Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the Optimal Timing of Fertilization for Embryo Development of In Vitro-Matured Bovine Oocytes Based on the Times of Nuclear Maturation and Sperm Penetration

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to estimate the optimal timing for fertilization to achieve proper embryonic development of in vitro-matured bovine oocytes. First, cumulus-oocyte complexes were subjected to in vitro maturation (IVM) for 14–22 hr. The timing when 50% of oocytes reached metaphase II stage was estimated to be 17.5 hr after IVM start. Next, using oocytes subjected to IVM for 12–30 hr, sperm penetration was examined after 4–18 hr of in vitro fertilization (IVF). A significant negative correlation between IVM duration and the timing when 50% of oocytes were penetrated by sperm after IVF start was observed (P<0.01). Finally, oocytes subjected to 12–30 hr of IVM were inseminated and cultured for 6 days to examine embryonic development. In the group with 22 hr of IVM, the percentages of cleaved embryos and blastocysts were the highest values in all groups. According to the regression equation describing the time from nuclear maturation to sperm penetration (x) and the percentage of blastocysts (y) (y=7.23x − 0.297x2, P<0.01), the blastocyst rate peaked when sperm penetration occurred at 12.2 hr after achieving nuclear maturation. In conclusion, under the present IVM/IVF conditions, it was estimated that oocytes acquired their highest developmental competence at about 30 hr after IVM start, and thus, the optimal IVM duration was calculated to be about 21 hr.
Fphog1, a HOG‐type MAP kinase gene, is involved in multistress response in Fusarium proliferatum

ΔFphog1 mutants of Fusarium proliferatum obtained by targeted gene disruption of Fphog1, an orthologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae hog1 MAPK gene showed increased sensitivity towards different abiotic stressors including UV‐irradiation, heat, salt, osmotic and hydrogen peroxide treatments. Incubation of the ΔFphog1 mutants under hyperosmotic conditions was accompanied with prolonged growth arrest, inhibition of conidial germination, morphological abnormalities and time‐dependent increase of the cell death rate. The wild type Fphog1 gene, under the control of its own promoter, was able to rescue the multistress sensitivity of the mutant strain. Real time qPCR data demonstrated that under salt and sorbitol stress conditions the Fphog1 gene is not subject of transcriptional regulation. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane permeability transition, nuclear disintegration and DNA fragmentation, indicators of programmed cell death (PCD) all showed significant increases under osmotic stress conditions in the ΔFphog1 mutant in comparison to the wild type strain. These results suggest that an important function of Fphog1 is attenuating apoptotic phenotypes under salt and sorbitol stressors. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Quintessential inflation

We present an explicit observationally acceptable model for evolution from inﬂation to the present epoch under the assumption that the entropy and matter of the familiar universe are from gravitational particle production at the end of inﬂation. This eliminates the problem of ﬁnding a satisfactory coupling of the inﬂaton and matter ﬁelds. Since the inﬂaton potential V ( φ ) may be a monotonic function of the inﬂaton φ , the inﬂaton energy could produce an observationally signiﬁcant eﬀective cosmological constant, as in quintessence.
The reporting of mental disorders research in British media

Background While the media may significantly influence public attitudes and government policies affecting the research agenda, how mental health research is reported in the media has been virtually unstudied. The aim of this study was to examine stories concerning mental health research published on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website between 1999 and 2008 and in New Scientist between 2008 and 2010. Method Stories were retrieved from on-line archives. Story content was coded and assessed against: ‘disease burden’ of mental disorders; the general corpus of research papers in mental health and the countries from which they originated; the journals in which cited papers were published; and funding sources. Results A total of 1015 BBC stories reporting mental health research and 133 New Scientist stories were found. The distribution of stories did not reflect ‘disease burden’; research on dementia was over-represented, while depression and alcohol were under-represented. There was an emphasis on biological research while stories on psychological interventions were rare. UK research was over-represented. Research funded by government and private non-profit sources was over-represented. Commentators from Alzheimer's Disease charities were prominent. Conclusions Consideration of reported stories may suggest approaches to working with the media to improve the public understanding of, and support for, mental health research. The role of commentators may be especially important.
Biodegradation kinetics of 2,4-D by bacterial strains isolated from soil

The aim of the study was to characterize the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) degradative potential of three bacterial strains identified by MIDI-FAME profiling as Burkholderia cepacia (DS-1), Pseudomonas sp. (DS-2) and Sphingomonas paucimobilis (DS-3) isolated from soil with herbicide treatment history. All strains were capable of using herbicide as the only source of carbon and energy when grown in mineral salt medium (MSM) containing 2,4-D (50 mg/l). Over a 10 day incubation period, 69%, 73% and 54% of the initial dose of 2,4-D were degraded by strains DS-1, DS-2 and DS-3, respectively. Analysis of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) concentration, the main metabolite of 2,4-D degradation, revealed that strains DS-1 and DS-2 may also have the potential to metabolize this compound. The percentage of 2,4-DCP removal was 67% and 77% in relation to maximum values of 9.5 and 9.2 mg/l determined after 4 and 2 days for MSM+DS-1 and MSM+DS-2, respectively. The degradation kinetics of 2,4-D (50 mg/kg) in sterile soil (SS) showed different potential of tested strains to degrade 2,4-D. The times within which the initial 2,4-D concentration was reduced by 50% (DT50) were 6.3, 5.0 and 9.4 days for SS+DS-1, SS+DS-2 and SS+DS-3, respectively.
Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy in the Treatment of Cerebral Palsy : A Review and Comparison to Currently Accepted Therapies

Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT) has shown promise in clinical trials and is sought by many parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP). There is unusual resistance to expanding the indications for this modality, which is the only treatment available for certain conditions, such as decompression sickness and air embolism, and which is effective in a number of others related to wound healing. A recent study that showed notable improvements in children with CP treated with slightly pressurized air, as well as those treated with a standard protocol for HBOT, is invoked to deny effectiveness of HBOT. Political and economic considerations, rather than purely scientific ones, play an important role in this controversy. Further systematic research is needed, but in the meantime children should not be denied access to HBOT. Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT) in the treatment of certain conditions (for example: decompression accidents, gas gangrene, burns) is supported by substantial clinical literature. Some other conditions (for example: skin or tissue grafts, specific cases of anemia) are also on the accepted indication list but with scant support from formal clinical trials. Its use in some conditions has proved ineffective, and in others, especially neurologic, it has been very controversial. In 1994 Harch reported the first North American case of HBOT in a child with cerebral palsy (CP). Around the year 2000, some researchers affirmed that, following HBOT, some patients with CP experienced improvement in motor function ,and decreased muscle spasms. Controversy soon developed in the newspapers. Political factors have impeded further research and the adoption of new clinical applications. In 1999 the drug definition of HBOT was refined and restated as the use of oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressure as a drug to treat basic pathophysiologic processes and the associated diseases. Under normal atmospheric pressure at sea level—760 mm Hg, 1 atmosphere absolute or 1 ATA—hemoglobin in the blood is already 97% saturated with oxygen, with very little capacity for increasing oxygen transport. Oxygen is also dissolved directly in the plasma in a more bioavailable form. According to Henry’s Law, the absorption of a gas is directly related to the partial pressure of the gas. About 17 times as much oxygen can be carried in the plasma when the patient breathes 100% oxygen at a pressure of 3 ATA, compared with breathing room air at sea level (see Table 1). The added pressure can also reduce blood flow to the damaged areas, and hence reducing edema, without compromising oxygenation. 1
Sympathetic neurons expressing cholinergic properties are poised to allocate choline symmetrically between acetylcholine and the phosphatidylcholine-generating pathway in growing neurites

We have examined the question of how regenerating sympathetic neurons that are concomitantly induced to become cholinergic regulate choline allocation between ACh and the phospholipid synthetic pathway. The allocation of choline into ACh increased parabolically with time in culture, and by 3 weeks, cultures with neurites of approximately 6 mm length were incorporating over 85% of the choline locally in the neurites into four major metabolites: ACh, phosphorylcholine, cytidine diphosphocholine, and phosphatidylcholine. The near-equivalent distribution of labeled choline between intracellular choline, ACh, and phosphorylcholine was independent of time (5 min to 6 hr) and choline concentration (0.125–30 microM), phosphatidylcholine being the sole metabolite whose level in the neurites increased steadily with incubation time. Relative choline distribution into ACh and phosphorylcholine was unaltered even after a brief depolarizing prepulse, which caused a two- to fourfold enhancement in the total choline incorporated. These observations, allied with the similar half- saturation constants and Vmax values of CAT and choline kinase for intracellular choline, suggest that growing sympathetic neurons are poised to allocate choline symmetrically between the synthesis of ACh and phosphatidylcholine in the neurites. When, however, the supply of choline was limited either by replacement of Na+ in the medium with N- methyl-D-glucamine, or by vesamicol, a 90–97% reduction in intracellular choline caused a similar decline in ACh levels but synthesis of metabolites of the phosphatidylcholine pathway was maintained unperturbed, as if no drug was present. We suggest that this can be accounted for by a 10-fold increase in choline kinase activity. Thus, growing sympathetic neurons that express cholinergic properties not only maintain their chief cellular phosphatidylcholine-synthesizing activity concomitantly with ACh synthesis in the neurites, but may also preserve phosphatidylcholine synthesis more effectively than ACh synthesis when the supply of choline is perturbed. Relinquishing ACh synthesis during growth may be one way of conserving and encouraging neurite regeneration.
Effect of Edible and Active Coating (with Rosemary and Oregano Essential Oils) on Beef Characteristics and Consumer Acceptability

The effects of an alginate-based edible coating containing natural antioxidants (rosemary and oregano essential oils) on lipid oxidation, color preservation, water losses, texture and pH of beef steaks during 14 days of display were studied. The essential oil, edible coating and beef antioxidant activities, and beef consumer acceptability were also investigated. The edible coatings decreased lipid oxidation of the meat compared to the control. The coating with oregano was most effective (46.81% decrease in lipid oxidation) and also showed the highest antioxidant activity. The coatings significantly decreased color losses, water losses and shear force compared to the control. The coatings had a significant effect on consumer perception of odor, flavor and overall acceptance of the beef. In particular, the oregano coating showed significantly high values (approximately 7 in a 9-point scale). Active edible coatings containing natural antioxidants could improve meat product stability and therefore have potential use in the food industry.
Carotid cavernous fistula after percutaneous balloon compression for trigeminal neuralgia: Endovascular treatment with coils

Background: Percutaneous ganglyolysis treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is rarely associated with vascular complications, such as hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and stroke. Internal carotid artery injury may also occur after misguided needle placement, particularly far posteriorly or medially, resulting in carotid cavernous fistula. Anatomical variations of the foramen ovale can predispose those complications. Case Description: A young woman diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia during 11 years was submitted to a balloon rhizotomy by percutaneous approach to the trigeminal ganglion, with severe intraoperative bleeding. Cavernous syndrome developed few hours later. Magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography confirmed an indirect carotid cavernous sinus fistula, which was treated by one session of endovascular procedure using coils, achieving total occlusion of the fistula and total recovery of the symptoms. Conclusions: Embolization with coils is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective procedure for the treatment of carotid cavernous fistulas, including those related to iatrogenic causes.
Finite-Size Facility Placement in the Presence of Barriers to Rectilinear Travel

We consider the placement (location and orientation) of a single finite-size (finite-area, arbitrary shape) facility in the plane under the assumption that all travel occurs according to the rectilinear (or Manhattan) metric in the presence of impenetrable barriers to travel. Facility users are distributed over a finite set of demand points. The facility serves the users via a service point (server) located on the boundary of the facility. We consider aninteractive model in the sense that there is interaction between not only the facility and the users, but also among the users themselves. We identify the candidates for optimal placement(s) for a facility with a fixed orientation and then for a facility with a fixed server location. Finally, we present a heuristic for the solution of the general problem, when the location and orientation are both unknown.
L-651,392, a potent leukotriene inhibitor, controls inflammatory process in Escherichia coli pyelonephritis

In this study, the relationship between leukotrienes, peritubular cell infiltration with polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and renal tubular damage was investigated in a rat model of acute ascending pyelonephritis. Infection was induced by the injection of 10(5) CFU of Escherichia coli into the bladder and occlusion of the left ureter for 24 h. Treatment of infected animals was started 24 h after the induction of pyelonephritis with either hydrocortisone (25 mg/kg of body weight per day), the leukotriene inhibitor L-651,392 (10 mg/kg/day), or the vehicle of L-651,392 and was maintained for 5 days. At the end of treatment, the animals were killed, serum was collected, and both kidneys were removed for colony counts and histopathology. Renal function was evaluated by the measurement of blood urea nitrogen levels and creatinine clearance. The numbers of PMNs and mononuclear cells (MNs) in the cortex and medulla were recorded for all groups on plastic sections done from the left kidney. Infection alone (vehicle of L-651,392) resulted in intensive interstitial infiltration and a severe tubular destruction in the cortex. Treatment with hydrocortisone did not prevent PMN migration and tissue damage. By contrast, treatment with L-651,392 resulted in a significant reduction in PMNs (P < 0.001 in comparisons with all other groups) and greater preservation of the tubular structure despite identical bacterial counts than in the group receiving hydrocortisone. We conclude that L-651,392 prevents inflammatory cells from reaching the site of infection and protects the kidney from tubular damage associated with inflammation during pyelonephritis. Inhibitors of leukotrienes should be further investigated for their potential benefit as adjuvants to antibiotherapy in the treatment of pyelonephritis.
Functional error modeling for uncertainty quantification in hydrogeology

Approximate models (proxies) can be employed to reduce the computational costs of estimating uncertainty. The price to pay is that the approximations introduced by the proxy model can lead to a biased estimation. To avoid this problem and ensure a reliable uncertainty quantification, we propose to combine functional data analysis and machine learning to build error models that allow us to obtain an accurate prediction of the exact response without solving the exact model for all realizations. We build the relationship between proxy and exact model on a learning set of geostatistical realizations for which both exact and approximate solvers are run. Functional principal components analysis (FPCA) is used to investigate the variability in the two sets of curves and reduce the dimensionality of the problem while maximizing the retained information. Once obtained, the error model can be used to predict the exact response of any realization on the basis of the sole proxy response. This methodology is purpose‐oriented as the error model is constructed directly for the quantity of interest, rather than for the state of the system. Also, the dimensionality reduction performed by FPCA allows a diagnostic of the quality of the error model to assess the informativeness of the learning set and the fidelity of the proxy to the exact model. The possibility of obtaining a prediction of the exact response for any newly generated realization suggests that the methodology can be effectively used beyond the context of uncertainty quantification, in particular for Bayesian inference and optimization.
Estimating the Risk of Developing Glaucoma

The issue of risk assessment in glaucoma has received increasing attention in the past few years since the publication of results from the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. Predictive models have been developed in order to estimate the risk that patients with ocular hypertension will develop glaucoma if left untreated. The purpose of this article is to review issues on the development and validation of predictive models to estimate risk of glaucoma development. Current models are reviewed and details about their development and validation are provided.
Antitumor effects of clinical dosing regimens of bisphosphonates in experimental breast cancer bone metastasis.

BACKGROUND Bisphosphonates exhibit direct antitumor activity in animal models, but only at high doses that are incompatible with the clinical dosing regimens approved for the treatment of cancer patients with skeletal metastases. We compared the antitumor effects of clinical dosing regimens of the bisphosphonates zoledronic acid and clodronate in a mouse model of bone metastasis. METHODS Mice (n = 6-10 per group) were treated with zoledronic acid, clodronate, or vehicle starting before (preventive protocols) or after (treatment protocols) intravenous injection with human B02/GFP.2 breast cancer cells, which express green fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase and metastasize to bone. Zoledronic acid was given as daily, weekly, or single doses at a cumulative dose of 98-100 microg/kg body weight, equivalent to the 4-mg intravenous dose given to patients. Clodronate was given as a daily dose (530 microg/kg/day), equivalent to the daily 1600-mg oral clinical dose given to patients. Bone destruction was measured by radiography, x-ray absorptiometry or tomography, and histomorphometry (as the ratio of bone volume to tissue volume). Skeletal tumor burden was measured by histomorphometry (as the ratio of tumor burden to soft tissue volume [TB/STV]) and luciferase activity. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS In treatment protocols, daily clodronate was less effective at decreasing the TB/STV ratio than daily (53% versus 87%, difference = 34%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 16% to 44%, P < .001) or weekly (53% versus 90%, difference = 37%, 95% CI = 19% to 46%, P < .001) zoledronic acid-dosing regimens. Compared with vehicle, a single dose of zoledronic acid decreased tumor burden by only 16% (95% CI = 9% to 22%, P < .001). In preventive protocols, daily clodronate and daily or weekly zoledronic acid decreased the TB/STV ratio by 49% (95% CI = 40% to 57%, P = .006), 83% (95% CI = 68% to 98%, P < .001), and 66% (95% CI = 47% to 84%, P < .001), respectively, compared with vehicle, whereas a single dose of zoledronic acid decreased tumor burden by only 13% (95% CI = -2% to 28%, P = .84). Mice treated with a daily preventive regimen of clodronate or with a daily or weekly preventive regimen of zoledronic acid showed a decreased B02/GFP.2 cell tumor burden compared with vehicle, whereas a single preventive dose of zoledronic acid had no effect. CONCLUSION Daily or repeated intermittent therapy with clinical doses of bisphosphonates inhibits skeletal tumor growth in a mouse model.
Gadolinium-Fullerenol as a Paramagnetic Contrast Agent for Cellular Imaging

Objectives:The objectives of this study were to test cell-labeling methods to achieve intracellular labeling and T1 enhancement of cells on magnetic resonance imaging using a paramagnetic Gd@C82 fullerenol contrast agent, and to determine the effect of labeling on cell viability, metabolism, and differentiation capacity. Materials and Methods:We tested the use of a transfection agent for labeling cells in culture with Gd@C82 fullerenol. Proliferation, viability, and differentiation assays of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cultures; light and electron microscopy of MSC and macrophages; and MRI of MSC, macrophage, and HeLa cervical carcinoma cell cultures in vitro and in vivo were performed to evaluate the labeled cells. Results:Protamine sulfate transfection increased cell uptake of Gd@C82 fullerenols. The label was distributed in endosomes in the cytoplasm as shown by electron microscopy. High viability was shown for all cell lines and normal differentiation capacity was shown for MSCs. T1 of labeled MSC at 7 T was reduced 71% compared with unlabeled cells. Conclusions:Cellular labeling with Gd@C82 is feasible and can produce T1-enhanced cells on magnetic resonance imaging. This study suggests that further investigation of Gd fullerenols for tracking studies of viable cells, including stem cells, is warranted.
Crackling noise during failure of alumina under compression: the effect of porosity

We study acoustic emission avalanches during the process of failure of porous alumina samples (Al2O3) under compression. Specimens with different porosities ranging from 30% to 59% have been synthesized from a mixture of fine-grained alumina and graphite. The compressive strength as well as the characteristics of the acoustic activity have been determined. The statistical analysis of the recorded acoustic emission pulses reveals, for all porosities, a broad distribution of energies with a fat tail, compatible with the existence of an underlying critical point. In the region of 35%–55% porosity, the energy distributions of the acoustic emission signals are compatible with a power-law behaviour over two decades in energy with an exponent ϵ = 1.8 ± 0.1.