Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atrial myocardium derives from the posterior region of the second heart field, which acquires left-right identity as Pitx2c is expressed

Splanchnic mesoderm in the region described as the second heart field (SHF) is marked by Islet1 expression in the mouse embryo. The anterior part of this region expresses a number of markers, including Fgf10, and the contribution of these cells to outflow tract and right ventricular myocardium has been established. We now show that the posterior region also has myocardial potential, giving rise specifically to differentiated cells of the atria. This conclusion is based on explant experiments using endogenous and transgenic markers and on DiI labelling, followed by embryo culture. Progenitor cells in the right or left posterior SHF contribute to the right or left common atrium, respectively. Explant experiments with transgenic embryos, in which the transgene marks the right atrium, show that atrial progenitor cells acquire right-left identity between the 4- and 6-somite stages, at the time when Pitx2c is first expressed. Manipulation of Pitx2c, by gain- and loss-of-function, shows that it represses the transgenic marker of right atrial identity. A repressive effect is also seen on the proliferation of cells in the left sinus venosus and in cultured explants from the left side of the posterior SHF. This report provides new insights into the contribution of the SHF to atrial myocardium and the effect of Pitx2c on the formation of the left atrium.
Distribution and effects of amino acid changes in drug-resistant α and β herpesviruses DNA polymerase

Emergence of drug-resistance to all FDA-approved antiherpesvirus agents is an increasing concern in immunocompromised patients. Herpesvirus DNA polymerase (DNApol) is currently the target of nucleos(t)ide analogue-based therapy. Mutations in DNApol that confer resistance arose in immunocompromised patients infected with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and to lesser extent in herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). In this review, we present distinct drug-resistant mutational profiles of herpesvirus DNApol. The impact of specific DNApol amino acid changes on drug-resistance is discussed. The pattern of genetic variability related to drug-resistance differs among the herpesviruses. Two mutational profiles appeared: one favoring amino acid changes in the Palm and Finger domains of DNApol (in α-herpesviruses HSV-1, HSV-2 and VZV), and another with mutations preferentially in the 3′-5′ exonuclease domain (in β-herpesvirus HCMV and HHV-6). The mutational profile was also related to the class of compound to which drug-resistance emerged.
Anomalies and the five-factor model in the Norwegian Stock Market

This study investigates stock return regularities related to firm size, value, profitability, investments, momentum, liquidity and estimated β’s, in the Norwegian stock market. The research finds significant return patterns related to firm size, liquidity and momentum in the period 1997 to 2017. The presented results further indicate that all investigated anomalies are relevant to some degree in the Norwegian stock market. The second goal of this thesis is to evaluate how suitable a locally adapted Fama & French five-factor model is for describing Norwegian daily stock returns. The model’s performance is scrutinized by comparing test statistics with several other possible risk factor combinations. The risk factors included are related to the momentum, liquidity and β -anomaly, and the statistics for evaluation are retrieved by applying the GRS-test, the Wald-test and risk premium estimation by Generalized Method of Moments. The results indicate that the value and investment -factor are less important for describing variations in Norwegian stock returns and that other risk factor combinations seem more suitable than the proposed fivefactor model. Especially a four-factor model including the market, size, liquidity and momentum -factor performs reasonably well in all applied tests, indicating a better fit in a Norwegian setting.
Circulating levels of adrenomedullin in patients with Addison's disease before and after corticosteroid treatment

A novel hypotensive peptide, adrenomedullin (AM), had recently been isolated, purifed and its encoding gene sequenced from a human phaeochromocytoma. In humans AM circulates in physiological levels and possesses a distinct vasodilatatory activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the behaviour of AM levels in primary adrenal failure.
Phosphate and calcium are required for TGFβ‐mediated stimulation of ANK expression and function during chondrogenesis

The expression of ANK, a key player in biomineralization, is stimulated by treatment with TGFβ. The purpose of this study was to determine whether TGFβ stimulation of ANK expression during chondrogenesis was dependent upon the influx of calcium and phosphate into cells. Treatment of ATDC5 cells with TGFβ increased ANK expression during all phases of chondrogenic differentiation, particularly at day 14 (proliferation) and day 32 (mineralizing hypertrophy) of culture. Phosphate uptake studies in the presence and absence of phosphonoformic acid (PFA), a competitive inhibitor of the type III Na+/Pi channels Pit‐1 and Pit‐2, indicated that the stimulation of ANK expression by TGFβ required the influx of phosphate, specifically by the Pit‐1 transporter, at all phases of differentiation. At hypertrophy, when alkaline phosphatase is highly expressed, inhibition of its activity with levamisole also abrogated the stimulatory effect of TGFβ on ANK expression, further illustrating that Pi availability and uptake by the cells is necessary for stimulation of ANK expression in response to TGFβ. Since previous studies of endochondral ossification in the growth plate have shown that L‐type calcium channels are essential for chondrogenesis, we investigated their role in the TGFβ‐stimulated ANK response in ATDC5 cells. Treatment with nifedipine to inhibit calcium influx via the L‐type channel Cav1.2 (α1C) inhibited the TGFβ stimulated increase in ANK expression at all phases of chondrogenesis. Our findings indicate that TGFβ stimulation of ANK expression is dependent upon the influx of phosphate and calcium into ATDC5 cells at all stages of differentiation. J. Cell. Physiol. 224: 540–548, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Devolution of Resource Rights, Poverty, and Natural Resource Management

Over the last several years, the rights of local communities over natural resources have been strengthened either through power-sharing agreements with the state, increased legal access to natural resources, or decentralization within national agencies. Understanding the impacts of these institutional changes is important both for governments and other stakeholders. This paper focuses on four questions: (1) What is the scope and scale of decentralized natural resource management in different resource sectors? (2) What do we understand about the impacts of devolution, in terms of poverty reduction, resource conservation, and financial implications for governments and local agencies? (3) What are some conditions that contribute to success? (4) What does the future hold for decentralized resource management; that is, what are some emerging challenges? These questions are addressed in relation to three communal resource-management activities-community-based wildlife management, irrigation management transfer, and community forestry.
Presence of Contrarian Profits in the Jordan Stock Market

Since the late 1980’s academicians have confirmed the presence of various forms of return regularities in stock returns. Two most well-known return regularities are contrarian and momentum profits. This paper – using monthly data for the period 2000 through 2016 – examines the presence of both contrarian profits and their sources in the Jordan stock market. The paper uses the methodology of Lo and MacKinlay (1990) and Jegadeesh and Titman (1995) to examine the presence of contrarian returns as well as the sources of such returns. Unlike other emerging markets where strong contrarian profits are found, Jordan market shows relatively weaker presence of contrarian profits. Moreover, time-series pattern – which is related to specific factors, is considered the main source of contrarian profits.
Subcortical anatomy of the lateral association fascicles of the brain: A review

Precise knowledge of the connectivities of the different white matter bundles is of great value for neuroscience research. Our knowledge of subcortical anatomy has improved exponentially during recent decades owing to the development of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging tractography (DTI). Although DTI tractography has led to important progress in understanding white matter anatomy, the precise trajectory and cortical connections of the subcortical bundles remain poorly determined. The recent literature was extensively reviewed in order to analyze the trajectories and cortical terminations of the lateral association fibers of the brain.The anatomy of the following tracts is reviewed: superior longitudinal fasciculus, middle longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, frontal aslant tract, and vertical occipital fasciculus. The functional role of a tract can be inferred from its topography within the brain. Knowing the functional roles of the cortical areas connected by a certain bundle, it is possible to develop new insights into the putative functional properties of such connections. Clin. Anat. 563–569, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Does mainstreaming positively influence academic achievement and self-concept at the elementary level?

Priscilla Hanzok Does mainstreaming positively influence academic achievement and self-concept at the elementary level? 1996 Thesis Advisor: Dr. Margaret M. Shuff This study was designed to determine ifmainstreaming would have a positive influence on the self-concept and reading achievement of learning disabled students. Pre and post testing was given to 17 third and fourth grade special education students. The control group consisted of 7 learning disabled students who were in a self-contained classroom. The experimental group consisted of 10 learning disabled students who were mainstreamed. A standardized achievement test was given to the students, with the pre-test and post-test given one year apart. The reading portion of the test was used for assessment. A self-concept scale was also given to each group with four months between the pre-test and the post-test. The tesults of this scale were further analyzed for academic self-concept. Data, based on t-statistics, revealed a significant difference between the groups for general self-concept. There was no significant difference between the groups for academic self-concept. For reading achievement, the results were approaching significance between the groups. Although the results cannot be labeled conclusive, they suggest serious consideration be given towards assuming that there is a positive influence of mainstreaming on the learning disabled student.
DOSAGE AND DURATION OF ETANERCEPT THERAPY FOR ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A META-ANALYSIS

Objectives: We conducted a meta-analysis of recently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to identify the most effective and safe etanercept dosing regimen and duration of therapy for the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: We systematically reviewed PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for RCTs. The proportion of patients attaining 20 percent improvement (according to the Spondyloarthritis International Society response criteria [ASAS 20]) was evaluated as a primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included 50 percent increase in the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI 50) used for evaluating efficacy, as well as the BASDAI/Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) scores and adverse events. Results: ASAS 20 indicated that the efficacy of etanercept did not differ amongst dosing regimens (25 mg twice-weekly versus 50 mg once-weekly: relative risk [RR], 2.18, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.78–2.67 versus RR, 2.00, 95 percent CI, 1.70–2.37). The ASAS 20 reported subgroup differences among treatment durations of less than 12 weeks (RR, 2.70; 95 percent CI, 2.09–3.49); 12 weeks (RR, 1.74; 95 percent CI, 1.37–2.22); and more than 12 weeks (RR, 2.56; 95 percent CI, 1.88–3.48). Other outcomes included BASDAI, BASDAI 50, and BASFI. Drug safety differed according to the treatment regimen and duration. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found that there was no significant efficacy difference between 50 mg once-weekly and 25 mg twice-weekly dosing for the treatment of AS, and a dosing duration of less than 12 weeks was more effective for treating AS patients.
Low HRV entropy is strongly associated with myocardial infarction

Abstract Heart rate variability (HRV) is a marker of autonomous activity in the heart. An important application of HRV measures is the stratification of mortality risk after myocardial infarction. Our hypothesis is that the information entropy of HRV, a non-linear approach, is a suitable measure for this assessment. As a first step, to evaluate the effect of myocardial infarction on the entropy, we compared the entropy to standard HRV parameters. The entropy was estimated by compressing the tachogram with Bzip2. For univariate comparison, statistical tests were used. Multivariate analysis was carried out using automatically generated decision trees. The classification rate and the simplicity of the decision trees were the two evaluation criteria. The findings support our hypothesis. The meanNN-normalized entropy is reduced in patients with myocardial infarction with very high significance. One entropy parameter alone exceeds the discrimination strength of multivariate standards-based trees.
Adaptive Spatial Sample Caching

Despite tremendous progress in the last few years, realistically rendering 3D scenes with advanced shading and particularly global illumination is still extremely difficult to perform at interactive rates. Precomputation techniques can reduce the cost during rendering, however, they typically require long preprocessing times and high storage requirements. We propose a novel world-space sample caching approach for walkthroughs of static scenes that does not require precomputation and relies instead on aggressive caching. During run-time, pixel- sized patches projected adaptively onto the tangent space of visible triangles are used to store the results of shading computations. Patches are organized in a cache, which only requires a small and fixed memory footprint. In subsequent frames these patches can be retrieved, thus exploiting frame-to-frame coherence. In contrast to previous caching methods, the presented technique is extremely easy to implement, and requires only a few dozen lines of code. This caching mechanism can reduce the number of secondary rays for subsequent frames by more than an order of magnitude for moderate camera movements.
Levels and patterns of neutrophil cell counts over the first 8 years of life in children of HIV-1-infected mothers

Background: Antiretroviral drugs (ARV) as prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV results in decreased haematological parameters during and shortly after exposure, with recent data suggesting a more prolonged inhibition of haematopoiesis until at least 18 months. Design: Data on 156 HIV-infected and 1533 uninfected children in the European Collaborative Study followed from birth until at least 8 years of age. Methods: Smoothers and splines were used to elucidate patterns over age; linear mixed effects allowed for repeated measurements. Covariates included the child's HIV-1 infection status, prematurity, gender, race, drug withdrawal symptoms at birth and ARV exposure; effects on neutrophil count were quantified in regression analyses using z-scores (SD from mean) of neutrophil counts obtained after modelling untransformed values using the LMS method. For HIV-infected children, progression to AIDS and ARV therapy were also included. Results: After approximately 4 months of age, neutrophil counts were consistently and substantially lower in HIV-infected children than in uninfected children; in both groups, black children had significantly lower counts than white children across the whole age range. In uninfected children, male gender and ARV exposure were associated with reduced neutrophil count until at least 8 years of age. In HIV-infected children, advanced disease and ARV treatment were significantly associated with neutrophil count. Conclusion: A considerably longer effect of exposure to ARV was shown in uninfected children than previously thought and significant associations were shown between race and gender and neutrophil count, as previously observed for lymphocyte counts. The clinical relevance of these reduced levels of neutrophils requires further investigation.
SUSCEPTIBILITY AND PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS OF MOTILE AND NON MOTILE CELLS OF HAEMATOCOCCUS PLUVIALIS (CHLOROPHYCEAE) TO PHOTOOXIDATIVE STRESS 1

The life cycle of the unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis consists of motile and nonmotile stages under typical growing conditions. In this study, we observed that motile cells were more susceptible than nonmotile cells to high light, resulting in a decrease in population density and photo‐bleaching. Using two Haematococcus strains, CCAP 34/12 (a motile cell dominated strain) and SAG 34/1b (a nonmotile cell dominated strain), as model systems we investigated the cause of cell death and the protective mechanisms of the cells that survived high light. The death of motile cells under high light was attributed to the generation of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), which caused severe damage to the photosynthetic components and the membrane system. Motile cells were able to dissipate excess light energy by nonphotochemical quenching and to relax ROS production by a partially up‐regulated scavenging enzyme system. However, these strategies were not sufficient to protect the motile cells from high light stress. In contrast, nonmotile cells were able to cope with and survive under high light by (i) relaxing the over‐reduced photosynthetic electron transport chain (PETC), thereby effectively utilizing PETC‐generated NADPH to produce storage starch, neutral lipid, and astaxanthin, and thus preventing formation of excess ROS; (ii) down‐regulating the linear electron transport by decreasing the level of cytochrome f; and (iii) consuming excess electrons produced by PSII via a significantly enhanced plastid terminal oxidase pathway.
Mask-edge connectivity: Theory, computation, and application to historical document analysis

In this paper a new connectivity model is introduced which allows combined clustering and partitioning of structures without distortion, in contrast to mask connectivity. An algorithm to compute morphological attribute filters based on Max-Trees for this new form of connectivity is presented. It is shown that the new form of connectivity is effective in clustering diacritics together with the appropriate letters in historical documents, whilst separating letters from different lines in a single Max-Tree algorithm.
Differential regulation of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA expression during hypoxia and reoxygenation in astrocytes isolated from stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plays several important roles in the survival and recovery of mature neurons during ischemia. We examined the possibility that the expression of GDNF mRNA and the release of GDNF protein are regulated differentially in cultured astrocytes from the stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) compared with those from Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) during hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) and after exposure to glutamate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The mRNA expression was quantitated by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) based on the fluorescent TaqMan methodology. A new instrument capable of measuring fluorescence in real‐time was used to quantify gene amplification in astrocytes. GDNF protein was investigated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GDNF mRNA expression and GDNF protein release at normoxia were greater in SHRSP than in WKY astrocytes. During H/R, however, the mRNA expression and protein release tended to be reduced in SHRSP compared with WKY. Glutamate and H2O2 induced the expression of GDNF mRNA and the release of GDNF protein in both WKY and SHRSP in a dose‐dependent manner. Levels of GDNF mRNA and protein in SHRSP were significantly lower than in WKY. These findings indicate that GDNF production in SHRSP astrocytes was low in response to H/R, glutamate, and H2O2, compared with that observed in WKY. We conclude that the attenuated production of GDNF in astrocytes is involved in neuronal vulnerability in SHRSP during H/R, as GDNF production, which is stimulated by glutamate and H2O2, is closely related to the protective effect against H/R‐mediated neurotoxicity. GLIA 37:1–7, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impact of Competitive Capabilities on Sustainable Manufacturing Applications in Romanian SMEs from the Textile Industry

This paper examines the impact of competitive capabilities on sustainable manufacturing practices in Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises from the textile industry. We developed an econometric model based on previous research conducted by prestigious specialists and validated on a survey data from 221 Romanian small and medium enterprises from the textile industry. Our article proposes a number of implications to encourage entrepreneurs and managers from textile industry to engage in pro-environmental behaviour.
Developing Organizational Agility in Product Innovation: The Roles of IT Capability, KM Capability, and Innovative Climate

This study investigates how to leverage information technology (IT) capability to build organizational agility in the context of product innovation. A moderated mediating model is proposed from the capability&#8208;building processes perspective. The data collected from 194 senior executives of firms in China show that knowledge management capability partially mediates the relationship between IT capability and organizational agility. Innovative climate also positively moderates the indirect relationship between IT capability and organizational agility in the context of product innovation. Discussion, implications, and direction for future research are offered at the end of this paper.