Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Elevated Number of Differentiated Osteoblast Colonies Can Be Obtained from Rat Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Using a Gradient Isolation Procedure

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) for osteoblast differentiation studies can be obtained by gradient isolation techniques or by directly plating a filtered cell suspension. We compared these two procedures to evaluate whether this step is critical in order to obtain a high number of differentiated colonies. Isolated primary rat BMSCs were cultured in vitro with or without insulin-like growth factor β1 (IGFII), basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor 131 (TGFβ1), and histochemically and biochemically analysed at different time points. The gradient procedure produced a significantly higher number of colonies capable of osteoblastic differentiation. The growth factors had different effects. In particular, b-FGF and EGF significantly increased the number of Alizarin red S positive colonies, while IGFII and TGFβ1 exerted inhibitory effects. Nodules obtained on day 21 showed some alkaline phosphatase positive cells and were Von Kossa-positive. These data demonstrate that more differentiated colonies are obtainable from BMSCs isolated by the gradient procedure.
Social influence analysis in microblogging platforms - A topic-sensitive based approach

The use of Social Media, particularly microblogging platforms such as Twitter, has proven to be an effective channel for promoting ideas to online audiences. In a world where information can bias public opinion it is essential to analyse the propagation and influence of information in large-scale networks. Recent research studying social media data to rank users by topical relevance have largely focused on the “retweet", “following" and “mention" relations. In this paper we propose the use of semantic profiles for deriving influential users based on the retweet subgraph of the Twitter graph. We introduce a variation of the PageRank algorithm for analysing users’ topical and entity influence based on the topical/entity relevance of a retweet relation. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms related algorithms including HITS, InDegree and Topic-Sensitive PageRank. We also introduce VisInfluence, a visualisation platform for presenting top influential users based on a topical query need.
Vitamin and Mineral Levels of Newborns in Van Basin and Their Relation to Maternal Vitamin and Mineral Status

This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between vitamin and mineral levels of mothers and their neonates. Vitamin, mineral and biochemical parameters were assessed from samples of maternal blood, hair and milk and neonatal hair, umbilical cord blood and meconium. Neonatal retinol plasma levels as well as neonatal alpha- and gamma-tocopherol levels were significantly lower (P
Antidiarrheal activity of ethanolic extract of Manihot esculenta Crantz leaves in Wistar rats

Background: Use of Manihot esculenta Crantz (MEC) plant has been mentioned in literature of Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute and many others. It is also known commonly as tapioca, continues to be a crop of food security for the millions of people, especially in the developing countries of the globe including India. Medicinal uses of this plant including diarrhea have been mentioned in literature, but scientific evidence is lacking. Objective: The objective was to study antidiarrheal activity of ethanolic leaf extract of MEC in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Ethanolic extract of MEC leaves in the doses of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg were used in Wistar rats of either sex. Experimental models used were castor oil-induced intestinal fluid accumulation and charcoal passage test. Loperamide and atropine sulfate were the standard drugs used in these models respectively. Results: MEC extracts decreased intestinal fluid volume in dose dependent manner no extract group was comparable with standard drug loperamide (5 mg/kg). MEC extracts also significantly inhibited gastrointestinal motility in dose dependent manner. MEC (100 mg/kg) and MEC (200 mg/kg) were comparable with standard drug atropine sulfate (5 mg/kg) in this aspect. <0.05 were considered to be significant. Conclusions: Ethanolic extract of MEC leaves exhibited significant antidiarrheal activity by decreasing intestinal fluid accumulation and the gastrointestinal motility in Wistar rats.
Weighted Gossip: Distributed Averaging using non-doubly stochastic matrices

This paper presents a general class of gossip-based averaging algorithms, which are inspired from Uniform Gossip [1]. While Uniform Gossip works synchronously on complete graphs, weighted gossip algorithms allow asynchronous rounds and converge on any connected, directed or undirected graph. Unlike most previous gossip algorithms [2]–[6], Weighted Gossip admits stochastic update matrices which need not be doubly stochastic. Double-stochasticity being very restrictive in a distributed setting [7], this novel degree of freedom is essential and it opens the perspective of designing a large number of new gossip-based algorithms. To give an example, we present one of these algorithms, which we call One-Way Averaging. It is based on random geographic routing, just like Path Averaging [5], except that routes are one way instead of round trip. Hence in this example, getting rid of double stochasticity allows us to add robustness to Path Averaging.
DOPAMINE RECEPTOR GENES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AGE AT FIRST SEXUAL INTERCOURSE

The dopaminergic system in the brain seems to play an important role in the regulation of sexual behaviour. The relationship between genes for the D1, D2 and D4 dopamine receptors and age at first sexual intercourse (AFSI) was examined in a sample of 414 non-Hispanic, European–American men and women. A significant association was observed between a DRD2 allele and AFSI and an even stronger association when the DRD2 allele was interacted with a DRD1 allele. A constrained regression model was constructed predicting AFSI using sex and a group of nine psychosocial variables as predictors. Adding the DRD2 and the DRD2-by-DRD1 predictors to this model increased the explained variance by 23 and 55%, respectively. Although these findings suggest a stronger association among males than among females, further research will be necessary to clarify this question, as well as to establish whether the observed association holds in other racial/ethnic groups.
Lateral current injection distributed feedback laser with wirelike active regions

One of the promising candidates to solve a problem of a performance limitation of LSI is replacing the electrical global wiring by an on chip optical interconnection. A semiconductor membrane laser, which consists of a high-index contrast waveguide, is expected to operate with ultra low threshold current due to an enhanced modal gain. We have introduced a lateral current injection (LCI) structure for electrically pumped membrane laser, and demonstrate LCI type Distributed feedback (DFB) laser with wirelike active region prepared on a semi-insulating (SI) InP substrate. A threshold current of as low as 11 mA and a stable single-mode operation were obtained for a device with the stripe width of 1.5 µm and the cavity length of 300 µm under a room-temperature continuous-wave (RT-CW) condition.
Ideas and thoughts of Italian teachers on the professional future of persons with disability.

BACKGROUND The literature places special focus on the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with disability and on their self-determination and social and work participation. The field of vocational guidance also considers the satisfaction these individuals experience concerning their future crucial to their QoL. At the same time, however, persons with disability are at great risk of not making highly advantageous choices for their future. Hence, teachers and career counsellors can play an important role in vocational guidance for persons with disability. METHODS The present study was aimed at investigating the ideas of a group of teachers asked to describe in writing the future of hypothetical students with disability. Their descriptions were first analysed to verify whether any reference was made to the construct of QoL and whether a significant role was attributed to aspects of work inclusion and work satisfaction. Response category differences were then compared for curricular teachers vs. specialised teachers, elementary school teachers vs. middle school teachers, and low self-efficacy vs. high self-efficacy teachers. RESULTS Teachers describing the future of a hypothetical student with Down's syndrome mentioned some aspects of QoL and emphasised certain features over others. Several category type differences teachers emerged, although not always in line with expectations. CONCLUSIONS Teachers' ideas on the future of individuals with intellectual disability are characterised by a certain bias towards the restrictions that impairment can imply. In consideration of our findings, the need for training actions is highlighted.
The Mass of the Central Black Hole in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3783

Improved analysis of ultraviolet and optical monitoring data on the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 provides evidence for the existence of a supermassive, (8.7 ± 1.1) × 106 M☉, black hole in this galaxy. By using recalibrated spectra from the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite and ground-based optical data, as well as refined techniques of reverberation mapping analysis, we have reduced the statistical uncertainties in the response of the emission lines to variations in the ionizing continuum. The different time lags in the emission-line responses indicate a stratification in the ionization structure of the broad-line region and are consistent with the virial relationship suggested by the analysis of similar active galaxies.
Role of Climate Change in Global Predictions of Future Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosols

[1] A unified tropospheric chemistry-aerosol model within the Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model II' is applied to simulate an equilibrium CO 2 -forced climate in the year 2100 to examine the effects of climate change on global distributions of tropospheric ozone and sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, black carbon, primary organic carbon, secondary organic carbon, sea salt, and mineral dust aerosols. The year 2100 CO 2 concentration as well as the anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors and aerosols/aerosol precursors are based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2. Year 2100 global O 3 and aerosol burdens predicted with changes in both climate and emissions are generally 5-20% lower than those simulated with changes in emissions alone; as exceptions, the nitrate burden is 38% lower, and the secondary organic aerosol burden is 17% higher. Although the CO 2 -driven climate change alone is predicted to reduce the global O 3 burden as a result of faster removal of O 3 in a warmer climate, it is predicted to increase surface layer O 3 concentrations over or near populated and biomass burning areas because of slower transport, enhanced biogenic hydrocarbon emissions, decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrate at higher temperatures, and the increase of O 3 production by increased water vapor at high NO x levels. The warmer climate influences aerosol burdens by increasing aerosol wet deposition, altering climate-sensitive emissions, and shifting aerosol thermodynamic equilibrium. Climate change affects the estimates of the year 2100 direct radiative forcing as a result of the climate-induced changes in burdens and different climatological conditions; with full gas-aerosol coupling and accounting for ozone and aerosols from both natural and anthropogenic sources, year 2100 global mean top of the atmosphere direct radiative forcings by O 3 , sulfate, nitrate, black carbon, and organic carbon are predicted to be +0.93, -0.72, -1.0, +1.26, and -0.56 W m -2 , respectively, using present-day climate and year 2100 emissions, while they are predicted to be +0.76, -0.72, -0.74, +0.97, and -0.58 W m -2 , respectively, with year 2100 climate and emissions.
Tissue Distribution and Relative Gene Expression of UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases (2B7, 2B15, 2B17) in the Human Fetus

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze phase II conjugation reactions and play an important role in the inactivation and elimination of several drugs. It is well known that the UGT activity in fetal livers is low compared with the UGT activity in adult livers. In this study the mRNA expression levels of the three human subfamilies, 2B7, 2B15, and 2B17, were determined in 20 adult and 60 fetal liver tissue specimens. The expression profile in fetal kidneys (N = 43), adrenals (N = 46), and lungs (N = 37) was also determined. All fetal and adult samples were genotyped for the UGT2B17 deletion polymorphism. Adult liver contained 13–36 times higher levels of UGT2B mRNAs as compared with fetal livers. UGT2B7 was most abundant in fetal lungs and kidneys, whereas UGT2B15 and UGT2B17 were predominant in the liver. There was a significant correlation between UGT2B7 expression levels in lungs and kidneys, whereas for the other UGT2Bs no correlation between the different tissues was observed. Fetuses expressing two UGT2B17 alleles (ins/ins) displayed significantly higher levels of UGT2B17 mRNA compared to ins/del fetuses in lungs, whereas in the other tissues no gene dose-effect was observed.
Preparation and Characterization of Naringenin-Loaded Elastic Liposomes for Topical Application

Excessive production of radical oxygen species in skin is a contributor to a variety of skin pathologies. Naringenin is a potent antioxidant. The purpose of the present study was to develop elastic liposomes for naringenin topical application. Naringenin-loaded elastic liposomes containing different amounts of Tween 80 and cholesterol were prepared. The physicochemical properties including vesicle size, surface charge, encapsulation efficiency, and permeability capacity were determined to evaluate the effect of components. The stability of formulation and skin irritation caused by drug-loaded elastic liposomes were also evaluated for assessment of the clinical utility of elastic liposomes. Saturated aqueous solution of naringenin and naringenin dissolved in 10% Tween 80 solution (5 mg/mL) were used as the control group. The result showed that in using elastic liposomes as carrier, the deposition amounts in the skin of naringenin were significantly increased about 7.3~11.8-fold and 1.2~1.9-fold respectively, when compared with the saturated aqueous solution and Tween 80 solution-treated groups. The level of drug was more than 98.89±3.90% after 3 months of storage at 4℃. In a skin irritation test, the result showed experimental formulation exhibit considerably less irritating than the positive control (paraformaldehyde-treated) group, suggesting its potential therapeutic application.
The effective content of surreal algebra

Abstract This paper defines and explores the properties of several effectivizations of the structure of surreal numbers. The construction of one of previously investigated systems, the metadyadics, is shown to be effectively equivalent to the construction of the surreals in . This equivalence is used to answer several open questions concerning the metadyadics. Results obtained seem to indicate that the metadyadics best capture the notion of a recursive surreal number.
Measuring Segregation on Small Units: A Partial Identification Analysis

We consider the issue of measuring segregation in a population of small units, considering establishments in our application. Each establishment may have a different probability to hire an individual from the minority group. We define segregation indices as inequality indices on these unobserved, random probabilities. Because these probabilities are measured with error by proportions, standard estimators are inconsistent. We model this problem as a nonparametric binomial mixture. Under this testable assumption and conditions satisfied by standard segregation indices, such indices are partially identified and sharp bounds can be easily obtained by an optimization over a low dimensional space. We also develop bootstrap confidence intervals and a test of the binomial mixture model. Finally, we apply our method to measure the segregation of foreigners in small French firms.
Readability assessment for text simplification: From analysing documents to identifying sentential simplifications

Readability assessment can play a role in the evaluation of a simplification algorithm as well as in the identification of what to simplify. While some previous research used traditional readability formulas to evaluate text simplification, there is little research into the utility of readability assessment for identifying and analyzing sentence level targets for text simplification. We explore this aspect in our paper by first constructing a readability model that is generalizable across corpora and across genres and later adapting this model to make sentence-level readability judgments.First, we report on experiments establishing that the readability model integrating a broad range of linguistic features works well at a document level, performing on par with the best systems on a standard test corpus. Next, the model is confirmed to be transferable to different text genres. Moving from documents to sentences, we investigate the model’s ability to correctly identify the difference in reading level between a sentence and its human simplified version. We conclude that readability models can be useful for identifying simplification targets for human writers and for evaluating machine generated simplifications.
Growth and Progression of TRAMP Prostate Tumors in Relationship to Diet and Obesity

To clarify effects of diet and body weight on prostate cancer development, three studies were undertaken using the TRAMP mouse model of this disease. In the first experiment, obesity was induced by injection of gold thioglucose (GTG). Age of prostate tumor detection (~33 wk) and death (~43 wk) was not significantly different among the groups. In the second study, TRAMP-C2 cells were injected into syngeneic C57BL6 mice and tumor progression was evaluated in mice fed either high-fat or low-fat diets. The high fat fed mice had larger tumors than did the low-fat fed mice. In the third study, tumor development was followed in TRAMP mice fed a high fat diet from 6 weeks of age. There were no significant effects of body weight status or diet on tumor development among the groups. When the tumors were examined for the neuroendocrine marker synaptophysin, there was no correlation with either body weight or diet. However, there was a significant correlation of the expression of synaptophysin with earlier age to tumor detection and death. In summary, TRAMP-C2 cells grew faster when the mice were fed a high-fat diet. Further synaptophysin may be a marker of poor prognosis independent of weight and diet.
Review of Static Approaches to Surgical Correction of Presbyopia

Presbyopia is the primary cause of reduction in the quality of life of people in their 40s, due to dependence on spectacles. Therefore, presbyopia correction has become an evolving and rapidly progressive field in refractive surgery. There are two primary options for presbyopia correction: the dynamic approach uses the residual accommodative capacity of the eye, and the static approach attempts to enhance the depth of focus of the optical system. The dynamic approach attempts to reverse suspected pathophysiologic changes. Dynamic approaches such as accommodative intraocular lenses (IOLs), scleral expansion techniques, refilling, and photodisruption of the crystalline lens have attracted less clinical interest due to inconsistent results and the complexity of the techniques. We have reviewed the most popular static techniques in presbyopia surgery, including multifocal IOLs, PresbyLASIK, and corneal inlays, but we should emphasize that these techniques are very different from the physiologic status of an untouched eye. A systematic PubMed search for the keywords “presbylasik”, “multifocal IOL”, and “presbyopic corneal inlay” revealed 634 articles; 124 were controlled clinical trials, 95 were published in the previous 10 years, and 78 were English with available full text. We reviewed the abstracts and rejected the unrelated articles; other references were included as needed. This narrative review compares different treatments according to available information on the optical basis of each treatment modality, including the clinical outcomes such as near, intermediate, and far visual acuity, spectacles independence, quality of vision, and dysphotopic phenomena.
Optimizing recursive task parallel programs

We present a new optimization DECAF that optimizes recursive task parallel (RTP) programs by reducing the task creation and termination overheads. DECAF reduces the task termination (join) operations by aggressively increasing the scope of join operations (in a semantics preserving way), and eliminating the redundant join operations discovered on the way. Further, DECAF extends the traditional loop chunking technique to perform load-balanced chunking, at runtime, based on the number of available worker threads. This helps reduce the redundant parallel tasks at different levels of recursion. We also discuss the impact of exceptions on our techniques and extend them to handle RTP programs that may throw exceptions. We implemented DECAF in the X10v2.3 compiler and tested it over a set of benchmark kernels on two different hardwares (a 16-core Intel system and a 64-core AMD system). With respect to the base X10 compiler extended with loop-chunking of Nandivada et al. [26] (LC), DECAF achieved a geometric mean speed up of 2.14× and 2.53× on the Intel and AMD system, respectively. We also present an evaluation with respect to the energy consumption on the Intel system and show that on average, compared to the LC versions, the DECAF versions consume 71.2% less energy.
Radio Observations of the Hubble Deep Field-South Region. II. The 1.4 GHz Catalog and Source Counts

This paper is part of a series describing the results from the Australia Telescope Hubble Deep Field–South (ATHDFS) survey obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. This survey consists of observations at 1.4, 2.5, 5.2, and 8.7 GHz, all centered on the Hubble Deep Field–South. Here we present the first results from the extended observing campaign at 1.4 GHz. A total of 466 sources have been cataloged to a local sensitivity of 5 σ (11 μJy rms). A source extraction technique is developed that (1) successfully excludes spurious sources from the final source catalogs and (2) accounts for the nonuniform noise in our image. A source catalog is presented, and the general properties of the 1.4 GHz image are discussed. We also present source counts derived from our ATHDFS 1.4 GHz catalog. Particular attention is given to ensuring that the counts are corrected for survey incompleteness and systematic effects. Our counts are consistent with other surveys (e.g., the Australia Telescope ESO Slice Project, VIRMOS, and the Phoenix Deep Field), and we find, in common with these surveys, that the HDF-N counts are systematically lower.