Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Show Metabolomic Differences to Embryonic Stem Cells in Polyunsaturated Phosphatidylcholines and Primary Metabolism

Induced pluripotent stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells as shown by epigenetic and genomics analyses. Depending on cell types and culture conditions, such genetic alterations can lead to different metabolic phenotypes which may impact replication rates, membrane properties and cell differentiation. We here applied a comprehensive metabolomics strategy incorporating nanoelectrospray ion trap mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography-time of flight MS, and hydrophilic interaction- and reversed phase-liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight MS to examine the metabolome of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) compared to parental fibroblasts as well as to reference embryonic stem cells (ESCs). With over 250 identified metabolites and a range of structurally unknown compounds, quantitative and statistical metabolome data were mapped onto a metabolite networks describing the metabolic state of iPSCs relative to other cell types. Overall iPSCs exhibited a striking shift metabolically away from parental fibroblasts and toward ESCs, suggestive of near complete metabolic reprogramming. Differences between pluripotent cell types were not observed in carbohydrate or hydroxyl acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway metabolites, or free fatty acids. However, significant differences between iPSCs and ESCs were evident in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine lipid structures, essential and non-essential amino acids, and metabolites involved in polyamine biosynthesis. Together our findings demonstrate that during cellular reprogramming, the metabolome of fibroblasts is also reprogrammed to take on an ESC-like profile, but there are select unique differences apparent in iPSCs. The identified metabolomics signatures of iPSCs and ESCs may have important implications for functional regulation of maintenance and induction of pluripotency.
Evolution of organizational ambidexterity in the public sector and current challenges of innovation capabilities

This theoretical article aims to analyze the underlying challenges to the development of innovation capabilities in public sector organizations. Several papers have examined the specific barriers to innovation in the public sector. However, little is known about the root causes of these barriers. To fill this gap, we apply the concept of organizational ambidexterity, which refers to the ability of the organization to balance exploitation and exploration and resolve the resulting tensions. Based on a literature review of the development of innovation in the public sector (116 references), we trace the evolution of the ambidexterity of public organizations, following a three-period analysis. Our findings highlight the relevance and usefulness of the exploitation– exploration question, which underlies the development of innovation capabilities, and show that contemporary public organizations are meeting particular challenges regarding innovation.
Impact of Working Capital Management and Capital Structure on Profitability of Automobile Firms in Pakistan

The net profit of any business entity for a particular time period can be conceptualized as the final outcome of its investing, financing and operating activities. These activities are influenced by Management’s decisions and several internal and external environmental factors. This paper investigates how profitability of firms, in the automobile sector of Pakistan, is influenced by working capital management and capital structure of firms. The current ratio was taken as representative of the result of working capital management policy and financial leverage as the bench mark for capital structure. Supplementary analysis was also undertaken to assess the impact of operating leverage and firm size on profitability. The aim of the research was to examine empirically, using pooled data analysis, whether profitability of automobile firms is related to selected indicators in accordance with the generally accepted finance theory. Also, if some non-conformities to the theory are observed, how these could be explained. Furthermore, the research results based on analysis and tests applied on the data could be used in formulating some policy recommendations on how management of profitability could be improved by automobile firms in Pakistan.
Circulating forms of parathyroid hormone Circulating forms of parathyroid hormone detected with an immuno-fluorometric assay in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and in hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal failure

In patients with uremia, intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) measurement appears to overestimate the biologically active hormone in circulation. The recent description of the accumulation in these patients of a non-intact PTH form measured by the standard immunometric assays, re-opened the question. In this study we submitted serum samples from 7 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) and from 10 patients with hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal failure (SHP) to preparative HPLC in order to discriminate the molecular forms measured by our currently used immunofluorometric assay for intact PTH. The elution profile obtained with the HPLC system showed two clearly defined peaks, the first one corresponding to a lower molecular weight form, and the second to the intact PTH (1-84) form. In patients with SHP the area under the curve for the first peak (mean 29.5%, range 20.6 to 40.4%) was significantly greater than that observed for patients with PHP (mean 15.6%, range 5.6 to 21.9%). This confirms previous studies showing accumulation of molecular forms of slightly lower molecular weight, presumably PTH (7-84), in patients with SHP and, to a lesser extent, in patients with PHP. The real necessity of assays that discriminate between these two molecular forms is debatable. Correspondence
Lack of meiotic crossovers during oogenesis in an apparent 45,X Ullrich–Turner syndrome patient with three children

A woman with apparent 45,X Ullrich–Turner syndrome was ascertained after the birth of three girls, the last being growth retarded due to a del(X)(p22.11) of grand‐paternal origin. In this woman no del(X)‐chromosome was detectable in blood by FISH or PCR. Fibroblast cultures from four different biopsies of her skin varied from having 45,X only to mosaic 46,X,del(X) to 46,X,del(X) only. In one fibroblast culture, a few cells with two del(X) chromosomes were found, probably remnants of a paternal dicentric X that caused the condition. Her three daughters were born when she was 29, 31, and 39 years old, respectively, indicating that disomy for the distal half of Xp is not required for normal folliculogenesis. When studying the crossover pattern of her daughters' maternal X‐chromosomes, it turned out that one daughter had an X that was exclusively grand‐maternal, one daughter lacked crossovers on Xq, and one daughter lacked crossovers on Xp. This suggests that univalent X‐chromosomes were present in the Ullrich–Turner patient's primordial egg cells, either because there was only a single X‐chromosome present (a 45,X primary oocyte), or because the X‐chromosome was a partially or completely unpaired in pachytene, indicating a problem with chromosome association and synapsis formation. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Frequency of osteoporosis in 187 men with rheumatoid arthritis followed in a university hospital.

OBJECTIVE Although there is relevant information on frequency of osteoporosis in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), data about male patients are limited. We evaluated the frequency of osteoporosis in a group of Spanish men with RA followed in a university hospital. METHODS From the database of our bone densitometry unit, we searched for men with RA evaluated between January 1991 and December 2004 and identified 187 patients, 156 of whom were older than 50 years. Previously recorded demographic, disease, and treatment-related variables were collected. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Osteoporosis was defined according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), recommended for postmenopausal Caucasian women, as a T score <or= -2.5 SD, and the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD), which indicates the same diagnostic threshold, but only in men over age 50 years. RESULTS BMD was lower than in the general population in both lumbar spine [Z score -0.41 +/- 1.00 (95% CI -0.55 to -0.26)] and femoral neck [Z score -0.46 +/- 0.95 (95% CI -0.60 to -0.31)]. When the WHO threshold for postmenopausal women was applied, frequency of osteoporosis was 13% at lumbar spine, 12% at the femoral neck, and 21% in at least one of the evaluated sites. When ISCD criteria were applied, the frequency of osteoporosis was 13%, 14%, and 23%, respectively. CONCLUSION Frequency of osteoporosis in men is considerably lower than that traditionally established in women with RA, independent of the diagnostic criteria applied.
Provision of electronic banking in the UK and the Republic of Ireland

Electronic or online banking is the newest delivery channel to be offered by the retail banks in many developed countries and there is wide agreement that this channel will have a significant impact on the market. Aims to quantify the current provision of electronic services by major retail banking organisations in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Additional insight into the banks‘ adoption of this new channel is gained by exploring two areas important in the analysis of new offerings, that is: an organisation‘s approach to innovation; and their view of the current and future markets. By use of a mailed questionnaire, it was found that 25 per cent of the banks in the UK and the Republic of Ireland which responded to this survey are already offering online transactional services to consumers in their homes. The largest group of respondents (50 per cent) are those that are currently testing or developing such services, while just 25 per cent of the respondents were in organisations not providing or developing such services. It is also found that the organisation‘s vision of the future, their prediction of customer acceptance, which tends to be very low, and their organisational culture of innovation are the most important of the suggested factors in their adoption of electronic delivery.
The integration of local chromatic motion signals is sensitive to contrast polarity

Abstract Global motion integration mechanisms can utilize signals defined by purely chromatic information. Is global motion integration sensitive to the polarity of such color signals? To answer this question, we employed isoluminant random dot kinematograms (RDKs) that contain a single chromatic contrast polarity or two different polarities. Single-polarity RDKs consisted of local motion signals with either a positive or a negative S or L–M component, while in the different-polarity RDKs, half the dots had a positive S or L–M component, and the other half had a negative S or L–M component. In all RDKs, the polarity and the motion direction of the local signals were uncorrelated. Observers discriminated between 50% coherent motion and random motion, and contrast thresholds were obtained for 81% correct responses. Contrast thresholds were obtained for three different dot densities (50, 100, and 200 dots). We report two main findings: (1) dependence on dot density is similar for both contrast polarities (+S vs. −S, +LM vs. −LM) but slightly steeper for S in comparison to LM and (2) thresholds for different-polarity RDKs are significantly higher than for single-polarity RDKs, which is inconsistent with a polarity-blind integration mechanism. We conclude that early motion integration mechanisms are sensitive to the polarity of the local motion signals and do not automatically integrate information across different polarities.
Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy in the Revision Versus Primary Adult Spinal Deformity Patient: Is There a Difference in Correction and Complications?

STUDY DESIGN Multicenter, prospective study of consecutive adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients. OBJECTIVE To compare alignment correction and perioperative complications after pedicle subtraction osteotomies (PSO) in the primary versus revision surgery setting for ASD. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA PSO are performed to correct sagittal plane deformity; however, these are difficult procedures that have potential for large blood loss and risk for intraoperative and postoperative complications. METHODS Inclusion criteria were age at least 18 years, lumbar PSO, and available data on perioperative (up to 6 weeks after surgery) complication data. Patients were classified according to SRS-Schwab sagittal modifiers: PT (pelvic tilt), SVA (sagittal vertical axis), and lumbo-pelvic mismatch (pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis). Patients were divided into primary (P; no previous spine fusion surgery) or revision (R; previous fusion). Baseline and 1-year demographic, radiographic parameters, complications and revision rates were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 421 patients were included. P (n = 70) and R (n = 351) were similar for age, body mass index, sex, mean total Posterior Spinal Fusion (PSF) levels (P = 10.0; R = 10.5), PSO angle (P = 27°; R = 25°), estimated blood loss (P = 2.76L; R = 2.92L), and operative time (P = 437 min; R = 434 min). The most common osteotomy site was L3 for both primary (31.8%) and revision groups (43.6%). Both groups demonstrated improvement in sagittal spinopelvic parameters from baseline to 1 year, with similar changes in sagittal modifiers except for the pelvic mismatch that improved to a grade 0 (i.e., less than 10°) more often for primary PSO group (83%) than revision PSO group (57%; P = 0.004). Complication rates were similar (P > 0.05) for the following: new motor deficit (P = 4.2%, R = 9.4%), bowel/bladder deficit (P = 1.4%, R = 2.8%), 1-year revision rate (P = 4.3%, R = 7.4%), and pseudarthrosis rate (P = 1.4%; R = 2.5%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PSO may be performed in primary or revision ASD patient with similar sagittal deformity correction and similar complication rates; however, primary PSO patients were more likely to achieve better lumbo-pelvic mismatch correction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Sentence intelligibility as a function of key word selection.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between word predictability and sentence intelligibility. This relationship was examined by comparing intelligibility scores obtained with frequency-filtered sentences (CID Sentence Lists B and D and Revised List C) which were scored using key words empirically determined to be representative of three different degrees of predictability. We hypothesized that the scores obtained would be a function of the predictability status of the key words used in scoring. Results indicated significant differences between the three scoring procedures for each sentence list under two filtering conditions (420-Hz and 360-Hz low pass) and these differences were in the hypothesized direction. The results suggest that use of “easy-to-predict” words for scoring purposes will increase sentence intelligibility scores, while use of “difficult-to-predict” words will depress scores. We concluded that word predictability is a factor influencing sentence intelligibility .
Onychomycosis in primary school children: association with socioeconomic conditions

Onychomycosis in childhood is reported to be unusual. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of onychomycosis in primary school children and to make comparison between different socioeconomic status in the rural and urban areas of the city. Hand and foot nails of 23235 children aged 7–14 were examined. Onychomycosis was suspected and nail scrapings for mycological examination were taken in 116 of them. Hyphae or spores were seen in 41 (0.18%) by direct microscopic examination, and mycological cultures were positive in 24 (0.1%) of them. Toenails were affected in all of the fungal culture positive cases. Trichosporon spp, Trichophyton rubrum, Candida albicans and Candida glabrata grew in 11, 6, 5 and 2 of the cultures repectively. Onychomycosis prevalence was significantly higher in the children living in the rural areas (p = 0.016) [Odds ratio = 3.43 (%95 CI 1.11
Control Mechanisms in Queueing Systems with Nonlinear Waiting Costs

In many queueing systems, customers have been observed to exhibit strategic behavior. Each customer gains a value when receiving a product or getting served and suffers when incurring a delay. We consider a nonlinear waiting cost function to capture the sensitivity of customers toward delay. We investigate customers’ behavior and system manager’s strategy in two different settings: (1) customers are served in a service system, or (2) they receive a product in a supply chain. In the first model, we study an unobservable queueing system. We consider that customers are impatient, and are faced with decision problems whether to join a service system upon arrival, and whether to remain or renege at a later time. The goal is to address two important elements of queueing analysis and control: (1) customer characteristics and behavior, and (2) queueing control. The literature on customer strategic behavior in queues predominately focuses on the effects of waiting time and largely ignores the mixed risk attitude of customer behavior. Empirical studies have found that customers’ risk attitudes, their anticipated time, and their wait time affect their decision to join or abandon a queue. To explore this relationship, we analyze the mixed risk attitude together with a non-linear waiting cost function that includes the degree of risk aversion. Considering this behavior, we analyze individuals’ joint balking and reneging strategy and characterize socially optimal strategy. To determine the optimal queue control policy from a revenue-maximizer perspective, which induces socially optimal behavior and eliminates customer externalities, we propose a joint entrance-fee/abandonment-threshold mechanism. We show that using a pricing policy without abandonment threshold is not sufficient to induce socially optimal behavior and in many cases results in a profit lower than the maximum social welfare the system can generate. Also, considering both customer characteristics and queue control policy, our findings suggest that customers with a moderate anticipation time provide higher expected revenue, acknowledging the importance of understanding customer behavior with respect to both wait time and risk attitude in the presence of anticipation time. In the second model, we consider a two-echelon production inventory system with a
Relationships between structural social capital, knowledge identification capability and external knowledge acquisition

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the mediating effect of the identification of valuable external knowledge on the relationship between the development of inter-organizational ties (structural social capital) and the acquisition of external knowledge. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 87 firms from Spanish biotechnology and pharmaceutics industries, the authors have tested the proposed mediation hypothesis by applying the partial least squares technique to a structural equations model. Findings The study results show that those firms with stronger, more frequent and closer inter-relationships are able to increase the amount of intentionally acquired knowledge, partly due to the greater level of development of their knowledge identification capability. Thus, firms with a higher capability to recognize the value of the knowledge embedded in their inter-organizational networks will be more likely to design better strategies to acquire and integrate such knowledge into their current knowledge bases for either present or future use. Originality/value This research contributes to knowledge management and social capital literature by means of the study of two key determinants of knowledge acquisition – structural social capital and knowledge identification capability – and the explanation of their relationships of mutual influence. The paper thus tries to fill this literature gap and connects the relational perspective of social capital with the knowledge-based view from a strategic point of view.
Antenatal HIV Testing in Sub-Saharan Africa During the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals: A Systematic Review Using the PEN-3 Cultural Model

This study systematically explored the barriers and facilitators to routine antenatal HIV testing from the perspective of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa during the implementation period of the Millennium Development Goals. Articles published between 2000 and 2015 were selected after reviewing the title, abstract, and references. Twenty-seven studies published in 11 African countries were eligible for the current study and reviewed. The most common barriers identified include communication with male partners, patient convenience and accessibility, health system and health-care provider issues, fear of disclosure, HIV-related stigma, the burden of other responsibilities at home, and the perception of antenatal care as a “woman's job. ” Routine testing among pregnant women is crucial for the eradication of infant and child HIV infections. Further understanding the interplay of social and cultural factors, particularly the role of women in intimate relationships and the influence of men on antenatal care seeking behaviors, is necessary to continue the work of the Millennium Development Goals.
Prevalence of Risk Factors of Hypertension in Nepalese Population

Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for several cardiovascular Vascular Disease. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing in Nepal especially in Urban Area. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factor in urban area of Nepal. Methods: We conducted a case control study involving the participant between 40-80 years of age between. Data on socioeconomic status, tobacco use, alcohol use, life style, family history of hypertension were collected using WHO protocol. Hypertension and Prehypertension were defined according to JNC-7. Results: On analyzing the study result among 130 hypertensives and 130 normotensives we found that 40(30.80%) of the hypertensive were alcoholic. In Normotensive but alcoholic group the prevalence of Hypertension was 53(40.80%). Similarly, the smoking habit was also assessed with relation of Hypertension and we found that 50(38.50%) of smoker were Hypertensive. The incidence of Hypertension decreased to 40(30.80%) in Normotensive population. 72(55.40%) people who had sedentary type of life style were hypertensive. On the other hand, 43(33.10%) of the people who had non-sedentary were hypertensive. We also had studied the relation of family with Hypertension. We found that 75(57.70%) of the people were hypertensive. The incidence decreased to 50(38.50%) to the patients who had no family association. Conclusions: The prevalence of Hypertension is high among our study population. The population based interventional programs and policies for increased awareness about risk factors like smoking, alcoholism, sedentary life style, familial association and life style modification are essential for prevention of Hypertension.