Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Type 1 collagen synthesis by human osteoblasts in response to placental lactogen and chaperonin 10, a homolog of early-pregnancy factor

SummaryRecent studies have indicated that maternal skeletal metabolism undergoes significant changes during gestation. The agents that are responsible for eliciting these changes in bone turnover during pregnancy have yet to be defined. We therefore sought to investigate whether chaperonin 10 (Cpn10), a homolog of early-pregnancy factor, or human placental lactogen (PL) were capable of influencing the synthesis of type I collagen by human osteoblasts in vitro. Both Cpn10 and PL are major components of the maternal circulation during pregnancy, but how they might contribute to bone metabolism has not been determined. Type I collagen represents the most abundant component of bone tissue, accounting for approximately 90% of the organic compartment. Both Cpn10 and PL were capable of stimulating the synthesis of type I collagen by human osteoblasts in culture. The inclusion of 17β-estradiol or prolactin, however, failed to influence the ability of cells to mobilize type I collagen. These novel findings support a role for PL and Cpn10 in the metabolism of bone tissue during pregnancy. Maternal bone collagen metabolism is clearly an important event during pregnancy, and the identification of the factors responsible will aid our understanding of the regulation of skeletal metabolism during gestation.
Calcite in Lesquerella ovalifolia Trichomes

By chemical analysis, trichomes of Lesquerella ovalifolia Rydb. have been shown to contain a high percentage of calcium carbonate. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that it was in the form of calcite. The calcite was inside the trichomes, and its depositional pattern conformed to the shape of the trichomes. A small amount of opal was present in the trichomes.
Opposing actions of angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin II in the brain of transgenic hypertensive rats.

Lack of specific antagonists to the amino-terminal heptapeptide angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] prompted us to evaluate the central effects of delivering a specific affinity-purified Ang-(1-7) antibody on the blood pressure and heart rate of 12-week-old conscious homozygous female rats (n = 12) expressing the mouse submandibular Ren-2d gene [(mRen-2d)27] in their genome. Another group of transgenic hypertensive and strain-matched Sprague-Dawley controls were injected with a specific Ang II monoclonal antibody (KAA8). Cerebroventricular administration of the affinity-purified Ang-(1-7) antibody in conscious transgenic hypertensive rats caused significant dose-related elevations in blood pressure associated with tachycardia. The hypertensive response was augmented in transgenic rats studied 7 to 10 days after cessation of lisinopril therapy. Neutralization of Ang II with the Ang II antibody caused a hemodynamic response opposite to that obtained with the Ang-(1-7) antibody. All doses of the Ang II antibody produced hypotension and bradycardia. The magnitude of the depressor response was significantly augmented in transgenic rats weaned off lisinopril therapy. In contrast, central administration of either the Ang-(1-7) or Ang II antibodies had no effect on normotensive rats. Central injections of an affinity-purified IgG fraction were ineffective in both control and transgene-positive rats. These data suggest that in the brain of transgenic hypertensive rats, Ang-(1-7) opposes the action of Ang II on the central mechanism or mechanisms that contribute to the maintenance of this model of hypertension. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Progress Tracking of Health-Related SDGs: Challenges and Opportunities for India

Given its size and the low baseline, India has a crucial role in global progress and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in health. As a result, there is a great need for effective monitoring of the country’s progress toward health-related SGDs, through timely and disaggregated data, which would allow for systematic assessment and course correction. This paper aims to classify the health and nutrition-related indicators from the existing health and healthcare surveys that India relies on for tracking progress and recommends that two of the largest household surveys be streamlined to strengthen the National Indicator Framework (NIF) for goal tracking purposes. The paper also reviews the draft NIF and proposes certain revisions from a data perspective in a revised draft framework for the government’s consideration. Finally, it highlights various gaps and constraints in data availability, and develops specific recommendations to achieve a data sphere consistent with the envisaged NIF.
PREDICTION MODELS FOR ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION UNDER INFLUENCE OF METEOFACTORS

The purpose of the study is to assess the effect of meteorological factors on electricity consumption. The object of the study is the power system of the Astrakhan region. As the initial data, a sample was compiled of the data of 12 months of 2015 and 2016. One of the main indicators in planning the work of the energy association and the energy system is the magnitude of the forecasts of the expected power consumption (electricity and power consumption) as a whole for the system, groups and individual consumers, the nodes of the electrical scheme. The magnitude of the forecast of power consumption is a reference indicator for the subsequent planning of energy balances, power and calculation of electrical regimes. The need for accurate forecasting is due to technological and economic reasons. Accurate calculations to ensure the optimal distribution of the load between stations, from an economic point of view, facilitate sales of economically viable operations for the purchase and sale of electricity. There has been given analysis of energy consumption depending on temperature changes and the amount of precipitation during the accounting period. Calculations are made for the deviations of each indicator. The graphs of the dependences of power consumption on the amount of precipitation and temperature are plotted. For these dependencies, polynomial equations are compiled. For a constant relationship between power consumption and the temperature of the calculated correlation coefficients. The correlation coefficient makes it possible to determine how proportional the variability of the two variables is. Taking into account the set of meteorological factors makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the predicted changes in the energy sector.
The zebrafish common cardinal veins develop by a novel mechanism: lumen ensheathment

The formation and lumenization of blood vessels has been studied in some detail, but there is little understanding of the morphogenetic mechanisms by which endothelial cells (ECs) forming large caliber vessels aggregate, align themselves and finally form a lumen that can support blood flow. Here, we focus on the development of the zebrafish common cardinal veins (CCVs), which collect all the blood from the embryo and transport it back to the heart. We show that the angioblasts that eventually form the definitive CCVs become specified as a separate population distinct from the angioblasts that form the lateral dorsal aortae. The subsequent development of the CCVs represents a novel mechanism of vessel formation, during which the ECs delaminate and align along the inner surface of an existing luminal space. Thereby, the CCVs are initially established as open-ended endothelial tubes, which extend as single EC sheets along the flow routes of the circulating blood and eventually enclose the entire lumen in a process that we term ‘lumen ensheathment’. Furthermore, we found that the initial delamination of the ECs as well as the directional migration within the EC sheet depend on Cadherin 5 function. By contrast, EC proliferation within the growing CCV is controlled by Vascular endothelial growth factor C, which is provided by circulating erythrocytes. Our findings not only identify a novel mechanism of vascular lumen formation, but also suggest a new form of developmental crosstalk between hematopoietic and endothelial cell lineages.
Growing up: Perspectives of children, families and service providers regarding the needs of older children with perinatally-acquired HIV

Abstract Children with perinatally-acquired HIV are living into adolescence and adulthood. As this is a relatively new phenomenon, there is a paucity of research highlighting the complex issues that arise for these children. This qualitative case-study examines the needs of a select group of older children (9–16 years old) with perinatally-acquired HIV in the province of British Columbia, Canada through focus groups and interviews conducted with ten HIV-infected children, 11 family members and 11 service providers. The needs of this population are diverse, reflecting its heterogeneity. However, participants consistently highlighted issues of stigma, sexual health and mental health as major areas of current and future concern. Continued support, education and future planning in these areas are necessary for older HIV-infected children as they transition out of childhood.
Rain detection and removal of sequential images

Detection and removal of rain in image is a difficult and crucial problem due to the complexity of rain and its negative effects on image. The spatio-temporal property and the chromatic property of rain are comprehensively analyzed. Using the two properties, a simple but effective algorithm is proposed to detect and remove the rain of sequential images. Firstly time complexity of k-means is reduced by our optimized algorithm. Then each pixel is classified by the optimized k-means according to the spatio-temporal property. Next the chromatic constraint is used to identify accurately the rain. Finally the blending parameter α is computed and the rain in each frame is removed. The method can handle both light and heavy rain in image. Experimental results prove that our algorithm performs simply but effectively.
Is Agricultural Intensification a Growing Health Concern? Perceptions from Waste Management Stakeholders in Vietnam

This article characterizes the health risk perceptions toward excreta and wastewater management practices among waste management stakeholders in Vietnam and explores the implications of such perceptions on hygiene behaviors and preventative actions. Key informant interviews (n = 19; 12 women and 7 men) were conducted with farmers, community leaders, researchers, and government representatives in Hanoi and Ha Nam Province. Interviews were audio-recorded with permission, transcribed, and analyzed using a constant comparative method and qualitative thematic analysis. Researchers and government representatives perceived that the lack of knowledge of safe waste management practices among farmers was responsible for the use of “outdated” and often “unsafe” waste management practices. However, many farmers were aware of the health risks and safe hygienic practices but felt that safety measures were impractical and viewed susceptibility to diseases as low risk. Farmers also identified unfavorable climate and working conditions, limited financial capacity, and limited farm space as barriers to adopting safe management practices. At the broader level, inadequate communication between ministries often led to the creation of inconsistent waste management regulations. These barriers create constraints on efforts to improve sustainable waste management practices. Promoting collaboration between sectors, encouraging farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing, and designing and implementing risk communication strategies that account for risk perceptions of stakeholders are recommended.
Análise do desempenho das equipas no campeonato de futebol português

O Futebol é o desporto coletivo mais popular no mundo. Por outro lado, o conhecimento no Futebol tem sido reconhecido como um dos mais heterogéneos e ricos recursos que permite o desenvolvimento de novas metodologias para gestão de tomadas de decisões inteligentes. O Data Mining é um processo que nos permite encontrar novos padrões de conhecimento não-trivial em grandes conjuntos de dados, que potenciam inovações e capacidade de continuamente criar serviços excelentes em termos de complexidade, flexibilidade e criatividade. Neste sentido, este artigo descreve um trabalho exploratório de análise da performance das equipas no Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Português no século XXI, determinando quais os fatores de um jogo de futebol, mais decisivos para a classificação final de uma equipa, além do número de vitórias, empates ou derrotas.
Range‐wide molecular analysis of the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata): cryptic variation, isolation by distance, and their conservation implications

We analysed phylogeography and population genetic variation across the range of the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) using rapidly evolving mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data. Nuclear DNA sequences from two unlinked introns displayed extremely low levels of variation, but phylogenetic analyses based on mtDNA recovered four well‐supported and geographically coherent clades. These included a large Northern clade composed of populations from Washington south to San Luis Obispo County, California, west of the Coast Ranges; a San Joaquin Valley clade from the southern Great Central Valley; a geographically restricted Santa Barbara clade from a limited region in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; and a Southern clade that occurs south of the Tehachapi Mountains and west of the Transverse Range south to Baja California, Mexico. An analysis of molecular variance (amova) based on regional hydrographic units revealed that populations from the Sacramento Valley north to Washington were virtually invariant, with no evidence of population substructure among northern river drainage basins. In other areas, E. marmorata contains considerable unrecognized variation, particularly in central and southern California and in northern Baja California, Mexico. Our northern clade is congruent with the distribution of the subspecies Emys marmorata marmorata (Washington–central California). However, no clade is congruent with the distribution of the southern subspecies Emys marmorata pallida from central California–Baja. Thus, recognition of the current subspecies split is not warranted, based on the available genetic evidence. Our amova and phylogenetic results, in conjunction with a growing comparative database for other codistributed aquatic taxa, confirm the occurrence of genetic breaks across the Tehachapi Mountains and Transverse Range bounding the southern end of the Great Central Valley, and point to southern California as a rich source of cryptic genetic variation.
Management of carcinoma of anal canal.

The application of various treatment modalities in the management of carcinoma of the anal canal remains controversial. Forty-nine patients were reviewed from the affiliated hospitals of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Exclusions for postoperative deaths, associated vulvar carcinoma, and lack of follow-up left 35 patients for determinate study. The overall 5-year survival rate was 28.6% (10 of 35). When reviewed by stage of disease, a direct relationship between advanced stage and decreased survival (i.e., 60% five-year survival rate with stage I, 25% with stage II, and 14.3% with stage III) was noted. Further reclassification of stage III, nodal involvement, showed the same survival for perirectal nodal involvement as for synchronous inguinal node involvement. Seven of ten 5-year survivors received a combined surgery-radiotherapy approach. In addition, in those patients receiving tumoricidal radiation pre- or postoperatively, no local recurrence was demonstrated. A treatment protocol of abdominal perineal resection, with combined radiation therapy for locally advanced lesions, is proposed.
Emerging therapies for hepatitis C virus

Importance of the field: Currently, 170 million people worldwide are affected by the HCV. Chronic HCV infection is amongst the leading causes of chronic liver disease and its complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, making it the most common reason for liver transplantation. The current standard of treatment for HCV is pegylated IFN-α plus ribavirin. This treatment, when administered for the standard duration, allows sustained virological response (SVR) in ∼ 50% of patients infected with HCV and about 40% for HCV genotype 1, the most prevalent form of HCV in the US. SVR rates for populations with co-morbidities (patients with chronic renal disease) and certain ethnic backgrounds (African Americans and Hispanics) are lower. Given the high prevalence and relatively low cure rates of current antiviral therapy, the burden of HCV is enormous. Areas covered in this review: Faced with this urgent and growing medical need, research into novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of HCV is a rapidly growing industry. Several novel compounds are in advanced stages of clinical development, such as HCV protease inhibitors (particularly those against NS3-4A protease), HCV polymerase inhibitors (including both nucleoside and non-nucleoside analogs) and cyclophilin inhibitors. What the reader will gain: HCV treatment has seen many advances in the last decade and the discovery process has been fraught with both successes and disappointments. Through a process of rigorous research, the current late stage novel HCV therapeutics seem to have overcome some of the obstacles met by their early predecessors and offer the promise of meeting the shortfalls of the current standard of treatment. Take home message: Data from clinical trials are encouraging and suggest that combination therapies of these novel agents may have the potential to shorten treatment duration and increase viral clearance when used in conjunction with pegylated IFN-α and ribavirin.
Bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron at low temperatures

This study comprises the first report of ferrous iron oxidation by psychrotolerant, acidophilic iron‐oxidizing bacteria capable of growing at 5°C. Samples of mine drainage‐impacted surface soils and sediments from the Norilsk mining region (Taimyr, Siberia) and Kristineberg (Skellefte district, Sweden) were inoculated into acidic ferrous sulfate media and incubated at 5°C. Iron oxidation was preceded by an approximately 3‐month lag period that was reduced in subsequent cultures. Three enrichment cultures were chosen for further work and one culture designated as isolate SS3 was purified by colony isolation from a Norilsk enrichment culture for determining the kinetics of iron oxidation. The 16S rRNA based phylogeny of SS3 and two other psychrotolerant cultures, SS5 from Norilsk and SK5 from Northern Sweden, was determined. Comparative analysis of amplified 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the psychrotolerant cultures aligned within Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The rate constant of iron oxidation by growing cultures of SS3 was in the range of 0.0162–0.0104 h−1 depending on the initial pH. The oxidation kinetics followed an exponential pattern, consistent with a first order rate expression. Parallel iron oxidation by a mesophilic reference culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was extremely slow and linear. Precipitates harvested from the 5°C culture were identified by X‐ray diffraction as mixtures of schwertmannite (ideal formula Fe8O8(OH)6SO4) and jarosite (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6). Jarosite was much more dominant in precipitates produced at 30°C. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;97:1470–1478. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dual Action of Hydrogen Peroxide on Synaptic Transmission at the Frog Neuromuscular Junction

There is evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced and released during neuromuscular activity, but their role in synaptic transmission is not known. Using a two‐electrode voltage‐clamp technique, at frog neuromuscular junctions, the action H2O2 on end‐plate currents (EPC) was studied to determine the targets for this membrane‐permeable ROS. In curarized or cut muscles, micromolar concentrations of H2O2 increased the amplitude of EPCs. Higher (> 30 μm) doses inhibited EPCs and prolonged current decay. These effects were presynaptic since H2O2 did not change the amplitude or duration of miniature EPCs (although it reduced the rate of spontaneous release at high concentrations). Quantal analysis and deconvolution methods showed that facilitation of EPCs was due to increased quantal release, while depression was accompanied by temporal dispersion of evoked release. Extracellular recordings revealed prolonged presynaptic Ca2+ entry in the presence of high H2O2. Both low and high H2O2 increased presynaptic potentiation during high‐frequency stimulation. Pro‐oxidant Fe2+ did not affect facilitation by low doses of H2O2 but augmented the inhibition of EPCs by high H2O2, indicating involvement of hydroxyl radicals. High Mg2+ and the ROS scavenger N‐acetylcysteine eliminated both the facilitatory and depressant effects of H2O2. The facilitatory effect of H2O2 was prevented by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors and 4β‐phorbol 12‐myristate, 13‐acetate (PMA), an activator of PKC. PKC inhibitors but not PMA also abolished the depressant effect of H2O2. Our data suggest complex presynaptic actions of H2O2, which could serve as a fast feedback modulator of intense neuromuscular transmission.
Inflationary effects of fiscal and monetary policies in Indonesia

This paper analyzes the effects of fiscal and monetary policies on inflation rate in Indonesia. This research uses the error correction model for estimating the empirical model of inflation rate for annual data 1970-2017. The results present the significant effects of fiscal and monetary variables on the inflation rate. These findings reveal the inflationary effects of fiscal and monetary policies in the country. This research also finds the impact of output and exchange rate on inflation rate. Therefore, this paper supports the theory of demand-pull inflation as well as the proposition of imported inflation. The other uniqueness of this research is the inclusion of shock variables in the empirical model. This study asserts the significant role of inflation shock and unanticipated exchange rate on the domestic price level. It implies that domestic inflation is closely related to the international financial sector.
Content-Adaptive Data Fusion

We propose a novel image fusion scheme based on independent component analysis in which image / information is fused aimed at information maximization. In the scheme, a novel algorithm is presented which, based on specific fusing images, determines adaptively a specific weight for linear fusion of images using ICA. The scheme is established on the ICA maximum information principles and offers an efficient and adaptive image fusion process with the robustness under various fusion situations.
Embedding Cooperation in General-Equilibrium Models

Humans cooperate a great deal in economic activity, but our two major models of equilibrium – Walrasian competitive in markets and Nash in games – portray us as only non-cooperative. In earlier work, I have proposed a model of cooperative decision making (Kantian optimization); here, I embed Kantian optimization in general equilibrium models and show that ‘Walras-Kant’ equilibria exist and often resolve inefficiencies associated with income taxation, public goods and bads, and non-traditional firm ownership, which typically plague models where agents are Nash optimizers. In four examples, introducing Kantian optimization in one market – often the labor market – suffices to internalize externalities, generating Pareto efficient equilibria in their presence. The scope for efficient decentralization via markets appears to be significantly broadened with cooperative behavior.