Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Degradation and Recovery in Changing Forest Landscapes: A Multiscale Conceptual Framework

Conceptual confusion revolves around how to define, assess, and overcome land, ecosystem, and landscape degradation. Common elements link degradation and recovery processes, offering ways to advance local, regional, and global initiatives to reduce degradation and promote the recovery of ecosystems and landscapes in forest biomes. Biophysical attributes of degradation and recovery can be measured, but the relevance of selected attributes across scales is subject to values that determine preferred states. Degradation defined in the context of a resilience-based approach is a state where the capacity for regeneration is greatly reduced or lost, recovery is arrested, core interactions and feedbacks are broken, and human intervention is required to initiate a trajectory of recovery. Another approach combines degradation and recovery processes through the concept of recovery debt, the cumulative lost benefits incurred, relative to a target state during phases of degradation and recovery. Degradation and recove.
The Wnt5A/Protein Kinase C Pathway Mediates Motility in Melanoma Cells via the Inhibition of Metastasis Suppressors and Initiation of an Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition*

We have shown that Wnt5A increases the motility of melanoma cells. To explore cellular pathways involving Wnt5A, we compared gain-of-function (WNT5A stable transfectants) versus loss-of-function (siRNA knockdown) of WNT5A by microarray analysis. Increasing WNT5A suppressed the expression of several genes, which were re-expressed after small interference RNA-mediated knockdown of WNT5A. Genes affected by WNT5A include KISS-1, a metastasis suppressor, and CD44, involved in tumor cell homing during metastasis. This could be validated at the protein level using both small interference RNA and recombinant Wnt5A (rWnt5A). Among the genes up-regulated by WNT5A was the gene vimentin, associated with an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which involves decreases in E-cadherin, due to up-regulation of the transcriptional repressor, Snail. rWnt5A treatment increases Snail and vimentin expression, and decreases E-cadherin, even in the presence of dominant-negativeTCF4, suggesting that this activation is independent of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Because Wnt5A can signal via protein kinase C (PKC), the role of PKC in Wnt5A-mediated motility and EMT was also assessed using PKC inhibition and activation studies. Treating cells expressing low levels of Wnt5A with phorbol ester increased Snail expression inhibiting PKC in cells expressing high levels of Wnt5A decreased Snail. Furthermore, inhibition of PKC before Wnt5A treatment blocked Snail expression, implying that Wnt5A can potentiate melanoma metastasis via the induction of EMT in a PKC-dependent manner.
Recognition of Double-Stranded RNA by TLR3 Induces Severe Small Intestinal Injury in Mice1

The role of TLRs on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is controversial, and the mechanisms by which TLRs influence mucosal homeostasis are obscure. In this study, we report that genomic dsRNA from rotavirus, and its synthetic analog polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)), induce severe mucosal injury in the small intestine. Upon engaging TLR3 on IECs, dsRNA triggers IECs to secrete IL-15, which functions to increase the percentage of CD3+NK1.1+ intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and enhances the cytotoxicity of IELs. Moreover, The CD3+NK1.1+ IELs are proved as CD8αα+ IELs. These results provide direct evidence that abnormal TLR3 signaling contributes to breaking down mucosal homeostasis and the first evidence of pathogenic effects mediated by CD8αα+ IELs. The data also suggest that genomic dsRNA may be involved in the pathogenesis of acute rotavirus gastroenteritis.
Massage for Low Back Pain: An Updated Systematic Review Within the Framework of the Cochrane Back Review Group

Study Design. Systematic Review. Objectives. To assess the effects of massage therapy for nonspecific low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Low back pain is one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal problems in modern society. Proponents of massage therapy claim it can minimize pain and disability, and speed return to normal function. Methods. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL from their beginning to May 2008. We also searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2006, issue 3), HealthSTAR and Dissertation abstracts up to 2006. There were no language restrictions. References in the included studies and in reviews of the literature were screened. The studies had to be randomized or quasi-randomized trials investigating the use of any type of massage (using the hands or a mechanical device) as a treatment for nonspecific low back pain. Two review authors selected the studies, assessed the risk of bias using the criteria recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group, and extracted the data using standardized forms. Both qualitative and meta-analyses were performed. Results. Thirteen randomized trials were included. Eight had a high risk and 5 had a low risk of bias. One study was published in German and the rest in English. Massage was compared to an inert therapy (sham treatment) in 2 studies that showed that massage was superior for pain and function on both short- and long-term follow-ups. In 8 studies, massage was compared to other active treatments. They showed that massage was similar to exercises, and massage was superior to joint mobilization, relaxation therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, and self-care education. One study showed that reflexology on the feet had no effect on pain and functioning. The beneficial effects of massage in patients with chronic low back pain lasted at least 1 year after the end of the treatment. Two studies compared 2 different techniques of massage. One concluded that acupuncture massage produces better results than classic (Swedish) massage and another concluded that Thai massage produces similar results to classic (Swedish) massage. Conclusion. Massage might be beneficial for patients with subacute and chronic nonspecific low back pain, especially when combined with exercises and education. The evidence suggests that acupuncture massage is more effective than classic massage, but this need confirmation. More studies are needed to confirm these conclusions, to assess the impact of massage on return-to-work, and to determine cost-effectiveness of massage as an intervention for low back pain.
Rutin, an antioxidant flavonoid, induces glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activities to protect against ethanol effects in cadmium‐induced oxidative stress in the testis of adult rats

Exposure to cadmium (Cd) reduces sperm quality and induces oxidative stress in the testis. Rutin is an effective antioxidant flavonoid. We studied the effect of ethanol (EtOH, 5 g/kg b.wt.) intake on Cd (50 mg/kg b.wt.)‐induced testicular toxicity with or without RUT pre‐treatment (25, 50, 100 mg/kg b.wt.) in rats. At the end of the 15‐day oral treatment, co‐treatment with EtOH decreased the activities of glutathione (GSH), GSH‐peroxidase and superoxide dismutase resulting to slight increase in the testicular MDA level compared to Cd‐treated rats. The Cd+EtOH animals had higher levels of abnormal spermatozoa, decreased epididymal sperm number and serum testosterone levels (p < .05) compared to the Cd‐treated animals. Rutin co‐administration protected against the EtOH effects in a dose‐dependent manner, with the Cd+EtOH+50 mg/kg RUT‐ and Cd+EtOH+100 mg/kg RUT‐treated animals having higher GSH and GSH‐Px activities beyond the control values (p < .05). In a supplementary study, animals treated daily with RUT alone (25, 50, 100 mg/kg b.wt.) for 15 days dose‐dependently increased testicular GSH‐peroxidase and GSH activities by 9.38%, 31.25%, 56.25% and 7.14%, 32.14%, 60.71%, respectively, compared to control values. Therefore, RUT induces GSH and GSH‐Px activities to protect against Cd+EtOH‐induced testis oxidative stress in rats.
Construction of a water-soluble form of penicillin-binding protein 2a from a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate

The mecA gene from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 27r, which encodes the membrane-bound penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP 2a), was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. PBP 2a is the major factor that mediates methicillin resistance in staphylococci. The DNA sequence of the mecA gene from strain 27r was greater than 99% identical to the DNA sequence of other S. aureus mecA genes and the mecA gene from Staphylococcus epidermidis. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of PBP 2a from strain 27r revealed a hydrophobic region at the amino terminus that possessed characteristics of an uncleaved signal peptide such as those found in type II integral membrane proteins. Site-specific mutagenesis was used to modify the strain 27r mecA gene to permit removal of the region encoding the putative transmembrane region (amino acids 2 to 22). When it was expressed in E. coli, the modified mecA gene from strain 27r encoded a water-soluble form of PBP 2a that was detectable in the cytoplasm of transformants. The water-soluble form of PBP 2a protein from S. aureus 27r retained the same binding efficiency for beta-lactam antibiotics as the unmodified membrane-bound PBP 2a from S. aureus 27r.
Clinical Significance of Preoperative Nutritional Status in 215 Noncancer Patients

Preoperative nutritional status was assessed by: the percentage weight loss (% WL), body weight in relation to reference weight (WI), arm muscle circumference (AMC), and S-albumin (S-Alb) in a prospective study of 215 noncancer patients classified into three groups according to type of surgery: major vascular, minor vascular, and abdominal. The clinical significance of the nutritional markers was assessed by correlations to postoperative outcome and the time spent in the hospital after surgery. The influence of age on nutritional markers and clinical variables was evident but was ruled out in all correlations. If malnutrition was classified as two or more abnormal values in the nutritional markers (% WL, WI, AMC, S-Alb), the overall frequency was 12%, highest in the major vascular surgery group (18%) and lowest in the minor vascular group (4%). Patients with low nutritional status stayed an average of 29 days in the hospital compared to 14 days if the nutritional status was normal (p < 0.01). The overall complication frequency was higher in patients with low nutritional status compared to normal status (48% and 23%, respectively, p < 0.01). The frequency of serious complications was 31% in undernourished and 9% in well-nourished patients (p < 0.05). Various nonnutritional variables such as age, diagnosis, and duration of surgery were shown to increase the predictive ability of nutritional status. The results of this study confirm that nutritional state per se is predictive for postoperative outcome even when variables were stabilized for different backgrounds with covariation to nutritional status.
Prognostic Value of Serum IL-17 and VEGF Levels in Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective To explore the prognostic value of serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Materials and Methods IL-17 and VEGF levels were determined by a commercially available ELISA method. Results Serum IL-17 and VEGF levels were higher in the SCLC group than the control group (p<0.001 and p<0.0001, respectively). In addition, there was a significant correlation between IL-17 and VEGF. The level of IL-17 showed significant correlations with tumor stage and tumor metastasis, while serum VEGF levels were significantly associated only with tumor metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that an elevated IL-17 level was an independent prognostic factor for shorter overall survival in SCLC. Conclusions IL-17 may play an important role in tumor dissemination in SCLC patients and measurement of IL-17 could have useful prognostic value for worse overall survival in patients with SCLC.
Efficacy of risperidone for treating patients with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

Background: Large randomized controlled trials have shown that risperidone reduces the frequency and severity of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients with dementia. Since such trials are obliged to use very strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, their information about the efficacy is limited by the criteria used. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of risperidone on BPSD in a sample of patients routinely treated by their primary care physicians. Methods: A total of 938 elderly patients in Austria suffering from BPSD and routinely treated by their primary care physicians were included in this open-label prospective study. Patients received a flexible dose of risperidone, starting with 0.5 mg daily, for at least 6 weeks. Questionnaires were filled in before the start and after 6 weeks of treatment. Results: Before starting treatment with risperidone, BPSD were severe in 36.6% of the patients, moderate in 49.3%, and mild in 14.1%. The overall efficacy of risperidone was judged as “excellent” by the general practitioners and caregivers in about half the patients. The treatment was judged as “not satisfactory” in only a very small proportion (3.3% and 4.3%, respectively). According to the physicians' judgement, the tolerability of risperidone was “excellent” in 81.5% of the patients and “satisfactory” in 17.8%. The tolerability was “not satisfactory” in only 0.7% and only 7.4% of the patients reported any adverse event. Discussion: Overall, the results of this survey indicate that risperidone is both efficacious and well tolerated for the treatment of elderly primary care patients with BPSD.
Building self-adaptive Peer-to-Peer overlay networks with dynamic cluster structure

The tremendous growth of public interest in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks in recent years has initiated a lot of research work on how to design efficient overlays for P2P systems. Among them are some overlays that support range queries, but their basic topologies might be different with diverse options, such as ring, cluster, binary tree and doubly-linked lists, etc. In this paper, we present a self-adaptive P2P overlay with dynamic cluster structure that supports range queries. In such cluster-based topologies, a challenge issue is how to choose appropriate cluster size in order to ensure that the least total messages are produced in the network. Inspired by evolutionary game theory, this paper presents a novel approach for improving query routing performance in a fully distributed and self-adaptive way where super-peers can modify their behaviors (merging or splitting clusters) with incomplete information and bounded rationality for the purpose of improving their individual benefit. Extensive experiments have been carried out to assess the performance of the proposed technique. The obtained results have highlighted remarkable benefits under churn in terms of bandwidth consumption.
Analysis of Meox‐2 mutant mice reveals a novel postfusion‐based cleft palate

Cleft palate represents a common human congential disease involving defects in the development of the secondary palate. Major steps in mammalian palatogenesis include vertical growth, elevation, and fusion of the palate shelves. Our current study with the homeobox gene Meox‐2 during mouse secondary palate development reveals a novel postfusion‐based mechanism for cleft palate. Meox‐1 and Meox‐2 are two functionally related homeobox genes playing important roles in somitogenesis and limb muscle differentiation. We found that the expression of Meox‐2, not Meox‐1, marks the specification of early mouse palatal mesenchymal cells in the maxillary processes at embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5). From E12.5 to E15.5, the expression of Meox‐2 occupies only the posterior part of the palate, providing an early molecular marker for the anterior–posterior polarity in mouse secondary palate formation. A total of 35.3% of Meox‐2−/− (n = 17) and 25.5% of Meox‐2+/− (n = 55) mouse embryos display a cleft palate phenotype at E15.5, indicating that the reduction of Meox‐2 function is associated with susceptibility to cleft palate. Unlike previously reported clefts, none of the clefts found in Meox‐2 mutants contain any epithelial sheets in the medial edge areas, and detailed examination revealed that the clefts resulted from the breakdown of newly fused palates. This article is the first report of a gene required to maintain adherence of the palatal shelves after fusion. Developmental Dynamics 235:539–546, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association of the Human SUMO-1 Protease SENP2 with the Nuclear Pore*

SUMO-1 is a small ubiquitin-like protein that can be covalently conjugated to other proteins. A family of proteases catalyzes deconjugation of SUMO-1-containing species. Members of this family also process newly synthesized SUMO-1 into its conjugatable form. To understand these enzymes better, we have examined the localization and behavior of the human SUMO-1 protease SENP2. Here we have shown that SENP2 associates with the nuclear face of nuclear pores and that this association requires protein sequences near the N terminus of SENP2. We have also shown that SENP2 binds to Nup153, a nucleoporin that is localized to the nucleoplasmic face of the pore. Nup153 binding requires the same domain of SENP2 that mediates its targeting in vivo. Removal of the Nup153-interacting region of SENP2 results in a significant change in the spectrum of SUMO-1 conjugates within the cell. Our results suggest that association with the pore plays an important negative role in the regulation of SENP2, perhaps by restricting its activity to a subset of the conjugated proteins within the nucleus.
Power aware FinFET and lateral nanosheet FET targeting for 3nm CMOS technology

In this paper, we show how 5.5 tracks standard cells can be enabled at gate pitch 42 nm and metal pitch 21 nm and achieve 60% active power reduction from the 7nm node. A device downselection methodology driven by power and performance targets is introduced. This method demonstrates that three stacked nanosheets of 20 nm width are competitive with FinFETs made with two fins while relaxing the constraints on layout design rules.
Secondary mania following traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE In this study patients were examined during the first year after traumatic brain injury to determine the presence of secondary mania. METHOD A consecutive series of 66 patients with closed-head injury were evaluated in the hospital and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. The patients were examined with a semistructured psychiatric interview and scales for measurement of impairment in activities of daily living, intellectual function, and social functioning. Patients fulfilling the DSM-III-R criteria for mania were compared to patients with major depression and to patients without affective disturbances in regard to their background characteristics, impairment variables, and lesion locations. RESULTS Six patients (9%) met the criteria for mania at some point during follow-up. The presence of temporal basal polar lesions was significantly associated with secondary mania even when the effect of other lesion locations was taken into account. Secondary mania was not found to be associated with the severity of brain injury, degree of physical or cognitive impairment, level of social functioning, or previous family or personal history of psychiatric disorder. The duration of mania, however, appeared to be brief, lasting approximately 2 months. CONCLUSIONS The 9% frequency of secondary mania in these patients with traumatic brain injury is significantly greater than that seen in other brain-injured populations (e.g., patients with stroke). The major correlate was the presence of a temporal basal polar lesion.
The Social Construction of Fishing, 1949

The theoretical construction known as maximum sustained yield (MSY) exists in three realms: as science, as policy, and as a legal concept. Despite substantial criticism by scientists and economists, MSY remains at the heart of fisheries science and fisheries management. This paper suggests that its institutional resilience springs more from its policy and legal roles than from its scientific strength. Maximum sustained yield was adopted as the goal of American fisheries policy in 1949. Between 1949 and 1955, the State Department pushed for its adoption internationally. In this paper, I first look briefly at the relationship between fishing and foreign policy goals during this period. Second, I look at how fishing was understood during 1949, when the American High Seas Fishing Policy was adopted. Third, I look at the actions of the 1955 International Technical Conference on the Conservation of the Living Resources of the Sea and how American actions shaped the development of fisheries science and the modern fishery management process.
Negotiating the Complexities of Redevelopment Through the Everyday Experiences of Residents: The incremental renewal of Bonnyrigg, Sydney

The comprehensive renewal of public housing estates has been the focus of much policy and academic debate in recent years. As sites of intervention, they have captured the tensions at play between strategic intent and the experience of those most directly affected by its aims and goals. There has been a particular focus on the potential disjuncture between the politics and policy of renewal on the one hand, and the needs and expectations of the communities involved on the other. However, an ongoing narrative of affected households - impacted in different ways at different stages of the process - is less evident in those debates. This paper draws upon findings from the first stage of a ten year longitudinal study exploring what renewal means to, how it is interpreted by, and how it impacts on, a community undergoing change. The panel comprises almost 100 households living on, or who had previously lived on, the Bonnyrigg estate in Sydney's west. As Australia's first social housing Public Private Partnership (PPP), the renewal of Bonnyrigg is defined by considerable complexity. However over 18 stages and 13 years it will impact at the everyday level, in various ways, with the lives of residents. The paper concludes by considering how insight into this 'translation' of a complex PPP on the ground in residents lives can contribute to wider conceptual, policy and planning debates tied to urban renewal.
The diagnosis of urinary tract infection: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the leading reasons for treatment in adult primary care medicine, accounting for a considerable percentage of antibiotic prescriptions. Because this problem is so common and so significant in routine clinical practice, a high level of diagnostic accuracy is essential. Antibiotics should not be prescribed excessively, particularly in view of the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. METHOD Systematic review of relevant articles that were retrieved by a search of the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. The recommendations of selected international guidelines were also taken into account, as were the German national quality standards for microbiological diagnosis. RESULTS The diagnosis of UTI by clinical criteria alone has an error rate of approximately 33%. The use of refined diagnostic algorithms does not completely eliminate uncertainty. CONCLUSION With the aid of a small number of additional diagnostic criteria, antibiotic treatment for UTI can be provided more specifically and thus more effectively. Differentiating UTI from asymptomatic bacteriuria, which usually requires no treatment, can lower the frequency of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.