Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Propagation of human spermatogonial stem cells in vitro.

CONTEXT Young boys treated with high-dose chemotherapy are often confronted with infertility once they reach adulthood. Cryopreserving testicular tissue before chemotherapy and autotransplantation of spermatogonial stem cells at a later stage could theoretically allow for restoration of fertility. OBJECTIVE To establish in vitro propagation of human spermatogonial stem cells from small testicular biopsies to obtain an adequate number of cells for successful transplantation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Study performed from April 2007 to July 2009 using testis material donated by 6 adult men who underwent orchidectomy as part of prostate cancer treatment. Testicular cells were isolated and cultured in supplemented StemPro medium; germline stem cell clusters that arose were subcultured on human placental laminin-coated dishes in the same medium. Presence of spermatogonia was determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence for spermatogonial markers. To test for the presence of functional spermatogonial stem cells in culture, xenotransplantation to testes of immunodeficient mice was performed, and migrated human spermatogonial stem cells after transplantation were detected by COT-1 fluorescence in situ hybridization. The number of colonized spermatogonial stem cells transplanted at early and later points during culture were counted to determine propagation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Propagation of spermatogonial stem cells over time. RESULTS Testicular cells could be cultured and propagated up to 15 weeks. Germline stem cell clusters arose in the testicular cell cultures from all 6 men and could be subcultured and propagated up to 28 weeks. Expression of spermatogonial markers on both the RNA and protein level was maintained throughout the entire culture period. In 4 of 6 men, xenotransplantation to mice demonstrated the presence of functional spermatogonial stem cells, even after prolonged in vitro culture. Spermatogonial stem cell numbers increased 53-fold within 19 days in the testicular cell culture and increased 18,450-fold within 64 days in the germline stem cell subculture. CONCLUSION Long-term culture and propagation of human spermatogonial stem cells in vitro is achievable.
Web-Based Behavioral Intervention Increases Maternal Exercise but Does Not Prevent Excessive Gestational Weight Gain in Previously Sedentary Women.

BACKGROUND Innovative methods are warranted to optimize prenatal outcomes. This study's objective was to determine if a web-based behavioral intervention (BI) can prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) by increasing physical activity (PA). METHODS Participants were randomized to usual care (UC; n = 21) or BI (n = 24) between 10 to 14 weeks gestation. GWG, PA, and diet were assessed at baseline, mid-, and late pregnancy. RESULTS No differences in GWG or adherence to GWG recommendations presented between groups. Total UC MET-minutes significantly decreased from baseline to late-pregnancy (1,234 ± 372 MET-minutes, P = .013). Mid-pregnancy sustained PA was greater for BI than UC (20-minute PA bouts: 122 ± 106 vs. 46 ± 48 minutes/week, P = .005; 30-minute PA bouts: 74 ± 70 vs. 14 ± 24 minutes/week, P < .001), and greater for BI at mid-pregnancy compared with baseline (20-minute PA bouts: 61.3 ± 21.9; 30-minute PA bouts: 39.6 ± 14.8, both P < .05). BI energy intake at mid-pregnancy significantly increased from baseline (336 ± 127 kcals, P = .04) and was significantly greater than UC (2,503 ± 703 vs. 1,894 ± 594, P = .005). CONCLUSIONS Sedentary pregnant women should increase PA but may need additional dietary counseling to prevent excessive GWG.
Inter‐domain pricing: challenges and possible approaches

Telecommunication networks are now an interconnection of competitive operators that need to cooperate to ensure end‐to‐end delivery of traffic. Inter‐domain agreements have to be performed, and pricing is seen as a relevant way to provide an incentive to intermediate domains for forwarding the traffic of others. In this paper, we first review propositions from the literature. Greatest consideration is given to the Vickrey–Clarke–Groves (VCG) auction because it provides appropriate incentives, leads to an efficient use of the network and satisfies other relevant properties. We highlight, on the other hand, that it is neither budget‐balanced nor robust to collusion—something forgotten in the inter‐domain context. This brings us to review the list of properties that we would ideally like the inter‐domain pricing scheme to satisfy, and claim that no mechanism can satisfy all of them together. We then adapt to inter‐domain other resource allocation and pricing schemes, and discuss which properties are or should be relaxed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
UTILISATION D'UNE PLATE-FORME DE MODELISATION ENVIRONNEMENTALE POUR REPRESENTER LE ROLE D'AMENAGEMENTS HYDRO-AGRICOLES SUR LES FLUX D'EAU ET DE PESTICIDES. APPLICATION AU BASSIN VERSANT DE LA FONTAINE DU THEIL (ILLE ET VILAINE).

Le projet general dans lequel s'inscrit ce travail vise a developper un outil de modelisation permettant de mieux comprendre et quantifier la circulation de l'eau et de produits phytosanitaires a l'echelle de petits bassins versants ruraux, en prenant notamment en compte l'influence d'amenagements hydro-agricoles ou paysagers (tels que le drainage agricole par tuyaux enterres, les fosses, le reseau bocager ou les bandes enherbees) sur la qualite de l'eau.En s'appuyant sur le cas d'etude du bassin versant de la Fontaine du Theil (Ille et Vilaine), on a mis en oeuvre une demarche de modelisation hydrologique distribuee fondee sur la representation des differents amenagements sous forme de modules autonomes et connectes entre eux selon leur positionnement dans l'espace, en s'appuyant sur la plate-forme de modelisation environnementale LIQUID. On a ainsi construit et teste a l'echelle locale deux modules specifiques representant de maniere simplifiee : le fonctionnement d'une parcelle drainee, incluant les transferts de pesticides,ainsi que le fonctionnement hydrodynamique d'une haie bocagere. On les a ensuite couples de facon tres simple a des modules existant par ailleurs dans LIQUID pour obtenir un modele hydrologique distribue, qui a ete applique sur une partie du bassin versant de la Fontaine du Theil (sans solutes). Les resultats sont pour l'instant tres sommaires mais montrent un bon fonctionnement du couplage entre ces differents modules et apportent depremiers elements qualitatifs de validation sur le comportement des haies vis-a-vis des flux souterrains. Ils sont encourageants quant a la possibilite, a travers cette approche, de representer les interactions entre processus dominants et ainsi de faire progresser la connaissance sur les voies de contamination majeures a l'echelle du bassin. La plate-forme LIQUID, en permettant de construire des modules de conceptions differentes et de lesfaire communiquer dans un meme modele de facon coherente et conforme a la physique, se revele bien adaptee.
Welfare of cats in a quarantine cattery

The welfare of seven domestic cats housed singly in a quarantine cattery was studied for six months. Behavioural data were obtained with cameras and by time-lapse video recording, and cortisol to creatinine ratios were measured in urine samples collected from litter trays. It took five weeks for the cats to show evidence of adaptation to their new environment. They spent most of the first two weeks concealed in a house on the floor of their cage. As they adapted, they spent less time hiding and more time higher in the cage. The cats were inactive for approximately 90 per cent of the time observed, and they received little human contact. Compared with the first day, the cats' cortisol to creatinine ratios were significantly lower from their second month in quarantine.
Unexpected Epoxide Formation in the Gas-Phase Photooxidation of Isoprene

No NO Isoprene, a five-carbon diene produced by plants, is the most abundant nonmethane hydrocarbon released into the atmosphere and plays an important role in tropospheric chemistry. Isoprene is also thought to affect climate by acting as a source of atmospheric aerosols. Paulot et al. (p. 730; see the Perspective by Kleindienst) now describe how isoprene may lead to the formation of secondary organic aerosols. In laboratory experiments, the photooxidation of isoprene in low-NO conditions, such as those which occur in vegetated regions far from anthropogenic influence, produced high yields of dihydroxy epoxides, a suspected precursor of the aerosols. This discovery could help to explain some of the more puzzling aspects of isoprene chemistry in remote regions. The oxidation of isoprenes in the absence of nitric oxide produces epoxides that can facilitate formation of organic aerosols. Emissions of nonmethane hydrocarbon compounds to the atmosphere from the biosphere exceed those from anthropogenic activity. Isoprene, a five-carbon diene, contributes more than 40% of these emissions. Once emitted to the atmosphere, isoprene is rapidly oxidized by the hydroxyl radical OH. We report here that under pristine conditions isoprene is oxidized primarily to hydroxyhydroperoxides. Further oxidation of these hydroxyhydroperoxides by OH leads efficiently to the formation of dihydroxyepoxides and OH reformation. Global simulations show an enormous flux—nearly 100 teragrams of carbon per year—of these epoxides to the atmosphere. The discovery of these highly soluble epoxides provides a missing link tying the gas-phase degradation of isoprene to the observed formation of organic aerosols.
Robust stability of uncertain time-varying state-delayed systems

This paper investigates the robust stability for systems with time-varying delay. An improved linear matrix inequality (LMI) based robust delay-dependent stability test is introduced to ensure a larger upper bound for time-varying delays affecting the state vector of an uncertain continuous-time system with norm-bounded type uncertainties. We construct a new class of Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals combined with the descriptor model transformation to derive some delay-dependent stability criteria. The proposed method gives sufficient conditions for the robust stability of the system with time-varying delay under norm-bounded uncertainty. Numerical examples indicate that the proposed stability criteria effectively improve the existing results
A comparitive study on traumatic reticuloperitonitis and traumatic pericarditis in Egyptian cattle

This study was carried out on 15 Holstein cows divided into 3 groups of 5. Group 1 was the control, group 2 had traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP), and group 3 had traumatic pericarditis (TP). Comparison between the groups included clinical, hematological, biochemical, and ultrasonographic changes. TRP cows had arched backs, a sharp decrease in milk yield, and a reluctance to move, with abduction of the fore limbs. TP cows had edema of the brisket and submandibular region, with jugular vein distension and pulsation. TRP cows had a significant increase in PCV, leukocytes, and neutrophils, and a significant decrease in RBC, hemoglobin, and lymphocytic counts, as compared to the control group. TP cows had significant erythrocytopenia, leukocytosi s, neutrophilia, monocytosis eosinopenia, and basopenia, and a significant decrease in the hemoglobin, lymphocytes, eosin ophils, and basophils as compared to the controls. Serum AST, SLT, LDH, and CPK were significantly higher in the TP group than they were in the control and TRP groups. It was concluded that TP cows had more significant chang es in hematology, biochemistry, ultrasonography, and histopathology than the TRP cows.
A 16th-century saltworks at Port Eynon, Gower

The remains of a saltworks, in operation from c. 1550-c. 1650, were investigated at Port Eynon, near Swansea, in response to the threat of marine erosion. The site is an early example of salt production by the open-pan method. In the 17th century, a fortified extension was added, with a series of musket loops. The buildings were later converted into a dwelling, and were finally abandoned in the 1870s. A simple wooden lift pump was found in the water reservoir. The pottery from the site is dominated by products of the North Devon industry, and included a fine group of sgraffito-decorated ware of the 17th century. The site has now been protected by a sea wall, consolidated, and provided with interpretation panels.
Compliance in CAPD and CCPD patients as measured by supply inventories during home visits.

This study was performed to determine compliance with prescribed exchanges in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and continuous cycler peritoneal dialysis (CCPD) patients via a home supply inventory, to evaluate numerous other factors against this standard, and to compare compliant and noncompliant patient characteristics and outcomes. It was an open enrollment of patients with prospective follow-up of 49 CAPD and CCPD adult patients at a university dialysis center. Two home visits for dialysis solution inventories were conducted 1 to 3 months apart. The number of exchanges actually performed (based on the inventory and deliveries) divided by the number of exchanges prescribed determined the percent compliance. Patient self-evaluation of compliance, attitudes about compliance and medical care, Derogatis Affects Balance Sheet (DABS) (a validated tool of affects balance), staff evaluations, patient demographics, hospitalizations, dialysis adequacy (measured to predicted creatinine ratio) and patient outcomes were evaluated against compliance with prescribed exchanges. Thirty-five percent of the patients were found to be noncompliant with prescribed exchanges based on the supply inventory, performing only 74% of exchanges. Compliant and noncompliant patients were not different by age, race, gender, peritoneal dialysis (PD) time, number of comorbid conditions, nor incidence of diabetes. The affects balance score from the DABS test was a poor predictor of compliance, as were staff evaluations. Delivered dialysis, adjusted for percentage of compliance, was significantly lower in noncompliant than in compliant patients by weekly Kt/V (2.2 v 1.74, P < 0.003), Ccreatinine L/week/1.73m2 (69 v 58, P = 0.05), as was normalized protein nitrogen appearance rates (nPNA), g/kg/day (0.89 v 0.70, P = 0.001). Technique survival was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in noncompliant patients. Twenty-nine percent of the noncompliant patients transferred to hemodialysis for uremia compared with 6% of compliant patients, P = . 04, with a mean follow-up time of 1 year per patient. Patient survival did not differ in the two groups. Peritonitis rates were higher in noncompliant than compliant patients (1.03/yr v 0.66/yr, P < 0.03), as were days hospitalized (908 per 100 patient-years v 1,016 per 100 patient-years, P < 0.04). Noncompliance with PD exchanges is significantly common in CAPD and CCPD patients. It occurs in one third of the patients at our center and contributes significantly to technique failure, inadequate dialysis, and an increased risk of both peritonitis and hospitalized days. Home visits to conduct supply inventories provide an excellent method of monitoring compliance.
Plasma ACTH and Cortisol Concentration of Coronary-Prone Subjects 1

Summary The plasma corticotropin and cortisol concentrations of 9 coronary-prone (Type A behavior pattern) and 10 coronary-resistant (Type B behavior pattern) subjects were studied at 6 time intervals during their waking hours. The average plasma corticotropin content of the 9 Type A subjects was significantly greater during the total period measured than that of the 10 Type B subjects. The average daily peak value of plasma corticotropin of the Type A subjects also was found to be significantly increased. No significant differences were found in either the average or peak plasma cortisol values between these 2 groups of subjects. The authors express their thanks to Drs. Berson and Yalow for their ACTH analyses of the plasma samples of these subjects.
Chaotic density fluctuations in L-mode plasmas of the DIII-D tokamak

Analysis of the time series obtained with the Doppler backscattering system (Hillsheim et al 2009 Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80 0835070) in the DIII-D tokamak (Luxon 2005 Fusion Sci. Technol. 48 828) shows that intermediate wave number plasma density fluctuations in low confinement (L-mode) tokamak plasmas are chaotic. The supporting evidence is based on the shape of the power spectrum; the location of the signal in the complexity-entropy plane (C-H plane) (Rosso et al 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 154102); and the population of the corresponding Bandt–Pompe (Bandt and Pompe 2002 Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 174102) probability distributions.
Athletic Activity after Joint Replacement

The first decade of the 21st century has been declared the “Bone and Joint Decade” by 35 nations and 44 states in the United States as of March 2001. It is not surprising that Americans are interested in musculoskeletal disease and the treatment of bone and joint disorders because our population is aging, the prevalence of arthritic joints is increasing, and senior Americans are demonstrating a strong desire to stay active in activities of daily living and athletics. One of the most successful treatments for painful arthritic joints, which limit activity, is total joint replacement, which predictably relieves pain and improves function. Much has been written about the technical aspects of total joint arthroplasty. Less has been written about safe and appropriate activities for patients who have had joint replacement operations. This article evaluates athletic activity after joint replacement by reviewing the orthopaedic literature and surveying members of The Hip Society, The Knee Society, and The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society. The authors have developed consensus recommendations for appropriate athletic activity for patients who have had joint replacement operations. This article is intended to serve as a guide for orthopaedic surgeons and primary care physicians who give patients recommendations for athletic activity after joint replacement. This article is also intended to stimulate further research in the area of athletic activity after total joint arthroplasty.
The Electronic Water Cooler

The boundary between organizational insiders (e.g., employees) and outsiders (e.g., customers) has become increasingly permeable due to Internet discussion boards that enable members of both groups to share experiences of organizational fairness and unfairness. We studied discussion board threads on Vault.com, focusing on threads initiated by postings containing organizational justice content and authored by an organizational insider or outsider. Consistent with predictions of the social identity model of deindividuation effects, organizational insiders capitalized on anonymity to post messages that were significantly more negative in both cognitive content (describing organizations as less fair) and emotional tone (using more negative emotional language) than messages posted by organizational outsiders. As predicted by contagion theory, cognitive content influenced the emotional tone of reply messages, especially when initial postings were from organizational outsiders.
Traditional Food Crop Marketing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract The present study aims to contribute to the scarce literature on traditional food crop marketing by analysing the factors influencing (a) the household’s decision to participate in the market and (b) the selling prices obtained by the household. Using an econometric approach, we analyse household data from 270 finger millet producers in western Kenya. A main focus of the study lies on the role of gender and farmer group participation. Results show that group membership increases the probability of market participation and is of particular importance for female farmers, who obtain higher selling prices when participating in a group.
Is Zero Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection Rate Sustainable? A 5-Year Perspective

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adoption and implementation of evidence-based measures for catheter care leads to reductions in central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in the NICU. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether this rate reduction is sustainable for at least 1 year and to identify key determinants of this sustainability at the NICU of the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. METHODS: We reviewed the incidence of CLABSIs in the NICU temporally to the implementation of new practice policies and procedures, from July 2008 to December 2013. RESULTS: Adoption of standardized care practices, including bundles and checklists, was associated with a significant reduction of the CLABSI rate to zero for >370 consecutive days in our NICU in 2012. Overall, our CLABSI rates decreased from 4.1 per 1000 line days in 2009 (13 infections; 3163 line days) to 0.94 in 2013 (2 infections; 2115 line days), which represents a 77% reduction over a 5-year period. In the first quarter of 2013, there was a brief increase in CLABSI rate to 3.3 per 1000 line days; after a series of interventions, the CLABSI rate was maintained at zero for >600 days. Ongoing training, surveillance, and vigilance with catheter insertion and maintenance practices and improved documentation were identified as key drivers for success. CONCLUSIONS: High-quality training, strict compliance with evidence-based guidelines, and thorough documentation is associated with significant reductions in CLABSIs. Mindful organizing may lead to a better understanding of what goes into a unit’s ability to handle peak demands and sustain extraordinary performance in the long-term.
Akt Signaling Leads to Stem Cell Activation and Promotes Tumor Development in Epidermis

Hair follicle stem cells (HF‐SCs) alternate between periods of quiescence and proliferation, to finally differentiate into all the cell types that constitute the hair follicle. Also, they have been recently identified as cells of origin in skin cancer. HF‐SCs localize in a precise region of the hair follicle, the bulge, and molecular markers for this population have been established. Thus, HF‐SCs are good model to study the potential role of oncogenic activations on SC physiology. Expression of a permanently active form of Akt (myrAkt) in basal cells leads to Akt hyperactivation specifically in the CD34+Itga6H population. This activation causes bulge stem cells to exit from quiescence increasing their response to proliferative stimuli and affecting some functions such as cell migration. HF‐SC identity upon Akt activation is preserved; in this sense, increased proliferation does not result in stem cell exhaustion with age suggesting that Akt activation does not affect self‐renewal an important aspect for normal tissue maintenance and cancer development. Genome‐wide transcriptome analysis of HF‐SC isolated from myrAkt and wild‐type epidermis underscores changes in metabolic pathways characteristic of cancer cells. These differences manifest during a two‐step carcinogenesis protocol in which Akt activation in HF‐SCs results in increased tumor development and malignant transformation. Stem Cells 2014;32:1917–1928