Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Start me up: Cell signaling and the journey from oocyte to embryo in C. elegans

Intercellular communication plays a pivotal role in regulating and coordinating oocyte meiosis and fertilization, key triggers for embryonic development. The nematode Caenorhabaditis elegans has emerged as an important experimental paradigm for exploring these fundamental reproductive processes and their regulation. The oocytes of most animal species arrest during meiotic prophase and complete meiosis in response to intercellular signaling in the process of meiotic maturation. Oocyte meiotic maturation is defined by the transition between diakinesis and metaphase of meiosis I and is accompanied by nuclear envelope breakdown and meiotic spindle assembly. As such, the meiotic maturation process is essential for completing meiosis and a prerequisite for successful fertilization. In C. elegans, the processes of meiotic maturation, ovulation, and fertilization are temporally coupled: sperm utilize the major sperm protein as a hormone to trigger oocyte meiotic maturation, and, in turn, the maturing oocyte signals its own ovulation, leading to fertilization. The powerful genetic screens possible in C. elegans have led to the identification of several sperm cell surface proteins that are required for the interaction and fusion of gametes at fertilization. The study of these proteins provides fundamental insights into fertilization mechanisms, their role in speciation, and their potential conservation across phyla. Signaling processes sparked by fertilization are required for meiotic chromosome segregation and initiating the embryonic program. Here we review recent advances in understanding how signaling mechanisms contribute to the oocyte‐to‐embryo transition in C. elegans. Developmental Dynamics 235:571–585, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effect of noise exposure in the presence of canal fenestration on the amplitude of short-latency vestibular evoked potentials.

BACKGROUND Exposure to high-intensity noise causes little, if any, reduction in vestibular function in normal animals as shown by short-latency vestibular evoked potentials (VsEPs). OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of noise exposure on VsEPs following fenestration of the horizontal semicircular canal. DESIGN AND METHODS Psammomys obesus (fat sand rat) underwent labyrinthectomy in 1 ear, while the lateral semicircular canal in the other ear was fenestrated. Control VsEPs to linear acceleration (approximately 3g; rise time, approximately 1-2 milliseconds) were recorded immediately after the operation. The experimental group animals were then subjected to loud white noise (113-dB sound pressure level) for 1 hour. Immediately after the noise exposure in the experimental group animals, VsEPs were once more recorded. RESULTS The VsEPs in the experimental group animals were significantly reduced immediately following the noise exposure, while there was no change in the recordings from the control group animals (fenestrated but not noise exposed; noise exposed but not fenestrated), even though the noise exposure induced a mean 47-dB threshold elevation of the auditory brainstem response. CONCLUSIONS The presence of the fenestration caused the vestibular end organs to become vulnerable to noise exposure. The fenestration may create a pathway enabling pressure release through the vestibular end organs during noise exposure, thus increasing the possibility of damage to the vestibular end organs. This did not occur in the intact, nonfenestrated animals.
Cognition in hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequently reported by patients with chronic hepatitis C during treatment with interferon (IFN)-α and may lead to treatment discontinuation. In order to assess the objective neuropsychiatric impairments we prospectively administered standardized neuropsychological testing before and 3 months after the initiation of antiviral treatment with pegylated IFN-α in 17 patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C. In addition depression and anxiety scores, social functioning and hepatological parameters were obtained. While depressive and anxiety symptoms increased significantly during treatment only subtle worsening in neurocognitive performance could be detected, indicating slight impairment in cognitive flexibility and psychomotor speed (Trail Making Test B; 69.6±23 s before vs. 80.7±31 s during therapy, P=0.011, not remaining significant after Bonferroni correction). We found no association between reduced neurocognitive performance and the severity of depression. Better neurocognitive performance in single domains was associated with better response to antiviral treatment measured as the decline of elevated liver enzymes (AST). We conclude that neurocognitive performance was influenced by antiviral IFN-α-based combination treatment only in single domains and not to a clinically relevant extent in contrast to the significant worsening of depression.
Trilostane dose versus body weight in the treatment of naturally occurring pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in dogs.

BACKGROUND Trilostane is commonly used in the treatment of dogs with naturally occurring pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). Dose recommendations have varied from the manufacturer and the literature. HYPOTHESIS As body weight increases, dose/kg or dosage/day of trilostane required to control the clinical signs of PDH decreases. ANIMALS 70 dogs with naturally occurring hyperadrenocorticism. METHODS Retrospective study. Each dog must have been treated for at least 6 months and should have shown a "good response" to trilostane, as determined by owners. Statistical comparisons of dose and dosage were made after the dogs were separated into groups weighing <15 or >15 kg; groups weighing ≤10, 10.1-20, 20.1-30, and ≥30 kg; and then groups based on body surface area versus dose/kg and total amount of trilostane required to control the condition. RESULTS There was no significant difference in trilostane dose in mg/kg of body weight or in the total amount of trilostane required daily to control clinical signs, except when the dose for dogs weighing >30 kg was compared with that for the other groups. However, despite lack of statistical significance when comparing groups, there was a significant trend using polynomial regression analysis, suggesting that as body weight increases, the amount of trilostane (mg/kg/dose as well as mg/kg/daily dosage) required to control clinical signs decreases. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Dogs weighing >30 kg, and possibly those weighing >15 kg, might require smaller amounts of trilostane per dose or per day than those weighing less, to control PDH-associated clinical signs.
Lymphatic drainage of the peritoneal cavity in sheep.

Lymphatic drainage of the peritoneal cavity has been investigated in anesthetized sheep. Studies involving intraperitoneal administration of a complex of Evans blue dye and bovine serum albumin demonstrated the existence of three anatomically distinct pathways. In the first pathway, dye is removed from the peritoneal cavity by diaphragmatic lymphatics that pass into caudal sternal lymph nodes. Efferent lymphatics from these nodes transport the material to cranial sternal lymph nodes. Efferent cranial sternal lymphatics then convey the material either directly or indirectly, via tracheal lymphatic trunks, to the right lymph duct. In the second pathway, the complex is transported from the peritoneal cavity by diaphragmatic lymphatics that pass into the caudal mediastinal lymph node. Efferent lymphatic ducts from this node transport the material to the thoracic duct. The third pathway appears to involve transport of the dye across the mesothelial lining of the abdominal viscera and removal from the interstitium by afferent visceral lymphatics. Material taken up in this manner is ultimately transported to the thoracic duct by efferent visceral lymphatics. Experiments involving measurements of lymphatic absorption of 125I-labeled human serum albumin from the peritoneal cavity indicated that, over the 6-h period studied, 4.55 +/- 1.20 and 1.43 +/- 0.56% of the injected tracer could be recovered in thoracic duct lymph and caudal mediastinal efferent lymph, respectively, and the sum of these values represented 26% of the recovered radioactivity. On the other hand, 16.95 +/- 6.93% of the injected radioactivity could be found in the blood over the same period. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Affordable Housing and Cyclical Fluctuations: The Malaysian Property Market

Economic reality shows us that business fluctuations are everywhere and the crisis that emerged in the Western world in 2007 is just the latest and most evident manifestation of such dynamics. As mentioned in Ferlito (2016a, pp. 202-203), which develops the vision brought out in Ferlito (2014a), capitalism without fluctuations does not exist. I expressed the idea that business cycles are unavoidable by developing the doctrine of the natural cycle (see in particular Ferlito 2016b, Chapter 3). I will now summarize that framework in order to describe the evolution of the property market in the last decade. Section 2 presents the theory of the natural cycle, which will be used in section 3 for the analysis of the Malaysian property market over the past decade. According to such framework, business cycles are originated from positive profit expectations and each expansionary wave is followed by a secondary wave, which can be called imitative-speculative, usually supported by credit expansion. Such an evolution can be observed in the Malaysian property market from 1997, while today the declining movement is already initiated. In section 4, I focus on certain disproportionalities in the housing industry, arguing that the investor focus on the high-end segment was not unjustified and that government action is crowding out private constructors from the affordable housing segment. In section 5, I present some free market-oriented policy suggestions, aiming to create the conditions to limit the insurgence of future crises, to face the coming property crisis, and to revive the affordable housing market. Section 6 concludes.
Identification of 43 Streptococcus Species by Pyrosequencing Analysis of the rnpB Gene

ABSTRACT Pyrosequencing technology was evaluated for identification of species within the Streptococcus genus. Two variable regions in the rnpB gene, which encodes the RNA subunit of endonuclease P, were sequenced in two reactions. Of 43 species, all could be identified to the species level except strains of the species pairs Streptococcus anginosus/S. constellatus and S. infantis/S. peroris. A total of 113 blood culture isolates were identified by pyrosequencing analysis of partial rnpB sequences. All but eight isolates could be unambiguously assigned to a specific species when the first 30 nucleotides of the two regions were compared to an rnpB database comprising 107 streptococcal strains. Principal coordinate analysis of sequence variation of strains from viridans group streptococci resulted in species-specific clusters for the mitis and the salivarius groups but not for the anginosus group. The identification capacity of pyrosequencing was compared to the biochemical test systems VITEK 2 and Rapid ID 32 Strep. The concordance between pyrosequencing and VITEK 2 was 75%, and for Rapid ID 32 Strep the corresponding figure was 77%. Isolates with discrepant identifications in the three methods were subjected to entire rnpB DNA sequence analysis that confirmed the identifications by pyrosequencing. In conclusion, pyrosequencing analysis of the rnpB gene can reliably identify Streptococcus species with high resolution.
Nitric oxide synthase polymorphisms and asthma phenotypes in Chinese children

Background Nitric oxide (NO) is a key factor for balancing T‐helper type 1/T‐helper type 2 immunity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) genes have been associated with atopy and exhaled NO concentrations in Caucasians. We investigated the association between asthma traits and genetic polymorphisms in neuronal NO synthase (NOS1) and endothelial NO synthase (NOS3) in Chinese children.
Vertical vibration of seated subjects: effects of posture, vibration level, and frequency.

The transmissibility of 12 seated subjects to sinusoidal vertical vibration was measured at 12 frequencies in the range of 7 to 75 Hz. Transmissibility, the ratio of seat vibration to vertical head vibration measured on a bite-bar, was determined at each of six levels of vibration (0.2 to 4.0 m/s2 r.m.s.) in two body postures. The postures were defined by the body positions that maximised and minimised the sensation of vibration at the subjects' heads. Measurements of the fore-and-aft (ax), lateral (ay), and pitch motions of the head were measured on three subgroups. Posture was found to have a very large effect on the vibration of the head with an approximate 6:1 difference in the mean vertical head vibration of the subjects between the two postures in the range 35 to 50 Hz. In both postures the mean transmissibility of the subjects decreased as frequency increased from 7 to 75 Hz and there were statistically significant reductions in transmissibility with increasing levels of vibration. Some results from individuals are presented to illustrate the large differences between subjects. The reactions of the subjects to the vibration are outlined and some implications of the results are discussed.
High Level Expression, Partial Purification, and Functional Reconstitution of the Human AE1 Anion Exchanger in Saccharomycescerevisiae(*)

Human erythroid anion exchanger AE1 (Band 3) was expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the constitutive promoter and transcriptional terminator of the yeast phosphoglycerate kinase gene. AE1 expression in stable yeast transformants was estimated to be approximately 0.7 mg AE1 per liter. Density gradient sedimentation analysis indicated that the AE1 protein was associated with a membrane fraction distinct from plasma membrane, most likely the endoplasmic reticulum. AE1 protein was solubilized from yeast membranes with lysophosphatidyl choline, and the protein, tagged with six histidines at its amino terminus, was purified to 35% homogeneity by metal chelation affinity chromatography. Size-exclusion chromatography in the presence of octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether indicated that the solubilized yeast-expressed AE1, like endogenous erythroid AE1, eluted at a stokes radius of 77 Å, consistent with a dimeric oligomeric state. Binding of partially purified yeast-expressed AE1 to 4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyanostilbene2,2′-disulfonate resin was competitive with the transportable substrate chloride but not the nontransported anion citrate, suggesting that the structure of the anion binding site is preserved. The specific activity of sulfate transport by partially purified yeast AE1 was determined in proteoliposomes to be similar to that of authentic AE1 purified from erythrocyte membranes. These data show that this expression system has the capacity to produce functional mammalian plasma membrane anion exchangers at levels sufficient for biochemical and biophysical analysis.
Evaluation of marginal/internal fit of chrome-cobalt crowns: Direct laser metal sintering versus computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the internal and marginal fit of chrome cobalt (Co-Cr) crowns were fabricated with laser sintering, computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing, and conventional methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS Polyamide master and working models were designed and fabricated. The models were initially designed with a software application for three-dimensional (3D) CAD (Maya, Autodesk Inc.). All models were fabricated models were produced by a 3D printer (EOSINT P380 SLS, EOS). 128 1-unit Co-Cr fixed dental prostheses were fabricated with four different techniques: Conventional lost wax method, milled wax with lost-wax method (MWLW), direct laser metal sintering (DLMS), and milled Co-Cr (MCo-Cr). The cement film thickness of the marginal and internal gaps was measured by an observer using a stereomicroscope after taking digital photos in ×24. RESULTS Best fit rates according to mean and standard deviations of all measurements was in DLMS both in premolar (65.84) and molar (58.38) models in μm. A significant difference was found DLMS and the rest of fabrication techniques (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between MCo-CR and MWLW in all fabrication techniques both in premolar and molar models (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION DMLS was best fitting fabrication techniques for single crown based on the results.The best fit was found in marginal; the larger gap was found in occlusal.All groups were within the clinically acceptable misfit range.
African Economic History and Historiography

Africa’s economic history went through various stages, beginning with Stone Age hunter-gatherers, through the Iron Age and the development of agriculture, to sedentary communities with growing and varied economies, bigger and more sophisticated political states, and growing trade activities. Between the 7th and 19th centuries, several large states emerged in the Sahel and in eastern and southern Africa. Key to their rise and prosperity was a growing population and agriculture as well as expanding trade, either through the trans-Saharan trade to the Mediterranean or across the Indian Ocean to Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Africa’s fortunes dipped with the onset of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which ravaged the continent and led to Africa losing millions of people to the New World. Following the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, Europe partitioned and colonized the continent and presided over varied economic regimes. These were settler colonies, peasant-agricultural colonies, and concession company colonies. Of the three, settler colonies developed most, although at the expense of the African majority. Independence came after the Second World War and Africa entered its postcolonial phase. After a promising start in the decade of the 1960s, African economies went into decline in the 1970s, necessitating governments to borrow from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to revamp their economies. The structural adjustment programs they were required to implement as a condition for the loans proved to be deleterious to African economies. African economic history scholars have generally shied away from the continent’s very early periods, preferring to focus on the period after the 15th century which has more documented history. They have used three analytical approaches: classical economics, dependency theory, and Marxist paradigms. Each of the three approaches has some shortcomings. Recently, the New African Economic History approach is using cliometric techniques to study Africa’s economic past. More economics than conventional economic history, it has attracted some from more history-based scholars as ahistorical.
CT of the middiaphyseal femur: cortical bone mineral density and relation to porosity.

PURPOSE To determine whether computed tomography (CT) can be used to quantify age- and site-related changes in cortical bone mineral density (cBMD) at the middiaphyseal femur and whether cBMD differences are related to intracortical porosity. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cortical bone specimens from 163 femurs were studied with CT and microradiography. Femurs were from 77 males and 86 females in a white anthropologic collection covering a broad age spectrum. In each sample, the cBMD was measured in the entire cortical width and in periosteal, midcortical, and endosteal subregions of interest. Age- and site-related changes in cBMD were tested for significance by using a two-way analysis of variance for both sexes. By using linear regression, cBMD was compared with porosity in the entire cortical width and in each subregion. RESULTS There were significant age-related differences in cBMD (P <.001 in females, P =.008 in males). In addition, cBMD values were significantly different between the three cortical subregions (P <.001 for both sexes), decreasing from the periosteum to the midcortex to the endosteum. The cBMD values were closely related to porosity, and porosity contributed to 71.6% of the variance in cBMD in the overall population. CONCLUSION CT is effective in the measurement of age- and site-related changes in cBMD. Decreases in cBMD are closely correlated with increased cortical porosity.
Overall Survival of Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients Treated With Different Treatment Modalities

Therapeutic modalities of use in tumor therapy can be applied in various combinations to treat malignant lesions of the mesopharynx. A study was made of the overall survival of patients with mesopharyngeal carcinoma treated with different modalities in our institution in the period 1995-2000. In this retrospective study, a total of 66 patients were divided into 4 groups: Patients who took part in 1) intra-arterial chemotherapy and subsequent irradiation; 2) intra-arterial chemotherapy and surgical care; 3) only surgical care; or 4) only irradiation or palliative treatment. In each group, the five-year survival rate was examined, as a function of the age of the patient, the initial tumor size, the lymph node status and the clinical stage. The five-year overall survival rate in group 1 was 28.57%, in both group 2 and group 3 was 66.66%, and in group 4 was 20%. For all of the 66 patients, it was 43.93%. For groups 2 and 3, the Kendall rank correction test did not reveal a significant effect of the lymph node state or the clinical stage on the survival, whereas the effects of the age and the initial tumor size did prove to be significant. The Cox regression test showed the latter of these two effects to be the stronger. As 64 of the 66 patients examined were treated for tumors in clinical stages III or IV, the five-year survival rate of 43.93% may be said to be good. The comparison of groups 2 and 3 revealed that (in spite of the poorer initial prognosis in group 2) the survival rates were the same, i.e. the neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy improved the prognosis.
Repeatability of an off-the-shelf, full body inertial motion capture system during clinical gait analysis

Background and aims: To establish gait analysis as part of routine clinical diagnoses, physicians demand accurate and flexible motion capture (Mocap). Currently, popular optical, mechanical and acoustic Mocap systems offer acceptable repeatability, but fall short of the spatial and economic benefits accompanying inertial motion capture (IMC). However, IMC is considered adolescent due to limited testing in gait analysis. This paper aims to address this hindrance through within-day and between test day repeatability studies. Methods: To determine the repeatability of IMC, routine gait studies were done on 30 able-bodied males. Repeatability was quantified using the coefficient of multiple determination (CMD) and the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC). Results: IMC-recorded kinematics were highly repeatable for within-day (CMD: 0.786–0.984 or CMC: 0.881–0.992) and between-day trials (CMD: 0.771–0.991 or CMC: 0.872–0.995). The results compare well to those from similar repeatability studies in the literature based on optical Mocap systems.