Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spermatogonial Culture Medium: An Effective and Efficient Nutrient Mixture for Culturing Rat Spermatogonial Stem Cells1

Abstract An economical and simplified procedure to derive and propagate fully functional lines of undifferentiated rat spermatogonia in vitro is presented. The procedure is based on the formulation of a new spermatogonial culture medium termed SG medium. The SG medium is composed of a 1:1 mixture of Dulbecco modified Eagle medium:Ham F12 nutrient, 20 ng/ml of GDNF, 25 ng/ml of FGF2, 100 μM 2-mercaptoethanol, 6 mM l-glutamine, and a 1× concentration of B27 Supplement Minus Vitamin A solution. Using SG medium, six individual spermatogonial lines were derived from the testes of six separate Sprague-Dawley rats. After proliferating over a 120-day period in SG medium, stem cells within the spermatogonial cultures effectively regenerated spermatogenesis in testes of busulfan-treated recipient rats, which transmitted the donor cell haplotype to more than 75% of progeny by natural breeding. Subculturing in SG medium did not require protease treatment and was achieved by passaging the loosely bound spermatogonial cultures at 1:3 dilutions onto fresh monolayers of irradiated DR4 mouse fibroblasts every 12 days. Spermatogonial lines derived and propagated using SG medium were characterized as homogeneous populations of ZBTB16+ DAZL+ cells endowed with spermatogonial stem cell potential.
Robust sensor fault detection and isolation for a Steer-by-Wire system based on sliding mode observer

A new approach for the design of robust H∞ sliding mode observer for Steer-by-Wire (SBW) systems with parametric uncertainties and sensor faults is proposed based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The resulting H∞ observer guarantees asymptotic stability of the estimation error dynamics and is robust against parametric uncertainties. A sensor fault estimation scheme is presented where the estimated signal can approximate the fault signal to any accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by simulations.
An ultra short episode of sleep is sufficient to promote declarative memory performance

Various studies have demonstrated that a night of sleep has a beneficial effect on the retention of previously acquired declarative material. In two experiments, we addressed the question of whether this effect extends to daytime naps. In the first experiment we assessed free recall of a list of 30 words after a 60 min retention interval that was either filled with daytime napping or waking activity. Memory performance was significantly enhanced after napping as opposed to waking but was not correlated with time spent in slow wave sleep or total sleep time within the napping condition. The second experiment was designed to clarify the role of total sleep time and therefore included an additional third group, which was allowed to nap for no longer than 6 min on average. In comparing word recall after conditions of no napping (waking), short napping, and long napping, we found superior recall for both nap conditions in contrast to waking as well as for long naps in contrast to short naps. These results demonstrate that even an ultra short period of sleep is sufficient to enhance memory processing. We suggest that the mere onset of sleep may initiate active processes of consolidation which – once triggered – remain effective even if sleep is terminated shortly thereafter.
Mortality after the treatment of hyperthyroidism with radioactive iodine.

BACKGROUND Hyperthyroidism affects many organ systems, but the effects are usually considered reversible. The long-term effects of hyperthyroidism on mortality are not known. METHODS We conducted a population-based study of mortality in a cohort of 7209 subjects with hyperthyroidism who were treated with radioactive iodine in Birmingham, United Kingdom, between 1950 and 1989. The vital status of the subjects was determined on March 1, 1996, and causes of death were ascertained for those who had died. The data on the causes of death were compared with data on age-specific mortality in England and Wales. The standardized mortality ratio was used as a measure of relative risk, and the effect of covariates on mortality was assessed by regression analysis. RESULTS During 105,028 person-years of follow-up, 3611 subjects died; the expected number of deaths was 3186 (standardized mortality ratio, 1.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.2; P<0.001). The risk was increased for deaths due to thyroid disease (106 excess deaths; standardized mortality ratio, 24.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 20.4 to 29.9), cardiovascular disease (240 excess deaths; standardized mortality ratio, 1.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 1.3), and cerebrovascular disease (159 excess deaths; standardized mortality ratio, 1.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 1.5), as well as fracture of the femur (26 excess deaths; standardized mortality ratio, 2.9; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.0 to 3.9). The excess mortality was most evident in the first year after radioiodine therapy and declined thereafter. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with hyperthyroidism treated with radioiodine, mortality from all causes and mortality due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and fracture are increased.
Time Geography for Ad-Hoc Shared-Ride Trip Planning

Ad-hoc shared-ride trip planning is a planning task on a non-deterministic transportation network. We propose to solve this task in a mobile geosensor network, which consists of transportation clients and hosts. In a mobile geosensor network the communication costs are a critical factor. Trip planning agents need communication to collect knowledge about the current network, and any way to limit this need reduces the costs of a solution. This paper introduces a theoretical model based on time geography, where clients, as trip planning agents, can actively identify relevant transportation hosts before communication starts, and hosts can identify whether their route is relevant for a specific planning task before responding to any request. This model reduces the communication costs significantly, which is at first derived theoretically, and then confirmed by an example.
Mutational Robustness of Ribosomal Protein Genes

Keeping Fit Mutations may be deleterious, neutral, or advantageous. Understanding the relative effect of a new mutation on an organism's fitness is important for many systems from complex diseases to conservation biology. Lind et al. (p. 825) used the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium to study the effects of random mutations in two ribosomal proteins on fitness. Most mutations, whether synonymous or nonsynonymous, had significant fitness costs, thus overturning the prevailing dogma that most point mutations are either neutral or lethal and indicating that the mutations influenced messenger RNA structure and/or stability. The distribution of the fitness effects of silent mutations is not different from that of amino acid–altering mutations. The distribution of fitness effects (DFE) of mutations is of fundamental importance for understanding evolutionary dynamics and complex diseases and for conserving threatened species. DFEs estimated from DNA sequences have rarely been subject to direct experimental tests. We used a bacterial system in which the fitness effects of a large number of defined single mutations in two ribosomal proteins were measured with high sensitivity. The obtained DFE appears to be unimodal, where most mutations (120 out of 126) are weakly deleterious and the remaining ones are potentially neutral. The DFEs for synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions are similar, suggesting that in some genes, strong fitness constraints are present at the level of the messenger RNA.
Investigating menu discoverability on a digital tabletop in a public setting

A common challenge to the design of digital tabletops for public settings is how to effectively invite and guide passersby--who often have no prior experience with such technology--to interact using unfamiliar interaction methods and interfaces. We characterize such enticement from the system interface as the system's discoverability. A particular challenge to modern surface interfaces is the discoverability of system functionality: does the system require gestures? are there system menus? if so, how are they invoked? This research focuses on the discoverability of system menus on digital tabletops designed for public settings. An observational study of menu invocation methods in a museum setting is reported. Study findings suggest that discernible and recognizable interface elements, such as buttons, supported by the use of animation, can effectively attract and guide the discovery of menus. Design recommendations for improving menu discoverability are also presented.
Expression of hirudin fusion proteins in mammalian cells: a strategy for prevention of intravascular thrombosis.

BACKGROUND Intravascular thrombosis occurs in disorders of diverse pathogeneses, including allograft and xenograft rejection. In this in vitro study, we describe an approach for tethering the specific thrombin inhibitor hirudin to plasma membranes as part of a genetic strategy for regulating intravascular coagulation. METHODS AND RESULTS An HLA class I leader sequence was fused with hirudin linked to domains 3 and 4 of human CD4 and intracytoplasmic sequence from either CD4 or human P-selectin. The constructs were transfected into mouse fibroblasts, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells, immortalized porcine endothelial cells (IPECs), and a pituitary secretory cell line (D16/16). Thrombin binding to the hirudin fusion proteins expressed on fibroblasts and CHO-K1 cells could be blocked by an anti-hirudin monoclonal antibody and by pretreatment of thrombin with either the synthetic tripeptide thrombin inhibitor PPACK or native hirudin. Hirudin expression significantly modified the procoagulant phenotype of IPECs in human plasma, leading to prolongation of clotting times. Hirudin-CD4-P-selectin fusion proteins accumulated in adrenocorticotropic hormone-containing granules in D16/16 cells, with no cell surface expression except on activation with phorbol ester, when hirudin relocated to the outer membrane. CONCLUSIONS Hirudin fusion proteins were expressed on mammalian cells, where they reduced local thrombin levels and inhibited fibrin formation. Regulated expression was achieved on activated cells by use of the cytoplasmic sequence from P-selectin. In vivo, these fusion proteins may prove useful transgenic or gene therapy agents for preventing intravascular thrombosis.
Late Outcomes of Mitral Valve Repair for Mitral Regurgitation Due to Degenerative Disease

Background— The pathological spectrum of degenerative diseases of the mitral valve (MV) that causes mitral regurgitation (MR) is broad, and there is limited information on late outcomes of MV repair in various subgroups of patients and pathologies. This study examines this issue. Methods and Results— All 840 patients who had MV repair for MR due to degenerative diseases from 1985 to 2004 were prospectively followed with clinical and echocardiographic evaluations at biennial intervals up to 26 years, median of 10.4 years. Clinical, hemodynamic, and pathological variables were evaluated for their association with outcomes. Age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and functional class were predictors of late cardiac- and valve-related deaths by multivariable analysis. MV repair failed to restore life span to normal in patients with functional class IV. Thirty-eight patients had repeat MV surgery, and the probability of reoperation at 20 years was 5.9%. During the follow-up, recurrent severe MR developed in 37 patients, and moderate MR developed in 61. Age, isolated prolapse of the anterior leaflet, the degree of myxomatous changes in the MV, lack of mitral annuloplasty, and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass were associated with increased risk of recurrent MR. At 20 years, the freedom from recurrent severe MR was 90.7%, and the freedom from moderate or severe MR was 69.2%. Conclusions— MV repair for degenerative MR restored life span to normal except in patients with symptoms at rest and impaired left ventricular function. Advanced age and complex mitral valve pathologies increased the risk of late recurrent MR.
Unified dynamics for microscopic and macroscopic systems.

An explicit model allowing a unified description of microscopic and macroscopic systems is exhibited. First, a modified quantum dynamics for the description of macroscopic objects is constructed and it is shown that it forbids the occurrence of linear superpositions of states localized in far-away spatial regions and induces an evolution agreeing with classical mechanics. This dynamics also allows a description of the evolution in terms of trajectories. To set up a unified description of all physical phenomena, a modification of the dynamics, with respect to the standard Hamiltonian one, is then postulated also for microscopic systems. It is shown that one can consistently deduce from it the previously considered dynamics for the center of mass of macroscopic systems. Choosing in an appropriate way the parameters of the so-obtained model one can show that both the standard quantum theory for microscopic objects and the classical behavior for macroscopic objects can all be derived in a consistent way. In the case of a macroscopic system one can obtain, by means of appropriate approximations, a description of the evolution in terms of a phase-space density distribution obeying a Fokker-Planck diffusion equation. The model also provides the basis for a conceptually appealing description of quantum measurement.
Global core recommendations for a musculoskeletal undergraduate curriculum

Objective: To develop core recommendations for the learning outcomes of an undergraduate curriculum in musculoskeletal conditions for any parts of the globe. Methods: Recommendations were developed by wide consultation with experts in orthopaedics, rheumatology, osteoporosis, and rehabilitation from all parts of the world who had interest and experience in these specialties, with the support of international and national societies. All possible knowledge, skills, and attitudes that might be of relevance to musculoskeletal conditions were initially considered and then reduced to those considered essential for all doctors. Results: The recommendations focus on (a) basic skills to assess and diagnose musculoskeletal problems; (b) the competency to assess specific common or urgent musculoskeletal problems; (c) the theoretical background of the conditions and their management; and (d) the core knowledge necessary to support diagnosis and management, including basic sciences. At the end of the course, all students should be able to differentiate normal from abnormal locomotor symptoms in a patient, determine the relevant investigations and interpret the results, formulate a limited differential diagnosis, recognise the impact of the problem on the individual patient, and make an appropriate management plan. Conclusions: The recommendations set global standards for the minimum level of competence in managing patients with musculoskeletal problems. They define what all doctors should know when graduating from medical school, regardless of further specialisation. They are intended to form the basis of a curriculum for a musculoskeletal course and can be adapted for any medical school in any country throughout the world.
Ageing, but not yet senescent, rats exhibit reduced muscle quality and sarcoplasmic reticulum function

Aim: Reduced muscle force greater than expected from loss of muscle mass has been reported in ageing muscles. Impaired sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release has been implicated as a possible mechanism, and attributed to several factors, including loss of ryanodine receptor (RYR) expression and protein binding. The aim of this study was to evaluate muscle quality and SR Ca2+ release in ageing rats that were not so old that major atrophy had occurred.
Motion Guidance Sleeve: Guiding the Forearm Rotation through External Artificial Muscles

Online fitness videos make it possible and popular to do exercise at home. However, it is not easy to notice the details of motions by merely watching training videos. We propose a new type of motion guidance system that simulates the way that the human body moves as driven by muscle contractions. We have designed external artificial muscles on a sleeve to create a pulling sensation that can guide the forearm's pronation (internal rotation) and the forearm's supination (external rotation). The sleeve consists of stepper motors to provide pulling force, fishing lines and elastic bands to imitate muscle contraction to drive the forearm to rotate instinctively. We present two preliminary experiments. The first one shows that this system can effectively guide the forearm to rotate in the correct direction. The second one shows that users can be guided to the targeted angle by utilizing a tactile cue. We also report users' feedback through the experiments and provide design recommendations and directions for future research.
The EphA2 Receptor and EphrinA1 Ligand in Solid Tumors: Function and Therapeutic Targeting

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and ephrin ligands have been studied extensively for their roles in developmental processes. In recent years, Eph receptors and ephrins have been found to be integral players in cancer formation and progression. Among these are EphA2 and ephrinA1, which are involved in the development and maintenance of many different types of solid tumors. The function of EphA2 and ephrinA1 in tumorigenesis and tumor progression is complex and seems to be dependent on cell type and microenvironment. These variables affect the expression of the EphA2 and ephrinA1 proteins, the pathways through which they induce signaling, and the functional consequences of that signaling on the behavior of tumor cells and tumor-associated cells. This review will specifically focus on the roles that EphA2 and ephrinA1 play in the different cell types that contribute to the malignancy of solid tumors, with emphasis on the opportunities for therapeutic targeting. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(12):1795–806)
Radiofrequency Ablation and Percutaneous Ethanol Injection Treatment for Recurrent Local and Distant Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Objective:To assess the long-term efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and percutaneous ethanol (EtOH) injection treatment of local recurrence or focal distant metastases of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WTC). Background:RFA and EtOH injection techniques are new minimally invasive surgical alternatives for treatment of recurrent WTC. We report our experience and long-term follow-up results using RFA or EtOH ablation in treating local recurrence and distant focal metastases from WTC. Methods:Twenty patients underwent treatment of biopsy-proven recurrent WTC in the neck. Sixteen of these patients had lesions treated by ultrasound-guided RFA (mean size, 17.0 mm; range, 8–40 mm), while 6 had ultrasound-guided EtOH injection treatment (mean size, 11.4 mm; range, 6–15 mm). Four patients underwent RFA treatment of focal distant metastases from WTC. Three of these patients had CT-guided RFA of bone metastases (mean size, 40.0 mm; range, 30–60 mm), and 1 patient underwent RFA for a solitary lung metastasis (size, 27 mm). Patients were then followed with routine ultrasound, 131I whole body scan, and/or serum thyroglobulin levels for recurrence at the treatment site. Results:No recurrent disease was detected at the treatment site in 14 of the 16 patients treated with RFA and in all 6 patients treated with EtOH injection at a mean follow-up of 40.7 and 18.7 months, respectively. Two of the 3 patients treated for bone metastases are free of disease at the treatment site at 44 and 53 months of follow-up, respectively. The patient who underwent RFA for a solitary lung metastasis is free of disease at the treatment site at 10 months of follow-up. No complications were experienced in the group treated by EtOH injection, while 1 minor skin burn and 1 permanent vocal cord paralysis occurred in the RFA treatment group. Conclusions:RFA and EtOH ablation show promise as alternatives to surgical treatment of recurrent WTC in patients with difficult reoperations. Further long-term follow-up studies are necessary to determine the precise role these therapies should play in the treatment of recurrent WTC.
Combinators Introduction: An Algorithm

The accurate use of combinatory logic and combinators in natural language processing needs a strategy for the removal of combinators, but also for their introduction. The tour of scientific literature teaches us how to reduce combinators and construct from a combinatory expression a normal form without combinators, however no strategy has been proposed to automate the introduction of combinators and construct from one normal form one combinatory expression. We show in our paper that such a strategy is possible. An algorithm is also described.
Classification of images in fog and fog-free scenes for use in vehicles

Today modern vehicles are often equipped with a camera, which captures the scene in front of the vehicle. The recognition of weather conditions with this camera can help to improve many applications as well as establish new ones. In this article we will show how it is possible to distinguish between scenes with clear and foggy weather situations. The proposed method uses only gray-scale images as input signal and is running in real time. Using spectral features and a simple linear classifier, we can achieve high detection rates in both daytime and night-time scenes. Furthermore, we will show that in our application area these features outperform others.
BASES OF SPACES OF MODULAR FORMS WITH WEIGHT 32

The aim of this research is to construct a basis for the space of modular forms with weight 3 2 . Building on the work of Serre and Stark (see [7]), a modular form subspace is initially constructed with certain ternary quadratic forms. These ternary forms result in theta series that are modular forms with weight 3 2 . At various levels N , the dimension of these subspaces are compared with the dimension of the whole modular form space. If necessary, different types of modular forms with weight 3 2 are added to the subspace. Once the whole space is constructed for numerous levels, a conjecture for the basis of the space is formed. 1
Cosmology of the closed string tachyon

The spacetime physics of bulk closed string tachyon condensation is studied at the level of a two-derivative effective action. We derive the unique perturbative tachyon potential consistent with a full class of linearized tachyonic deformations of supercritical string theory. The solutions of interest deform a general linear dilaton background by the insertion of purely exponential tachyon vertex operators. In spacetime, the evolution of the tachyon drives an accelerated contraction of the universe and, absent higher-order corrections, the theory collapses to a cosmological singularity in finite time, at arbitrarily weak string coupling. When the tachyon exhibits a null symmetry, the worldsheet dynamics is known to be exact and well defined at tree level. We prove that if the two-derivative effective action is free of nongravitational singularities, higher-order corrections always resolve the spacetime curvature singularity of the null tachyon. The resulting theory provides an explicit mechanism by which tachyon condensation can generate or terminate the flow of cosmological time in string theory. Additional particular solutions can resolve an initial singularity with a tachyonic phase at weak coupling, or yield solitonic configurations that localize the universe along spatial directions.