Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of Lignification by Noninvasive Techniques in Growing Maize Internodes (An Investigation by Fourier Transform Infrared Cross-Polarization-Magic Angle Spinning 13C-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Immunocytochemical Transmission Electron Microscopy)

Noninvasive techniques were used for the study in situ of lignification in the maturing cell walls of the maize (Zea mays L.) stem. Within the longitudinal axis of a developing internode all of the stages of lignification can be found. The synthesis of the three types of lignins, p-hydroxyphenylpropane (H), guaiacyl (G), and syringyl (S), was investigated in situ by cross-polarization-magic angle spinning 13C-solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and immunocytochemical electron microscopy. The first lignin appearing in the parenchyma is of the G-type, preceeding the incorporation of S nuclei in the later stages. However, in vascular bundles, typical absorption bands of S nuclei are visible in the Fourier transform infrared spectra at the earliest stage of lignification. Immunocytochemical determination of the three types of lignin in transmission electron microscopy was possible thanks to the use of antisera prepared against synthetic H, G, and the mixed GS dehydrogenative polymers (K. Ruel, O. Faix, J.P. Joseleau [1994] J Trace Microprobe Tech 12: 247–265). The specificity of the immunological probes demonstrated that there are differences in the relative temporal synthesis of the H, G, and GS lignins in the different tissues undergoing lignification. Considering the intermonomeric linkages predominating in the antigens used for the preparation of the immunological probes, the relative intensities of the labeling obtained provided, for the first time to our knowledge, information about the macromolecular nature of lignins (condensed versus noncondensed) in relation to their ultrastructural localization and developmental stage.
Do speakers articulate over-described modifiers differently from modifiers that are required by context? Implications for models of reference production

Studies have shown that speakers often include unnecessary modifiers when producing referential expressions, which is contrary to the Maxim of Quantity. In this study, we examined the production of referring expressions (e.g. the red triangle) that contained an over-described (or redundant) pre-nominal adjective modifier. These expressions were compared to similar expressions that were uttered in a context that made the modifier necessary for unique referent identification. Our hypothesis was that speakers articulate over-described modifiers differently from those used to distinguish contrasting objects. Results showed that over-described modifiers were significantly shorter in duration than modifiers used to distinguish two objects. Conclusions focus on how these acoustic differences can be modelled by Natural Language Generation algorithms, such as the Incremental Algorithm, in combination with probabilistic prosodic reduction.
Phase I trial of Taxotere: five-day schedule.

BACKGROUND Taxotere, a semisynthetic compound structurally related to taxol, has a broad spectrum of activity in murine transplantable tumors; in the B16 melanoma model, it caused a total log cell kill 2.5 times greater than that caused by taxol at equitoxic doses. PURPOSE We conducted a phase I study of Taxotere (a) to determine its qualitative and quantitative toxic effects and a starting dose for phase II trials, (b) to investigate its clinical pharmacology, and (c) to document its antitumor activity. METHODS Taxotere was given as a 1-hour infusion at a starting dose of 1 mg/m2 per day for 5 consecutive days. The 5-day course of therapy was repeated every 21 days. Thirty-nine cancer patients with advanced disease were entered in the study; at least three patients were entered at each dose level. Initial dose escalations were planned at 100% increments until biologic activity was observed; subsequent escalations were planned at 50% increments until grade 2 toxicity (the National Cancer Institute's Common Toxicity Criteria) occurred and then at 25% increments until the maximum tolerated dose was established. RESULTS Thirty-nine patients were entered in the study. Successive dose levels used were 1, 4, 8, 16, 12, and 14 mg/m2 per day. The dose-limiting toxic effects were granulocytopenia and concurrent mucositis. Grade 4 granulocytopenia associated with grade 3 mucositis developed in six of 12 patients treated at a dose of 16 mg/m2 per day, two of 10 treated at 12 mg/m2 per day, and two of eight treated at 14 mg/m2 per day. Because these toxic effects occurred concurrently, all patients so affected developed neutropenic fevers and required hospitalization. Neither cardiac nor neurologic toxic effects were noted. Anti-tumor activity was observed in six patients with ovarian cancer and in one with breast carcinoma. Although pharmacokinetic parameters were consistent between day 1 and day 5 for individual patients, considerable variation existed among those treated at the same dose level. A relationship was observed between the area under the curve for plasma concentration of drug x time (AUC) on day 1 and the percentage decrease in absolute granulocyte counts. CONCLUSION Granulocytopenia associated with oral mucositis is the dose-limiting toxicity of this schedule. We recommended a starting dose of 14 mg/m2 per day for phase II studies of this 5-day schedule. Dose modifications on days 2-5 based on the day-1 AUC may allow individualized dosing.
Factors governing the periodic activation of supraoptic and paraventricular neurosecretory cells during suckling in the rat.

1. One hundred and thirty‐two antidromically identified paraventricular (PV) and supraoptic (SO) neurones were studied during milk ejection evoked by the suckling of the young, in thirty‐four lactating rats anaesthetized with urethane (1.1 g/kg I.P.). The spike activity of these neurones was analysed to determine some of the factors governing their orthodromic activation. Changes in spike activity were compared with the amount of oxytocin released from the neurohypophysis, as measured by the rise in intramammary pressure at milk ejection. 2. Sixty‐five units, from both the PV and SO nuclei, displayed a characteristic burst of accelerated activity 12–18 sec before milk ejection. With a suckling stimulus of nine or ten pups, these neurosecretory responses were both regular in their occurrence (recurring evey 4‐8 min) and uniform in character, i.e. all responsive cells accelerated to 30–80 spikes/sec for 1‐4 sec. Two units deviated from this pattern and both were recorded in animals which failed to display a detectable milk ejection.
Endogenous Constitutions: Politics and Politicians Matter, Economic Outcomes Don’t

We study changes in the form of government as an example of endogenously determined constitutions. For a sample of 202 countries over the period 1950–2006, we find that most changes are relatively small and roughly equally likely to be either in the direction of more parliamentarian or more presidential systems. Based on a fixed effects ordered logit panel data model estimated over the period 1951–2000 for 146 countries, we find that such changes in the constitution can be explained by characteristics of the political system, internal and external political conflicts, and political leaders, whereas economic and socio-demographic variables do not matter.
Cooking Without Air Pollution

In his Editorial “In praise of petroleum” (6 Dec. 2002, p. [1847][1]), K. R. Smith advocates the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG), which is an “air-pollution-free” fossil fuel. He suggests that use of LPG by an additional 2 billion people in the developing world would add less than 2% to
Why Do Companies Pay Dividends ? By MARTINFELDSTEIN GREEN

This paper presents a simple model of market equilibrium to explain why firms that maximize the value of their shares pay dividends even though the funds could instead be retained and subsequently distributed to shareholders in a way that would allow them to be taxed more favorably as capital gains. The two principal ingredients of our explanation are: (1) the cionflicting preferences of shareholders in different tax brackets and (2) the shareholders' desire for portfolio diversification, we show that companies will pay a positive fraction of earnings in dividends. We also provide some comparative static analysis of dividend behavior with respect to tax parameters and to the conditions determining the riskiness of the securities. Martin Feldstein Jerry Green National Bureau of Economic Research 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
Deposition of Particles in Human Mouth-Throat Replicas and a USP Induction Port.

BACKGROUND Oral inhalation is the common route of drug delivery to pulmonary airways. In general, deposition in the oropharyngeal airways from a drug-delivery device makes up a substantial portion of the emitted dose, which affects the dose delivered to the lung. Studies with airway replicas made from cadaver or magnetic resonance imaging scans show that for micrometer-sized particles, impaction is the dominant deposition mechanism. Several deposition studies in oropharyngeal replicas found that the deposition efficiency can be correlated with the mouth inlet velocity and inlet mouthpiece diameter. Other studies show that the deposition efficiency is best correlated with the mean diameter of internal geometry and the mean velocity based on the mean diameter. METHOD We investigated the mouth inlet diameter, as well as internal airway dimensions and their influence on oropharyngeal deposition based on experimental data from this study. Several human oropharyngeal replicas with different mouth inlet diameters and the USP induction port were used. RESULTS We found that the aerosol deposition increased with decreasing mouth inlet diameter. Several mathematical expressions were tried to correlate the deposition efficiency with the Stokes number calculated based on (1) mouth inlet diameter and inlet velocity, (2) mean diameter of internal geometry and mean velocity, (3) mouth inlet velocity and mean diameter, and (4) mouth inlet velocity and minimum diameter in the oropharyngeal replica. The best correlation was obtained in case 4. CONCLUSIONS This correlation could explain the intra-subject variation when deposition was found to vary with mouth inlet diameter, such as in some aerosol drug-delivery devices. It could also explain the intersubject variability in oropharyngeal deposition when human volunteers with different airway geometries and mouth openings were studied.
THE ROLE OF PREFRONTAL SYSTEMS IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Research from a variety of methodologies is demonstrating a role for neuroanatomical structures in different aspects of sexual behavior. This article reviews the particular contribution of prefrontal-subcortical systems to sexual behavior, including regions of prefrontal cortex (i.e., dorsolateral, medial, and orbitofrontal cortex), and associated subcortical structures (i.e., basal ganglia and thalamus). Findings are integrated from functional neuroimaging and clinical studies in humans, as well as animal studies, which convergently illustrate the role of different prefrontal systems. In addition to providing a clearer understanding of normal sexual behavior, appreciation of prefrontal systems in sexual behavior has implications for disorders of sexual behavior. Consistent with their role in other forms of cognition, emotion, and behavior, prefrontal systems serve in an executive capacity to regulate sexual behavior.
Bacterial alginate biosynthesis--recent progress and future prospects.

The extracellular polysaccharide alginate has been widely associated with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the cystic fibrosis lung. However, it is clear that alginate biosynthesis is a more widespread phenomenon. Alginate plays a key role as a virulence factor of plant-pathogenic pseudomonads, in the formation of biofilms and with the encystment process of Azotobacter spp.
Reciprocal effects of parenting and borderline personality disorder symptoms in adolescent girls

Abstract Theories of borderline personality disorder (BPD) postulate that high-risk transactions between caregiver and child are important for the development and maintenance of the disorder. Little empirical evidence exists regarding the reciprocal effects of parenting on the development of BPD symptoms in adolescence. The impact of child and caregiver characteristics on this reciprocal relationship is also unknown. Thus, the current study examines bidirectional effects of parenting, specifically harsh punishment practices and caregiver low warmth, and BPD symptoms in girls aged 14–17 years based on annual, longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (N = 2,451) in the context of child and caregiver characteristics. We examined these associations through the use of autoregressive latent trajectory models to differentiate time-specific variations in BPD symptoms and parenting from the stable processes that steadily influence repeated measures within an individual. The developmental trajectories of BPD symptoms and parenting were moderately associated, suggesting a reciprocal relationship. There was some support for time-specific elevations in BPD symptoms predicting subsequent increases in harsh punishment and caregiver low warmth. There was little support for increases in harsh punishment and caregiver low warmth predicting subsequent elevations in BPD symptoms. Child impulsivity and negative affectivity, and caregiver psychopathology were related to parenting trajectories, while only child characteristics predicted BPD trajectories. The results highlight the stability of the reciprocal associations between parenting and BPD trajectories in adolescent girls and add to our understanding of the longitudinal course of BPD in youth.
Comparative cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccines in the prevention of cervical cancer in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVES Cervical cancer (CC) had the second highest incidence of female cancers in Malaysia in 2003-2006. Prevention is possible by both Pap smear screening and HPV vaccination with either the bivalent vaccine (BV) or the quadrivalent vaccine (QV). In the present study, cost effectiveness options were compared for three programs i.e. screening via Pap smear; modeling of HPV vaccination (QV and BV) and combined strategy (screening plus vaccination). A scenario based sensitivity analysis was conducted using screening population coverages (40-80%) and costs of vaccines (RM 100-200/dose) were calculated. METHODS This was an economic burden, cross sectional study in 2006-2009 of respondents interviewed from six public Gynecology-Oncology hospitals. Methods included expert panel discussions to estimate treatment costs of CC, genital warts and vulva/vagina cancers by severity and direct interviews with respondents using costing and SF-36 quality of life questionnaires. RESULTS A total of 502 cervical cancer patients participated with a mean age at 53.3±11.2 years and a mean marriage length of 27.7±12.1 years, Malays accounting for 44.2%. Cost/quality adjusted life year (QALY) for Pap smear in the base case was RM 1,215 and RM 1,100 at increased screening coverage. With QV only, in base case it was RM 15,662 and RM 24,203 when the vaccination price was increased. With BV only, the respective figures were RM 1,359,057 and RM 2,530,018. For QV combined strategy cost/QALY in the base case it was RM 4,937, reducing to RM 3,395 in the best case and rising to RM 7,992 in the worst case scenario. With the BV combined strategy, these three cost/QALYs were RM 6,624, RM 4,033 and RM 10,543. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) showed that screening at 70% coverage or higher was highly cost effective at RM 946.74 per QALYs saved but this was preceded by best case combined strategy with QV at RM 515.29 per QALYs saved. CONCLUSIONS QV is more cost effective than BV. The QV combined strategy had a higher CE than any method including Pap smear screening at high population coverage.
Do Free Clinics Reduce Unnecessary Emergency Department Visits?: The Virginian Experience

As part of the safety net, free clinics (FCs) increase access to preventive and primary care for the uninsured. This study compared a group of uninsured FC users and a group of uninsured non-FC users to explore the impact of FC enrollment on the pattern of ED visits, as characterized by (1) level of complexity of care received at the ED, and (2) avoidable vs. unavoidable as classified by an existing clinical algorithm. Emergency department visits by FC users were less likely to be low-level-of-care than visits by non-FC users (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84–0.93). Free clinic enrollment was not a statistically significant predictor of avoidable visits (p=.6465). We found that the group of individuals who had access to primary care at the local FCs were significantly less likely than the group of uninsured individuals who were not enrolled in a FC to use the ED for care with lower levels of clinical complexity. Thus, the cost of increasing the primary care workforce as the Medicaid population expands may be worth it in the long run. Further exploration into what characterizes an effective FC is needed.
Two-Dimensional Discrete Sine Transform and Discrete Cosine Transform Based on Two-Dimensional Multimode Interference Couplers

In this letter, all-optical two-dimensional discrete sine transform and discrete cosine transform (2DDST/DCT) are proposed to be realized on two-dimensional multimode interference (2DMMI) couplers. Similar to the one-dimensional case, the 2DDST/DCT requires only one 2DMMI coupler and a few phase shifters.
A novel immersive virtual environment for human-scale interaction

We propose a novel multiprojector display for immersive virtual environments. Our system named "D-vision" has a hybrid curved screen which completely covers user's view and immerses the user in displayed virtual environments. The D-vision also has a human-scale haptic- and locomotion interface by which the users of the D-vision can walk with their own foot and interact with virtual objects through their own hands. In this paper, we show an overview of the D-vision and technologies used for the human-scale hapticand locomotion interfaces. We also illustrate some applications using the interfaces effectively.
Polymer coatings for stents. Can we judge a stent by its cover?

The article by van der Giessen et al1 in this issue of Circulation provides an important perspective on the challenges associated with the development of a truly biocompatible polymeric stent coating. A number of investigators have worked diligently over the past several years to explore the feasibility of a completely bioabsorbable stent.2 The impetus for this approach was the perception that the long-term implantation of metallic stents might provide a chronic inflammatory stimulus and/or lead to medial atrophy with aneurysm formation that could negate the immediate- and intermediate-term (6 months) advantages of stenting compared with the use of balloon angioplasty in the coronary circulation.3 4 However, recent studies have suggested that concerns about “late” restenosis and aneurysm formation with metallic stents in atherosclerotic human coronary arteries are likely unfounded.5 The excellent long-term biocompatibility of stainless steel stents, combined with the substantive difficulties in developing a polymeric stent with a high-performance delivery system, radiopacity, and competitive structural characteristics (eg, radial hoop strength) have led previously enthusiastic polymer stent proponents to focus their efforts on developing biocompatible polymeric coatings for metal stents. Such a hybrid device (metal backbone plus polymer coating) would provide the mechanical advantages of stenting, including reduction in early elastic recoil and the elimination of unfavorable late remodeling, and at the same time provide a platform for local drug delivery to decrease stent thrombogenicity and/or neointimal hyperplasia. Although appealing in concept, the potential difficulties in the successful development of a biocompatible hybrid (polymer/metal) stent are highlighted by the present study. In this study using an animal model performed …
FTY720: altered lymphocyte traffic results in allograft protection.

Current standard drugs used to prevent organ graft rejection all interfere with discrete sites in the T-cell/B-cell activation cascade. They can be classified as inhibitors of cytokine transcription (CsA, FK506), inhibitors of nucleotide synthesis (azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, mizoribine, leflunomide), inhibitors of growth factor signal transduction (rapamycin, leflunomide), and inhibitors of differentiation (15-deoxyspergualin) (1). The beneficial effects of these therapeutics in disease relate to their broad immunosuppressive potential; however, generalized immunosuppression may reduce defense against infection and malignancies. As described below, the novel immunomodulator FTY720 protects allografts including islets with remarkable potency, apparently without inducing generalized immunosuppression (2, 3). FTY720 is a structural analog of myriocin (Fig. 1), a metabolite of the ascomycete Isaria sinclairii (4–7). However, unlike myriocin, FTY720 does not bind the serinepalmitoyl transferase and does not inhibit the sphingolipid pathway (8). Although much research has yet to be done to completely unravel the mechanism of action of FTY720, recent data suggest that the drug acts as an agonist and increases the intrinsic mobility of lymphocytes, thereby accelerating chemokine-dependent lymphocyte homing to secondary lymphoid tissues (9) and reducing the recruitment of effector lymphocytes into grafted organs and peripheral lesions (10, 11). The high efficacy of the drug in animal models (3) combined with the good tolerability in Phase I and II clinical trials (12–14) may relate to the compound’s novel mode of action that has not been observed with any other immunosuppressive agent.
A Web-based Relational Database for Monitoring and Analyzing Mosquito Population Dynamics

Abstract Mosquito population dynamics have been monitored on an annual basis in the state of Iowa since 1969. The primary goal of this project was to integrate light trap data from these efforts into a centralized back-end database and interactive website that is available through the internet at http://iowa-mosquito.ent. iastate.edu. For comparative purposes, all data were categorized according to the week of the year and normalized according to the number of traps running. Users can readily view current, weekly mosquito abundance compared with data from previous years. Additional interactive capabilities facilitate analyses of the data based on mosquito species, distribution, or a time frame of interest. All data can be viewed in graphical and tabular format and can be downloaded to a comma separated value (CSV) file for import into a spreadsheet or more specialized statistical software package. Having this long-term dataset in a centralized database/website is useful for informing mosquito and mosquito-borne disease control and for exploring the ecology of the species represented therein. In addition to mosquito population dynamics, this database is available as a standardized platform that could be modified and applied to a multitude of projects that involve repeated collection of observational data. The development and implementation of this tool provides capacity for the user to mine data from standard spreadsheets into a relational database and then view and query the data in an interactive website.