Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variability of net primary production and its response to climate change: Case study in the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River

This study reported the spatio-temporal variability of terrestrial net primary production (NPP) in the lower-middle reaches of Yangtze River from 2000 to 2006. The impact of climate change was also described. According to the analysis results, mean NPP of this region during 7 years was 535.8 gCm−2yr−1, which was higher than that of the nation during the same period. It was found that NPP showed great inter-annual fluctuation, the controlling factor of which was temperature. NPP demonstrated similar spatial pattern with temperature and precipitation, but inverse to sunshine duration, which suggested climate factors working together exerted obvious effects on spatial characteristics of vegetation production in the study region. These results provided insight into understanding how the climate factors controlled the inter-annual variation and spatial distribution of NPP on region scale and established basis for predicting vegetation features under future climate change.
Strecker degradation of amino acids promoted by a camphor-derived sulfonamide

A camphor-derived sulfonimine with a conjugated carbonyl group, oxoimine 1 (O2SNC10H13O), reacts with amino acids (glycine, L-alanine, L-phenylalanine, L-leucine) to form a compound O2SNC10H13NC10H14NSO2 (2) which was characterized by spectroscopic means (MS and NMR) and supported by DFT calculations. The product, a single diastereoisomer, contains two oxoimine units connected by a –N= bridge, and thus has a structural analogy to the colored product Ruhemann´s purple obtained by the ninhydrin reaction with amino acids. A plausible reaction mechanism that involves zwitterions, a Strecker degradation of an intermediate imine and water-catalyzed tautomerizations was developed by means of DFT calculations on potential transition states.
Breastfeeding: benefits, risks and alternatives

Obstetricians play a major role in guiding the infant feeding choices of their pregnant patients. The world literature continues to swell with reports and studies of the short- and long-term benefits to both mother and infant of breastfeeding. These benefits include protection against acute illnesses, long-term health protection, the psychological relationship and even savings in health care costs.
The BREASTrial: Stage I. Outcomes from the Time of Tissue Expander and Acellular Dermal Matrix Placement to Definitive Reconstruction

Background: Use of acellular dermal matrix in tissue expander breast reconstruction has become a popular adjunct to the total submuscular technique. The question remains as to which matrix, if any, is ideal for breast reconstruction. Methods: A randomized trial was conducted to analyze outcomes of immediate staged tissue expander breast reconstruction using either AlloDerm or DermaMatrix. The impact of obesity, radiation, and chemotherapy on complications and biointegration of matrix was investigated. The trial was divided into three stages, with stage I results reported here. Results: One hundred twenty-eight patients (199 breasts) were randomized equally over 2.5 years. Most patients were white, healthy nonsmokers. The overall complication rate was 36.2 percent; half of the complications were minor. The AlloDerm and DermaMatrix groups had similar rates of complications (33.6 percent versus 38.8 percent; p = 0.52), consisting mostly of skin necrosis (17.8 percent versus 21.4 percent; p = 0.66) and infections (13.9 percent versus 16.3 percent; p = 0.29), both of which led to tissue expander losses (5 percent versus 11.2 percent; p = 0.11). The AlloDerm group required less time for completion of expansion (42 days versus 70 days; p < 0.001). Obesity was associated with poor matrix biointegration and a longer drain time, both of which were associated with higher complication rates. Conclusion: The Breast Reconstruction Evaluation Using Acellular Dermal Matrix as a Sling Trial is the largest randomized trial to date in matrix breast reconstruction and emphasizes the importance of careful patient and allograft selection to minimize complications. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.
Effect of egg white and its hydrolysate on stearoyl-CoA desaturase index and fat accumulation in rat tissues

Abstract We investigated the dietary effects of egg white (EW) and its hydrolysate (EWH) on fat metabolism in rats. Wistar rats were divided into casein, EW and EWH dietary groups, and fed their respective diet for 8 weeks. Dietary EW and EWH decreased food intake, body weight gain and fat accumulation in the carcass, liver, muscles and adipose tissues, but muscle weight was increased. In addition, dietary EW and EWH decreased stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) indices and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity of the liver and gastrocnemius muscle. Dietary EW also increased the fecal excretion of triacylglycerol, cholesterol and total bile acids, and decreased the serum levels of triacylglycerol and leptin. The suppressive effects of dietary EW on food intake and body fat accumulation were weakened by dietary EWH. These findings indicate that EW and EWH, especially EW, are effective in reducing body fat accumulation by regulating hepatic and muscular SCD indices.
Characterization of the immunoglobulin A protease of Ureaplasma urealyticum

Ureaplasma urealyticum strains of all serotypes express a specific human immunoglobulin A1 protease that cleaves immunoglobulin A1 to produce intact Fab and Fc fragments. The use of a variety of inhibitors suggests that the enzyme is a serine protease. N-terminal sequencing of the Fc digestion product showed that the enzyme cleaves between the proline and threonine residues 235 and 236 in the hinge region of the heavy chain of immunoglobulin A1.
Raloxifene improves the ovariectomy-induced impairment in endothelium-dependent vasodilation

Objective:To examine the effect of raloxifene on the endothelial dysfunction caused by surgical menopause. Design:Ten premenopausal women who underwent gynecological surgery with ovariectomy were divided into two groups. Five participants used raloxifene (60 mg/d) for 7 days staring 1 week after the surgery, and the other five participants did not use raloxifene. We examined the changes in flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery using ultrasonography. Vasodilation in response to nitroglycerin was also studied. We also measured the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity to examine the change in arterial stiffness in these participants before and after surgical menopause. Results:In both the raloxifene and control groups, a significant decrease in FMD was observed 1 week after the surgery. Although no further changes in FMD were observed in the control group at 2 weeks after surgery, FMD was significantly increased in the raloxifene group. No remarkable changes in nitroglycerin or brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity were observed after surgery in either group. Conclusions:Raloxifene rapidly restored FMD that was impaired after surgical menopause. Therefore, raloxifene may be effective for ameliorating and maintaining endothelial function in premenopausal women who undergo ovariectomy.
On the Convergence and O(1/N) Complexity of a Class of Nonlinear Proximal Point Algorithms for Monotonic Variational Inequalities

This paper presents a class of proximal point algorithms using a nonlinear proximal term for monotonic variational inequality problems. This work extents proximal point algorithms using Bregman distance for minimization problems, and differs with J. Eckstein's approximate iterations in Bregman-function-based proximal algorithms (1998). We study the convergence of the proposed algorithms and obtain a $O(1/N)$ computing complexity/convergence rate of the algorithms. Further more, connections to some existed popular methods were given, which shows that our algorithm can include these methods within a general form.
Congenital mediastinal bronchogenic cyst with malignant transformation: An autopsy report

A rare autopsy case of mediastinal bronchogenic cyst with malignant transformation is presented. The cyst had been located in the anterior mediastinum for at least 28 years in a 52 year old male. Chest X‐ray findings showing rapid enlargement of the cyst and biopsy of the spine for lumbago made a clinical diagnosis as suspicious mediastinal cystic teratoma with malignant transformation metastasizing to the spine. Postmortem examination revealed that the cyst was located in the anterior mediastinum extending to the left pulmonary hilum and had no connection with the tracheo‐bronchial tree. The cyst wall consisted of bronchus‐like tissue including ciliated epithelium, hyaline cartilage, smooth muscle and mucoserous glands. There were no teratoma‐tous components in the wall. Malignant tumor predominantly consisting of round cells occurred in the thickened cyst wall and grew into the cyst cavity with direct invasion of the lung and metastases to the liver, adrenal glands, bone marrow of the lumbar spine and lymph nodes. An immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells fmquently expressed cyto‐keratin, epithelial membrane antigen and carcino‐embryonic antigen, occasionally CA19–9, vimentin and neuron‐specific enolase. From these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma arising in the mediastinal bronchogenic cyst.
Dynamic Modeling and Interaction of Hybrid Natural Gas and Electricity Supply System in Microgrid

Natural gas (NG) network and electric network are becoming tightly integrated by microturbines in the microgrid. Interactions between these two networks are not well captured by the traditional microturbine (MT) models. To address this issue, two improved models for single-shaft MT and split-shaft MT are proposed in this paper. In addition, dynamic models of the hybrid natural gas and electricity system (HGES) are developed for the analysis of their interactions. Dynamic behaviors of natural gas in pipes are described by partial differential equations (PDEs), while the electric network is described by differential algebraic equations (DAEs). So the overall network is a typical two-time scale dynamic system. Numerical studies indicate that the two-time scale algorithm is faster and can capture the interactions between the two networks. The results also show the HGES with a single-shaft MT is a weakly coupled system in which disturbances in the two networks mainly influence the dc link voltage of the MT, while the split-shaft MT is a strongly coupled system where the impact of an event will affect both networks.
Trampoline-related injuries in children: a preliminary biomechanical model of multiple users

Background The recent popularity of domestic trampolines has seen a corresponding increase in injured children. Most injuries happen on the trampoline mat when there are multiple users present. This study sought to examine and simulate the forces and energy transferred to a child's limbs when trampolining with another person of greater mass. Methods The study used a computational biomechanical model. Results The simulation demonstrated that when two masses bounce out of phase on a trampoline, a transfer of kinetic energy from the larger mass to the smaller mass is likely to occur. It predicted that when an 80 kg adult is on a trampoline with a 25 kg child, the energy transfer is equivalent to the child falling 2.8 m onto a solid surface. Additionally, the rate of loading on the child's bones and ligaments is greater than that on the accompanying adult. Conclusions Current guidelines are clear that more than one user on a trampoline at a time is a risk factor for serious injury; however, the majority of injuries happen in this scenario. The model predicted that there are high energy transfers resulting in serious fracture and ligamentous injuries to children and that this could be equated to equivalent fall heights. This provides a clear take-home message, which can be conveyed to parents to reduce the incidence of trampoline-related injuries.
Plasticity of Size and Growth in Fluctuating Thermal Environments: Comparing Reaction Norms and Performance Curves1

Abstract Ectothermic animals exhibit two distinct kinds of plasticity in response to temperature: Thermal performance curves (TPCs), in which an individual's performance (e.g., growth rate) varies in response to current temperature; and developmental reaction norms (DRNs), in which the trait value (e.g., adult body size or development time) of a genotype varies in response to developmental temperatures experienced over some time period during development. Here we explore patterns of genetic variation and selection on TPCs and DRNs for insects in fluctuating thermal environments. First, we describe two statistical methods for partitioning total genetic variation into variation for overall size or performance and variation in plasticity, and apply these methods to available datasets on DRNs and TPCs for insect growth and size. Our results indicate that for the datasets we considered, genetic variation in plasticity represents a larger proportion of the total genetic variation in TPCs compared to DRNs, for the available datasets. Simulations suggest that estimates of the genetic variation in plasticity are strongly affected by the number and range of temperatures considered, and by the degree of nonlinearity in the TPC or DRN. Second, we review a recent analysis of field selection studies which indicates that directional selection favoring increased overall size is common in many systems—that bigger is frequently fitter. Third, we use a recent theoretical model to examine how selection on thermal performance curves relates to environmental temperatures during selection. The model predicts that if selection acts primarily on adult size or development time, then selection on thermal performance curves for larval growth or development rates is directly related to the frequency distribution of temperatures experienced during larval development. Using data on caterpillar temperatures in the field, we show that the strength of directional selection on growth rate is predicted to be greater at the modal (most frequent) temperatures, not at the mean temperature or at temperatures at which growth rate is maximized. Our results illustrate some of the differences in genetic architecture and patterns of selection between thermal performance curves and developmental reaction norms.
Interferon as an Inhibitor of Cell Growth: Studies with Mouse Melanoma Cells

Summary Interferon treatment was found to inhibit the growth of Cloudman mouse melanoma cells in tissue culture. This was not associated with a block in the G2 or M phases of the cell cycle. A highly purified interferon preparation, approximately 30% pure, was as effective as a less purified interferon preparation, less than 1% pure, in inhibiting melanoma cell growth. This suggests that interferon rather than contaminants in the preparation is responsible for the effects seen. The growth of the melanoma cells in DBA/2 mice was also retarded upon interferon treatment.
Mycophenolate mofetil for the prevention of acute rejection in primary cadaveric renal allograft recipients. U.S. Renal Transplant Mycophenolate Mofetil Study Group.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a new immunosuppressant that selectively inhibits proliferation of T and B lymphocytes, may reduce the frequency and severity of acute graft rejection. Acute graft rejection is the leading cause of graft loss in cadaveric renal transplantation. The purpose of this randomized, double-blind, multicenter study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MMF for the prevention of acute rejection episodes in adult patients during the first 6 months after renal transplantation. A total of 499 patients who were to receive a primary cadaveric renal allograft as their first transplant were randomized to receive MMF 1.0 g b.i. d. (MMF 2 g treatment group), MMF 1.5 g b.i. d. (MMF 3 g treatment group), or azathioprine 1-2 mg/kg/day. CsA, corticosteroids, and antithymocyte globulin (ATGAM) were administered as part of a quadruple sequential induction protocol. The primary efficacy endpoint was biopsy-proven rejection or treatment failure (defined as graft loss, death, or premature withdrawal from the study for any reason) during the first 6 months after transplant. All enrolled patients were included in the primary analyses of efficacy on the basis of intent to treat. The 495 patients who received study drug were included in the safety and secondary efficacy analyses. Biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes or treatment failure occurred in 47.6% of patients in the azathioprine group compared with 31.1% (P = 0.0015) and 31.3% (P = 0.0021) of patients in the MMF 2 g and 3 g treatment groups, respectively. Time to first biopsy-proven rejection episode or treatment failure was significantly longer for MMF 2 g versus azathioprine (P = 0.0036) and MMF 3 g versus azathioprine (P = 0.0006). First biopsy-proven rejection alone occurred in 38.0% of patients who received azathioprine compared with 19.8% and 17.5% of patients who received MMF 2 g and 3 g, respectively. Patients in the azathioprine group received a greater number of full courses of antirejection treatment as compared with the MMF 2 g and MMF 3 g groups (44.5%, 24.8%, and 21.1%, respectively). The use of antilymphocyte agents to treat rejection was greater in the azathioprine group (20.1%) compared with the MMF 2 g group (10.3%) and the MMF 3 g group (5.4%). At 6 months after transplant, graft and patient survival were similar in all 3 treatment groups. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Scalable on-demand streaming of stored complex multimedia

Previous research has developed a number of efficient protocols for streaming popular multimedia files on-demand to potentially large numbers of concurrent clients. These protocols can achieve server bandwidth usage that grows much slower than linearly with the file request rate, and with the inverse of client start-up delay. This thesis makes the following three main contributions to the design and performance evaluation of such protocols. The first contribution is an investigation of the network bandwidth requirements for scalable on-demand streaming. The results suggest that the minimum required network bandwidth for scalable on-demand streaming typically scales as K/ln(K) as the number of client sites K increases for fixed request rate per client site, and as ln NND+1 as the total file request rate N increases or client start-up delay D decreases, for a fixed number of sites. Multicast delivery trees configured to minimize network bandwidth usage rather than latency are found to only modestly reduce the minimum required network bandwidth. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve close to the minimum possible network and server bandwidth usage simultaneously with practical scalable delivery protocols. Second, the thesis addresses the problem of scalable on-demand streaming of a more complex type of media than is typically considered, namely variable bit rate (VBR) media. A lower bound on the minimum required server bandwidth for scalable on-demand streaming of VBR media is derived. The lower bound analysis motivates the design of a new immediate service protocol termed VBR bandwidth skimming (VBRBS) that uses constant bit rate streaming, when sufficient client storage space is available, yet fruitfully exploits the knowledge of a VBR profile. Finally, the thesis proposes non-linear media containing parallel sequences of data frames, among which clients can dynamically select at designated branch points, and investigates the design and performance issues in scalable on-demand streaming of such media. Lower bounds on the minimum required server bandwidth for various non-linear media scalable on-demand streaming approaches are derived, practical non-linear media scalable delivery protocols are developed, and, as a proof-of-concept, a simple scalable delivery protocol is implemented in a non-linear media streaming prototype system.
A novel intrusion detection system model for securing web-based database systems

Intrusion detection (ID) has become an important technology for protecting information resources and databases from malicious attacks and information leakage. This paper proposes a novel two-layer mechanism to detect intrusions against a web-based database service. Layer one builds historical profiles based on audit trails and other log data provided by the web server and database server. Pre-alarms will be triggered if anomalies occurred. Layer two makes further analysis on the pre-alarms generated from Layer one. Such methods integrates the alarm context with the alarms themselves rather than a simple "analysis in isolation". This can reduce the error rates, especially false positives and greatly improve the accuracy of intrusion detection, alarm notification and hence more effective incident handling.
Makings of the Best Spermatozoa: Molecular Determinants of High Fertility

What is the significance of sperm in reproduction? Recent studies have demonstrated surprising clues that have changed the answers to this question. In addition to providing half of the genome of a mammalian organism, sperm also contributes other molecules such as mRNA, microRNAs (miRNA), proteins, and metabolites that are vitally important for fertility (Feugang et al., 2009, 2010; Peddinti et al., 2008). Furthermore, molecular health of the sperm chromatin and DNA quality also play major roles in sperm viability. Put together, these recent advances have produced a wealth of new knowledge that can provide a systems biology point of view for fertility. These findings highlight the fact that changes in sperm DNA and expressed gene products provide information on the effects of environment on development and disease.