Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SYSTEMATICS OF I POMOEA SUBGENUS Q UAMOCLIT ( CONVOLVULACEAE ) BASED ON ITS SEQUENCE DATA AND A BAYESIAN PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS 1

A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 36 Ipomoea species using sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer region was compared with classification schemes based on traditional methods and a previously published cpDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) study. These molecular studies support a diversity of groups that were circumscribed on the basis of phenetic principles and agree generally with the results from cpDNA RFLP analyses. The congruence between the phylogenetic hypotheses based on new molecular data and the understanding of relationships developed in earlier studies indicate that these classifications may reflect evolutionary history. Two large clades of species, with one including sections Tricolores, Calonyction, and Pharbitis and the other including sections Mina and Leptocallis, were identified. Furthermore, morphologically distinct groups of Ipomoea species received support from the DNA sequence data. Indices of convergence for the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) in the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis were evaluated. A limited range of posterior probabilities for each node in the trees from a set of five MCMC samples provides a useful index of convergence. Bayesian node support values were generally higher than bootstrap values from a maximum parsimony analysis. This is consistent with the notion that these measures of support estimate different qualities of the data.
Anti-inflammatory effects of Citrus sinensis L., Citrus paradisi L. and their combinations.

Citrus bioflavonoids embrace a wide group of phenolic compounds effecting the production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species and the processes relating free radical-mediated injury. Keeping in view of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Citrus sinensis and Citrus paradisi, present study was undertaken to explore the effects of C. sinensis (orange juice) and C. paradisi (grapefruit juice) at three different doses alone and their two combinations with the objective to examine the effects of these compounds in an experimental model of rat colitis induced by trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS). Hence biochemical parameters e.g. myeloperoxidase, alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein (CRP) and glutathione were assessed. Data entry and analysis was accomplished by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 17 and was presented as mean ± S.E. M with 95% confidence interval. Present result shows that these juices, mainly C. paradisi, may be efficacious for the management of inflammatory bowel disease. In acute colitis model, C. paradise encouraged a decrease in the extension of the lesion escorted by a decrease in the occurrence of diarrhea and reinstatement of the glutathione content. Related effects were produced by the administration of C. sinensis, which also prevented the myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase actions in acute intestinal inflammatory process. The effect of the citrus juices on the inflammatory process may be associated to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as revealed in present investigation. The favorable effects exerted were demonstrated both by histological and biochemical changes and were related with a progress in the colonic oxidative status.
A Survey of Facial Paralysis: Etiology and Incidence

Facial paralysis has numerous etiologies ranging from the most common, Bell's palsy and trauma, to rare tumors and congenital anomalies. This paper divides the etiologies of facial paralysis into five major classifications: idiopathic, traumatic, infectious, neoplastic and neurologic. The incidence of each of these classifications has been estimated from incidence rate information published in the United States and abroad. Using this information, an estimate of the incidence rate has been determined. This information was previously untabulated, thus making statistical analysis nearly impossible regarding this disorder.
Presence in Text-Based Networked Virtual Environments or MUDS

A text-based networked virtual environment represents to a user a system of rooms joined by exits and entrances. When navigating this system of rooms, a user can communicate in real time with other connected users occupying the same room. Hence, these virtual environments are aptly suited for networked conferencing and teaching. Anecdotal information suggested that some people feel a sense of being there or presence when connected to one of these environments. To determine how many people feel this sense of presence, we surveyed 207 people from 6 different groups of users of text-based networked virtual environments. The results indicated that 69% of these subjects felt a sense of presence. Experiments with people in text-based networked virtual environments may be helpful in understanding the contribution to presence by social interaction in other virtual environments.
Assessing the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health Program

The late-life developmental process of self-transcendence shapes elders’ perspectives on self, others, the nature of this world, and of a dimension beyond the here and now. This qualitative pilot study evaluated the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health (PATH) Program, a psychoeducational intervention to promote self-transcendence and well-being in community-dwelling women at a senior center. The intervention involved eight weekly group sessions using group processes, mindfulness practices, creative experiences, and independent at-home practice. The findings supported the underlying theory-based structure and content of the intervention and indicated the intervention may empower elders to attend to self-care, develop acceptance, and learn new skills associated with health and well-being, thus merits further study. Based on insights gained from facilitators’ and participants’ experiences and perceptions, the intervention will be revised and strengthened.
Short and stereoselective total synthesis of furano lignans (+/-)-dihydrosesamin, (+/-)-lariciresinol dimethyl ether, (+/-)-acuminatin methyl ether, (+/-)-sanshodiol methyl ether, (+/-)-lariciresinol, (+/-)-acuminatin, and (+/-)-lariciresinol monomethyl ether and furofuran lignans (+/-)-sesamin, (+/

Intramolecular radical cyclization of suitably substituted epoxy ethers 4a-g using bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(III) chloride as the radical source resulted in trisubstituted tetrahydrofurano lignans and 2,6-diaryl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3. 0]octane lignans depending on the reaction conditions. The titanium(III) species was prepared in situ from commercially available titanocene dichloride and activated zinc dust in THF. Upon radical cyclization followed by acidic workup, epoxy olefinic ethers 4a-g afforded furano lignans dihydrosesamin 1a, lariciresinol dimethyl ether 1b, acuminatin methyl ether 1e, and sanshodiol methyl ether 1g directly and lariciresinol 1h, acuminatin 1i, and lariciresinol monomethyl ether 1j after removal of the benzyl protecting group by controlled hydrogenolysis of the corresponding cyclized products. The furofuran lignans sesamin 2a, eudesmin 2b, and piperitol methyl ether 2e were also prepared directly by using the same precursors 4a-f on radical cyclization followed by treatment with iodine and pinoresinol 2h, piperitol 2i, and pinoresinol monomethyl ether 2j after controlled hydrogenolysis of the benzyl protecting group of the corresponding cyclized products. Two naturally occurring acyclic lignans, secoisolariciresinol 5h and secoisolariciresinol dimethyl ether 5b, have also been prepared by exhaustive hydrogenolysis of 2h and 2b, respectively.
Enhanced chondrocyte proliferation and mesenchymal stromal cells chondrogenesis in coculture pellets mediate improved cartilage formation

In this study, we aimed at investigating the interactions between primary chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) accounting for improved chondrogenesis in coculture systems. Expanded MSC from human bone marrow (BM‐MSC) or adipose tissue (AT‐MSC) were cultured in pellets alone (monoculture) or with primary human chondrocytes from articular (AC) or nasal (NC) cartilage (coculture). In order to determine the reached cell number and phenotype, selected pellets were generated by combining: (i) human BM‐MSC with bovine AC, (ii) BM‐MSC from HLA‐A2+ with AC from HLA‐A2− donors, or (iii) human green fluorescent protein transduced BM‐MSC with AC. Human BM‐MSC and AC were also cultured separately in transwells. Resulting tissues and/or isolated cells were assessed immunohistologically, biochemically, cytofluorimetrically, and by RT‐PCR. Coculture of NC or AC (25%) with BM‐MSC or AT‐MSC (75%) in pellets resulted in up to 1.6‐fold higher glycosaminoglycan content than what would be expected based on the relative percentages of the different cell types. This effect was not observed in the transwell model. BM‐MSC decreased in number (about fivefold) over time and, if cocultured with chondrocytes, increased type II collagen and decreased type X collagen expression. Instead, AC increased in number (4.2‐fold) if cocultured with BM‐MSC and maintained a differentiated phenotype. Chondro‐induction in MSC–chondrocyte coculture is a robust process mediated by two concomitant effects: MSC‐induced chondrocyte proliferation and chondrocyte‐enhanced MSC chondrogenesis. The identified interactions between progenitor and mature cell populations may lead to the efficient use of freshly harvested chondrocytes for ex vivo cartilage engineering or in situ cartilage repair. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 88–97, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the Impact of Social Cost in Opinion Dynamics

We study the formation of opinions in a social context. It has been observed that when in a social environment people often average their opinion with their friends' opinions, so as to highlight their common beliefs. We analyze a popular social network and verify that social interaction indeed results in influence on opinions among the participants. Moreover we create instances of the network using real data and, based on the game theory framework, we experimentally show that the repeated averaging process results to Nash equilibria which are illustrative of how users really behave.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Enterovirus 71 Strains Isolated during Linked Epidemics in Malaysia, Singapore, and Western Australia

ABSTRACT Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a frequent cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemics associated with severe neurological sequelae in a small proportion of cases. There has been a significant increase in EV71 epidemic activity throughout the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Recent HFMD epidemics in this region have been associated with a severe form of brainstem encephalitis associated with pulmonary edema and high case fatality rates. In this study, we show that four genetic lineages of EV71 have been prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997, including two previously undescribed genogroups (B3 and B4). Furthermore, we show that viruses belonging to genogroups B3 and B4 have circulated endemically in Southeast Asia during this period and have been the primary cause of several large HFMD or encephalitis epidemics in Malaysia, Singapore, and Western Australia.
Isoform Cloning, Actin Binding, and Chromosomal Localization of Human Erythroid Dematin, a Member of the Villin Superfamily (*)

Dematin is an actin-bundling protein of the erythroid membrane skeleton and is abundantly expressed in human brain, heart, skeletal muscle, kidney, and lung. The 48-kDa subunit of dematin contains a headpiece domain which was originally identified in villin, an actin-binding protein of the brush-border cytoskeleton. The headpiece domain of villin is essential for its morphogenic function in vivo. Here we report the primary structure of 52-kDa subunit of dematin which differs from the 48-kDa subunit by a 22-amino-acid insertion within its headpiece domain. A unique feature of the insertion sequence of the 52-kDa subunit is its homology to erythrocyte protein 4.2. The insertion sequence also includes a cysteine residue which may explain the formation of sulfhydryl-linked trimers of dematin. Actin binding measurements using recombinant fusion proteins revealed that each monomer of dematin contains two F-actin binding sites: one in the headpiece domain and the other in the undefined N-terminal domain. Although the actin bundling activity of intact dematin was abolished by phosphorylation, no effect of phosphorylation was observed on the actin binding activity of fusion proteins. Using somatic cell hybrid panels and fluorescence in situ hybridization, the dematin gene was localized on the short arm of chromosome 8. The dematin locus, 8p21.1, is distal to the known locus of human erythroid ankyrin (8p11.2) and may contribute to the etiology of hemolytic anemia in a subset of patients with severe hereditary spherocytosis.
Impaired islet turnover in human donor pancreata with aging.

OBJECTIVE The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus escalates with aging although beta-cell mass, a primary parameter of beta-cell function, is subject to compensatory regulation. So far it is unclear whether the proliferative capacity of pancreatic islets is restricted by senescence. MATERIALS AND METHODS Human pancreatic tissue from n=20 non-diabetic organ donors with a mean age of 50.2+/-3.5 years (range 7-66 years) and mean body mass index of 25.7+/-0.9 kg/m(2) (17.2-33.1 kg/m(2)) was morphometrically analyzed to determine beta-cell volume, beta-cell replication, beta-cell apoptosis, islet neogenesis, and pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) expression. RESULTS Relative beta-cell volume in human pancreata (mean 2.3+/-0.2%) remains constant with aging (r=0.26, P=ns). Beta-cell replication (r=0.71, P=0.0004) decreases age-dependently, while beta-cell apoptosis does not change significantly (r=0.42, P=0.08). Concomitantly, PDX-1 expression is downregulated with age in human pancreatic tissue (r=0.65, P=0.002). The rate of islet neogenesis is not affected by aging (r=0.13, P=ns). CONCLUSIONS In non-diabetic humans, aging is linked with impaired islet turnover possibly due to reduced PDX-1 expression. As beta-cell replication is considered to be the main mechanism responsible for beta-cell regeneration, these changes restrict the flexibility of the aging human pancreas to adapt to changing demands for insulin secretion and increase the risk for the development of diabetes mellitus in older subjects.
Penalty: calcio di punizione calcio d'angolo rimessa laterale

Gol momento magico del calcio. Penalty, calcio di punizione, calcio d'angolo: gli specialisti. Manovre d'attacco in situazioni a palla ferma. Manovre di difesa in situazioni a palla ferma. Il calcio di rigore. Il calcio di rigore ed il portiere.
Colorectal polyps on portal phase contrast-enhanced CT colonography: lesion attenuation and distinction from tagged feces.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to determine the attenuation of colorectal polyps on portal phase contrast-enhanced CT colonography (CTC) and evaluate whether enhanced polyps can be clearly distinguished from tagged feces during CTC review. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our institutional review board approved this study and waived patient informed consent. Forty-eight colonoscopy-proven polyps (6-20 mm) and 41 polypoid tagged feces (6-19 mm) were selected from contrast-enhanced CTC performed without (n = 37 examinations) and with (n = 10 examinations) fecal tagging, respectively. Scanning was performed 72 seconds after i.v. injection of 150 mL of contrast material at a rate of 2.5 mL/s. Fecal tagging consisted of three doses of 200 mL of 5% weight/volume (w/v) barium sulfate suspension taken at each meal the day before CTC. Attenuation of the polyps and tagged feces was measured. Four independent blinded radiologists reviewed the polyps and tagged feces at both wide (width, 1,500 H; level -400 H) and soft-tissue (width, 400 H; level, 20 H) window settings to distinguish them by using subjective visual assessment. RESULTS Polyp attenuation on the portal phase was not correlated with size (R = -0.003; p = 0.99) and was not different between histologic types (p = 0.884). Enhanced polyps (mean +/- SD, 119.9 +/- 25.3 H; range, 50-173 H) showed significantly lower attenuation than did tagged feces (1,521.4 +/- 683.6 H; range, 495-2,683 H) without any overlap (p < 0.0005). An 8-mm sessile adenomatous polyp was misinterpreted as tagged feces by one reviewer. The rest of the lesions were correctly interpreted by all reviewers, resulting in high interobserver agreement (kappa value, 0.988). CONCLUSION Polyp attenuation on portal phase contrast-enhanced CTC ranges from 50 to 173 H. Contrast-enhanced polyps are clearly and consistently distinguished from barium-tagged polypoid feces.
Ontogeny of gene expression of adenosine A2 receptor in the striatum: Early localization in the patch compartment

The ontogeny of adenosine A2 receptor mRNA and adenosine A2, binding sites distributions was studied by in situ hybridization histochemistry and receptor autoradiography in pre‐ and post‐natal rat striatum, postnatal dog striatum, and a human fetus striatum and compared to that of dopamine D1 and μ opiate receptors. The early postnatal striatum demonstrated heterogeneous distributions of adenosine A2 receptor mRNA and adenosine A2 binding sites with patches of dense labeling corresponding to dopamine D1 and μ opiate receptors enriched zones. This patchy pattern evolved to the homogeneous distribution observed in the adult. The higher intensity of adenosine A2 receptor mRNA enriched patches correspond at the microscopical level to a higher density of labeled neurons in the patches areas and also to a higher level expression per labeled patches neuron than in the matrix ones. This demonstrates for the first time that differences in patch/matrix receptor density is at least partly linked to different levels of receptor gene expression.
A comprehensive treatment approach for patellofemoral pain syndrome in young women.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate a comprehensive treatment approach for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and (2) to compare a training program using isometric muscle contractions with a training program using eccentric muscle contractions. SUBJECTS Forty female patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, aged 15 to 28 years (mean = 20.2, SD = 3.2), were randomly assigned to either a group using isometric muscle contractions or a group using eccentric muscle contractions. METHODS The effects of 12 weeks of treatment, consisting of an educational component and a training program, on physical activity, pain, and muscle function were evaluated after 3 and 12 months. RESULTS No differences were found between the two groups, except in one of the torque measurements. A reduction in pain and improvements in torque, vertical jumping ability, and physical activity level were seen in both groups after treatment. At the 12-month follow-up, 85% of the subjects were participating in sports without pain and 37 subjects rated their overall knee function as excellent or good. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The results indicate that the improvements shown in this study may be due to spontaneous recovery over time, the education given to the subjects, the pain monitoring system, the gradually progressing training program, and the adjusted physical activity. [Thomeé R. A. Comprehensive treatment approach for patellofemoral pain syndrome in young women.
Serial non-randomness in auditory differential-thresholds as a function of interstimulus interval.

Much interest has been shown recently in the apparent lack of independence of successive psychophysical judgments. When the serial order of the responses is analyzed, runs of similar responses are found which occur more frequently than would be expected in a random series. ' This so-called serial effect has usually been studied under conditions which involve the repeated presentation of the same threshold-stimulus. An estimate is first made of the point at which 50% of the responses are correct, for the most part by a conventional method of constants or limits. Then a series of several hundred stimuli having this threshold-value is presented at a fixed rate, with an interstimulus interval typically on the order of several seconds. O is instructed to respond in some way whenever the stimulus is perceived, and the resulting response-series is analyzed for serial non-randomness in terms of the distribution of runs, dependent probabilities, serial correlation, or some other measure of sequential statistical organization. At present the psychological basis of the effect is not precisely known. Under the usual experimental conditions, a number of factors probably contribute to the non-randomness of the response. Fatigue, boredom, wandering attention, physical discomfort, attitudes towards the experiment, and the like undoubtedly introduce a certain amount of organization into the series, but interest in the serial effect is chiefly centered about the possibility that it is caused by predictable changes in perceptual functioning. These changes may reflect orderly fluctuations in sensitivity characteristic of human performance at threshold, or they may reveal the presence of
Sympathetic activation in obese normotensive subjects.

Human obesity is characterized by profound alterations in the hemodynamic and metabolic states. Whether these alterations involve sympathetic drive is controversial. In 10 young obese subjects (body mass index, 40.5 +/- 1.2 kg/m2, mean +/- SEM) with normal blood pressure and 8 age-matched lean normotensive control subjects, we measured beat-to-beat arterial blood pressure (Finapres technique), heart rate (electrocardiogram), postganglionic muscle sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography at the peroneal nerve), and venous plasma norepinephrine (high-performance liquid chromatography). The measurements were performed in baseline conditions and, with the exception of plasma norepinephrine, during baroreceptor stimulation and deactivation caused by increases and reductions of blood pressure via intravenous infusions of phenylephrine and nitroprusside. Baseline blood pressure and heart rate were similar in obese and control subjects. Plasma norepinephrine was also similar in the two groups. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity, however, was 38.6 +/- 5.1 bursts per minute in obese subjects and less than half that level in control subjects (18.7 +/- 1.3 bursts per minute), the difference being highly statistically significant (P < .02). Muscle sympathetic nerve activity and heart rate were reduced during phenylephrine infusion and increased during nitroprusside infusion, but the changes were about half as great in obese subjects as in control subjects. Thus, even in the absence of any blood pressure alteration, human obesity is characterized by a marked sympathetic activation, possibly because of an impairment of reflex sympathetic restraint. This may be involved in the high rate of hypertension and cardiovascular complications seen in obesity.