Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A mathematical model of the fetal cardiovascular system based on genetic algorithms as identification technique

The development of fetal cardiac surgery, considered the ultimate goal in the treatment of congenital cardiac malformations, needs to be supported by detailed knowledge of the blood circulation in the fetal cardiovascular system. The hemodynamic behavior in distal territories is usually inferred from vessel resistance indices, which give limited physiological information. This study presents a mathematical model of the human fetal global cardiovascular system, developed to clarify the relationships and differences existing between upper and lower body circulation. We modelled the heart with two time-varying capacitances, each representing the respective ventricle's pressure-volume relationship. The fetal vascular system was represented using two six-element Windkessel models, for the upper and lower body respectively. We obtained the identification of the set of circuital and elastance function parameters of the model using Genetic Algorithms (GAs), which follow the laws of evolutionary theory. We compared the results of our numerical study on the model identified with data collected from measurements and literature, to validate the proposed global cardiovascular system model of the human fetus. This model is intended as an instrument to investigate the differences in blood distribution between the different vascular districts in the upper and lower fetal body and the role of the aortic isthmus, the small tract of vessel connecting upper and lower fetal vascular beds; it may also represent a useful tool in the assessment of dynamic balance during mechanical assistance of circulation.
How Does Organizational Commitment Affect Organizational Innovation

Organizational commitment plays an important role in technological innovation, which has three components, namely affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. This paper takes the enterprises of Zhejiang, China as the investigated objects, applies the structural equation model to analyze whether and how the three components of organizational commitment affect organizational innovation. The results of the research as follows: (1)affective commitment directly had significant and positive effects on both of technological innovation and administrative innovation, moreover indirectly had a significant and positive effect on administrative innovation with technological innovation as an intermediary;(2)continuance commitment directly had significant and negative effects on both of technological innovation and administrative innovation, indirectly had a significant and negative effect on the administrative innovation with technological innovation as an intermediary; and (3)normative commitment directly had a significant and positive effect on technological innovation, but directly did not have a significant and positive effect on administrative innovation, moreover indirectly had a significant and positive effect on administrative innovation with technological innovation as an complete intermediary.
Anatomical and Physiological Differences between Children and Adults Relevant to Traumatic Brain Injury and the Implications for Clinical Assessment and Care

General and central nervous system anatomy and physiology in children is different to that of adults and this is relevant to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury. The controversies and uncertainties in adult neurotrauma are magnified by these differences, the lack of normative data for children, the scarcity of pediatric studies, and inappropriate generalization from adult studies. Cerebral metabolism develops rapidly in the early years, driven by cortical development, synaptogenesis, and rapid myelination, followed by equally dramatic changes in baseline and stimulated cerebral blood flow. Therefore, adult values for cerebral hemodynamics do not apply to children, and children cannot be easily approached as a homogenous group, especially given the marked changes between birth and age 8. Their cranial and spinal anatomy undergoes many changes, from the presence and disappearance of the fontanels, the presence and closure of cranial sutures, the thickness and pliability of the cranium, anatomy of the vertebra, and the maturity of the cervical ligaments and muscles. Moreover, their systemic anatomy changes over time. The head is relatively large in young children, the airway is easily compromised, the chest is poorly protected, the abdominal organs are large. Physiology changes—blood volume is small by comparison, hypothermia develops easily, intracranial pressure (ICP) is lower, and blood pressure normograms are considerably different at different ages, with potentially important implications for cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) thresholds. Mechanisms and pathologies also differ—diffuse injuries are common in accidental injury, and growing fractures, non-accidental injury and spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality are unique to the pediatric population. Despite these clear differences and the vulnerability of children, the amount of pediatric-specific data in TBI is surprisingly weak. There are no robust guidelines for even basics aspects of care in children, such as ICP and CPP management. This is particularly alarming given that TBI is a leading cause of death in children. To address this, there is an urgent need for pediatric-specific clinical research. If this goal is to be achieved, any clinician or researcher interested in pediatric neurotrauma must be familiar with its unique pathophysiological characteristics.
Cholera Quarantine and Territorial Sovereignty in the Age of Imperialism: The Limits of Transnational Governance

The movement to create an international policy for cholera quarantine in the nineteenth century necessarily engaged a set of transnational processes: the disease itself; world trade, which passed through the cholera zone of the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; and the growing territorialization of sovereignty, which raised questions of jurisdiction over ships and their crews and passengers in foreign ports. This essay examines the International Sanitary Conference as a transnational organization and a form of networked governance, as it attempted to establish an international quarantine policy between 1852 and 1892. At its 1881 meeting in Washington, DC, the US hosts attempted to move cholera policy forward by creating systems for the certification of the health of ships and the circulation of information regarding epidemic outbreaks. These efforts failed, and the 1881 meeting of the ISC reveals the limitations of networked governance in the nineteenth century, as collective and transnational policy initiatives ran aground against the growing assertion of exclusive state territory.
The Oncoprotein HBXIP Uses Two Pathways to Up-regulate S100A4 in Promotion of Growth and Migration of Breast Cancer Cells*

Background: HBXIP is a novel oncoprotein. Results: HBXIP was able to up-regulate S100A4 though activating STAT4 and inducing DNA methylation of PTEN. Conclusion: HBXIP up-regulates S100A4 via two pathways to promote growth and migration of breast cancer cells. Significance: Our finding provides new insight into the mechanism of HBXIP in promotion of growth and migration of breast cancer. We have reported that hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) promotes the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. In this study, we report that HBXIP works in the event through up-regulating S100A4. We observed that HBXIP expression was positively correlated to that of S100A4 in 87 clinical breast cancer tissue samples. Then, we identified that HBXIP was able to up-regulate S100A4 expression in breast cancer cells. Notably, we observed the HBXIP nuclear localization, implying that HBXIP may be associated with the promoter of S100A4. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) showed that HBXIP was able to bind to the nucleotides +200∼+239 region of S100A4 promoter, containing two putative recognition motif of transcription factor STAT4 and GRβ. It suggests that HBXIP is able to activate S100A4 promoter via interacting with STAT4 in breast cancer cells, leading to the up-regulation of S100A4. In addition, we identified another pathway of S100A4 up-regulation mediated by HBXIP. We found that HBXIP activated the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling by inducing DNA methylation of PTEN, which subsequently boosted S100A4 expression. In function, we demonstrated that HBXIP enhanced the growth or migration of breast cancer cells through S100A4 in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, we conclude that HBXIP up-regulates S100A4 through activating S100A4 promoter involving STAT4 and inducing PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling to promote growth and migration of breast cancer cells. Our finding provides new insight into the mechanism of HBXIP in promotion of the development of breast cancer.
Serum amyloid A and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol: serum markers of inflammation in sarcoidosis and other systemic disorders

Hypocholesterolemia has been observed in several inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, myeloproliferative disorders, systemic lupus erythematosus and sarcoidosis. Serum amyloid A is an acute‐phase reactant that is related to the high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. This review discusses the relationship between the activation of the cells of the monocyte‐macrophage system, determined by the serum amyloid A levels, and the lipid metabolism, measured as alterations in plasma lipoprotein concentrations. The mechanisms of this association during acute inflammation are also discussed in this review.
Increased systolic blood pressure in adult rats induced by fetal exposure to maternal low protein diets.

1. Possible associations between maternal nutrition in pregnancy and non-communicable diseases of adulthood were assessed using a rat model. Rats were habituated to diets containing a range of protein levels (18, 12, 9 and 6% by weight), over a 14 day period, before mating. The low protein diets were maintained throughout pregnancy. Lactating mothers and their offspring were transferred to a standard chow diet (20% protein). 2. Pregnant rats demonstrated a graded response to the diets, with those fed 9 and 6% protein tending to consume less energy and gain less weight than 18% protein fed controls. Litter size and newborn death rates were not significantly altered by the low protein diets. 3. Offspring of 12 and 9% protein fed dams were grossly normal, gaining weight at a similar rate to those born to 18% protein fed control rats. Offspring of the 6% protein fed dams were smaller than pups from all other groups, over a 21 week period. 4. At 9 weeks of age, systolic blood pressure was determined in the offspring. All offspring from the three low protein groups were found to have significantly elevated blood pressure (15-22 mmHg) relative to the control group. An inverse relationship between maternal protein intake and the systolic blood pressure of the offspring was observed. Blood pressure remained elevated in the offspring of the 9 and 6% protein fed dams until 21 weeks of age. The observed hypertension was associated with increased pulmonary angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the low protein groups. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Can the effects of a 1‐day CBT psychoeducational workshop on self‐confidence be maintained after 2 years? A naturalistic study

The continued high prevalence of depression in the general population has been in part attributed to a reluctance to consult and also to the limited capacity of psychological therapy services. In a previous randomized controlled trial, self‐referral day‐long workshops, each for 25 people, offering a cognitive‐behavioral therapy approach, seemed to be effective at 3‐month follow‐up [Brown et al., 2004 ]. In this study, both experimental group participants and waiting list control participants who went on to attend the workshops (n=102) were followed up and 54.9% provided data after 2 years. The dropout mechanism was investigated and random effects models were used for all analyses. This is a naturalistic study that lacked a control group and had a relatively high attrition rate. The results nevertheless suggest that positive changes in depression, anxiety, distress, and self‐esteem achieved at 3 months follow‐up were largely maintained at 2 years for those who were “depressed” (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] scores of 14 and above). However, nondepressed (BDI scores below 14) did not show any significant change. The overall results of this naturalistic study indicate that a very brief, intensive, and large‐scale intervention can largely maintain its effects for participants with depression over a 2‐year period. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–9, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute Kinematic and Kinetic Augmentation in Horizontal Jump Performance Using Haltere Type Handheld Loading

Abstract Cronin, JB, Brughelli, M, Gamble, P, Brown, SR, and Mckenzie, C. Acute kinematic and kinetic augmentation in horizontal jump performance using haltere type handheld loading. J Strength Cond Res 28(6): 1559–1564, 2014—The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of haltere/handheld loading on the kinematics and kinetics of horizontal jumping and to determine if an optimum relative load (% body mass [BM]) exists to maximize jump distance. A repeated measures analysis of variance with post hoc contrasts was used to determine the effects of haltere loading (no external loading, 6, 8, 12, and 16 kg) on the horizontal jump performance of 16 sportsmen as quantified by an in-ground force plate. The haltere loads of 6 and 8 kg elicited significant (p < 0.05) increases in jump distance (effect size [ES] = 0.22–0.37). The incremental loads also resulted in significant increases in jump duration (ES = 1.22–1.83), peak vertical ground reaction force (GRF) (ES = 0.20–0.37), and vertical (ES = 0.69–1.22) and horizontal (ES = 0.70–0.88) impulse. There was a significant reduction in jump distance with the 16 kg load (ES = 0.45). Significant decreases in mean horizontal GRF were likewise observed with the 12 and 16 kg loads. The optimum relative load for enhancing jump distance was 9.2 ± 3.4% of BM, which resulted in a predicted augmented horizontal jump of 13.6 ± 7.7 cm (ES = 0.56). The findings clearly indicate that haltere/handheld loading augments vertical and horizontal force and impulses. This could have a number of interesting training implications if the strength profiling of athletes identify horizontal and/or vertical deficits in force production. Further longitudinal investigation is warranted to establish what chronic adaptations result with repeated application of this type of training.
Myogenin Recruits the Histone Chaperone Facilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) to Promote Nucleosome Disassembly at Muscle-specific Genes*

Background: The FACT complex reorganizes nucleosomes and functions in DNA replication, transcription, and DNA repair. Results: Myogenin interacts with FACT, which is required for histone depletion at promoters and initiation of gene expression. Conclusion: Myogenin recruits the FACT complex to muscle-specific genes where FACT depletes nucleosomes at promoters, thus facilitating gene expression. Significance: The recruitment of FACT by myogenin is crucial to activate myogenin-dependent genes. Facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) functions to reorganize nucleosomes by acting as a histone chaperone that destabilizes and restores nucleosomal structure. The FACT complex is composed of two subunits: SSRP1 and SPT16. We have discovered that myogenin interacts with the FACT complex. Transfection of FACT subunits with myogenin is highly stimulatory for endogenous muscle gene expression in 10T1/2 cells. We have also found that FACT subunits do not associate with differentiation-specific genes while C2C12 cells are proliferating but are recruited to muscle-specific genes as differentiation initiates and then dissociate as differentiation proceeds. The recruitment is dependent on myogenin, as knockdowns of myogenin show no recruitment of the FACT complex. These data suggest that FACT is involved in the early steps of gene activation through its histone chaperone activities that serve to open the chromatin structure and facilitate transcription. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that nucleosomes are depleted at muscle-specific promoters upon differentiation and that this activity is dependent on the presence of FACT. Our results show that the FACT complex promotes myogenin-dependent transcription and suggest that FACT plays an important role in the establishment of the appropriate transcription profile in a differentiated muscle cell.
Resourcefulness Training Intervention: Assessing Critical Parameters from Relocated Older Adults’ Perspectives

The population of American elders is increasing rapidly and relocation to retirement communities has been found to adversely affect their adjustment. This pilot study of 38 relocated elders evaluated, from elders’ perspectives, six critical parameters of a resourcefulness training (RT) intervention designed to help elders adjust to relocation. Within the context of Zauszniewski's theory of resourcefulness, a pre-/post-test design with random assignment to RT or to diversionary activities (DA) was used. Objective questionnaires measured demographic and relocation factors. An intervention evaluation questionnaire was designed and given to the relocated elders in order to assess the six critical parameters—necessity, acceptability, feasibility, safety, fidelity, and effectiveness. Data concerning the critical parameters were collected during structured interviews within a week after the intervention. Seventy-six of the elders who scored less than 120 in the resourcefulness scale indicated a strong need for RT. While all non-white elders reported needing RT, 43% of white elders reported the same need. Elders indicated that learning about the experiences of others and taking part in discussions were the most interesting part of the RT. Approximately 95% of participants mentioned that they learned all parts of the intervention; few suggested having a stronger leader to keep the group on track. The qualitative findings from this pilot intervention study will inform future, larger clinical trials to help recently relocated elders adjust to relocation.
Recurrent t(2;2) and t(2;8) translocations in rhabdomyosarcoma without the canonical PAX‐FOXO1 fuse PAX3 to members of the nuclear receptor transcriptional coactivator family

The fusion oncoproteins PAX3‐FOXO1 [t(2;13)(q35;q14)] and PAX7‐FOXO1 [t(1;13)(p36;q14)] typify alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS); however, 20–30% of cases lack these specific translocations. In this study, cytogenetic and/or molecular characterization to include FISH, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and sequencing analyses of five rhabdomyosarcomas [four ARMS and one embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS)] with novel, recurrent t(2;2)(p23;q35) or t(2;8)(q35;q13) revealed that these noncanonical translocations fuse PAX3 to NCOA1 or NCOA2, respectively. The PAX3‐NCOA1 and PAX3‐NCOA2 transcripts encode chimeric proteins composed of the paired‐box and homeodomain DNA‐binding domains of PAX3, and the CID domain, the Q‐rich region, and the activation domain 2 (AD2) domain of NCOA1 or NCOA2. To investigate the biological function of these recurrent variant translocations, the coding regions of PAX3‐NCOA1 and PAX3‐NCOA2 cDNA constructs were introduced into expression vectors with tetracycline‐regulated expression. Both fusion proteins showed transforming activity in the soft‐agar assay. Deletion of the AD2 portion of the PAX3‐NCOA fusion proteins reduced the transforming activity of each chimeric protein. Similarly, but with greater impact, CID domain deletion fully abrogated the transforming activity of the chimeric protein. These studies (1) expand our knowledge of PAX3 variant translocations in RMS with identification of a novel PAX3‐NCOA2 fusion, (2) show that both PAX3‐NCOA1 and PAX3‐NCOA2 represent recurrent RMS rearrangements, (3) confirm the transforming activity of both translocation events and demonstrate the essentiality of intact AD2 and CID domains for optimal transforming activity, and (4) provide alternative approaches (FISH and RT‐PCR) for detecting PAX‐NCOA fusions in nondividing cells of RMS. The latter could potentially be used as aids in diagnostically challenging cases. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The dynamic phagosomal proteome and the contribution of the endoplasmic reticulum

Macrophages use phagocytosis to control the spread of pathogens in the body, to clear apoptotic cells, and to aid in tissue remodeling. The phagosomal membrane is traditionally thought to originate from the plasmalemma and then go through a series of maturation steps involving sequential fusion with endosomal compartments, leading to the formation of a phagolysosome. A recent model suggests that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is involved in the maturation as well. Here we use stable isotope labeling and multiple quantitative proteomic approaches to follow the dynamic composition of the maturing phagosome in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells to a greater depth and higher temporal resolution than was previously possible. Analysis of the results suggests that the traditional model of a linear sequence of fusion events with different compartments is more complex or variable than previously thought. By concomitantly measuring the degree to which each component is enriched on phagosomes, our data argue that the amount of ER involved in phagocytosis is much less than predicted by the model of ER-mediated phagocytosis.
Campylobacter jejuni Cocultured with Epithelial Cells Reduces Surface Capsular Polysaccharide Expression

ABSTRACT The host cell environment can alter bacterial pathogenicity. We employed a combination of cellular and molecular techniques to study the expression of Campylobacter jejuni polysaccharides cocultured with HCT-8 epithelial cells. After two passages, the amount of membrane-bound high-molecular-weight polysaccharide was considerably reduced. Microarray profiling confirmed significant downregulation of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) locus genes. Experiments using conditioned media showed that sugar depletion occurred only when the bacterial and epithelial cells were cocultured. CPS depletion occurred when C. jejuni organisms were exposed to conditioned media from a different C. jejuni strain but not when exposed to conditioned media from other bacterial species. Proteinase K or heat treatment of conditioned media under coculture conditions abrogated the effect on the sugars, as did formaldehyde fixation and cycloheximide treatment of host cells or chloramphenicol treatment of the bacteria. However, sugar depletion was not affected in flagellar export (fliQ) and quorum-sensing (luxS) gene mutants. Passaged C. jejuni showed reduced invasiveness and increased serum sensitivity in vitro. C. jejuni alters its surface polysaccharides when cocultured with epithelial cells, suggesting the existence of a cross talk mechanism that modulates CPS expression during infection.