Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modifications made to culture medium by bovine oviduct epithelial cells: Changes to carbohydrates stimulate bovine embryo development

Co‐culture remains a common method to support the development of bovine embryos, derived from IVM/IVF procedures. However, the mechanism by which somatic cells confer their benefit to the developing embryo remains undetermined. This study therefore analysed the changes made to the culture medium TCM‐199, used in bovine embryo co‐culture systems, by somatic cells and determined the effects of specific changes in medium composition on bovine embryo development in culture. Bovine oviduct epithelial (BOE), Buffalo rat liver (BRL) and fibroblast (3T3) cells were compared. The concentrations of glucose, L‐lactate, pyruvate, amino acids, NH4+, H+ and the gas tensions of O2 and CO2 were measured in TCM‐199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) prior to and directly following 48 h incubation periods with each cell type. All three somatic cell types modified the carbohydrate composition of the media in a similar manner with the greatest changes made by the BOE cells. Notable alterations were an increase in the levels of L‐lactate and pyruvate and a reduction in glucose concentration, which in the case of the BOE cells, fell from 5.55 mM to 2.67 mM. In order to determine the relevance of such changes in carbohydrate concentrations on bovine embryo development, modifications were made to carbohydrate levels in synthetic oviduct fluid (SOF) medium and their effect on blastocyst development in vitro assessed. In SOF medium supplemented with amino acids and BSA (SOFaa), significantly more zygotes developed to the blastocyst stage (64%; P < 0.01) than in SOFaa medium with the concentrations of glucose, D/L‐lactate and pyruvate equivalent to those in TCM‐199 (11%). Interestingly, when the levels of carbohydrates in SOFaa mimicked those present in TCM‐199 following a 48 h incubation with BOE cells, 57% of zygotes reached the blastocyst stage. This improvement was ascribed to the reduction in glucose and increases in D/L‐lactate and pyruvate concentrations in the culture system. Results from this study demonstrate that BOE cells create an environment favourable to embryonic development.
The roles of turn formation and cross‐strand interactions in fibrillization of peptides derived from the OspA single‐layer β‐sheet

We previously demonstrated that a β‐hairpin peptide, termed BH9–10, derived from a single‐layer β‐sheet of Borrelia OspA protein, formed a native‐like β‐turn in trifluoroethanol (TFE) solution, and it assembled into amyloid‐like fibrils at higher TFE concentrations. This peptide is highly charged, and fibrillization of such a hydrophilic peptide is quite unusual. In this study, we designed a circularly permutated peptide of BH9–10, termed BH10–9. When folded into their respective β‐hairpin structures found in OspA, these peptides would have identical cross‐strand interactions but different turns connecting the strands. NMR study revealed that BH10–9 had little propensity to form a turn structure both in aqueous and TFE solutions. At higher TFE concentration, BH10–9 precipitated with a concomitant α‐to‐β conformational conversion, in a similar manner to the BH9–10 fibrillization. However, the BH10–9 precipitates were nonfibrillar aggregation. The precipitation kinetics of BH10–9 was exponential, consistent with a first‐order molecular assembly reaction, while the fibrillization of BH9–10 showed sigmoidal kinetics, indicative of a two‐step reaction consisting of nucleation and molecular assembly. The correlation between native‐like turn formation and fibrillization of our peptide system strongly suggests that BH9–10 adopts a native‐like β‐hairpin conformation in the fibrils. Remarkably, seeding with the preformed BH10–9 precipitates changed the two‐step BH9–10 fibrillization to a one‐step molecular assembly reaction, and disrupted the BH9–10 fibril structure, indicating interactions between the BH10–9 aggregates and the BH9–10 peptide. Our results suggest that, in these peptides, cross‐strand interactions are the driving force for molecular assembly, and turn formation limits modes of peptide assembly.
Mean annual GPP of Europe derived from its water balance

On local scale, the eddy covariance technique is suited to estimate gross primary production (GPP). Scaling up such observations to the regional and continental level, however, remains a challenge. Here, we show that there is a surprisingly robust stoichiometric relationship between vegetation CO2 and H2O fluxes, mediated by vapor pressure deficit (VPD), across many different forest vegetation types. This relationship is used to provide a data‐driven estimate of Europe's GPP from its water balance. Namely, watershed‐wide evapotranspiration (ET), as derived from precipitation (P) and river runoff (R), is multiplied by the ratio of GPP to ET as derived from eddy covariance measurements (water‐use efficiency, WUE). In doing so, GPP of Europe is estimated to range between 3.9 and 5.8 PgC/a (median 5 PgC/a). Such GPP estimate is an important independent benchmark for large‐scale ecosystem models and may be extended to global scale when relevant data becomes available.
“Fresh” Thoughts on Studying Sexual Assault

In the 1960s and 1970s, feminists used to talk about having a “click” moment when they realized that some personal experience had political implications—thus the slogan, “The personal is political. ” When I started graduate school in the late 1970s, I was drawn to studying sexual assault. I had been a declared feminist since high school as the Women’s Movement even reached the coal region of eastern Pennsylvania! Attending college in New York City, with its myriad opportunities for more exposure to what feminists were up to, made me increasingly aware that violence against women was a greater problem than had been acknowledged up to that point. In light of all the studies that have been conducted since, it is amazing to think how little systematic research existed back then. Under my advisor’s guidance, I started to read everything I could find, a lot of which consisted of Freudian treatises on women’s desire to be raped. But what had the greatest impact on me (besides Susan Brownmiller’s, 1976, classic, Against Our Will) were books containing personal testimonials of women’s rape experiences. In the middle of reading one of these, I had my own “click” moment. Quite suddenly and startlingly, I found myself reliving an encounter from my early teenage years. A boy whom I knew quite well, having attended elementary school with him, offered to walk me home from a dance one summer night. Being well socialized into fearing strangers jumping out of bushes, I gladly went along, especially since said boy was a football player who could undoubtedly protect me from any nasty bush-hiding monsters. Said boy had also been drinking with friends before the dance. At this point I hardly need to finish the story, except for one detail. My mother had briefly mentioned at one point that I should always carry a hat pin with me in case some boy ever got “fresh. ” Frankly, I was not really sure what that meant, but I learned pretty quickly that night that “fresh” could mean “attempted rape,” and said boy learned what kind of damage a hat pin could do. Having that “aha” experience in graduate school set the stage for a lot of the research I have undertaken since then, particularly related to alcohol and sexual assault and women’s sexual assault resistance. In this article, I will discuss how my own work in these areas developed with reference to two highly cited papers published in Psychology of Women Quarterly (Norris & Cubbins, 1992; Norris, Nurius, & Dimeff, 1996) as well as my other research, how my work fits into the general body of current research on these topics, and where we might go from here. Please find the original articles at http://pwq.sagepub. com/content/16/2/179 and http://pwq.sagepub. com/content/20/1/123. In particular, I would like to address three dilemmas that feminist researchers face in addressing these topics. These dilemmas focus on three areas: (a) what my colleagues and I termed the “cognitive tightrope” (Norris et al., 1996), (b) contradictory messages that women receive about drinking, and (c) how to avoid victim blaming but still empower women to assertively resist sexual assault.
Effects of extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields on the oviposition of Drosophila melanogaster over three generations

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an extremely low‐frequency 50 Hz magnetic field (ELFMF) on the oviposition and development of Drosophila melanogaster. The results show that exposure of D. melanogaster females of generation P and all the development stages of generation F1 to an ELFMF weakened the oviposition of these insects in their subsequent generations. Bioelectromagnetics 30:687–689, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The prognostic and predictive value of ERCC-1, p53, bcl-2 and bax in epithelial ovarian cancer.

AIM To evaluate the expression of ERCC-1 in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and to correlate it with the expression of p53, bcl-2 and bax. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tumor samples from 60 patients with EOC were immunohistochemically investigated for the expression of ERCC1, p53, bcl-2 and bax. RESULTS ERCC-1 expression was significantly decreased in serous and endometrioid compared to clear cell carcinomas. P53 expression was significantly increased in serous compared to clear cell carcinomas. Bax expression was significantly increased in serous carcinomas as compared to MMTs. High disease stage was correlated with low ERCC-1 and high bcl-2 expression. ERCC-1 expression was associated with increased disease-free interval. CONCLUSION ERCC-1 status seems to be correlated with disease-free interval, stage and tumor histologic subtype in patients with EOC. Nevertheless, our results indicate that single-gene expressions may be unreliable and thus caution is needed when used as potential prognostic or predictive markers.
A new spectrophotometer employing a glass Fery prism.

The Fery prism, first described in 1910, has been used in relatively few applications, all of these apparently being in spectrographs. The present paper describes the application of a borosilicate crown glass Fery prism as the dispersive element in a monochromator covering the spectral range from 320 mµ to 1000 mµ. Performance characteristics of the prism are given. A new Beckman spectrophotometer employing the Fery prism is described along with its performance characteristics. A novel wave-length control mechanism and a new slit device are described.
Neural Control of Divergence Eye Movements

One of the most sophisticated motor systems is the oculomotor system. Viewing objects in depth is supported by vergence eye movements which controls the inward (convergence) and outward (divergence) turning of the eyes. There are two main aims to this study. One compares converging responses (stimuli approaching the subject) to diverging responses (stimuli moving away from the subject) from 6o/s ramp stimuli. Results show that similar to convergence, divergence may be governed by a twocomponent control system consisting of a transient and sustained component. However, the dynamics of divergence shows a dependency on initial stimulus position which is not apparent for convergent responses. Next this research quantified divergence movements stimulated by 10, 6, 4, and 2o/s ramp stimuli. Results show that for fast moving divergent responses, high-velocity components were present lending further evidence that a transient component similar in form and function to that found in convergence also exists for divergence. Responses to slow moving responses exhibit smoother tracking where the dynamics of the movement were more uniform throughout the range of the visual field. This implies that the transient component is more prominent in faster responses thus showing a strong dependency on initial stimulus position whereas with slower moving responses, the transient component did not dominant the movement leading to more homogeneous dynamic responses where a dependency on initial stimulus position was not as apparent.
Normal aging and cognition: The unacknowledged contribution of cerebrovascular risk factors

ABSTRACT Despite the widespread assumption that cognitive decline is an inherent part of the normal aging process, research suggests that part of the variance in age-related cognitive decline is attributable to modifiable factors common in geriatric populations such as cerebrovascular risk factors. We completed a literature search using Science Citation Index and evaluated the most cited articles from the last 10 years to determine the extent to which investigations of normal aging and cognition account for the influence of cerebrovascular risk factors. We found that the majority of the most frequently cited literature does not adequately account for the contribution of cerebrovascular risk factors and therefore, it is possible that many conclusions about normal aging and cognition are flawed or incomplete. Further investigation of the role of cerebrovascular risk factors in age-related cognitive decline is imperative to more accurately understand the effect of aging on cognition.
Dynamic capability development in new ventures: A conceptual framework

Prior literature on dynamic capabilities and their development has primarily focused on large incumbents (e,g, Rosenbloom 2000), and multinational firms in global markets (e.g. Teece 2007). In this research, we would like to further explore dynamic capabilities in new firms: what are they and how are they different in product and service ventures. We control the context as both ventures are in the knowledge-intensive business. We disaggregate dynamic capability into sensing, seizing and reconfiguring capacities and identify relevant events in firm's development, and then categorize them into the three capacities guided by the conceptual framework. By addressing this research question, we contribute to understand the formation of dynamic capabilities in new ventures. This is important as the capabilities and the resources may be different for new firms if compared with established firms. In addition to this new context for studying dynamic capabilities, we provide the comparison of product and service ventures. We examine empirical data on their firm-based resources and the subsequent development of dynamic capabilities. Based on the different nature of product and service business, the study will contribute to a deeper understanding of dynamic capabilities in new ventures. We hope this can offer a foundation to other researchers for further refinements towards theorizing dynamic capabilities.
Effect of ArginMax on sexual functioning and quality of life among female cancer survivors: results of the WFU CCOP Research Base Protocol 97106.

BACKGROUND Problems with sexual functioning are common following therapy for breast and gynecologic cancers, although there are few effective treatments. OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of ArginMax, a nutritional supplement comprised of extracts of L-arginine, ginseng, gingko, and damiana, as well as multivitamins and minerals, on sexual functioning and quality of life in female cancer survivors. METHODS This was a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of eligible patients who were 6 months or more from active treatment and reporting problems with sexual interest, satisfaction, and functioning after therapy. The participants took 3 capsules of Arginmax or placebo twice daily. Outcome measures were the Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G). Assessments were done at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS 186 patients with a median age of 50 years were accrued between May 10, 2007 and March 24, 2010. 76% of the patients were non-Hispanic white. Most had breast or a gynecologic cancer (78% and 12%, respectively). At 12 weeks, there were no differences between the ArginMax group (n = 96) and placebo (n = 92) group in sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm,satisfaction or pain. However, FACT-G total scores were significantly better for participants who took ArginMax compared with those who took placebo (least squares [LS] means, 87.5 vs 82.9, respectively; P = .009). The Fact-G subscales that were most affected were Physical (25.37 vs. 23.51, P = .001) and Functional Well-Being (22.46 vs. 20.72, P = .007). Toxicities were similar for both groups. LIMITATIONS Study results are limited by a lack of data on the participants' psychological and physical symptoms and sexual partner variables. CONCLUSIONS ArginMax had no significant impact on sexual functioning, but patient quality of life was significantly better at 12 weeks in participants who received ArginMax.
Utilization and trends in palliative therapy for stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients: a U.S. population-based study.

BACKGROUND Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy, with most patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic disease. Palliative therapies comprise an important, but underutilized, aspect of care. This aim of this study was to characterize the trends, factors, and outcomes associated with utilization of palliative therapies. METHODS Patients with stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma from the 2003-2011 U.S. National Cancer Database were identified and stratified by receipt of palliative therapy. Linear regression, multivariable logistic regression, and survival analyses using multivariate proportional hazards models were performed. RESULTS Sixty-eight thousand and seventy-five patients with stage IV disease were identified, of which only 11,449 (16.8%) underwent designated palliative therapy. The majority received systemic chemotherapy (37.2%), followed by surgery (19.0%), pain management alone (15.3%), radiation (8.1%), referral alone (11.7%), or a combination thereof (8.7%). Utilization of palliative therapies increased from 12.9% in 2003 to 19.2% in 2011 (P<0.001). Patients were less likely to undergo palliation when older than 60 (OR 0.89, P<0.001), or of black or Hispanic race (OR 0.83, P<0.001; OR 0.80, P<0.001, respectively, vs. Caucasians). Presence of comorbidities increased the use of palliative therapy (OR 1.16 per comorbidity, P<0.001). Survival was improved in those receiving palliative systemic chemotherapy (HR 0.55, P<0.001) and palliative surgery (HR 0.94, P<0.001), although this may be due to selection bias. CONCLUSIONS Despite the continued dismal prognosis of pancreatic cancer, palliation of symptoms remains underutilized in this country, particularly in non-Caucasian, older patients. Increased awareness of palliative options may help increase its utilization.
Implementing Twitter in a Health Sciences Library

The NYU Health Sciences Libraries created an account on Twitter, a microblogging service, as a new outreach tool marketed to students, faculty, and staff. The team used Twitter to promote resources, events, and news. Twitter is a part of a pipeline of information that also includes the library's Web site and Facebook. Although it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of a social networking tool, the overhead of using Twitter is so low that it merits consideration.
DOXO-EMCH (INNO-206): the first albumin-binding prodrug of doxorubicin to enter clinical trials

The (6-maleimidocaproyl)hydrazone derivative of doxorubicin (DOXO-EMCH) is an albumin-binding prodrug of doxorubicin with acid-sensitive properties that demonstrates superior antitumor efficacy in murine tumor models and a favorable toxicity profile in mice, rats and dogs, including significantly reduced cardiotoxicity. After intravenous administration, DOXO-EMCH binds rapidly to the Cys-34 position of circulating albumin and accumulates in solid tumors due to passive targeting. In a clinical Phase I study, the dose of doxorubicin could be increased by a factor of 4.5 – 340 mg/m² when 75 mg/m² of free doxorubicin is considered to be the dose that can be administered as a single agent concomitant with the typical spectrum of side effects (i.e., myelotoxicity and mucositis). DOXO-EMCH was able to induce tumor regressions in anthracycline-sensitive tumors (i.e., breast cancer, small cell lung cancer and sarcoma). Phase II studies will be initiated at the beginning of 2007.
Clinical detection of low upper body blood flow in very premature infants using blood pressure, capillary refill time, and central-peripheral temperature difference

Objective: To determine the accuracy of blood pressure (BP), capillary refill time (CRT), and central-peripheral temperature difference (CPTd) for detecting low upper body blood flow in the first day after birth. Methods: A prospective, two centre cohort study of 128 infants born at < 30 weeks gestation. Invasive BP (n = 108), CRT (n = 128), and CPTd (n = 46) were performed immediately before echocardiographic measurement of superior vena cava (SVC) flow at three, 5–10, and 24 hours after birth. Results: Forty four (34%) infants had low SVC flow (< 41 ml/kg/min) in the first day, 13/122 (11%) at three hours, 39/126 (31%) at 5–10 hours, and 4/119 (3%) at 24 hours. CPTd did not detect infants with low flows. Combining all observations in the first 24 hours, CRT ⩾ 3 seconds had 55% sensitivity and 81% specificity, mean BP < 30 mm Hg had 59% sensitivity and 77% specificity, and systolic BP < 40 mm Hg had 76% sensitivity and 68% specificity for detecting low SVC flow. Combining a mean BP < 30 mm Hg and/or central CRT ⩾ 3 seconds increases the sensitivity to 78%. Conclusions: Low upper body blood flow is common in the first day after birth and strongly associated with peri/intraventricular haemorrhage. BP and CRT are imperfect bedside tests for detecting low blood flow in the first day after birth.
Ecology of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) in a wetland habitat and their potential role as bioindicators

Ecological investigations of long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae) were carried out in wet meadow wetlands near České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Sampling was performed during the adult flies’ seasonal activity (March–October) in 2002, 2003 and 2004 using yellow pan traps, Malaise traps, emergence traps, and by sweeping. Altogether 5,697 specimens of 78 species of Dolichopodidae were collected, identified and analysed. The study examined community structure, species abundance, and diversity (Shannon-Weaver’s index - H’; Sheldon’s equitability index - E). Chrysotus cilipes, C. gramineus and Dolichopus ungulatus were the most abundant species in all three years. Species richness and diversity seem strongly affected by soil moisture.
Scientists Share Nuclear Secrets at Jekyll Island

Nuclear transport pathways use soluble receptors to mediate the translocation of protein and cargo through the nuclear pore complex (NPC). In October 2005, investigators from around the globe braved the threat of hurricane Wilma and presented their latest findings at the Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Meeting at Jekyll Island, GA, USA. The meeting was organized by Drs Maureen Powers, Chuck Cole, and Douglass Forbes. Major themes within the meeting included architecture of the NPC, structural analysis of receptors, regulation of nuclear transport, models for translocation, and emerging roles for the NPC and lamina in gene expression.