Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ontogeny of NADPH diaphorase/nitric oxide synthase reactivity in the brain of Xenopus laevis

The development of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression in the brain of Xenopus laevis tadpoles was studied by means of immunohistochemistry using specific antibodies against NOS and enzyme histochemistry for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)‐diaphorase. Both techniques yielded identical results and were equally suitable for demonstrating the nitrergic system in the brain. The only mismatches were observed in the olfactory nerve and glomeruli and in the terminal nerve; they were intensely labeled with the NADPH‐diaphorase technique but failed to stain with NOS immunohistochemistry. As early as stage 33, nitrergic cells were observed in the caudal rhombencephalon within the developing inferior reticular nucleus. At later embryonic stages, different sets of reticular and tegmental neurons were labeled in the middle reticular nucleus and, more conspicuously, in the laterodorsal and pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei. As development proceeded, new nitrergic cell groups gradually appeared in the mesencephalon, diencephalon, and telencephalon. A general caudorostral temporal sequence was observed, both in the whole brain and within each main brain subdivision. The premetamorphic period was mainly characterized by the maturation of the cell populations developed in the embryonic period. During prometamorphosis, the nitrergic system reached an enormous development, and many new cell groups were observed for the first time, in particular in the telencephalon. By the climax of metamorphosis, the pattern of organization of nitrergic cells and fibers observed in the brain was similar to that present in the adult brain. Transient expression of NOS was not detected in any brain region. Our data suggest that nitric oxide plays an important role during brain development of Xenopus. Comparison with the developmental pattern of nitrergic systems in other vertebrates shows that amphibians possess more common features with amniotes than with anamniotes. J. Comp. Neurol. 445:59–77, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Primary immunodeficiencies: a decade of shifting paradigms, the current status and the emergence of cutting-edge therapies and diagnostics

A shift has occurred in the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities considered for patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs). Early diagnosis remains the mainstay in appropriate management and remarkably influences the prognosis. More specific diagnostic tests as well as therapeutic modalities have been introduced in the last few decades. Nonetheless, the importance of a thorough history taking and physical examination should not be neglected. Novel diagnostic modalities including genetic sequencing have led to the recognition of previously unknown defects underlying PIDs. In addition, newborn screening is being advocated as an imperative diagnostic test. In terms of treatment, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is considered the optimal treatment modality for many cases and has dramatically improved the outcome. Gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells prior to transplantation has improved the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this article, the latest advances made in terms of diagnosis and treatment of PIDs are reviewed.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth-related Gene GDAP1 Complements Cell Cycle Delay at G2/M Phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae fis1 Gene-defective Cells*

Mutations in the GDAP1 gene are responsible of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth CMT4A, ARCMT2K, and CMT2K variants. GDAP1 is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein that has been related to the fission pathway of the mitochondrial network dynamics. As mitochondrial dynamics is a conserved process, we reasoned that expressing GDAP1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains defective for genes involved in mitochondrial fission or fusion could increase our knowledge of GDAP1 function. We discovered a consistent relation between Fis1p and the cell cycle because fis1Δ cells showed G2/M delay during cell cycle progression. The fis1Δ phenotype, which includes cell cycle delay, was fully rescued by GDAP1. By contrast, clinical missense mutations rescued the fis1Δ phenotype except for the cell cycle delay. In addition, both Fis1p and human GDAP1 interacted with β-tubulins Tub2p and TUBB, respectively. A defect in the fis1 gene may induce abnormal location of mitochondria during budding mitosis, causing the cell cycle delay at G2/M due to its anomalous interaction with microtubules from the mitotic spindle. In the case of neurons harboring defects in GDAP1, the interaction between mitochondria and the microtubule cytoskeleton would be altered, which might affect mitochondrial axonal transport and movement within the cell and may explain the pathophysiology of the GDAP1-related Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
From Theory to Practice

Background. Intervention fidelity is an increasingly important methodological concept in process evaluations. In this article, the authors investigated the intervention fidelity in a randomized controlled trial on excessive weight gain prevention in pregnancy. Method. A sample of 109 audiotaped counseling sessions, linked to 65 women in the intervention group of the New Life(style) trial, was drawn. The following criteria were quantitatively evaluated using a fidelity checklist: (a) reach, (b) dose, (c) adherence to study objectives, (d) adherence to underlying problem-solving treatment (PST) theory, and (e) counselor competence. Results. A total of 60.4% received all counseling sessions. The dose of intervention components was generally moderate (50.9% to 60.4%), and the dose of PST components was low (17.3%). Adherence to study objectives was moderate (64.2%) and adherence to PST theory was low (43.2%). The counselors sufficiently stimulated the participant to optimize lifestyle (54.2% of the sessions), provided positive feedback (50.5%), and left the initiative regarding problem solving to the participant (71%). One of the two counselors performed significantly better on all measured criteria (p < .001). Conclusions. Intervention fidelity in the New Life(style) trial was generally low to moderate. In future interventions, it is recommended to put more emphasis on counselor recruitment, training, and intervention protocol contents. Fellow researchers are encouraged to embed a process evaluation into all study stages, taking into account all essential process elements, and to link process outcomes to more distal, health outcomes.
Prospect of rindopepimut in the treatment of glioblastoma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Rindopepimut (CDX-110) is a peptide vaccine that targets epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), a tumor-specific epitope expressed in the most common and lethal primary malignant neoplasm of the brain – glioblastoma (GBM). Areas covered: The EGFRvIII mutation introduces an 801 base pair in-frame deletion of the extracellular domain of the transmembrane tyrosine kinase, resulting in constitutive kinase activity, amplification of cell growth, and inhibition of apoptosis. Rindopepimut contains a 14mer amino acid peptide spanning the EGFRvIII mutation site that is conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The EGFRvIII neoantigen is exclusively present on GBM cells, providing rindopepimut tumor-specific activity. The authors review rindopepimut’s clinical efficacy, administration, safety, and prospects in the treatment of GBM. Expert opinion: Rindopepimut showed clinical benefit and significant efficacy in phase II clinical trials, including as part of a multi-immunotherapy approach. A phase III clinical trial was terminated early, however, as it was deemed likely the study would fail to meet its primary endpoint. Longer term and sub-group analyses will be necessary to better understand rindopepimut’s future role in GBM therapy.
Pathogenic variants screening in seventeen candidate genes on 2p15 for association with ankylosing spondylitis in a Han Chinese population

Objectives Previous studies have found the association between rs10865331 in 2p15 area and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study aimed to identify additional functional genetic variants in 2p15 region associated with AS susceptibility. Methods We used next generation sequencing (NGS) in 100 AS cases and 100 healthy controls to screen AS susceptible genetic variants, and validated these variants in 620 cases and 620 controls by using imLDRTM technique for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. Results Totally, we identified 12 SNPs that might confer susceptibility to AS. Of those SNPs, three (rs14170, rs2123111 and rs1729674) were nominally associated (P<0.05) with AS, but were no longer statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. After stratified by gender, another two SNPs (rs11428092 and rs10208769 in USP34) were associated with AS in males but not females, though this was not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. In addition, rs1729674, rs14170, rs2123111 and rs10208769 were in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) and were further enrolled in haplotype analysis. A novel haplotype TAGA was found to be associated with a decreased risk of AS (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) = 0.832 (0.705–0.982)). Beyond that, we also demonstrated a strong relationship between rs10865331 and AS susceptibility (OR (95% CI) = 1.303(1.111–1.526)). Conclusions rs14170 and rs2123111 inUSP34 and rs1729674 in C2orf74 may be associated with AS susceptibility in Han Chinese population. USP34 and C2orf74 in 2p15 region may be AS novel susceptibility genes.
Deposition of dietary fatty acids and of de novo synthesised fatty acids in growing pigs: effects of high ambient temperature and feeding restriction

Predicting aspects of pork quality becomes increasingly important from both a nutritional and a technological point of view. Little information is, however, available concerning the quantitative relation between nutrient intake and fatty acid (FA) deposition at the whole-animal level. In this study, eight blocks of five littermate barrows were used in a comparative slaughter trial. At 24 kg body weight (BW), one pig from each litter was slaughtered to determine the initial FA composition. The other littermates were assigned to one of four feeding levels (ranging from 70 % to 100 % of intake ad libitum) and were given a diet containing 0·36 g/kg lipid and 0·22 g/kg FA. The temperature for each block was maintained at either 23 or 30°C. At 65 kg, the pigs were slaughtered and the body lipid and FA composition was determined. Seventy per cent of the digested n-6 FA and 50 % of the n-3 FA were deposited. The average composition of de novo synthesised FA corresponded to 1·7, 30·3, 2·4, 19·7 and 45·9 % for 14: , 16: , 16: 1, 18: and 18: 1 FA, respectively. At 23°C and for feeding ad libitum, 33 % of 16: FA was deposited, 1·7 % shortened to 14: , 63 % elongated to 18: and 2·8 % unsaturated to 16: 1. Twenty-eight per cent of 18: FA was deposited and 72 % unsaturated to 18: 1. At 30°C, 18: FA desaturation was reduced by 3·5 %. Feed intake and temperature independently affected the elongation of 16: FA. A reduction in feed intake increased the elongation rate, whereas the increase in temperature reduced the elongation rate.
Interdigitated back contact silicon hetero-junction solar cells: The effect of doped layer defect levels and rear surface i-layer band gap on fill factor using two-dimensional simulations

Interdigitated back contact silicon hetero-junction (IBC-SHJ) solar cells using a-Si emitter and contact layers show significant potential advantages over standard hetero-junction devices: higher short-circuit current (Jsc) since there is no grid shading and higher open-circuit voltage (Voc) due to better surface passivation. However, they often suffer from low fill factor (FF). Using two-dimensional simulations to model IBC-SHJ devices on FZ n-Si, we found that the FF was nearly independent of the defect concentrations in contact and passivating i-layers but strongly dependent on the defects in emitter and the band gap in the rear i-layer. Voc and Jsc were nearly independent of defects in either doped layer. In a-Si doped layers it is well known that the number of defects increase with doping. We find that the FF is sensitive to either mid-gap or band tail states and that S-shaped JV curves responsible for low FF can be eliminated by a decrease in p-layer mid-gap or band tail defect levels, or by decreasing the rear i-layer's band gap. The insensitivity of FF to defects in the n-layer or in the i-layer suggests the FF is dominated by minority carrier injection/collection from the p-type emitter layer. The dependence of FF on the rear i-layer band gap suggests that increasing the offset in the valence band impedes minority carrier collection.
Trademarks and their association with Kirznerian entrepreneurs

ABSTRACT Although trademarks are the most widely used form of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) by firms across all economic sectors worldwide, this indicator is a much less exploited information resource in empirical analysis compared with patents. Our work addresses this gap by investigating the relationship between trademark registration and entrepreneurial activity using data for 33 European countries. Our empirical results show a positive and significant relationship between the share of the self-employed workforce in a given country that can be considered ‘entrepreneurial’ – which we associate with the share of Kirznerian entrepreneurs – and trademark registration at the country level. These results have important implications for scholars, practitioners and policymakers, which are discussed in this work.
Daily Bathing with Chlorhexidine-Based Soap and the Prevention of Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Infection

Objective. Determine whether daily bathing with chlorhexidine-based soap decreased methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission and intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired S. aureus infection among ICU patients. Design. Prospective pre-post-intervention study with control unit. Setting. A 1,250-bed tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients. Medical and surgical ICU patients. Methods. Active surveillance for MRSA colonization was performed in both ICUs. In June 2005, a chlorhexidine bathing protocol was implemented in the surgical ICU. Changes in S. aureus transmission and infection rate before and after implementation were analyzed using time-series methodology. Results. The intervention unit had a 20.68% decrease in MRSA acquisition after institution of the bathing protocol (12.64 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk before the intervention vs 10.03 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk after the intervention; β, −2.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), −5.19 to −0.04]; P = . 046). There was no significant change in MRSA acquisition in the control ICU during the study period (10.97 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk before June 2005 vs 11.33 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk after June 2005; β, −11.10 [95% CI, −37.40 to 15.19]; P = .40). There was a 20.77% decrease in all S. aureus (including MRSA) acquisition in the intervention ICU from 2002 through 2007 (19.73 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk before the intervention to 15.63 cases per 1,000 patient-days at risk after the intervention [95% CI, −7.25 to −0.95]; P = .012)]. The incidence of ICU-acquired MRSA infections decreased by 41.37% in the intervention ICU (1.96 infections per 1,000 patient-days at risk before the intervention vs 1.15 infections per 1,000 patient-days at risk after the intervention; P = .001). Conclusions. Institution of daily chlorhexidine bathing in an ICU resulted in a decrease in the transmission of S. aureus, including MRSA. These data support the use of routine daily chlorhexidine baths to decrease rates of S. aureus transmission and infection.
[Effects of extract of Buddleja officinalis eye drops on androgen receptors of lacrimal gland cells of castrated rats with dry eye].

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of the extract of Buddleja officinalis eye drops (EBOED) on basic tears secretory volume, tear film stability, and expressions of androgen receptors (AR) in castrated rats with dry eye, and to investigate the mechanism of EBOED on dry eye caused by decreased anti-androgen levels. METHODS Forty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group, the model group, and the treatment group (treated by EBOED), respectively. Rats in each group were further divided into three sub-groups (fed for one month, two months, and three months, respectively). There were totally nine groups, with five in each. The dry eye model was established with orchiectomy of rats in the model group and the treatment group. EBOED was given to rats in the treatment group for one successive month. Schirmer I test (SIT) and breakup time of tear film (BUT) were determined in all experimental rats. Expressions of AR was analyzed by flow cytometer. RESULTS Ths SIT value, BUT, and AR positive rate in the model group at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd month were lower than those in the blank group of the same time points (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in SIT value, BUT, and AR positive rate between the model group and the treatment group at the three time points (P < 0.01). Take the three-month subgroup as an example, the SIT value in the treatment group was (12.667 +/- 5.221) mm, obviously higher than that in the model group (2.676 +/- 1.987) mm. The BUT in the treatment group was (11.758 +/- 4.415) s, obviously longer than that of the model group (4.667 +/- 2.108) s. The AR positive rate in the treatment group was 49.33% +/- 3.44%, obviously higher than that of the model group (33.32% +/- 7.12%, all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The main components of EBOED was the flavonoids which could significantly inhibit the occurrence of dry eye in rats with decreased androgen levels. Its mechanism might possibly be similar to androgen.
A unified approach for sparse dynamical system inference from temporal measurements

Abstract Motivation Temporal variations in biological systems and more generally in natural sciences are typically modeled as a set of ordinary, partial or stochastic differential or difference equations. Algorithms for learning the structure and the parameters of a dynamical system are distinguished based on whether time is discrete or continuous, observations are time-series or time-course and whether the system is deterministic or stochastic, however, there is no approach able to handle the various types of dynamical systems simultaneously. Results In this paper, we present a unified approach to infer both the structure and the parameters of non-linear dynamical systems of any type under the restriction of being linear with respect to the unknown parameters. Our approach, which is named Unified Sparse Dynamics Learning (USDL), constitutes of two steps. First, an atemporal system of equations is derived through the application of the weak formulation. Then, assuming a sparse representation for the dynamical system, we show that the inference problem can be expressed as a sparse signal recovery problem, allowing the application of an extensive body of algorithms and theoretical results. Results on simulated data demonstrate the efficacy and superiority of the USDL algorithm under multiple interventions and/or stochasticity. Additionally, USDL’s accuracy significantly correlates with theoretical metrics such as the exact recovery coefficient. On real single-cell data, the proposed approach is able to induce high-confidence subgraphs of the signaling pathway. Availability and implementation Source code is available at Bioinformatics online. USDL algorithm has been also integrated in SCENERY (http://scenery.csd.uoc.gr/); an online tool for single-cell mass cytometry analytics. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Exploring qualitative applications of social media data for place-based assessments in destination planning

ABSTRACT Understanding the physical attributes of a destination valued by visitors allows tourism managers to consider those components when planning, managing, and marketing destinations. However, determining the key components of visitors’ destination image can be difficult. This study utilizes social media data to explore visitors’ destination image of a nature-based tourism locale. Specifically, we examined user-generated content by visitors to the tourism region adjacent to Lake Superior in Minnesota USA during the summer 2015 tourism season. Content analysis was utilized to determine the major themes of visitors’ destination image. Our findings are similar to those of existing studies: natural resources, built resources, and human subjects are the most prevalent components of destination image. However, our method of ascertaining these components of destination image – specifically, thematically analyzing social media data – present a technique that may be more easily accessible to tourism providers, as it can be a lower cost and time investment. We discuss how these findings can inform the development of recreation opportunities and marketing materials. This qualitative analysis of social media data can be applied in other locales as a relatively efficient and real-time method to inform place-based management and marketing.
Does Share Repurchase Announcement Lead to Rise in Share Price? Evidence from India

In recent years, there is an increasing trend of share repurchase announcement by Indian firms. This article attempts to examine whether open market share repurchase announcements in India lead to excess stock returns and to identify the factors responsible for additional stock returns. Apart from a standard market method, the price behaviour is examined on an individual basis. The results show that the firms, on an average, do not experience price improvement after share repurchase. While 24 per cent of the firms lose and 10 per cent gain, the rest experience no change. In normal times, investors prefer small-cap companies, but post-announcement, promoters’ share and premium play an important role.
Apolipoprotein D in the aging brain and in Alzheimer’s dementia

Abstract Apolipoprotein D (apoD) levels were examined in the temporal cortex as well as an assessment of the location of apoD positive cells within the brain by immunohistochemical and biochemical methods in young control (YC), aged control (AC), and Alzheimer’s demented (AD) probands. Scattered apoD positive astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were found throughout the white matter by immunohistochemistry. ApoD immunoreactivity was also observed In the cerebellar oligodendrocytes of the YC group. There was faint positive apoD staining in scattered cortical astrocytes and a few neurons in the same group. In contrast, some of the AC and all of the AD probands had intense and frequent apoD immunostained cortical astrocytes and pyramidal neurons. The cortical senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles were apoD immunonegative. No quantitative differences were found between the cortical apoD levels in the AC and AD groups, determined by immunoblotting. ApoD detected in the brain tissue was different in molecular weight (29 kDal) from that seen in CSF or in the serum (32 kDal). Our results indicate apoD is present in the human brain, especially in glial cells, and has increased abundance in the elderly and AD subjects [Neurol Res 2000; 22: 330-336]