Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of the relationships of cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and its most closely related wild species using intron sequences and microsatellite markers.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The genus Arachis contains 80 described species. Section Arachis is of particular interest because it includes cultivated peanut, an allotetraploid, and closely related wild species, most of which are diploids. This study aimed to analyse the genetic relationships of multiple accessions of section Arachis species using two complementary methods. Microsatellites allowed the analysis of inter- and intraspecific variability. Intron sequences from single-copy genes allowed phylogenetic analysis including the separation of the allotetraploid genome components. METHODS Intron sequences and microsatellite markers were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in section Arachis through maximum parsimony and genetic distance analyses. KEY RESULTS Although high intraspecific variability was evident, there was good support for most species. However, some problems were revealed, notably a probable polyphyletic origin for A. kuhlmannii. The validity of the genome groups was well supported. The F, K and D genomes grouped close to the A genome group. The 2n = 18 species grouped closer to the B genome group. The phylogenetic tree based on the intron data strongly indicated that A. duranensis and A. ipaënsis are the ancestors of A. hypogaea and A. monticola. Intron nucleotide substitutions allowed the ages of divergences of the main genome groups to be estimated at a relatively recent 2·3-2·9 million years ago. This age and the number of species described indicate a much higher speciation rate for section Arachis than for legumes in general. CONCLUSIONS The analyses revealed relationships between the species and genome groups and showed a generally high level of intraspecific genetic diversity. The improved knowledge of species relationships should facilitate the utilization of wild species for peanut improvement. The estimates of speciation rates in section Arachis are high, but not unprecedented. We suggest these high rates may be linked to the peculiar reproductive biology of Arachis.
Convergence of excitatory and inhibitory inputs onto CCK‐containing basket cells in the CA1 area of the rat hippocampus

The number and distribution of excitatory and inhibitory inputs affect the integrative properties of neurons. These parameters have been studied recently for several hippocampal neuron populations. Besides parvalbumin‐ (PV) containing cells that include basket and axo‐axonic cells, cholecystokinin (CCK)‐containing interneurons also form a basket cell population with several properties distinct from PV cells. Here, at the light microscopic level, we reconstructed the entire dendritic tree of CCK‐immunoreactive (IR) basket cells to describe their geometry, the total length and laminar distribution of their dendrites. This was followed by an electron microscopic analysis of serial ultrathin sections immunostained against γ‐aminobutyric acid, to estimate the density of excitatory and inhibitory synapses on their somata, axon initial segments and different subclasses of dendrites. The dendritic tree of CCK‐IR basket cells has an average length of 6300 µm and penetrates all layers. At the electron microscopic level, CCK basket cells receive dendritic inputs with a density of 80–230 per 100 µm. The ratio of inhibitory inputs is relatively high (35%) and increases towards the soma (83%). The total numbers of excitatory and inhibitory synapses converging onto CCK‐IR cells are ∼ 8200. Comparison of the two, neurochemically distinct basket cells reveals that CCK‐containing basket cells receive much less synaptic input than PV cells; however, the relative weight of inhibition is higher on CCK cells. Additional differences in their anatomical and physiological properties predict that CCK basket cells are under a more diverse, elaborate control than PV basket cells, and thus the function of the two populations must be different.
Agroterrorism: Where Are We in the Ongoing War on Terrorism?

The U.S. agricultural infrastructure is one of the most productive and efficient food-producing systems in the world. Many of the characteristics that contribute to its high productivity and efficiency also make this infrastructure extremely vulnerable to a terrorist attack by a biological weapon. Several experts have repeatedly stated that taking advantage of these vulnerabilities would not require a significant undertaking and that the nation's agricultural infrastructure remains highly vulnerable. As a result of continuing criticism, many initiatives at all levels of government and within the private sector have been undertaken to improve our ability to detect and respond to an agroterrorist attack. However, outbreaks, such as the 1999 West Nile outbreak, the 2001 anthrax attacks, the 2003 monkeypox outbreak, and the 2004 Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak, have demonstrated the need for improvements in the areas of communication, emergency response and surveillance efforts, and education for all levels of government, the agricultural community, and the private sector. We recommend establishing an interdisciplinary advisory group that consists of experts from public health, human health, and animal health communities to prioritize improvement efforts in these areas. The primary objective of this group would include establishing communication, surveillance, and education benchmarks to determine current weaknesses in preparedness and activities designed to mitigate weaknesses. We also recommend broader utilization of current food and agricultural preparedness guidelines, such as those developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Novel materials for RF devices

Given the importance of materials in antenna design, this special session brings together several material scientists to address issues of material fabrication, their properties and their significance. The session addresses the properties and applications of various materials for antenna and microwave applications. Examples of the materials to be discussed in this session are: polymers, liquid crystal polymers, ceramics, titanates, ferromagnetic materials, composites and layered/crystral-like forms.
[Effect of Xiaoyao powder on changes of relative brain zone CRF gene expression in chronic restrained stress rats].

AIM To observe the effect of Xiaoyao Powder on the content changes of CRF mRNA in relative brain zone (hypothalamus, pituitary, hippocampus, cortex) in chronic restrained stress rats. METHODS RT-PCR and graphic analysis methods were applied to test the content changes of CRF mRNA in relative brain zone. RESULTS The CRF-1 gene expression in hypothalamus was modulated lower in stress group and the difference was significant when compared with control group (P < 0.01). The gene expression of CRF-1 in Xiaoyao Powder group was markedly modulated lower in hypothalamus, but it was markedly modulated higher in cortex as compared with control group (P < 0.01). The gene expression of CRF-2 in Xiaoyao Powder group was higher in hypothalamus than that in stress group (P < 0.01), and it was also higher in hippocampus as compared with that in control and stress group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION The modulation point of Xiaoyao Powder group on central neuropeptide of chronic restrained stress is respectively hypothalamus, pituitary, hippocampus and cortex. The modulating target is hypothalamus, the limbic system and the cortex center. It can be suggested that medicine of smoothing the liver simultaneously have poly-target and dual-modulating action and been involved in the integration function of nerve-endocrine-immune net.
The Effect of Lower Limb Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: To examine the effect of lower limb functional electrical stimulation (FES) in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: A comprehensive search yielded 37 citations. English articles included in the review applied either surface or percutaneous FES to the lower limb, if subjects were younger than 18 years old, and if the stimulator was removed or off at the time of testing. Results: Five articles were included in this review, including 3 case reports, 1 single subject, and 1 crossover design. Among the wide range of stimulation protocols, stimulation of the gastrocnemius with or without the tibialis anterior muscle may effect greater gait improvements than stimulating the tibialis anterior muscle alone. Conclusions and Recommendations for Clinical Practice: Future research differentiating between optimal FES and neuromuscular electrical stimulation protocols as well as more rigorous research designs are needed to provide clinically relevant results.
Animal Models for Autoimmune Disease-Associated Xerostomia and Xerophthalmia

Numerous models of exocrine tissue pathology related to autoimmune initiation of disease have been described, primarily by either immunohistology or histopathology. These model systems include inbred mouse strains that develop systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, graft vs. host disease, and diabetes. Commonly observed features of these mice include organized lymphocytic foci, composed of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, in both the salivary and the lacrimal glands. However, only the diabetic mouse model (NOD) undergoes a corresponding loss in exocrine gland function related to the presence of lymphocytic infiltrates. As we define the underlying pathophysiology of Sjögren's syndrome, the future of animal models for this disease will involve genetic exploration of candidate genes for development of autoimmune exocrinopathy.
SHORT GRAIN 1 Decreases Organ Elongation and Brassinosteroid Response in Rice 1 [ W ] [ OA ]

We identified a short-grain mutant (Short grain1 (Sg1) Dominant) via phenotypic screening of 13,000 rice (Oryza sativa) activation-tagged lines. The causative gene, SG1, encodes a protein with unknown function that is preferentially expressed in roots and developing panicles. Overexpression of SG1 in rice produced a phenotype with short grains and dwarfing reminiscent of brassinosteroid (BR)-deficient mutants, with wide, dark-green, and erect leaves. However, the endogenous BR level in the SG1 overexpressor (SG1:OX) plants was comparable to the wild type. SG1:OX plants were insensitive to brassinolide in the lamina inclination assay. Therefore, SG1 appears to decrease responses to BRs. Despite shorter organs in the SG1:OX plants, their cell size was not decreased in the SG1:OX plants. Therefore, SG1 decreases organ elongation by decreasing cell proliferation. In contrast to the SG1:OX plants, RNA interference knockdown plants that down-regulated SG1 and a related gene, SG1-LIKE PROTEIN1, had longer grains and internodes in rachis branches than in the wild type. Taken together, these results suggest that SG1 decreases responses to BRs and elongation of organs such as seeds and the internodes of rachis branches through decreased cellular proliferation.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Based on Recombinant Human Group C Rotavirus Inner Capsid Protein (VP6) To Detect Human Group C Rotaviruses in Fecal Samples

ABSTRACT A recent study showed that 43% of a population in the United Kingdom were seropositive for group C rotavirus. The higher than expected incidence may be due to limited diagnosis of acute human group C rotavirus infections because no routine test is available. Human group C rotavirus infections are routinely diagnosed by electron microscopy (EM) and a negative group A rotavirus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) result. An antigen-detection ELISA was developed with hyperimmune antibodies raised to human group C rotavirus recombinant VP6 (Bristol strain) expressed in insect cells. The assay was used to screen fecal samples to determine the prevalence of group C rotavirus infection. Samples positive by ELISA were confirmed by EM, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of double-stranded RNA, or detection of the VP6 gene by reverse transcription-PCR. Retrospective analysis indicated a 1 to 2% detection rate of positivity among samples from patients with acute diarrhea.
Face threatening acts and politeness strategy in the issued of the live banned export of live cattle by the Australian government to Indonesia

In 2011, the Australian government suspended live cattle exports to Indonesia, following footage of brutal slaughter of animals in some of Indonesian slaughter houses. The two countries give their statements relating to this case. These statements are certainly meant to bring about a certain purpose and expectation. It can be said that there are diplomatic activities, in the form of those statements, which have been done by both countries. The object of this research is utterances coming from the representative from Indonesia and Australia. And the aim of this research is to know what face concept and politeness strategies committed by Australian and Indonesian representatives on their statements. The research method used in the research is descriptive qualitative by applying Brown and Levinson (1987) politeness strategies. Another supporting theory is context theory by McManis, et al. (1987). The contexts that influence the utterance are physical, linguistic, epistemic and social contexts.
The natural history of compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus: A 17‐year cohort study of 214 patients

Large databases of consecutive patients followed for sufficiently long periods are needed to establish the rates, chronology, and hierarchy of complications of cirrhosis as well as the importance of other potential causes of liver disease. In accordance with this goal, a cohort of patients with compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) was followed for 17 years. Two hundred and fourteen HCV RNA–seropositive patients with Child‐Pugh class A cirrhosis who had no previous clinical decompensation were prospectively recruited and followed up with periodic clinical and abdominal ultrasound examinations. During 114 months (range 1–199), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed in 68 (32%), ascites in 50 (23%), jaundice in 36 (17%), upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 13 (6%), and encephalopathy in 2 (1%), with annual incidence rates of 3.9%, 2.9%, 2.0%, 0.7%, and 0.1%, respectively. Clinical status remained unchanged in 154 (72%) and progressed to Child‐Pugh class B in 45 (21%) and class C in 15 (7%). HCC was the main cause of death (44%) and the first complication to develop in 58 (27%) patients, followed by ascites in 29 (14%), jaundice in 20 (9%), and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 3 (1%). The annual mortality rate was 4.0% per year and was higher in patients with other potential causes of liver disease than in those without them (5.7% vs. 3.6%; P = .04). In conclusion, hepatitis C–related cirrhosis is a slowly progressive disease that may be accelerated by other potential causes of liver disease. HCC was the first complication to develop and the dominant cause for increased mortality. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:1303–1310.)
Processing of noninflammatory synovial fluids with hyaluronidase for cytospin preparations improves the accuracy of differential counts

Differential leukocyte counts on noninflammatory synovial fluids (NISF) are not widely reported or used in research, apparently due to technical difficulties related to either high viscosity or low numbers of cells. We describe an evaluation of a technique using hyaluronidase and cytospin preparations to study NISF. Twenty‐three consecutive synovial fluids (SF) with less than 2,000 white blood cells (WBC)/mm3 were studied either by the usual smear of a single drop or by adding two drops of hyaluronidase (150 USP units/ml) to 0.25 cc of SF and cytocentrifuging at 800 rpm for 10 min. Both preparations were stained with Wright's stain.
Effect on TGF-beta Signaling Pathway of the Total Flavonoids from Valeriana jatamansi Jones in Hepatocarcinoma 22-bearing Mice

Objective: To observe the effect on TGF-beta signaling pathway of the total flavonoids from Valerian a jatamansi Jones in hepatocarcinoma 22-bearing mice. Method: Hepatocarcinoma 22-bearing mice models were established, and the mice were randomly divided into model group, tegafur group, high-dose and low-dose Valeriana jatamansi Jones group. The gene expression difference chart in TGF-beta signaling pathway in difference groups were examined by using the gene chip technology. Results: Comparing with model group, there are 7 genes expression in TGF-beta signaling pathway were significant regulated in the other three groups. The expression of Cul1, E2f5, Myc and Smad7 was up-regulated, while the expression of Comp, Smad1 and Thbs4 was down-regulated. Conclusions: The total flavonoids from Valeriana jatamansi Jones can play a important role in regulating the abnormal gene expression in TGF-beta signaling pathway in hepatocarcinoma 22-bearing mice.
Metabolic flexibility in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: effects of lifestyle

Lipotoxicity in skeletal muscle plays a critical role in the aetiology of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus by interference of lipid metabolites with insulin signalling and action. The dynamics of lipid oxidation and fine tuning with fatty acid uptake and intramyocellular triacylglycerol turnover may be very important to limit the accumulation of lipid intermediates. The use of metabolic inflexibility, defined as the impaired capacity to increase fat oxidation upon increased fatty acid availability and to switch between fat and glucose as the primary fuel source after a meal, does more justice to the complexity of changes in fuel oxidation during the day. Fatty acid availability, uptake and oxidation all play a role in metabolic flexibility and insulin resistance. During high fatty acid availability, fatty acid transporters may limit cellular and mitochondrial fatty acid uptake and thus limit fat oxidation. After a meal, when the demand for fatty acids as fuel is low, an increased fractional extraction of lipids from plasma may promote intramyocellular lipid accumulation and insulin resistance. Furthermore, defects in fuel switching cluster together with impaired mitochondrial content and/or function. Lifestyle changes in dietary fat intake, physical activity and weight loss may improve metabolic flexibility in skeletal muscle, and thereby contribute to the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
Melatonin and the coding of day length in male Syrian hamsters

Abstract: Two experiments investigated the response of the pituitary‐gonadal axis of pinealectomized male Syrian hamsters to programmed systemic administration of melatonin. In the first experiment, castrated male Syrian hamsters were housed in a short photoperiod (8L:16D) and maintained on subcutaneous testosterone implants for 7 weeks. These males were then pinealectomized or sham‐pinealectomized and their testosterone capsules removed. Daily infusions of melatonin 250 ng/infusion) or its vehicle were administered for 3 weeks; infusion duration was long (11 or 12 hr) or short (6 hr). Measurement of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) following this 3‐week period indicated that long‐duration melatonin infusions mimicked short‐day conditions (LH levels were low), but short‐duration infusions did not (LH levels were significantly elevated). In the second experiment, pinealectomized, gonadally intact males were housed in a 12L:12D photoperiod and injected once daily with melatonin or its vehicle, either 3 or 5 hr after dark onset for 11 weeks. These times were chosen to coincide with the light: dark cycle phase that according to published reports is optimally responsive to exogenous melatonin for the induction of short‐photoperiodic effects. Melatonin injections did not induce gonadal regression in pinealectomized hamsters. Melatonin and vehicle‐treated males responded similarly; their testis widths and serum testosterone levels were not significantly different at the end of the experiment. These results support the hypothesis that the duration of melatonin secretion each night is an important variable in conveying photoperiodic information, but that the circadian phase during which melatonin is present is not.
GMKIT2-FCM: A Genetic-based improved Multiple Kernel Interval Type-2 FUzzy C-means clustering

This paper deals with a Genetic Multiple Kernel Interval Type 2 Fuzzy C-means clustering (GMKIT2-FCM), which automatically find the optimal number of clusters and determine the coefficients of the multiple kernel. The proposed GMKIT2-FCM algorithm provides us a new flexible vehicle to fuse different data information in the classification problems. That is, different information represented by different kernels is combined in the kernel space to produce a new kernel. The proposed algorithm contains two main stages. The first, a heuristic method based on Genetic algorithm (GA) and the average multiple kernel interval type 2 fuzzy c-means clustering (MKIT2-FCM) is adopted to automatically determine the optimal number of clusters and the initial the centroids. Then the results of the first stage are used in combination with GA and MKIT2-FCM to adjust the coefficients of multiple kernel to achieve better results. The experiments are done based on well-known datasets with the statistics show that the algorithm generates good quality of clustering problems.
Relation of sleepiness to respiratory disturbance index: the Sleep Heart Health Study.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a well recognized cause of excessive sleepiness; however, the relation of sleepiness to mild sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which affects as much as half the adult population, is uncertain. In order to explore this relation, we conducted a cross-sectional cohort study of community-dwelling adults participating in the Sleep Heart Health Study, a longitudinal study of the cardiovascular consequences of SDB. The study sample comprises 886 men and 938 women, with a mean age of 65 (SD 11) yr. Sleepiness was quantified using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Sleep-disordered breathing was quantified by the respiratory disturbance index (RDI), defined as the number of apneas plus hypopneas per hour of sleep, measured during in-home polysomnography. When RDI was categorized into four groups (< 5, 5 to < 15, 15 to < 30, >/= 30), a significantly progressive increase in mean ESS score was seen across all four levels of SDB, from 7.2 (4.3) in subjects with RDI < 5 to 9.3 (4.9) in subjects with RDI >/= 30 (p < 0.001). There was no significant modification of this effect by age, sex, body mass index, or evidence of chronic restriction of sleep time or periodic limb movement disorder. The percentage of subjects with excessive sleepiness, defined as an ESS score >/= 11, increased from 21% in subjects with RDI < 5 to 35% in those with RDI >/= 30 (p < 0. 001). We conclude that SDB is associated with excess sleepiness in community-dwelling, middle-aged and older adults, not limited to those with clinically apparent sleep apnea.
An embedded coder for multispectral image compression based on vector lifting structures

In the context of satellite image compression, we are interested in simultaneously exploiting the spatial and spectral activity of multispectral data by using improved lifting structures. The novelty of our approach lies in two aspects. Firstly, we employ nonseparable vector lifting structures that extend the conventional separable lifting scheme. Secondly, the problem of coding the resulting coefficients is addressed. More precisely, we propose an extension to the vector and nonseparable case of Shapiro's embedded zerotrees of wavelet coefficients which achieves further saving in the bitrate. Experimental results carried out on natural remote sensing images show the good performance of the proposed compression procedure.