Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estrogen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid changes during Leydig cell development.

Mature (60-65 days old) male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single i.p. injection of ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS, 100 mg/kg BW) and were killed at different times from Days 2 to 60 posttreatment. Bands of cells enriched in precursor Leydig cells (PLCs) and Leydig cells (LCs) were isolated from the testis of EDS-treated rats and age-matched controls using a collagenase digestion-Percoll gradient method. Total RNA extracted from the PLC and LC fractions was subjected to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect estrogen receptor (ER) mRNA. The RT-PCR results demonstrated that ER mRNA was present in both LC and PLC fractions. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis, using rabbit beta-globin mRNA as the internal standard, showed that ER mRNA in the PLC fraction was 20-fold higher than in the LC fraction in control testis. After EDS treatment, ER mRNA levels in the PLC fraction decreased and reached a nadir at Day 16 posttreatment. Thereafter, ER mRNA in the PLC fraction gradually increased and returned to control PLC levels. In contrast, ER mRNA levels in the LC fraction in controls and at Days 16-45 posttreatment remained constant. To correlate the changes in ER mRNA levels with LC differentiation, in vitro testosterone (T) production by PLC- and LC-enriched fractions in the presence or absence of 50 mIU hCG was measured by RIA. T production in the control PLC fraction was low (1/10th that in the control LC fraction), and hCG addition resulted in only a 1.5-fold stimulation (relative to a 7.5-fold stimulation in LCs). In the PLC fraction, T production was not detectable at Days 2 and 10 after EDS treatments, began to respond to hCG stimulation with increased T production at Day 16, and reached a maximum between 4 and 6 wk after EDS treatment. By Day 60 posttreatment, T production in the PLC fraction decreased and returned to control PLC levels. Testosterone production in the LC fraction was not detectable at Days 2 and 10 posttreatment. From Days 16 to 60 posttreatment, LC basal and hCG-responsive T production increased gradually and returned to control LC levels. It is concluded that functional LCs are regenerated from the PLCs and that both these cell types possess ER mRNA. It is interesting to note that PLCs exhibit higher levels of ER mRNA than do LCs. A decrease in ER mRNA in PLCs appears to coincide with the early differentiation process to yield LCs. Thus, estradiol-17 beta produced locally in the testis by the LCs might act via its receptor as a paracrine substance to impede PLC development into LCs. It is therefore possible that either a decrease in E2 production or a decrease in ER and its mRNA in PLCs would then release the PLCs to begin the regeneration process.
Environmental enrichment in mice decreases anxiety, attenuates stress responses and enhances natural killer cell activity

The importance of environment in the regulation of brain, behaviour and physiology has long been recognized in biological, social and medical sciences. Animals maintained under enriched conditions have clearly been shown to have better learning abilities than those maintained under standard conditions. However, the effects of environmental enrichment (EE) on immunity and emotionality have been less documented and remain questionable. Therefore, we investigated the effect of EE on natural killer (NK) cell activity, psychological stress responses and behavioural parameters. Male C3H mice were housed either in enriched or standard conditions for 6 weeks. Behaviour was then examined by the grip‐strength test, staircase and elevated plus maze, and corticosterone levels and NK cell activity were measured. Furthermore, animals exposed to the stress paradigm, achieved by electric shock with reminders, were tested for freezing time in each reminder. Corticosterone levels were also measured. The EE mice showed decreased anxiety‐like behaviour and higher activity compared to standard mice, as revealed by a greater percentage of time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze, and a higher rate of climbing the staircase. A shorter freezing time in the stress paradigm and no corticosterone level reactivity were measured in EE mice. In addition, NK cell activity in spleens of EE mice was higher than that demonstrated in those of standard mice. Thus, EE has a beneficial effect on anxiety‐like behaviour, stress response and NK cell activity. The effect on NK cell activity is promising, due to the role of NK cells in host resistance.
Keratin‐lipid structural organization in the corneous layer of snake

The shed epidermis (molt) of snakes comprises four distinct layers. The upper two layers, here considered as β‐layer, contain essentially β‐keratin. The following layer, known as mesos‐layer, is similar to the human stratum corneum, and is formed by thin cells surrounded by intercellular lipids. The latter layer mainly contains α‐keratin. In this study, the molecular assemblies of proteins and lipids contained in these layers have been analyzed in the scale of two species of snakes, the elapid Tiger snake (TS, Notechis scutatus) and the viperid Gabon viper (GV, Bitis gabonica). Scanning X‐ray micro‐diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy experiments confirm the presence of the three layers in the GV skin scale. Conversely, in the TS molt a typical α‐keratin layer appears to be absent. In the latter, experimental data suggest the presence of two domains similar to those found in the lipid intercellular matrix of stratum corneum. X‐ray diffraction data also allow to determine the relative orientation of keratins and lipids. The keratin fibrils are randomly oriented inside the layers parallel to the surface of scales while the lipids are organized in lamellar structures having aliphatic chains normal to the scale surface. The high ordered lipid organization in the mature mesos layer probably increases its effectiveness in limiting water‐loss. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 1172–1181, 2009.
VegFru: A Domain-Specific Dataset for Fine-Grained Visual Categorization

In this paper, we propose a novel domain-specific dataset named VegFru for fine-grained visual categorization (FGVC). While the existing datasets for FGVC are mainly focused on animal breeds or man-made objects with limited labelled data, VegFru is a larger dataset consisting of vegetables and fruits which are closely associated with the daily life of everyone. Aiming at domestic cooking and food management, VegFru categorizes vegetables and fruits according to their eating characteristics, and each image contains at least one edible part of vegetables or fruits with the same cooking usage. Particularly, all the images are labelled hierarchically. The current version covers vegetables and fruits of 25 upper-level categories and 292 subordinate classes. And it contains more than 160,000 images in total and at least 200 images for each subordinate class. Accompanying the dataset, we also propose an effective framework called HybridNet to exploit the label hierarchy for FGVC. Specifically, multiple granularity features are first extracted by dealing with the hierarchical labels separately. And then they are fused through explicit operation, e.g., Compact Bilinear Pooling, to form a unified representation for the ultimate recognition. The experimental results on the novel VegFru, the public FGVC-Aircraft and CUB-200-2011 indicate that HybridNet achieves one of the top performance on these datasets. The dataset and code are available at https://github.com/ustc-vim/vegfru.
Testing for Predictability in panels with General Predictors

The difficulty of predicting returns has recently motivated researchers to start looking for tests that are either more powerful or robust to more features of the data. Unfortunately, the way that these tests work typically involves trading robustness for power or vice versa. The current paper takes this as its starting point to develop a new panel-based approach to predictability that is both robust and powerful. Specifically, while the panel route to increased power is not new, the way in which the cross-section variation is exploited also to achieve robustness with respect to the predictor is. The result is two new tests that enable asymptotically standard normal and chi-squared inference across a wide range of empirically relevant scenarios in which the predictor may be stationary, moderately non-stationary, nearly non-stationary, or indeed unit root non-stationary. The type of cross-section dependence that can be permitted in the predictor is also very general, and can be weak or strong, although we do require that the cross-section dependence in the regression errors is of the strong form. What is more, this generality comes at no cost in terms of complicated test construction. The new tests are therefore very user-friendly.
Simultaneous quantification of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells by a novel method using monocyte‐derived HCMV‐infected immature dendritic cells

Immature dendritic cells (DC) infected with an endotheliotropic (Huv+) and leukotropic (Leuk+) human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain were used as a stimulus to determine functional HCMV‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Infected DC were co‐cultured with autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells and both arms of T cell activation were determined by intracellular flow cytometry analysis of IFN‐γ production. Efficient stimulation of HCMV‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses was achieved using DC productively infected with Huv+ Leuk+ VR1814 strain. On the contrary, a negligible CD8+ T cell response was obtained when HCMV strains unable to infect DC, or DC pulsed with inactivated viral antigen, were used. HCMV specificity of the T cell response was confirmed in 46 HCMV‐seropositive and 8 HCMV‐seronegative healthy subjects. A cut‐off was established to discriminate between immune and nonimmune subjects. The novel ex vivo assay enables the simultaneous evaluation of HCMV‐specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses and may be a useful tool for monitoring HCMV‐specific T cell activity in immunocompromised transplanted patients.
Primary CD30‐positive cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas and lymphomatoid papulosis frequently express cytotoxic proteins

To analyse the relationship between expression of cytotoxic proteins, histopathology and the CD30 status in primary cutaneous T‐cell disorders, we investigated the expression of TIA‐1, granzyme B and perforin in CD30 negative and CD30 positive cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCL) and lymphomatoid papulosis (LP).
Adrenergic and Dopaminergic Response to Chronic Chair Restraint in the Rhesus Monkey

&NA; Prolonged chair restraint and social isolation in the rhesus monkey led to a reduction in the urinary excretion of HVA (4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenylacetic acid), DOPAC (3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid), VMA (3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxymandelic acid), and MHPG (3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxyphenylethylglycol) over a 3 week period. This adaptation to a chronically “stressful” situation corresponds to earlier studies on the rhesus monkey indicating a gradual reduction in the urinary excretion of norepinephrine and epinephrine after initiation of restraint. The following basic information on the urinary excretion of catecholamine metabolites was obtained: (1) the rate of excretion of the dopamine metabolites (HVA and DOPAC) is about four times higher than the rate of excretion of adrenergic metabolites (VMA and MHPG): (2) MHPG is the major adrenergic metabolite in the rhesus monkey; and (3) the excretion rates of the urinary metabolites varied considerably between animals.
Resistive wall mode stabilization by slow plasma rotation in DIII-D tokamak discharges with balanced neutral beam injection

Recent experiments in the DIII-D tokamak [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42, 614 (2002)] show that the resistive wall mode (RWM) can be stabilized by smaller values of plasma rotation than previously reported. Stable discharges have been observed with beta up to 1.4 times the no-wall kink stability limit and ion rotation velocity (measured from CVI emission) less than 0.3% of the Alfven speed at all integer rational surfaces, in contrast with previous DIII-D experiments that indicated critical values of 0.7%–2.5% of the local Alfven speed. Preliminary stability calculations for these discharges, using ideal magnetohydrodynamics with a drift-kinetic dissipation model, are consistent with the new experimental results. A key feature of these experiments is that slow plasma rotation was achieved by reducing the neutral beam torque. Earlier experiments with strong neutral beam torque used “magnetic braking” by applied magnetic perturbations to slow the rotation, and resonant effects of these perturbations may have .
Evaluation of soft palate changes using sleep videofluoroscopy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE To quantitatively evaluate the changes in the soft palate (SP) by sleep videofluoroscopy (SVF). DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS A total of 63 consecutive patients with snoring or sleep apnea (53 with obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] and 10 simple snorers). INTERVENTIONS All the subjects underwent SVF and nocturnal polysomnography. Sleep videofluoroscopy was performed before and after sleep induction by intravenous injection of low-dose midazolam (2 mg per person) and was recorded during 3 kinds of events: awake, normoxygenation sleep, and desaturation sleep events. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in SP length and the angle between inspiratory and expiratory efforts in each group were evaluated according to sleep events; changes in the SP was assessed according to obstruction sites and severity of OSA. RESULTS Desaturation sleep events were detected in all patients with OSA but not in simple snorers. In awake events, inspiratory efforts increased the length and angle of the SP in patients with OSA but not in simple snorers. Elongation and angulation were greatest during desaturation sleep events and least during awake events. In normoxygenation events, changes in the SP were significantly larger in patients with OSA than in simple snorers (P < .01 for SP length; P = .03 for SP angle). Elongation of the SP was the biggest in SP-type obstruction. CONCLUSIONS Sleep videofluoroscopy quantitatively showed that the SP was considerably elongated and angulated in patients with OSA even in an awake state. It is an easy way to measure the SP changes and may be a useful technique to differentiate OSA from simple snoring with short examination time.
Effects of axotomy on the cholinesterase and carbonic anhydrase activities of axons in the proximal and distal stumps of rabbit sciatic nerves: a temporal study.

The temporal changes in transected sciatic nerves of rabbits were studied using recently developed histochemical techniques for discriminating between sensory and motor axons. A segment of the nerve was removed to inhibit spontaneous regeneration across the gap. Staining characteristics of the proximal and distal nerve stumps were studied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, and 35 days following axotomy and compared with control sciatic nerves. In the control and test nerves, subpopulations of myelinated sensory axons were identified histochemically by carbonic anhydrase (CA) staining, and a subset of alpha motor axons were visualized by cholinesterase (CE) staining. Axon staining patterns were reciprocal; i.e., sensory axons were CA-positive and CE-negative, whereas motor axons were CE-positive and CA-negative. Histochemical activities persisted at day 35 after axotomy in the proximal stump and until day 9 after axotomy in the distal stump. This implies that these techniques may aid in both immediate and delayed primary nerve repair. With time, there is buildup of scar tissue adding to the proximal and distal stumps. Therefore, sections for demonstrating sensory and motor axons must be taken progressively further back from the nerve stump ends. Histochemical axon typing indicated that sensory axons regenerated earlier and to a greater degree than motor axons in the developing neuroma. Use of both the carbonic anhydrase and cholinesterase staining methods is more accurate than either technique alone as an adjunct for examining normal and injured peripheral nerves.
Effect of heart rate on stroke volume and cardiac output

In this paper,the effects of heart rate(HR)on stroke volume (SV)and cardiac output (CO)are theoretically analyzed.These results indicate that SV increases when HR decrease,but the change of stroke volume is very small when HR is smaller than90/min,and the relative variation is not greater than3%. A function relationship exists between CO and HR.CO is in-creasing while HR is increasing.After the maximum point,the value of CO drops dramatically.
Complete, long-lasting protection against malaria of mice primed and boosted with two distinct viral vectors expressing the same plasmodial antigen

We report that complete protection against malaria and total inhibition of liver stage development and parasitemia was obtained in 100% of BALB/c mice primed with a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus expressing the circumsporozoite (CS) protein of Plasmodium yoelii (AdPyCS), followed by a booster with an attenuated recombinant vaccinia virus, expressing the same malaria antigen, VacPyCS. We found increased levels of activated CS-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, higher anti-sporozoite antibody titers, and greater protection in these mice, when the time between priming and boosting with these two viral vectors was extended from 2 to 8 or more weeks. Most importantly, by using this immunization regimen, the protection of the immunized mice was found to be long-lasting, namely complete resistance to infection of all animals 3 1/2 months after priming. These results indicate that immunization with AdPyCS generates highly effective memory T and B cells that can be recalled long after priming by boosting with VacPyCS.
The Arizona Telemedicine Program business model

summary The Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) was established in 1996 when state funding was provided to implement eight telemedicine sites. Since then the ATP has expanded to connect 55 health-care organizations through a membership programme formalized through legal contracts. The ATP's membership model is based on an application service provider (ASP) concept, whereby organizations can share services at lower cost; that is, the ATP acts as a broker for services. The membership fee schedule is flexible, allowing clients to purchase only those services desired. An annual membership fee is paid by every user, based on the services requested. The membership programme income has provided a steady revenue stream for the ATP. The membership-derived revenue represented 30% of the ATP's $2.6 million total income during fiscal year 2003/04.
Long-term risk of reproductive cancer among Vietnamese women using the quinacrine hydrochloride pellet system vs. intrauterine devices or tubal ligation for contraception

Abstract Objectives: To determine the long-term risk of reproductive tract cancer in women using the quinacrine hydrochloride pellet system of permanent contraception (QS) relative to the comparable risk in women using Copper T intrauterine device (IUD) or tubal ligation surgery (TL) for long-term or permanent contraception. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study, conducted in the Northern Vietnamese provinces of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thai Binh. Women who had their first QS procedure, last IUD insertion or TL between 1989 and 1996 were interviewed regarding post-procedure health outcomes, particularly reproductive tract cancers. Results: A 95% response rate resulted in 21,040 completed interviews. Reproductive cancer incidence rates were very low (5.77 / 100,000 women years of follow-up time; 95%CI = 3.72–8.94). No significant excess hazard of reproductive tract cancer was associated with QS. Conclusions: No significant excess long-term risk of reproductive tract cancer was found after an average 16 years of follow-up among a large group of women using QS vs. IUD/TL for contraception.
Anatomic Reconstruction of the Posterolateral Aspect of the Knee

Based on quantitative anatomy studies of the posterolateral corner of the knee that defi ne the attachment sites for the fi bular collateral ligament, popliteus tendon, and popliteofi bular ligament, an anatomical surgical technique was developed concurrent with the University of Oslo in Norway to reconstruct these important posterolateral structures.5 This anatomic reconstruction was fi rst tested biomechanically prior to actual use in patients. In addition, buckle transducers were placed on each individual limb of the reconstruction to verify the forces on each structure were in line with the forces on the native structure under similar loading conditions.7 It was demonstrated this anatomic reconstructive technique restored static varus and external rotation stability in cadaveric knees. In addition, there is no biomechanical evidence this technique can overstrain the knee, as other nonanatomic reconstructions have done.10 This article describes the anatomic posterolateral reconstruction technique.
Monitoring and Management of Metabolic Risk Factors in Outpatients Taking Antipsychotic Drugs: A Controlled Study

Objective: To evaluate the screening, monitoring, and management of metabolic risk factors and diseases in long-term antipsychotic users in relation to current practice guidelines and current standards of care as represented by a control group from an HIV clinic. Methods: We undertook a retrospective chart review of mental health clinic outpatients taking antipsychotic drugs long-term (cases) and HIV outpatients prescribed highly active antiretroviral therapy (control subjects). Results: We included 99 mental health clinic patients and 98 HIV patients in the analysis. According to information available in the outpatient clinic chart, the 10-year coronary artery disease risk was computable for 28% of the mental health clinic patients (mean risk 11.9%) and for 90% of the HIV patients (mean risk 9.5%) (χ2 = 77.0, P < 0.001). Metabolic risk factors were less frequently documented in mental health clinic charts. All HIV clinic patients were screened for hypertension and diabetes, and 90% were screened for dyslipidemia, whereas this information was missing for 30%, 39%, and 60% of mental health clinic patients, respectively (P < 0.001 for all). Disease monitoring was also more comprehensive in HIV clinic charts (for example, 100% of HIV patients were monitored for lipids, compared with 71% of mental health clinic patients; P = 0.001). Conclusions: Improved efforts are needed in the somatic care of patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia who are taking antipsychotics, given that they typically have moderate-to-high risk for metabolic diseases.
PENGARUH KEWAJIBAN KEPEMILIKAN NPWP, PEMERIKSAAN PAJAK, PENAGIHAN PAJAK, SURAT PAKSA PAJAK DAN KESADARAN WAJIB PAJAK TERHADAP PENERIMAAN PAJAK (Pada Kantor Pelayanan Pajak Pratama di Kota Semarang)

The objective of this research was to analyse the influence of obligation to have tax number, tax audit and tax collection toward tax revenue. The respondes in this research were tax ojfficers at KPP Pratama on Semarang city. Total sample in this research were 100 persons at 5 different KPP Pratama offices in the Semarang city. Sampling methods in this research used convenience sampling, whereas the data processing method was used multiple linear regression. The result showed that the obligation to have tax number, tax audit, tax collection, tax forced letter, awareness taxpayer show positive significant influence on tax revenue. Variables which have the most significant influence on tax revenue was tax collection with the largest beta value among other independent variables was 0,309. This research supports the research conducted by Syahab and Gisijanto (2008) and Titin Vegirawati (2011). Keywords : obligation to have tax number, tax audit, tax collection, tax forced letter, awareness taxpayer.