Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proteomic Signatures of Healthy Intervertebral Discs From Organ Donors: A Comparison With Previous Studies on Discs From Scoliosis, Animals, and Trauma

Objective To catalog and characterize the proteome of normal human intervertebral disc (IVD). Methods Nine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) normal IVDs were harvested from 9 different brain dead yet alive voluntary organ donors and were subjected to electrospray ionization-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS/MS) acquisition. Results A total of 1,116 proteins were identified. Functional enrichment analysis tool DAVID ver. 6.8 categorized: extracellular proteins (38%), intracellular (31%), protein-containing complex (13%), organelle (9%), membrane proteins (6%), supramolecular complex (2%), and 1% in the cell junction. Molecular function revealed: binding activity (42%), catalytic activity (31%), regulatory activity (14%), and structural activity (7%). Molecular transducer, transporter, and transcription regulator activity together contributed to 6%. A comparison of the proteins obtained from this study to others in the literature showed a wide variation in content with only 3% of bovine, 5% of murine, 54% of human scoliotic discs, and 10.2% of discs adjacent to lumbar burst fractures common to our study of organ donors. Between proteins reported in scoliosis and lumbar fracture patients, only 13.51% were common, further signifying the contrast amongst the various MRI normal IVD samples. Conclusion The proteome of “healthy” human IVDs has been defined, and our results show that proteomic data on IVDs obtained from scoliosis, fracture patients, and cadavers lack normal physiological conditions and should not be used as biological controls despite normal MRI findings. This questions the validity of previous studies that have used such discs as controls for analyzing the pathomechanisms of disc degeneration.
Some Chemical Characteristics of Fresh and Salt-Dried

Some chemical characteristics of fresh and saltdried product of Tilapia mussainbica Peters were studled. Tilapia was found to have a much hgher car+ l~ydrata content than other fishes htheito analysed, and tb 1s correlated to 1ts f&ng habits. It appears that there IS a loss of protein and carbohydrate in the preparation of its salt-dried product. It is suggested that ,&s loss may be due to the leaching out of soluble proteins and carbohydrates into the brine solution in which the fish are soaked overnight in the process of preparation. The amounts of protein, carbohydrate and ash in the saltdried product was found to be significantly different from that of the fresh muscle. The calorific value of the salt-dried product, gram for gram, was found to be about 1.8 times that of the fresh fish.
From baby to adult: ontogenetic series of nine species of Ophiuroidea from Atlantic Southwestern

The post-metamorphic stage is essential in the life history of marine invertebrates. During this period, animals are more vulnerable and suffer high mortality, which influences the distribution and abundance of adult populations. It is also during this period that major morphological changes happen in the individuals, complicating their taxonomic identification. The juvenile ophiuroids dominate the meiofauna in certain times of the year and at some places. However, they are ignored by most ecological studies due to identification difficulties. Here we describe the ontogeny of nine deep-sea species from the Southeast and South regions of Brazil, with the first record of morphological modifications for eight of them. Most organisms were collected 60 to 800 m deep, between December 1997, January, 1998 and March, 1998, during the REVIZEE-Score South / Benthos program. We also included additional material from the Zoology Museum of Unicamp (ZUEC). For descriptions and identifications of the different stages, the specimens were dried and photographed. The juveniles were identified by “backwards” process through the growth series of adults to smaller individuals, a backwards method that was successful in previous studies. Some individuals were mounted on aluminum stubs for scanning electron microscopy. The species were: Ophiacantha pentacrinus (Ophiacanthidae), Ophiomastus satelitae , Ophiomusium acuferum , Ophiomusium eburneum, Ophiomisidium tommasii , Ophiura ljungmani , Ophiura clemens (Ophiuridae), Amphiura complanata (Amphiuridae) and Ophiothrix rathbuni (Ophiotrichidae). Many species could be identified since their most juvenile stage. Some structures remain almost unaltered during the whole life.
Novel Interface Designs for Patient Monitoring Applications in Critical Care Medicine: Human Factors Review

Background The patient monitor (PM) is one of the most commonly used medical devices in hospitals worldwide. PMs are used to monitor patients’ vital signs in a wide variety of patient care settings, especially in critical care settings, such as intensive care units. An interesting observation is that the design of PMs has not significantly changed over the past 2 decades, with the layout and structure of PMs more or less unchanged, with incremental changes in design being made rather than transformational changes. Thus, we believe it well-timed to review the design of novel PM interfaces, with particular reference to usability and human factors. Objective This paper aims to review innovations in PM design proposed by researchers and explore how clinicians responded to these design changes. Methods A literature search of relevant databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, identified 16 related studies. A detailed description of the interface design and an analysis of each novel PM were carried out, including a detailed analysis of the structure of the different user interfaces, to inform future PM design. The test methodologies used to evaluate the different designs are also presented. Results Most of the studies included in this review identified some level of improvement in the clinician’s performance when using a novel display in comparison with the traditional PM. For instance, from the 16 reviewed studies, 12 studies identified an improvement in the detection and response times, and 10 studies identified an improvement in the accuracy or treatment efficiency. This indicates that novel displays have the potential to improve the clinical performance of nurses and doctors. However, the outcomes of some of these studies are weakened because of methodological deficiencies. These deficiencies are discussed in detail in this study. Conclusions More careful study design is warranted to investigate the user experience and usability of future novel PMs for real time vital sign monitoring, to establish whether or not they could be used successfully in critical care. A series of recommendations on how future novel PM designs and evaluations can be enhanced are provided.
Predicting effects of climate change on Swiss needle cast disease severity in Pacific Northwest forests

Abstract Swiss needle cast of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is caused by the ascomycete Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii. Symptoms are foliage chlorosis and premature needle abscission due to occlusion of stomata by the ascocarps of the pathogen, resulting in impaired needle gas exchange. Growth losses of 20%-50% due to Swiss needle cast have been reported for approximately 150 000 ha of Douglas-fir plantations in western Oregon since 1996. In the western Coast Range of Oregon and in New Zealand, winter temperature is strongly correlated with pathogen abundance. Models for predicting disease severity based on winter temperature account for 77% and 78% of the variation in 1- and 2-year-old needles, respectively, for western Oregon sites and approximately 80% for New Zealand. A trend of temperatures increasing by 0.2–0.4 °C during the winter months and spring precipitation increasing by 0.7–1.5 cm/decade since 1970 suggests that regional climate trends are influencing the current distribution and severity of Swiss needle cast disease. Continuing winter temperature increases predicted for the Pacific Northwest of approximately 0.4 °C/decade through 2050 suggest that the severity and distribution of Swiss needle cast is likely to increase in the coming decades as a result of climate change, with significant consequences for Pacific Northwest forests.
PREVALENCE OF MANDIBULAR OLIGODONTY IN WILD SHEEP: POSSIBLE EVOLUTIONARY RELEVANCE

Abstract I examined prevalence of mandibular oligodonty in wild sheep (Ovis) and related it to evolutionary theory and classification. Inspection of 5,300 mandibles that included most subspecies of sheep revealed that this anomaly was widespread in New World sheep (subgenus Pachyceros) but was rare in Old World sheep (subgenus Ovis). Among the pachyceriform sheep, Siberian snow sheep (O. nivicola) had the highest prevalence of mandibular oligodonty (60.3%), followed by Dall's sheep (O. dalli, 23.0%), and bighorn sheep (O. canadensis, 10.1%). In Old World sheep, occurrence averaged 1.7% for argalis (O. ammon), 1.0% for urials (O. vignei), and 1.7% for mouflons (O. gmelini). Prevalence in domestic sheep was 4.3%. Overall, more recently evolved types exhibited the anomaly to a greater degree than did more primitive ones.
Reaching out for the object in the process of meeting

ABSTRACT Reaching out for an object has been broadly discussed within psychoanalysis using the term 'object-seeking'. This article develops the idea that it is a fundamental feature of human beings to reach out for objects in order to survive and/or to gain vitality. Self-love, which is a derivative of object love, is not possible to achieve in a developmental manner without a sufficient phase-specific emotional response to the subject’s object seeking. In terms of psychoanalytic methodology, the present article represents a tradition (e.g. Tähkä) of renewal related to the classique approach, which is a more passive psychoanalytic technique (e.g. Freud and Winnicott). This traditional psychoanalytic methodology is complemented with a more active technique in order to be therapeutically efficient – especially in the treatment of individuals who are not primary neurotic. The four psychoanalytic schools (drive, object relations, ego and self-psychology) are integrated in a patient’s authentic attempt to reach out for the developmental object in the process of meeting.
Adaptive Radiation in Sticklebacks: Size, Shape, and Habitat Use Efficiency

I examined habitat use efficiencies of two morphologically distinct threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus spp.). The species make up one of several coexisting pairs that apparently formed in the past 13 000 yr in coastal British Columbia lakes. Previous com- parative work has shown that morphology and habitat use are correlated within and among populations. Sticklebacks occurring alone in lakes are intermediate in morphology and habitat use, suggesting that differences between the sympatric species result from ecological character displacement. I tested two hypotheses to explain these patterns, and which are implicit in general views of the causes of adaptive radiation: (1) Each resource (habitat) subjects its species to unique selection pressures, owing to the advantages of certain combinations of traits for foraging; (2) Phenotypes intermediate between habitat specialists suffer a competitive dis- advantage. These hypotheses were evaluated by measuring the foraging rates of the two species and their interspecific hybrids in the two main habitats (benthos and open water) provided in the laboratory. Efficiencies of habitat exploitation matched observed morphological differences. In the benthic habitat the larger, deeper bodies species (having also a wide mouth and few short gill rakers) was superior to the smaller, more slender species (having a narrow mouth and many long gill rakers). Success of hybrids was intermediate. This rank order of species efficiencies was reversed in the open water habitat. These results support the hypothesis that different traits are favored in different habitats, and that adaptation to one habitat has occurred at the expense of feeding rate in the other. Average foraging success of hybrids in the two habitats fell near or below the average of the two parental species, suggesting natural selection against intermediate phenotypes. Foraging efficiency in open water was greatest in the smaller size classes of fish, hinting that small size of the open water species is the result of selection for high foraging efficiency. However, size could not explain most differences in feeding efficiency between species, and it is likely that many traits contribute.
Carbohydrate‐induced weight gain models for diabetes research: Contribution of incretins and parasympathetic signal

Carbohydrate includes both fibers and sugars. There are many types of sugars: monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose, disaccharides such as sucrose, and polysaccharides such as starch and dextrin. Excess intake of sugar cause obesity; World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing daily intake of free sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and table sugar to less than 10% of total energy since 2015.
Scaling human sociopolitical complexity

Human societies exhibit a diversity of social organizations that vary widely in size, structure, and complexity. Today, human sociopolitical complexity ranges from stateless small-scale societies of a few hundred individuals to complex states of millions, most of this diversity evolving only over the last few hundred years. Understanding how sociopolitical complexity evolved over time and space has always been a central focus of the social sciences. Yet despite this long-term interest, a quantitative understanding of how sociopolitical complexity varies across cultures is not well developed. Here we use scaling analysis to examine the statistical structure of a global sample of over a thousand human societies across multiple levels of sociopolitical complexity. First, we show that levels of sociopolitical complexity are self-similar as adjacent levels of jurisdictional hierarchy see a four-fold increase in population size, a two-fold increase in geographic range, and therefore a doubling of population density. Second, we show how this self-similarity leads to the scaling of population size and geographic range. As societies increase in complexity population density is reconfigured in space and quantified by scaling parameters. However, there is considerable overlap in population metrics across all scales suggesting that while more complex societies tend to have larger and denser populations, larger and denser populations are not necessarily more complex.
Aging, Vestibular Function, and Balance: Proceedings of a National Institute on Aging/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Workshop.

Balance impairment and falls are among the most prevalent and morbid conditions affecting older adults. A critical contributor to balance and gait function is the vestibular system; however, there remain substantial knowledge gaps regarding age-related vestibular loss and its contribution to balance impairment and falls in older adults. Given these knowledge gaps, the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders convened a multidisciplinary workshop in April 2019 that brought together experts from a wide array of disciplines, such as vestibular physiology, neuroscience, movement science, rehabilitation, and geriatrics. The goal of the workshop was to identify key knowledge gaps on vestibular function and balance control in older adults and develop a research agenda to make substantial advancements in the field. This article provides a report of the proceedings of this workshop. Three key questions emerged from the workshop, specifically: (i) How does aging impact vestibular function? ; (ii) How do we know what is the contribution of age-related vestibular impairment to an older adult's balance problem? ; and more broadly, (iii) Can we develop a nosology of balance impairments in older adults that can guide clinical practice? For each of these key questions, the current knowledge is reviewed, and the critical knowledge gaps and research strategies to address them are discussed. This document outlines an ambitious 5- to 10-year research agenda for increasing knowledge related to vestibular impairment and balance control in older adults, with the ultimate goal of linking this knowledge to more effective treatment.
Soaking curve and effect of temperature on the germination of daisy seeds.

A curva de embebicao e o efeito da temperatura sobre a germinacao de sementes de margarida (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) foram caracterizados. Para determinar a curva de embebicao, quatro amostras de 0,5 g de sementes foram embebidas em papel germitest umedecido com agua destilada e mantidas em germinador a 25oC. As sementes foram pesadas em periodos de 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 e 96 horas, com auxilio de balanca de precisao digital de 0,0001 g. Foi ajustada uma curva trifasica padrao de germinacao, permitindo a determinacao do inicio e a duracao da fase II do processo de germinacao. O teste de germinacao foi realizado com quatro repeticoes de 50 sementes dispostas em caixas "gerbox" mantidas em germinadores nas temperaturas de 20, 25, 30 ou 20-30oC. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado. Os dados foram submetidos a analise de variância e as medias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. Para analise da germinacao acumulada das sementes foi feita regressao em funcao dos dias de avaliacao. A embebicao de sementes de margarida apresentou padrao trifasico de germinacao e as fases I e II duraram 12 e 48 horas, respectivamente. A melhor temperatura para a germinacao das sementes de margarida foi 25oC. A temperatura de 30oC promoveu termoinibicao de germinacao e aumentou a porcentagem de sementes mortas e dormentes e plântulas anormais.
Smoke-water-induced changes of expression pattern in Grand Rapids lettuce achenes

Abstract Aerosol smoke and smoke-water can break dormancy and promote seed germination of many plant species. In this study we investigated changes in gene expression after imbibition of light-sensitive Lactuca sativa L. cv. ‘Grand Rapids’ achenes with dilute smoke-water compared to water control samples kept in the dark or continuous light, using the fluorescent differential display technique. Although no difference was detected in the smoke-water versus water control samples germinated in light, smoke-water treatment resulted in the differential display of several expressed sequence tags (ESTs) when compared to water control samples kept in the dark. The most pronounced fragments isolated correspond to known genes related to germination, with functions in cell wall expansion, regulation of translation, the cell division cycle, carbohydrate metabolism and abscisic acid (ABA) regulation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) validation revealed that the transcript abundance of the genes, HVA22, short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase and late embryogenesis abundant protein, are upregulated after smoke treatment when compared to control achenes kept in the light. The results indicate that smoke has a dual effect. On the one hand, the smoke can induce genes that may be linked to ABA action, whereas, on the other hand, it elicits a faster germination rate by inducing a similar pattern in gene expression as light treatment. Smoke effects could be manifested mainly through the induction of the cell division cycle, cell wall extension and storage mobilization.
Female White-tailed Deer Survival Across Ecoregions in Minnesota and South Dakota

Abstract Survival and cause-specific mortality of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been well documented in forested and agricultural landscapes, but limited information has been collected in grassland habitats typical of the Northern Great Plains. Our objectives were to document and compare survival and cause-specific mortality of adult female white-tailed deer in four distinct ecoregions. We captured and radiocollared 190 (159 adult, 31 yearling) female white-tailed deer and monitored (including deer from a previous study) a total of 246 (215 adult, 31 yearling) deer from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2007. We documented 113 mortalities; hunting (including wounding loss) accounted for 69.9% of all mortalities and vehicle collisions accounted for an additional 15.0%. Natural causes (e.g., disease, predation) of mortality were minor compared to human-related causes (e.g., hunting, vehicle collisions). We used known fate modeling in program MARK to estimate survival rates and compare ecoregions and seasons. Model {Sseason (winter = summer)} had the lowest AICc value suggesting that survival differed only between seasons where winter and summer survival was equal and differed with fall season. Annual and seasonal (summer, fall, winter) survival rates using the top model {Sseason (summer = winter)} were 0.76 (95% ci = 0.70–0.80), 0.97 (95% ci = 0.96–0.98), 0.80 (95% ci = 0.76–0.83) and 0.97 (95% ci = 0.96–0.98), respectively. High human-related mortality was likely associated with limited permanent cover, extensive road networks and high hunter density. Deer management in four distinct ecoregions relies on hunter harvest to maintain deer populations within state management goals.
The effect of Cu on precipitation in Al–Mg–Si alloys

TEM investigations of two alloys isothermally heat treated at 175°C and 260°C show how Cu additions to the Al–Mg–Si system affect precipitation. Both alloys had a solute content Mg + Si = 1.3 at. %, 0.127 at. % Cu, but with Mg/Si 0.8 and 1.25. Cu-containing Guinier-Preston (GP) zones and three types of Q′ precursors are identified as most common phases at peak-hardness conditions, whereas β″ accounts for maximum 30% of the total number of precipitates. The precursors have needle (L and S precipitates) or plate (C precipitate) morphologies. They consist of different arrangements of Al, Mg and Cu atoms on a grid defined by triangularly arranged Si planes parallel with and having the same period as {100} Al planes. The Si grid is composed of nearly hexagonal sub-cells of a = b = 4.05 Å, c = 4.05 Å. The Cu arrangement on the grid is often disordered in the needle precursors. The plate precursor is ordered, with a monoclinic unit cell of a = 10.32 Å, b = 8.1 Å, c = 4.05 Å, γ = 101°.