Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meiotic activity in orthotopic xenografts derived from human postpubertal testicular tissue.

BACKGROUND Grafting of frozen-thawed testicular tissue has been suggested as a novel fertility preservation method for patients undergoing gonadotoxic treatments. However, this technique still needs further optimization before any clinical application. So far, grafting of human testicular tissue has only been performed to the back skin of nude mice and has shown spermatogonial stem-cell survival and occasionally differentiation up to primary spermatocytes. In this study, orthotopic grafting to mouse testes was evaluated as an alternative, and the effect of freezing and the donor's age was studied. METHODS Human testicular tissue was obtained from two prepubertal (aged 3 and 5) and two postpubertal (aged 12 and 13) boys. Both fresh and frozen-thawed testicular tissue was grafted to the testis of immuno-deficient nude mice. Four and nine months after transplantation, testes were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Four and nine months after transplantation, spermatogonial stem cells were observed in all tissue grafts. Germ cell survival was found to be higher in xenografts from the older boys when compared with that from younger donors. Furthermore, no differentiation was observed in the xenografts from younger patients, but the grafts of two older donors showed differentiation up to the primary spermatocyte level, with the presence of secondary spermatocytes in the oldest donor 9 months after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS This xenografting study shows that intratesticular grafting results in high germ cell survival. In grafts derived from the older boys, meiotic activity was maintained in the xenografts for at least 9 months. Although difficult to conduct due to the scarcity of the tissue, more comparative research is needed to elucidate an optimal grafting strategy.
Visible laser and UV‐A radiation impact on a PNP degrading Moraxella strain and its rpoS mutant

The role of stationary phase sigma factor gene (rpoS) in the stress response of Moraxella strain when exposed to radiation was determined by comparing the stress responses of the wild‐type (WT) and its rpoS knockout (KO) mutant. The rpoS was turned on by starving the WT cultures for 24 h in minimal salt medium. Under non‐starved condition, both WT and KO planktonic Moraxella cells showed an increase in mortality with the increase in duration of irradiation. In the planktonic non‐starved Moraxella, for the power intensity tested, UV radiation caused a substantially higher mortality rate than did by the visible laser light (the mortality rate observed for 15‐min laser radiation was 53.4 ± 10.5 and 48.7 ± 8.9 for WT and KO, respectively, and 97.6 ± 0 and 98.5 ± 0 for 25 s of UV irradiation in WT and KO, respectively). However, the mortality rate decreased significantly in the starved WT when exposed to these two radiations. In comparison, rpoS protected the WT against the visible laser light more effectively than it did for the UV radiation. The WT and KO strains of Moraxella formed distinctly different types of biofilms on stainless steel coupons. The KO strain formed a denser biofilm than did the WT. Visible laser light removed biofilms from the surfaces more effectively than did the UV. This was true when comparing the mortality of bacteria in the biofilms as well. The inability of UV radiation to penetrate biofilms due to greater rates of surface absorption is considered to be the major reason for the weaker removal of biofilms in comparison to that of the visible laser light. This result suggests that high power visible laser light might be an effective tool for the removal of biofilms. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Loss-Aversion Discount on Earnings News

This study tests and finds that stock prices around earnings announcements reflect investor aversion to negative news. We find that when forecasts are negatively skewed, indicating considerable downside risk, earnings announcement returns are eventually more positive. Announcement returns are also positive after controlling for the effect of negative forecast skewness on earnings expectations and earnings surprise. Our results suggest the increase in the likelihood of large negative earnings news causes investors not only to lower their earnings expectations, but also to impose an additional price discount. When earnings are announced and uncertainty is resolved, the discount is removed and announcement returns are positive. By contrast, positive skewness in earnings forecasts does not affect announcement returns. Taken together, the evidence suggests investors assign higher discounts to negative uncertainty than to positive uncertainty. The results imply that to lower cost of equity, firms should be concerned more with resolving negative than positive uncertainty.
Contraception and religious practice in Bangladesh.

Despite rapid rates of fertility decline there remains substantial regional variation in contraceptive use and fertility within Bangladesh. This analysis of the Bangladeshi Fertility Survey of 1989 explores the factors that may explain this regional variation. Using recently developed multilevel modeling techniques the paper examines the relative importance of a womans individual characteristics and those of the area in which she lives as predictors of contraceptive use. The results show that as well as a number of expected individual socioeconomic characteristics the effects of religious practice and of education are important. Individual practice measured by the frequency of prayer among the Islamic community is not as important a predictor of contraceptive use as is the practice of the community in the area in which the woman lives. This finding suggests that in a setting where family planning programs are a major source of fertility decline diffusion of an innovative behavior such as contraceptive use is likely to be affected by the fundamental cultural and social traits of a society. With regard to education the paper shows that beyond a womans own education the overall level of education in the area is a powerful predictor of contraceptive use. This finding provides support for Caldwells hypothesis that mass education plays an important role in accelerating the pace of fertility decline. In addition the paper offers some insights into the way that the characteristics of an area influence individual behavior. (authors)
l-Thyroxine in an Oral Liquid or Softgel Formulation Ensures More Normal Serum Levels of Free T4 in Patients with Central Hypothyroidism

Context l-Thyroxine (l-T4) therapy of central hypothyroidism (CH) is guided by measurements of serum free thyroxine (FT4), which should be above the midnormal range value (MNRV). In some countries, novel formulations of oral l-T4 (liquid or softgel) are available further to the classic tablets. The intestinal absorption of either novel formulation is greater than tablets in patients with primary hypothyroidism. Objective To evaluate whether new oral formulations of l-T4 could be considered optimal in patients with CH who do not reach the FT4 target using tablet l-T4. Design Our observation of six patients with isolated CH and serum FT4 below MNRV under stable adequate doses of tablet l-T4 (median 1.51 μg/kg bw/day), prompted us to switch them to liquid (n = 4) or softgel (n = 3) l-T4 at the same dose, and verify whether FT4 increased above MNRV. A seventh patient with FT4 above MNRV was enrolled because she wanted a “more modern formulation. ” Postswitch FT4 was measured at least twice with the same kit as preswitch FT4. Results In the first six patients, postswitch FT4 averaged 13.0 ± 1.6 pg/ml compared to 10.4 ± 1.8 preswitch FT4 (P = 0.00026), with 11/13 (85%) measurements above MNRV compared to 0/20. In the liquid or softgel l-T4 group, postswitch FT4 averaged 13.1 ± 1.6 vs. 10.6 ± 0.9 pg/ml preswitch (P = 0.0004) or 12.9 ± 2.1 vs. 10.3 ± 2.4 (P = 0.048), respectively. In the seventh patient (switched to liquid l-T4), averages were 18.3 vs. 15.2 pg/ml, and proportions 4/4 vs. 2/2. Conclusion In CH patients, oral liquid or softgel l-T4 administered at the same doses as tablet l-T4 ensures target serum FT4 levels above MNRV that tablet l-T4 may miss. In turn, this performance suggests the more favorable pharmacokinetics profile of either novel formulation compared with the tablet formulation.
Comparative Assessment of Ibutilide, D‐Sotalol, Clofilium, E‐4031, and UK‐68, 798 in a Rabbit Model of Proarrhythmia

Summary Class III agents have been associated with development of a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) known as torsades de pointes. We compared the class III agent ibutilide, which prolongs repolarizatipn through enhancement of an inward sodium current, with the potassium channel blockers E-4031, UK-68,798, clofilium, and D-sotalol for proarrhythmic effects in an anesthetized rabbit model. In these animals, prolongation of repolarization during a, stimulation with methoxamine produces early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and a pause-dependent torsades de pointes-like PVT. Agents were compared over dosage ranges that produced maximal increases in QTc interval and monophasic action potential duration (MAPD). PVT typically developed after atrioventricular (A-V) conduction block and slowing of heart rate (HR), and was preceded by development of repolarization arrhythmias characterized by EADs and triggered activity producing extrasystolic beats. Ibutilide administration resulted in significantly lower EAD amplitudes and a lower incidence of repolarization arrhythmias and PVT as compared with administration of other class HI agents. The percentage of rabbits developing PVT for each agent was ibutilide 12%, D-sotalol 70%, E-4031 56%, UK-68,798 69%, and clofilium 80%. Rabbits receiving saline vehicle instead of a class HI agent never developed conduction or repolarization abnormalities or PVT. Under the conditions of this study at doses that generate maximal class HI effects, ibutilide produces lesser increases in QTc interval and MAPD, and EADs of lower amplitude, resulting in a lower incidence of repolarization arrhythmias and PVT as compared with other class III agents.
Rescuing the Doha Round

Virtually all observers concur that the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization is faltering badly. Agreement may have been reached on the principle (although not the date) of eliminating export subsidies for agriculture, but very little else has been resolved since the talks were launched four years ago. Almost nothing of note has been proposed, let alone settled, in the crucial services sector. Even the necessary procedures for handling integral parts of the negotiations, including agriculture and nonagricultural market access, have yet to be worked out, although the target date for finishing the round is only a year away. Deep uncertainty prevails despite the decision in 2003 to ease the negotiations by removing two critical issues, investment and competition policy, from the agenda. Moreover, the round has never even attempted to seriously address the two largest problems facing today's global trading system: security concerns since the attacks of September 11, 2001, especially the risk that world trade would seize up in the wake of another major terrorist attack, and the absence of effective control over the increasing number of preferential pacts involving many of the world's largest trading nations.
Effect of feed restriction early in life on humoral and cellular immunity of two commercial broiler strains under heat stress conditions

1. An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of early feed restriction (FR) on immunocompetence of Ross and Arian chickens with separated sexes under heat stress (HS) conditions. 2. Chickens consumed feed ad libitum (AL) or were restricted on alternate days from 11 to 20 d of age. From 35 to 41 d of age, the HS groups were exposed to a high ambient temperature of 39 ± 1°C for 7 h each day, while the thermoneutral groups (TN) were at 33°C. 3. At 21 and 42 d of age, the percentage of CD4+ (helper T cells) and CD8+ (cytotoxic T cells) were determined by flow cytometry. Antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio were determined on d 21 and 42. 4. On d 21, FR elevated the CD4+, antibody titre and H/L ratio, but it decreased the CD8+ T cells. On d 42, HS decreased CD4+, CD8+, and antibody titre, but it increased H/L ratio. Under TN conditions, FR chickens had higher CD4+ than AL chickens. On d 42, FR/HS chickens had higher CD4+ and antibody titre, but they had lower CD8+ and H/L ratio than AL/HS chickens. 5. On d 42, the TN-Ross strain had lower CD4+, but they had higher CD8+ and antibody titres than the TN-Arian strain. On d 42, the HS-Arian strain had higher antibody titres and a lower H/L ratio than the HS-Ross strain. 6. Male chickens had higher CD4+, CD8+, antibody titres and H/L ratios 25 in all treatment groups. 7. In conclusion, FR early in life reduced some of the negative effects of the heat stress on the immune system of broiler chickens when exposed to high environmental temperatures later in life.
Implantation of 3D Constructs Embedded with Oral Mucosa-Derived Cells Induces Functional Recovery in Rats with Complete Spinal Cord Transection

Spinal cord injury (SCI), involving damaged axons and glial scar tissue, often culminates in irreversible impairments. Achieving substantial recovery following complete spinal cord transection remains an unmet challenge. Here, we report of implantation of an engineered 3D construct embedded with human oral mucosa stem cells (hOMSC) induced to secrete neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, and axonal elongation-associated factors, in a complete spinal cord transection rat model. Rats implanted with induced tissue engineering constructs regained fine motor control, coordination and walking pattern in sharp contrast to the untreated group that remained paralyzed (42 vs. 0%). Immunofluorescence, CLARITY, MRI, and electrophysiological assessments demonstrated a reconnection bridging the injured area, as well as presence of increased number of myelinated axons, neural precursors, and reduced glial scar tissue in recovered animals treated with the induced cell-embedded constructs. Finally, this construct is made of bio-compatible, clinically approved materials and utilizes a safe and easily extractable cell population. The results warrant further research with regards to the effectiveness of this treatment in addressing spinal cord injury.
The Relationships Among Personality, Intercultural Communication, and Cultural Self-Efficacy in Nursing Students

Background: The demand for nurses to provide transcultural nursing care is rising. However, little is known about the relationships among the dimensions of nurse personality, intercultural communication, and cultural self-efficacy in the provision of this care. Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the associations among personality, intercultural communication, and cultural self-efficacy in nursing students and to compare intercultural communication and cultural self-efficacy between first-year and third-year nursing students. Method: One hundred twenty-six Chinese students completed a questionnaire that consisted of three scales that were designed to measure intercultural communication, cultural self-efficacy (cultural concepts, transcultural nursing functions, and cultural knowledge related to South Asians), and personality, respectively. Results: Intercultural communication correlated positively with the three subscales of personality, agreeableness (r = .22, p < .05), openness (r = .20, p < .05), and conscientiousness (r = .18, p < .05). Self-efficacy in cultural concepts correlated positively with agreeableness (r = .18, p < .05) and intercultural communication (r = .49, p < .01). Self-efficacy in transcultural nursing functions correlated positively with intercultural communication (r = .36, p < .01), agreeableness (r = .31, p < .01), emotional stability (r = .25, p < .01), openness (r = .32, p < .01), extraversion (r = .19, p < .05), and conscientiousness (r = .20, p < .05). Self-efficacy in cultural knowledge related to South Asians correlated positively with agreeableness (r = .20, p < .05) and intercultural communication (r = .27, p < .01). No significant difference was found between first-year and third-year students in terms of intercultural communication, self-efficacy in knowledge of cultural concepts, self-efficacy in the skills needed to perform key transcultural nursing functions, or self-efficacy in the cultural knowledge related to South Asians. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Personality assessments should be included in the nursing student recruitment process. Furthermore, nurse educators should focus greater attention on enhancing the cultural self-efficacy and intercultural communication skills of their students.
Contact Physics of Capacitive Interconnects

The resistance and capacitance of a typical multi-point contact interface has been used to assess the impact on high frequency signal integrity. In the past it was shown how fully degraded interfaces can still provide acceptable performance for high data rate signal transfers. In the case of fully degraded contacts, signals were shown to transfer by capacitive coupling and wave propagation. This paper focuses on the critical parameters of a capacitive coupled interface. Moreover, the physics of the contact interface is related to contacts that rely on capacitive (as opposed to metallic) coupling and electronic tunneling. These results help define the physics and design requirements for capacitive coupling. In addition, critical performance parameters such as real contact area, film thickness and the nature of dielectric films are defined for high frequency signal propagation. This paper provides a contrast between the requirements for high frequency signal transfer using capacitive coupling and electron tunneling versus traditional metallic contact.
A Bühlmann Credibility Approach to Modeling Mortality Rates

ABSTRACT In this article, we first propose a Bühlmann nonparametric credibility approach to forecasting mortality rates, and we then compare forecasting performances between the proposed Bühlmann approach and the Lee-Carter/Cairns-Blake-Dowd (CBD) models. Empirical results based on mortality data for both genders of Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States with two age spans, a wide range of fitting year spans, and three forecasting periods show that the credibility approach contributes to much better forecasting performances measured by the mean absolute percentage error. Moreover, we give an informative credibility interpretation regarding the average decrements of an individual time trend for age x and a group time trend for all ages, and we discuss the effects of the slope and intercept of the linear functions for the forecasted mortality rates under the proposed Bühlmann nonparametric credibility approach and the Lee-Carter/CBD models. Finally, we also estimate the parameters of the Bühlmann credibility approach in a semiparametric framework, and we provide a stochastic version of forecasting mortality rates for the Bühlmann credibility approach.
KEMISKINAN DAN KETIMPANGAN PENDAPATAN RUMAH TANGGA DI KABUPATEN BOJONEGORO

Poverty and inequality have become challenges for most developing countries in the world. Large number of the poor are concentrated in the rural area, and mostly are farmer. The objectives of the study were to identify the poverty occurrence in the rural Bojonegoro and, to analyze the income inequality among them. This research was conducted in rural areas in Bojonegoro Regency, and there were 60 rural households interviewed. The FGT index (Headcount index, Poverty Gap index and Poverty Severity index) and the Criterions of BPS, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank were introduced to identify the poverty occurred in the rural area. Meanwhile, the Gini index and Lorentz curve were employed to measure the income inequality among those households. The result shows that the level of poverty in rural Bojonegoro considered to be quite high (based on the criterions of World Bank and Asian Development Bank), on the contrary, based on BPS criteria, the poverty level is fairly low. The ‘depth of poverty’ score measured by the FGT index is 0.05, meanwhile the ‘severity of poverty’ score is 0.02. Furthermore, the income is distributed unequally among the rural households showed by the Gini index of 0.459.
Incidence of Upper Respiratory TractMycoplasma pneumoniae Infections among Outpatients in Rhône-Alpes, France, during Five Successive Winter Periods

ABSTRACT In this prospective study, nasal swab samples from patients with acute respiratory infections were evaluated for the presence ofMycoplasma pneumoniae. This PCR-plus-hybridization-based detection was associated with the detection of other viral agents. During the five winter surveillance periods, 3,897 samples were collected by 75 medical practitioners participating in the Groupe Régional d’Observation de la Grippe surveillance network in Rhône-Alpes (France). M. pneumoniae was detected in 283 samples (7.3%); its rate of detection ranged from 10.1 to 2.0% over the five periods, and it was the second most frequently isolated pathogen during the survey, after influenza A. Three high-prevalence winters were observed, yielding an early winter peak of M. pneumoniae infection which was observed in all age groups. No statistically significant difference was detected between rates of infections in the different age groups, but M. pneumoniaeinfection was significantly related to lower respiratory tract infection during periods of high prevalence. This study defined the frequency of M. pneumoniae detection from nasal swab specimens in patients with acute respiratory infections, confirming its high prevalence and the presence of large outbreaks due to this pathogen.
The Resiliency and Leadership of Burley Tobacco Producers in Greene County, Tennessee: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of current Greene County burley tobacco producers regarding the resiliency in a declining global tobacco industry and how the producers perceive their leadership in burley tobacco production will be impacted in Greene County. Ten Greene County producers participated in this study through an interview conducted utilizing a series of 33 questions aimed at determining specific themes in regards to resiliency in their communities, as well as the individual producers adaptive leadership styles. Tobacco remains a viable and economic contributor to the Greene County economy. This study focused on current and past Greene County burley tobacco producers and/or industry representatives who have significant impacts on Greene County. This study first provided an in-depth review on the significant history of the tobacco industry and illustrated the importance of the crop to burley tobacco farmers, to the communities within Greene County, and to the economic vitality of Greene County. Data collected from interviews were synthesized to correlate perceptions of current tobacco production in Greene County from the inception of the tobacco program to present-day in regards to cultural norms and economic impact, while simultaneously providing a portrayal of tobacco as a viable cash crop and its significance to present-day global production with the direct correlation of a community's response to overcoming significant change.