Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of Homeobox Gene HLX and its Downstream Target Genes are Altered in Placentae From Discordant Twin Pregnancies

A discordant twin gestation, in which one fetus is significantly growth restricted, compared to the other normal twin, is a unique model that can be used to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which the intrauterine environment affects fetal growth. In many model systems, placental transcription factor genes regulate fetal growth. Transcription factors regulate growth through their activation or repression of downstream target genes that mediate important cell functions. The objective of this study was to determine the expression of the placental HLX homeobox gene transcription factor and its downstream target genes in dizygotic twins with growth discordance. In this cross-sectional study, HLX and its downstream target genes’ retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) and cyclin kinase D (CDKN1C) expression levels were determined in placentae obtained from dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancies (n = 23) where one of the twins was growth restricted. Fetal growth restriction (FGR) was defined as small for gestational age with abnormal umbilical artery Doppler indices when compared with the normal control co-twin. Homeobox gene HLX expression was significantly decreased at both the mRNA and protein levels in FGR twin placentae compared with the normal control co-twin placentae (p < .05). Downstream target genes CDKN1C and RB1 were also significantly decreased and increased, respectively, at both the mRNA and protein levels in FGR twin placentae compared with normal control co-twin placentae (p < .05). Together, these observations suggest an important association between HLX transcription factor expression and abnormal human placental development in discordant twin pregnancies.
Effect of cryoprotectant on the cryopreservation of South African Kolbroek pig semen

The study evaluated the effect of different cryopro tectants on post-thaw survival and motility of Kolbroek sperm. Semen from Kolbroek boars was collected with the gloved hand technique. Ejaculates wer e diluted with Beltsville thawing solution (BTS) at a ratio of 1 : 1 prior to freezing. Semen was dilute d with egg yolk tris; thereafter, one of the three cryopro tectants (14% glycerol, 14% DMSO or 7% glycerol + 7% DMSO) were added. Diluted samples were then loaded into 0.5 mL straws and cooled with a programmable freezer. Thereafter the semen straws were plunged d irectly into liquid nitrogen (-196 °C) and stored f or 48 h. Frozen straws were thawed at 39 °C for a minute and evaluated for sperm motility and survival at 0, 30 , 60 and 90 min post-thaw. The post-thaw sperm survival frozen using glycerol as a cryoprotectant was significantly higher immediately after thawing, com pared to DMSO, however, similar to the combination of glycerol and DMSO. There was no significant difference on motility rate immediately (0 min) post-thaw between the three cryoprotectants. Sperm cryopreser ved with glycerol exhibited a significantly higher percentage motility at 30, 60 and 90 min post-thaw than in the other cryoprotectants. Based on sperm motility, glycerol was a better cryoprotectant for cryopreservation of Kolbroek boar sperm.
The Effect of External Monitoring on Accruals-Based and Real Earnings Management: Evidence from Venture-Backed Initial Public Offerings

This paper investigates the effect of venture capitalist (VC) quality on earnings management in firms conducting initial public offerings of their equity stock, focusing on manipulation of both accruals and real activities. I develop a measure of VC quality based on a principal components factor analysis using data that are obtainable for virtually all VC firms. This metric is highly correlated with VC funds’ financial returns, and with the likelihood of successful exits through initial public offerings or trade sales. After going public, companies backed by higher quality VCs have lower abnormal accruals, lower earnings management through real activities manipulation, and a lower likelihood of financial restatement. Companies backed by top-quartile VCs do not appear to engage in real activities manipulation as a substitute for accruals manipulation. Companies backed by lower-tier VCs exhibit earnings management behaviors which are indistinguishable from those of non-VC-backed companies. The results continue to hold when controlling for endogeneity. Overall, the results suggest that higher quality VCs are better able to constrain opportunistic financial reporting by their portfolio companies going public.
The Value of Attenuation Correction in Hybrid Cardiac SPECT/CT on Inferior Wall According to Body Mass Index

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of attenuation-corrected single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) on the inferior wall compared to uncorrected (NC) SPECT MPI between obese and nonobese patients. A total of 157 consecutive patients (122 males and 35 females, with median age: 57.4 ± 11 years) who underwent AC technetium 99m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (AC Tc99m-sestamibi) SPECT MPI were included to the study. A hybrid SPECT and transmission computed tomography (CT) system was used for the diagnosis with 1-day protocol, and stress imaging was performed first. During attenuation correction (AC) processing on a Xeleris Workstation using Myovation cardiac software with ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM), iterative reconstruction with attenuation correction (IRAC) and NC images filtered back projection (FBP) were used. For statistical purposes, P < 0.05 was considered significant. This study included 73 patients with body mass index (BMI) <30 and 84 patients with BMI ≥ 30. In patients with higher BMI, increased amount of both visual and semiquantitative attenuation of the inferior wall was detected. IRAC reconstruction corrects the diaphragm attenuation of the inferior wall better than FBP. AC with OSEM iterative reconstruction significantly improves the diagnostic value of stress-only SPECT MPI in patients with normal weight and those who are obese, but the improvements are significantly greater in obese patients. Stress-only SPECT imaging with AC provides shorter and lower radiation exposure.
Interactive Medical Image Segmentation by Statistical Seed Models

Interactive 3D object segmentation is an important and challenging activity in medical imaging, although it is tedious and error-prone to be done. Automatic segmentation methods aim to replace the user altogether, but require user interaction to produce training data sets of segmented masks and to make error corrections. We propose a complete framework for interactive medical image segmentation, which reduces user effort by automatically providing an initial segmentation result. We develop a Statistical Seed Model (SSM) to this end, that improves from seed sets selected by robot users when reconstructing masks of previously segmented images. The SSM outputs a seed set that may be used to automatically delineate a new test image. The seeds provide both an implicit object shape constraint and a flexible way of interactively correcting segmentation. We demonstrate that our framework decreases the amount of user interaction by a factor of three, when segmenting MR-images of the cerebellum.
Wage Curve Evidence From Turkey's 2007-2009 Income and Living Conditions Survey

The aim of this paper is to investigate the labour market conditions of Turkey via disaggregated wage curves following the argument that group specific regional unemployment rates might better describe wage curves than aggregate ones. Using 2007-2009 panel survey of Income and Living Conditions, I found that there is weak evidence in favour of the existence of a wage curve for Turkey. Different categories of unemployment rate give different results on the unemployment elasticity of pay. For male workers, wage curve relationship seems to exist only when male unemployment rates are used and for female workers, there is no evidence in favor of a wage curve. When the data are split into two age groups, and age specific unemployment rates are used, there appears a wage curve for women of age twenty-five to sixty-four and a positive unemployment elasticity of pay for the women of age fifteen to twenty-four. These results might be explained by •Ilkkaracan and Selim (2003)’s argument focusing on the labour force participation dynamics of women in Turkey.
Morphometry and Quantification of the Myenteric Neurons of the Cecum of Rats (Rattus norvegicus) Submitted to Experimental Chronic Alcoholism

Los analisis morfometrico y cuantitativo fueron hechos para estudiar los efectos del consumo de alcohol sobre el tamano y densidad de las neuronas mientericas del ciego de ratones. Diez ratones de 90 dias, fueron divididos en los grupos: control (C), y alcoholico (A). Despues de 120 dias de tratamiento con etanol, los ciegos de ambos grupos fueron colectados, sometidos a preparacion de membranas que despues de coloreados por el metodo de Giemsa. Fue posible evaluar la densidad neuronal en un area de 13,44 mm2, y medir el area del cuerpo celular de 300 neuronas por grupo. Los ratones alcoholicos presentaron un incremento en el numero de neuronas pequenas y una disminucion de las neuronas medianas y grandes. La densidad neuronal verificada en los ratones alcoholicos fue significativamente reducida, en relacion a los ratones controles. Esa reduccion dejo de ser estadisticamente significativa cuando fue proyectada la densidad de las neuronas para el area del ciego, ya que la observacion macroscopica mostraba que los ratones alcoholicos presentaban un ciego dilatado. El alcoholismo indujo una reduccion significativa en el peso corporal final de los ratones del grupo A, provoco dilatacion del ciego de los ratones, llevando a una gran dispersion neuronal. La dilatacion del ciego de los ratones alcoholicos esta probablemente asociada a alteraciones funcionales de las neuronas mientericas que repercuten en el tono de la musculatura lisa intestinal.
Lung field segmentation in chest radiographs: a historical review, current status, and expectations from deep learning

Lung field defines a region-of-interest in which specific radiologic signs such as septal lines, pulmonary opacities, cavities, consolidations, and lung nodules are searched by a chest radiographic computer-aided diagnostic system. Thus, its precise segmentation is extremely important. To precisely segment it, numerous methods have been developed during the last four decades. However, no exclusive survey consolidating the advancements in these methods has been presented till date, thus indicating a void and the need. This study fills the void by presenting a comprehensive survey of these methods with a focus on their underlying principle, the dataset used, reported performance, and relative merits and demerits. It refrains from doing a hard comparative evaluation by bringing all of them on a common platform, since the datasets used in their development and testing are of varied quality, complexity, and are not publicly available. It also provides a glimpse of deep learning, the present state of deep-learning-based lung field segmentation methods, expectations from it, and the challenges ahead of it.
Genetic analysis of attachment glycoprotein (G) gene in new genotype ON1 of human respiratory syncytial virus detected in Japan

We studied the evolution of the G gene in the new genotype ON1 of RSV detected from patients with acute respiratory infection in Japan. Phylogenetic analyses and the evolutionary timescale were obtained by the Bayesian MCMC method. We also analyzed p‐distance and positive selection sites. A new genotype ON1 emerged around 2001. The evolution rate was rapid (3.57 × 10−3 substitutions/site per year). The p‐distance was short and no positive selection site was found in the present strains. These results suggested that a new genotype ON1 of RSV‐A emerged approximately10 years ago and spread to some countries with a high evolution rate.
Adherence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli strains to a human colonic epithelial cell line (T84)

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) produce Shiga-like toxins and attach to certain tissue culture cells. T84 cells are human colonic carcinoma cells. Unlike previously studied cell lines, T84 cells grown on collagen-coated surfaces polarize and produce tight junctions and desmosomes, forming a colonic epithelial cell layer in vitro. The purpose of this study was to examine the attachment of EHEC strains to the T84 cell line as a possibly more relevant in vitro model of EHEC adherence. Twelve EHEC strains were grown overnight in Penassay broth, suspended in minimal essential medium with and without 0.5% mannose, and incubated for 1 to 3 h with 5- to 7-day-old T84 cell monolayers grown on collagen-coated coverslips. The bacteria were removed, and attachment was quantitated microscopically. For both E. coli O157:H7 and other EHEC serotypes, there were marked differences in adherence between strains (range of 152 to 3 bacteria per oil immersion field). Mannose partially inhibited the adherence of some EHEC strains. Adherence to the T84 cells appeared to be related to the amount of pili present and not to the serotype. Electron micrographs showed that a highly adherent strain (strain 43-12) tended to form microcolonies in the area of tight junctions on the T84 cell monolayers. In addition, the attachment of these EHEC strains to T84 cells correlated with their ability to adhere to isolated rabbit colonocytes (r = 0.91, P = 0.00004; without mannose) (r = 0.60, P = 0.04; with mannose). These data show that there are EHEC strain-related differences in adherence which can be demonstrated in a human-derived colonic epithelial cell line (T84) and that these cells can be used to study EHEC adherence.
The property market, property valuations and property performance measurement

1.1. The Institute has discussed papers on most aspects of institutional investment in recent years, with the notable exception of property. This is not due to the lack of importance of this investment sector to pension funds and life offices, but perhaps to the greater role of actuaries (rather than surveyors) in the other investment media and to the interest in mathematical models for gilts and equities. 1.2. In this paper we have not tried to produce a mathematical model of the property market, a new valuation method for property or solutions to the extensive problems of property performance measurement and indices. We have, however, tried to pull together, in a single paper, the volumes of material on the property market and property valuation methods. We have also tried to set down some of the pitfalls of property performance measurement, which often tend to be overlooked in the relentless pursuit for more statistics in this important area.
Light quality influences adventitious shoot production from cotyledon explants of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

SummaryThe influence of light quality on competence and determination for organogenesis was investigated using lettuce cotyledon explants. Lettuce seedlings from four genotypes were germinated in the dark or under white, red, or blue light. Cotyledon explants were excised and cultured on a shoot-inducing medium for 28 d under white light. Germination in the dark reduced shoot numbers, suggesting that light improves the competence of explants for organogenesis. When explants from seedlings germinated under white light were cultured under different light qualities, blue was found to inhibit shoot production while red light either promoted production or had no effect on shoot number compared to controls. Treatment with blue plus red light failed to overcome the inhibition by blue light. To ascertain the temporal responses of explants to light quality, they were cultured under red or blue light prior to transfer to the alternate treatment. Exposure to blue light within 7 d of excision permanently reduced explant competence for organogenesis. Exposure after this time had a minimal effect. These results suggest that both phytochrome and cryptochrome can regulate shoot production from lettuce cotyledon explants and blue light can only inhibit organogenesis, in lettuce, during a relatively small developmental window.
Biological mechanisms of vertical human immunodeficiency virus (HIV‐1) transmission

In the absence of interventions, 30–45% of exposed infants acquire human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) through mother‐to‐child transmission. It remains unclear why some infants become infected while others do not, despite significant exposure to HIV‐1 in utero, during delivery and while breastfeeding. Here we discuss the correlates of vertical transmission with an emphasis on factors that increase maternal HIV‐1 levels, either systemically or locally in genital secretions and breast milk. Immune responses may influence maternal viral load, and data suggest that maternal neutralising antibodies reduce infection rates. In addition, infants may be capable of mounting HIV‐specific cellular immune responses. We propose that both humoral and cellular responses are necessary to reduce infection because cell‐free as well as cell‐associated virus appears to play a role in vertical transmission. These distinct forms of the virus may be targeted most effectively by different components of the immune system. We also discuss the use of antiretrovirals to reduce transmission, focusing on the mechanisms of action of regimens currently used in developing country settings. We conclude that prevention relies not only on reducing maternal HIV‐1 levels within blood, genital tract and breast milk, but also on pre‐ and/or post‐exposure prophylaxis to the infant. However, HIV‐1 has the capacity to mutate under drug pressure and rapidly acquires mutations conferring antiretroviral resistance. This review concludes with data on persistence of low‐level resistance after delivery as well as recent guidelines for maternal and infant regimens designed to limit resistance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A critical incident study of barriers to participation on the Cuckoo Trail, East Sussex

There is growing interest in management research in new methods of collecting and analysing complex data, particularly in moving away from formal interviews towards the analysis of anecdotal evidence. A number of methods have been developed for this purpose. One such is the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), in which interviewees describe significant incidents that they have experienced with respect to a specific service. Much of the existing use of this method has been in the service sector, relating to encounters between service providers and their customers. This paper reports an attempt to broaden the boundaries of CIT, by applying it to the people-environment relationships found on non-motorized shared use routes in the countryside. While experiencing some difficulties in modifying the technique to cope with the research setting, the paper demonstrates how the relatively simple process of collecting anecdotal evidence can yield new insights into previously intractable management problems.
Risk-Based Auditing, Strategic Prompts, and Auditor Sensitivity to the Strategic Risk of Fraud

ABSTRACT: Under risk-based auditing, more (fewer) audit resources are allocated to accounts that are more (less) likely to be misstated. However, if auditors do not anticipate the strategic risk that arises when client managers anticipate auditors' risk-based resource allocations, undetected misstatements among ostensibly low-risk accounts could be more common than traditional risk assessment procedures suggest. Using a laboratory experiment, I find that participants assuming the auditor role in a stylized audit game do not naturally attune to strategic risks, but instead focus resources toward accounts with high non-strategic risk and away from ostensibly low-risk accounts. Manager-participants exploit these allocations by overriding the low-risk accounts more often than accounts with high non-strategic risk. However, auditor-participants who are asked to predict managers' expectations of, and responses to, audit resource allocations, devote additional resources to the low-risk accounts. These results a.
The Genetic Properties of the Primary Endosymbionts of Mealybugs Differ from Those of Other Endosymbionts of Plant Sap-Sucking Insects

ABSTRACT Mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae), like aphids and psyllids, are plant sap-sucking insects that have an obligate association with prokaryotic endosymbionts that are acquired through vertical, maternal transmission. We sequenced two fragments of the genome of Tremblaya princeps, the endosymbiont of mealybugs, which is a member of the β subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Each of the fragments (35 and 30 kb) contains a copy of 16S-23S-5S rRNA genes. A total of 37 open reading frames were detected, which corresponded to putative rRNA proteins, chaperones, and enzymes of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, DNA replication, protein translation, and RNA synthesis. The genome of T. princeps has a number of properties that distinguish it from the genomes of Buchnera aphidicola and Carsonella ruddii, the endosymbionts of aphids and psyllids, respectively. Among these properties are a high G+C content (57.1 mol%), the same G+C content in intergenic spaces and structural genes, and similar G+C contents of the genes encoding highly and poorly conserved proteins. The high G+C content has a substantial effect on protein composition; about one-third of the residues consist of four amino acids with high-G+C-content codons. Sequence analysis of DNA fragments containing the rRNA operon and adjacent regions from endosymbionts of several mealybug species suggested that there was a single duplication of the rRNA operon and the adjacent genes in an ancestor of the present T. princeps. Subsequently, in one mealybug lineage rpS15, one of the duplicated genes, was retained, while in another lineage it decayed. These results extend the diversity of the types of endosymbiotic associations found in plant sap-sucking insects.
Application of the [3H]Leucine Incorporation Technique for Quantification of Bacterial Secondary Production Associated with Decaying Wetland Plant Litter

ABSTRACT The radiolabeled leucine incorporation technique for quantifying rates of bacterial production has increased in popularity since its original description for bacterioplankton communities. Prior studies addressing incorporation conditions (e.g., substrate saturation) for bacterial communities in other habitats, such as decaying plant litter, have reported a wide range of final leucine concentrations (400 nM to 50 μM) required to achieve saturation-level uptake. We assessed the application of the [3H]leucine incorporation procedure for measuring bacterial production on decaying wetland plant litter. Substrate saturation experiments (nine concentrations, 10 nM to 50 μM final leucine concentration) were conducted on three dates for microbial communities colonizing the submerged litter of three emergent plant species (Typha angustifolia, Schoenoplectus validus, and Phragmites australis). A modified [3H]leucine protocol was developed by coupling previously described incubation and alkaline extraction protocols with microdialysis (500 molecular weight cutoff membrane) of the final radiolabeled protein extract. The incorporation of [3H]leucine into protein exhibited a biphasic saturation curve, with lower apparent Km values ranging from 400 nM to 4.2 μM depending on the plant species studied. Upper apparent Km values ranged from 1.3 to 59 μM. These results suggest differential uptake by litter-associated microbial assemblages, with the lower apparent Km values possibly representing bacterial uptake and higher apparent Km values representing a combination of both bacterial and nonbacterial (e.g., eukaryotic) uptake.