively high level of depressive symptoms over this same period. Expressive writing did not affect the frequency of intrusive thoughts, but it moderated the impact of intrusive thoughts on depressive symptoms. Specifically, intrusive thoughts at Time 1 were positively related to depressive symptoms at Time 2 in the control group and were unrelated to symptoms in the expressive writing group. During aversive events, many people have a strong urge to express their thoughts and feelings related to the events (Rime, 1995). This urge may be motivated by the comfort associated with ventilation or it may reflect an attempt to make sense of a negative event or validate one's feelings through social sharing. Whatever the motive, it appears that disclosure about stressful events is associated with improvements in physical and psycho-logica ! well-being for reviews). Emotional expression, or disinhibition, is also a central feature of many psychotherapeutic interventions (Stiles, 1995). There is suggestive evidence that inhibition in general, which can be defined as the tendency to conceal or not express significant experiences to others, may have dramatic effects on health. For instance, in a study of HIV-seropositive men, HIV infection advanced more rapidly in men who concealed their homosexual identity than in men who were more open about their identity (Cole, Kemeny, Taylor, Visscher, & Fahey, 1996). Despite the cumulative evidence that emotional expression may be adaptive when coping with stress, researchers have gained little insight into the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Recently, however, there have been attempts to connect expression based benefits to cognitive processes of adjustment (e. Independent of social reactions to disclosures, emotional expression might facilitate cognitive processing of stressful experiences by forcing individuals to confront (i.e., contemplate and evaluate) the stressful stimulus and their responses to it. The I thank Martha Francis and James Pennebaker for sharing the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program, which was used for content analyses in this study. Electronic mail may be sent …
Television Captions for Hearing-Impaired People: A Study of Key Factors that Affect Reading Performance

Closed captions are broadcast with television programs for special-needs viewers such as hearing-impaired people. We examined how caption presentation rate, small amounts of induced dioptric blur, and English learned as a second language affect the reading performance of good readers. Thirty-two college graduates with normal hearing and vision, half of whom learned English as a second language, read television captions that consisted of white capital letters equivalent in size to 20/92 Snellen letters on a black background. Text was presented at rates of 55, 120, and 216 words/min. Lenses of 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 diopters (D) were worn over the person's best refractive correction. The fastest text rate and small amounts of blur significantly disrupted reading performance. People who learned English as a second language were hindered more by presentation rate than by dioptric blur. Surprisingly, people with refractive errors (even though they were optically corrected) were hindered less by induced blur than were people with normally clear vision.
Topological completeness of extensions of S4

Perhaps the most celebrated topological completeness result in modal logic is the McKinseyTarski theorem that if we interpret modal diamond as topological closure, then S4 is complete for the real line or indeed any dense-in-itself separable metrizable space [10]. This result was proved before relational semantics for modal logic was introduced. In the last 15 years, utilizing relational semantics for S4, a number of different proofs of this result appeared in the literature. Completeness of S4 for the real line can be found in [1, 4, 13, 12], for the rational line in [2, 12], and for the Cantor space in [11, 1]. For a topological space X, let X be the closure algebra of all subsets of X. Then completeness of S4 for the real line R means that S4 is the modal logic of the closure algebra R, and the same is true for the rational line Q and the Cantor space C. In [3], the notion of a connected normal extension of S4 was introduced, and it was shown that each connected normal extension of S4 that has the finite model property (FMP) is the modal logic of a subalgebra of R. It was also shown that each normal extension of S4 that has FMP is the modal logic of a subalgebra of Q, as well as the modal logic of a subalgebra of C. It was left as an open problem [3, p. 306, Open Problem 2] whether a connected normal extension of S4 without FMP is also the modal logic of some subalgebra of R. Our purpose here is to solve this problem affirmatively by showing that each connected normal extension of S4 (with or without FMP) is in fact the modal logic of some subalgebra of R. We also prove that each normal extension of S4 (with or without FMP) is the modal logic of a subalgebra of Q, as well as the modal logic of a subalgebra of C. These results generalize similar results from [3] for normal extensions of S4 with FMP to all normal extensions of S4.
Effects of adrenaline and potassium on QTc interval and QT dispersion in man

Background Hypoglycaemia alters cardiac repolarization acutely, with increases in rate‐corrected QT (QTc) interval and QT dispersion (QTd) on the electrocardiogram (ECG); such changes are related to the counterregulatory sympatho‐adrenal response. Adrenaline produces both QTc lengthening and a fall in plasma potassium (K+) when infused into healthy volunteers. Hypokalaemia prolongs cardiac repolarization independently however, and therefore our aim was to determine whether adrenaline‐induced repolarization changes are mediated directly or through lowered plasma K+.
BEL Networks Derived from Qualitative Translations of BioNLP Shared Task Annotations

Interpreting the rapidly increasing amount of experimental data requires the availability and representation of biological knowledge in a computable form. The Biological expression language (BEL) encodes the data in form of causal relationships, which describe the association between biological events. BEL can successfully be applied to large data and support causal reasoning and hypothesis generation. With the rapid growth of biomedical literature, automated methods are a crucial prerequisite for handling and encoding the available knowledge. The BioNLP shared tasks support the development of such tools and provide a linguistically motivated format for the annotation of relations. On the other hand, BEL statements and the corresponding evidence sentences might be a valuable resource for future BioNLP shared task training data generation. In this paper, we briefly introduce BEL and investigate how far BioNLP-shared task annotations could be converted to BEL statements and in such a way directly support BEL statement generation. We present the first results of the automatic BEL statement generation and emphasize the need for more training data that captures the underlying biological meaning.
Coexistence of Negative Differential Resistance and Resistive Switching Memory at Room Temperature in TiOx Modulated by Moisture

Coexistence of negative differential resistance (NDR) and resistive switching (RS) memory is observed using a Ag|TiOx|F‐doped‐SnO2 memory cell at room temperature. Unlike other reports, the coexistence of NDR and RS strongly depends on the relative humidity levels at room temperature. The NDR disappears when the cells are placed in a dry air ambient (H2O < 5 ppm) or in vacuum, but the coexistence emerges and gradually becomes obvious after the cells are exposed to ambient air with relative humidity of 35%, and then becomes dramatically enhanced as the relative humidity becomes higher. Due to the excellent stability and reversibility of the coexistence of NDR and RS, a multilevel RS memory is developed at room temperature. Hydroxide ion (OH−) is induced by gas‐phase water‐molecule splitting on the surface and interface of the memory cell. The OH− interacts with oxygen vacancies and transports in the bulk of memory cell to facilitate the migration of Ag ions and oxygen vacancies along grain boundaries. These processes are responsible for the moisture‐modulated and room‐temperature coexistence. This work demonstrates moisture‐modulated coexistence of NDR and RS for the first time and gives an insight into the influence of water molecules on transition‐metal‐oxide‐based RS memory systems.
The construction and analysis of epidemic trees with reference to the 2001 UK foot–and–mouth outbreak

The case–reproduction ratio for the spread of an infectious disease is a critically important concept for understanding dynamics of epidemics and for evaluating impact of control measures on spread of infection. Reliable estimation of this ratio is a problem central to epidemiology and is most often accomplished by fitting dynamic models to data and estimating combinations of parameters that equate to the case–reproduction ratio. Here, we develop a novel parameter–free method that permits direct estimation of the history of transmission events recoverable from detailed observation of a particular epidemic. From these reconstructed ‘epidemic trees’, case–reproduction ratios can be estimated directly. We develop a bootstrap algorithm that generates percentile intervals for these estimates that shows the procedure to be both precise and robust to possible uncertainties in the historical reconstruction. Identifying and ‘pruning’ branches from these trees whose occurrence might have been prevented by implementation of more stringent control measures permits estimation of the possible efficacy of these alternative measures. Examination of the cladistic structure of these trees as a function of the distance of each case from its infection source reveals useful insights about the relationship between long-distance transmission events and epidemic size. We demonstrate the utility of these methods by applying them to data from the 2001 foot–and–mouth disease outbreak in the UK.
Effects of unidirectional parallel springs on required peak power and energy in powered prosthetic ankles: Comparison between different active actuation concepts

Peak power, peak torque and energy requirements are amongst the main issues for powered prosthetic ankles. Including series elastic actuators (SEA) can reduce peak power and energy requirements by reducing motor speed in comparison to a Direct Drive (DD). Parallel elastic actuation concept (PEA, the parallel spring can be compressed and elongated) can reduce the peak power even more by reducing required motor torque. However, the energy consumption increases in comparison to SEA. In this paper, we investigated if unidirectional parallel springs (UPS) that act only at special ankle angles could combine the positive features of both SEA and PEA concepts in terms of motor peak power and/or energy reductions. Therefore, the motor peak power and energy requirements are compared between active actuation concepts SEA, SEA+PS, SEA+UPS, DD+PS and DD+UPS. For the minimum motor peak power requirements, we found that the reduction was similar between PS and UPS. However, the corresponding energy requirements were less or similar in UPS for corresponding speeds. For the minimum energy requirements, it was found that the UPS reduced the energy requirements but increased the corresponding required peak power for the majority of speeds in comparison to PS. The ultimate goal of combining positive characteristics of SEA and PEA was identified mainly for lower walking and running speeds.