Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of microbial signals in plant growth and development

Plant growth and development involves a tight coordination of the spatial and temporal organization of cell division, cell expansion and cell differentiation. Orchestration of these events requires the exchange of signaling molecules between the root and shoot, which can be affected by both biotic and abiotic factors. The interactions that occur between plants and their associated microorganisms have long been of interest, as knowledge of these processes could lead to the development of novel agricultural applications. Plants produce a wide range of organic compounds including sugars, organic acids and vitamins, which can be used as nutrients or signals by microbial populations. On the other hand, microorganisms release phytohormones, small molecules or volatile compounds, which may act directly or indirectly to activate plant immunity or regulate plant growth and morphogenesis. In this review, we focus on recent developments in the identification of signals from free-living bacteria and fungi that interact with plants in a beneficial way. Evidence has accumulated indicating that classic plant signals such as auxins and cytokinins can be produced by microorganisms to efficiently colonize the root and modulate root system architecture. Other classes of signals, including N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones, which are used by bacteria for cell-to-cell communication, can be perceived by plants to modulate gene expression, metabolism and growth. Finally, we discuss the role played by volatile organic compounds released by certain plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in plant immunity and developmental processes. The picture that emerges is one in which plants and microbes communicate themselves through transkingdom signaling systems involving classic and novel signals.
Sirt1 protects against high-fat diet-induced metabolic damage

The identification of new pharmacological approaches to effectively prevent, treat, and cure the metabolic syndrome is of crucial importance. Excessive exposure to dietary lipids causes inflammatory responses, deranges the homeostasis of cellular metabolism, and is believed to constitute a key initiator of the metabolic syndrome. Mammalian Sirt1 is a protein deacetylase that has been involved in resveratrol-mediated protection from high-fat diet-induced metabolic damage, but direct proof for the implication of Sirt1 has remained elusive. Here, we report that mice with moderate overexpression of Sirt1 under the control of its natural promoter exhibit fat mass gain similar to wild-type controls when exposed to a high-fat diet. Higher energy expenditure appears to be compensated by a parallel increase in food intake. Interestingly, transgenic Sirt1 mice under a high-fat diet show lower lipid-induced inflammation along with better glucose tolerance, and are almost entirely protected from hepatic steatosis. We present data indicating that such beneficial effects of Sirt1 are due to at least two mechanisms: induction of antioxidant proteins MnSOD and Nrf1, possibly via stimulation of PGC1α, and lower activation of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα and IL-6, via down-modulation of NFκB activity. Together, these results provide direct proof of the protective potential of Sirt1 against the metabolic consequences of chronic exposure to a high-fat diet.
Spreading of Neurodegenerative Pathology via Neuron-to-Neuron Transmission of β-Amyloid

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia. During the development of AD, neurofibrillary tangles progress in a fixed pattern, starting in the transentorhinal cortex followed by the hippocampus and cortical areas. In contrast, the deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques, which are the other histological hallmark of AD, does not follow the same strict spatiotemporal pattern, and it correlates poorly with cognitive decline. Instead, soluble Aβ oligomers have received increasing attention as probable inducers of pathogenesis. In this study, we use microinjections into electrophysiologically defined primary hippocampal rat neurons to demonstrate the direct neuron-to-neuron transfer of soluble oligomeric Aβ. Additional studies conducted in a human donor–acceptor cell model show that this Aβ transfer depends on direct cellular connections. As the transferred oligomers accumulate, acceptor cells gradually show beading of tubulin, a sign of neurite damage, and gradual endosomal leakage, a sign of cytotoxicity. These observations support that intracellular Aβ oligomers play a role in neurodegeneration, and they explain the manner in which Aβ can drive disease progression, even if the extracellular plaque load is poorly correlated with the degree of cognitive decline. Understanding this phenomenon sheds light on the pathophysiological mechanism of AD progression. Additional elucidation will help uncover the detailed mechanisms responsible for the manner in which AD progresses via anatomical connections and will facilitate the development of new strategies for stopping the progression of this incapacitating disease.
Simulation Framework for a Security Protocol for Wireless Body Sensor Networks

The implementation of security protocols within Wireless Body Sensor Network (WBSN) creates chances for more observations in the sake of performance evaluation. The robustness of such protocols can be verified by formalizing its components using different techniques. In addition, simulating the security protocol can provide an insight into several design parameters, such as response to inputs, and help adjusting these design parameters. In this paper, we provide a framework for simulating security protocols within WBSN in order to validate that such protocol meets essential security requirements. Afterwards, we apply it on a security protocol that relies on ElectroCardioGram signal. During the work on this paper, it has been proven that the simulation framework provides the user with the potential to analyze the security aspects of Wireless Body Sensor network applications, such as ElectroCardioGram bio-sensor.
Prevalence of salmonella in finishing swine raised in different production systems in North Carolina, USA

We compared the prevalence of salmonella in faecal samples from finishing pigs and in feed samples from swine herds in North Carolina, USA. Farms were either finishing sites using all-in/all-out management of buildings in multiple-site systems (14 farms) or farrow-to-finish systems using continuous flow management of finishing barns (15 farms). The two groups of herds differed with respect to several management variables. Salmonella were isolated from 565 of 2288 (24·6%) faecal samples and from at least 1 faecal sample on 24 of 29 (83%) farms. Predominant serotypes were S. derby, S. typhimurium (including copenhagen), S. heidelberg, S. worthington and S. mbandaka. Fewer farrow-to-finish farms were detected as positive compared with all-in/all-out farms. Prevalence was lower for pigs raised on slotted floors compared with all other floor types, and was highest for pigs raised on dirt lots. Modern methods of raising pigs in multiple-site production systems, using all-in/all-out management of finishing pigs, appear to have no benefit in reducing the prevalence of salmonella compared with conventional farrow-to-finish systems.
Combined Patterns of IGHV Repertoire and Cytogenetic/Molecular Alterations in Monoclonal B Lymphocytosis versus Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Background Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)-like monoclonal B lymphocytosis (MBL) with (MBLhi) or without (MBLlo) absolute B-lymphocytosis precedes most CLL cases,the specific determinants for malignant progression remaining unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings For this purpose, simultaneous iFISH and molecular analysis of well-established cytogenetic alterations of chromosomes 11, 12, 13, 14 and 17 together with the pattern of rearrangement of the IGHV genes were performed in CLL-like cells from MBL and CLL cases. Our results based on 78 CLL-like MBL and 117 CLL clones from 166 subjects living in the same geographical area, show the existence of three major groups of clones with distinct but partially overlapping patterns of IGHV gene usage, IGHV mutational status and cytogenetic alterations. These included a group enriched in MBLlo clones expressing specific IGHV subgroups (e.g. VH3-23) with no or isolated good-prognosis cytogenetic alterations, a second group which mainly consisted of clinical MBLhi and advanced stage CLL with a skewed but different CLL-associated IGHV gene repertoire (e.g. VH1-69), frequently associated with complex karyotypes and poor-prognosis cytogenetic alterations, and a third group of clones with intermediate features, with prevalence of mutated IGHV genes, and higher numbers of del(13q)+ clonal B-cells. Conclusions/Significance These findings suggest that the specific IGHV repertoire and IGHV mutational status of CLL-like B-cell clones may modulate the type of cytogenetic alterations acquired, their rate of acquisition and/or potentially also their clinical consequences. Further long-term follow-up studies investigating the IGHV gene repertoire of MBLlo clones in distinct geographic areas and microenvironments are required to confirm our findings and shed light on the potential role of some antigen-binding BCR specificities contributing to clonal evolution.
Canadian Pediatric Asthma Consensus Guidelines, 2003 (updated to December 2004): Introduction

Background: Although guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the last 15 years, there has been little focus on issues relating to asthma in childhood. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian asthma consensus report, important new studies, particularly in children, have highlighted the need to incorporate this new information into asthma guidelines. Objectives: To review the literature on asthma published between January 2000 and June 2003 and to evaluate the influence of new evidence on the recommendations made in the Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, 1999 and its 2001 update with a major focus on pediatric issues. Methods: Diagnosis of asthma in young children, prevention strategies, pharmacotherapy, inhalation devices, immunotherapy and asthma education were selected for review by small expert resource groups. In June 2003, the reviews were discussed at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Network For Asthma Care and the Canadian Thoracic Society. Data published up to December 2004 were subsequently reviewed by the individual expert resource groups. Results: This report evaluates early life prevention strategies and focuses on treatment of asthma in children. Emphasis is placed on the importance of an early diagnosis and prevention therapy, the benefits of additional therapy and the essential role of asthma education. Conclusion: We generally support previous recommendations and focus on new issues, particularly those relevant to children and their families. This guide for asthma management is based on the best available published data and the opinion of health care professionals including asthma experts and educators.
Application possibilities of artificial neural networks for recognizing partial discharges measured by the acoustic emission method

The genesis of the research work presented in this paper constitutes the issue of the effective and efficient recognition of single-source one-time partial discharge forms that can occur in insulation systems of power transformers. The paper presents research results referring to the use of single-direction artificial neural networks for recognizing basic partial discharge forms that can occur in paper-oil insulation impaired by aging processes. The research work results presented show the recognition effectiveness of basic partial discharge forms depending on the descriptor of the analysis of the acoustic emission signal analysis. The detailed cognitive aim was selection of input parameters and an artificial neural network which would be the best, considering recognition effectiveness and processing time, and which could be used as a classifier in an expert diagnostic system making identification of partial discharges measured by using the acoustic method possible.
The generalization of narrowband localization methods to broadband environments via parametrization of the spatial correlation matrix

The need to localize a radiating signal source is necessitated in applications ranging from distant talker speech pick-up to automatic video camera steering. The majority of literature detailing source localization is presented in the narrowband signal context; however, acoustic signals are naturally very broadband. As a result, classical narrowband techniques do not apply in the strict sense, and as a result, the broadband localization literature is yet unrefined. This paper details the manner in which classical narrowband localization methods may be generalized to broadband signal environments - specifically, a nonlinear parametrization of the spatial correlation matrix allows one to apply steered beamforming, minimum variance, subspace, and linear predictive spectral estimation methods to the broadband localization problem.
MRI Techniques and New Animal Models for Imaging the Brain

This chapter describes how large animal models can be used to improve our knowledge of neuroscience and brain disorders. Various animal models have been used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Rodents and non-human primates are the most commonly used, but they present a number of drawbacks; for example, the rodent brain is smaller than that of humans and thus a higher spatial resolution is required. In addition, there are significant differences between human and rodent brain morphology: for example the rodent brain is smooth, whereas that of the human is gyrencephalic. By contrast, the brain of large mammals such as the pig, sheep or goat is gyrencephalic and has greater similarities with the human brain (Lind et al. 2007). The Gottingen minipig is increasingly used in experimental neuroscience, to investigate brain disorders and is a suitable alternative model to non-human primates for economic, ethical and genetical homogeneity reasons.
The Influence of the Job Stress, Job Satisfaction and Social Support of Clinical Nurse's Burnout

Purpose: This study was performed to provide basic data for nursing intervention plan to improve health related to task by examining whether nurses` burnout is related with job stress, job satisfaction, social support, and self efficacy in hospitals. Methods: The participants were 320 nurses who work at 5 different university hospitals with individual agreement for this study. The questionnaire were provided to the subjects. Data analysis was done by Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used. Results: Estimated regression model of burnout of nurses was statistically significant (F
Inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) decreases tumor vascularization and reverses spontaneous tumors in ODC/Ras transgenic mice.

We have shown that ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) overexpression in the skin of TG.AC v-Ha-ras transgenic mice induces the formation of spontaneous skin carcinomas. Treatment of ODC/Ras double transgenic mice with alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific inhibitor of ODC enzyme activity, causes a rapid regression of these spontaneous tumors. DFMO treatment led to dramatic decreases in ODC activity and putrescine levels, but v-Ha-ras expression was not affected in the regressed tumors. Moreover, cyclin D1 continued to be strongly expressed in the basal epithelial cells of regressed tumors, and there was no decrease in the proliferative index of these same tumor cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling analyses revealed increased DNA fragmentation in DFMO regressed tumors compared with similarly sized spontaneous tumors from ODC/Ras transgenic mice not treated with DFMO. Moreover, the blood vessel count was significantly decreased in regressed tumors within the first four days of DFMO treatment. The decreased vasculature in DFMO regressed tumors was not attributable to altered expression of murine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms. Elevated levels of ODC activity in the skin of K6/ODC transgenic mice increased the dermal vascularization compared with that in nontransgenic normal littermates. Our results suggest that ODC stimulates an angiogenic factor(s) other than VEGF and/or may play a key role in a cell survival effector pathway of Ras that is independent of a Ras-induced proliferation pathway.
Water Quality Prediction Using LS-SVM and Particle Swarm Optimization

This paper deals with the study of a water quality prediction model through application of LS-SVM in Liuxi River in Guangzhou. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional BP algorithm as being slow to converge and easy to reach extreme minimum value, least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to time series prediction. The LSSVM can overcome some shortcoming in the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and the PSO is used to tune the LS-SVM parameters automatically. It enhances the efficiency and the capability of prediction. Through simulation testing the model shows high efficiency in forecasting the water quality of the Liuxi River. Keywordswater quality prediction, LS-SVM, particle swarm optimization
Knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness among college students: Insights into the wider English-speaking Caribbean population

Background: Mental illness is a significant contributor to global disease burden and this is expected to increase over the coming decades. Traditionally mental illness has not been well understood by the general public, resulting in poor attitudes towards persons with mental illness and stigmatization. Such conditions are common in the Caribbean where less than 5% of the health budget is allocated to mental illness. Aims: To assess knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness among college students within the English-speaking Caribbean. Methods: A self-report questionnaire was adapted from previous studies designed to measure knowledge and attitudes of mental illness. Students were sampled from the University of the West Indies campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. Results: Responses were collected from 673 persons with a response rate of 84%. While participants were agreed that particular diseases were mental illnesses, overall knowledge scores were low. Knowledge was higher among those persons who knew someone with a mental illness. Attitude scores were suggestive of stigmatization, with drug abuse and schizophrenia seen in a particularly poor light. Conclusions: These results suggest that widespread educational campaigns need to be implemented across the region, designed to both increase knowledge about mental illness and reduce discrimination towards persons suffering with mental illness.
Studies in the Politics of Environmenta Protection: The Historical Roots of the British Clean Air Act, 1956: I. The Awakening of Public Opinion over Industrial Smoke, 1843–1853

AbstractThis is the first of three articles about the campaign to abate smoke in the cities of England. It began early in the 19th centnry and culminated in the Clean Air Act, 1956. Between 1844 and 1850 no fewer than six Bills were introduced into parliament to compel furnaces to ‘consume their own smoke’. All failed to pass into law although enough was known about the science and technology of combustion to justify legislation for furnace used to raise steam-power. In 1853 Palmerston succeeded in putting on the statute book the first really elfective clean air act for the metropolis of London. It did not cover dwelling houses; the campaign to bring the e under the law—to be described in the second essay—had to await improvements in the design of domestic grates. It was during the decade 1843–1853 that the public conscience was awakened to the need for laws to protect the environment against pollution.
Likelihood-free estimation of model evidence

Statistical methods of inference typically require the likelihood function to be computable in a reasonable amount of time. The class of "likelihood-free" methods termed Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) is able to eliminate this requirement, replacing the evaluation of the likelihood with simulation from it. Likelihood-free methods have gained in efficiency and popularity in the past few years, following their integration with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) in order to better explore the parameter space. They have been applied primarily to the estimation of the parameters of a given model, but can also be used to compare models. Here we present novel likelihood-free approaches to model comparison, based upon the independent estimation of the evidence of each model under study. Key advantages of these approaches over previous techniques are that they allow the exploitation of MCMC or SMC algorithms for exploring the parameter space, and that they do not require a sampler able to mix between models. We validate the proposed methods using a simple exponential family problem before providing a realistic problem from population genetics: the comparison of different growth models based upon observations of human Y chromosome data from the terminal generation.
Of Apes and Infants: The Cutting Edge of Psychoanalytic Thought?

Carmel Flaskas and Brian Cade were asked to read and comment on two recent publications which, in very different ways, seem to be taking the field of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in new directions, Robert Langs' The Evolution of the Emotion-Processing Mind and Daniel Stern's The Motherhood Constellation. What follows is a slightly edited version of their individual reactions to the books, to each other's views, and to a question posed by the editors. (editor abstract)
Generality of learned helplessness in man.

Learned helplessness, the interference with instrumental responding following inescapable aversive events, has been found in animals and man. This study tested for the generality of the debilitation produced by uncontrollabl e events across tasks and motivational systems. Four experiments with college students were simultaneously conducted: (a) pretreatment with inescapable, escapable, or control aversive tone followed by shuttlebox escape testing; (b) pretreatment with insoluble, soluble, or control discrimination problems followed by anagram solution testing; (c) pretreatments with inescapable, escapable, or control aversive tone followed by anagram solution testing; (d) pretreatments with insoluble, soluble, or control discrimination problems followed by shuttlebox escape testing. Learned helplessness was found with all four experiments: Both insolubility and inescapability produced failure to escape and failure to solve anagrams. We suggest that inescapability and insolubility both engendered expectancies that responding is independent of reinforcement. The generality of this process suggests that learned helplessness may be an induced "trait. " Inescapable aversive events presented to animals or to men result in profound interference with later instrumental learning (e.g., Hiroto, 1974; Overmier & Seligman, 1967; Seligman & Maier, 1967; Thornton & Jacobs, 1971). If a subject can escape the aversive event, later instrumental behavior remains normal. This phenomenon has been interpreted as learned helplessness (Maier, Seligman, & Solomon, 1969; Seligman, Maier, & Solomon, 1971). This interpretation claims that organisms learn that responding and reinforcement (e.g., shock termination) are independent when shock is inescapable. Such learning undermines the motivation for initi