Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Four retinal ganglion cell types that project to the superior colliculus in the thirteen‐lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tidecemlineatus)

The morphology of retinal ganglion cells projecting to the superior colliculus (SC) of the thirteen‐lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) was studied after retrogradely labeling the cells with cholera toxin subunit B. On the basis of previous reports, labeled cells were classified as small (6–10 μm in soma diameter), medium (11–14 μm), or large (>14 μm). A total of 3,427 cells were studied. Small cells constituted 78% of the population, 21% were medium cells, and only 1% were classified as large. The morphology of medium‐sized cells was studied in more detail because large cells were few in number and the staining of the dendritic tree of small cells was not optimal. The best labeled medium‐sized cells were classified on the basis of the shape and size of their dendritic tree and the pattern of dendritic ramification. Four types were identified among the medium‐sized ganglion cells. Two types were classified as symmetric δ‐like and asymmetric δ‐like cells considering the relative symmetric or asymmetric distribution of their dendritic branches and their similarities with the δ type of the cat. Approximately 52% of all the medium‐sized cells studied were symmetrical δ‐like, and 19% were classified as asymmetrical δ‐like. These cells were also very similar to the symmetrical and asymmetrical directionally selective ganglion cells described in rabbit retina. Other cells were termed β‐like. They had the smallest dendritic tree diameter, and their tree size seemed to be related to retinal eccentricity. Medium β‐like cells comprised approximately 21% of all cells projecting to the SC. The fourth type was termed “acute angle” because most of their dendritic branches were relatively straight and formed acute angles (10–45°) at their branching points. These cells were few in number (approximately 8% of all medium‐sized cells studied) and did not resemble any reported previously in cats. Thus, a variety of morphological types of retinal ganglion cells projected to the SC. Of these, the symmetrical and asymmetrical δ‐like cells appeared to correspond to the directionally selective type described in the ground squirrel (Michael, C.R. [1968] J. Neurophysiol. 31:257–267) and reported in the rabbit retina. J. Comp. Neurol. 396:105–120, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of fat‐cell enhancer regions in Drosophila melanogaster

The insect fat body is a dynamic tissue involved in maintaining homeostasis. It functions not only in energy storage and intermediary metabolism but also in detoxification, communication and the immune response. Some of these functions are confined to distinct groups of fat body cells. In Drosophila melanogaster, discrete precursor‐cell clusters populate the fat body [ Hoshizaki, D.K. , Blackburn, T. , Price, C. , Ghosh, M. , Miles, K. , Ragucci, M. and Sweis, R. (1994 ) Embryonic fat‐cell lineage in Drosophila melanogaster. Development 120: 2489–2499; Hoshizaki, D.K. , Lunz, R. , Ghosh, M. and Johnson, W. (1995 ) Identification of fat‐cell enhancer activity in Drosophila melanogaster using P‐element enhancer traps. Genome 38: 497–506; Riechmann, V. , Rehorn, K.P., Reuter, R. and Leptin, M. (1998 ) The genetic control of the distinction between fat body and gonadal mesoderm in Drosophila. Development 125: 713–723]. Whether these clusters populate defined morphological regions or whether they represent the precursors to functionally similar groups of fat‐body cells has not been formally demonstrated. We have identified a 2.1 kb enhancer region from serpent (srp), a GATA transcription factor gene that is sufficient to induce fat‐cell formation. This enhancer region drives expression in specific groups of precursor‐cell clusters, which we show give rise to defined regions of the mature embryonic fat body. We present evidence that srp expression in different precursor fat cells is controlled by independent cis‐acting regulatory regions, and we have tested the role of trans‐acting factors in the specification of some of these cells. We suggest that the different positional cues regulating srp expression, and therefore general fat‐cell specification, might also be involved in the functional specialization of fat cells. This may be a common mechanism in insects to explain the origin of biochemically distinct regions of the larval/adult fat body.
The Effect of 2 Different Single Injections of High Dose of Vitamin D on Improving the Depression in Depressed Patients With Vitamin D Deficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial

AbstractThe correlation between vitamin D deficiency and depression has recently been put forward and resulted in controversial findings. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of 2 single injections of 150,000 and 300,000 IU of vitamin D on improving the depression in depressed patients with vitamin D deficiency.This clinical trial study was carried out during 2011–2012 in Yazd, Islamic Republic of Iran. A total of 120 patients who had a Beck Depression Inventory II score of 17+ and were affected with vitamin D deficiency were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 40. They included G300, G150, and NTG. G300 and G150 received an intramuscular single dose of 300,000 and 150,000 IU of vitamin D, respectively, and the NTG group received nothing. After 3 months of intervention, the depression state, serum vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, and parathormone were measured.The median of serum vitamin D after intervention were 60.2, 54.6, and 28.2 nmol/L (P < 0.001) for the G300, G150, and NTG, respectively. Percentages of vitamin D deficiency after intervention were 18, 20, and 91.2 for the groups, respectively. The serum calcium mean showed a statistically significant increase in just the 2 test groups receiving vitamin D. There was only significant difference in mean of Beck Depression Inventory II test score between G300 and NTG (P = 0.003). The results of the study revealed that first, the correction of vitamin D deficiency improved the depression state, and second, a single injection dose of 300,000 IU of vitamin D was safe and more effective than a 150,000-IU dose.
Determinants of the perceived importance of organisational adaptation to climate change in the Australian energy industry

Climate change will pose considerable risk to organisations in the 21st century. However, organisational adaptation to climate change has not yet received much attention in the management literature. Drawing on strategic choice theory, we put forward a model proposing that environmental attitudes and climate change knowledge are antecedents of how important adaptation is perceived to be by organisational decision-makers and that the perceived risk towards climate change acts as a mediator in this relationship. We tested the model with responses from 101 managers in the Australian energy industry. Findings of the study show that both environmental attitudes and climate change knowledge have a significantly positive effect on the perceived importance of climate change adaptation and that this relationship is mediated by risk perception. The study highlights the need to draw climate knowledge to the attention of executives and discusses avenues for future research, including the extension of the findings to other industries and settings.
Estimating efficiency and its determinants in the hotel sector using a profit function

Inefficiency in the hotel sector is normally estimated through cost and scale efficiencies. This paper estimates hotel profit efficiency and its determinants employing a stochastic frontier profit function and the inefficiency effects function. The key advantage of this methodology is its ability to estimate efficiency for each hotel and the factors that explain differences in efficiency in a single-stage sampling procedure. The sample consists of 231 hotels in Spain in the period 2008–2012. Empirical evidence shows that the average level of profit efficiency is 45.85% and that age, labour productivity and location are determinants of this efficiency. Policy implications for the improvement of less efficient hotels are noted.
Informal norms trump formal constraints: the evolution of fiscal policy institutions in the United States

Abstract Two shifts of informal rules occurred in the decades around the turn of the 20th century that continue to shape U.S. fiscal policy outcomes. Spending norms in the electorate shifted to expand the scope of the government budget to promote economic security and macroeconomic stability. Simultaneously, norms for elected office shifted to careerism. Both norms were later codified into formal rules as legislation creating entitlement programs, macroeconomic responsibility, and organizational changes to the fiscal policy process. This institutional evolution increased demand for federal expenditures while creating budgetary commons, thus imparting strong motivations to spend through deficit finance in normal times. Despite the last four decades of legislative attempts to constrain spending relative to taxes, the informal norms have trumped the formal constraints. While the empirical literature on deficits has examined the constraining effects of informal rules, this paper offers a novel treatment of shifting norms as having expansionary effects on deficits.
Vitamin D deficiency and adult asthma exacerbations

Abstract Objectives: There is growing evidence indicating a connection between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of asthma exacerbations. This study seeks to assess the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the number and severity of asthma exacerbation in adults. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in 92 patients being treated for asthma at the University of New Mexico Adult Asthma Clinic. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were analyzed in adults with mild to severe persistent asthma. Using multi-variant modeling, the relationship was examined between serum vitamin D levels and the odds of asthma exacerbations ranging in severity from moderate to severe over the span of five years. Results: This study demonstrates that vitamin D sufficiency was significantly associated with a decreased total number of asthma exacerbations (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–0.84, p = 0.002), decreased total severe asthma exacerbations (IRR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.24–0.72, p = 0.002) and decreased emergency room visits (IRR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.20–0.88, p = 0.023). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to the risk of severe asthma exacerbations in adults.
Manager–Employee Gender Congruence and the Bureaucratic Accountability of Public Service Employees

Much theory suggests that manager–employee gender congruence (that manager and employee share the same gender) may influence employee accountability. This article empirically tests this notion by examining how manager–employee gender congruence among public service employees relates to two key aspects of bureaucratic accountability: (a) organizational goal alignment and (b) compliance with organizational rules and regulations. Using school fixed effects on teacher survey data and administrative school data, we find that male teachers with male principals are less aligned with their school’s goals and less compliant with its rules and regulations than are male teachers with female principals.
Management of Pleural Empyema with Single-Port Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an original technique of single-port video-assisted thoracoscopy (S-VATS) for the minimally invasive treatment of pleural empyema in fibrinopurulent stage. Methods Single-port video-assisted thoracoscopy was performed under general anesthesia and single-lung ventilation using a 2-cm incision after ultrasound localization of the projected midpoint of the pleural effusion. Through the single access, a video scope and standard thoracoscopy instruments were simultaneously introduced to perform debridement and lavage of the pleural cavity. Postoperatively, patients underwent continuous or intermittent pleural irrigation through the chest tube until microbiological confirmation of sterility of the pleural fluid. Results Between November 2004 and December 2009, a total of 61 patients underwent S-VATS for pleural empyema in stage I(7%) or II (93%). Median age was 63.5 years (range, 22–94 years). Male-to-female ratio was 4.2. Surgery was performed 3 to 60 days after the onset of symptoms. Macroscopically complete debridement of the pleural cavity was achieved in most (98%) cases. Median operation time was 53 minutes (range, 29–90 minutes). No intraoperative complications occurred. In-hospital mortality and morbidity rates were 3% and 16%, respectively. Deaths were caused by diffuse metastatic colon cancer in one case and severe apoplectic insult in the other. Chest tube was removed after a median time of 12 days (range, 4–64 days). Four (6.5%) patients experienced a relapse of empyema; this was caused by complicated residual pleural space (two cases), persistent pleuropulmonary fistula (one case), or both (one case). Conclusions It seems that S-VATS is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of pleural empyema in fibrinopurulent stage.
Understanding abstract expository texts.

BACKGROUND This study dealt with the question whether abstract concepts and rules can be directly taught or can only be explained by using examples. The issue, known as Meno's Paradox, was addressed in the context of understanding expository texts. AIMS We set out to show the indispensability of examples in the process of acquiring knowledge of concepts and rules. By blocking any possibility of linking concepts to examples we hoped to show the understanding of abstract concepts is impossible without a concrete context of interpretation. SAMPLES In two experiments, secondary school students (17 years of age) and undergraduate university students were asked to study expository texts with no examples or with many examples. METHODS In Experiment 1, two existing texts were manipulated by either adding examples or replacing specific concepts by more ambiguous concepts. In Experiment 2, two expository texts (one with rules, one with examples) on the law of large numbers were developed. Apart from that, a questionnaire to assess students' habit of concrete elaboration whilst studying expository texts was administered. RESULTS Experiment 1 revealed that an expository text with ambiguous terms is difficult to understand. This evidence supported our claim that a concrete context of interpretation is indispensable. However, there was no difference in understanding of texts with many or few examples. An explanation might be that students were able to think of relevant examples themselves. Evidence for this active way of text comprehension was found in Experiment 2. An interaction between content (abstract, concrete) and learning style (high or low on concrete elaboration) showed up. Students high on concrete elaboration understood the abstract text better than students low on concrete elaboration. The reverse held for the concrete text. CONCLUSION So, support was found for the indispensability of concrete examples, which should be available in the reader's memory or provided in the text.
In-tunnel closure of patent foramen ovale with a FlatStent EF™.

BACKGROUND Devices for percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) are traditionally based on two opposing discs, leaving significant surface areas exposed in the left and right atrium. The FlatStent EF™ PFO Closure System (Coherex Inc., Salt Lake City, USA) represents a major departure from these devices because it is designed to focus primarily on the PFO tunnel, leaving minimal foreign material behind. AIM To investigate the patient selection, effectiveness, and safety of in-tunnel closure with a FlatStent EF™ in patients with PFO of ≥ 4 mm tunnel length and < 12 mm diameter at preprocedural transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). RESULTS Among 46 consecutive patients undergoing PFO closure, a FlatStent EF™ could be implanted and resulted in initial successful closure (< 5 bubbles during Valsalva manoeuvre) in 21 (46%) patients. TEE at 162 ± 40 and 317 ± 162 days after implantation demonstrated functional closure in 90% and 95% of cases, respectively. No device or air embolisation, pericardial effusion, or thrombus formation was documented. Small in-tunnel peri-device colour Doppler left to right flow was documented in 10% and 2-6 mm protrusion of FlatStent EF™ along right atrial septum without any residual flow/bubble shunting in 14%. Patients with suboptimal closure (> 5 bubbles during Valsalva manoeuvre and/or in-tunnel colour flow) had shorter tunnel on preprocedural TEE (5.3 ± 1.5 vs. 10.8 ± 3.5 mm; p = 0.003). There was no difference in TEE diameter (1.8 ± 0.5 vs. 2.0 ± 0.5 mm; p = 0.38) and stretched diameter by sizing balloon (6.3 ± 2.5 vs. 6.3 ± 1.0 mm; p = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS In-tunnel PFO closure with a FlatStent EF™ represents an effective and safe option only in carefully selected patients with long tunnel (> 4 mm) regardless of the diameter if it is < 12 mm. These criteria are fulfilled in < 50% of consecutive candidates for PFO closure. The new phenomenon of in-tunnel peri-device flow and FlatStent EF™ protrusion along the right atrial septum were documented during systematic TEE follow up.
Minimizing the Reactive Support for Distributed Generation: Enhanced Passive Operation and Smart Distribution Networks

Renewable distributed generation (DG), primarily wind power, will represent the lion's share of the new generation capacity that will be connected to distribution systems. However, while both firm and variable generation present our traditionally passive distribution networks with well-established technical challenges, the requirements and practices related to the power factor operation of these generation plants might lead to undesirable effects at the transmission level with the reactive power support needed by high penetrations of DG capacity potentially impacting on weak areas of the transmission grid. In this work, this problem is formulated as the minimization of the reactive support for DG and is investigated using two different operational perspectives: adopting passive but enhanced power factor and substation settings, and implementing Smart Grid control schemes. These two approaches are modeled using a tailored multi-period AC optimal power flow technique that caters for the variability of demand and generation, and considers N-1 contingencies. The results demonstrate that the enhanced passive approach is able to achieve a performance almost as good as Smart Grid control without the need for any additional investment.
Condition-dependent adaptivity of organizational learning in Ontario's long-term care industry

Organizations learn as a consequence of operating in their environments where they, intentionally o r unintentionally, gather information and acquire knowledge. While organizational learning is generally considered adaptive, research suggests that the impact of learning on firms is far more cornplex. Recently, it has been suggested that the adaptivity of organizational learning is condition-dependent (Miner, Raghavan and Haunschild, 1997), complementing earlier views that some types of learning extend the survival of firms in certain situations (Dutton and Freedman, 1985; March, 199 1; Levinthal, 199 1) . My review o f current theory and recent research supports the idea of condition-dependence -that learning at the organization and population levels may be differentially advantageous to organizational survival. Specifically, organizational learning may be survival-enhancing, survival-imperiling, o r exert no effects, depending upon the extent of environmental uncertainty confronting organizations. M y research investigates the notion of condition-dependent adaptivity of organizational learning. The dependent variable 1 examine is the risk of organizational failure: survival-enhancing organizational learning serves to lower the risk of failure whi le harmful organizational learning increases the risk of failure. 1 test a series of hypotheses concerning the effects of organization-level, vicarious population-level, cross-population, and congenital population-level experience, and the moderating effects of regulation-induced uncertainty -regulatory dynamism -on the risk of organizational failure. I use event history ana lys is t o test my hypotheses in the population o f charitably-funded Homes for the Aged in t h e Province o f Ontario over the entire 160 year history of the long-term care industry. Increasing regula tory dynamism significantly increases the r isk o f organizational failure. I find suppor t f o r condition-dependent adaptivi ty: under condit ions o f increasing regulatory dynamism, on ly extremes of organization exper ience significantly reduce the risk o f organizational failure. 1 observe a "stuck in the middle" phenomenon, where immuni ty to increasing regulatory dynamism enjoyed by chari table homes with very little. or a great deal, of expcrience is ao t enjoyed by homes with a moderate amount of experience. In addi t ion to offering insights in to some o f the conditions under which certain types o f experiential learning are survival-enhancing, m y findings challenge some o f the characterist ics assigned organizationand populat ion-level learning in extant organizational learning literature.
Low Intratumoral Mast Cells Are Associated With a Higher Risk of Prostate Cancer Recurrence

Mast cells are of interest in prostate cancer because they possess both pro‐ and anti‐tumorigenic properties and are present in the tumor microenvironment. We studied the association of mast cell count and densities with prostate cancer recurrence using tissue microarrays (TMAs) for 462 men who recurred (cases) and 462 controls that were matched to the cases nested in a cohort of radical prostatectomy patients.
Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells Exhibit Enhanced Cardiomyocyte Reprogramming and Cardiac Function after Experimental Acute Myocardial Infarction

We were interested in evaluating the ability of the mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) population, human umbilical cord perivascular cells (HUCPVCs), to undergo cardiomyocyte reprogramming in an established coculture system with rat embryonic cardiomyocytes. Results were compared with human bone marrow-derived (BM) MSCs. The transcription factors GATA4 and Mef 2c were expressed in HUCPVCs but not BM-MSCs at baseline and, at 7 days, increased 7.6- and 3.5-fold, respectively, compared with BM-MSCs. Although cardiac-specific gene expression increased in both cell types in coculture, upregulation was more significant in HUCPVCs, consistent with Mef 2c-GATA4 synergism. Using a lentivector with eGFP transcribed from the α-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) promoter, we found that cardiac gene expression was greater in HUCPVCs than BM-MSCs after 14 days coculture (52 ± 17% vs. 29 ± 6%, respectively). A higher frequency of HUCPVCs expressed α-MHC protein compared with BM-MSCs (11.6 ± 0.9% vs. 5.3 ± 0.3%); however, both cell types retained MSC-associated determinants. We also assessed the ability of the MSC types to mediate cardiac regeneration in a NOD/SCID γ mouse model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Fourteen days after AMI, cardiac function was significantly better in cell-treated mice compared with control animals and HUCPVCs exhibited greater improvement. Although human cells persisted in the infarct area, the frequency of α-MHC expression was low. Our results indicate that HUCPVCs exhibit a greater degree of cardiomyocyte reprogramming but that differentiation for both cell types is partial. We conclude that HUCPVCs may be preferable to BM-MSCs in the cell therapy of AMI.