Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tissue Engineering of Vascularized Cardiac Muscle From Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Transplantation of a tissue-engineered heart muscle represents a novel experimental therapeutic paradigm for myocardial diseases. However, this strategy has been hampered by the lack of sources for human cardiomyocytes and by the scarce vasculature in the ischemic area limiting the engraftment and survival of the transplanted muscle. Beyond the necessity of endothelial capillaries for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the grafted muscle tissue, interactions between endothelial and cardiomyocyte cells may also play a key role in promoting cell survival and proliferation. In the present study, we describe the formation of synchronously contracting engineered human cardiac tissue derived from human embryonic stem cells containing endothelial vessel networks. The 3D muscle consisted of cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells (ECs), and embryonic fibroblasts (EmFs). The formed vessels were further stabilized by the presence of mural cells originating from the EmFs. The presence of EmFs decreased EC death and increased EC proliferation. Moreover, the presence of endothelial capillaries augmented cardiomyocyte proliferation and did not hamper cardiomyocyte orientation and alignment. Immunostaining, ultrastructural analysis (using transmission electron microscopy), RT-PCR, pharmacological, and confocal laser calcium imaging studies demonstrated the presence of cardiac-specific molecular, ultrastructural, and functional properties of the generated tissue constructs with synchronous activity mediated by action potential propagation through gap junctions. In summary, this is the first report of the construction of 3D vascularized human cardiac tissue that may have unique applications for studies of cardiac development, function, and tissue replacement therapy.
Synaptic Interactions Increase Optic ¯ow Speci®city

Representations of optic ¯ow are encoded in ¯y tangential neurons by pooling the signals of many retinotopically organized local motion-sensitive inputs as well as of other tangential cells originating in the ipsi-and contralateral half of the brain. In the so called HSE cell, a neuron involved in optomotor course control, two contralateral input elements, the H1 and H2 cells, mediate distinct EPSPs. These EPSPs frequently elicit spike-like depolarizations in the HSE cell. The synaptic transmission between the H2 and the HSE cell is analysed in detail and shown to be very reliable with respect to the amplitude and time-course of the postsynaptic potential. As a consequence of its synaptic input, the HSE cell responds best to wide-®eld motion, such as that generated on the eyes when the animal turns about its vertical body axis. It is shown that the speci®city of the HSE cell for this type of optic ¯ow is much enhanced if rapid membrane depolarizations, such as large-amplitude EPSPs or spike-like depolarizations, are taken into account rather than the average membrane potential.
Studying Health Outcomes in Farmworker Populations Exposed to Pesticides

A major goal of studying farmworkers is to better understand how their work environment, including exposure to pesticides, affects their health. Although a number of health conditions have been associated with pesticide exposure, clear linkages have yet to be made between exposure and health effects except in cases of acute pesticide exposure. In this article, we review the most common health end points that have been studied and describe the epidemiologic challenges encountered in studying these health effects of pesticides among farmworkers, including the difficulties in accessing the population and challenges associated with obtaining health end point data. The assessment of neurobehavioral health effects serves as one of the most common and best examples of an approach used to study health outcomes in farmworkers and other populations exposed to pesticides. We review the current limitations in neurobehavioral assessment and strategies to improve these analytical methods. Emerging techniques to improve our assessment of health effects associated with pesticide exposure are reviewed. These techniques, which in most cases have not been applied to farmworker populations, hold promise in our ability to study and understand the relationship between pesticide exposure and a variety of health effects in this population.
Colorectal cancer in cases of multiple primary cancers: Clinical features of 59 cases and point mutation analyses

The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and clinical features of cases of multiple primary cancers including colorectal cancer (MPCC). The medical records of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) who underwent surgery at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China) between August 2007 and August 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with MPCCs were identified and mutation analyses were performed on colon specimens. The results revealed that among 1,311 patients with CRC, 59 had MPCC (including 35 cases of ≥1 CRC with ≥1 other cancer type, and 24 cases with multiple CRCs and no other primary cancers). Foci occurred on the right side of the colon (n=32), in the rectum (n=28), and on the left side of the colon (n=24). MPCCs were synchronous in 24 patients, metachronous in 32 patients, and both in 3 patients. Age of onset and presence of polyps were identified as significantly different between MPCC and CRC overall (P<0.05); however, sex or adenoma incidence were not observed to differ significantly between groups. Mutation incidence rates in 26 specimens were 11.54% for KRAS proto-oncogene GTPase (KRAS) G13D, 3.85% for KRAS Q61R and 3.85% B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase V600E. Mutations of exon 21 of the epithelial growth factor receptor gene, including L858R and L861Q, and of KRAS G12V were not detected. In conclusion, the likelihood of occurrence of MPCC is closely associated with the age of onset and the presence of polyp(s). Routine examination of multiple systems is necessary for patients with CRC to avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Further study is required to demonstrate the molecular mechanism of CRC in cases of multiple primary cancers.
Freedom, aspiration and informed choice in rural higher education: Why they are saying 'no'

Using recent discussions of Isaiah Berlin's two concepts of freedom as a starting point, this paper poses and attempts to answer the question, to what extent are those living in rural and remote communities 'free' to pursue their dreams of higher education? What would count as adequate educational opportunity for those embracing regional and rural lifestyles? Freedom conceived as the ability to pursue options (option-freedom) is sensitive to a variety of factors, including the number of options available, the character of those options, and the nature of an actor's access to options (Pettit 2003). Many factors in a rural context compromise the number and character of educational options. Sparse populations restrict the number of programs and courses that can be offered sustainably. Distance education is not always an attractive option for those from low SES backgrounds who lack already-formed academic habits. All too often the local university becomes the only possible provider of face-to-face higher education for rural communities. To treat regional and rural campuses as providers responding to sustainable local demand, assumes that local communities stand ready to articulate their educational requirements. Yet individuals and communities previously excluded from educational opportunity tend not to know what they don't know. The perceived rewards of holding a qualification may be remote to students who are the first members of their family to attend university. Individuals committed to rural lifestyles may be unable or unwilling to relocate in order to reap the full benefits of their educational investments. All of this suggests that rural campuses must act not only as brokers between rural populations and higher education institutions, but as educators of public opinion and shapers of local educational aspirations. This paper explores some creative ways in which small university campuses might interact with local communities to shape aspirations and flexibly deliver sustainable academic programs (face-to-face and through blended learning) for all members of the local populace, from low SES students to rural practitioners seeking local opportunities for continuing professional development. It is argued that regional and rural campuses need to demonstrate critical self-awareness as they responsibly model higher education and its benefits to local populations.
Preventing overuse shoulder injuries among throwing athletes: a cluster-randomised controlled trial in 660 elite handball players

Background Shoulder problems are highly prevalent among elite handball players. Reduced glenohumeral rotation, external rotation weakness and scapula dyskinesis have been identified as risk factors. Aim Evaluate the effect of an exercise programme designed to reduce the prevalence of shoulder problems in elite handball. Methods 45 elite handball teams (22 female teams, 23 male teams, 660 players) were cluster randomised (22 teams, 331 players in the intervention group, 23 teams, 329 players in the control group) and followed for 1 competitive season (7 months). The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Shoulder Injury Prevention Programme, an exercise programme to increase glenohumeral internal rotation, external rotation strength and scapular muscle strength, as well as improve kinetic chain and thoracic mobility, was delivered by coaches and captains 3 times per week as a part of the handball warm-up. The main outcome measures, prevalence of shoulder problems and substantial shoulder problems, were measured monthly. Results The average prevalence of shoulder problems during the season was 17% (95% CI 16% to 19%) in the intervention group and 23% (95% CI 21% to 26%) in the control group (mean difference 6%). The average prevalence of substantial shoulder problems was 5% (95% CI 4% to 6%) in the intervention group and 8% (95% CI 7% to 9%) in the control group (mean difference 3%). Using generalised estimating equation models, a 28% lower risk of shoulder problems (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.98, p=0.038) and 22% lower risk of substantial shoulder problems (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.16, p=0.23) were observed in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions The OSTRC Shoulder Injury Prevention Programme reduced the prevalence of shoulder problems in elite handball and should be included as a part of the warm-up. Trial registration number ISRCTN96217107.
Efficiency of thin and thick markets

In this paper, we propose a matching model to study the efficiency of thin and thick markets. Our model shows that the probabilities of matches in a thin market are significantly lower than those in a thick market. When applying our results to a job search model, it implies that, if the ratio of job candidates to job openings remains (roughly) a constant, the probability that a person can find a job is higher in a thick market than in a thin market. We apply our matching model to the U.S. academic market for new PhD economists. Consistent with the prediction of our model, a field of specialization with more job openings and more candidates has a higher probability of matching. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
International Union of Pharmacology classification of receptors for 5-hydroxytryptamine (Serotonin).

It is evident that in the last decade or so, a vast amount of new information has become available concerning the various 5-HT receptor types and their characteristics. This derives from two main research approaches, operational pharmacology, using selective ligands (both agonists and antagonists), and, more recently, molecular biology. Although the scientific community continues to deliberate about the hierarchy of criteria for neurotransmitter receptor characterisation, there seems good agreement between the two approaches regarding 5-HT receptor classification. In addition, the information regarding transduction mechanisms and second messengers is also entirely consistent. Thus, on the basis of these essential criteria for receptor characterisation and classification, there are at least three main groups or classes of 5-HT receptor: 5-HT1, 5-HT2, and 5-HT3. Each group is not only operationally but also structurally distinct, with each receptor group having its own distinct transducing system. The more recently identified 5-HT4 receptor almost undoubtedly represents a fourth 5-HT receptor class on the basis of operational and transductional data, but this will only be definitively shown when the cDNA for the receptor has been cloned and the amino acid sequence of the protein is known. Although those 5-HT receptors that have been fully characterised and classified to date (and, hence, named with confidence) would seem to mediate the majority of the actions of 5-HT throughout the mammalian body, not all receptors for 5-HT are fully encompassed within our scheme of classification. These apparent anomalies must be recognised and need further study. They may or may not represent new groups of 5-HT receptor or subtypes of already known groups of 5-HT receptor. Even though the cDNAs for the 5-ht1E, 5-ht1F, 5-ht5, 5-ht6, and 5-ht7 receptors have been cloned and their amino acid sequence defined, more data are necessary concerning their operational and transductional characteristics before one can be confident of the suitability of their appellations. Therefore, it is important to rationalise in concert all of the available data from studies involving both operational approaches of the classical pharmacological type and those from molecular and cellular biology. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
MicroRNA‐542‐3p inhibits tumour angiogenesis by targeting Angiopoietin‐2

Angiopoietin‐2 (Angpt2) plays a critical role in angiogenesis and tumour progression. Therapeutic targeting of Angpt2 has been implicated as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Whereas miRNAs are emerging as important modulators of angiogenesis, regulation of Angpt2 by miRNAs has not been established. Here we firstly report that Ang2 is targeted by a microRNA, miRNA‐542‐3p, which inhibits tumour progression by impairing Ang2's pro‐angiogenic activity. In cultured endothelial cells, miR‐542‐3p inhibited translation of Angpt2 mRNA by binding to its 3′ UTR, and addition of miR‐542‐3p to cultured endothelial cells attenuated angiogenesis. Administration of miR‐542‐3p to tumour‐bearing mice reduced tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. Furthermore, the level of miR‐542‐3p in primary breast carcinomas correlated inversely with clinical progression in primary tumour samples from stage III and IV patients. Together, these findings uncover a novel regulatory pathway whereby an anti‐angiogenic miR‐542‐3p directly targets the key angiogenesis‐promoting protein Angpt2, suggesting that miR‐542‐3p may represent a promising target for anti‐angiogenic therapy and a potential marker for monitoring disease progression. Copyright © 2014 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Analysis and Generation of Formal and Informal Text

In this thesis, we discuss an important issue in computational linguistics: distinguishing between formal and informal style of texts, in document classification and in text generation. There is a need to identify formal texts and informal texts automatically. In addition, there is a need of having a computer system that could generate correct English texts in formal or informal style. Therefore, we propose to use two main techniques in order to solve the two tasks. The first technique is to build a model that can be used to classify any text or sentence as having formal or informal style. The second technique is based on natural language generation (NLG) and it generates correct English sentences with formal or informal style. In order to achieve our goals, we start by studying the main differences between formal and informal style and summarize their characteristics. In addition, we manually collect parallel lists of formal versus informal words, phrases, and expressions from different sources that will be used for our proposed work. Then, we build our model for the classification task by using machine learning technique in order to classify texts and sentences into formal and informal style. The evaluation results show that our model is able to predict a class of formal / informal for any text or sentence with high accuracy. After that, we build our system that can generate formal and informal sentences by using NLG techniques. The evaluation results on a sample of generated sentences show that our NLG system can produce high-quality sentences in formal or informal style. The main contribution of this work consists in designing a set of features that led to good results for both tasks: text classification and text generation with different formality levels.
Emotional speech synthesis: a review

Attempts to add emotion effects to synthesised speech have existed for more than a decade now. Several prototypes and fully operational systems have been built based on different synthesis techniques, and quite a number of smaller studies have been conducted. This paper aims to give an overview of what has been done in this field, pointing out the inherent properties of the various synthesis techniques used, summarising the prosody rules employed, and taking a look at the evaluation paradigms. Finally, an attempt is made to discuss interesting directions for future development.
Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Cereal Production: Implications for Sustainable Agriculture in Northern Ghana

This paper investigates the economic impacts of climate change on cereal crop production in Northern Ghana using 240 households comprising maize and sorghum farmers. The Ricardian regression approach was used to examine the economic impacts of climate change based on data generated from a survey conducted in the 2013/2014 farming seasons. Forty-year time-series data of rainfall and temperature from 1974 to 2013, together with cross-sectional data, were used for the empirical analysis. The Ricardian regression estimates for both maize and sorghum showed varying degrees of climate change impacts on net revenues. The results indicated that early season precipitation was beneficial for sorghum, but harmful for maize. However, mid-season precipitation tended to promote maize production. Temperature levels for all seasons impacted negatively on net revenue for both crops, except during the mid-season, when temperature exerted a positive effect on net revenue for sorghum. Our findings suggest that appropriate adaptation strategies should be promoted to reduce the negative impacts of prevailing climate change on cereal crop production.
Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Nonfood Exposure, or Both

Background It is commonly stated in the literature on human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) that food is the predominant BPA exposure source, and that BPA is rapidly and completely cleared from the body. If this is correct, BPA levels in fasting individuals should decrease with increased fasting time. Objectives We set out to investigate the relationship between urine BPA concentration and fasting time in a population-based sample. Methods We modeled log BPA urine concentration as a function of fasting time, adjusted for urine creatinine and other confounders, in 1,469 adult participants in the 2003–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We estimated the BPA “population-based half-life” (pop½) for a fasting time of 0–24 hr, < 4.5 hr, 4.5–8.5 hr, and > 8.5 hr. Results The overall pop½ for the 0- to 24-hr interval was 43 hr [95% confidence interval (CI), 26–119 hr]. Among those reporting fasting times of 4.5–8.5 hr (n = 441), BPA declined significantly with fasting time, with a pop½ of 4.1 hr (95% CI, 2.6–10.6 hr). However, within the fasting time intervals of 0–4.5 hr (n = 129) and 8.5–24 hr (n = 899), we saw no appreciable decline. Fasting time did not significantly predict highest (> 12 ng/mL) or lowest (below limit of detection) BPA levels. Conclusions Overall, BPA levels did not decline rapidly with fasting time in this sample. This suggests substantial nonfood exposure, accumulation in body tissues such as fat, or both. Explaining these findings may require experimental pharmacokinetic studies of chronic BPA exposure, further examination of BPA levels and effects in fat, and a search for important nonfood sources.
The demographic and academic profile of Irish dental school faculty members.

AIM This paper reviews the demographic, academic and professional profile of Irish dental school faculty members. Faculty duties are explored. METHODS AND MATERIALS Custom-designed questionnaires were distributed to faculty members for self-completion, adopting a 'mixed-method' approach with quantitative and qualitative components. Response rate was 64.60%. RESULTS Demographic profile reveals a male-dominated regime (64%). Males also occupy a disproportionate number of senior academic positions. The age profile mirrors international trends with 75% of staff over 40 and c.33% over 50, including 78% of professorial staff (p < 0.001). Dental school faculties are comprised of highly educated professionals with the following qualifications: 89% BDS, 43% FDS, 39% Masters, 16% Doctorates. Most (77%) have 10+ years of clinical experience, while 47% have over 20 years' experience. Clinical experience varied by age, rank (p < 0.001) and gender (p < 0.05). A review of contractual agreements and duties confirms the major role of part-time clinical staff in dental education, comprising the largest single group (48%) delivering the bulk of the clinical teaching. However, 54% of part-time clinical staff have less than five years teaching experience. This study also explores staff views of various faculty roles. CONCLUSIONS This report provides a benchmark profile of Irish dental school faculty members. It reflects on the heavily skewed age groups of our current dental educators and the impending retirement of many senior academics. Educational organisations need to explore ways to make a career in dental education financially and sociologically attractive and provide adequate support for existing faculty to ensure their development during these challenging times.