Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pancreatic islet differentiation of human embryonic stem cells by microRNA overexpression

Development of stem cell‐based therapies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes would provide a renewable supply of human β‐cells. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are considered to be one of the stem cell populations with sufficient proliferative capacity to achieve this goal. Currently, differentiation protocols directing ESCs toward a pancreatic fate employ a variety of expensive cytokines and inhibitors. With the known significance of microRNAs in islet development, we present a novel and cost‐effective strategy in which miR‐375 overexpression promotes pancreatic endocrine differentiation in hESCs in the absence of any extrinsic factors. miR‐375 has been shown to be a key regulator of pancreatic development and function in zebrafish, mouse and human. In this study, hESCs were transduced with lentiviral vectors containing human miR‐375 precursor and aggregated to form human embryoid bodies (hEBs) for up to 21 days. Morphological assessment, immunocytochemistry and DTZ staining confirmed that miR‐375‐induced hEBs have similar characteristics to those of mature islets. In addition, the dynamic expression profile of endodermal marker Foxa2 and endocrine‐specific genes, including HNF4α, Pdx1, Pax6, Nkx6.1, Glut2 and insulin, were detected by quantitative real‐time PCR. Finally, insulin release upon glucose stimulation was detected in our differentiated clusters. The data presented here demonstrate the feasibility of using microRNAs to direct differentiation into the pancreatic lineage. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
More on the relative strength of counting principles

We give exponential size lower bounds for bounded-depth Frege proofs of variants of the bijective (‘onto’) version of the pigeonhole principle, even given additional axiom schemas for modular counting principles. As a consequence we show that for bounded-depth Frege systems the general injective version of the pigeonhole principle is exponentially more powerful than its bijective version. Furthermore this yields a slightly simpler proof of exponential separations between modular counting principles in boundeddepth Frege systems.
Coming to Terms

In a provocative book-length essay, Patricia Lynne argues that most programmatic assessment of student writing in U.S. public and higher education is conceived in the terms of mid-20th century positivism. Since composition as a field had found its most compatible home in constructivism, she asks, why do compositionists import a conceptual frame for assessment that is incompatible with composition theory? By casting this as a clash of paradigms, Lynne is able to highlight the ways in which each theory can and cannot influence the shape of assessment within composition. She laments, as do many in composition, that the objectively oriented paradigm of educational assessment theory subjugates and discounts the very social constructionist principles that empower composition pedagogy. Further, Lynne criticizes recent practice for accommodating the big business of educational testingespecially for capitulating to the discourse of positivism embedded in terms like 'validity' and 'reliability. ' These terms and concepts, she argues, have little theoretical significance within composition studies, and their technical and philosophical import are downplayed by composition assessment scholars. There is a need, Lynne says, for terms of assessment that are native to composition. To open this needed discussion within the field, she analyzes cutting-edge assessment efforts, including the work of Broad and Haswell, and she advances a set of alternate terms for evaluating assessment practices, a set of terms grounded in constructivism and composition. Coming to Terms is ambitious and principled, and it takes a controversial stand on important issues. This strong new volume in assessment theory will be of serious interest to assessment specialists and their students, to composition theorists, and to those now mounting assessments in their own programs.
Valproate and neuroprotective effects for bipolar disorder

Valproate is an anticonvulsant drug but also a mood stabilizer commonly used to treat bipolar disorder. It has a structure of short-chain fatty acid and is becoming a first line treatment for bipolar disorder. The effect mechanism of the vaproate has not been completely established but it has been suggested that alterations in gene expression may be involved in chronic treatment. On the other hand, a growing body of evidence emphasizes that valproate has neuroprotective and neurotrophic actions. Neuroimaging studies that examine neurochemistry in the living brain provide further support for the hypothesis that bipolar disorder is related to changes in neuronal viability and function. In cellular view of point, it was showed that valproate protected rat cerebral cortical and cerebellar granule cells from glutamate-related excitotoxicity, and apoptotic death of the endoplasmic reticulum in C6 glioma cells and PC 12 cells. At the genetic level, growing data suggest that the long-term treatment of mood disorders may involve the regulation of signalling pathways and gene expression in critical neuronal circuits. It has been shown that lithium and valproate produce some changes in basal and stimulated DNA binding to activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factors, considering that strategic changes in gene expression in critical neuronal circuits may be important in the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders. So, a growing body of evidence establishes its neuroprotective and neurotrophic actions in bipolar disorder.
Collagen Scaffolds in Bone Sialoprotein-Mediated Bone Regeneration

Decades of research in bioengineering have resulted in the development of many types of 3-dimentional (3D) scaffolds for use as drug delivery systems (DDS) and for tissue regeneration. Scaffolds may be comprised of different natural fibers and synthetic polymers as well as ceramics in order to exert the most beneficial attributes including biocompatibility, biodegradability, structural integrity, cell infiltration and attachment, and neovascularization. Type I collagen scaffolds meet most of these criteria. In addition, type I collagen binds integrins through RGD and non-RGD sites which facilitates cell migration, attachment, and proliferation. Type I collagen scaffolds can be used for bone tissue repair when they are coated with osteogenic proteins such as bone morphogenic protein (BMP) and bone sialoprotein (BSP). BSP, a small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein (SIBLING), has osteogenic properties and plays an essential role in bone formation. BSP also mediates mineral deposition, binds type I collagen with high affinity, and binds αvβ 3 and αvβ 5 integrins which mediate cell signaling. This paper reviews the emerging evidence demonstrating the efficacy of BSP-collagen scaffolds in bone regeneration.
Struggling with cancer and treatment: young athletes recapture body control and identity through exercise: qualitative findings from a supervised group exercise program in cancer patients of mixed gender undergoing chemotherapy

Cancer and treatment can negatively affect the body's performance and appearance. Exercise has been tested in a few studies for altered body image among middle‐aged women with breast cancer. The aim of the study was to explore how young pre‐cancer athletes of both genders experience disease‐ and treatment‐related physical fitness and appearance changes while undergoing chemotherapy and participating in a 6‐week group exercise intervention. A prospective, explorative study using semi‐structured interviews was conducted before and at termination of the intervention. The study included 22 cancer patients (median age 28 years). The young athletes experienced a change from a high level of physical activity, body satisfaction and a positive self‐identity to a low level of physical activity, body denial and a negative self‐identity. In the program, the patients experienced increased physical strength and recapture of certain aspects of their former positive body perception. Deterioation of muscle functions caused by chemotherapy was particularly painful to these patients, independent of gender and age. Young physically active patients are heavily dependent on their physical capacity, body satisfaction and self‐identity. This should be taken into account when designing programs to rehabilitate and encourage these patients through the often‐strenuous antineoplastic treatments.
Irisin plasma concentration in PCOS and healthy subjects is related to body fat content and android fat distribution

Abstract Irisin (Ir), a recently identified adipo-myokine, cleaved and secreted from the protein FNDC5 in response to physical activity, has been postulated to induce the differentiation of a subset of white adipocytes into brown fat and to mediate the beneficial effects on metabolic homeostasis. Metabolic syndrome (MS), a cluster of factors leading to impaired energy homeostasis, affects a significant proportion of subjects suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between Ir plasma concentrations and metabolic disturbances. The study group consisted of 179 PCOS patients and a population of 122 healthy controls (both groups aged 25–35 years). A subset of 90 subjects with MS was isolated. A positive association between Ir plasma level and MS in the whole group and in controls was found. In subjects with high adipose body content (>40%), Ir was higher than in lean persons (<30%). Our results showed a significant positive association between Ir concentration and android type of adipose tissue in the whole study group and in the control group. Understanding the role of Ir in increased energy expenditure may lead to the development of new therapeutics for obesity and obesity-related diseases. Chinese abstract 鸢尾素（Ir）,一个新近被发现的脂肪-肌肉细胞因子，由蛋白FNDC5在体力活动时产生应答而裂解和分泌，推测其诱导白色脂肪细胞亚单位分化为棕色脂肪，并介导棕色脂肪对代谢稳态的有益作用。 代谢综合征（MS），一系列因素导致能量稳态受损，影响了相当比例的多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）患者。 我们的研究旨在探讨Ir的血浆浓度与代谢紊乱间的关系。 实验组包含179名PCOS患者和122名健康对照人群（两组年龄均为25-35岁）。 其中90名患有MS的受试者。 实验组和对照组均发现Ir血浆浓度和MS呈正相关。 在体脂含量较高（＞40%）的受试者中，Ir水平在比较瘦的患者（＜30%）高。 我们的结果显示实验组和对照组的Ir浓度和雄性脂肪组织呈显著正相关。 了解Ir在增加能量消耗中的作用可能有助于发展肥胖和肥胖相关疾病的新的治疗方法。
Intramuscular architecture of the autochthonous back muscles in humans

Many training concepts take muscle properties such as contraction speed or muscle topography into account to achieve an optimal training outcome. Thus far, the internal architecture of muscles has largely been neglected, although it is well known that parameters such as pennation angles or the lengths of fascicles but also the proportions of fleshy and tendinous fascicle parts have a major impact on the contraction behaviour of a muscle. Here, we present the most detailed description of the intramuscular fascicle architecture of the human perivertebral muscles available so far. For this, one adult male cadaver was studied. Our general approach was to digitize the geometry of each fascicle of the muscles of back proper (Erector spinae) – the Spinalis thoracis, Iliocostalis lumborum, Longissimus thoracis and the Multifidus thoracis et lumborum – and of the deep muscles of the abdomen – Psoas minor, Psoas major and Quadratus lumborum – during a layerwise dissection. Architectural parameters such as fascicle angles to the sagittal and the frontal planes as well as fascicle lengths were determined for each fascicle, and are discussed regarding their consequences for the function of the muscle. For example, compared with the other dorsovertebral muscles, the Longissimus thoracis can produce greater shortening distances because of its relatively long fleshy portions, and it can store more elastic energy due to both its relatively long fleshy and tendinous fascicle portions. The Quadratus lumborum was outstanding because of its many architectural subunits defined by distinct attachment sites and fascicle lengths. The presented database will improve biomechanical models of the human trunk by allowing the incorporation of anisotropic muscle properties such as the fascicle direction into finite element models. This information will help to increase our understanding of the functionality of the human back musculature, and may thereby improve future training concepts.
Clevidipine: A Short‐Acting Intravenous Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker for the Management of Hypertension

Drugs used to acutely lower blood pressure have specific indications and precautions for use. Clevidipine is a third‐generation parenteral dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker that received United States Food and Drug Administration approval in August 2008 for blood pressure reduction when oral therapy is not feasible or desirable. Formulated as an injectable oil‐in‐water emulsion, the drug is a short‐acting arterial‐selective vasodilator. Clinical efficacy and safety trials of clevidipine have primarily focused on blood pressure management during cardiac surgery and in patients with acute severe hypertension (in intensive care units and emergency departments). In phase III trials, clevidipine demonstrated efficacy in blood pressure lowering, with a relatively low occurrence of adverse events. Reflex tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and acute renal failure were observed in these studies and merit additional analysis. The lack of specific clinical outcomes documenting improved morbidity and mortality rates as compared with other agents, the small numbers of treated patients, and concerns regarding the lipid formulation necessitate further investigation to help define the therapeutic role of clevidipine.
Automated Planning and Scheduling using Calculus of Variations in Discrete Space

In this paper, we propose new dominance relations that can speed up significantly the solution process of planning problems formulated as nonlinear constrained dynamic optimization in discrete time and space. We first show that path dominance in dynamic programming cannot be applied when there are general constraints that span across multiple stages, and that node dominance, in the form of Euler-Lagrange conditions developed in optimal control theory in continuous space, cannot be extended to that in discrete space. This paper is the first to propose efficient node-dominance relations, in the form of local saddle-point conditions in each stage of a discrete-space planning problem, for pruning states that will not lead to locally optimal paths. By utilizing these dominance relations, we present efficient search algorithms whose complexity, despite exponential, has a much smaller base as compared to that without using the relations. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of our approach by integrating it in the ASPEN planner and show significant improvements in CPU time and solution quality on some spacecraft scheduling and planning benchmarks.
Joint power control and user scheduling in multicell wireless networks: Capacity scaling laws

We address the optimization of the sum rate performance in multicell interference-limited singlehop networks where access points are allowed to cooperate in terms of joint resource allocation. The resource allocation policies considered here combine power control and user scheduling. Although very promising from a conceptual point of view, the optimization of the sum of per-link rates hinges, in principle, on tough issues such as computational complexity and the requirement for heavy receiver-to-transmitter channel information feedback across all network cells. In this paper, we show that, in fact, distributed algorithms are actually obtainable in the asymptotic regime where the numbers of users per cell is allowed to grow large. Additionally, using extreme value theory, we provide scaling laws for upper and lower bounds for the network capacity (sum of single user rates over all cells), corresponding to zero-interference and worst-case interference scenarios. We show that the scaling is either dominated by path loss statistics or by small-scale fading, depending on the regime and user location scenario. We show that upper and lower rate bounds behave in fact identically, asymptotically. This remarkable result suggests not only that distributed resource allocation is practically possible but also that the impact of multicell interference on the capacity (in terms of scaling) actually vanishes asymptotically.
Reciprocity of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) in measurements and models of structured surfaces

The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is one of the most important surface properties for terrestrial remote sensing, but its definition for structured surfaces is not fully understood. The BRDF of flat surfaces has a straightforward definition and is usually considered to be reciprocal, which means the value is the same when the source and detector angles are switched. Structured surfaces, such as forest canopies and grasslands, require an extension of the definition of BRDF and some additional measurement conditions. In this paper, a definition for the BRDF of structured surfaces is proposed, and it is shown that with this definition, the BRDF is reciprocal. In addition some of the related geometrical measurement requirements are discussed. It is concluded that reciprocity should apply for both measurements and models of structured surfaces and that field measurements violate reciprocity not because the BRDF itself is nonreciprocal, but because of uncorrected geometric and radiometric factors.
Understanding sexual size dimorphism in snakes: wearing the snake's shoes

Correspondence and present address: J. A. Rivas, 17126 Lawson Valley Road, Jamul, CA 91935, U.S.A. G. M. Burghardt is at the Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, U.S.A. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread in almost every group of animals, generating great scientific interest (Andersson 1994). Most research has been on species in which males are larger than females. Explanations tend to focus on the advantages of size for direct male–male competition over access to fertile females or resources needed by females for reproduction. However, this explanation has been more difficult to apply to snakes where SSD is often extreme and female biased and in which intraspecific aggression, dominance hierarchies and territoriality are rare. Although relatively large males have been shown to have a greater mating success in some species (Shine 1978; Shine 1993; Madsen & Shine 1994), they have not in others (Madsen & Shine 1993; Madsen et al. 1993; Weatherhead et al. 1995). Recently Shine et al. (2000) and Crews (2000) discussed conflicting evidence on the role of male body size in mating success in common garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, in this forum, but were unable to resolve the different empirical results. Sometimes scientific assumptions or ingrained points of view may hinder recognition of other possibilities. Here we discuss an alternative approach to generating testable hypotheses: critical anthropomorphism (Burghardt 1991). By using critical anthropomorphism we propose a new hypothesis that has the potential to settle this controversy. Jacob von Uexkull (1909/1985) advocated studying the behaviour of animals by considering both their inner world (Innenwelt) and how they perceived and responded to their environment (Umwelt). A major aspect of this approach was to evaluate differences among species in the salience of biologically relevant perceptual cues (Tinbergen 1951; Burghardt 1985). Recent proposals to study animal cognition focus on the ways that animals
Reimbursements for telehealth services are likely to be lower than non-telehealth services in the United States

Telehealth technologies promise to increase access to care, particularly in underserved communities. However, little is known about how private payer reimbursements vary between telehealth and non-telehealth services. We use the largest private claims database in the United States provided by the Health Care Cost Institute to identify telehealth claims and compare average reimbursements to non-telehealth claims. We find average reimbursements for telehealth services are significantly lower than those for non-telehealth for seven of the ten most common services. For example, telehealth reimbursements for office visits for evaluation and management of established patients with low complexity were 30% lower than the corresponding non-telehealth service. Reimbursements by clinical diagnosis code also tended to be lower for telehealth than non-telehealth claims. Widespread adoption of telehealth may be hampered by lower reimbursements for telehealth services relative to face-to-face services. This may result in lower incentives for providers to invest in telehealth technologies that do not result in significant cost savings to their practice, even if telehealth improves patient outcomes.
Does the ISNT Rule Apply to the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer?

Purpose:To determine whether the ISNT rule (Inferior>Superior>Nasal>Temporal) or the “IST” rule (Inferior>Superior>Temporal) can be applied to the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness as measured using Heidelberg Retinal Tomography (HRT) and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of 189 normal and 42 glaucomatous eyes. RNFL thicknesses measured in different quadrants using HRT and OCT were compared to determine the percentage of eyes obeying the ISNT and IST rule. Results:The HRT-measured mean RNFL thickness in normal eyes showed that 25.9% obeyed the ISNT rule and 70.4% conformed to the “IST” rule. The “IST” rule was able to identify normal eyes better (P=0.040), but had a poor sensitivity (45%) and specificity (70%) to diagnose glaucoma. The OCT-measured average RNFL thickness showed that 47.1% of normal eyes obeyed the ISNT rule and 58.7% conformed to the “IST” rule. Exclusion of the nasal sector also increased the number of glaucomatous eyes conforming to the IST rule (31% obeyed the ISNT rule and 50% obeyed the IST rule). Sensitivities and specificities of the ISNT and the IST rules for OCT-quantified RNFL ranged from 42% to 77%. Conclusions:A larger number of normal eyes obeyed the IST rule compared with the ISNT rule for the RNFL thickness measured by HRT and OCT. Exclusion of the nasal sector from the analysis (IST rule) marginally improved the specificity in diagnosing glaucoma at the cost of the sensitivity, making neither of these parameters (ISNT and IST) likely to be useful clinically.