Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Integrin-α4, Rb1, and Syncytin A as Murine Placental Target Genes of the Transcription Factor GCMa/Gcm1*

Members of the GCM (glial cells missing) transcription factor family have been shown to act as master regulators in different cells during mammalian and fly development being responsible for processes including gliogenesis, hematopoiesis, placental formation, and development of the parathyroidea. In the central nervous system of flies, several target genes for GCM have been reported, namely repo, pointed, and tramtrack. In mammals, two GCM genes are known (GCMa and GCMb), but the knowledge of their target genes is very limited. Here, we present for the first time a global approach aimed to identify GCMa target genes. We found 66 genes up-regulated and 11 genes down-regulated in GCMa-deficient chorionic tissue of mice at embryonic day 9.5. Moreover, we verified by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR all 11 down-regulated genes. The two most strongly down-regulated genes, integrin-α4 and retinoblastoma (Rb1), were further analyzed by promoter studies. Additionally, we identified down-regulation of the murine syncytin A gene, which is fundamental for syncytiotrophoblast formation. Finally, we proved strong down-regulation of integrin-α4 and Rb1 transcript levels by in situ hybridization in murine GCMa-deficient placentae at embryonic day 9.5. Our data demonstrate for the first time that genes encoding key regulators of placental tissue formation and architecture are regulated by GCMa.
Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus Receptor, a Tight Junction Protein, in Peri-Implantation Mouse Embryos1

ABSTRACT To understand the role of Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), a tight junction (TJ) protein, in peri-implantation embryos, developmental expression of CAR and its role in paracellular permeability were examined in mouse embryos. Splice variants for transmembrane CAR, Car1, Car2, and Car3 mRNA, were expressed from 2-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages onward, respectively, whereas mRNA for soluble CAR was expressed in MII oocytes and 4-cell stage onward. On Western blot, ∼46 kDa CAR proteins were detected in blastocysts. During the 4-cell embryos to morula stage, CAR was gradually concentrated at the contacts between blastomeres. In blastocysts, CAR was expressed at the cell contacts within the inner cell mass as well as in the trophectoderm (TE) where CAR was found together with ZO1 at the apical contacts, suggesting that CAR builds up apical TJs in TE and mediates cell adhesion in TE and inner cell mass. In blastocysts, CAR-blocking antibodies under Ca2+ switching increased the dextran permeability and decreased the volume of blastocoel and H19 and Cdx2 mRNA, suggesting the pivotal role of CAR in the blastocyst development and paracellular permeability barrier in TE. CAR was expressed in TE of implanting embryos as well as endometrial epithelium, suggesting the involvement of CAR in the interaction between implanting embryos and endometrium. At 5–6 days postcoitum, CAR was expressed together with ZO1 in the primitive endoderm, visceral endoderm, and epiblasts facing the pro-amniotic cavity, suggesting that CAR TJs contribute to the separation of epiblast from the blastocoel and development of the pro-amniotic cavity within epiblasts.
Delipidating effect of resveratrol metabolites in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

SCOPE Due to the low bioavailability of resveratrol, determining whether its metabolites exert any beneficial effect is an interesting issue. METHODS AND RESULTS 3T3-L1 maturing pre-adipocytes were treated from day 0 to day 8 of differentiation and mature adipocytes for 24 h on day 12 with 1, 10, or 25 μM of resveratrol or its metabolites. Triacylglycerols were assessed by spectrophotometry and gene expression by real time RT-PCR. Resveratrol, trans-resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide and trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulfate reduced triacylglycerol content in maturing pre-adipocytes at 25 μM. In mature adipocytes, both resveratrol and its glucuronide metabolites, though not sulfate metabolite, reduced triacylglycerol content, although resveratrol was more effective than them. Resveratrol and the three metabolites reduced C/EBPβ mRNA levels. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulfate also reduced C/EBP-α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) expression. In mature adipocytes, resveratrol increased ATGL, CPT-1, deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT-1), and PGC1-α expression. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide reduced mRNA levels of FASN and increased those of SIRT-1. Trans-resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide increased HSL and SIRT-1 mRNA levels. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulfate did not change gene expression. CONCLUSION The present study shows for the first time the delipidating effect of (i) resveratrol metabolites in maturing pre-adipocytes and (ii) glucuronide metabolites in mature adipocytes. This suggests that both resveratrol and resveratrol metabolites may be involved in the anti-obesity effect of this polyphenol.
Extracting information from shadows in SAR imagery

The presence of speckle noise presents considerable challenges in interpreting SAR imagery. Despite the very high resolution that is on offer with modern SAR systems, the extraction of reliable intelligence from SAR imagery in an automated and robust manner has faced considerable difficulties. Shadow regions in SAR imagery are unique in terms of absence of speckle and any distortion from imaging artefacts. This paper presents a series of work that has aimed at exploiting the information in SAR shadows. Earlier work looked at combining shadow features with target features obtained with single look imagery. This provided for better target classification and led to a technique for estimating heights for urban structures. However, it is with multiple perspective imagery that SAR shadows have proved really effective. Using shadow delineation alone, information from different look angles over a sequence of SAR images is combined together to provide very reliable and unambiguous estimates of building dimensions. Another remarkable success has been the detection of moving targets from their shadows over a sequence of SAR images. The images of moving targets are blurred and distorted making it difficult, if not impossible, to detect the moving targets in SAR imagery. However, the target shadows are undistorted. Initial results with short-range data have been successfully replicated with detecting moving targets at much longer ranges. In all of these cases performance will be affected where clutter background is weak, dynamic range is poor or shadows from different objects overlap. Nevertheless, this paper has highlighted a range of applications from target detection and location to urban scene analysis where SAR shadows have been shown to provide a highly effective way of extracting information from the imagery.
Candidate gene for the chromosome 1 familial Alzheimer's disease locus

A candidate gene for the chromosome 1 Alzheimer's disease (AD) locus was identified (STM2). The predicted amino acid sequence for STM2 is homologous to that of the recently cloned chromosome 14 AD gene (S182). A point mutation in STM2, resulting in the substitution of an isoleucine for an asparagine (N141l), was identified in affected people from Volga German AD kindreds. This N141l mutation occurs at an amino acid residue that is conserved in human S182 and in the mouse S182 homolog. The presence of missense mutations in AD subjects in two highly similar genes strongly supports the hypothesis that mutations in both are pathogenic.
Determinantes de las tarifas de interconexión. Un estudio a nivel internacional

Condiciones propicias de interconexion en redes de telecomunicaciones son fundamentales para que se alcance un nivel alto de competencia. Se considera que estudiar bajo que condiciones se generan mejores tarifas de interconexion puede ayudar a disenar politicas que permitan alcanzar una mejora en las tarifas (y en las condiciones) de interconexion en general. El trabajo utiliza una muestra de quince paises para estudiar los determinantes de interconexion a partir de un analisis de regresion. Se encuentra que aquellos paises que tienen autonomia en sus organos regulatorios, esquemas de desagregacion de red y metodologias de determinacion de tarifas con base en el concepto de costo incremental promedio tienen, en general, tarifas de interconexion mas bajas. Asimismo, aquellos paises con mayor PIB per capita tambien tienen menores tarifas de interconexion. El trabajo tambien encuentra evidencia de economias de escala en las redes de telecomunicaciones de servicio fijo. Se hacen propuestas de politica a la luz de los resultados encontrados.
Synergistic Effects of Dietary Vitamin C and Selenium on Induced Methylmercury Toxicity in Juvenile Olive Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

The synergistic effects of dietary vitamin C and selenium (Se) on induced methylmercury (MeHg) toxicity in juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus were examined in this study. Nine diets containing 3 different vitamin C levels (0, 200 and 400 mg kg diet in the form of L-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate), 3 different Se levels (0, 2 and 4 mg kg diet in the form of selenomethionine) at a constant level of MeHg (20 mg kg diet in the form of MeHg) were formulated and fed to triplicate groups of juvenile olive flounder with mean weight of 2.00±0.04 g (mean± SD) in semi recirculation system using 3 factorial design. Growth performance and tissue Hg burden were determined after 8 weeks of feeding. Fish fed diets containing 400 mg kg vitamin C together with 2 and 4 mg kg Se (C400Se2 and C400Se4) showed significantly (P<0.05) higher weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE). Whereas fish which were under the C400Se4 diet exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than other feeding groups. Tissue Hg burden in muscle, liver and kidney showed a tendency of increasing with decreasing the levels of vitamin C and Se. However, significantly low tissue Hg burden was observed from fish fed diets containing 400 mg kg vitamin C together with 2 and 4 mg kg Se (C400Se2 and C400Se4). The results suggested that tissue Hg burden could be reduced and MeHg mediated growth problems could be ameliorated by supplementing dietary vitamin C and Se in juvenile olive flounder.
A Comparative Analysis of Histogram Equalization based Techniques for Contrast Enhancement and Brightness Preserving

Histogram Equalization (HE) is a simple and effective image enhancement technique.But, it tends to change the mean brightness of the image to the middle level of the permitted range, and hence is not a very suitable for consumer product. While preserving the original brightness is essential to avoid annoying artefacts. To preserve brightness and to enhance contrast of images, numerous methods are introduced, but many of them present unwanted artefacts such as intensity saturation, over-enhancement and noise amplification. In the present paper, available histogram equalization based methods are reviewed and compared with image quality measurement (IQM)tools such as Absolute Mean Brightness Error (AMBE) to assess brightness preserving and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) to evaluate contrast enhancement.
Parents' perspectives on the MMR immunisation: a focus group study.

BACKGROUND The uptake of the combined measles, mumps and rubella immunisation (MMR) in Britain has fallen since 1998, when a link was hypothesised with the development of bowel disorders and childhood autism. Despite reassurances about the safety of MMR, uptake levels remain lower than optimal. We need to understand what influences parents' decisions on whether to accept MMR or not so that health professionals can provide a service responsive to their needs. AIM To investigate what influences parents' decisions on whether to accept or refuse the primary MMR immunisation and the impact of the recent controversy over its safety. DESIGN Qualitative study using focus group discussions. SETTING Forty-eight parents, whose youngest child was between 14 months and three years old, attended groups at community halls in six localities in Avon and Gloucestershire. METHODS Purposive sampling strategy was used to include parents from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Three groups comprised parents who had accepted MMR and three groups comprised parents who had refused MMR. Data analysis used modified grounded theory techniques incorporating the constant comparative method. RESULTS All parents felt that the decision about MMR was difficult and stressful, and experienced unwelcome pressure from health professionals to comply. Parents were not convinced by Department of Health reassurances that MMR was the safest and best option for their children and many had accepted MMR unwillingly. Four key factors influenced parents' decisions: (a) beliefs about the risks and benefits of MMR compared with contracting the diseases, (b) information from the media and other sources about the safety of MMR, (c) confidence and trust in the advice of health professionals and attitudes towards compliance with this advice, and (d) views on the importance of individual choice within Government policy on immunisation. CONCLUSIONS Parents wanted up-to-date information about the risks and benefits of MMR to be available in advance of their immunisation appointment. Many parents did not have confidence in the recommendations of health professionals because they were aware that GPs needed to reach immunisation targets. Most parents would, however, welcome more open discussion about immunisation with health professionals.
Acoustical analysis for voice disorders

Glottal sound waveforms were derived by an inverse filtering method from sustained vowels uttered by 217 patients of laryngeal diseases and by 20 normal speakers. Various parameters which indicate individual characteristics were extracted from autocorrelation function, correlograms of time series of fundamental period and peak amplitude in each fundamental period, and spectral envelope of the glottal sound waveform. Then, interdependency among the acoustical parameters and the relation between those and medical parameters utilized in diagnosis were examined by principal-component analysis. Using canonical analysis, classification of some laryngeal diseases was attempted based on those acoustical parameters.
The variable (th) in Dallas African American Vernacular English

It is well-known that African American Vernacular English (hereafter AAVE) displays regional variation. In the case of the (th) variable, Wolfram (1969) found that AAVE speakers in Detroit used the nonstandard variants [f], [t], and O. In New York City, Labov (1972a) observed the use of [t] and [tθ] as the nonstandard variants. In both of these studies conducted in the northern U.S. the variants used by speakers were stratified differently with regard to social factors. Given regional variation of this sort, we might well expect further interesting differences in southern cities of the U.S. The present study, conducted in early 1993, attempts to describe and explain sociolinguistic variation in AAVE in the area of Dallas, Texas. In particular, speakers’ use of the voiceless interdental fricative (th) was observed using Labov’s rapid and anonymous survey technique (Labov 1972b:43-50). Once these data were gathered and analyzed, a test of language attitudes was conducted to aid in interpreting the results. This paper consists of three parts. First, the sociolinguistic variable study of (th) is presented, followed by a description and analysis of the language attitude test, and finally conclusions are offered, based on findings from both parts of the investigation.
BRAF-targeted therapy alters the functions of intratumoral CD4+ T cells to inhibit melanoma progression

The establishment of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is a hallmark feature driving cancer cell evasion of immunosurveillance. In a murine melanoma model, we recently demonstrated that decreased intratumoral CD4+ T-cell expression of CD40L and interferon γ (IFNγ) is critical to maintain this immunosuppressive microenvironment. Altered effector functions of tumor-associated CD4+ T cells is essential for B-RafV600E inhibitor-mediated restoration of antitumor immunity.
Analysis of planar multilayer structures at oblique incidence using an equivalent BCITL Model

In this paper, an equivalent model based on the bi-characteristic-impedance transmission line (BCITL) is employed to model planar multilayer structures effectively for both lossless and lossy cases. In general, BCITLs are lossy, and possesses different characteristic impedances Zplusmn 0b of wave propagating in opposite directions. It should be pointed out that the CCITL is a special of the BCITL when associated losses disappear. This paper presents the PMA in brief. An equivalent model based on BCITLs is next discussed. Then, numerical results of both methods are compared. Finally, conclusions are provided.
Study on the allocation of the water pollutants in the basin by the Gini coefficient method

The Gini coefficient, a concept in the economic field, is introduced into the allocation of the total amount of the water pollutants in terms of the economic, social and environmental system benefit. The population, land area, GDP, current environmental discharge and the amount of the water consumption are used as the indices to formulate the hierarchical optimized model, which is a integrated quality and quantity model. The model is applied to the allocation of the water pollutants in the Wei river basin in Guanzhong district. The Gini coefficient method is a better way to achieve the allocation of the total amount of the water pollutants. It not only overcomes the inequality resulting from the uniform proportion distribution method, but also fully considers the difference of the areas.
[Evaluation of the diaphragm in patients with COPD (emphysema dominant type) by abdominal ultrasonography].

UNLABELLED The aim of this study was to clarify whether the diaphragm in patients with COPD (emphysema dominant type) can be evaluated by abdominal ultrasonography. We therefore established a method for diaphragm scanning: The dome of the right hemidiaphragm was detected by epigastric right oblique scan passing through the right edge of the inferior vena cava and the zone of apposition. Diaphragmatic flattening, correlation between the flattening and %FEV1.0, diaphragmatic motion, and the inspiratory time cycle were also measured. We studied 14 patients with COPD (emphysema dominant type) and 12 healthy control subjects. RESULTS (i) Diaphragmatic flattening was recognized in patients with COPD and the radius of the right hemidiaphragmatic curvature (index of diaphragmatic flattening) correlated with %FEV1.0. (ii) Motion of the anterior diaphragm was poor in patients with COPD. (iii) Expiration time was prolonged in patients with COPD. CONCLUSION Flattening and motion of the diaphragm, as well as the prolonged expiratory time were possible to evaluate by abdominal ultrasonography. Diaphragmatic flattening reflects %FEV1.0. Based on these observations we believe that abdominal ultrasonography may be useful to avoid underdiagnosis of COPD.
Age and gender estimation based on wrinkle texture and color of facial images

We are researching about an age and gender estimation based on wrinkle texture and color of facial images. Preliminary questionnaire (enquete) examination of how effectively the facial images could be used for gender and age estimations was executed by using 300 different faces and 21 examinees. Wrinkles appeared in the face and the shape and size of the facial parts are selected to model the age and gender estimation in this research based on this enquete. Based on this preliminary consideration, an image processing algorithm for wrinkle modeling was proposed in this paper. In addition, a method for making relationships between facial images and their keywords was proposed by using the latent semantic indexing. An efficient interface for displaying the relationships among keywords and facial images has been introduced with 2D/3D-feature space defined by the indexing.
Körperschaftsbesteuerung und Unternehmensverschuldung: Empirische Evidenz von europäischen Firmendaten

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht anhand von europaischen Firmendaten den Ein uss der Korperschaftsteuer auf die Unternehmensverschuldung. Dabei wird insbesondere auf Firmenheterogentiat in Bezug auf Firmengrose und Gesellschaftsform fokussiert. Der verwendete Datensatz enthalt Bilanzinformationen von etwa 400.000 Firmen aus den 27 EU-Landern im Zeitraum zwischen 1999 und 2004. Im Einklang mit den theoretischen Erwartungen zeigen die empirischen Ergebnisse einen signi kant positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der Hohe des Korperschaftsteuersatzes und der Fremdkapitalquote. Im Durchschnitt bewirkt eine Senkung des Korperschaftsteuersatzes um 10 Prozentpunkte einen Ruckgang der Fremdkapitalquote von zweieinhalb bis drei Prozentpunkten. Dieser E ffekt streut allerdings uber die betrachteten Firmentypen.
Guanine Plus Cytosine Contents of the Deoxyribonucleic Acids of Some Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: a Reassessment

Guanine plus cytosine (GC) contents of the deoxyribonucleic acids of Desulfovibrio and Desulfotomaculum have been used as a basis for classification. Some of these data have been incorrectly calculated, resulting in errors of as much as 5% GC. This situation has been corrected by a reanalysis of existing data and by the contribution of new data.
Uric acid, endothelial dysfunction and pre-eclampsia: searching for a pathogenetic link.

BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is strongly associated with hyperuricemia, and in some studies the increase in serum uric acid has been found to correlate with both maternal and fetal morbidity. The hyperuricemia is believed to result primarily from the decreased renal excretion that occurs as a consequence of the pre-eclampsia, and as such is widely viewed as a marker for pre-eclampsia as opposed to having a role in the pathogenesis. HYPOTHESIS We present the hypothesis that hyperuricemia may also have a contributory role in the development of hypertension and renal disease in these patients, and we review recent experimental data that would support this hypothesis. RECOMMENDATION We suggest that studies addressing the role of uric acid in pre-eclampsia may provide new insights into both the pathogenesis and treatment of this condition.
68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging in recurrent prostate cancer: Where are we now?

Introduction Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health concern worldwide with up to 60% of patients experiencing biochemical relapse after radical treatment. Early diagnosis of PCa recurrence is of high importance for successful salvage therapy. The need for accurate imaging has prompted the introduction of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-based radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET). Material and methods In this review we summarized and discussed the results of the studies analyzing the utility of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in patients who experienced a biochemical relapse of prostate cancer. Results PSMA-based PET scans have been proved to provide a superior diagnostic performance over other modalities for localization of the site of early PCa recurrence. 68Ga-PSMA has been also shown to have a higher sensitivity and specificity than other established PET radiotracers such as radiocholines. Conclusions The early studies show promising results and support the use of 68Ga-PSMA for PCa restaging. However, the number of studies concerning the utility of 68Ga-PSMA PET in the context of secondary PCa staging is limited and there is still a considerable scope for further research in this field.