Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α in Developing Mice

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 4α, a transcription factor of the nuclear hormone receptor family, is generally expressed in some endoderm‐derived epithelial tissues such as hepatocytes. In mice, an alternative promoter referred to as the P2 promoter is located upstream from the P1 promoter, resulting in the transcription of at least nine isoforms. In this study, we investigated the expression of Hnf4α in adult and embryonic mouse tissues, paying special attention to the developing metanephros by using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction for the detection of P1 and/or P2 promoter‐derived products. In adult mouse tissues, the kidney was the only organ expressing Hnf4α controlled only by the P1 promoter, and HNF4α was detected in the nuclei of epithelial cells in the proximal tubules, but not in other components of the nephron. In the metanephros, HNF4α was detected first at the epithelial cell nuclei in part of the comma‐shaped body, distributed widely throughout the developing nephron and finally restricted to the proximal tubules. Interestingly, it was noted that Hnf4α mRNAs from stomach, pancreas and kidney tissues in embryonic periods were transcribed by both promoters. Immunohistochemistry for HNF4α and HNF1α revealed that both factors involved the same network of transcription factors, giving the impression that HNF4α was upstream of HNF1α.
Doubly Latent Multilevel Analyses of Classroom Climate: An Illustration

Many classroom climate studies suffer from 2 critical problems: They (a) treat climate as a student-level (L1) variable in single-level analyses instead of a classroom-level (L2) construct in multilevel analyses; and (b) rely on manifest-variable models rather than on latent-variable models that control measurement error at L1 and L2, and sampling error in the aggregation of L1 ratings to form L2 constructs. On the basis of an analysis of 2,541 students in Grades 5 or 6 from 89 classrooms, the authors demonstrate doubly latent multilevel structural equation models that overcome both of these problems. The results show that L2 classroom climate (a higher-order factor representing classroom mastery goal orientation, challenge, and teacher caring) had positive effects on self-efficacy and achievement. The authors conclude with a discussion of related issues (e.g., the meaning of L2 constructs vs. L1 residuals, the dimensionality of climate constructs at L2) and guidelines for future research. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of The Journal of Experimental Education for the following free supplemental resource(s): Appendices and Supplemental Tables. ]
Development of a Simple 12-Item Theory-Based Instrument to Assess the Impact of Continuing Professional Development on Clinical Behavioral Intentions

Background Decision-makers in organizations providing continuing professional development (CPD) have identified the need for routine assessment of its impact on practice. We sought to develop a theory-based instrument for evaluating the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions. Methods and Findings Our multipronged study had four phases. 1) We systematically reviewed the literature for instruments that used socio-cognitive theories to assess healthcare professionals' clinically-oriented behavioral intentions and/or behaviors; we extracted items relating to the theoretical constructs of an integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors and removed duplicates. 2) A committee of researchers and CPD decision-makers selected a pool of items relevant to CPD. 3) An international group of experts (n = 70) reached consensus on the most relevant items using electronic Delphi surveys. 4) We created a preliminary instrument with the items found most relevant and assessed its factorial validity, internal consistency and reliability (weighted kappa) over a two-week period among 138 physicians attending a CPD activity. Out of 72 potentially relevant instruments, 47 were analyzed. Of the 1218 items extracted from these, 16% were discarded as improperly phrased and 70% discarded as duplicates. Mapping the remaining items onto the constructs of the integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors yielded a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 275 items per construct. The partnership committee retained 61 items covering all seven constructs. Two iterations of the Delphi process produced consensus on a provisional 40-item questionnaire. Exploratory factorial analysis following test-retest resulted in a 12-item questionnaire. Cronbach's coefficients for the constructs varied from 0.77 to 0.85. Conclusion A 12-item theory-based instrument for assessing the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions showed adequate validity and reliability. Further studies could assess its responsiveness to behavior change following CPD activities and its capacity to predict health professionals' clinical performance.
The influence of assist gas on magnetic properties of electrotechnical steel sheets cut with laser

The paper presents the influence of assist gas (air and nitrogen) during laser cutting on magnetization, magnetic permeability and loss characteristics of non-oriented electrical steels. The research was made on an non-oriented M330-50A grade electrical steels by means of single sheet tester. In order to enhance the effect of cutting and the same degradation zone on magnetic properties, strips with different width were achieved. Measurements results indicate that application of air as assist gas has more destructive effect on magnetic properties of electrical steels than nitrogen one.
The Use of Supermicrosurgery in Lower Extremity Reconstruction: The Next Step in Evolution

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of supermicrosurgery (perforator-to-perforator anastomosis) in lower extremity reconstruction. Methods: From January of 2007 to February of 2008, a total of 42 patients were treated for soft-tissue defects of the lower extremity resulting from various causes. They were reconstructed with either anterolateral thigh perforator flaps (38 flaps) or upper medial thigh perforator flaps (four flaps) using the supermicrosurgery technique. The region of the defect was located on the knee, including the upper third of the leg in 17 patients and the middle third of the leg in 25 patients. All of the flaps were anastomosed between the perforators in end-to-end fashion. Results: With the exception of one flap, all flaps survived without any complications. One flap was observed to have no flow after 24 hours and was deemed unsalvageable. The average time of operation was 3 hours 20 minutes. Ambulation was allowed within 7 days after surgery if bone status was feasible. Conclusions: The use of supermicrosurgery in lower extremity reconstruction allows an increase in selection of recipient pedicles. By using a perforator-to-perforator anastomosis approach, less time is consumed in securing the recipient vessel and elevating the flap, and the risk for major vessel injury is minimized and flap survival is acceptable. However, it requires a steep learning curve before the technique can be used comfortably. The supermicrosurgery technique is feasible and may be efficient in the hands of a skilled surgeon.
Physiological Effect of Vibrations on Tractor Drivers under Variable Ploughing Conditions

Physiological Effect of Vibrations on Tractor Drivers under Variable Ploughing Conditions: Mohammad Muzammil, et al. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ergonomics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, India—The vibration conditions to which tractor operators are subjected are complex and varied with multi axis translation and rotational vibration inputs to different parts of the body. Working under such conditions may lead to human fatigue and other driving related hazards. The present research was carried out to study the operators under varying conditions of vibration while driving a tractor with and without farm equipment on different fields. Test runs were conducted in wet and dry fields to determine the levels of vibration generated at different engine speeds. On the basis of this study three levels of vibration namely 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 m/s2 were selected. Five subjects, all males, with no experience in the field of tractor driving participated in the study. The data were analyzed on the basis of three factor repeated measure kind of experimental design. The results showed that the main effects of farm equipment and the vibration level were statistically significant but the effect of field type was found to be statistically non‐significant. The results of the study call upon the ergonomists to design and develop a tractor where the driver may be relieved of vibration induced stresses. Front loading of farm equipment is recommended for improved visibility and better working posture.
Protease Activated Receptor 2 (PAR2) Induces Long-Term Depression in the Hippocampus through Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4)

Protease activated receptors (PARs) are involved in regulating synaptic transmission and plasticity in the brain. While it is well-accepted that PAR1 mediates long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synaptic strength, the role of PAR2 in synaptic plasticity remains not well-understood. In this study, we assessed the role of PAR2-signaling in plasticity at hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. Using field potential recordings, we report that PAR2-activation leads to long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission through a protein kinase A -dependent, Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 -mediated mechanism, which requires the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. These results demonstrate that the effects of PAR2 on synaptic plasticity are distinct from what is observed upon PAR1-activation. Thus, we propose that the activation of different classes of PARs, i.e., PAR1 and PAR2, may set the threshold of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal network by balancing LTP and LTD.
Strength and ductility of biaxially loaded high strength RC short square columns wrapped with GFRP jackets

The present study is an experimental investigation into the behaviour of high strength concrete square short columns subjected to biaxial bending moments and strengthened by GFRP laminates. The main objectives of the study are: to evaluate the improvement in the structural performance of HSC short square columns subjected to small biaxial eccentricity when strengthened by externally applied FRP laminates, and to investigate the optimum arrangement and amount of FRP laminates to achieve potential enhancement in structural performance especially ductility. The parameters considered in this study are: number of FRP layers and arrangement of wraps. The load eccentricity is kept corresponding to e/t
UV-B Promotes Rapid Nuclear Translocation of the Arabidopsis UV-B–Specific Signaling Component UVR8 and Activates Its Function in the Nucleus

Arabidopsis thaliana UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 (UVR8) is a UV-B–specific signaling component that binds to chromatin and regulates UV protection by orchestrating expression of a range of genes. Here, we studied how UV-B regulates UVR8. We show that UV-B stimulates the nuclear accumulation of both a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-UVR8 fusion and native UVR8. Nuclear accumulation leads to UV-B induction of the HY5 gene, encoding a key transcriptional effector of the UVR8 pathway. Nuclear accumulation of UVR8 is specific to UV-B, occurs at low fluence rates, and is observed within 5 min of UV-B exposure. Attachment of a nuclear export signal (NES) to GFP-UVR8 causes cytosolic localization in the absence of UV-B. However, UV-B promotes rapid nuclear accumulation of NES-GFP-UVR8, indicating a concerted mechanism for nuclear translocation. UVR8 lacking the N-terminal 23 amino acids is impaired in nuclear translocation. Attachment of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) to UVR8 causes constitutive nuclear localization. However, NLS-GFP-UVR8 only confers HY5 gene expression following UV-B illumination, indicating that nuclear localization, although necessary for UVR8 function, is insufficient to cause expression of target genes; UV-B is additionally required to stimulate UVR8 function in the nucleus. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms through which UV-B regulates gene expression in plants.
Cognitive‐behavioral intervention for distress in patients with melanoma

Melanoma accounts for > 79% of skin cancer‐related deaths, although it accounts for only 4% of skin cancer incidence. Given the potential for lethality, it is likely that patients with melanoma may experience significant emotional distress. The current study was designed to determine the effect of a cognitive‐behavioral intervention on distress and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with melanoma who had medium‐to‐high distress.
Circulating TGF-β1, Glycation, and Oxidation in Children with Diabetes Mellitus Type 1

The present study investigates the relationship between diabetes metabolic control represented by levels of HbA1c, early glycation products-(fructosamine (FAM)), serum-advanced glycation end products (s-AGEs), lipoperoxidation products (LPO), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and circulating TGF-β in young patients with DM1. The study group consisted of 79 patients with DM1 (8–18 years). 31 healthy children were used as control (1–16 years). Baseline characteristics of patients were compared by Student's t-test and nonparametric Mann-Whitney test (Statdirect), respectively. The correlations between the measured parameters were examined using Pearson correlation coefficient r and Spearman's rank test, respectively. A P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. HbA1c was measured by LPLC, s-AGEs spectrofluorimetrically, LPO and AOPP spectrophotometrically and TGF-β by ELISA. Our results showed that parameters of glycation and oxidation are significantly higher in patients with DM1 than in healthy control. The level of serum TGF-β was significantly higher in diabetics in comparison with control: 7.1(3.6; 12.6) versus 1.6(0.8; 3.9) ng/mL. TGF-β significantly correlated with age and duration of DM1. There was not found any significant relation between TGF-β and parameres of glycation and oxidation. However, these results do not exclude the association between TGF-β and the onset of diabetic complications.
Collective neutrino flavor transitions in supernovae and the role of trajectory averaging

Non-linear effects on supernova neutrino oscillations, associated with neutrino–neutrino interactions, are known to induce collective flavor transformations near the supernova core for . In scenarios with very shallow electron density profiles, these transformations have been shown to couple with ordinary matter effects, jointly producing spectral distortions both in normal and in inverted hierarchy. In this work we consider a complementary scenario, characterized by higher electron density, as indicated by shock-wave simulations during a few seconds after bounce. In this case, early collective flavor transitions are decoupled from later, ordinary matter effects. Moreover, such transitions become more amenable to both numerical computations and analytical interpretations in inverted hierarchy, while they basically vanish in normal hierarchy. We numerically evolve the neutrino density matrix in the region relevant for self-interaction effects, using thermal spectra and a representative value sin2θ13 = 10−4. In the approximation of averaged intersection angle between neutrino trajectories, our simulations neatly show the collective phenomena of synchronization, bipolar oscillations, and spectral split, with analytically understandable features, as recently discussed in the literature. In the more realistic (but computationally demanding) case of non-averaged neutrino trajectories, our simulations do not show new significant qualitative features, apart from the smearing of ‘fine structures’ such as bipolar nutations. Our results seem to suggest that, at least for non-shallow matter density profiles, averaging over neutrino trajectories plays a minor role in the final outcome. In this case, the swap of νe and νμ,τ spectra above a critical energy may represent an unmistakable signature of the inverted neutrino hierarchy, especially for θ13 small enough to render further (ordinary or even turbulent) matter effects irrelevant.
Adenovirus Type 7 Induces Interleukin-8 in a Lung Slice Model and Requires Activation of Erk

ABSTRACT Adenovirus (Ad), particularly Ad type 7 (Ad7), causes severe lung infection and pneumonia. Initially, Ad causes neutrophilic inflammation of the distal airways and alveoli. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is the major lung neutrophil chemotaxin, and we have shown that Ad7 induces IL-8 release from the A549 alveolar epithelial cell line. We sought to determine whether ex vivo human and bovine lung tissue containing primary pneumocytes could be used as a more accurate and relevant model to study Ad acute inflammation. We found that cultured lung tissue preserved normal lung architecture for more than 10 days. IL-8 was generated upon exposure of the lung organ culture to Ad7. IL-8 production required activation of the Ras/Erk pathway, since a pharmacological inhibitor blocked the appearance of IL-8 in the medium. Both human and bovine lung explants supported replication of Ad7, and immunohistochemistry experiments demonstrated the presence of the Ad hexon antigen within alveolar epithelial cells. These findings show that our novel human lung organ culture accurately reproduces the in vivo infectious disease process. Thus, this organ culture model represents a valuable tool for studying the acute innate immune response to respiratory infections.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Geographical patterns of deep mitochondrial differentiation in widespread Malagasy reptiles

Using sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, we reconstructed the phylogeography of six widely distributed Malagasy reptiles: two gekkonid lizard species, Phelsuma lineata and Hemidactylus mercatorius; two chameleons, the Calumma brevicorne complex, and Furcifer lateralis; and two skinks, Trachylepis gravenhorstii and Trachylepis elegans. Genetic differentiation among major haplotype lineages was high and in some cases indicates or confirms species status of the divergent populations. Maximum uncorrected sequence divergences were between 2.2% and 8.3% within the various species or species complexes. Haplotype lineages were exclusive to geographic regions, except in the commensal H. mercatorius where in three anthropogenic habitats coexistence of haplotype lineages was observed, possibly due to human translocation. The eastward flowing rivers Mangoro and Mananara may represent barriers to gene flow in the case of three species each. Some species sampled from humid eastern and arid western Madagascar showed no differentiation between populations from these two regions; instead the pattern observed was in several cases more concordant with a differentiation along a north-south axis. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effect of atrial septostomy on the survival of patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension

Atrial septostomy (AS) is a palliative treatment for right ventricular failure from severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We sought to investigate the effect of AS, alone or combined with PAH-specific pharmacotherapy, on the survival of patients with PAH. We performed a retrospective analysis of the functional and haemodynamic changes in patients with PAH following AS, and long-term survival characteristics for the whole group and separately for the subgroup who received post-procedural pharmacotherapy. 50 procedures performed in 34 patients (mean±sd age 35±10 yrs) resulted in haemodynamic and symptomatic improvement in most of the patients. Only one (2%) procedure-related death occurred. Due to spontaneous closure of the defect, AS was repeated in 10 patients. In 21 patients, AS was the only form of treatment, while 11 received additional pharmacotherapy after AS. During follow-up (58.5±38 months), 21 patients died; median survival of the group was 60 months (95% CI 43–77 months). Median survival for patients on pharmacotherapy additional to AS was 83 months (95% CI 57–109 months), which was better than that for patients with AS alone (53 months, 95% CI 39–67 months) (log-rank 6.52; p=0.010). In selected patients with PAH, AS is a safe and effective intervention that exerts a beneficial impact on long-term survival. Survival appears to be improved when AS is combined with PAH-specific pharmacotherapy.
(A)Symmetric Stem Cell Replication and Cancer

Most tissues in metazoans undergo continuous turnover due to cell death or epithelial shedding. Since cellular replication is associated with an inherent risk of mutagenesis, tissues are maintained by a small group of stem cells (SCs) that replicate slowly to maintain their own population and that give rise to differentiated cells. There is increasing evidence that many tumors are also maintained by a small population of cancer stem cells that may arise by mutations from normal SCs. SC replication can be either symmetric or asymmetric. The former can lead to expansion of the SC pool. We describe a simple model to evaluate the impact of (a)symmetric SC replication on the expansion of mutant SCs and to show that mutations that increase the probability of asymmetric replication can lead to rapid mutant SC expansion in the absence of a selective fitness advantage. Mutations in several genes can lead to this process and may be at the root of the carcinogenic process.
DERI&UPM: Pushing Corpus Based Relatedness to Similarity: Shared Task System Description

In this paper, we describe our system submitted for the semantic textual similarity (STS) task at SemEval 2012. We implemented two approaches to calculate the degree of similarity between two sentences. First approach combines corpus-based semantic relatedness measure over the whole sentence with the knowledge-based semantic similarity scores obtained for the words falling under the same syntactic roles in both the sentences. We fed all these scores as features to machine learning models to obtain a single score giving the degree of similarity of the sentences. Linear Regression and Bagging models were used for this purpose. We used Explicit Semantic Analysis (ESA) as the corpus-based semantic relatedness measure. For the knowledge-based semantic similarity between words, a modified WordNet based Lin measure was used. Second approach uses a bipartite based method over the WordNet based Lin measure, without any modification. This paper shows a significant improvement in calculating the semantic similarity between sentences by the fusion of the knowledge-based similarity measure and the corpus-based relatedness measure against corpus based measure taken alone.
Interleukin 4 induces selective production of interleukin 6 from normal human B lymphocytes

In this paper we have shown that extensively purified human B lymphocytes respond to IL-4 treatment with a marked production of IL-6. Addition of anti-mu potentiated the effect of IL-4 on IL-6 production. Other cytokines tested like TNF-alpha and-beta, IFN-gamma, IL-1, IL-2, and IL-5 did not induce IL-6 secretion when given to resting B cells. Although B cells generally also produced TNF-alpha and TNF-beta upon stimulation, IL-4 did not induce TNF secretion and seemingly had a specific effect on IL-6 production.