Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The expression of netrin-1 in the intact and injured adult mice retina

Netrin-1 plays a highly-conserved role as a guidance cue directing axonal growth during the early stages of central nervous system development. Recent data has shown that netrin-1 is continued to be expressed in the adult forebrain where it regulates synaptic function and plasticity in cortical neurons. However, the contribution of netrin-1 in the adult retina remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to characterize the expression of netrin-1 in the intact and injured adult mouse retina. The retinal expression of netrin-1 and its receptor, deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC), was examined at postnatal day 0 (P0), P14, and adult mice using western blots. Double labeling of netrin-1 with an antibody against RBPMS, a selective marker for retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), was used to determine its location on retinal cross-sections. Netrin-1 levels were also quantified at 3 and 7 days after optic nerve axotomy. We demonstrate that netrin-1 and DCC are abundantly and widely expressed in the retina at P0, but although the expression level of netrin-1 remains relatively stable during development, the expression level of DCC is markedly downregulated in adulthood. Adult RGC soma were shown to be endowed with robust netrin-1 expression. DCC receptors were also found to be expressed around the cell body. Importantly, we show that netrin-1 and DCC levels are further downregulated at 3 and 7 days after optic nerve axotomy. However, the over-expression of netrin-1 protein failed to exert any significant effect on RGC survival in comparison to vehicleinjected controls. Our data support that: 1) netrin-1 is abundantly expressed in the neonatal retina and undergoes marked downregulation in adulthood, 2) netrin-1 and DCC are present in RGCs, 3) netrin-1 expression decreases rapidly after axonal injury. Together, these results suggest a role for netrin-1 in the mature visual system.
Economics of land use dynamics in two Mexican coffee agroforests: implications for the environment and inequality

Received June 2011; accepted November 2011. * University of California-Riverside, <ken.baerenklau@ucr.edu>; Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, <eellis@uv.mx>, and University of California-Riverside, <rmarc004@ucr. edu>, respectively. The authors are grateful for funding from the University of California Institute for México and the United States (UC-MEXUS) and the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México (CONACYT). We thank Dan Bromley for help with earlier drafts of this article, Irving Uriel Hernández Gómez and César Gallo Gómez for their support with GIS processing and field work, Marisol Martínez Bello for her support with remote sensing, and Emma Cesta Arrieta and Edgar Chavez Garrido for their help with conducting surveys and interviews. We also thank the municipal authorities and farmers of Atzalan and Zozocolco de Hidalgo, Veracruz, and the Diversificación Productiva de Cafetales de Baja Altitud (DIPROCAFE) project.
Integrable deformations of ĉ = 1 strings in flux backgrounds

We study d = 2 0A string theory perturbed by tachyon momentum modes in backgrounds with non-trivial tachyon condensate and Ramond-Ramond (RR) flux. In the matrix model description, we uncover a complexified Toda lattice hierarchy constrained by a pair of novel holomorphic string equations. We solve these constraints in the classical limit for general RR flux and tachyon condensate. Due to the non-holomorphic nature of the tachyon perturbations, the transcendental equations which we derive for the string susceptibility are manifestly non-holomorphic. We explore the phase structure and critical behavior of the theory.
RLS Performance Analysis for a Synchronous Generator Model Identification

This paper presents a performance analysis of the recursive least squares (RLS) method, which is used for a synchronous generator (SG) model parameter identification. The RLS identification method includes measurements of the terminal voltage, electrical power, rotor angle or rotor speed following a perturbation in the reference of the terminal voltage of the SG. The performance analysis is carried out on a Heffron-Phillips (H-P) linearized model of a SG with an additional regulation loop of the terminal voltage. Such linearized H-P model is very convenient for the RLS performance analysis, as fourth order transfer functions with known parameters describe the system dynamics in the close vicinity of the chosen operating point of the SG. The performance analysis includes testing of different perturbation signals, sampling times, forgetting factors and other parameters of the RLS method. The influence of the discussed method parameters on the convergence and accuracy of the determined model parameters, as well as on the identification time, is presented. Such performance analysis is a good basis for the design of the online identification of SGs in power plants, which can be used for adaptive power system stabilizers.
Some enabling techniques for polarization mode dispersion compensation

Progress toward 40-Gb/s polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) compensation is presented in several areas. A single-waveplate polarization scrambler that generates Stokes' parameters with just three harmonics has been realized. Together with an arrival-time detection scheme, it allows the detection of about 1 ps of PMD within 2.4 /spl mu/s in a 40-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero transmission setup. A scrambler that operates independent of its input polarization has also been realized. Both scramblers can be shared among a number of wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) channels for which PMD is to be detected. Furthermore, an inverse scattering technique has been implemented to determine differential group-delay profiles of an improved distributed PMD compensator in X-cut, Y-propagation LiNbO/sub 3/. In this context, the most common kind of higher order PMD is identified, which typically persists after compensation of first-order PMD. In a fiber link with polarization scrambling, it is shown to be measurable in a most efficient manner by comparing the rising and falling slopes of the detected signal using two oppositely poled one-way rectifiers placed at the output of a differentiator.
Markus Defects of the Knee Long-term Outcomes After First-Generation Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Cartilage

http://ajs.sagepub. com/content/42/1/150 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/0363546513506593 2014 42: 150 originally published online October 21, 2013 Am J Sports Med Uhl, Nadir Ghanem, Norbert P. Südkamp and Gian Salzmann Philipp Niemeyer, Stella Porichis, Matthias Steinwachs, Christoph Erggelet, Peter C. Kreuz, Hagen Schmal, Markus Defects of the Knee Long-term Outcomes After First-Generation Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Cartilage
Comparison of density-functional, tight-binding, and empirical methods for the simulation of amorphous carbon

Amorphous carbon networks are used to test various levels of theoretical approaches to molecular dynamics simulations. The density-functional theory as implemented in the Car-Parrinello method, nonorthogonal tight-bindingmethod, the environment-dependent interaction potential (EDIP), and the Brenner potential are compared directly in liquid quench simulations containing 125 atoms at four densities. We find that at low densities the predictions of the Brenner potential are in agreement with those from density-functional theory, while structures produced by nonorthogonal tight-binding method compare well with density-functional theory at all densities. The tight-binding method does however, find a slightly lower sp 3 fraction at high densities and the presence of singly coordinated atoms at low densities. The frequency of three-membered rings are underpredicted by the tight-binding and EDIP methods due to an overestimate of strain energy relative to density-functional theory and experiment. Aside from the small rings, and a slight underestimate in sp 3 fraction at the highest densities, the EDIP simulations are in very good agreement with density-functional theory. The EDIP method is also used to quantify the statistical variability of liquid quenching, and comparisons with film growth simulations verify that liquid quenching is a good representation of bulk amorphous carbon.
Evidence on Factors Associated With Repair Integrity and Clinical

http://ajs.sagepub. com/content/early/2014/04/21/0363546514529644 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/0363546514529644 published online April 21, 2014 Am J Sports Med Matthew D. McElvany, Erik McGoldrick, Albert O. Gee, Moni Blazej Neradilek and Frederick A. Matsen III Outcome Rotator Cuff Repair: Published Evidence on Factors Associated With Repair Integrity and Clinical
Vivo as MSCs From Bone Marrow in a Rabbit Model Mobilized Peripheral Blood Share Similar Biological Characteristics In Vitro and Chondrogenesis In A New Source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Articular Cartilage Repair : MSCs Derived From-Feb

http://ajs.sagepub. com/content/early/2013/12/10/0363546513512778 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/0363546513512778 published online December 10, 2013 Am J Sports Med Wei-Li Fu, Chun-Yan Zhou and Jia-Kuo Yu Vivo as MSCs From Bone Marrow in a Rabbit Model Mobilized Peripheral Blood Share Similar Biological Characteristics In Vitro and Chondrogenesis In A New Source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Articular Cartilage Repair: MSCs Derived From
Translational control of C/EBP (cid:1) and C/EBP (cid:2) isoform expression

Transcription factors derived from CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) (cid:1) and C/EBP (cid:2) genes control differentiation and proliferation in a number of cell types. Various C/EBP isoforms arise from unique C/EBP (cid:2) and C/EBP (cid:1) mRNAs by differential initiation of translation. These isoforms retain different parts of the amino terminus and therefore display different functions in gene regulation and proliferation control. We show that PKR and mTOR signaling pathways control the ratio of C/EBP isoform expression through the eukaryotic translation initiation factors eIF-2 (cid:1) and eIF-4E, respectively. An evolutionary conserved upstream open reading frame in C/EBP (cid:1) and C/EBP (cid:2) mRNAs is a prerequisite for regulated initiation from the different translation initiation sites and integrates translation factor activity. Deregulated translational control leading to aberrant C/EBP (cid:1) and C/EBP (cid:2) isoform expression or ectopic expression of truncated isoforms disrupts terminal differentiation and induces a transformed phenotype in 3T3-L1 cells. Our results demonstrate that the translational controlled ratio of C/EBP (cid:1) and C/EBP (cid:2) isoform expression determines cell fate.
School improvement trajectories: an empirical typology

ABSTRACT This paper is based on a multiple case study of schools which have been identified as improving their performance for about a decade. We proposed different criteria by which to characterize and study these improvement processes and, by applying them to our sample, we elaborated a typology of school improvement trajectories: we identified 4 different trajectories of school improvement. We called the first type restricted improvement because at its center is the management of processes that mainly target academic achievement tests; the second is incipient improvement, which is based on changes that restructure the school processes; the third identified trajectory are cases where school improvement is moving toward institutionalization, while the last are those cases where improvement has been already institutionalized and the schools have achieved high levels of educational effectiveness. We identified challenges that schools face at different stages of school improvement and discussed some related policy issues.
Efficiently learning structured distributions from untrusted batches

We study the problem, introduced by Qiao and Valiant, of learning from untrusted batches. Here, we assume m users, all of whom have samples from some underlying distribution over 1, …, n. Each user sends a batch of k i.i. d. samples from this distribution; however an є-fraction of users are untrustworthy and can send adversarially chosen responses. The goal of the algorithm is to learn in total variation distance. When k = 1 this is the standard robust univariate density estimation setting and it is well-understood that (є) error is unavoidable. Suprisingly, Qiao and Valiant gave an estimator which improves upon this rate when k is large. Unfortunately, their algorithms run in time which is exponential in either n or k. We first give a sequence of polynomial time algorithms whose estimation error approaches the information-theoretically optimal bound for this problem. Our approach is based on recent algorithms derived from the sum-of-squares hierarchy, in the context of high-dimensional robust estimation. We show that algorithms for learning from untrusted batches can also be cast in this framework, but by working with a more complicated set of test functions. It turns out that this abstraction is quite powerful, and can be generalized to incorporate additional problem specific constraints. Our second and main result is to show that this technology can be leveraged to build in prior knowledge about the shape of the distribution. Crucially, this allows us to reduce the sample complexity of learning from untrusted batches to polylogarithmic in n for most natural classes of distributions, which is important in many applications. To do so, we demonstrate that these sum-of-squares algorithms for robust mean estimation can be made to handle complex combinatorial constraints (e.g. those arising from VC theory), which may be of independent technical interest.
Periostin Promotes Scar Formation through the Interaction between Pericytes and In fi ltrating

83 84 85 86 From the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery,* Advanced Medical Initiatives,y and Ophthalmology,x Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and the Department of Transcriptomics,z Japan Science and Technology AgencyeCore Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka; and the Department of Biological Information,{ Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan 87 88 89 Accepted for publication
Corporate governance and dividend policy in Kenya : A survey of companies listed at the Nairobi stock exchange

Corporate governance exists to provide checks and balances between shareholders and management and thus to mitigate agency problems. Hence, firms with better governance quality should incur less agency conflicts, and managers should be less likely to adopt a sub-optimal dividend policy. As a result, the quality of corporate governance should have an impact on dividend policy. There has been renewed interest in the corporate governance practices of modem corporations, particularly due to the high-profile collapses of a number of large U.S. firms. There is evidence in the finance literature that tends to support the hypothesis that the patterns of corporate dividend payout policies vary tremendously between developed and transition markets. In developing countries, little studies have been done to establish the correlation between corporate governance and dividend policy. For these reasons, a study on this relationship between dividend policy and corporate governance in a transition economy offers an interesting subject and complements the existing corporate governance literature. The fundamental premise of this study is that there ought to be an economic association between corporate governance quality and dividend payouts. This study provides empirical evidence on the association between aggregate governance quality and dividend payouts. Review of the literature provides a theoretical framework on corporate governance and dividend policy. To test whether corporate governance practices determine the dividend policy in the companies listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange, we compose quantitative measures on the quality of the corporate governance for these companies. The regression research design methodology was used to assess the relationship level between corporate governance standards and dividend policy. The study sampled 38 companies listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE), and used secondary data obtained from financial reports, and companies’ annual reports. The data obtained were qualitatively analyzed to establish the level at which the company Transparency Disclosure Index (TDI) affects dividend payouts. These were summarized in form of research findings, recommendations, conclusions and suggestions of areas for further research. The findings demonstrate that an increase in the TDI, representing corporate governance practices, brings about a statistically significant increase in the dividend payout ratios.
Recent advances in the growth of germanium nanowires: synthesis, growth dynamics and morphology control

One-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures have been studied in great depth over the past number of decades as potential building blocks in electronic, thermoelectric, optoelectronic, photovoltaic and battery devices. Silicon has been the material of choice in several industries, in particular the semiconductor industry, for the last few decades due to its stable oxide and well documented properties. Recently however, Ge has been proposed as a candidate to replace Si in microelectronic devices due to its high charge carrier mobilities. A number of various ‘bottom-up’ synthetic methodologies have been employed to grow Ge nanowires, including chemical vapour deposition, thermal evaporation, template methods, supercritical fluid synthesis, molecular beam epitaxy and solution phase synthesis. These bottom-up methods afford the opportunity to produce commercial scale quantities of nanowires with controllable lengths, diameters and crystal structure. An understanding of the vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) and vapour–solid–solid (VSS) mechanism by which most Ge nanowires are produced, is key to controlling their growth rate, aspect ratio and morphology. This article highlights the various bottom-up growth methods that have been used to synthesise Ge nanowires over the past 5–6 years, with particular emphasis on the Au/Ge eutectic system and the VLS mechanism. Thermodynamic and kinetic models used to describe Ge nanowire growth and morphology control will also be discussed in detail.
Changes in proximate composition and oil characteristics during flaxseed development

Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization-Mass Spectrometry (APPI-MS) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) are the two analytical methods that were used to characterize Triacylglycerols (TAGs) during flaxseed development. The HPLC method of the oils showed the presence of 15 TAG species. In contrast to the HPLC chromatograms, the APPI-MS showed 17 peaks of TAG. APPI-MS is more rapid than the HPLC method (11 min). The iodine value of the oils showed a gradual increase, while the oil stability continuously decreased. Proximate composition during flaxseed development revealed that flaxseed is potentially a good source of dietary energy and protein. At full maturity, flaxseed contained 37% oil and 24% protein on a dry-weight basis; albumin was the major storage protein (53% of total storage proteins) followed by globulin (33%) and glutelin fractions (11%). Prolamins had the lowest percentage with 3%. α-amylase activity was higher in the mature seeds than the young ones.
Intermountain Presettlement Juniper: Distribution, Abundance, and Influence on Postsettlement Expansion

Abstract Successful implementation of watershed restoration projects involving control of piñon and juniper requires understanding the spatial extent and role presettlement trees (> 140 yr) play in the ecology of Intermountain West landscapes. This study evaluated the extent, abundance, and spatial pattern of presettlement western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) in four woodlands located in southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho. The potential for modeling presence/absence of presettlement juniper using site characteristics was tested with logistic regression and the influence presettlement trees had on postsettlement woodland (trees < 140 yr) expansion was evaluated with a Welch's t-test. Pre- and postsettlement tree densities, tree ages, site characteristics, and understory vegetation were measured along four 14–27 km transects. Presettlement juniper occurred in 16%–67% of stands in the four woodlands and accounted for 1%–10% of the population of trees > 1 m tall. Presettlement trees were generally widely scattered and more common in lower elevation stands with greater surface rock cover and higher insolate exposure. Presettlement trees sparsely occupied productive sites on deeper soils in southwest Idaho, suggesting the area had sustained a different disturbance regime than southeast Oregon. Southwest Idaho might have experienced a high frequency of lower severity fire that afforded survival to widely distributed legacy trees. This supposition is in contrast to most reports of a disturbance regime including either stand replacement or frequent fire of sufficient intensity to preclude survival of trees to maturity. Stands sustaining presettlement trees initiated woodland expansion 24 yr earlier than stands lacking presettlement trees. Presettlement trees may serve as a seed source potentially reducing the longevity of juniper control treatments. For areas with greater abundances and spatial distribution of presettlement trees such as southwest Idaho, management maintaining low intensity fire or cutting treatments at frequencies of less than 50 yr should sustain relatively open stands.
Modulation of the transcriptional activity of the AP2/ERF family (DREB genes) in orange ( Citrus sinensis ) leaves subjected to drought stress

Ethylene response factor (ERF) play important role in the development and expression of genes that regulate plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, six Citrus sinensis genes belonging to AP2/ERF family, dehydration-responsive element-binding protein (DREB) genes, (CitsERF01 to CitsERF06) were identified and five of them had their expression pattern evaluated in leaves of 18 month-seedling orange (C. sinensis) subjected to increasing intervals of drought stress. Two gene transcription patterns were identified. In the first pattern, transcription of CitsERF01 and CitsERF03 genes was delayed for many days and did not occur until the 12th day. In the second pattern, transcription of CitsERF04, CitsERF05 and CitsERF06 was immediate, and their relative value increased steadily, also reaching its peak at the 12th day. However, in both cases, transcription of CitsERF genes was down regulated with water recovery. These patterns suggest that CitsERFs genes may be involved in regulation mechanisms of drought response of C. sinensis and are controlled by factors acting in cascade. The data from this study will help understand the genetic mechanisms of drought tolerance, which could contribute to breeding programs of orange. Key words: Gene expression, transcript factor; dehydration-responsive element-binding protein genes, semi-quantitative analysis RT-PCR.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Stimulation of the Superficial Zone Protein and Lubrication in the Articular Cartilage by Human

http://ajs.sagepub. com/content/early/2015/03/26/0363546515575023 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/0363546515575023 published online March 26, 2015 Am J Sports Med Marder and A. Hari Reddi Ryosuke Sakata, Sean M. McNary, Kazumasa Miyatake, Cassandra A. Lee, James M. Van den Bogaerde, Richard A. Platelet-Rich Plasma Stimulation of the Superficial Zone Protein and Lubrication in the Articular Cartilage by Human