Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fossil Plant Relative Abundances Indicate Sudden Loss of Late Triassic Biodiversity in East Greenland

Extinction Distinction The Triassic-Jurassic extinction approximately 200 million years ago is one of the five major extinctions in Earth's history. It has been primarily recognized through the loss of marine species, as well as the subsequent emergence of dinosaurs, but its pace, both on land and in sea, has been unclear. McElwain et al. (p. 1554) now provide evidence from the plant fossil record from rocks in East Greenland. The total number of taxa and the number of common taxa decreased across the extinction boundary. The decrease was fairly abrupt and seemed to coincide with a period with increased atmospheric CO2 levels. Plant fossils from East Greenland record an abrupt decrease in abundance as CO2 levels increased. The pace of Late Triassic (LT) biodiversity loss is uncertain, yet it could help to decipher causal mechanisms of mass extinction. We investigated relative abundance distributions (RADs) of six LT plant assemblages from the Kap Stewart Group, East Greenland, to determine the pace of collapse of LT primary productivity. RADs displayed not simply decreases in the number of taxa, but decreases in the number of common taxa. Likelihood tests rejected a hypothesis of continuously declining diversity. Instead, the RAD shift occurred over the upper two-to-four fossil plant assemblages and most likely over the last three (final 13 meters), coinciding with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and global warming. Thus, although the LT event did not induce mass extinction of plant families, it accompanied major and abrupt change in their ecology and diversity.
LYSINE AND METHIONINE REQUIREMENTS OF GIMMIZAH STRAIN DURING THE FIRST STAGE OF EGG PRODUCTION PERIOD By

The current experiment was conducted to determine the requirements of Gimmizah developed chicken strain of lysine (Lys) and methionine (Met) during the production period (24 to 44 wks of age). A total of 243 Gimmizah layer hen and 27 cocks aged 24 weeks were randomly distributed to nine dietary treatments in (3 x 3) factorial arrangement with 3 levels of Lys ( 0.527, 0.586 and 0.677 % of diet) and 3 levels of Met (0.380, 0.451 and 0.489 % of diet). Results indicated that, Gimmizah layer hen fed diets supplemented with 0.380 % Met regardless of Lys % significantly increased egg production percentage (EP) and egg mass (EM) as compared with all other dietary treatments. The highest EP and EM were recorded for layer hen fed 0.380% Met and 0.677% Lys with the ratio 0.97 of total sulphur amino acids (TSAA) and Lys. Supplementation Gimmizah layer hen diet with different levels of Met and Lys insignificantly affected on the amount of feed intake (FI) among different treatments, while, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved for those fed diet supplemented with 0.380 % Met regardless of Lys %, compared with all other dietary treatments. Methionine daily intake of 12.60 mg and 22.45 mg Lys /one g egg were adequate for achieved the highest EP and EM and the best FCR values. Supplementing Gimmizah hen diet with different levels of Met and Lys had insignificant effects on different egg quality traits. Increasing Lys levels increased significantly fertility and hatchability percentages and layer hen fed the highest level of Lys (0.677 % Lys) regardless of Met % achieved the highest fertility and hatchability percentages as compared to all other treatments. The highest economic efficiency (EE) and relative economic efficiency (REE) were recorded for layers hen fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.677 % Lys and 0.380 % Met with TSAA: Lys ratio 0.97 as compared to all other treatments levels. In conclusion, supplementing Gimmizah layer hen diets during the first stage of production (24-44 wks of age) with 0.380% Met, 0.655% TSAA and 0.677% Lys is recommended for achieving maximum EP, EM and the best FCR, EE and REE, respectively.
Consistent Volumetric Warping Using Floating Boundaries for Stereoscopic Video Retargeting

The key to content-aware warping and cropping is adapting data to fit displays with various aspect ratios while preserving visually salient contents. Most previous studies achieve this objective by cropping insignificant contents near frame boundaries and consistently resizing frames through an optimization technique with various preservation constraints and fixed boundary conditions. These strategies significantly improve retargeting quality. However, warping under fixed boundary conditions may bound/limit the preservation of visually salient contents. Moreover, dynamic frame cropping and frame alignment may result in unnatural object/camera motions. In this paper, a floating boundary with volumetric warping and object-aware cropping is proposed to address these problems. In the proposed scheme, visually salient objects in the space-time domain are deformed as rigidly and as consistently as possible using information from matched objects and content-aware boundary constraints. The content-aware boundary constraints can retain visually salient contents in a fixed region with a desired resolution and aspect ratio, called critical region, during warping. Volumetric cropping with the fixed critical region is then performed to adjust stereoscopic videos to the desired aspect ratios. The strategies of warping and cropping using floating boundaries and spatiotemporal constraints enable our method to consistently preserve the temporal motions and spatial shapes of visually salient volumetric objects in the left and right videos as much as possible, thus leading to good content-aware retargeting. In addition, by considering shape, motion, and disparity preservation, the proposed scheme can be applied to various media, including images, stereoscopic images, videos, and stereoscopic videos. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of stereoscopic videos with diverse camera and considerable motions demonstrate a clear superiority of the proposed method over related methods in terms of retargeting quality.
Characteristics of the Auditory Brainstem Evoked Potential of a Pacific White-Sided Dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus obliquidens )

Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) of a Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in the presence of masking noise were measured at John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The dolphin was trained to wear suction cups with 1-cm diameter, gold-plated metallic electrodes typically used for human EEG measurements embedded in the cups. The animal was trained to station in a hoop, facing a sound projector 5 m away. ABR thresholds were obtained by progressively reducing the level of click stimuli, having peak frequencies of 8, 16, 32, 64, 80, and 100 kHz. The thresholds were obtained in the presence of broadband masking noise. The ABR waveforms were slightly different than for other odontocetes, having 7 to 8 waves present—the most for any odontocetes measured so far. The response latency of 1.3 to 1.5 ms is similar to those of other dolphins of approximately the same size. The peaks in the Fourier transform of the ABR waveform occurred at 650 and 1,200 Hz, very similar to the 600 to 650 and 1,100 to 1,200 Hz for Tursiops truncatus. The deepest null in the spectrum, which occurred at about 950 Hz, was much deeper than for the bottlenose dolphin. Masked ABR thresholds expressed in peak-to-peak values were between 38 and 56 dB above the rms values of the masking noise.
An evaluation of the effects of breast milk on vision: A study of the long term effects in adults

Several recent studies have shown that breast-feeding leads to optimal visual and cognitive development in human children. This study evaluated the possible long-term effects that breast milk might have on vision. The subjects, 49 optometry students from Pacific University, completed a survey indicating whether they were breast-fed or formula-fed. A brief visual screening battery of tests followed. Subjects were placed into the breast-fed group if they had been breast-fed for 3 months or more. They were placed into the formula-fed group if they were breast-fed less than 3 months, or completely formula-fed. The results showed no significant difference between the breast-fed and formula-fed groups in regards to visual acuity, stereoacuity, refractive error, eye motilities, distance cover test, or red lens test. However, there was a significant difference between the groups for the near cover test. Additional research should include a longitudinal study of children into early adult-hood to measure whether visual performance is enhanced in those infants fed breast milk compared to those fed with formula.
Use of a near‐field optical probe to locally launch surface plasmon polaritons on plasmonic waveguides: A study by the finite difference time domain method

We used the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method to study the use of scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) to locally excite the nanometric plasmonic waveguides. In our calculation, the light is funneled through a SNOM probe with a sub‐wavelength optical aperture and is irradiated on one end of two types of plasmonic waveguides made of 50 nm Au sphere arrays and Au nanowires. The incident light was well localized at one end of the waveguides and consequently propagated toward the other end, due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons. We found that the propagation length of the nanosphere array type waveguide varies from 100 to 130 nm depending on the light wavelength, the size of the probe aperture, and the launching heights. Our result shows that reducing the aperture size and using the light of the plasmon resonance wavelength of the nanosphere array could increase the propagation length and, thus, the efficiency of electromagnetic energy transportation through nanosphere arrays. Microsc. Res. Tech. 64:453–458, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Group fitness is effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors in healthy adults

In the past 5 years, 1 of every 3 deaths in the United Stateswas attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Regular physical activity has numerous benefits associated with the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Despite these details, 60% of Americans are not regularly physically active and 25% are not active at all. Previous studies have found significant changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors by combining cardiorespiratory and strength training into one exercise program. The current pilot study augments the approach by utilizing a group fitness program that mimics the Physical Activity Guidelines for Fitness. Therefore our purpose was to evaluate if a multimodal group fitness intervention could singularly produce the physiological and musculoskeletal health benefits of the established physical activity prescription. Twenty-five sedentary, but otherwise healthy, adults (15 women and 10 men) between the ages of 25 - 40 years completed the protocol of a 30-week group exercise program. It started with a 6-week familiarization period, continued with a 12-week block of 6 group fitness classes per week (3 cardiovascular, 2 strength, 1 flexibility), and concluded with a 12-week block of 7 classes per week (4 cardiovascular, 2 strength, 1 flexibility). We completed submaximal oxygen consumption treadmill tests, fasting blood draws and iDXA scans at 3 time points (baseline, midpoint, final) and compared the data using a paired t-test (p < 0.05). Compared to baseline measurements, the final measurements demonstrated that the participants had statistically significant reductions in body mass, fat body mass percentage, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglycerides and elevations in oxygen consumption, lean body mass percentages, and HDL-C. Based upon our results, group fitness may be an ideal method to minimize attrition and maximize health benefits in a comprehensive manner to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Specific Role of FAM20C in Dentinogenesis

FAM20C is an evolutionarily reserved molecule highly expressed in mineralized tissues. Previously we demonstrated that Sox2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice, in which Fam20C was ubiquitously inactivated, had dentin and enamel defects as well as hypophosphatemic rickets. We also showed that K14-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice, in which Fam20C was specifically inactivated in the epithelium, had enamel defects but lacked hypophosphatemia and defects in the bone and dentin. These results indicated that the enamel defects in the Sox2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice were independent of dentin defects and hypophosphatemia. To determine if the dentin defects in the Sox2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice were associated with the enamel defects and hypophosphatemia, we crossed Fam20Cfl/fl mice with Wnt1-Cre and Osr2-Cre transgenic mice to inactivate Fam20C in the craniofacial mesenchymal cells that form dentin and alveolar bone. The resulting Wnt1-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl and Osr2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice showed remarkable dentin and alveolar bone defects, while their enamel did not show apparent defects. The serum FGF23 levels in these mice were higher than normal but lower than those in the Sox2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice; they developed a mild type of hypophosphatemia that did not cause major defects in long bones. These results indicate that the dentin defects in the Sox2-Cre;Fam20Cfl/fl mice were independent of the enamel defects.
Pulmonary epithelium is a prominent source of proteinase-activated receptor-1-inducible CCL2 in pulmonary fibrosis.

RATIONALE Studies in patients and experimental animals provide compelling evidence of the involvement of the major thrombin receptor, proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR(1)), and the potent chemokine, chemokine (CC motif) ligand-2 (CCL2)/monocyte chemotactic protein-1, in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). PAR(1) knockout mice are protected from bleomycin-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis and this protection is associated with marked attenuation in CCL2 induction. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine which cell types represent the major source of PAR(1)-inducible CCL2 in the fibrotic lung. METHODS Using immunohistochemistry and dual immunofluorescence, we examined PAR(1) and CCL2 expression in the bleomycin model and human IPF lung. PAR(1) and CCL2 gene expression was also assessed in laser-captured alveolar septae from patients with IPF. The ability of PAR(1) to induce CCL2 production by lung epithelial cells was also examined in vitro. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We report for the first time that PAR(1) and CCL2 are coexpressed and co-up-regulated on the activated epithelium in fibrotic areas in IPF. Similar observations were found in bleomycin-induced lung injury. Furthermore, we show that thrombin is a potent inducer of CCL2 gene expression and protein release by cultured lung epithelial cells via a PAR(1)-dependent mechanism. CONCLUSIONS These data support the notion that PAR(1) activation on lung epithelial cells may represent an important mechanism leading to increased local CCL2 release in pulmonary fibrosis. Targeting PAR(1) on the pulmonary epithelium may offer a unique opportunity for therapeutic intervention in pulmonary fibrosis and other inflammatory and fibroproliferative conditions associated with excessive local generation of thrombin and CCL2 release.
Sensing DNA Damage Through ATRIP Recognition of RPA-ssDNA Complexes

The function of the ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated– and Rad3-related)–ATRIP (ATR-interacting protein) protein kinase complex is crucial for the cellular response to replication stress and DNA damage. Here, we show that replication protein A (RPA), a protein complex that associates with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), is required for the recruitment of ATR to sites of DNA damage and for ATR-mediated Chk1 activation in human cells. In vitro, RPA stimulates the binding of ATRIP to ssDNA. The binding of ATRIP to RPA-coated ssDNA enables the ATR-ATRIP complex to associate with DNA and stimulates phosphorylation of the Rad17 protein that is bound to DNA. Furthermore, Ddc2, the budding yeast homolog of ATRIP, is specifically recruited to double-strand DNA breaks in an RPA-dependent manner. A checkpoint-deficient mutant of RPA, rfa1-t11, is defective for recruiting Ddc2 to ssDNA both in vivo and in vitro. Our data suggest that RPA-coated ssDNA is the critical structure at sites of DNA damage that recruits the ATR-ATRIP complex and facilitates its recognition of substrates for phosphorylation and the initiation of checkpoint signaling.
Regional myocardial metabolism of high-energy phosphates during isometric exercise in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND The maintenance of cellular levels of high-energy phosphates is required for myocardial function and preservation. In animals, severe myocardial ischemia is characterized by the rapid loss of phosphocreatine and a decrease in the ratio of phosphocreatine to ATP. METHODS To determine whether ischemic metabolic changes are detectable in humans, we recorded spatially localized phosphorus-31 nuclear-magnetic-resonance (31P NMR) spectra from the anterior myocardium before, during, and after isometric hand-grip exercise. RESULTS The mean (+/- SD) ratio of phosphocreatine to ATP in the left ventricular wall when subjects were at rest was 1.72 +/- 0.15 in normal subjects (n = 11) and 1.59 +/- 0.31 in patients with nonischemic heart disease (n = 9), and the ratio did not change during hand-grip exercise in either group. However, in patients with coronary heart disease and ischemia due to severe stenosis (greater than or equal to 70 percent) of the left anterior descending or left main coronary arteries (n = 16), the ratio decreased from 1.45 +/- 0.31 at rest to 0.91 +/- 0.24 during exercise (P less than 0.001) and recovered to 1.27 +/- 0.38 two minutes after exercise. Only three patients with coronary heart disease had clinical symptoms of ischemia during exercise. Repeat exercise testing in five patients after revascularization yielded values of 1.60 +/- 0.20 at rest and 1.62 +/- 0.18 during exercise (P not significant), as compared with 1.51 +/- 0.19 at rest and 1.02 +/- 0.26 during exercise before revascularization (P less than 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The decrease in the ratio of phosphocreatine to ATP during hand-grip exercise in patients with myocardial ischemia reflects a transient imbalance between oxygen supply and demand in myocardium with compromised blood flow. Exercise testing with 31P NMR is a useful method of assessing the effect of ischemia on myocardial metabolism of high-energy phosphates and of monitoring the response to treatment.
Rehabilitation After Oswestry Autologous-Chondrocyte Implantation: The OsCell Protocol

Objective: To develop a postoperative rehabilitation protocol for patients receiving autologous-chondrocyte implantation (ACI) to repair articular-cartilage defects of the knee. Data Sources: careful review of both basic science and clinical literature, personal communication with colleagues dealing with similar cases, and the authors’ experience and expertise in rehabilitating numerous patients with knee pathologies, injuries, and trauma. Data Synthesis: Postoperative rehabilitation of the ACI patient plays a critical role in the outcome of the procedure. The goals are to improve function and reduce discomfort by focusing on 3 key elements: weight bearing, range of motion, and strengthening. Conclusions: The authors present 2 flexible postoperative protocols to rehabilitate patients after an ACI procedure to the knee.
Fiber intake and the risk of oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer

The relation between various types of fiber and oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer was investigated using data from a case‐control study conducted between 1992 and 1997 in Italy. Cases were 271 hospital patients with incident, histologically confirmed oral cancer, 327 with pharyngeal cancer and 304 with esophageal cancer. Controls were 1,950 subjects admitted to the same network of hospitals as the cases for acute, nonneoplastic diseases. Cases and controls were interviewed during their hospital stay using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) were computed after allowance for age, sex, and other potential confounding factors, including alcohol, tobacco consumption, and energy intake. The ORs for the highest vs. the lowest quintile of intake of oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer combined were 0.40 for total (Englyst) fiber, 0.37 for soluble fiber, 0.52 for cellulose, 0.48 for insoluble non cellulose polysaccharide, 0.33 for total insoluble fiber and 0.38 for lignin. The inverse relation were similar for vegetable fiber (OR = 0.51), fruit fiber (OR = 0.60) and grain fiber (OR = 0.56), and were somewhat stronger for oral and pharyngeal cancer than for esophageal cancer. The ORs were similar for the two sexes and strata of age, education, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and total non‐alcohol energy intake. Our study indicates that fiber intake may have a protective role on oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantum Chemical Study on the Corrosion Inhibition of Copper Using Some Thiosemicarbazides and Tetrazoles

Relationships between corrosion inhibition efficiency of two thiosemicarbazide based compounds namely; 4-phenyl thiosemicarbazide (PTSC), Salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (STSC) and 4 tetrazole derivative; 5-Mercapto-1-methyltetrazole (MMTA), 5-(3-Pyridyl)-1H-tetrazole (PyTA), 5-Amino-tetrazole mono hydrate (ATA) and 5-phenyl tetrazole (PTA) and their molecular electronic properties have been theoretically studied at the level (More details are available in the full paper) Keywords: Thiosemicarbazides and Tetrazoles , structural parameters DOI : 10.7176/CMR/11-2-04
Trends in ADL and IADL disability in community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai, China, 1998-2008.

OBJECTIVES We investigated trends in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability from 1998 to 2008 among elder adults in Shanghai, China. METHOD Our data came from 4 waves of the Shanghai Longitudinal Survey of Elderly Life and Opinion (1998, 2003, 2005, and 2008). ADL and IADL disabilities were recorded dichotomously (difficulty vs. no difficulty). The major independent variable was survey year. Covariates included demographics, socioeconomic conditions, family and social support, and other health conditions. Nested random-effect models were applied to estimate trends over time, referenced to 1998. RESULTS In comparison with the baseline year (1998), older adults in 2008 had lower odds of being ADL disabled, though the effect was no longer statistically significant when other health conditions were taken into account. Elders in 2003, 2005, and 2008 were 20%-26%, 17%-38%, and 53%-64% less likely to be IADL disabled than those in 1998, respectively, depending on the set of covariates included in the model. DISCUSSION Shanghai elders experienced substantial improvements in both ADL and IADL disability prevalence over the past decade. The trend toward improvement in IADL function is more consistent and substantial than that of ADL function.