Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
mTORC1/2 inhibition preserves ovarian function and fertility during genotoxic chemotherapy

Significance A major unresolved issue for premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy is infertility due to the loss of nonrenewable ovarian primordial follicles. We show that pharmacologic down-regulation of the mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway during chemotherapy in a mouse model prevents activation of primordial follicles, preserves ovarian function, and maintains normal fertility using clinically available inhibitors of mTOR complex (C)1 and mTORC1/2. These findings represent a feasible pharmacologic approach for preservation of ovarian function and fertility during treatment with conventional chemotherapy. The ovary contains oocytes within immature (primordial) follicles that are fixed in number at birth. Activation of follicles within this fixed pool causes an irreversible decline in reproductive capacity, known as the ovarian reserve, until menopause. Premenopausal women undergoing commonly used genotoxic (DNA-damaging) chemotherapy experience an accelerated loss of the ovarian reserve, leading to subfertility and infertility. Therefore, there is considerable interest but little effective progress in preserving ovarian function during chemotherapy. Here we show that blocking the kinase mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) with clinically available small-molecule inhibitors preserves ovarian function and fertility during chemotherapy. Using a clinically relevant mouse model of chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity by cyclophosphamide, and inhibition of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) with the clinically approved drug everolimus (RAD001) or inhibition of mTORC1/2 with the experimental drug INK128, we show that mTOR inhibition preserves the ovarian reserve, primordial follicle counts, serum anti-Mullerian hormone levels (a rigorous measure of the ovarian reserve), and fertility. Chemotherapy-treated animals had significantly fewer offspring compared with all other treatment groups, whereas cotreatment with mTOR inhibitors preserved normal fertility. Inhibition of mTORC1 or mTORC1/2 within ovaries was achieved during chemotherapy cotreatment, concomitant with preservation of primordial follicle counts. Importantly, our findings indicate that as little as a two- to fourfold reduction in mTOR activity preserves ovarian function and normal birth numbers. As everolimus is approved for tamoxifen-resistant or relapsing estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, these findings represent a potentially effective and readily accessible pharmacologic approach to fertility preservation during conventional chemotherapy.
Evolution of the light-absorption properties of combustion brown carbon aerosols following reaction with nitrate radicals

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are important constituents of brown carbon (BrC) that are subject to atmospheric processing by gas-phase oxidants such as the hydroxyl radical (OH) and the nitrate radical (NO3). While OH oxidation of BrC has been investigated extensively, studies of NO3 oxidation are limited. Here, we generated BrC from the combustion of toluene containing a complex mixture of light-absorbing PAHs and investigated changes in their chemical composition and light-absorption properties following exposure to NO3 in an oxidation flow reactor. Three types of BrC were studied, with varying light-absorption properties that were classified in terms of the imaginary part of the refractive index (k) as: light BrC (k at 532 nm, k532 = 0.008), medium BrC (k532 = 0.026), and dark BrC (k532 = 0.091). Exposure to NO3 led to ∼30% increase in k532 of the light and medium BrC and ∼5% decrease in k532 of the dark BrC. This discrepancy is attributed to two competing effects: 1) addition of chromophoric functional groups by NO3-induced heterogeneous oxidation and 2) condensation of gas-phase PAH + NO3 oxidation products that were less-absorbing than the particulate PAHs. Analysis of the aerosol chemical evolution revealed that effect (2) was more important in the dark BrC experiments. We performed optical calculations to isolate effect (1) and showed that heterogeneous oxidation led to ∼50% increase in k532 for all the BrC types. These results indicate that NO3-induced heterogeneous oxidation darkens some types of atmospheric BrC, which can counterbalance bleaching effects induced by OH oxidation. Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research
Organizational learning, organizational resilience and the mediating role of multi-stakeholder networks

Purpose This paper aims to focus on academics in three private foreign universities located in Cairo (Egypt) to explore the influence of organizational learning (OL) on the level of organizational resilience of academics with and without the mediating effect of a multi-stakeholder network. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a comprehensive count sampling in which every academic was handed a questionnaire form to fill. This led to a decrease in the likelihood of research bias. In total, the authors distributed 960 questionnaire forms and collected 576 completed questionnaires, which is almost more than 60% of the total population. The authors used structural equation to determine the effect of OL on academics’ level of organizational resilience. The same equation was later used to assess the mediating role of the multi-stakeholder network on the aforementioned relationship. Findings The findings highlight a statistically significant influence of OL on academics’ level of organizational resilience. Moreover, the results revealed the significant role of the multi-stakeholder network in mediating the relationship between OL and organizational resilience. Originality/value This paper contributes by filling a gap in human resource management and organization literature in the higher education sector, in which empirical studies on the relationship between OL, multi-stakeholder networks and organizational resilience have been limited until now.
The Impact of Advance Directives on the Intensity of Care Received in the Acute Care Setting in Older Adults

THE IMPACT OF ADVANCE DIRECTIVES ON THE INTENSITY OF CARE RECEIVED IN THE ACUTE CARE SETTING IN OLDER ADULTS Marsha Helen Tyacke, PhD(c), MSN, RN, APNP, ACNP-BC Marquette University, 2018 The proportion of older adults in the U.S. is rapidly increasing. One-third of Medicare expenditures occur in the final year of life, with nearly half resulting from acute exacerbations of chronic, progressive diseases(Riley & Lubitz, 2010). Older adults prefer comfort over life-sustaining care, and decreased intensity of care is associated with improved quality of life at the end-of-life (EOL). Advance directives (ADs) have been proposed as mechanisms to improve congruence between patient wishes and EOL care; however, the impact of ADs on care delivered in the acute care setting at the EOL for this population is unclear. A retrospective, correlation design framed by the Quality Health Outcomes Model was used to describe (a) the relationship between ADs and the intensity of care received by older adults in the acute care setting at the EOL, and (b) the congruence between patient preferences within ADs and actual care received. Four hundred and ninety-six patients, aged 65 and older who died while admitted to a large, academic medical center, were identified using electronic health records. Regression analyses, to determine the association between ADs and indicators of intensity of care, and content analysis, to describe congruence of care, were conducted. Advance directives were not independently associated with any indicators of high-intensity (i.e., high-cost, high-technology) care. While ADs were independently associated with palliative and hospice referrals, effect sizes were small, and referral timing was late. In a subset of one hundred patients with ADs, less than half received care that was congruent with documented preferences. In approximately one-fourth, patient preferences were vague, and congruence could not be determined. Advance directives may be ineffective, in their current form, to decrease aggressive care in the acute care setting. Further research is necessary to determine whether this is a function of how ADs are used within acute care or ambiguous preferences within the document. A shift in the approach of healthcare providers may be necessary to promote engagement in advanced care planning discussions, with patients and family members, with an AD serving as the product of those discussions rather than a document completed out of context.
Transport of kJ-laser-driven relativistic electron beams in cold and shock-heated vitreous carbon and diamond

We report experimental results on relativistic electron beam (REB) transport in a set of cold and shock-heated carbon samples using the high-intensity kilojoule-class OMEGA EP laser. The REB energy distribution and transport were diagnosed using an electron spectrometer and x-ray fluorescence measurements from a Cu tracer buried at the rear side of the samples. The measured rear REB density shows brighter and narrower signals when the targets were shock-heated. Hybrid PIC simulations using advanced resistivity models in the target warm-dense-matter (WDM) conditions confirm this observation. We show that the resistivity response of the media, which governs the self-generated resistive fields, is of paramount importance to understand and correctly predict the REB transport.
Comparative transcriptomics reveals domestication-associated features of Atlantic salmon lipid metabolism

Domestication of Salmo salar has imposed strong selection for production traits since the 1970s. The domestication has also imposed a radical shift in diet. Whereas wild salmon eats invertebrates, crustaceans and fish, the dietary lipids in domestic feed has since 1990 gradually shifted from fish oil (FO) to vegetable oil (VO), causing a decrease intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). We tested the hypothesis that this shift has induced domestication-specific features of lipid metabolism in a 96-day feeding trial of domesticated and wild salmon fed diets based on FO, VO or phospholipids (PL). We addressed this by sampling tissues central in fat uptake (pyloric caeca) and processing (liver) and quantifying RNA expression and fatty acid composition. Domesticated salmon grew faster than wild salmon, with higher gene expression in glucose and lipid metabolism pathways. The promoters of differentially expressed genes were enriched for transcription factors involved in circadian clock regulation. Domesticated salmon had lower expression of cry2 and nr1d1, genes involved in negative regulation of circadian rhythm, with possible implications for the diurnal cycle of feed ingestion and basal metabolic rate. Only wild salmon showed a significant impact on growth of VO versus PL or FO feed, whereas domesticated but not wild salmon upregulated key LC-PUFA synthesis genes fads2d5 and fads2d6a in response to VO diet. Domesticated salmon had higher LC-PUFA but lower 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 in liver when fed VO, suggesting that domesticated salmon can better compensate for dietary shortage of LC-PUFA compared to wild salmon.
The usefulness of multi-parent multi-environment QTL analysis: an illustration in different NAM populations

Commonly QTL detection in multi-parent population (MPPs) data measured in multiple environments (ME) is done by a single environment analysis on phenotypic values ‘averaged’ across environments. This method can be useful to detect QTLs with a consistent effect across environments but it does not allow to estimate environment-specific QTL (QTLxE) effects. Running separate single environment analyses is a possibility to measure QTLxE effects but those analyses do not model the genetic covariance due to the use of the same genotype in different environments. In this paper, we propose methods to analyze MPP-ME QTL experiments using simultaneously the data from several environments and modelling the genotypic covariances. Using data from the EU-NAM and the US-NAM populations, we show that these methods allow to estimate the QTLxE effects and that they give a more precise description of the trait genetic architecture than separate within environment analyses. The MPP-ME models we propose can also be extended to integrate environmental indices (e.g. temperature, precipitation, etc.) to understand better the mechanisms behind the QTLxE effects. Therefore, our methodology allows to exploit the full potential of MPP-ME data: to estimate QTL effect variations a) within the MPP between sub-populations due to different genetic backgrounds; and b) between environments.
The Effect of Financing and Non-Financing Income on Islamic Banks’ Risk: Evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Purpose: This study investigates the effect of income structure on Islamic banks’ risk in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The main objective was to investigate whether a great reliance on non-financing income, and different types of non-financing income (Fees and Commission, Trading Income, and Other Income) impacts the riskiness of Islamic banks. Design/Methodology/Approach: A panel dataset of 16 Islamic banks from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait during the period 2010 to 2016 were used to achieve the objectives of this study. Findings: The study found evidence that Islamic banks’ risks are decreased and stability is improved by non-financing income. In addition, the study found that components of non-financing income have different impacts on Islamic banks’ risk, where trading income and other income have decreased the Islamic banks’ risk. Islamic banks are found to be more focused on financing activities than non-financing activities (innovative activities). Practical Implications: These findings have important practical implications to Islamic banks in order to deal with non-financing income to boost their growth worldwide. Moreover, these findings have important implications for Islamic banks’ management. Originality/value: Testing the effect of income structure in the banking industry is still relatively needed. Furthermore, the Islamic banks literature has been largely ignored.
DMEK complications: current treatment and recommendations

ABSTRACT Introduction: In the last 20 years the treatment of endothelial dysfunction has evolved dramatically. Nowadays, Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) allows for an anatomical replacement of the diseased posterior corneal layers, while preserving the anterior part of the cornea. Compared with earlier endothelial keratoplasty techniques, DMEK results in faster and near complete visual recovery in most cases, while the incidence of complications is low. Technique standardization and introduction of new surgical strategies have made DMEK safer and easier to learn. Areas covered: To achieve the best clinical results, adequate handling of postoperative complications is mandatory, as they may hinder recovery and influence postoperative outcomes. In this article we review the incidence of postoperative complications after DMEK surgery and discuss strategies for their prevention and management. Literature search was last conducted in the PubMed database in September 2017. The search was limited to English language abstracts that included terms such as DMEK, complication, graft detachment, cataract, glaucoma, rejection, graft failure, macular oedema and IOL opacification. Expert commentary: A careful donor selection and graft preparation alongside with an adequate selection of patients and the proper prevention and management of complications would allow for a smoother surgery and better and faster postoperative outcome.
Does Child Marriage Matter for Growth?

Global attention to ending child marriage and its socio-economic consequences is gaining momentum. Ending child marriage is not only critical from a development perspective but it also has important economic implications. This paper is the first to quantify the relationship between child marriage and economic growth. Applying a simultaneous equations model, the analysis shows that eliminating child marriage would significantly improve economic growth—if child marriage were ended today, long-term annual per capita real GDP growth in emerging and developing countries would increase by 1.05 percentage points. The results also provide insights on policy prioritization in developing comprehensive strategies to end child marriage. For example, the strong interdependent relationship between education and child marriage suggests that education policies and the budgets that support them should place greater emphasis on reducing child marriage.
Foreign (a) in North American English: Variation and Change in Loan Phonology

Previous research has shown that Canadian English displays a unique pattern of nativizing the stressed vowel of foreign words spelled with the letter , like lava, pasta, and spa, known as foreign (a), with more use of /æ/ (the trap vowel) and less use of /ah/ (the palm vowel) than American English. This paper analyzes one hundred examples of foreign (a), produced by sixty-one Canadian and thirty-one American English-speakers, in order to shed more light on this pattern and its current development. Acoustic analysis is used to determine whether each participant assigns each vowel to English /æ/, /ah/, or an intermediate category between /æ/ and /ah/. It reports that the Canadian pattern, though still distinct, is converging with the American pattern, in that Canadians now use slightly more /ah/ than /æ/; that men appear to lead this change but this is because they participate less than women do in the Short Front (Canadian) Vowel Shift; that intermediate vowel assignments are comparatively rare, suggesting that a new low-central vowel phoneme is not emerging; that the Canadian tendency toward American pronunciation is not well aligned with overt attitudes toward the United States and American English; and that the national differences in foreign (a) assignment result not from structural, phonological differences between the dialects so much as from a complex set of sociocultural factors.
Water Table Depth and Soil Salinization: From Pore‐Scale Processes to Field‐Scale Responses

The accumulation of salts in soils adversely influences plant growth and biological activity resulting in loss of yields and soil ecosystem services. Water table depth plays an important role on solute distribution through the unsaturated zone. We focus on the relationship between saline water evaporation from soil surfaces and water table depths. When the water table was hydraulically connected to the surface, we found more evaporatively driven sodium chloride precipitation at the surface with deeper water tables relative to shallow ones. We attribute this result to lower surface water contents that reach solubility limit sooner and support an expanding salt crust. Thermal imaging confirmed that when surface is hydraulically connected to the water table, capillary flows through the porous precipitated salt maintain the evaporative flux. Macroscopic continuum‐scale numerical simulations demonstrate higher solute concentration closer to the surface in the case of deeper water tables supporting the microscopic picture attributed to fewer evaporation and solute deposition sites at the surface with deeper water tables. Insights from the laboratory‐scale experiments and numerical studies were used to describe soil salinity at much larger scales. We employed two global‐scale databases for topsoil salinity, soil texture, and water table depths to link our laboratory‐scale findings with long‐term and field‐scale observations. The results illustrate the importance of pore‐scale physics and processes on constraining the field‐scale responses.
Modification of the Scarf Osteotomy for Treatment of Hallux Valgus

Scarf osteotomy is a technique in the management of hallux valgus, which has been seen to grow in popularity in recent years, mainly because of its versatility in correction of the deformity. We describe a modification of the technique for the Scarf osteotomy to utilize the excised bone, produced as part of the standard technique, as an autologous bone graft. We present the outcomes of a consecutive series of patients operated upon by the senior author, using this technique. Level of Evidence: Treatment Benefits Level 4 (Case series). See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Determination of Age from Epiphyseal Union of Bones at Shoulder Joint in Boys in Bagalkot region

Background: The study of epiphyseal union of bones is considered a reasonably accurate and accepted as a standard method for age determination. There is a variation in the timing of appearance and fusion of epiphysis of the bones. So, the present work is to investigate the ages of epiphyseal union around shoulder joint radiologically in boys and to asses clinical relevance of non fused epiphyses in Bagalkot region Material and Methods: The present study has been conducted on 182 boys falling in the age group of 14 to 16 years, which are selected randomly from Basaveshwar English Medium School, Bagalkot, North Karnataka (India). They were subjected radiographic examination in Radiology department of Hanagal Shri Kumareshwar Medical College and Hospital, Bagalkot. The total number of beds in the hospital are 750 and also has PG training programmes in Forensic medicine department and also in other departments. Results: In our study, among 14 years Boys, epiphyses viz, Head of Humerus, Acromion Process, and Coracoid Process were in 95%, 19% and 27% respectively of advanced union (i.e -stage IV) and 0%, 56%, and 17% were completely united (i.eStageV) in 14 years of boys. Among 15 year Boys, the epiphyses viz, Humeral head, Acromion and Coracoid process were in 1%, 5% and 3% respectively of advanced union (i.e-stage IV) and5%, 56%,and 50% were completely united (i.e StageV) in 15 years of boys Conclusion: Relative difference among 14 year and 15 years Boys showing advanced union and complete union of epiphyses of humeral head, acromion process and coracoid process depicts that there is progressive ossification with age in boys of 14 to 16 years of age.
Influence of Family Ownership and Governance on Performance: Evidence from India

This study examines how firm performance is impacted by family ownership and governance in an emerging market. Employing a panel data set of listed companies from National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India for the period 2011–2017, this study analyses the relationship between family ownership and firm performance while controlling for variables like impact of external environment and characteristics of firms. The performance of firms is measured by accounting measures of performance and Tobin’s Q. The findings of this study suggest that family ownership and firm performance have a nonlinear relationship and family ownership has a positive impact on firm performance till a certain point and after that it starts affecting firm performance negatively. This study also finds that family involvement in governance positively affects the firm performance.