Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological and swimming stamina differences between Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and their hybrids

We hypothesized that body shape differences between Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and their hybrids may influence swimming ability and thus play an important role in the invasion of nonnative rainbow trout and hybrid trout into native cutthroat trout populations. We reared Yellowstone cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and reciprocal hybrid crosses in a common environment and conducted sustained swimming trials in order to test for genetically based morphological and swimming stamina differences. Linear and geometric morphometric analyses identified differences in body shape, with cutthroat trout having slender bodies and small caudal peduncles and rainbow trout having deep bodies and long caudal peduncles. Hybrid crosses were morphologically intermediate to the parental genotypes, with a considerable maternal effect. Consistent with morphological differences, cutthroat trout had the lowest sustained swimming velocity and rainbow trout had t.
Dynamics of Storage Reserve Deposition during Brassica rapa L. Pollen and Seed Development in Microgravity

Pollen and seeds share a developmental sequence characterized by intense metabolic activity during reserve deposition before drying to a cryptobiotic form. Neither pollen nor seed development has been well studied in the absence of gravity, despite the importance of these structures in supporting future long‐duration manned habitation away from Earth. Using immature seeds (3–15 d postpollination) of Brassica rapa L. cv. Astroplants produced on the STS‐87 flight of the space shuttle Columbia, we compared the progress of storage reserve deposition in cotyledon cells during early stages of seed development. Brassica pollen development was studied in flowers produced on plants grown entirely in microgravity on the Mir space station and fixed while on orbit. Cytochemical localization of storage reserves showed differences in starch accumulation between spaceflight and ground control plants in interior layers of the developing seed coat as early as 9 d after pollination. At this age, the embryo is in the cotyledon elongation stage, and there are numerous starch grains in the cotyledon cells in both flight and ground control seeds. In the spaceflight seeds, starch was retained after this stage, while starch grains decreased in size in the ground control seeds. Large and well‐developed protein bodies were observed in cotyledon cells of ground control seeds at 15 d postpollination, but their development was delayed in the seeds produced during spaceflight. Like the developing cotyledonary tissues, cells of the anther wall and filaments from the spaceflight plants contained numerous large starch grains, while these were rarely seen in the ground controls. The tapetum remained swollen and persisted to a later developmental stage in the spaceflight plants than in the ground controls, even though most pollen grains appeared normal. These developmental markers indicate that Brassica seeds and pollen produced in microgravity were physiologically younger than those produced in 1 g. We hypothesize that microgravity limits mixing of the gaseous microenvironments inside the closed tissues and that the resulting gas composition surrounding the seeds and pollen retards their development.
PE, a new sulfated saponin from sea cucumber, Exhibits anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor activities in vitro and in vivo

Here, we examined the in vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor activities of PE, a new marine-derived compound. Inhibition of angiogenesis was assessed in vitro using proliferation, migration, adhesion, tube-formation and apoptosis assays in PE-treated HMECs and HUVECs. In vivo, CAM assays were used to assess inhibition effect of PE on physiological angiogenesis, and immunofluorescent microscopy was used to examine tumor microvessel density and apoptosis in PE-treated mouse tumor models. Finally, Western blotting analyses were performed to examine the effect of PE on VEGF signaling in HMECs. The results showed that PE inhibited proliferation of HMECs and HUVECs with IC50 values of 2.22°¿0.31 ? M and 1.98°¿0.32 ? M, induced endothelial cell apoptosis at concentrations < 2 ? M, induced dose-dependent suppression of cell migration, cell adhesion and tube formation in HMECs and HUVECs, and showed anti-proliferative activities against several tumor cell lines (IC50 values of ~ 4 ? M). In vivo, PE (5 nM/egg) suppressed spontaneous angiogenesis in our CAM assay, and induced marked growth inhibition in mouse sarcoma 180 and hepatoma 22 models. Specifically, PE treatment reduced mouse sarcoma 180 tumor volume by triggering apoptosis of both tumor and tumor-associated endothelial cells, preferentially targeting on endothelial cells comparable with tumor cells. Finally, PE treatment suppressed the active (phosphorylated) forms of VEGFR2, Akt, ERK, FAK and paxillin, which are involved in endothelial cell survival, proliferation, adhesion and migration. Our results indicate that PE exerts an anti-angiogenic activity associated with inhibition of VEGFR2 signaling, and an anti-tumor activity associated with decreased proliferation of tumor cells and increased apoptosis of both endothelial cells and tumor cells.
A technique for estimating total spine numbers on golgi‐impregnated dendrites

The functional significance of dendritic spines and their morphological sensitivity to a wide spectrum of experimental manipulations and pathological states have led to a number of studies in which counts of dendritic spine number have been carried out. These studies have, for the most part, involved the enumeration of only those spines which protrude from the opaque shafts of Golgi‐impregnated dendrites into the clear zones flanking the dendrite. Such counts, limited to only those spines which are visible, underrepresent the true total number of spines borne by the dendrites. The magnitude of underrepresentation correlates positively with dendritic shaft diameter and negatively with spine length. This seriously restricts the usefulness of comparisons of spine density between dendrites, or even between segments of the same dendrite.
Positive identification of a measles virus cDNA clone encoding a region of the phosphoprotein

A measles virus-specific cDNA clone, C1-G, that was previously assigned as a hemagglutinin-specific clone has been reassigned as a phosphoprotein-specific clone. The nucleotide sequence of C1-G was used to deduce the amino acid sequence. A synthetic peptide was constructed from a portion of the deduced sequence, and antisera were prepared. The antibodies directed against this synthetic peptide specifically precipitated the phosphoprotein of measles virus and not the hemagglutinin.
Migration and Proliferation of Intact and Genetically Modified Primordial Germ Cells and the Generation of a Transgenic Chicken1

Abstract This study evaluated gonadal migration and postmigratory proliferation of intact and genetically modified chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs). A randomized, controlled trial was conducted with the gonadal population of PGCs and transgenic chicken production as major parameters. PGCs (0, 90, 900, 1800, or 3000 cells) were transferred into 53-h-old embryos. The percentage of PGCs migrating on Day 6 of development was highest (35.8%) following the transfer of 900 PGCs and did not change with increases in transferred PGCs. The number of migrating PGCs gradually increased (P = 0.0001) as the number of transferred PGCs was increased. Gonadal migration was detected after the transfer of intact and genetically modified PGCs, but prominent decreases in PGC migration (from 21.9% to 0.38%) and chimera ratio (from 0.4 to 0.007) occurred with genetically modified PGCs. However, subsequent vigorous proliferation of the modified PGCs (3.67-fold increase from transferred number) led to the derivation of a germline chimera and produced a transgenic hatchling. In conclusion, the number of migrating PGCs increased as the number of transferred cells increased. Vigorous proliferation after transfer compensated for the decreased migration capacity of genetically modified PGCs and resulted in the production of a transgenic chicken.
Migration levels of monostyrene in most vulnerable foods handled and stored in polystyrene containers and their impact on the daily intake

The migration of residual styrene from polystyrene (PS) packages to foods has been a major concern in recent years worldwide. The level of styrene migration from polystyrene cups was measured in different food systems (n=24) including: dairy products with varied fat contents, where yogurt (3% fat), sour cream (6% fat) and cream (30% fat) stored in polystyrene packages at 4°C for three days, hot cooked beans kept at 80 O C for 40 min, hot tea stand at 100 O C for 20 min and fluid Tahini (70% fat) stored at room temperature for 7 days. Styrene residue in samples was extracted using water/acetonitrile mixture then distillate was analyzed by HPLC. Fat content and storage temperature were found to be significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) the migration rate of styrene whereas the contact time between food and package had less effect. Styrene migration was found to be strongly dependent upon the fat content. Maximum migration limit has occurred with the highest fat content; fluid Tahini (70%) at a concentration of 74.0 µg/kg. The calculated consumed quantity of styrene from each food items in adults ranged from 0.012 to 0.123 µg/kg wt/day which corresponding to 0.76 - 7.4 µg/day/person. The study showed that the styrene intake from each tested food item is less than the international allowable level while estimated total dietary styrene intake was amounted to be 11.31 µg/day/person. The results postulate that consumption of foods rich in fat content in PS packages could represent health hazard while they are highly stimulating migration of monostyrene.
3D evaluation of myocardial edema: experimental study on 22 pigs using magnetic resonance and tissue analysis.

BACKGROUND Myocardial edema (ME) adversely affects ventricular function. Thus, we performed an animal study to demonstrate (1) 3D-ME using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can show ME depending on myocardial location, (2) type of cardioplegic solution, and (3) quantification tools. METHODS Pig hearts (n = 22) were perfused using Bretschneider's solution (BRET, n = 8), butanedionemonoxime (BDM, n=8), or no cardioplegia as controls (CTRL, n = 6). Hearts underwent MRI (T(1)-inversion recovery). Myocardial water content (MWC, reference method) was determined from left ventricle anterior, posterior (PW), lateral wall, interventricular septum, papillary muscle, right ventricle wall. Images underwent 3D reconstruction using ray-tracing. Gray-value analysis was performed on "virtual" samples. For statistical analysis, ANOVA, Student's t-test, and the Student-Newman-Keuls test were used. RESULTS (1) ME was induced (p < 0.0001 vs. control). Localization differed in MWC, p = 0.003 (BRET), p = 0.023 (BDM), highest at PW (p < 0.01). (2) Differences between the cardioplegia groups were not significant. (3) "Virtual" samples showed equal distribution (BRET: p = 0.007, BDM: p = 0.003), highest at PW (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS We validated 3D assessment of induced ME in pig hearts using MRI. The method may therefore become an exact tool in monitoring cardioplegia.
Comparison of the duration of neuromuscular blockade following a single bolus dose of rocuronium during laparoscopic gynaecological surgery vs conventional open surgery

We investigated whether laparoscopic vs open surgical approaches affected the duration of neuromuscular blockade following a single bolus dose of rocuronium. Fifty‐three female patients underwent either laparoscopic or open gynaecological surgery. Rocuronium 0.6 mg.kg−1 was administered to achieve neuromuscular blockade in all subjects, and adductor pollicis train‐of‐four responses following ulnar nerve stimulation were monitored with mechanomyography. The mean (SD) time from injection of rocuronium until spontaneous recovery of the first twitch, and to 5% and 25% of baseline, was significantly prolonged in the laparoscopic group (27.2 (8.3) min, 31.3 (9.1) min and 38.1 (10.6) min, respectively) compared with the open surgery group (21.1 (5.8) min, 25.6 (6.3) min and 31.2 (6.7) min, respectively). Changes in liver function both before surgery and at 24 h postoperatively were similar between the two groups (p > 0.05). Our findings suggest that neuromuscular blockade may be prolonged following a single bolus dose of rocuronium given during laparoscopic procedures.
Extended Kalman Filter vs. Geometrical Approach for Stokes Space-Based Polarization Demultiplexing

By deriving the physical model of the system, which includes definitions of both state variables and measurement equations, we apply an extended Kalman filter to Stokes space-based polarization demultiplexing for complex-modulated signals. The convergence ratio, tracking, computational complexity, and system performance of this method are investigated and compared with the geometrical approach previously proposed to adaptive computation of the best fit plane. An analysis of the tuning parameters of both methods reveals that the Kalman filtering provides a more robust and stable polarization demultiplexing of signals. Nevertheless, if properly tuned, the geometrical approach attains a similar performance, with a gain of 90% in terms of complexity reduction.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Strategic Dynamics

This introductory essay connects the various contributions included in the special issue on strategic dynamics and contrasts them with the static analyses that predominate in the strategy field. In addition to highlighting a variety of methodological approaches, the contributions shed substantive light on strategic dynamics at the value system and industry and firm levels. Taken together, they also suggest some broad directions for further work aimed at making dynamics a more important part of the future of the field of strategy.
Inhibition of puumala and tula hantaviruses in Vero cells by MxA protein.

Human MxA protein is a type I Interferon-inducible intracytoplasmic protein, which mediates antiviral actions against a variety of negative-strand RNA viruses including influenza A, measles, and vesicular stomatitis viruses. Recently, it has also been shown that several members of the Bunyaviridae family are inhibited by MxA protein. The hantavirus genus in the Bunyaviridae family includes important human pathogenic viruses, e.g., Puumala (PUUV), Hantaan, and Sin Nombre viruses. Tula virus (TULV) is a new member of the genus, but its pathogenicity in man remains to be determined. As assumed by the similarities in replication strategy. MxA would be a good candidate molecule for antiviral action against these viruses, also. To gain more insight into the MxA action on PUUV, we studied PUUV and TULV replication in stably MxA genetransfected Vero cells. We show that MxA protein has the capacity to inhibit both viral protein and RNA accumulation in virus-infected cells. We also studied PUUV and TULV infection in MxA-transfected U-937 cell clones. In these cell lines both hantaviruses grew poorly, independent of whether the cells were expressing MxA or not Whether cell line-specific differences in the antiviral activity of MxA protein against hantaviruses exist cannot be conclusively determined due to the lack of productive infection of PUUV and TULV in U-937 cells.
Postdischarge Complications Predict Reoperation and Mortality after Otolaryngologic Surgery

Objectives (1) Determine procedure-specific rates of postdischarge complications (PDCs) and their risk factors in the first 30 days following inpatient otolaryngologic surgery. (2) Evaluate association between PDCs and risk of reoperation and mortality. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (2005-2011). Subjects and Methods We identified 48,028 adult patients who underwent inpatient otolaryngologic surgery. Outcomes of interest included complications, reoperation, and mortality in the first 30 days following surgery. Statistical analysis included chi-square, t tests, and multivariate regression. Results Laryngectomy, lip, and tongue/floor of mouth surgery had the highest PDC rates (8.0%, 7.4%, and 4.1%, respectively). Within the first 48 hours, week, and 2 weeks post discharge, 10%, 44%, and 73% of PDCs occurred, respectively. Common PDCs included surgical site infections (53.6%), other infections (37.4%), and venous thromboembolic events (7.4%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.02), prolonged operative time (OR = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.39-2.03), hospital stay >1 day (OR = 1.49; 95% CI, 1.18-1.86), and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class ≥3 (OR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18-1.78) were independently associated with PDCs. Patients with PDCs were more likely to die (0.9% vs 0.1%, P < .001) or have a reoperation (10.4% vs 1.2%, P < .001). Conclusion This is the first study of overall postdischarge events after otolaryngologic surgery. PDC rates in otolaryngology occur soon after discharge, are procedure specific, and are associated with reoperation and mortality. Targeted procedure-specific triage and follow-up plans for high-risk patients may improve outcomes.
Acute Effects of MPH on the Parent–Teen Interactions of Adolescents With ADHD

This study explored the nature of interactions between adolescent males with ADHD and their mothers, and the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on an analogue parent–teen interaction task. Twenty-five adolescent males with ADHD (M = 13.6 years) and their mothers and 14 non-ADHD adolescent males (M = 13.4 years) and their mothers completed ratings of perceived dyadic conflict. Behavioral observations of dyads during 10-min conflict-resolution tasks were also collected. The ADHD dyads completed these tasks twice, with adolescents receiving either 0.3 mg/kg MPH or placebo. Videotaped sessions were coded using the Parent–Adolescent Interaction Rating Scale. Following the conflict-resolution task, participants rated their perceived conflict and affect during the interaction. Findings indicated higher conflict in the ADHD dyads, and minimal MPH effects on parent–teen interactions during the analogue task. Results suggest that stimulant medication does not produce meaningful acute effects on parent–teen interactions.
MicroRNA-155-enhanced Autophagy in Human Gastric Epithelial Cell in Response to Helicobacter Pylori

Background/Aim: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs acting as posttranscriptional gene expression regulators in many physiological and pathological conditions. MiR-155 is one kind of miRNAs that plays an important role in causing various diseases. However, the precise molecular mechanism of the ectopic expression of miR-155 in Helicobacter pylori infection remains poorly understood. Autophagy has recently been identified as an effective way to control the intracellular bacterium survival. In the present study, we demonstrate a novel role of miR-155 in regulating the autophagy-mediated anti-H. pylori response. Patients and Methods: Totally 86 H. pylori-positive patients together with 10 H. pylori-negative, healthy control subjects were included in the study. Correlation between immunohistochemical grades and miR-155 expression were determined. Molecular mechanism of miR-155 on regulation of autophagy and elimination of intracellular H. pylori were determined using the GES-1 cell model. Results: We found that overexpression of miR-155 by transfecting miR-155 mimics could significantly decrease the survival of intracellular H. pylori, and this process was through induction of autophagy. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between miR-155 and immunohistochemical grades in H. pylori-positive patients, and miR-155 expression were decreased in the intestinal metaplasia group. Conclusions: The results have indicated that the miR-155 expression level plays a key role in immunity response against H. pylori and this might provide potential targets for the future treatment of H. pylori-related diseases.
An lp-based reconstruction algorithm for compressed sensing radar imaging

Radar scientists have recently explored the application of compressed sensing for generating high resolution range profiles (HRRPs) from a limited number of measurements. The last decade has witnessed a surge of algorithms for this purpose. Among these algorithms complex-valued approximate message passing (CAMP) has attracted attention for the following reasons: (i) it converges very fast, (ii) its mean-squared-error can be accurately predicted theoretically at every iteration, (iii) it is straightforward to control the false alarm rate and optimize for the best probability of detection. Despite its nice features, the recovery performance of CAMP is similar to ℓ1-minimization and hence is expected to be improved. The goal of this paper is to first show how the algorithm can be extended to solve non-convex optimization problems. Based on our framework we develop a new algorithm called adaptive ℓp-CAMP that not only has all the nice properties of CAMP, but also provably outperforms it. We explore the performance of our algorithm on a real radar data and show that our new algorithm generates SNRs that are up to 6dB better than those of the other existing algorithms including the original CAMP.
Weight loss and endothelial function in obesity.

Endothelial dysfunction, a pathologic feature of obesity, predicts the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (1,2), and is felt to mediate the increased cardiovascular risk associated with a number of classical and nonclassical risk factors. However, the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in obesity remains uncertain. In this field, the major questions center on the relative roles of insulin resistance, fatty acids, or adipocyte-associated cytokines on endothelial function. For example, a number of groups have demonstrated the ability of acute increases in circulating nonesterified fatty acids to induce insulin resistance at both the cellular and whole-body levels (3,4). The observation that such interventions also induce vascular dysfunction (5) has hinted at the mechanism of obesity-associated endothelial dysfunction, but many questions remain. We are beginning to see studies of the effects of weight loss, achieved through a variety of means, on endothelial function in obesity. These studies are welcome for two reasons: information regarding further benefits of weight loss can help support arguments for better funding, access, and support of weight loss programs by various payors; also, there is a clear opportunity for such studies to contribute materially to our understanding of the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in obesity. Weight loss is generally associated with beneficial changes in variables associated independently with endothelial dysfunction, such as blood pressure and HDL cholesterol, and such studies can therefore provide clues to the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in this setting. This is something of a minefield, however, because the therapeutic lifestyle interventions usually recommended to achieve weight loss include exercise, a confounder that has well-recognized effects on endothelial function. Conversely, pharmacologically assisted weight loss must account for possible direct effects of the medication on endothelial function independent of its effects …