Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human cumulus cell complexes studied in vitro by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

Summary Various researchers describe the morphology of cumulus cells (CC) in vitro, but few have investigated their behaviour on plastic. Knowledge concerning the behaviour of human CC could be useful in improving the success of in vitro fertilisation procedures. This study aimed to describe the morphology and behaviour of CC in vitro and to investigate movement on a collagen-coated substrate. Following collection some cumulus were mechanically dissected from those surrounding the oocyte. Cumulus aggregates were cultured over 24 h using Earle's medium supplemented with 8% albumin. Substrata were plastic coverslips coated with collagens I, IV, or mixed collagens. Cumulus cultured over corresponding time periods on uncoated coverslips served as controls. Specimens were fixed and prepared for scanning electron microscopy. Over 24 h the controls began exhibiting the morphological features associated with cell movement: cell surface protrusions changed from blebs to microridges, lamellipodia and leading lamellae; cell shape altered from rounded and upright, to flattened. Extracellularmatrix (ECM) transformed from a thick, sheet-like substance to a thin, fibrous material. By 24 h, cells contacting ECM remained rounded showing few features of movement. Collagens enhanced attachment of CC as a monolayer on the substrate. Cell morphology varied according to the collagen type used. On mixed collagens, cells attached rapidly, appearing to be predominantly non-motile. On collagen type I there was less attachment of cells but increased motility. On collagen type IV there was decreased attachment and the cells remained spherical. In conclusion, collagens enhance the settling of cumulus cells on a plastic substrate and the cells exhibit some specificity in attaching to collagens.
Culture‐specific personality correlates of anxiety among Chinese and Caucasian college students

The present study investigated the relationship between a set of personality constructs (i.e. perfectionism, independent-interdependent self-construal, and collective self-esteem) and trait and social anxiety among 324 Mainland Chinese and 333 Caucasian college students. It was hypothesized that the strength of the correlation between these personality factors and anxiety would be different for the two samples. The results indicated that socially prescribed perfectionism was a better predictor of social anxiety for the Chinese participants, but of trait anxiety for the Caucasian participants. Independent self-construal predicted social anxiety better for the Caucasians than for the Chinese. Overall, aspects of collective self-esteem were more correlated with anxiety among the Chinese than the Caucasians. The authors argued that the findings can be used to improve multicultural counselling in China and the USA and to provide more culturally specific interventions to clients having anxiety disorders.
Anatomical Traces of Vocabulary Acquisition in the Adolescent Brain

A surprising discovery in recent years is that the structure of the adult human brain changes when a new cognitive or motor skill is learned. This effect is seen as a change in local gray or white matter density that correlates with behavioral measures. Critically, however, the cognitive and anatomical mechanisms underlying these learning-related structural brain changes remain unknown. Here, we combined brain imaging, detailed behavioral analyses, and white matter tractography in English-speaking monolingual adolescents to show that a critical linguistic prerequisite (namely, knowledge of vocabulary) is proportionately related to relative gray matter density in bilateral posterior supramarginal gyri. The effect was specific to the number of words learned, regardless of verbal fluency or other cognitive abilities. The identified region was found to have direct connections to other inferior parietal areas that separately process either the sounds of words or their meanings, suggesting that the posterior supramarginal gyrus plays a role in linking the basic components of vocabulary knowledge. Together, these analyses highlight the cognitive and anatomical mechanisms that mediate an essential language skill.
Identification of a major metabolite of danshensu in rat urine and simultaneous determination of danshensu and its metabolite in plasma: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.

Danshensu, as the effective component of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), has been widely used in clinical studies for treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China. A new metabolite, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyllactic acid was isolated from the urine of rats, and its chemical structure was identified by ultraviolet (UV), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Furthermore, a selective and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of danshensu and its major metabolite, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyllactic acid, in rat plasma after oral and intravenous administration of danshensu. The separation was performed on a Hypersil Gold C18 column (150 × 2.1 mm i.d., 3.0 µm, Thermo, San jose CA, USA) with gradient elution using a mobile phase composed of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Linear detection responses were obtained for danshensu and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyllactic acid ranging from 5 to 10000 ng/mL and 5 to 4000 ng/mL, respectively. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) for the two compounds were both 5 ng/mL. The intra-and inter-day precision (R.S.D %) were within 5.61% for the two analytes. The average recoveries of the analytes were greater than 72.43%. The method was proved to be stable during all sample storage, preparation and analytic procedures. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic studies of danshensu and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyllactic acid after oral and intravenous administration of danshensu in rats.
Conceptual and Mathematical Relationships among Methods for Spatial Analysis

A large number of methods for the analysis of the spatial structure of natural phenomena (for example, the clumping or overdispersion of tree stems, the positions of veins of ore in a rock formation, the arrangement of habitat patches in a landscape, and so on) have been developed in a wide range of scientific fields. This paper reviews many of the methods and describes the relationships among them, both mathematically, using the cross-product as a unifying principle, and conceptually, based on the form of a moving window or template used in calculation. The relationships among these methods suggest that while no single method can reveal all the important characteristics of spatial data, the results of different analyses are not expected to be completely independent of each other. Most systems in the natural world are not spatially homogeneous but exhibit some kind of spatial structure. Ecologists and other scientists have become both increasingly aware of the importance of the spatial components of the phenomena they study, and increasingly sophisticated in their ability to quantify it and to include it in their understanding of ecological processes (Legendre and Legendre 1998, Liebhold and Gurevitch 2002). Partly because the study of spatial structure has arisen more-or-less independently in various branches of science (e.g., geology, geography, ecology, hydrol-ogy, engineering) and with somewhat different motivations and for different applications, a great variety of methods have been proposed in the past decades (Perry et al. 2002). The motivations that have given rise to the development of these methods include the estimation of ore reserves (mining), the detection of the clumping of individual organisms (ecology), and the search for unifying concepts of the spatial structure of natural objects. The wide range of methods also reflects the diversity of data that are used for analysis: the mapped locations of objects in a plane (point pattern process), mapped objects with an associated characteristic (a marked point process); spatially dispersed samples either regularly or irregularly arranged; transects of contiguous units recording the abundances of different species; grids of units, each with quantitative or qualitative characteristic; and so on (see Perry et al. 2002). The methods can therefore by classified by the kinds of data to which they can be applied. For example, some can only be applied to data that are from contiguous sampling units; some apply to very sparse samples from an area; some require a complete map of all …
Approximate Power and Sample Size Determination for Common one-Sample and two-Sample Hypothesis Tests

IN the course of preparing a handbook for power analysis (Cohen, 1969), it became apparent that at the cost of (a) working with approximate rather than &dquo;exact&dquo; solutions, and (b) doing a modest amount of computing, many frequently encountered problems of statistical power analysis encountered by hypothesis-testing behavioral scientists could be brought into a simple common framework. Past publications in this program have discussed (Cohen, 1965, pp. 95-101) and documented (Cohen, 1962) the need and relative neglect of statistical power analysis of the Neyman-Pearson (1928, 1933) type in the design and interpretation of research in the behavioral sciences. This article and the more
Mock 2dF and SDSS galaxy redshift surveys

We present a comprehensive set of mock 2dF and SDSS galaxy redshift surveys constructed from a set of large, high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations. The radial selection functions and geometrical limits of the catalogues mimic those of the genuine surveys. The catalogues span a wide range of cosmologies, including both open and flat universes. In all the models the galaxy distributions are biased so as approximately to reproduce the observed galaxy correlationfunctiononscalesof1–10 h ¹1 Mpc.Insomecasesmodelswithavariety of different biasing prescriptions are included. All the mock catalogues are publicly available at http://star-www.dur. ac.uk/˜cole/mocks/main.html. We expect these catalogues to be a valuable aid in the development of the new algorithms and statistics that will be used to analyse the 2dF and SDSS surveys when they are completed in the next few years. Mock catalogues of the PSCz survey of IRAS galaxies are also available at the same World Wide Web location.
Efficacy of Methylphenidate and Behavioral Intervention on Classroom Behavior in Children with ADHD and Mental Retardation

Using a combination of an alternating treatment and double-blind placebo-controlled drug design, the independent and combined effects of two behavioral interventions and two doses of methylphenidate (MPH) in 3 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mental retardation (MR) were assessed. In this single subject design, 2 of the 3 subjects responded positively to medication as measured by increased on-task behavior. The first behavioral intervention, a token economy for on-task behavior, was ineffective for increasing either on-task behavior or work accuracy when combined with placebo. However, improvement in work accuracy was realized with implementation of a second behavioral intervention that specifically targeted accuracy independent of drug conditions. The current findings highlight both the positive effects and limitations of the two commonly used treatment modalities for ADHD. Future studies should continue to extend this area of investigative efforts to produce more data-based knowledge as to the appropriate doses of treatment, both pharmacological and behavioral, with children with both ADHD and mental retardation.
An Analysis of the Creative Potential in Individual Regions of The Czech Republic

Abstract Purpose of the article: Although the economic growth and society are two independent terms at the first sight, they are in fact closely connected and interact with each other. The main topic of this work is the creative economy, which is considered to be a part of growth theories. Thanks to the new approach, theorists supplement these theories with the demographic and the socio-cultural factor. First, the work establishes a comprehensive theoretical framework for economic growth (linked with creativity). Furthermore, it analyses the representation of creativity in the regions of the Czech Republic. Methodology/methods: The primary aim of this work is to carry out an analysis that charts the representation of the creative potential in the regions of the Czech Republic. The analysis uses the new creative index, which was created by modifying of the Richard Florida´s creative index. Consequently, the work uses the new creative index within the framework of smaller regional units as opposed to national groupings. Additional advantages of this model include the number and measurability of the indexes. Scientific aim: The aim of this work is not just demonstrating the dependence between the presence of creative people and economic growth, but in addition, the work aims to seek out the factors that influence the allocation of creative employees. Findings: The work demonstrates high mutual dependence between creativity and economic growth with the help of the correlation coefficient. The assumptions that creative regions are more attractive on the social and knowledge basis were also confirmed. Conclusions (limits,implications etc): Territorial units must consequently work to develop conditions, which support the establishment and the development of the creative environment in order to retain their competitiveness and support the economic growth.
Crime, oportunidade e vitimização

In this paper we investigate the profile of victims of property and personal crimes in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The considered characteristics of the victims were the personal attributes, socioeconomic conditions, daily habits, family aspects, and environment characteristics. The estimation method used is the Logit Model, which estimates the victimization probability. For that we used individual data of the Victimization Research realized by the Institute of Criminality and Public Security (Crisp) between February and March of 2002. The results suggest that personal attributes aren't really important to explain the profile of victims of property crimes. On the other hand, for personal crimes, age is fundamental. Youngsters are more probable of being victims of this kind of crime than older people. Furthermore, the probability of being aggressed is higher if the subjects walk at night in public ways or live in places where gunshot sound is heard. Environmental characteristics and opportunities seem to be crucial for the occurrence of these kinds of crimes.
Instruments for obtaining student feedback: a review of the literature

This paper reviews the research evidence concerning the use of formal instruments to measure students’ evaluations of their teachers, students’ satisfaction with their programmes and students’ perceptions of the quality of their programmes. These questionnaires can provide important evidence for assessing the quality of teaching, for supporting attempts to improve the quality of teaching and for informing prospective students about the quality of course units and programmes. The paper concludes by discussing several issues affecting the practical utility of the instruments that can be used to obtain student feedback. Many students and teachers believe that student feedback is useful and informative, but for a number of reasons many teachers and institutions do not take student feedback sufficiently seriously.
Incremental Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Contemporary Stress Echocardiography in a Chest Pain Unit: Mortality and Morbidity Outcomes From a Real-World Setting

Background— Clinical assessment often cannot reliably or rapidly risk stratify patients hospitalized with suspected acute coronary syndrome. The real-world clinical value of stress echocardiography (SE) in these patients is unknown. Thus, we undertook this study to assess the feasibility, safety, ability for early triaging, and prediction of hard events of SE incorporated into a chest pain unit for patients admitted with acute chest pain, nondiagnostic ECG, and negative 12-hour troponin. Methods and Results— Accordingly, 839 consecutive patients who underwent clinical, ECG, and SE assessments within 24 hours of admission were assessed for feasibility, safety, impact on triaging and discharge, and 30-day readmission rate and were followed up for hard events (all-cause mortality and acute myocardial infarction). Of the 839 patients, 811 (96.7%) had diagnostic SE results. Median time to SE and median length of stay for normal SE patients (77%) were both 1 day. The 30-day readmission rate was 0.5%. During long-term follow-up of 27±11 months, 39 hard events (30 deaths and 9 acute myocardial infarctions) occurred. Kaplan-Meier estimates of hard events were 0.5% versus 6.6% in the normal versus abnormal SE groups, respectively, in the first year of follow-up (15 events in the first year). Among all prognostic variables, only abnormal SE (hazard ratio, 4.08; 95% confidence interval, 2.15–7.72; P<0.001) and advancing age (hazard ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.39–2.37; P<0.001) predicted hard events in multivariable regression analysis. Conclusions— SE incorporated into a chest pain unit has excellent feasibility and provides rapid assessment and discharge with accurate risk stratification of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome but nondiagnostic ECG and negative 12-hour troponin.
Bacitracin Inhibits the Migration of U87-MG Glioma Cells via Interferences of the Integrin Outside-in Signaling Pathway

Objective Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) acts as a chaperone on the cell surface, and it has been reported that PDI is associated with the tumor cell migration and invasion. The aims of this study are to investigate the anti-migration effect of bacitracin, which is an inhibitor of PDI, and the associated factor in this process. Methods U87-MG glioma cells were treated with bacitracin in 1.25, 2.5, 3.75, and 5.0 mM concentrations. Western blot with caspase-3 was applied to evaluate the cytotoxicity of bacitracin. Adhesion, morphology, migration assays, and organotypic brain-slice culture were performed to evaluate the effect of bacitracin to the tumor cell. Western blot, PCR, and gelatin zymography were performed to investigate the associated factors. Thirty glioma tissues were collected following immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Results Bacitracin showed a cytotoxicity in 3rd (p<0.05) and 4th (p<0.001) days, in 5.0 Mm concentration. The cell adhesion significantly decreased and the cells became a round shape after treated with bacitracin. The migration ability, the expression of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) decreased in a bacitracin dose- and time-dependent manner. The U87-MG cells exhibited low-invasiveness in the 2.5 mM, compared with the untreated in organotypic brain-slice culture. PDI was expressed in the tumor margin, and significantly increased with histological glioma grades (p<0.001). Conclusion Bacitracin, as a functional inhibitor of PDI, decreased the phosphorylated FAK and the secreted MMP-2, which are the downstream of integrin and play a major role in cell migration and invasion, might become one of the feasible therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma.
Unterschiedliche Wertschätzung, aber gleiche Unterstützungsbereitschaft

Zusammenfassung. Soziale Netzwerke und insbesondere soziale Unterstutzung werden als ein zentraler vermittelnder Mechanismus zwischen Optimismus und Gesundheit diskutiert. In dieser Studie wird die Annahme gepruft, dass Optimisten, Pessimisten und Realisten unterschiedliche soziale Reaktionen hervorrufen. Den Probanden (N = 168) wurden Vignetten prasentiert, in denen eine Zielperson (Target) optimistisches, pessimistisches bzw. realistisches Bewaltigungsverhalten in einer Stresssituation zeigt. Anschliesend wurden per Fragebogen (a) die Bewertung des Verhaltens und der Personlichkeit des Targets, (b) die Sympathie gegenuber dem Target sowie (c) die Bereitschaft zu sozialer Unterstutzung erfasst. Hinsichtlich des Verhaltens, der Personlichkeit sowie der Sympathie wurden die optimistischen und realistischen Targets positiver bewertet als die pessimistischen Targets. Allerdings gingen diese positiveren Bewertungen der Optimisten und Realisten im Vergleich zu den Pessimisten nicht mit einer hoheren Unterstutz.
Glycated Proteins Stimulate Reactive Oxygen Species Production in Cardiac Myocytes: Involvement of Nox2 (gp91phox)-Containing NADPH Oxidase

Background— Nonenzymatic glycation that results in the production of early-glycation Amadori-modified proteins and advanced-glycation end products may be important in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. However, the effects of early-glycated proteins, such as glycated serum albumin (Gly-BSA), are poorly defined. In this study, we investigated the effects of Gly-BSA on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by cardiomyocytes. Methods and Results— Cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were incubated with Gly-BSA or vehicle (bovine serum albumin [BSA]) for up to 48 hours. Gly-BSA dose-dependently increased in situ ROS production (whole-cell dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence), with an optimum effect at 400 &mgr;g/mL after 24-hour incubation (152±10% versus BSA 100%; P<0.01). Treatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin, a Nox2 (gp91phox) antisense oligonucleotide (Nox2 AS), or the peptide gp91ds-tat significantly reduced Gly-BSA–induced ROS production at 24 hours (68.5±2.2%, 61.4±8.3%, and 53.2±5.4% reduction, respectively). NADPH-dependent activity in cell homogenates was also significantly increased by Gly-BSA at 24 hours (161±8% versus BSA) and was inhibited by diphenyleneiodonium, apocynin, NOX2AS, and the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I but not by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor or mitochondrial inhibitors. Furthermore, bisindolylmaleimide I prevented Gly-BSA–stimulated Rac1 translocation, an essential step for NADPH oxidase activation. Gly-BSA–induced increases in ROS were associated with apocynin-inhibitable nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-&kgr;B and an increase in atrial natriuretic factor mRNA expression. Conclusions— Gly-BSA stimulates cardiomyocyte ROS production through a protein kinase C–dependent activation of a Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase, which results in nuclear factor-&kgr;B activation and upregulation of atrial natriuretic factor mRNA. These findings suggest that early-glycated Amadori products may play a role in the development of diabetic heart disease.