Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CXCR7 Mediates Neural Progenitor Cells Migration to CXCL12 Independent of CXCR4

Neural progenitor cell (NPC) migration is an essential process for brain development, adult neurogenesis, and neuroregeneration after brain injury. Stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1, CXCL12) and its traditional receptor CXCR4 are well known to regulate NPC migration. However, the discovery of CXCR7, a newly identified CXCL12 receptor, adds to the dynamics of the existing CXCL12/CXCR4 pair. Antagonists for either CXCR4 or CXCR7 blocked CXCL12‐mediated NPC migration in a transwell chemotaxis assay, suggesting that both receptors are required for CXCL12 action. We derived NPC cultures from Cxcr4 knockout (KO) mice and used transwell and stripe assays to determine the cell migration. NPCs derived from Cxcr4 KO mice polarized and migrated in response to CXCL12 gradient, suggesting that CXCR7 could serve as an independent migration receptor. Furthermore, Cxcr4 KO NPCs transplanted into the adult mouse striatum migrated in response to the adjacent injection of CXCL12, an effect that was blocked by a CXCR7 antagonist, suggesting that CXCR7 also mediates NPC migration in vivo. Molecular mechanism studies revealed that CXCR7 interact with Rac1 in the leading edge of the polarized NPCs in the absence of CXCR4. Both CXCR7 and Rac1 are required for extracellular signal‐regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 activation and subsequent NPC migration, indicating that CXCR7 could serve as a functional receptor in CXCL12‐mediated NPC migration independent of CXCR4. Together these results reveal an essential role of CXCR7 for CXCL12‐mediated NPC migration that will be important to understand neurogenesis during development and in adulthood. Stem Cells 2015;33:2574–2585
Role of P2Y1 receptor in astroglia‐to‐neuron signaling at dorsal spinal cord

Several studies have shown that astrocytes release neurotransmitters into the extracellular space that may then activate receptors on nearby neurons. In the present study, the actions of adenosine 5′‐O‐(2‐thiodiphosphate) (ADPbetaS)‐activated astrocyte conditioned medium (ADPbetaS‐ACM) on cultured dorsal spinal cord neurons were evaluated by using confocal laser scanning microscopy and whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording. ADPbetaS caused astrocytic glutamate efflux (43 μM), which in turn induced inward currents in dorsal horn neurons with short time in culture. The inward currents were abolished by 2‐amino‐5‐phosphonlanoicacid (AP‐5; NMDAR antagonist) plus 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX; non‐NMDAR antagonist) but were unaffected by MRS2179 (selective P2Y1 receptor antagonist). Furthermore, N6‐methyl‐2′‐deoxyadenosine‐3′,5′‐bisphosphate (MRS2179) was used to block glutamate release from astrocytes. As a result, ADPbetaS‐ ACM‐induced inward currents in neurons were significantly blocked. On the other hand, both NMDAR and non‐NMDAR were involved in ADPbetaS‐ACM (concentration was diluted to one‐tenth)‐evoked small [Ca2+]i transients in neurons. Under this condition, the values of glutamate concentrations in the medium are close to values for extracellular glutamate concentrations under physiological conditions. For this reason, it is possible that astrocyte‐derived glutamate is important for distant neuron under physiological conditions at dorsal spinal cord. These observations indicate that astrocytic P2Y1 receptor activation triggered glutamate efflux, which acts on distant neurons to elevate calcium levels or acts on nearby neurons to evoke inward current. Finally, our results support the conclusion that the astrocytic P2Y1 receptor plays an important role in bidirectional communication between astrocytes and neurons. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Incorporating Price and Inventory Endogeneity in Firm-Level Sales Forecasting

As numerous papers have argued, sales, inventory, and gross margin for a retailer are interrelated. We construct a simultaneous equations model to establish these interrelationships at a firm level. Using publicly available financial data, we estimate the six causal effects among sales, inventory, and gross margin. Our results show that sales, inventory, and gross margin are mutually endogenous. In particular, we provide new evidence of the impact of inventory on sales and the interrelationship between gross margin and inventory. We also estimate the effects of exogenous explanatory variables such as store growth, proportion of new inventory, capital investment per store, selling expenditure, and index of consumer sentiment on sales, inventory, and gross margin. We show that our model can be used to generate sales forecasts even when sales are managed using inventory and price. In numerical tests, sales forecasts from our model are more accurate than forecasts from time-series models that ignore inventory and gross margin as well as forecasts from equity analysts. Finally, we use an example to illustrate how our model can be used to benchmark retailers’ performance in sales, inventory, and gross margin simultaneously. * Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. Email: skesavan@unc.edu. † Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Email: vg77@cornell.edu. ‡ Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163. Email: araman@hbs.edu.
Predictors and Reference Values of Pulse Wave Velocity in Prepubertal Angolan Children

Carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been used as the gold standard method to estimate arterial stiffness. However, its use in clinical practice is still limited because reference values for specific groups, such as black children, remain unknown. The authors aimed to investigate predictors and to propose preliminary reference values of PWV in this population. Prepubertal schoolchildren (N=157; mean age, 9.36±1.41 year) from Luanda (Angola) with normal blood pressure values and without obesity were included. Mean PWV was 5.73±0.68 m/s, with no difference between the sexes. Univariate regression analysis showed a significant (P<.05) positive correlation between PWV and height, age, body weight, lean body weight, and blood pressure. In multivariate analysis, however, only height remained an independent predictor of PWV [PWV=0.018×height (cm)+3.230]. Curves of PWV percentiles as a function of height are proposed, thus identifying normal PWV in black children.
Metabolic Diseases and Their Effect on Immune Function and Resistance to Infectious Disease

The transition from pregnant, non-lactating to non-pregnant, lactating is too often a disastrous experience for the cow. Most of the metabolic diseases of dairy cows milk fever, ketosis, retained placenta, and displacement of the abomasum occur within the first 2 wk of lactation. In addition to metabolic disease, the majority of infectious disease experienced by the dairy cow, especially mastitis, but also diseases such as Johne's disease and Salmonellosis, become clinically apparent during the first 2 wk of lactation.
Life events and prodromal symptoms in bulimia nervosa

Background. Little is known about the interaction of life events with prodromal symptoms in bulimia nervosa. Methods. A semistructured research interview based on Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events and on the Clinical Interview for Depression for eliciting prodromal symptoms was administered to 30 patients with bulimia nervosa and 30 healthy control subjects matched for sociodemographic variables. Results. Patients reported significantly more stressful life events than controls. Most of the patients reported prodromal symptoms. Anorexia, low self-esteem, depressed mood, anhedonia, generalized anxiety and irritability were the most common prodromal symptoms. Conclusions. The prodromal phase of bulimia nervosa was found to be characterized by a combination of prodromal symptoms of affective type and stressful life events. Their joint occurrence may increase vulnerability to bulimia nervosa.
Electrically Programmable All-Fiber Structured Second Order Optical Temporal Differentiator

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an electrically programmable second order optical temporal differentiator (OTD) based on linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating (LCFBG) and digital thermal print head (TPH). For the high-speed optical signal with 25-GHz repetition rate, an efficient second-order OTD has been achieved for arbitrary wavelength and bandwidth with the software-defined TPH configurations. By optimizing the thermooptic effect induced optical phase change in the LCFBG, the central wavelength of the differentiator can be reconfigured flexibly from 1543.5 to 1561.7 nm, with a step size of 0.114 nm. By dynamically controlling the heating elements bonded with the LCFBG, optical pulses with 0.55- and 0.8-nm 3-dB bandwidths have been successfully processed with acceptable deviation compared with the theoretical calculations.
Monosynaptic Ia pathways at the cat shoulder

1 The study aimed to describe in cat forelimb and shoulder motoneurones the convergence and projection patterns from large muscle spindle afferents (Ia). In 11 chloralose‐anaesthetized cats maximum Ia EPSPs evoked by electrical stimulation of ipsilateral forelimb nerves were obtained in 309 intracellularly recorded α‐motoneurones. 2 Groups of motor nuclei displayed similar Ia patterns. As in the distal forelimb they were often interconnected by bidirectional pathways, which were used to combine Ia synergistic groups. Three such groups are described at the shoulder. 3 The first group was composed of the main flexors of the scapulo‐humeral joint. Regular disto‐proximal Ia excitation from elbow extensors (and median afferents) indicates a coupling of flexion in the scapulo‐humeral joint to the angular position of the elbow. 4 The second group comprised the outward rotators of the humerus with differentiated Ia convergence onto the different group members. The patterns of Ia excitation received and sent by the group members demonstrate that the outward rotators are incorporated in versatile synergisms and may occupy a central position in steering forelimb movements. 5 The third group was formed by the spinatus muscle and the subscapularis. This arrangement is suggested by the common convergence onto them from the elbow extensors and flexors. The pattern may serve to guide and keep the humeral head in the joint capsule. 6 The Ia synergistic groups receive Ia convergence from muscles acting at distant joints and also project to distant muscles. This is discussed as part of an extended pattern of Ia connections along the forelimb. In this way the shoulder muscles would be incorporated in flexor and extensor oriented synergisms which are needed to co‐ordinate the muscular activation along the multijoint forelimb during locomotion. When the shoulder Ia pathways are compared with those in the distal forelimb, organization of the Ia system apparently follows a few basic principles which have adapted to the mechanical situation at the particular joints and their mechanical interaction.
Expression of the Isoamylase Gene ofFlavobacterium odoratum KU in Escherichia coliand Identification of Essential Residues of the Enzyme by Site-Directed Mutagenesis

ABSTRACT The isoamylase gene from Flavobacterium odoratum KU was cloned into and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. The promoter of the gene was successful in E. coli, and the enzyme produced was excreted into the culture medium, depending on the amount of the enzyme expressed. The enzyme found in the culture medium showed almost the same Mr, heat-inactivating constant, and N-terminal sequence as those of the enzyme accumulated in the periplasmic space. This result indicated that the enzyme accumulated in an active form at the periplasm was transported out of the cell. The primary sequence of the enzyme, which was deduced from its nucleotide sequence, showed that the mature enzyme consisted of 741 amino acid residues. By changing five possible residues to Ala independently, it was found that Asp-374, Glu-422, and Asp-497 were essential. The sequences around those residues were highly conserved in isoamylases of different origins and the glycogen operon protein X, GlgX. The comparison of the distance between these essential residues with those of various amylases suggested that the bacterial and plant isoamylase but not GlgX had a longer fourth loop than the other amylases. This longer fourth loop had a possible role in accommodating the long branched chains of native glycogens and starches.
Lifetime alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer.

The relation of lifetime alcohol intake to risk of breast cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women was examined in a case-control study in western New York. Cases with incident primary histologically confirmed breast cancer diagnosed during the period 1986-1991 (n = 740) and controls, frequency age-matched women drawn from New York state driver's license records (age < 65 yrs) and from records of the Health Care Finance Administration (age > or = 65 yrs, n = 810), were interviewed regarding intake of wine, beer, and hard liquor 2, 10, and 20 years ago and at 16 years of age. Although women in this study had generally low intakes of alcohol, there was little evidence of increased risk of breast cancer with intake of alcohol at any of the time periods or with an index of total lifetime intake. There was a weak indication of an increase in risk with beer for intakes of at least one drink per day. This risk was evident for 2, 10, and 20 years ago but not at 16 years of age. In this group with relatively low intakes of alcohol, evidence was weak for an association of increased risk of breast cancer with intake of alcohol, with the possible exception of a weak association with beer intake.
Anti-TNF antibodies for Crohn's disease--in pursuit of the perfect clinical trial.

For decades, many patients with Crohn's disease required prolonged courses of corticosteroids, repeated surgeries, or both, despite treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid (mesalamine) or immunomodulators such as azathioprine. The introduction of infliximab, the first antibody against tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), dramatically changed the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease.1 Administered as an intermittent parenteral therapy, infliximab proved efficacious in patients whose condition was resistant to treatment, and the drug is widely used for such patients. However, the infliximab experience served to reinforce the adage that there often is much to be learned about new medications. We soon discovered that patients .
Target-organ damage and incident hypertension: the Korean genome and epidemiology study

Objective: Hypertension is associated with cardiovascular organ damage. However, data are scanty on whether individual forms or combinations of subclinical target organ damage (TOD) increase the risk of incident hypertension in nonhypertensive study participants. Methods: A total of 1785 nonhypertensive participants from the fourth biennial examination (2007–2008) of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were followed-up for four years. Echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, LV diastolic dysfunction, increased carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were defined according to the current guidelines. Results: During 4-year follow-up, 19.9% of participants developed hypertension. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, the adjusted hazard ratios for developing hypertension were 1.39, 1.66, 1.48, and 0.78 for higher values of the LV mass index, cIMT, baPWV, and tissue Doppler e′ velocity, respectively (all P < 0.01). The hazard ratios for LV hypertrophy, LV diastolic dysfunction, cIMT >75th percentile, and baPWV ≥ 1400 cm/s were 1.61, 1.30, 1.86, and 2.07, respectively (all P < 0.05). Compared with participants without any TOD, those with combinations of TOD types had significantly greater risk for developing hypertension (hazard ratio = 2.12 and 3.98 for 1-2 and 3-4 TOD sites, respectively, all P < 0.001). Conclusion: In the nonhypertensive population, each subclinical form of TOD independently predicts incident hypertension. In addition, the combinations of various forms of TOD are associated with stepwise increases in the risk for developing hypertension. The results suggest that asymptomatic TOD does not always exist in an intermediate stage in the cardiovascular continuum.
The histone methyltransferase Ezh 2 is a crucial epigenetic regulator of allogeneic T-cell responses mediating graft-versus-host disease

• Ezh2 is specifically required to induce effector cells producing IFN-g and expansion of T cells late upon alloantigen activation. • Genetic inactivation of Ezh2 function reduces GVHD but preserves antitumor effects in mice after allogeneic BMT. Posttranscriptional modification of histones by methylation plays an important role in regulating Ag-driven T-cell responses. We have recently drawn correlations between allogeneic T-cell responses and the histone methyltransferase Ezh2, which catalyzes histoneH3 lysine27 trimethylation. The functional relevanceofEzh2 inT-cell alloimmunity remains unclear. Here, we identify a central role of Ezh2 in regulating allogeneic T-cell proliferation, differentiation, and function. Conditional loss of Ezh2 in donor T cells inhibited graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in mice after allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplantation. Although Ezh2-deficient T cells were initially activated to proliferate upon alloantigenic priming, their ability to undergo continual proliferation and expansion was defective during late stages of GVHD induction. This effect of Ezh2 ablation was largely independent of the proapoptotic molecule Bim. Unexpectedly, as a gene silencer, Ezh2 was required to promote the expression of transcription factors Tbx21 and Stat4. Loss of Ezh2 in T cells specifically impaired their differentiation into interferon (IFN)-g–producing effector cells. However, Ezh2 ablation retained antileukemia activity in alloreactive T cells, leading to improved overall survival of the recipients. Our findings justify investigation of modulating Ezh2 as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of GVHD and other T cell–mediated inflammatory disorders. (Blood. 2013;122(25):4119-4128)
Reproductive emergencies in the bitch: a retrospective study

MARTINS-BESSA A. Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV) CARDOSO L. Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV) COSTA T. Hospital Referência Veterinária Montenegro MOTA R. Hospital Referência Veterinária Montenegro ROCHA A. Centro de Ciência Animal (CECA) and Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto MONTENEGRO L. Hospital Referência Veterinária Montenegro https://doi.org/10.12681/jhvms.15867
Intraperitoneal Injection of Ethanol for the Euthanasia of Laboratory Mice (Mus musculus) and Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Compassion, professional ethics, and public sensitivity require that animals are euthanized humanely and appropriately under both planned and emergent situations. According to the 2013 AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, intraperitoneal injection of ethanol is "acceptable with conditions" for use in mice. Because only limited information regarding this technique is available, we sought to evaluate ethanol by using ECG and high-definition video recording. Mice (n = 85) and rats (n = 16) were treated with intraperitoneal ethanol (70% or 100%), a positive-control agent (pentobarbital-phenytoin combination [Pe/Ph]), or a negative-control agent (saline solution). After injection, animals were assessed for behavioral and physiologic responses. Pain-assessment techniques in mice demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of ethanol was not more painful than was intraperitoneal Pe/Ph. Median time to loss of consciousness for all mice that received ethanol or Pe/Ph was 45 s. Median time to respiratory arrest was 2.75, 2.25, and 2.63 min, and time (mean ± SE) to cardiac arrest was 6.04 ± 1.3, 2.96 ± 0.6, and 4.03 ± 0.5 min for 70% ethanol, 100% ethanol, and Pe/Ph, respectively. No mouse that received ethanol or Pe/Ph regained consciousness. Although successful in mice, intraperitoneal ethanol at the doses tested (9.2 to 20.1 g/kg) was unsuitable for euthanasia of rats (age, 7 to 8 wk) because of the volume needed and prolonged time to respiratory effects. For mice, intraperitoneal injection of 70% or 100% ethanol induced rapid and irreversible loss of consciousness, followed by death, and should be considered as "acceptable with conditions. "
Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation and Localization Based on Floor Plan Map Information and Sensory Fusion approach

The objective of this paper is to develop a Mobile Robot Navigation and Localization Based on Floor Plan Map Information and Sensory Fusion approach. We have developed map recognition algorithm for recognizing the floor plan and high level multi-sensor topological navigation system utilizing the information to perform navigation tasks. In our algorithm, robot can recognize the floor plan to get enough information automatically like human. First, it recognizes the floor plan map, generates the path to destination and extracts two kinds of landmarks location from floor plan map. One is room plate landmark and the other is passage corner landmark. Second, these landmarks can be detected by camera and ultrasonic sensor in experimental environment. Robot can then navigate to the destination by following these landmarks and generated path. The main contributions of this paper are: 1). floor plan can be reconstructed quickly. 2). It is easier to describe the destination for user.
Importance Sampling for Option Greeks with Discontinuous Payoffs

The Greeks are derivatives of option price with respect to market parameters and play an important role in financial risk management. Among various simulation methods for estimating the Greeks, the pathwise method typically has a low variance. However, when the option payoff is discontinuous, the pathwise method is not applicable and the Greek involves a conditional expectation taken over a hypersurface that is a probability-zero set. In this paper, we propose an importance sampling (IS) method to estimate this conditional expectation. More specifically, IS is applied in a way that all simulated observations fall into a set constructed by thickening the hypersurface. Allowing the thickness of the set to go to zero then leads to a new representation of the Greek as an ordinary expectation, thus leading to an unbiased estimator. The resulting estimator makes use of the pathwise derivatives and can be viewed as an extension of the pathwise method to cases with discontinuous payoffs. Numerical results show th.
Allelopathy of Aspergillus japonicus on Crops

The seeds of some dicotyledons fail to germinate and grow well when contaminated by Aspergillus japonicus Saito. One strain of A. japonicus isolated from the seeds of contaminated rape (Brassica campestris L.) inhibited the seedling growth of rape and radish (Raphanus sativus L.) when the fungus was directly inoculated on the seed surface. Metabolites released from the fungus inhibited the seedling germination and seedling growth of rape and radish. The culture filtrate and mycelium acetone (C 3 H 6 O) extract inhibited the seedling growth of rape. The major allelochemical of A. japonicus was identified by spectroscopic methods as secalonic add F (SAF). Bioassays showed that SAF at concentration 0.038 mM significantly inhibited the seedling growth of several crops.