Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CNP/NPR2 signaling maintains oocyte meiotic arrest in early antral follicles and is suppressed by EGFR‐mediated signaling in preovulatory follicles

Oocyte meiosis is arrested at prophase I by factors secreted from surrounding somatic cells after oocytes acquire meiotic competence at an early antral stage, and meiosis resumes in preovulatory follicles as a result of the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Recently, signaling by C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) through its receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor 2 (NPR2), was found to be essential for meiotic arrest at the late antral stage. Whether or not CNP/NPR2 signaling maintains oocyte meiotic arrest in earlier follicular stages and how it is associated with meiotic resumption induced by the LH surge is unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of Nppc and Npr2, respectively encoding CNP and NPR2, in the ovaries of immature mice. Nppc and Npr2 mRNA were specifically expressed in the outer and inner granulosa cell layers, respectively, in early antral follicles. Histological analysis of mice with a mutation in Npr2 revealed precocious resumption of oocyte meiosis in early antral follicles. Ovaries of mice treated with excess human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) exhibited markedly decreased Nppc mRNA levels in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles. Moreover, we found that amphiregulin, a mediator of LH/hCG activity through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), suppressed Nppc mRNA levels in cultured granulosa cells. These results suggest that CNP/NPR2 signaling is essential for oocyte meiotic arrest in early antral follicles and that activated LH/amphiregulin/EGFR signaling pathway suppresses this signal by downregulating Nppc expression. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 795–802, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Viral CC Chemokine-binding Protein vCCI Inhibits Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Activity by Masking Its CCR2B-binding Site*

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a chemotactic cytokine mainly acting on monocytes and T cells that elicits its biological effects by interacting with the seven-transmembrane helix receptor CCR2B. The vaccinia virus strain Lister and many other poxviruses express soluble proteins (vCCI) that bind MCP-1 and other CC chemokines and inhibit their function. In order to define the interaction site of MCP-1 with vCCI from vaccinia, surface exposed residues of MCP-1 were identified and mutated to alanine. The MCP-1 variants were expressed, purified, and their interaction with vCCI was characterized. The site on MCP-1 for vCCI binding is dominated by arginine 18 with important additional contributions from tyrosine 13 and arginine 24. These residues define a binding site that largely overlaps with the CCR2B receptor interaction site. The viral chemokine-binding protein vCCI thus inhibits the biological function of MCP-1 by directly masking its CCR2B receptor-binding site.
Inventories of Psychological Skills for Athletic Clubs and School Life

Some students who participate in athletic activities transfer the skills acquired in a sports context into other areas of life, while others do not. To identify the specific skills that are transferred or not from sports to the school environment, two inventories were developed: the “Psychological Skills Inventory for Athletic Clubs” and the “Psychological Skills Inventory for School Life. ” These inventories enable a comparison of skills in a sport context with skills in a school context. In the first stage, 307 Japanese first-year university students who had participated in high school athletic clubs volunteered to take part in a survey to develop these inventories. Analyses indicated that both inventories comprised identical subscales of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. In the second stage, the reliability and validity of these inventories was confirmed for 531 Japanese high school students who were members of athletic clubs for sports such as soccer and baseball.
Implementing the Regional Information System to Integrate Social And Health Care Services – From Data Transfer towards Effective Care

Background: The big challenge in social and health care is to integrate social and health care services, to develop patient empowering care models and to develop integrated electronic health records. Object: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and first trial of the Regional Information System as experienced by professionals. Methods: The data was collected with a questionnaire and a log file of client-related events. The SPSS for Windows 14.0 statistical program was used in the analysis. Results were reported as direct distributions, percentages and averages. Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate reliability. Statistical significance was tested with the chi-squared or Fisher Exact test. Results: Somatic nursing record data and laboratory results were viewed the most out of the links. Users were satisfied with the content of the data they received and its accuracy. Client privacy was safeguarded and patient data remained confidential. Those who have used the Regional Information System longer felt that information was retrieved and flowed more quickly in particular, key information regarding the continuity and coordination of patient care such as basic patient data, laboratory data, medication data, appointments, future treatment data, case summaries and doctor’s statements. Cooperation between different professional groups and organizations was felt to have improved. Recording of patient data and working practices were not considered to have improved. Conclusions: The integration and retrieval of data are not enough to ensure efficient and effective overall patient care. It is a real challenge to integrate care in a client-oriented way and to redistribute responsibility in the patient care process. It also requires the mixing of professional and organizational cultures. 2
Emergency Oral Anticoagulant Reversal: The Relative Efficacy of Infusions of Fresh Frozen Plasma and Clotting Factor Concentrate on Correction of the Coagulopathy

Summary Haemorrhage, including intracranial bleeding, is a common, potentially lethal complication of warfarin therapy and rapid and complete reversal of anticoagulation may be life-saving. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and vitamin K are most frequently administered. Because of the variable content of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors in FFP, and the effects of dilution, the efficacy of this approach is open to doubt. We have therefore compared the effects of FFP and clotting factor concentrates on the INRs and clotting factor levels of orally anticoagulated subjects requiring rapid correction of their haemostatic defect. In many, the pre-treatment INR was considered to be dangerously above the target therapeutic range. In the 12 patients given FFP, the INR did not completely correct (range 1.6-3.8, mean 2.3) indicating an ongoing anticoagulated state in all. In contrast, the INR in 29 subjects given clotting factor concentrates was completely corrected in 28 (range 0.9-3.8, mean 1.3). Following treatment, marked differences were observed in clotting factor IX levels between the two groups. The median factor IX level was 19 u/dl (range 10-63) following FFP infusion and 68.5 u/dl (range 31-111) following concentrate. In FFP treated patients, poorer responses were also observed for each of the other vitamin K-depen- dent clotting factors but these were less marked than for factor IX, which was present in low concentrations in some batches of FFP. Thus, haemostatically effective levels of factor IX cannot be achieved, in most instances, by the conventional use of FFP in patients requiring reversal of their anticoagulant therapy. Clotting factor concentrates are the only effective option where complete and immediate correction of the coagulation defect is indicated in orally anticoagulated patients with life or limb-threatening haemorrhage.
Incorporation of Amino Acids Into Parathyroid Tissue Protein

of the thesis entitled "INCORPORATION OF AMINO ACIDS INTO PARATHYROID TISSUE PROTEIN" submitted by Thomas S. L1u in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, June 1967. Frozen bovine parathyroid glands tissue slices were incubated with carbon-14 labeled amino aCids in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer. A radioactive prote1n material was obtained by precipitation with 50% trichloroacetic acid. The isolated protein was further extracted with 90% aqueous phenol solution reprecipitated with ether and then extracted with dilute hydrochloric acid solution. The incorporation of radioactivity during the incubation into the total protein and the acid-soluble protein fraction were observed to be time-dependent. It was also noted that a greater extent of amino acid incorporation occurred with an incubation medium low in calcium content (0.85 mM) than in one with a higher calcium concentration (2.5 mM). The acid-soluble protein fraction showed a maximum incorporation of radioactivity at six hours when the incubations were conducted in a high calcium containing medium and at four hours when the incubation medium contained a much lower calcium concentration. Modifying the sodium ion concentration of the medium had essentially no effect upon the incorporation of labeled amino acids into protein. However, increasing the concentration ot magnesium ion in the incubation medium increased significantly the amino acid incorporation into protein. Increasing the concentration of carbon-14 labeled radioactive amino acids present in the incubg,tion system; or "increasing the amount of tissue slices incubated, resulted in observed enhancements of the incorporation of radioactivity. The use of an oxygen atmosphere or an increase in the glucose concentration in the incubation medium led to increases in amino acid inoorporation into protein as well. The solubilized radioactive protein material in dilute aoid solution exhibited a hyperoalcemic aotivity when it was tested on thyroparathyroideotomized rats. The biologioal activit, of this protein material was found to be.equivalent to about 60 U.S.P. units per milligram of protein. A oonsiderable fraction of this activity however, was found to be due to the presence of endogenous parathyroid hormone. Only a small amount of aotivity could be associated with biosynthesis of hormone.
Planar Graph Drawing

The book presents the important fundamental theorems and algorithms on planar graph drawing with easy-to-understand and constructive proofs. Extensively illustrated and with exercises included at the end of each chapter, it is suitable for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses on algorithms, graph theory, graph drawing, information visualization and computational geometry. The book will also serve as a useful reference source for researchers in the field of graph drawing and software developers in information visualization, VLSI design and CAD.
Marriage, monogamy and HIV: a profile of HIV-infected women in south India

A retrospective study was conducted on 134 HIV-infected females evaluated at an HIV/AIDS centre in south India to characterize their socio-demographics, HIV risk factors and initial clinical presentations. The mean age was 29 years; 81% were housewives; 95% were currently or previously married; 89% reported heterosexual sex as their only HIV risk factor; and 88% reported a history of monogamy. The majority were of reproductive age, thus the potential for vertical transmission of HIV and devastating impacts on families is alarming. Nearly half of these women initially presented asymptomatically implying that partner recruitment can enable early HIV detection. Single partner heterosexual sex with their husband was the only HIV risk factor for the majority of women. HIV prevention and intervention strategies need to focus on married, monogamous Indian women whose self-perception of HIV risk may be low, but whose risk is inextricably linked to the behaviour of their husbands.
Distress improves after mindfulness training for progressive MS: A pilot randomised trial

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to effectively reduce anxiety, depression and pain in patients with chronic physical illnesses. Objectives: We assessed the potential effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a specially adapted Skype distant-delivered mindfulness intervention, designed to reduce distress for people affected by primary and secondary progressive MS. Methods Forty participants were randomly assigned to the eight-week intervention (n = 19) or a waiting-list control group (n = 21). Participants completed standardised questionnaires to measure mood, impact of MS and symptom severity, quality of life and service costs at baseline, post-intervention and three-month follow-up. Results: Distress scores were lower in the intervention group compared with the control group at post-intervention and follow-up (p < 0.05), effect size −0.67 post-intervention and −0.97 at follow-up. Mean scores for pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression and impact of MS were reduced for the mindfulness group compared with control group at post-therapy and follow-up; effect sizes ranged from −0.27 to −0.99 post-intervention and −0.29 to −1.12 at follow-up. There were no differences in quality-adjusted life years, but an 87.4% probability that the intervention saves on service costs and improves outcome. Conclusions: A mindfulness intervention delivered through Skype video conferences appears accessible, feasible and potentially effective and cost-effective for people with progressive MS.
A low-delay energy-efficient decision strategy in duty-cycled wireless sensor networks

In many event-driven wireless sensor networks WSNs where sensor nodes are often put in a duty-cycled mode for energy saving, event delay and energy efficiency are always at odds. Detection of rare events in a fast and energy-efficient manner is an important and challenging issue in WSNs. In this paper, we aim at the moderate-scale networks and propose a fully distributed low-delay energy-efficient decision strategy LEDS to handle this problem. By adopting an online cooperative scheme between neighbouring sensing nodes, LEDS avoids the redundant transmissions and achieves a good network performance involving delay and energy efficiency. Moreover, we also extend our solution to the large-scale networks by combining LEDS with a sink augmentation scheme. Finally, our simulation results reveal that LEDS exhibits a quite good tradeoff between average event delay and network lifetime, and also outperforms the existing solution.
Previous Hepatitis A Virus Infection Is Related to Slower Psychomotor Speed in Elderly Adults

Abstract Background Patients with chronic viral hepatitis are at a higher risk for cognitive dysfunction. Little is known about the association between hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection and cognitive function. Methods From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002, we selected study participants (≥60 years, n = 1,529) without hepatitis B, C, or D virus infection; without previous hepatitis A vaccination; and without abnormal liver function. HAV-seropositive participants represented people with previous HAV infection. Psychomotor speed and executive functioning domain of cognitive function were measured by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Results HAV-seropositive participants had lower DSST scores than HAV-seronegative participants (weighted mean, 44.4 vs 53.9, p < .001). We designated HAV-seronegative participants as the reference group. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the weighted β coefficient of DSST score was −9.55 (95% confidence interval [CI] −9.57 to −9.54, p < .001) for the HAV-seropositive participants. In a multivariable model, the weighted adjusted β coefficient of DSST score was −2.48 (95% CI −2.49 to −2.46, p < .001) for the HAV-seropositive participants. Conclusion HAV seropositivity is associated with slower psychomotor speed among the U.S. community-dwelling elders.
Smoothed Discretization for Simplified Cutpoints

This paper describes work in progress. Discretization is one of the most common pre-processing steps in data mining and machine learning. We propose a novel approach to obtain simpler discretization cutpoints, which are easier to capture for human users, e.g., as they require less non-zero digits. For that purpose, a post-processing step is performed after applying an arbitrary conventional discretization method. It trades-off the necessary modiﬁcations in comparison to the original discretization scheme with the reduction in complexity of the cutpoints. Experiments with classiﬁcation tasks show, that this leads to considerably simpler cutpoints with only marginal inﬂuence on the algorithmic performance, i.e., the prediction accuracy.
Multi-Modulus Blind Equalizations for Coherent Quadrature Duobinary Spectrum Shaped PM-QPSK Digital Signal Processing

A novel digital signal processing (DSP) scheme for quadrature duobinary (QDB) spectrum shaped polarization multiplexed quadrature phase shift keying (PM-QPSK) based on multi-modulus blind equalizations (MMBE) is proposed and demonstrated with both simulation and experimental results. The key algorithms for this novel digital signal processing scheme include the cascaded multi-modulus algorithm (CMMA) for blind polarization de-multiplexing, multi-modulus QPSK partitioning frequency offset estimation (FOE) and two stage carrier phase recovery (CPR) with maximum likelihood phase estimation. The final signal is detected by maximum-likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) for data BER measurement. It shows that CMMA have better frequency response performance compared with CMA for noise compression. The performances of FOE and CPR are also investigated with different spectrum shaping bandwidth, group size and laser linewidth. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed digital signal processing scheme is demonstrated by the experiment of 112 Gb/s QDB spectrum shaped PM-QPSK signal with a 25 GHz bandwidth waveshaper for Nyquist WDM channels.
INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB FOR EXUDATIVE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION WITH GOOD BASELINE VISUAL ACUITY

Purpose: To clarify the efficacy of ranibizumab for treating age-related macular degeneration in patients with baseline visual acuity exceeding 20/40. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 40 eyes of Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (32 men, 8 women) treated with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 mL) (ranibizumab group). We compared the results with observation of 52 eyes (control group). All patients were followed-up for at least 12 months. Results: In the ranibizumab group, the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (Snellen equivalent) with typical age-related macular degeneration (22 eyes) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (18 eyes) statistically significantly (P < 0.0001, P = 0.015, respectively) improved from 0.17 (20/29) and 0.14 (20/28) at baseline to 0.07 (20/24) and 0.07 (20/24) at Month 12, respectively (mean numbers of treatments, 4.6 and 4.9). The central retinal thickness decreased from 262 ± 105 &mgr;m at baseline to 187 ± 62 &mgr;m at Month 12 in the ranibizumab group. In the control group, the mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity in eyes with typical age-related macular degeneration (19 eyes) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (33 eyes) statistically significant (P = 0.017, P = 0.023, respectively) declined from 0.08 (20/24) and 0.10 (20/25) at baseline to 0.18 (20/30) and 0.23 (20/34) at Month 12, respectively. Conclusion: Intravitreal ranibizumab maintained or improved visual acuity and anatomic changes in patients with age-related macular degeneration with better than 20/40 visual acuity.
Asymmetric bloch impedance for characterization bi-anisotropic metamaterials

With introduction of Bloch impedance we proposed a modified boundary conditions for materials where spatial dispersion appears. The bi-anisotropic medium is consider as an asymmetric one with dependence of wave impedance for forward and backward propagation directions. The similar dependence is observed for ratio of polarization and magnetization as well for Bloch impedance. It is shown the essential of application of Bloch impedance in the retrieving of constitutive parameters from scattering parameters.
Validity of Simple Field Tests as Indicators of Match-Related Physical Performance in Top-Level Professional Soccer Players

The aim of this study was to examine the construct validity of selected field tests as indicators of match-related physical performance. During the competitive season, eighteen professional soccer players (age 26.2 +/- 4.5 yrs, mass 80.8 +/- 7.8 kg, and height 181.9 +/- 3.7 cm) completed an incremental running field test to exhaustion, a vertical-jump and a repeated-sprint ability (RSA) test. Match physical performance was quantified during official matches using a video-computerized, semi-automatic, match analysis image recognition system, (ProZone, Leeds, UK). The selected measures of match physical performance were: total distance covered (TD), high intensity running (HIR: > 14.4 km . h (-1)), very high intensity running (VHIR:> 19.8 km . h (-1)), sprinting (> 25.2 km . h (-1)) and top running speed. Significant correlations were found between peak speed reached during the incremental field test and TD (r = 0.58, R (2) = 0.34; p < 0.05), HIR (r = 0.65, R (2) = 0.42; p < 0.01) and VHIR (r = 0.64, R (2) = 0.41; p < 0.01). Significant correlations were also found between RSA mean time and VHIR (r = - 0.60, R (2) = 0.36; p < 0.01) and sprinting distance (r = - 0.65, R (2) = 0.42; p < 0.01). Significant differences were found between the best and worst group as defined by the median split technique for peak speed (TD = 12 011 +/- 747 m vs. 10 712 +/- 669, HIR = 3192 +/- 482 m vs. 2314 +/- 347 m, and VHIR = 1014 +/- 120 vs. 779 +/- 122 m, respectively; p < 0.05) and RSA mean time (VHIR = 974 +/- 162 m vs. 819 +/- 144 m, and sprinting = 235 +/- 56 vs. 164 +/- 58 m, respectively; p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study gives empirical support to the construct validity of RSA and incremental running tests as measures of match-related physical performance in top-level professional soccer players.
Human Rhodopsin

Human rhodopsin in aqueous solution has λmax. of 493 m� and is lower in the spectrum than the rhodopsins of all other known vertebrates, with the exception of certain deep-sea fishes. Its molar extinction is 40,000 � 800. Like other rhodopsins, it bleaches to a mixture of opsin and all-trans retinene and is resynthesized by incubating opsin with neo-b (11-cis) retinene. The regenerated rhodopsin has the same λmax. as the extracted pigment; this is due, therefore, not to an unusual retinene but to a characteristic human opsin. The regeneration in solution from opsin and neo-b retinene is a second-order reaction with a half-time, at 29.5� C, of about 2.5 minutes. This is much faster than the synthesis of rhodopsin in the living human eye, and faster than human rod dark-adaptation; the rate of both processes in vivo must be limited by reactions which precede the union of neo-b retinene with opsin, the final step in rhodopsin synthesis. In the rods, rhodopsin is virtually in the solid state—highly oriented in close relation with other highly oriented molecules. In this situation its spectrum is displaced toward the red (λmax 500 m�) and is narrower than in solution. For light entering the rods axially, rhodopsin has also a considerably increased extinction, some 1.5 times higher than when randomly oriented. The spectrum of rhodopsin in rods agrees well in form and position with the spectral sensitivity of human rod vision, measured at the retinal surface.