Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Astroglial Extracellular Matrix in the Formation of Rat Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli

We describe the development of the olfactory bulb (OB) glomeruli, focusing on the role of purported astroglial-associated boundary molecules, as potential guidance factors in glomeruli formation. Glomeruli are unusual structures within the OB formed by extremely tight bundles of afferent fibers that fail to grow deeply into the brain. Using olfactory marker protein antibodies, we found that olfactory axons of stage E17-E18 rat embryos were organized into long strands at the outer-most edge of the bulb. By E20-E21 the axons clustered and formed small spheres and by PD1 they gathered into distinct glomeruli. Prior to and during the transformation of olfactory afferents into glomeruli, there was an enhanced expression of cytotactin/tenascin (CT) and chondroitin sulfate-containing proteoglycan (CS-PG) associated with VIM/GFAP-positive astroglial cell processes at the base of the glomeruli. During later stages of development (PD3-PD9), the GFAP-positive astroglial processes beneath and within the base of the glomeruli showed intensified GFAP staining while maintaining expression of CT and CS-PG. Some astroglial processes had extended and others went even further peripherally into the olfactory nerve layer (ONL) to encapsulate and fully infiltrate the glomeruli. By PD9, CS-PG and CT levels increased inside and outside the glomeruli. However, by PD15 both molecules had decreased inside the glomeruli but remained highly concentrated around the glomeruli to form rings. Thus, at later stages, axon/glia interactions which result in astroglial rearrangement and matrix alterations in relation to the glomeruli occur. Western blots of stage E20 bulb proteins revealed the presence of three proteoglycan core proteins each containing chondroitin-6-sulfate moieties. In addition, a type of keratan sulfate (KS) glycosaminoglycan was present in a core protein not associated with chondroitin-6-sulfate. Our data suggest that astroglial-associated ECM molecules CT and CS-PG, and perhaps KS-PG, present in the core of the early developing OB, could form a molecular "wall" that helps confine ingrowing olfactory axons within the ONL at the outer edge of the astroglial territory. We suggest that the astroglia do not precisely regulate the specific shape of the glomeruli, but rather play a fundamental role in directing the gross position at which formation of the synaptic glomeruli will occur.
Functional lymphatic anatomy for sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer: echoes from the past and the periareolar blue method.

OBJECTIVE To simplify and improve the technique of axillary sentinel node biopsy, based on a concept of functional lymphatic anatomy of the breast. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Because of their common origin, the mammary gland and its skin envelope share the same lymph drainage pathways. The breast is essentially a single unit and has a specialized lymphatic system with preferential drainage, through select channels, to designated (sentinel) lymph nodes in the lower axilla. METHODS These hypotheses were studied by comparing axillary lymph node targeting after intraparenchymal peritumoral radiocolloid (detected by a gamma probe) with the visible staining after an intradermal blue dye injection, either over the primary tumor site (90 procedures) or in the periareolar area (130 procedures). The radioactive content, blue coloring, and histopathology of the individual lymph nodes harvested during each procedure were analyzed. RESULTS Radiolabeled axillary nodes were identified in 210 procedures, and these were colored blue in 200 cases (94%). The targeting concordance between peritumoral radiocolloid and intradermal blue dye was unrelated to the breast tumor location or the site of dye injection. Radioactive sentinel nodes were not stained blue in 10 procedures (5%), but this mismatching could be explained by technical problems in all cases. In two cases (1%), the (pathologic) sentinel node was blue but had no detectable radiocolloid uptake. CONCLUSIONS The lessons learned from this study provide a functional concept of the breast lymphatic system and its role in metastasis. Anatomical and clinical investigations from the past strongly support these views, as do recent sentinel node studies. Periareolar blue dye injection appears ideally suited to identify the principal (axillary) metastasis route in early breast cancer. Awareness of the targeting mechanism and inherent technical restrictions remain crucial to the ultimate success of sentinel node biopsy and may prevent disaster.
Digital particle image velocimetry measurements of the downwash distribution of a desert locust Schistocerca gregaria

Actuator disc models of insect flight are concerned solely with the rate of momentum transfer to the air that passes through the disc. These simple models assume that an even pressure is applied across the disc, resulting in a uniform downwash distribution. However, a correction factor, k, is often included to correct for the difference in efficiency between the assumed even downwash distribution, and the real downwash distribution. In the absence of any empirical measurements of the downwash distribution behind a real insect, the values of k used in the literature have been necessarily speculative. Direct measurement of this efficiency factor is now possible, and could be used to compare the relative efficiencies of insect flight across the Class. Here, we use Digital Particle Image Velocimetry to measure the instantaneous downwash distribution, mid-downstroke, of a tethered desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria). By integrating the downwash distribution, we are thereby able to provide the first direct empirical measurement of k for an insect. The measured value of k=1.12 corresponds reasonably well with that predicted by previous theoretical studies.
Understanding physical factors associated with participation in community ambulation following stroke

Purpose. This study examined the association between impaired physical function and participation in community ambulation following stroke. We hypothesised that participation would be significantly less following stroke, and that physical impairments would be associated with participation. Method. Using a case–control design 30 survivors of stroke aged 45 and older and 30 controls provided health status information and a self-report of participation in community ambulation (number of trips and walking-related activities (WRA) reported prospectively over a 12-day period). The association of physical impairments (strength, range of motion, sensation, muscle tone, vision, and activity limitations (gait speed and performance on complex walking tasks)) with level of participation was analysed using negative binomial regression and goodness of fit. Results. Participants included 30 individuals with and 30 without stroke, average age 68 years, majority were Caucasian women. Average time since stroke was 40 months. Participation in survivors of stroke was characterised by fewer trips and WRA and lower satisfaction (p < 0.001). Usual gait speed, balance, muscle strength and muscle length were impaired (p < 0.001) in stroke vs. controls, and associated with number of trips and WRA (p < 0.05). However, these factors explained less than very little of the variance in participation. Conclusions. While individual factors were associated with level of participation, results failed to accurately predict participation in community ambulation following stroke. Other factors, such as depression, cognition and self-efficacy may be stronger determinants of participation.
Multi-stage multi-secret sharing scheme for hierarchical access structure

Hierarchical threshold secret sharing (HTSS) schemes can be thought as a generalization of classical threshold secret sharing schemes, and they have been extensively in the literature. In an HTSS, participants are classified into different security levels, and the threshold value of a higher level is smaller than that of a lower level. Participants in each level can recover the secrets, if the number of shares is equal to or more than the corresponding threshold value. Share of a higher level participant can be used to reconstruct the secret at lower level. In this paper, we proposed first hierarchical threshold multi-secret sharing scheme based on polynomial interpolation. Proposed scheme is a variation to HTSS schemes based on the CRT suggested by Singh et al. and Harn et al. Novelty of the proposed scheme is that each participant requires to keep only one secret share and multiple secrets can be shared separately without refreshing the secret share. Also, secrets are recovered in stage by stage. Our scheme which is unconditionally secure, is based on Lagrange interpolation polynomial and one-way function.
The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) in a college sample.

This study was conducted to estimate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire section of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a college sample using DSM-III criteria for alcohol abuse as the criterion standard. This alcohol screening test was developed for the 10 country AMETHYST project. In this young adult sample the instrument exhibited a sensitivity of . 84 and specificity of . 71 when utilizing the recommended cut-off score of 11. The 10-item questionnaire section of the AUDIT appears to have important advantages over other alcohol screening instruments such as the CAGE and the MAST.
Validation of a Measure of Family Resilience Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

ABSTRACT Although interactions within veterans' families may support or inhibit resilient coping to stress and trauma across the deployment cycle, research on family resilience has been hampered by the lack of a brief assessment. Using a three-stage mixed method study, we developed and conducted preliminary validation of a measure of family resilience tailored for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (IAVs), the Family Resilience Scale for Veterans (FRS-V), which was field-tested using a survey of 151 IAVs. Our findings indicate the resulting six-item measure shows strong initial reliability and validity and supports the application of existing models of family resilience in this population.
Toxic and genotoxic action of electric‐arc welding fumes on cultured mammalian cells

Welding fumes generated by manual metal arc welding (MMAW) with an automatic welding machine were extracted with water and both the soluble and insoluble fractions were investigated for mitotic delay and for sister chromatid exchange (SCE) induction in cultured Chinese hamster Iung (Don) cells. Five flux‐coated electrodes of varying composition were chosen as representative of those available. In general, watersoluble and water‐insoluble fractions induced SCE in proportion to their chromium (VI) content, and any contribution from chromium(III), fluorides, nickel, manganese or other fume constituents was minor. However, mitotic delay could not be explained in terms of the chromium(VI) concentration alone. This indicated that other components of both the soluble and insoluble fractions of the fumes were capable of inducing mitotic delay. The activity of insoluble fume fractions, either in mitotic delay‐ or in SCE‐induction, was markedly less than than that of soluble fractions. This was presumably because of the lower, though still significant, bioavailability of ‘insoluble’ components of the fume particles.
Isolated diffusing capacity reduction in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term outcome of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and an isolated reduction in the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at the time of initial evaluation. METHODS Patients with an isolated reduction in DLCO (i.e., normal forced vital capacity [FVC] and normal ratio of the forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1] to the FVC) on initial evaluation were identified from among 815 patients with SSc who were carefully followed up throughout their illness. We requested that patients have repeat pulmonary function testing (PFT), and the outcomes of these tests, as well as cardiopulmonary and survival outcomes, were determined. RESULTS An isolated reduction in DLCO, with a normal FVC was detected in 152 (19%) of the 815 patients. A subset of those with an isolated reduction in DLCO (11%) developed isolated pulmonary hypertension and had severely reduced survival rates. Pulmonary hypertension was strongly associated with an initial DLCO of less than 55% of predicted normal and a FVC (% predicted)/DLCO (% predicted) ratio of greater than 1.4. Among all patients in whom this ratio was greater than 1.4, 22% developed isolated pulmonary hypertension, compared with only 2% of those whose ratio was less than 1.4 (P less than 0.01). Of the 152 patients with isolated DLCO reduction, 73 (48%) underwent PFTs a mean of 5.4 years (range 2.0-13.2) after the initial PFT. Only 6 (8%) of these 73 patients ever had serious pulmonary disease: 5 had isolated pulmonary hypertension, and 1 had severe pulmonary fibrosis. Half of the patients with a low initial DLCO demonstrated a significant improvement (greater than 20%) at followup testing that could not be explained by the demographic, clinical, or laboratory findings at the first visit. CONCLUSION Isolated reduction in DLCO is a frequent abnormality in SSc. Overall, it is associated with a good prognosis for survival and for pulmonary morbidity. A small subset of patients (11%) who have a very low DLCO (less than 55% of predicted) have developed isolated pulmonary hypertension, all of whom had limited scleroderma.
Climate change and the agricultural sector in Ireland: examining farmer awareness and willingness to adopt new advisory mitigation tools

ABSTRACT Agriculture is responsible for the bulk of Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the potential to mitigate some of these emissions through the adoption of more efficient farm management practices may be hampered by farmers’ awareness and attitude towards climate change and agriculture’s role in contributing to GHG emissions. This paper presents results from a survey of 746 Irish farmers in 2014, with a view to understanding farmers’ awareness of, and attitudes to, climate change and GHG emissions. Survey results show that there was a general uncertainty towards a number of questions related to agricultural GHG emissions, e.g. if tilling of land causes GHG emissions, and that farmers were reluctant to take action to reduce GHG emissions on their farm. To further explore farmers’ attitudes towards climate change, a multinomial logit model was used to examine the socio-economic factors that affect farmers’ willingness to adopt an advisory tool that would show the potential reduction in GHG emissions from the adoption of new technologies. Results show that farmers’ awareness of human-induced global climate change was positively related to the tool’s adoption. Key policy insights Irish farmers are generally not sufficiently aware of the impact of their activities on climate change. A quarter of farmers believed that climate change will only impact on their business in the long-term; such an attitude may lead to a reluctance amongst these farmers to adopt management practices that reduce GHG emissions. Awareness of climate change affects positively the adoption of new tools to reduce GHG emissions on farmers’ farms. IT literacy affects willingness to adopt new tools to address GHG emissions. Reception of agri-environmental advice can have a positive influence on farmers’ willingness to adopt new GHG emission abatement tools. Farmers in receipt of environmental subsidies are more likely to adopt new abatement tools, either because they are more environmentally conscious or because the subsidy raised their environmentally consciousness. Willingness to adopt differs between different farm enterprises; operating dairy enterprise increases the willingness to adopt new advisory mitigation tools.
Explaining changes in house prices

Against the backdrop of sharply lower global equity prices, an important question facing policymakers is the outlook for consumer spending.2 The exact relationship between changes in household wealth and consumer spending is uncertain. Even so, the recent large declines in equity prices are likely to be a depressing influence on consumer spending in the future. Offsetting this effect is the strong recent growth in house prices in a number of countries. Academic research has documented an important influence of housing wealth on consumer behaviour.3 The outlook for consumer spending, therefore, also depends on the future course of house prices. Presumably, a continuation of the global economic slowdown would slow the growth in house prices. Yet, house prices could also come under pressure even in the absence of a further slowdown in economic activity if stock market wealth is an important determinant of the demand for housing. This special feature examines the extent to which house price fluctuations in six advanced economies – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia – can be attributed to fluctuations in national incomes, interest rates and stock prices. To this end, the joint behaviour of house prices, national incomes, real interest rates and stock prices is studied within the context of a simple empirical model. The empirical framework permits one to identify the typical response of house prices to changes in a small set of key determinants and also to examine the extent to which house prices have tended to deviate from the values predicted by them. Interesting results emerge from the analysis. For instance, the empirical results indicate that shocks to national income, stock prices and interest rates influence house prices, and that some of the recent large gains in house prices can be explained in terms of the favourable economic developments captured by these variables.
The challenge of cholangiocarcinoma: dissecting the molecular mechanisms of an insidious cancer

Cholangiocarcinoma is a fatal cancer of the biliary epithelium and has an incidence that is increasing worldwide. Survival beyond a year of diagnosis is less than 5%, and therapeutic options are few. Known risk factors include biliary diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis and parasitic infestation of the biliary tree, but most cases are not associated with any of these underlying diseases. Numerous in vitro and in vivo models, as well as novel analytical techniques for human samples, are helping to delineate the many pathways implicated in this disease, albeit at a frustratingly slow pace. As yet, however, none of these studies has been translated into improved patient outcome and, overall, the pathophysiology of cholangiocarcinoma is still poorly understood. There remains an urgent need for new approaches and models to improve management of this insidious and devastating disease. In this review, we take a bedside-to-bench approach to discussing cholangiocarcinoma and outline research opportunities for the future in this field.
Lipid-dependent subcellular relocalization of the acyl chain desaturase in yeast.

The degree of acyl chain desaturation of membrane lipids is a critical determinant of membrane fluidity. Temperature-sensitive mutants of the single essential acyl chain desaturase, Ole1p, of yeast have previously been isolated in screens for mitochondrial inheritance mutants (Stewart, L.C. and Yaffe, M.P. (1991). J. Cell Biol. 115, 1249-1257). We now report that the mutant desaturase relocalizes from its uniform ER distribution to a more punctuate localization at the cell periphery upon inactivation of the enzyme. This relocalization takes place within minutes at nonpermissive conditions, a time scale at which mitochondrial morphology and inheritance is not yet affected. Relocalization of the desaturase is fully reversible and does not affect the steady state localization of other ER resident proteins or the kinetic and fidelity of the secretory pathway, indicating a high degree of selectivity for the desaturase. Relocalization of the desaturase is energy independent but is lipid dependent because it is rescued by supplementation with unsaturated fatty acids. Relocalization of the desaturase is also observed in cells treated with inhibitors of the enzyme, indicating that it is independent of temperature-induced alterations of the enzyme. In the absence of desaturase function, lipid synthesis continues, resulting in the generation of lipids with saturated acyl chains. A model is discussed in which the accumulation of saturated lipids in a microdomain around the desaturase could induce the observed segregation and relocalization of the enzyme.
Preference among cooling systems by gilts under heat stress.

A preference experiment was conducted to compare and evaluate the use of three cooling systems by mature gilts. Systems evaluated were snout coolers (S), drip coolers (D), and conductive cool pads (P). Preference for cooling system and pen position were continuously monitored and evaluated during daily heat stress conditions (34.2 +/- 2.8 degrees C), nightly warm conditions (26.6 +/- 2.3 degrees C), and for total time. The physiological variables of respiration rate (RR) and rectal temperature (Tr) were measured at three separate times daily. Gilts naive to the cooling systems were individually housed in pens with three free stalls, each stall containing a different cooling system. After 1 d of warm temperature (27.6 +/- 2.5 degrees C) acclimation, gilts were exposed to 10 h of the heat stress conditions and 14 h of the warm night conditions each day for six consecutive days. Cooling system use was higher during the hot period (80.2%) than during the warm period (66.2%). The conductive cool pad was preferred over the drip cooler (P < .02) and the snout cooler (P < .0002). The preference for the conductive cool pad persisted in the warm period. Cooling system use had a significant effect on Tr and RR (P < .001). The Tr (P < .005) and RR were lower (P < .005) with the use of the conductive cool pad, whereas the drip cooler and snout cooler showed no effect on these variables.