Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate, duration, and N placement determine N2O emissions in reduced tillage systems: a meta‐analysis

No‐tillage and reduced tillage (NT/RT) management practices are being promoted in agroecosystems to reduce erosion, sequester additional soil C and reduce production costs. The impact of NT/RT on N2O emissions, however, has been variable with both increases and decreases in emissions reported. Herein, we quantitatively synthesize studies on the short‐ and long‐term impact of NT/RT on N2O emissions in humid and dry climatic zones with emissions expressed on both an area‐ and crop yield‐scaled basis. A meta‐analysis was conducted on 239 direct comparisons between conventional tillage (CT) and NT/RT. In contrast to earlier studies, averaged across all comparisons, NT/RT did not alter N2O emissions compared with CT. However, NT/RT significantly reduced N2O emissions in experiments >10 years, especially in dry climates. No significant correlation was found between soil texture and the effect of NT/RT on N2O emissions. When fertilizer‐N was placed at ≥5 cm depth, NT/RT significantly reduced area‐scaled N2O emissions, in particular under humid climatic conditions. Compared to CT under dry climatic conditions, yield‐scaled N2O increased significantly (57%) when NT/RT was implemented <10 years, but decreased significantly (27%) after ≥10 years of NT/RT. There was a significant decrease in yield‐scaled N2O emissions in humid climates when fertilizer‐N was placed at ≥5 cm depth. Therefore, in humid climates, deep placement of fertilizer‐N is recommended when implementing NT/RT. In addition, NT/RT practices need to be sustained for a prolonged time, particularly in dry climates, to become an effective mitigation strategy for reducing N2O emissions.
A factor model of the functional psychoses and the relationship of factors to clinical variables and brain morphology

Background. Despite more than 100 years of study, there remains no definitive diagnostic validation of the functional psychoses. Factor analysis suggests the presence of three or more psychopathological syndromes in functional psychoses as a whole. The relationship between these factors and cerebral anatomy has been investigated in schizophrenia only. This study aimed to address the relationship of symptom factors to clinically important variables and cerebral anatomy in a sample of psychotic patients with a spread of diagnoses. Methods. In a sample of patients with functional psychoses, symptom data was obtained on four consecutive admissions using the OPCRIT symptom checklist. OPCRIT data was used to generate operational diagnoses in accordance with pre-set criteria and a principle components analysis was performed on symptom data. Factor loadings were compared between each admission to examine factor stability over time. Factor scores at first admission were also correlated with clinical variables obtained from patients' case notes. From the sample of 204 patients, 64 subjects were recruited and underwent an MRI scan of the brain. Regional anatomical volumes were compared with diagnosis and factor loadings at first admission. Results. A principal components analysis gave a four-factor solution of ‘manic’, ‘depressive’, ‘disorganization’ and ‘reality distortion’ factors at each admission. Factors showed a high degree of stability over the four admissions studied. The factors were significantly associated with several clinical variables. Three of the four factors were associated with a specific pattern of cerebral anatomy. Conclusions. This study suggests that factors may correspond to relatively specific disease processes underlying functional psychotic illness. We propose that the use of symptom factors may facilitate the investigation of the underlying mechanisms of psychotic illness.
Transforming Growth Factor-β-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in the Lens: A Model for Cataract Formation

The vertebrate lens has a distinct polarity and structure that are regulated by growth factors resident in the ocular media. Fibroblast growth factors, in concert with other growth factors, are key regulators of lens fiber cell differentiation. While members of the transforming growth factor (TGFβ) superfamily have also been implicated to play a role in lens fiber differentiation, inappropriate TGFβ signaling in the anterior lens epithelial cells results in an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that bears morphological and molecular resemblance to forms of human cataract, including anterior subcapsular (ASC) and posterior capsule opacification (PCO; also known as secondary cataract or after-cataract), which occurs after cataract surgery. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that this TGFβ-induced EMT is part of a wound healing response in lens epithelial cells and is characterized by induced expression of numerous extracellular matrix proteins (laminin, collagens I, III, tenascin, fibronectin, proteoglycans), intermediate filaments (desmin, α-smooth muscle actin) and various integrins (α2, α5, α7B), as well as the loss of epithelial genes [Pax6, Cx43, CP49, α-crystallin, E-cadherin, zonula occludens-1 protein (ZO-1)]. The signaling pathways involved in initiating the EMT seem to primarily involve the Smad-dependent pathway, whereby TGFβ binding to specific high affinity cell surface receptors activates the receptor-Smad/Smad4 complex. Recent studies implicate other factors [such as fibroblast growth factor (FGFs), hepatocyte growth factor, integrins], present in the lens and ocular environment, in the pathogenesis of ASC and PCO. For example, FGF signaling can augment many of the effects of TGFβ, and integrin signaling, possibly via ILK, appears to mediate some of the morphological features of EMT initiated by TGFβ. Increasing attention is now being directed at the network of signaling pathways that effect the EMT in lens epithelial cells, with the aim of identifying potential therapeutic targets to inhibit cataract, particularly PCO, which remains a significant clinical problem in ophthalmology.
Selected executive skills in adolescents with recent first episode major depression.

BACKGROUND To investigate whether recent first episode major depression in adolescence is characterised by selected executive difficulties in attentional flexibility, behavioural inhibition and decision-making. METHODS Selected executive functions were compared in adolescents with recent (past year) first episode major depression (n = 30) and community controls (n = 49). Three computerised tests within the CANTAB battery were completed by all subjects (the Intra-Dimensional, Extra-Dimensional Set-Shifting task, the Affective Go, No-Go task, and the Decision-Making task). RESULTS Compared with controls, recently depressed cases displayed a bias towards negative stimuli with fewer errors on sad words as well as being more accurate in their responses to sad targets on the Affective Go, No-Go task. Cases also made faster decisions in the context of betting more of their available points compared to controls, as indexed by the Decision-Making task. These results were not influenced by age, gender, IQ, recent mood, severity of depression, medication or comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents with recent first episode major depression show greater attention towards sad stimuli and more impulsive behaviour when making decisions. They were able to switch attentional set to neutral stimuli. This study demonstrates that computerised tests for measuring executive functions can be successfully deployed in adolescents, and suggests that specific patterns of neuropsychological functions may be relatively compromised in first episode major depression. These, together with their underlying neural substrates, deserve further investigation within this age range.
Performance evaluation of software defined networking based on openflow protocol

This paper presents the results of traffic analysis obtained in the processing of streams in SDN. It is found that there is no significant effect on the statistical characteristics of stable mode processing in SDN. In the congestion mode, significant correlations arise in the sequence of time intervals between packets. Analytical expressions for the estimation of average values of packet delay time, delay variation, and queue length based on the hyperexponential distribution approach are obtained, and the H2/D/1 system for SDN is used. A methodology for estimating traffic service quality parameters in an SDN network is developed.
Mycobacterium ulcerans--a mini-review.

In 1948, MacCallum et al. described six patients with unusual skin ulcers who lived in rural south-eastern Australia during the 1930s and 1940s [ 11. The presence of acid-fast bacilli in the lesions led to an initial diagnosis of tuberculosis, but the organism failed to grow on appropriate media. Growth was eventually obtained on yolk agar after incubation at 30-33°C for several weeks. This was the first description of the third major mycobacterial pathogen of man: Mycobacterium ulcerans. In southern Australia, infection with this organism is still called ‘Bairnsdale ulcer’ after the main town in the original endemic region [2]. Elsewhere it is most often called ‘Buruli ulcer’, after a region in Uganda associated with a large number of cases during the late 1960s and early 1970s [3].
A Bipedal Locomotion Planning Based on Virtual Linear Inverted Pendulum Mode

In this paper, a bipedal locomotion planning based on virtual linear inverted pendulum mode (VLIPM) is proposed. In conventional methods, the desired center of gravity (COG) position and velocity are achieved by modifying the foot placement. In this research, the desired COG position and velocity are achieved while the desired foot placement is also realized. In the proposed method, the virtual modified foot placement and trajectory planning are calculated separately. VLIPM is applied to the calculation of the virtual modified foot placement. By using virtual supporting point (VSP), the difference between the virtual modified and desired foot placements is compensated. In the result, the desired foot placement is achieved as if the foot placement is in the virtual modified foot placement. Trajectory planning is applied to LIPM with VSP and 5-D polynomial. The boundary conditions of the polynomial are set to the desired COG position and velocity. In the result, the desired COG position and velocity are also obtained. Differences of the motion by different models are compensated by matching the boundary conditions of different models. By applying different models in the calculations of the foot placement and trajectory planning, the desired robot motion is realized. The walking stability of the proposed method is equivalent to that of the conventional method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by a simulation and an experiment.
Conducting Cancer Control and Survivorship Research via Cooperative Groups: A Report from the American Society of Preventive Oncology

As the number of cancer survivors expands, the need for cancer control and survivorship research becomes increasingly important. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cooperative Groups may offer a viable platform to perform such research. Observational, preventive, and behavioral research can often be performed within the cooperative group setting, especially if resources needed for evaluation are fairly simple, if protocols are easily implemented within the typical clinical setting, and if interventions are well standardized. Some protocols are better suited to cooperative groups than are others, and there are advantages and disadvantages to conducting survivorship research within the cooperative group setting. Behavioral researchers currently involved in cooperative groups, as well as program staff within the NCI, can serve as sources of information for those wishing to pursue symptom management and survivorship studies within the clinical trial setting. The structure of the cooperative groups is currently changing, but going forward, survivorship is bound to be a topic of interest and one that perhaps may be more easily addressed using the proposed more centralized structure. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(5); 1050–5. ©2011 AACR.
Issues in Information Systems

This paper examines the factors underlying faculty adoption of student in-class use of mobile-computing technologies. Following up on a survey of student options on in-class use of mobile devices, faculty were surveyed about their attitudes toward having students use their mobile devices in class in support of course learning objectives. The faculty’s decision to allow or not allow mobile devices was framed as an acceptance of technology problem. Consequently, the faculty survey measured Perceived Usefulness, Enjoyment, Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, Tablet Playfulness, and Locus of Control as relevant to mobile devices. Perceived Usefulness and Enjoyment were found to have significant positive impacts on a faculty member’s probability of allowing student in-class use of mobile devices. Faculty who scored higher on Tablet Playfulness and Locus of Control had lower probabilities of allowing student in-class use of mobile devices.
Involvement of α 1‐2‐fucosyltransferase I (FUT1) and surface‐expressed lewisy (CD174) in first endothelial cell–cell contacts during angiogenesis

During the initiation of tumor associated angiogenesis endothelial cells migrate, adhere to extracellular matrix and form cell–cell contacts. Humoral factors of malignant cells conduct this process. We investigated whether cell surface expression of the carbohydrate blood group determinant Lewisy (CD174) and its precursor structure H2 (CD173) on endothelial cells is influenced by soluble factors of tumor cells. Using a bone marrow derived endothelial cell line we observed an enhanced expression of CD173/CD174 and transcription of FUT1, the key enzyme for their synthesis, after treatment with tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) or conditioned supernatants of the leukemia cell line KG1a. CD173/CD174 are concentrated on pseudopodial extensions responsible for initial contacts between endothelial cells. Endothelial migration induced by TNF‐α could be diminished by antibodies to CD174 as well as by siRNA induced downmodulation of FUT1 transcription. Endothelial FUT1‐siRNA‐transfectants displayed impaired in vitro angiogenesis when cultivated on extracellular matrix and in spheroid assays. In vivo upregulation of CD174 expression was observed immunocytologically in capillaries of tumor‐infiltrated tissue. Together, our observations point to a tumor induced transcription of endothelial FUT1 and consequently an enhanced expression of CD174 which is involved in migration and early cell–cell contacts during tumor associated angiogenesis. J. Cell. Physiol. 215: 27–36, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neurocritical care: why does it make a difference?

Purpose of reviewThe care of critically ill brain-injured patients is complex and requires careful balancing of cerebral and systemic treatment priorities. A growing number of studies have reported improved outcomes when patients are admitted to dedicated neurocritical care units (NCCUs). The reasons for this observation have not been definitively clarified. Recent findingsWhen recently published articles are combined with older literature, there have been more than 40 000 patients assessed in observational studies that compare neurological and general ICUs. Although results are heterogeneous, admission to NCCUs is associated with lower mortality and a greater chance of favorable recovery. These findings are remarkable considering that there are few interventions in neurocritical care that have been demonstrated to be efficacious in randomized trials. Whether the relationship is causal is still being elucidated but potential explanations include higher patient volume and, in turn, greater clinician experience; more emphasis on and adherence to protocols to avoid secondary brain injury; practice differences related to prognostication and withdrawal of life-sustaining interventions; and differences in the use and interpretation of neuroimaging and neuromonitoring data. SummaryNeurocritical care is an evolving field that is associated with improvements in outcomes over the past decade. Further research is required to determine how monitoring and treatment protocols can be optimized.
Antidiabetic and antihyperlipidaemic activity of ethanol extract of Melastoma malabathricum Linn. leaf in alloxan induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the antidiabetic and antihyperlipidaemic effect of ethanol extract of Melastoma malabathricum (M. malabathricum) Linn. leaf in alloxan induced diabetic rats. METHODS Diabetes was induced in albino rats by administration of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg i.p). the ethanol extracts of M. malabathricum at a dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg of body weight were administrated at a single dose per day to diabetes induced rats for a period of 14 d. The effect of ethanol extract of M. malabathricum leaf extract on blood glucose, plasma insulin, creatinine, glycosylated haemoglobin, urea serum lipid profile [total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and phospholipid, serum protein, albumin, globulin, serum enzymes (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminases), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases, and alkaline phosphatase] were measured in the diabetic rats. RESULTS In the acute toxicity study, ethanol extract of M. malabathricum leaf was non-toxic at 2 000 mg/kg in rats. The increased body weight, decreased blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin and other biochemical parameters level were observed in diabetic rats treated with both doses of ethanol extract of M. malabathricum leaf compared to diabetic control rats. In diabetic rats, ethanol extract of M. malabathricum leaf administration, altered lipid profiles were reversed to near normal than diabetic control rats. CONCLUSIONS Ethanol extract of M. malabathricum leaf possesses significant antidiabetic and antihyperlipidaemic activity in diabetic rats.
School competence needs of mildly handicapped adolescents.

Mildly handicapped adolescents have been identified by their deficient social skills as well as by their learning difficulties. School failure may be due not only to academic difficulties but to ineffectiveness in meeting the demands of the school environment. Using a naturalistic emergent design, this study identifies specific areas of need in coping with the high school environment. Individual interviews were conducted with "stakeholders" in the education of mildly handicapped high school students: 41 teachers, 12 handicapped students, and 12 parents of handicapped students. An analysis of the qualitative data indicated that study and organizational skills, communication, and social skills are areas of particular concern. Specific skill areas are delineated (i.e., class participation, handling criticism, and test taking), and recommendations for direct instruction that could affect both school and postschool success are made.
Barriers to Accessing Quality Health Care for Cancer Patients: A Survey of Members of the Association of Oncology Social Work

The present article reports data from a cross-sectional survey of members of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) completed in May 2006. The purpose of the survey was to gather information on AOSW members' practice roles, the clients they serve, and their views on barriers cancer patients face in obtaining quality cancer care. The survey instrument was a self-administered 18-page survey disseminated online and by U.S. mail to members who did not provide e-mail addresses. The response rate to the survey was 62.3% (622/999). Reported barriers to quality cancer care are presented here in three categories: health system, social/environmental, and individual-level barriers. The majority of respondents reported health system barriers, specifically inadequate health insurance, as the major barrier to accessing quality health care for cancer patients. Among social/environmental barriers, inability to pay for treatment-related expenses was the major barrier. Among individual-level barriers, patients' fears and distress were the major barriers. The conclusions from this survey point to the critical role of oncology social workers in assisting cancer patients in overcoming the barriers to quality care and achieving optimum quality of life.
A family of Rhomboid intramembrane proteases activates all Drosophila membrane‐tethered EGF ligands

Drosophila has three membrane‐tethered epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐like proteins: Spitz, Gurken and Keren. Spitz and Gurken have been genetically confirmed to activate the EGF receptor, but Keren is uncharacterized. Spitz is activated by regulated intracellular translocation and cleavage by the transmembrane proteins Star and the protease Rhomboid‐1, respectively. Rhomboid‐1 is a member of a family of seven similar proteins in Drosophila. We have analysed four of these: all are proteases that can cleave Spitz, Gurken and Keren, and all activate only EGF receptor signalling in vivo. Star acts as an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export factor for all three. The importance of this translocation is highlighted by the fact that when Spitz is cleaved by Rhomboids in the ER it cannot be secreted. Keren activates the EGF receptor in vivo, providing strong evidence that it is a true ligand. Our data demonstrate that all membrane‐tethered EGF ligands in Drosophila are activated by the same strategy of cleavage by Rhomboids, which are ancient and widespread intramembrane proteases. This is distinct from the metalloprotease‐induced activation of mammalian EGF‐like ligands.
Control of a lower limb exoskeleton using GRF estimation

When the exoskeleton is moving, at least one foot of the exoskeleton is in contact with the ground for locomotion. The foot in contact with the ground exerts the force for supporting and moving its' body on the ground. The Ground Reaction Force (GRF) is reaction of that force. Otherwise, the GRF is a required force of the leg of the exoskeleton for locomotion. Based on this fact, we propose method that estimates desired GRF for locomotion of the exoskeleton and introduce control method of the exoskeleton using it. Then, we describe way and results that have a simulation in order to verify the effectiveness of the control method.