Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchal Autophagic Divergence of Hematopoietic System*

Background: Autophagy is required in hematopoiesis and protects against leukemogenesis. Results: When ATG7-dependent canonical autophagy is impaired, ATG7-independent alternative autophagy engages in myeloid cells but not in hematopoietic stem cells. Conclusion: The integrity of hematopoietic stem cells is jeopardized by a lack of alternative autophagy. Significance: Learning autophagy organization in hematopoietic system is crucial for understanding hematopoietic stem cell transformation. Autophagy is integral to hematopoiesis and protects against leukemogenesis. However, the fundamentals of the required molecular machinery have yet to be fully explored. Using conditional mouse models to create strategic defects in the hematopoietic hierarchy, we have shown that recovery capacities in stem cells and somatic cells differ if autophagy is impaired or flawed. An in vivo Atg7 deletion in hematopoietic stem cells completely ablates the autophagic response, leading to irreversible and ultimately lethal hematopoiesis. However, while no adverse phenotype is manifested in vivo by Atg7-deficient myeloid cells, they maintain active autophagy that is sensitive to brefeldin A, an inhibitor targeting Golgi-derived membranes destined for autophagosome formation in alternative autophagy. Removing Rab9, a key regulatory protein, in alternative autophagy, disables autophagy altogether in Atg7-deficient macrophages. Functional analysis indicates that ATG7-dependent canonical autophagy is physiologically active in both hematopoietic stem cells and in terminally differentiated hematopoietic cells; however, only terminally differentiated cells such as macrophages are rescued by alternative autophagy if canonical autophagy is ineffective. Thus, it appears that hematopoietic stem cells rely solely on ATG7-dependent canonical autophagy, whereas terminally differentiated or somatic cells are capable of alternative autophagy in the event that ATG7-mediated autophagy is dysfunctional. These findings offer new insight into the transformational trajectory of hematopoietic stem cells, which in our view renders the autophagic machinery in stem cells more vulnerable to disruption.
Title “Organic Fertilizers” in Vietnam’s Markets: Nutrient Composition and Efficacy of Their Application

Organic fertilizers have recently been gaining popularity; however, their governance is not completely assessed in developing countries. This study investigated the nutrient composition of so-called organic fertilizers in Vietnam’s markets and issues related to their production, and evaluated their potential to contaminate the groundwater. We analyzed the physicochemical properties of 12 domestic and four imported products of the fertilizers, and conducted a cultivation experiment in sandy soil with the fertilizer applied at a rate of 200 mg N kg−1 soil using an automatic watering apparatus in a greenhouse. We further studied the production of an “organic fertilizer” from coffee by-products. The nutrient content greatly varied among domestic products, whereas they were quite similar among imported products. The product packaging of the collected samples lacked information regarding raw materials. Two thirds of the domestic products contained over 30% of the total N in the inorganic form, implying that the N content dramatically increased in the fertilizers rather than in their supposed raw materials. The stages involved in the production were composting, the addition of extra soil as a bulking agent, and the mixing-in of chemical substances to increase the nutrient content before packing. The remarkably high ratio of inorganic N to total N was attributed to excessive N leaching from soil by the application of domestic fertilizers. These results suggested the need for quality criteria guidelines for organic fertilizers in Vietnam that underline not only nutrient levels, but also the control of raw materials and production process of compost, because they are closely related to nutrient uptake and the leaching loss of nutrients.
HMO penetration and physicians' earnings.

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study is to estimate whether cross-sectional variations in enrollment in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) affected physicians' earnings and hourly income in 1990. METHODS Using data from a nationally representative sample of 4,577 younger physicians (<45 years) conducted in 1991, we estimated a partial reduced-form model of physicians annual income and per hour income. We tested whether HMO penetration is endogenous and used the instrumental variables approach to obtain unbiased estimates. RESULTS HMO penetration had a negative and statistically significant impact on physicians earnings in 1990. A doubling of the average level of HMO penetration in the market is estimated to reduce annual earnings by 7% to 10.7%, and hourly earnings by approximately 6% to 9%. CONCLUSIONS It appears that HMOs were successful in reducing physicians' annual and per hour earnings in 1990, presumably through a combination of fewer visits and lower payment rates for people covered by HMOs. Although these results cannot be generalized to all physicians, the experience of a younger cohort of physicians may still be a good indicator of the future effects of HMOs because younger physicians may be more susceptible to market forces than older and more established physicians. Moreover, these results may be somewhat conservative because they reflect market behavior in 1990, several years before the rapid growth and more aggressive market behavior of HMOs in recent years.
A prototyping platform for virtual reconfigurable units

Virtualization has been a key enabler for trading raw performances for programmability, straightforward reuse and higher abstraction in the software world. Similarly, Virtual FPGAs define intermediate fabrics, on which to implement applications regardless of the physical target. In order to make legacy applications run on up-to-date targets, only porting the vFPGAs to these targets is required, resulting in factorizing the development costs. Virtualization has a cost though, that one can reduce by tailoring the vFPGA based on applications class requirements. Then, prototyping Virtual FPGAs comes to be central. This paper introduces a platform dedicated to prototyping virtual FPGAs. We offer to generate vFPGA based on ADL specification along with exploitation tools. vFPGAs appear as IPs to be embedded into the platform.
Heavy alcohol use in adolescence is associated with altered cortical activity: a combined TMS–EEG study

Long‐term alcohol use affects cognitive and neurophysiological functioning as well as structural brain development. Combining simultaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) recording with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) enables direct, in vivo exploration of cortical excitability and assessment of effective and functional connectivity. In the central nervous system, the effects of alcohol are particularly mediated by alterations in gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurotransmission, and TMS‐evoked potentials (TEPs) N45 and N100 in EEG are known to reflect GABAergic function. However, no previous studies have examined the effects of long‐term alcohol use in adolescence on TEPs. In this study, a total of 27 young adults with heavy alcohol use in adolescence and 25 age‐matched, gender‐matched and education‐matched controls with little or no alcohol use participated in TMS–EEG measurements. The motor cortex (M1) was stimulated with an intensity of 90 percent of the resting motor threshold of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle. No significant differences were found in the resting motor threshold, TEP latencies or neuropsychological functioning between the groups. We observed an increase in the global mean field power in the time window of 54‐ to 75‐millisecond post‐TMS, as well as significant topographical differences in the P60 and N100 in those with a history of heavy drinking. Furthermore, there was a marked increase in the GABAergic N45 amplitude in alcohol users. These findings suggest that long‐term alcohol use in adolescence, even when not meeting the diagnostic criteria for a disorder, is associated with changes in connectivity and cortical excitability.
Functional Roles of Fructose: Crosstalk between O-Linked Glycosylation and Phosphorylation of Akt-TSC2-MTOR Cell Signaling Cascade in Ovine Trophectoderm Cells1

ABSTRACT During pregnancy, the placentae of ungulate mammals (e.g., cows, sheep, and pigs) convert glucose into fructose, which is the most abundant hexose sugar in fetal fluids and blood. However, the role of fructose, the most enigmatic component of carbohydrate metabolism in fetal-placental tissues, is largely ignored because it is not metabolized via the glycolytic pathway or the Krebs cycle as an energy source. Here we provided evidence for biological functions of fructose that affect proliferative behavior of the conceptus trophectoderm/chorion via activation of the Akt-TSC2-MTOR signaling cascade. The phosphorylation for activation of this cascade is mediated by O-linked glycosylation with UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, a primary product of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway. These results reveal novel functional roles of fructose in promoting embryonic/fetal growth and development during pregnancy, and also provide new insight into understanding the relationship between excessive fructose intake and metabolic disorders.
Theoretical Insights to Niobium-Doped Monolayer MoS2–Gold Contact

We report a first principles study of the electronic properties for a contact formed between Nb-doped monolayer MoS2 and gold for different doping concentrations. We first focus on the shift of energy levels in band structure and the density of states with respect to the Fermi level for a geometrically optimized 5 × 5 MoS2 supercell for both pristine and Nb-doped structures. The doping is achieved by substituting Mo atoms with Nb atoms at random positions. It is observed that for an experimentally reported sheet hole doping concentration of (ρ2D) 1.8 × 1014 cm-2, the pristine MoS2 converts to degenerate p-type semiconductor. Next, we interface this supercell with six layers of (111) cleaved surface of gold to investigate the contact nature of MoS2-Au system. By careful examination of projected band structure, projected density of states, effective potential and charge density difference, we demonstrate that the Schottky barrier nature observed for pure MoS2-Au contact can be converted from n-type to p-type by efficient Nb doping.
[Reliability of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnosis by primary care physicians and pneumologists in Spain. Predictive factors].

OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to assess the methods used by primary care physicians and pneumologists to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Spain, and to analyze the factors affecting correct diagnosis of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS This observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and multicenter study enrolled a stratified randomized sample from each Spanish region from the practices of primary care physicians and pneumologists. RESULTS Five hundred sixty-eight (63.2%) of the 898 subjects enrolled had airway obstruction, 92 (10.3%) did not fulfill functional criteria for COPD and 238 (26.5%) did not perform spirometric tests to confirm the diagnosis and establish severity of disease. Primary care physicians classified 29.3% of the patients correctly, whereas pneumologists diagnosed 84.8% correctly. Clinical and/or radiologic criteria were the basis for correct diagnosis in 38.6% of the cases managed by primary care physicians and 10.2% of those treated by pneumologists. Spirometry was available to 49.1% of the primary care physicians and 97.8% of the pneumologists' cases (p < 0.001). Moreover, only 29.9% of the primary care settings had a technician in charge of performing the study, in comparison with 97.8% of the specialized pneumology settings (p < 0.001). The use of spirometry in diagnosing COPD was related to level of patient care (primary or specialized), availability of the test in the primary care setting, place of residence and a patient's situation of temporary absence from work due to COPD. CONCLUSIONS Many COPD patients are incorrectly diagnosed, particularly in primary care. There are differences in diagnostic procedures at the different levels of patient care. The availability of spirometry is an important factor for correctly diagnosing COPD.
Whose Vision 2020? The World Bank’s development and educational discourse in Rwanda

ABSTRACT In this paper, I argue that the World Bank’s development strategy in Rwanda is unsuitable for long-term sustainability. By applying content analysis I consider the strategic goals as outlined in the World Bank’s Rwanda – Country partnership strategy for the period 2014–2018, and Learning for All: investing in people’s knowledge and skills to promote development, 2011; and Rwanda’s Vision 2020; to show how the Bank’s pursuit of narrow economic parameters is to the detriment of issues such as social inequality and the suppression of dissent. Given Rwanda’s traumatic recent history, I argue that the contours of Bank policy, which evolved from ‘rolling back the state’ to ‘good governance’ in recent years – understood as selective collaboration with bureaucratic elites in stable, but often authoritarian regimes must incorporate credible plans that address the current human rights abuses, shortcomings in the rule of law and democratic deficit in the country. Furthermore, I argue that Rwanda and the Bank's recent focus on ‘knowledge’ is in essence an educational discourse that is skewed in favor of neoliberal, economic activity – what has been called ‘knowledge capitalism’ (Wanner 2009).
Effect of different combination of maternal and postnatal diet on adipose tissue morphology in male rat offspring

Abstract Purpose Adipose tissue expansion can occur through several different ways and, under certain conditions, can be connected with chronic inflammation. TNF-α is one of the important cytokines involved in this process. Prolonged inflammation in obesity can lead to obesity-related insulin resistance and tissue dysfunction. The aim of our study was to investigate how different combination of maternal and postnatal diet affects offspring adipose tissue morphology and adipose tissue TNF-α expression. Methods Ten female Sprague Dawley rats, 9 weeks old, were randomly divided into two groups and fed either standard laboratory chow or food rich in saturated fatty acids during 6 weeks and then mated with the same male rat. After birth and lactation male rat offspring from both groups were divided into four subgroups depending on the diet they were fed until 22 weeks old. Samples of white adipose tissue were taken from the subcutaneous, epididymal, and perirenal fat pad. On tissue sections, histomorphometric analysis was conducted using CellProfiler program v 2.1. 1, and immunohistochemical staining for TNF-α was performed. Results Greater mean surface area of subcutaneous and epididymal adipocytes was found in groups of male rat offspring with altered diet. In perirenal adipose tissue, the highest number of adipocytes was measured in the group where both mother and offspring were fed a high-fat diet. Adipocyte staining intensity for TNF-α did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions Together with our previously published data, our results lead to the conclusion that alteration of postnatal diet can lead to TNF-α and adipocyte morphology changes.
Narrative Perspective of School Social Pedagogue’s SUPPORT FOR Social Risk Children: One Child’s Story “One out of Five”

Social pedagogue’s assistance to social risk children is a relevant, complex and difficult topic. Social pedagogue is one of the key figures in country’s schools in terms of ensuring social equality, social integration, socialisation or simply the provision of social pedagogical assistance in the education process. However, currently there is not enough of a deeper understanding about the entire notion of school social pedagogue’s assistance to social risk children: how and in which situations it takes place, how it is organised and what is the role of a social pedagogue as well as which specific activities are carried out. Even though social pedagogical assistance itself is regulated in the legislation, there is still a prevailing lack of the actual situational and in-depth analysis that would reveal the entire process of social pedagogical assistance, allow to have a better look at it and through understanding it, enable the improvement of the situation. In this article, assistance provided by school social pedagogue to social risk children is analysed through narrative approach. In this article is represented one social pedagogues (Sigita) narrative about her assistance to social risk child Rytis. Sigita’s narrative is analysed on the following logic: description (narratives themselves, based on stories told by respondents during interviews, divided into smaller units), interpretation (personal insights about the narratives provided, personal approach, reflections based on memories) and explanation (objective analysis of a narrative provided in the description (or a part of it), based on scientific literature). KEY WORDS: assistance, social pedagogue, social risk child, narrative. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.15181/tbb.v79i2. 1781
Variation in the matrix metalloproteinase‐3, ‐7, ‐12 and ‐13 genes is associated with functional status in rheumatoid arthritis

As matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis, we investigated whether variation in MMP genes was associated with functional disability in rheumatoid arthritis patients. A cohort of patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis were recruited and genotyped for the MMP1‐1607 1G > 2G, MMP3‐1612 5A > 6A, MMP7‐153C > T, MMP7‐181G > A, MMP12‐82A > G and MMP13‐77A > G polymorphisms. Genotypes were then analysed in relation to functional disability assessed by Steinbrocker index and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score. We detected an association between the MMP13‐77 A > G polymorphism and Steinbrocker index, with patients of the A/A genotype having higher score than patients of the A/G or G/G genotype (P = 0.005), and the association remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, presence of erosive disease, Ritchie score, prednisolone therapy and years of diagnosis (P = 0.003). We also observed a relationship of Steinbrocker index with the MMP3‐1612 5A > 6A, MMP7‐181 A > G and MMP12‐82A > G polymorphisms (P = 0.082, P = 0.037 and P = 0.045). No association was detected between the MMP1‐1607 1G > 2G and MMP7‐153C > T polymorphisms and either Steinbrocker index or HAQ score. These results suggest that MMP3, MMP7, MMP12 and MMP13 genotypes may play a role in determining functional status of rheumatoid arthritis.
Information Communication Technology and Bank Profitability: Evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract:In recent years banks in Ethiopia are increasingly using ICT goods and services in their day-to-day operations. However, their impact on bank profitability is still unknown. This study examined the impact of ICT expenditure on profitability in Ethiopia for the period of 2011-2015 using system GMM on an unbalanced panel data of 17 banks. Results showed that ICT expenditure has not produced a positive return. This finding seems to confirm Solow's "Productivity Paradox. "The insignificant impact may be due to the moderate competition that exists among the banks, underutilization of the technology, and mismatch between organizational structure and banking technology.
Changes in body composition in men and women with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Men with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are more susceptible to weight loss than women. The composition and aetiology of these gender specific weight changes are not known. METHODS Measurements of body mass, body composition and energy balance (resting energy expenditure and energy intake) were made in 15 men and six women before and after chemotherapy for NSCLC. RESULTS Over the course of chemotherapy minimal weight change was observed in both men and women. Men increased body fat from 25.0 +/- 5.5 to 27.9 +/- 7.9% (P < 0.05) whereas fat free mass (FFM) tended to decrease (P = 0.063). There was no change in body fat or FFM in the women. In the men resting energy expenditure decreased over the course of chemotherapy from 113.2 +/- 15.9 to 105.1 +/- 10.1% of the value predicted from the Harris Benedict equation (P < 0.05). In the women resting energy expenditure (REE) did not alter. CONCLUSION Over the course of chemotherapy for NSCLC, men and women appear to have different patterns of change in body composition and in energy expenditure.
Delayed Intranasal Delivery of Hypoxic-Preconditioned Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhanced Cell Homing and Therapeutic Benefits after Ischemic Stroke in Mice

Stem cell transplantation therapy has emerged as a potential treatment for ischemic stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases. Effective delivery of exogenous cells and homing of these cells to the lesion region, however, have been challenging issues that hinder the efficacy and efficiency of cell-based therapy. In the present investigation, we tested a delayed treatment of noninvasive and brain-targeted intranasal delivery of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in a mouse focal cerebral ischemia model. The investigation tested the feasibility and effectiveness of intranasal delivery of BMSCs to the ischemic cortex. Hypoxia preconditioning (HP) of BMSCs was performed before transplantation in order to promote their survival, migration, and homing to the ischemic brain region after intranasal transplantation. Hoechst dye-labeled normoxic- or hypoxic-pretreated BMSCs (1 × 106 cells/animal) were delivered intranasally 24 h after stroke. Cells reached the ischemic cortex and deposited outside of vasculatures as early as 1.5 h after administration. HP-treated BMSCs (HP-BMSCs) showed a higher level of expression of proteins associated with migration, including CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), and MMP-9. HP-BMSCs exhibited enhanced migratory capacities in vitro and dramatically enhanced homing efficiency to the infarct cortex when compared with normoxic cultured BMSCs (N-BMSCs). Three days after transplantation and 4 days after stroke, both N-BMSCs and HP-BMSCs decreased cell death in the peri-infarct region; significant neuroprotection of reduced infarct volume was seen in mice that received HP-BMSCs. In adhesive removal test of sensorimotor functional assay performed 3 days after transplantation, HP-BMSC-treated mice performed significantly better than N-BMSC- and vehicle-treated animals. These data suggest that delayed intranasal administration of stem cells is feasible in the treatment of stroke and hypoxic preconditioning of transplanted cells, significantly enhances cell's homing to the ischemic region, and optimizes the therapeutic efficacy.