Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The thick aleurone 1 Mutant Defines a Negative Regulation of Maize Aleurone Cell Fate That Functions Downstream of defective kernel 1 1 [ C ] [ W ] [ OA ]

The maize (Zea mays) aleurone layer occupies the single outermost layer of the endosperm. The defective kernel1 (dek1) gene is a central regulator required for aleurone cell fate specification. dek1 mutants have pleiotropic phenotypes including lack of aleurone cells, aborted embryos, carotenoid deficiency, and a soft, floury endosperm deficient in zeins. Here we describe the thick aleurone1 (thk1) mutant that defines a novel negative function in the regulation of aleurone differentiation. Mutants possess multiple layers of aleurone cells as well as aborted embryos. Clonal sectors of thk1 mutant tissue in otherwise normal endosperm showed localized expression of the phenotype with sharp boundaries, indicating a localized cellular function for the gene. Sectors in leaves showed expanded epidermal cell morphology but the mutant epidermis generally remained in a single cell layer. Double mutant analysis indicated that the thk1 mutant is epistatic to dek1 for several aspects of the pleiotropic dek1 phenotype. dek1 mutant endosperm that was mosaic for thk1 mutant sectors showed localized patches of multilayered aleurone. Localized sectors were surrounded by halos of carotenoid pigments and double mutant kernels had restored zein profiles. In sum, loss of thk1 function restored the ability of dek1mutant endosperm to accumulate carotenoids and zeins and to differentiate aleurone. Therefore the thk1 mutation defines a negative regulator that functions downstream of dek1 in the signaling system that controls aleurone specification and other aspects of endosperm development. The thk1 mutation was found to be caused by a deletion of approximately 2 megabases.
SNR Estimation in OFDMA/TDD Based WiBro System

This paper presents the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimations for OFDM based system. In this paper, we examine simple SNR estimators, DASS (difference of adjacent subcarrier signal) estimator and EVM (error vector magnitude) estimator, which can be easily implemented into hardware. Moreover, we examine the effect factors which degrade the performance of SNR estimation in practical environment. The effect factors might be timing offset and frequency offset of received signal, and overlapping window length of transmitter. These factors have an impact upon SNR estimation at high SNR region. Thus, we propose the differential-DASS to improve the estimation performance according to the change of time and frequency offset at high SNR region.
Bovine Leukosis Virus Update II : Impact on Immunity and Disease Resistance

Introduction Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV) is a retroviral infection that causes leukemia in cattle by targeting white blood cells and causing them to grow uncontrollably. Most BLV-infected cattle seldom present with outward clinical signs. Approximately 30% of infected animals, however, will have abnormally high white blood cell counts and up to 5% will develop malignant tumors or lymphosarcomas. The most severe cases of BLV will exhibit enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, loss of appetite, infertility and decreased milk production [1, 2]. The virus is transferred from cow to cow by BLV-laden white blood cells found in blood, saliva, semen and milk.
HIV Dermatology in Switzerland – From the Beginning to the Present

The panendemic of HIV has markedly influenced the dermatology of our generation. This new infection produced atypical manifestations of known dermatological diseases. And beyond that, mucocutaneous diseases emerged, which had not yet been described. Classical epidemiological studies concluded that clustering of AIDS cases could be explained only if AIDS was an infection transmitted by sexual activity or blood. Switzerland was hit early on by the HIV epidemic, and Theo Rufli, the leading expert on sexually transmitted diseases in our country, was involved from the beginning. He contributed with his team to a better delineation of the cutaneous manifestations of HIV infection by directing one of the largest prospective studies on the natural course of cutaneous manifestations of HIV. In addition, he participated in studies which documented new skin diseases in HIV-infected patients. From the very beginning of the epidemic in Switzerland, Theo Rufli founded an organization which helped patients cope with their diagnosis. In Basel, an anonymous consultation facility was established. Theo Rufli also strongly supported the ‘Stop AIDS’ campaign. This review looks back on the history of HIV in Switzerland and especially in Basel.
Single‐layer axisymmetric model for a Hadley circulation with parameterized eddy momentum forcing

An axisymmetric single‐layer model is used to study interactions of the Hadley circulation with extratropical eddies. Eddy momentum fluxes are parameterized using a simple closure motivated by calculations with an idealized dry general circulation model (GCM). Calculations are performed in which the heating is parameterized as Newtonian relaxation of temperatures toward a prescribed radiative‐convective equilibrium (RCE) state. The latitude at which the maximum RCE temperature occurs is varied to represent seasonal variations. In the axisymmetric model, as in the GCM, qualitative changes in the zonal momentum budget occur as the RCE temperature maximum moves away from the equator past a threshold latitude. For RCE temperature maxima closer to the equator, eddy momentum fluxes play a dominant role in the zonal momentum budget, nonlinearity is weak, and the meridional circulation is a weak function of the degree of asymmetry about the equator. For RCE temperature maxima sufficiently far from the equator, the zonal momentum budget becomes more nonlinear, angular momentum is more nearly conserved, and the circulation is a stronger function of the degree of asymmetry about the equator. Since the axisymmetric model can capture this behavior while being much simpler than the GCM, it may be a useful step towards a more comprehensive theory of the zonal‐mean general circulation.
Process evaluation and challenges of implementation of a school-based waterpipe tobacco smoking prevention program for teens in Lebanon

INTRODUCTION Waterpipe tobacco smoking is increasing globally particularly among youth. In Lebanon, the high prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking among younger age groups calls for immediate intervention particularly given its negative health effects. To date, such interventions have rarely been implemented or evaluated. METHODS This manuscript describes the process evaluation of a school-based intervention to prevent/delay waterpipe tobacco smoking among 6th and 7th graders (n=844) in Lebanon. Process evaluation documents whether an intervention is implemented as planned, and guides understanding of the relationship between the intervention activities and outcomes. The intervention was carried out over 5 months during 2011-2012 on school premises and during school hours, using a participatory approach. The ten intervention sessions included knowledge, skills and a social promise. The process evaluation assessed fidelity, dose delivered, dose received, reach, satisfaction, and the influence of context. Tools included observation and satisfaction forms, attendance log sheets, focus group discussions, and daily journal entries. RESULTS The majority of participants (87.2%) attended at least 75% of the sessions. Results indicate high fidelity of implementation; 72.3% of the activities were rated by facilitators to be fully implemented - with high participant satisfaction; 89.5% of children chose a happy face to express their rating of the session. Facilitators rated children’s participation as ‘positive and active’ in 77.9% of the sessions. CONCLUSIONS Main challenges to implementation were contextual at the country and school level, and related to local pro social norms around waterpipe tobacco smoking. The experience of this intervention confirms the critical importance of context in program implementation.
Implied Spatial Meaning and Visuospatial Bias: Conceptual Processing Influences Processing of Visual Targets and Distractors

Concepts with implicit spatial meaning (e.g., "hat", "boots") can bias visual attention in space. This result is typically found in experiments with a single visual target per trial, which can appear at one of two locations (e.g., above vs. below). Furthermore, the interaction is typically found in the form of speeded responses to targets appearing at the compatible location (e.g., faster responses to a target above fixation, after reading "hat"). It has been argued that these concept-space interactions could also result from experimentally-induced associations between the binary set of locations and the conceptual categories with upward and downward meaning. Thus, rather than reflecting a conceptually driven spatial bias, the effect could reflect a benefit for compatible cue-target sequences that occurs only after target onset. We addressed these concerns by going beyond a binary set of locations and employing a search display consisting of four items (above, below, left, and right). Within each search trial, before performing a visual search task, participants performed a conceptual task involving concepts with implicit upward or downward meaning. The search display, in addition to including a target, could also include a salient distractor. Assuming a conceptually driven visual bias, we expected to observe, first, a benefit for target processing at the compatible location and, second, an increase in the cost of the salient distractor. The findings confirmed both predictions, suggesting that concepts do indeed generate a spatial bias. Finally, results from a control experiment, without the conceptual task, suggest the presence of an axis-specific effect, in addition to the location-specific effect, suggesting that concepts might cause both location-specific and axis-specific spatial bias. Taken together, our findings provide additional support for the involvement of spatial processing in conceptual understanding.
Bus Peak Current Control Strategy to Minimize DC-Link Capacitor of Switched Reluctance Machine Drive

In the traditional switched reluctance machine drive(SRD), the energy exchange between power supply and electric machine could induce current ripple. Bus Peak Current Control Strategy is a new approach to reduce the DC-Link current ripple by minimizing peak current and filtering commutation-induced harmonic wave. A single current sensor is employed to realize the strategy which cut down cost and improve the reliability of system. The performance of the proposed new switching technique is investigated by comprehensive simulation studies on a 4-phase SR drive.
The study of PD propagation phenomenon in power network

This paper presents the measured and analyzed responses of the partial discharge (PD) when it propagates in a power network from its origin to the measuring nodes. On and offline measurements are done in a power network consisting of a 16.5-kV/250-MVA-rated power generator, busbar, and step-up transformer. The simultaneously measured PD at two ends of the busbar indicated that the intensity of PD decreased as it traveled a longer distance and the time interval of its occurrence had a finite delay indicating the dominant mode of PD propagation as a transmission line. Frequency-domain analysis indicated the presence of characteristic resonance frequencies and the number increased as the measuring node moved away from the PD origin. The offline measurement by injecting an exponential PD signal at the neutral indicated that the signal will be absorbed in the generator, and the signal at the measuring node will be attenuated by 50 times and will be distorted. Pspice simulation is used to develop the network model for the propagation path. The Pspice analysis indicated that the distributed models of generator, busbar, and lumped parameter models of a transformer can be used to match the offline measurement. The model showed that each model can have the characteristic resonant peaks depending on the selected parameters and it can distort the simultaneously observed PD at two different nodes.
“Be Nice”: Wikipedia norms for supportive communication

Wikipedia is acknowledged to have been home to “some bitter disputes. ” Indeed, conflict at Wikipedia is said to be “as addictive as cocaine. ” Yet, such observations are not cynical commentary but motivation for a collection of social norms. These norms speak to the intentional stance and communicative behaviors Wikipedians should adopt when interacting with one another. In the following pages, I provide a survey of these norms on the English Wikipedia and argue that they can be characterized as supportive based on Jack Gibb's classic communication article “Defensive Communication. ”
Safety and efficacy of trimodality therapy in patients undergoing extrapleural pneumonectomy.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but rapidly deadly disease (1). Macroscopic complete resection (MCR) is the goal of surgery (2). MCR seems to have the most significant impact on survival in patients undergoing multimodality treatment for MPM. The role of surgical resection in the management of MPM remains controversial.
Resource Sharing in Multicore Mixed-Criticality Systems: Utilization Bound and Blocking Overhead

In mixed-criticality (MC) system, diverse application activities with various certification requirements (different criticality) can share a computing platform, where multicore processors have emerged as the prevailing computing engines. Focusing on the problem of resource access contention in multicore MC systems, we analyze the synchronization issues and blocking characteristics of the Multiprocessor Stack Resource Policy (MSRP) with both priority and criticality inversions among MC tasks being considered. We develop the first criticality-aware utilization bound under partitioned Earliest Deadline First (EDF) and MSRP by taking the worst case synchronization overheads of tasks into account. The non-monotonicityof the bound where it may decrease when more cores are deployed is identified, which can cause anomalies in the feasibility tests. With the objective to improve system schedulability, a novel criticality-cognizant and resource-oriented analysis approach is further studied to tighten the bound on the synchronization overheads for MC tasks scheduled under partitioned EDF and MSRP. The simulation results show that the new analysis approach can effectively reduce the blocking times for tasks (up to 30 percent) and thus improve the schedulability ratio (e.g., 10 percent more). The actual implementation in Linux kernel further shows the practicability of partitioned-EDF with MSRP (with run-time overhead being about 3 to 7 percent of the overall execution time) for MC tasks running on multicores with shared resources.
Endoscopic-guided injection of botulinum toxin into the cricopharyngeus muscle: our experience

Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy of endoscopic-guided botulinum toxin injection into the cricopharyngeus muscle and evaluate the duration of its effects. Methods: A 3-year prospective study of 12 patients undergoing injection of botulinum toxin was conducted, with a telephone survey to assess dysphagia pre-operatively, and at 1, 3 and 6 months post-treatment, using the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory. Results: Median age was 66.2 years. Causes of cricopharyngeal dysphagia included idiopathic cricopharyngeal hypertrophy (67 per cent), previous cerebrovascular accident (17 per cent), cranial nerve palsy (8 per cent) and previous chemoradiotherapy to the neck (8 per cent). There were no complications. Two patients had repeat injections after six months. There was significant improvement in MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory scores at one and three months versus pre-operative scores (73.1 ± 14.9 vs 46.9 ± 7.6, p = 0.0001, and 65.1 ± 11.5 vs 46.9 ± 7.6, p = 0.0001), but not at six months (51.0 ± 11.0 vs 46.9 ± 7.6, p = 0.14). Conclusion: Endoscopic-guided injection of botulinum toxin into the cricopharyngeus muscle is a safe and effective method for treating cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction, lasting up to six months.
Emerging antibody products and Nicotiana manufacturing

Antibody based products are not widely available to address multiple global health challenges due to high costs, limited manufacturing capacity, and long manufacturing lead times. Nicotiana-based manufacturing of antibody products may now begin to address these challenges as a result of revolutionary advances in transient expression and altered glycosylation pathways. This review provides examples of emerging antibody-based products (mucosal and systemic) that could be competitive and commercially viable when the attributes of Nicotiana-based manufacturing (large scale, versatile, rapid, low cost) are utilized.
Inflammation and platelet‐activating factor production during hepatic ischemia/reperfusion

The role of platelet‐activating factor as a potential mediator of hepatic inflammatory injury associated with liver ischemia/reperfusion was investigated using a partial no‐flow model in rats in vivo. Plateletactivating factor levels of livers from sham‐operated rats and from animals experiencing hepatic reperfusion for less than 6 hr were very low. They were observed to increase significantly after 12 hr of reperfusion and reached peak levels after a 24‐hr reperfusion period, a time when maximal hepatic injury and inflammation occurred. Treatment of experimental rats with WEB2170, a platelet‐activating factor receptor antagonist, attenuated the hepatic injury and inflammation, as evidenced by decreases in plasma ALT and in hepatocyte necrosis and neutrophil infiltration. Both inactivation of Kupffer cells with gadolinium chloride and inhibition of the formation of reactive oxygen species with allopurinol reduced platelet‐activating factor production in the liver, whereas induction of neutropenia had no effect, suggesting that interaction of Kupffer cells with oxygenderived free radicals may be a plausible mechanism for hepatic platelet‐activating factor accumulation. It is concluded that platelet‐activating factor contributes to the inflammatory consequences of ischemia/reperfusion underlying late‐phase hepatic injury. (HEPATOLOGY 1992;16:1236–1240.)
Supportive Care Needs for Women With Gynecological Cancer and Their Relatives During the Prediagnostic Period

Background: The prediagnostic process for gynecological cancer has become quite rapid. It gives the woman limited time to handle new information about her illness and make decisions. The existing support initiatives in Denmark focus on aftercare rather than on needs for support in the prediagnostic period. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the need for supportive care among women with gynecological cancer and their relatives during the prediagnostic period. Method: A qualitative descriptive method was applied to semistructured interviews. We interviewed, at different times in the prediagnostic period, 16 women with gynecological cancer and 16 relatives. Participants were recruited at 1 hospital during a 3-month period. Results: Women in the prediagnostic period require an overview of the treatment process supplemented with information, involvement, and help to prepare themselves for treatment. Relatives need involvement, someone to talk to, an overview of the prediagnostic period, and advice on communication about cancer with children and teenagers in the family. Conclusions: Women with gynecological cancer should be encouraged to let their relatives get involved in the prediagnostic period. Information about the prediagnostic period should be readily accessible at a time when the women and their relatives need this. Internet-based information could be a relevant solution in the prediagnostic period. Implications for Practice: Issues concerning support of the relatives and needs among families with children should be spotted in the early diagnostic phase of patients with gynecological cancer. More knowledge about the prediagnostic period should be made available as eHealth solutions.
Donepezil in the Treatment of ADHD-Like Symptoms in Youths With Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Background: Recent studies reported ADHD-like symptoms and cognitive deficits in pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Because work in dementia documents improvement in executive function deficits with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, the authors reason that similar benefits could be obtained in PDD. Method: The authors describe eight cases of PDD youth ages 10 to 17 treated with donepezil targeting ADHD-like symptoms associated with PDD. Results: Most participants improve ADHD-like symptomatology. In addition, improvement in communication and socialization is noted. Conclusion: Donepezil may have a role in treating ADHD-like symptoms in children with PDD.
Integrons and gene cassettes: hotspots of diversity in bacterial genomes

Integrons are genetic units found in many bacterial species that are defined by their ability to capture small mobile elements called gene cassettes. Cassettes usually contain only one gene, potentially any gene, and an attC recombination site, and thousands of cassettes have been sequenced. A specialized IntI site–specific recombinase encoded by the integron recognizes attC and incorporates cassettes into an attI site located adjacent to the intI gene. Over 100 types of integrons have been found, most in bacterial chromosomes. They can all potentially share the same cassettes and, as recombination between attC in a cassette and an attI can occur repeatedly, an integron can contain from zero to hundreds of cassettes. Cassette arrays that are not located next to an intI gene, or solo cassettes at apparently random sites, are also seen. Hence, integrons contribute to generation of diversity in bacterial, plasmid, and transposon genomes and facilitate extensive sharing of information among bacteria.
Volume Changes in Gray Matter in First-Episode Neuroleptic-Naive Schizophrenic Patients Treated With Risperidone

Abstract: Structural neuroimaging techniques have consistently shown that treatment of schizophrenic patients with conventional antipsychotics causes an increase in basal ganglia volume. However, findings in schizophrenic patients treated with the newer atypical antipsychotic drugs are less consistently reported. To explore this issue, the authors used a whole-brain, unbiased, and automated technique for comparing brain structural features across scans in schizophrenic patients before and after a treatment with the atypical antipsychotic risperidone. T1-weighted images from 11 first-episode neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients were processed and analyzed for regions of interest (basal ganglia) by using optimized voxel-based morphometry. Scans were repeated after 3 months of continuous treatment with risperidone. Region of interest-based voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed increases in gray matter volume for the right and left caudate nuclei and for the left accumbens after the treatment with risperidone. Hence, in our sample of schizophrenic patients, treatment with risperidone was associated, in contrast to the findings for other atypical antipsychotics, with an increase in basal ganglia volume. Such discrepancy could be related to the pharmacodynamics of risperidone (the atypical antipsychotic showing the higher affinity for D2 receptors) and the rather high mean doses used in our study (ie, 6.05 mg/d).