Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primordial germ cells contain subpopulations that have greater ability to develop into pluripotential stem cells

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are undifferentiated germ cells in embryos. We previously found that some mouse PGCs develop into pluripotential cells (EG cells) when cultured on a feeder layer expressing the membrane bound form of Steel factor with culture medium containing leukemia inhibitory factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. To understand the mechanisms of the conversion of PGCs into EG cells, we attempted to identify PGC subpopulations that have the ability to develop into EG cells. Using flow cytometry, we fractionated PGCs by the expression of the cell surface antigen integrin α6, as well as by the detection of side‐population (SP) cells in which stem cells are enriched in various tissues. PGCs with negative or low integrin α6 expression and with SP cell phenotype showed higher potential to convert to EG cells. Negative or low integrin α6 expression in PGCs was also correlated with lower expression of Ddx4, which is specifically expressed in PGCs after embryonic day 10.5. The results indicate that the primitive PGC population showing the SP cell phenotype among undifferentiated PGCs has a higher ability of being converted into EG cells. Thus, conversion of PGCs into pluripotential stem cells may be regulated by being influenced by the natural status of individual PGCs as well as the reprogramming process after starting culture.
Surrogate Imaging Biomarkers of Response of Colorectal Liver Metastases After Salvage Radioembolization Using 90Y-Loaded Resin Microspheres.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study is to evaluate Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, tumor attenuation criteria, Choi criteria, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) PET criteria as measures of response and subsequent predictors of liver progression-free survival (PFS) after radioembolization (RE) of colorectal liver metastases (CLM). The study also assesses interobserver variability for measuring tumor attenuation using a single 2D ROI on a simple PACS workstation. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective review of the clinical RE database at our institution, to identify patients treated in the salvage setting for CLM between December 2009 and March 2013. Response was evaluated on FDG PET scans, with the use of EORTC PET criteria, and on portal venous phase CT scans, with the use of RECIST 1.1, tumor attenuation criteria, and Choi criteria. Two independent blinded observers measured tumor attenuation using a single 2D ROI. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for interobserver variability was assessed. Kaplan-Meier methodology was used to calculate liver PFS, and the log-rank test was used to assess the response criteria as predictors of liver PFS. RESULTS A total of 25 patients with 46 target tumors were enrolled in the study. The ICC was 0.95 at baseline and 0.98 at response evaluation. Among the 25 patients, more responders (i.e., partial response) were identified on the basis of EORTC PET criteria (n = 14), Choi criteria (n = 15), and tumor attenuation criteria (n = 13) than on the basis of RECIST 1.1 (n = 2). The median liver PFS was 3.0 months (95% CI, 2.1-4.0 months). Response identified on the basis of EORTC PET criteria (p < 0.001), Choi criteria (p < 0.001), or tumor attenuation criteria (p = 0.01) predicted liver PFS; however, response identified by RECIST 1.1 did not (p = 0.1). CONCLUSION RECIST 1.1 has poor sensitivity for detecting metabolic responses classified by EORTC PET criteria. EORTC PET criteria, Choi criteria, and tumor attenuation criteria appear to be equally reliable surrogate imaging biomarkers of liver PFS after RE in patients with CLM.
tRNA-guanine Transglycosylase from Escherichia coli

Previously, we have demonstrated that the tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) from Escherichia coli is capable of utilizing an in vitro generated minihelix consisting of the anticodon stem and loop sequence of E. coli tRNA (Curnow, A. W., Kung, F. L., Koch, K. A., and Garcia, G. A.(1993) Biochemistry 32, 5239-5246). This suggests that the tRNA structural motifs necessary for recognition comprise a loop at the end of a short helix. To gain further insight into the structural requirements for TGT recognition, we have investigated the conformation of this minimal substrate. Thermal denaturation studies and kinetic analyses at 20 and 37°C indicate that this minihelix is predominantly melted at 37°C and that the melted conformation is not a substrate for TGT. This is confirmed by the determination that a non-helical analogue of the minihelix is not a substrate for TGT at either temperature. Two additional minihelices designed to be stable at 37°C, ECYMH (a 4-base pair extension of the previous minihelix) and SCDMH (a yeast tRNA analogue of ECYMH), were generated and characterized. Finally, several sequence mutants of SCDMH, focusing on the GU base pair and UGU loop sequence, have been produced, and kinetic parameter determinations have been performed at 37°C. Our results are consistent with a recent report (Nakanishi, S., Ueda, T., Hori, H., Yamazaki, N., Okada, N., and Watanabe, K. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 32221-32225) indicating that a UGU sequence in a 7-base loop is the minimal requirement for TGT recognition.
Facial Treatment Preferences in Aesthetically Aware Women

BACKGROUND Individuals typically self-identify symptoms of facial aging that lead them to seek facial aesthetic treatments. No systematic data exist to describe preferences for facial areas requiring treatment. OBJECTIVE To determine (1) the facial areas most likely to be treated first, (2) the relationship between the most bothersome facial area and the area first planned for treatment, and (3) differences between younger and older women. METHODS A total of 603 women aged 30 to 65 years considering aesthetic treatments participated in an online research survey using Maximum Difference scaling. RESULTS Maximum Difference analysis revealed that crow's feet lines (CFLs) were most likely to be treated first (82% of the first preferences), followed by oral commissures (74%) and tear troughs (72%). There was a strong correlation between the most bothersome facial area and the area first planned for treatment. In women younger than 45 years, features of the upper face were more likely to be treated first, whereas women aged 50 years or older had an increased preference for treating features of the lower face, with a reduction in preference for upper face treatment. CONCLUSION This cross-sectional survey suggests that aesthetically oriented women have changing facial treatment preferences with age; however, CFLs are of most concern.
Food for Democracy ?

Last year, the National Touring Association of Norway, which represents walkers, hikers and campers and is one of the largest lobbying groups in the nation, joined forces with the nation’s one and only celebrity chef to develop a line of foods made from indigenous ingredients to stock Norway’s extensive network of camping huts. So instead of the usual dehydrated campground fare, someone staying in a mountain cottage in Jotunheimen National Park would dine on cured reindeer heart, sour cream porridge and small potatoes grown only in those mountain valleys.
Capital Flows, Consumption Booms and Asset Bubbles: A Behavioural Alternative to the Savings Glut Hypothesis

Bernanke (2005) hypothesized that a "global savings glut" was causing large trade imbalances. However, we show that the global savings rates did not show a robust upward trend during the relevant period. Moreover, if there had been a global savings glut there should have been a large investment boom in the countries that imported capital. Instead, those countries experienced consumption booms. National asset bubbles explain the international imbalances. The bubbles raised consumption, resulting in large trade deficits. In a sample of 18 OECD countries plus China, movements in home prices alone explain half of the variation in trade deficits.
Nutrition status of primary school children in Townsville.

OBJECTIVE Much of the ill health of Australian Indigenous populations can be attributed to diet-related diseases. Many of these diseases and the deleterious dietary choices are thought to begin in early childhood. This project therefore aimed to assess the nutritional health status of children in Townsville. It enabled the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander community to identify and redress nutrition-related issues considered important in improving the overall health status of their community. DESIGN Baseline urinalysis, anthropometrics, general overall health assessment, dietary and exercise histories were collected. This screening was repeated annually. Diet and exercise histories were recorded biannually. SETTING Based in three Northern Queensland health region (pre)primary schools with a high proportion of Indigenous children. RESULTS Baseline results demonstrated that more children are overweight to obese than underweight. There was no significant difference in body mass index between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous children. Indigenous children were shown to consume less vegetable and dairy products and were significantly more likely to suffer from anaemia, iron depletion and eosinophilia than non-Indigenous children. Indigenous children were also twice as likely to have runny noses and are more than three times more likely to have skin sores. CONCLUSION These results support that the health status of the Indigenous children is poorer than that of non-Indigenous children. They demonstrate an immediate need to implement culturally appropriate nutritional and exercise programs within the school environment to improve dietary habits and overall health. Implementation of nutritional, drinking and exercise programs may significantly improve these children's overall awareness and behaviour concerning nutrition and health.
Catheter‐based treatment of the subclavian and innominate arteries

Objectives: We report outcomes in patients undergoing catheter‐based intervention for symptomatic subclavian and innominate artery (S/IA) atherosclerosis. Background: Symptomatic S/IA obstructive lesions have traditionally been treated with open surgical revascularization. Catheter‐based endovascular therapies reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with surgery in many vascular beds. Methods: Between December 1993 and May 2006, 170 patients underwent primary stent placement in 177 S/IA arteries. Indications for revascularization included arm ischemia (57%), subclavian steal syndrome (37%), coronary‐subclavian steal syndrome (21%), and planned coronary bypass surgery with the involved internal mammary artery (8%). Results: Technical success was achieved in 98.3% (174/177) arteries, including 99.4% for stenotic lesions (155/156) and 90.5% for occlusions (19/21). There were no procedure‐related deaths and one stroke (0.6%, 1/170). Follow‐up was obtained in 151 (89%) patients at 35.2 ± 30.8 months, with a target vessel revascularization rate of 14.6% (23/157). At last follow‐up, 82% (124/151) of all treated patients remained asymptomatic with a primary patency of 83% and a secondary patency of 96%. Conclusions: Catheter‐based revascularization with stents for symptomatic S/IA lesions is safe and effective with excellent patency rates and sustained symptom resolution in the majority (>80%) of patients over 3 years of follow‐up. Percutaneous primary stent therapy is the preferred method of revascularization in patients with suitable anatomy. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Biliary microlithiasis, sludge, crystals, microcrystallization, and usefulness of assessment of nucleation time.

BACKGROUND The process of microcrystallization, its sequel and the assessment of nucleation time is ignored. This systematic review aimed to highlight the importance of biliary microlithiasis, sludge, and crystals, and their association with gallstones, unexplained biliary pain, idiopathic pancreatitis, and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. DATA SOURCES Three reviewers performed a literature search of the PubMed database. Key words used were "biliary microlithiasis", "biliary sludge", "bile crystals", "cholesterol crystallisation", "bile microscopy", "microcrystal formation of bile", "cholesterol monohydrate crystals", "nucleation time of cholesterol", "gallstone formation", "sphincter of Oddi dysfunction" and "idiopathic pancreatitis". Additional articles were sourced from references within the studies from the PubMed search. RESULTS We found that biliary microcrystals account for almost all patients with gallstone disease, 7% to 79% with idiopathic pancreatitis, 83% with unexplained biliary pain, and 25% to 60% with altered biliary and pancreatic sphincter function. Overall, the detection of biliary microcrystals in gallstone disease has a sensitivity ranging from 55% to 87% and a specificity of 100%. In idiopathic pancreatitis, the presence of microcrystals ranges from 47% to 90%. A nucleation time less than 10 days in hepatic bile or ultra-filtered gallbladder bile has a specificity of 100% for cholesterol gallstone disease. CONCLUSIONS Biliary crystals are associated with gallstone disease, idiopathic pancreatitis, sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, unexplained biliary pain, and post-cholecystectomy biliary pain. Pathways of cholesterol super-saturation, crystallisation, and gallstone formation have been described with scientific support. Bile microscopy is a useful method to detect microcrystals and the assessment of nucleation time is a good method of predicting the risk of cholesterol crystallisation.
Relevance of Unsupervised Metrics in Task-Oriented Dialogue for Evaluating Natural Language Generation

Automated metrics such as BLEU are widely used in the machine translation literature. They have also been used recently in the dialogue community for evaluating dialogue response generation. However, previous work in dialogue response generation has shown that these metrics do not correlate strongly with human judgment in the non task-oriented dialogue setting. Task-oriented dialogue responses are expressed on narrower domains and exhibit lower diversity. It is thus reasonable to think that these automated metrics would correlate well with human judgment in the task-oriented setting where the generation task consists of translating dialogue acts into a sentence. We conduct an empirical study to confirm whether this is the case. Our findings indicate that these automated metrics have stronger correlation with human judgments in the task-oriented setting compared to what has been observed in the non task-oriented setting. We also observe that these metrics correlate even better for datasets which provide multiple ground truth reference sentences. In addition, we show that some of the currently available corpora for task-oriented language generation can be solved with simple models and advocate for more challenging datasets.
A New Look at the Saturn System: The Voyager 2 Images

Voyager 2 photography has complemented that of Voyager I in revealing many additional characteristics of Saturn and its satellites and rings. Saturn's atmosphere contains persistent oval cloud features reminiscent of features on Jupiter. Smaller irregular features track out a pattern of zonal winds that is symmetric about Saturn's equator and appears to extend to great depth. Winds are predominantly eastward and reach 500 meters per second at the equator. Titan has several haze layers with significantly varying optical properties and a northern polar "collar" that is dark at short wavelengths. Several satellites have been photographed at substantially improved resolution. Enceladus' surface ranges from old, densely cratered terrain to relatively young, uncratered plains crossed by grooves and faults. Tethys has a crater 400 kilometers in diameter whose floor has domed to match Tethys' surface curvature and a deep trench that extends at least 270� around Tethys' circumference. Hyperion is cratered and irregular in shape. Iapetus' bright, trailing hemisphere includes several dark-floored craters, and Phoebe has a very low albedo and rotates in the direction opposite to that of its orbital revolution with a period of 9 hours. Within Saturn's rings, the "birth" of a spoke has been observed, and surprising azimuthal and time variability is found in the ringlet structure of the outer B ring. These observations lead to speculations about Saturn's internal structure and about the collisional and thermal history of the rings and satellites.
Unusual DNA structure in the regulatory region of the human papovavirus JC virus

The human papovavirus JC virus (JCV) was analyzed for the presence of unusual DNA conformations. Recombinant plasmids containing 60% of the JCV prototype Mad-1 strain DNA were constructed and analyzed with both enzymatic and chemical probes. Fine-mapping studies revealed that the most prominent S1 nuclease-sensitive and bromoacetaldehyde-modified sites were located within the TATA boxes of each 98-base-pair tandem repeat. Further studies revealed that the S1 nuclease-sensitive site in the first TATA box (proximal to the origin) was approximately 50-fold stronger than the site in the second TATA box (distal from the origin). Deletion of the first TATA box drastically reduced the extent of bromoacetaldehyde modification in the second TATA box, whereas deletion of the second TATA box had little or no effect on the reactivity at the first TATA box. Hence, the biological and conformational role of the second TATA box remains unclear. No supercoil-induced relaxation was found, and reactions with the probes were not pH dependent. Also, fragments containing this regulatory region did not appear to be bent, although the A+T-rich segment contained a tract of eight consecutive A's. We conclude that the regulatory region of JCV contains non-B, but right-handed, DNA conformations which account for this behavior.
Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Tuberculosis in an Area with High Disease Prevalence

Study Design Retrospective observational study. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of age and site of infection in patients with musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) and determine the number of TB/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfections as well as the incidence of multidrugresistant (MDR) TB. Overview of Literature Of all TB cases, 1%–3% show skeletal system involvement and 30% are HIV coinfected. Although the reported distribution of skeletal TB is majorly in the spine, followed by the hip, knee, and foot/ankle, the epidemiology of extrapulmonary TB and especially musculoskeletal TB remains largely unknown, particularly in areas with a high prevalence of the disease. Methods This is a retrospective study of a consecutive series of patients admitted to a tertiary care facility in an area with the highest prevalence of TB worldwide. TB was confirmed on tissue biopsy with polymerase chain reaction testing (Xpert for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance), culturing, or histological analysis. Data were analyzed regarding demographic information, location of the disease, HIV coinfections, and drug resistance. Results In all, 125 patients (44 children; 35%) with a mean age of 27 years (range, 1–78 years) were included. Age peaks were observed at 5, 25, and 65 years. Spinal disease was evident in 98 patients (78%). There were 66 HIV-negative (53%) and 29 (23%) HIVpositive patients, and in 30 (24%), the HIV status was unknown. Five patients (4%) showed MDR TB. Conclusions The age distribution was trimodal, spinal disease was predominant, MDR TB rate in our cohort was high, and a large portion of TB patients in our hospital were HIV coinfected. Hence, spinal services with sufficient access to operating facilities are required for tertiary care facilities in areas with a high TB prevalence.
An analysis of myotonia in paramyotonia congenita1

In two subjects with paramyotonia congenita myotonic delay in muscle relaxation, recorded electromyographically and with a displacement transducer, was found to increase with repeated forceful contractions. Myotonia was elicited readily in warm temperatures, was initially aggravated by cooling, but was invariably lost as muscle fatigue developed. The EMG evidence of myotonia usually subsided before complete muscle relaxation had occurred, suggesting that a defect of the contractile mechanism was present over and above any defect at membrane level.
Host Perceptions of Tourism Impact and Stage of Destination Development in a Developing Country

This study makes two important contributions to the existing literature. On the one hand, it investigated tourism impacts as perceived by residents in two important historic cities in India (Puri and Varanasi). On the other hand, it analysed residents’ perceived tourism impacts in relation to their evaluation of stage of destination development. A survey collected valid responses from 570 local residents, who display a high level of agreement concerning the positive economic and sociocultural contributions of tourism. Despite environmental concerns, respondents wish to attract more tourists and further develop infrastructure for tourism. Residents who perceive tourism to be in the development and full development/stagnation stages agree more strongly than those who consider tourism to be in the beginning stage that it increases employment opportunities and seasonality and stipulates cultural activities. In contrast, those who think tourism is in the beginning stage are more concerned about environmental pollution and thus advocate restrictions on the industry. Implications are suggested for tourism research, policy making, and planning.
Distinct roles of SOX2, Pax6 and Maf transcription factors in the regulation of lens‐specific δ1‐crystallin enhancer

Background: The eye lens provides a good model for the study of regulation of cell differentiation, in which lens‐specific δ1‐crystallin expression serves as an indicator of the differentiated state of the cells. It has been indicated that the SOX2, Pax6 and Maf proteins are the major regulators of lens cell differentiation. To clarify the individual roles of these transcription factors, we analysed their participation in regulation of the δ1‐crystallin enhancer.
Pharmacokinetics of a single intramuscular injection of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid in red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis).

OBJECTIVE To determine the pharmacokinetics and adverse effects at the injection site of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid (CCFA) following IM administration of 1 dose to red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). ANIMALS 7 adult nonreleasable healthy red-tailed hawks. PROCEDURES In a randomized crossover study, CCFA (10 or 20 mg/kg) was administered IM to each hawk and blood samples were obtained. After a 2-month washout period, administration was repeated with the opposite dose. Muscle biopsy specimens were collected from the injection site 10 days after each sample collection period. Pharmacokinetic data were calculated. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of ceftiofur for various bacterial isolates were assessed. RESULTS Mean peak plasma concentrations of ceftiofur-free acid equivalent were 6.8 and 15.1 μg/mL for the 10 and 20 mg/kg doses, respectively. Mean times to maximum plasma concentration were 6.4 and 6.7 hours, and mean terminal half-lives were 29 and 50 hours, respectively. Little to no muscle inflammation was identified. On the basis of a target MIC of 1 μg/mL and target plasma ceftiofur concentration of 4 μg/mL, dose administration frequencies for infections with gram-negative and gram-positive organisms were estimated as every 36 and 45 hours for the 10 mg/kg dose and every 96 and 120 hours for the 20 mg/kg dose, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Study results suggested that CCFA could be administered IM to red-tailed hawks at 10 or 20 mg/kg to treat infections with ceftiofur-susceptible bacteria. Administration resulted in little to no inflammation at the injection site. Additional studies are needed to evaluate effects of repeated CCFA administration.