Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental changes in mouse placental cells from several stages of pregnancy in vivo and in vitro.

Developmental changes in mouse placentae from the 6th to the 18th day of pregnancy were studied in vivo and in vitro. Placental volume increased from the 6th to the 18th day of pregnancy; however, the total number of cells per placenta reached a plateau on the 14th day. Decidual cells were predominant in the placenta on the 6th day. Placentae obtained from the 10th to the 18th day contained decidual cells, trophoblastic (labyrinth and spongiotrophoblast) cells, and trophoblast giant cells. Decidual cells increased in number from the 6th to the 10th but decreased on the 14th day, whereas trophoblastic cells increased linearly until the 14th day. Two types of placental cells were distinguished in vitro: small fibroblast-like cells and large flattened cells containing 2-3 nuclei. The large cells reacted to anti-desmin antibody, indicating their decidual character. The small cells reacting to anti-keratin antibody appeared to be trophoblastic cells. Decidual cells from all days of gestation were nonproliferative, regressing with time in culture. 17 beta-Estradiol (E, 10(-9) and 10(-8) M), progesterone (P, 10(-10), 10(-9), and 10(-8) M), and a combination of E and P (10(-9) M each) stimulated proliferation of the trophoblastic cells only from the 6th and the 10th days. Keoxifene (2 x 10(-7) M), but not tamoxifen, significantly inhibited the E-induced proliferation of the trophoblastic cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fibrin Glue-Antibiotic Mixture in the Treatment of Anal Fistulae: Experience with 69 Cases

Background/Aims: To investigate the potential value of the use of the fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture in the treatment of anal fistulae. Materials and Methods: This study included 69 patients with idiopathic nonspecific anal fistulae. Patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), TBC, actinomycosis, and cancer were excluded from the study. The microbiological analysis of the discharge of the fistula was done routinely. If there was any doubt about vertical classification of the fistulous tract MR of anal canal was necessary. As regards the vertical disposition, 39 fistulae were classified as intersphincteric and 30 as transsphincteric, and as to the length of the fistulous tract, 24 fistulas had tracts ≤3.5 cm long, and 45 fistulas had tracts >3.5 cm long. All fistulae were first treated with the lavage of the fistulous tract with antibiotic solution until a sterile microbiological finding was obtained. This was followed by electrocoagulation of the fistulous tract with a special probe for the eradication of granulomatous tissue. Finally the fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture (Tisseel, Immuno Ltd., Vienna, Austria) was applied. Results: After a follow-up of 18–36 months (median 28) 18 patients (26%) had a recurrence; among these, intersphincteric fistula recurred in 9 patients (23%) and transsphincteric also in 9 (30%). Regarding the length of the fistulous tract, a fistula with a ≤3.5 cm long tract recurred in 13 patients (54%) and a fistula with a >3.5 cm long tract in 5 (11%). Conclusion: The analysis showed that the success of the treatment of anal fistulae with fibrin glue-antibiotic mixture was independent of the vertical disposition of the fistula, and was dependent on the length of the fistulous tract. Surgical treatment remains a golden standard for simple fistulae with a tract ≤3.5 cm. Anal fistulae with a longer tract usually present a more complex problem and are often more difficult to treat surgically, the use of the fibrin glue-antibiotic complex proved to be a feasible method for those cases. It is a safe, cheap, reproducible, pain-free procedure, which eliminates the possibility of anal incontinence and can be performed under local anesthesia.
BASIC CO‐ORDINATION OF MANIPULATIVE FORCES OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

The co‐ordination of manipulatory forces during prehension was studied in 12 children with cerebral palsy (CP) and compared with that of controls. The results indicated that coupling of grip force and load force does not develop in children with CP. These children's force development increased in stages, with an early onset of excessive grip force. They did not use anticipatory control of the isometric force development during the load phase. Prolonged delays between successive phases indicated inefficient sensory feedback during the movement. The early onset of grip force and the over‐all high force employment may compensate for the lack of anticipatory control and inefficient sensorimotor integration.
Caracterização do aporte hídrico dos portugueses

Uma hidratacao adequada envolve o consumo de cerca de 3 litros de agua/ dia, que advem da ingestao de agua mas tambem de outras bebidas e alimentos. Neste artigo apresentam-se os dados preliminares do primeiro estudo de caracterizacao do consumo de bebidas e aporte hidrico da populacao Portuguesa.Estudo transversal, representativo da populacao Portuguesa entre os 14 e 70 anos. Recolheram-se por random-route: dados socio-demograficos e clinicos; ingestao de bebidas nas 24h precedentes; preocupacao com a saude, imagem corporal e estado de hidratacao; atitudes face a bebidas. Foram realizadas analises descritivas e comparativas, assumindo-se uma significância de 0,05.Nos 784 individuos da amostra estudada verificou-se um aporte hidrico medio, atraves de bebidas, de 1,6±0,8 litros/dia. A excepcao das adolescentes do sexo feminino, observou-se em todos os grupos estudados um aporte hidrico inferior ao recomendado pelo Institute of Medicine (EUA). Do aporte hidrico, 46% foi proveniente da ingestao de agua, verificando-se um maior peso do consumo de: bebidas alcoolicas nos homens; agua, cafe e cha nas mulheres; e leite, refrigerantes e sumos nos jovens.
Tower of London: Planning Development in Children from 6 to 13 Years of Age

Abstract Executive Function is a multidimensional construct that includes a wide range of cognitive abilities that allow solving goal-directed behaviors efficiently. Its development begins in early childhood and continues through adolescence. A key aspect of Executive Function is planning, defined as the capacity to generate and organize the necessary step sequence to carry out a goal-directed behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the development of planning in children. The Tower of London task was used in 270 children aged 6, 8, 11, and 13 years. The results showed that the time required to generate and organize the plan to solve a goal-directed problem increases as the difficulty of the problem increases, and that older children need less time to solve problems with a certain level of difficulty than younger children F(15, 1330) = 8.787; MSE = 1.441; p < . 01; η2 =. 090. These results are in line with the findings that planning develops through childhood and even during the first years of adolescence.
Optimization of Soft Frequency Reuse for Irregular LTE Macrocellular Networks

Interference management has been recognized by the industry as a key enabler for 4G systems. Emerging technologies include multicarrier systems such as LTE and WiMAX for which effective management of intercell interference is of utmost importance in order to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) at cell edges. Static Intercell Interference Coordination (ICIC) techniques such as Soft Frequency Reuse (SFR) are aimed at alleviating this problem; however the usage of baseline SFR designs (schemes without optimization) only offers tradeoffs between cell edge performance and spectral efficiency and performance is indeed far from optimal as results herein confirm. Thus, this paper presents a novel multiobjective algorithm in order to address this problem and achieve effective optimization of SFR implementations. Results show that the proposed algorithm succeeds in finding good-quality SFR configurations enhancing simultaneously network capacity and cell edge performance while reducing energy consumption with respect to baseline designs and previous proposals.
Lisofylline, a Novel Antiinflammatory Agent, Protects Pancreatic β-Cells from Proinflammatory Cytokine Damage by Promoting Mitochondrial Metabolism.

Proinflammatory cytokine-mediated pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is a key pathological event in type I diabetes mellitus. Lisofylline (LSF), an anti-inflammatory agent, has been shown to protect pancreatic islets from IL-1β-induced inhibitory effects on insulin release. However, the mechanism of LSF action is not known. Increasing evidence suggests that the mitochondria play an important role in regulating the β-cell insulin release capacity and the control of cellular viability. To examine the direct effects of LSF on β-cells, insulin-secreting INS-1 cells were exposed to a combination of recombinant IL-1β, TNFα, and IFNγ with or without LSF for 18 h. Basal and glucose-stimulated static insulin release were measured using RIA. INS-1 cell viability was determined using in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling and LIVE/DEAD dual fluorescence labeling. To evaluate INS-1 mitochondrial function, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) metabolism, c.
Predictions of bisphenol A hepatic clearance in the isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL): impact of albumin binding and of co-administration with naproxen

Abstract 1. This study aimed (i) to characterise hepatic clearance (CL) of bisphenol A (BPA) and naproxen (NAP) administered alone or in binary mixtures to highlight the influence of a binding to albumin (ALB) using an isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) system; and (ii) to compare results of prediction algorithms with measured clearance rates. 2. The IPRL system and liver microsomes were used to determine the metabolic constants of BPA and NAP either in the presence or absence of ALB. In this study, the IPRL was used as proxy for the in vivo situation. Accordingly, diverse in vitro-to-in vivo and in vivo-to-in vivo extrapolations (IVIVEs) were made to predict CL of BPA determined in situ/in vivo with ALB from metabolic data determined without ALB by using different binding correction methods (i.e., direct and conventional scaling as well as a novel scaling considering an ALB-facilitated uptake mechanism). 3. The addition of ALB significantly influenced the liver kinetics of BPA and NAP either administered alone or in binary mixtures, which was reflected in the Michaelis-Menten constants. Analysis of concomitant exposures of BPA and NAP gave a fully competitive inhibition. Furthermore, the IVIVE method based on the ALB-facilitated uptake mechanism provided the most accurate predictions of CLin vivo as compared with the other IVIVE methods when the impact of ALB is considered. 4. Our findings support the notion that high binding to ALB reduces the biotransformation of BPA and NAP when administered alone or in mixtures in the IPRL system. However, the free drug concentration in liver in vivo is probably higher than expected since the IVIVE method based on a potential ALB-facilitated uptake mechanism is the most robust prediction method. Overall, this study should improve the physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling of chemical–drug interactions.
Telephone counseling improves adherence to colposcopy among lower-income minority women.

PURPOSE A randomized trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of a telephone counseling intervention to improve patient adherence to colposcopic examination for suspected cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). METHODS Subjects were lower-income, minority women who missed a scheduled initial appointment for colposcopy at an urban medical clinic. Patients were randomly assigned to either a control condition (n = 42) or a telephone counseling condition (n = 48). The 15-minute, structured telephone counseling intervention protocol addressed educational, psychosocial, and practical barriers to colposcopy adherence. RESULTS The most common patient-reported barriers to colposcopy adherence included a lack of understanding of the purpose of colposcopy (50%), worry about or fear of cancer (25%), and forgetting (23%). Telephone counseling was found to be highly effective in addressing these barriers and improving adherence to diagnostic follow-up and treatment. Of patients in the control condition, 43% complied with a rescheduled colposcopy appointment, compared with 67% in the telephone counseling condition. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the effect of telephone counseling was independent of sociodemographic confounder variables (odds ratio = 2.6; P less than .003). Additionally, 74% of patients who received the initial telephone counseling adhered to recommended treatment, compared with 53% of patients in the control condition. CONCLUSION Brief, structured telephone contact may be a cost-effective mechanism for improving adherence to diagnostic follow-up and treatment for a variety of cancer screening tests.
Acute Testing of the Rate‐Smoothed Pacing Algorithm for Ventricular Rate Stabilization

We evaluated the capability of a new pacemaker‐based rate‐smoothing algorithm (RSA) to reduce the irregular ventricular response of AF. RSA prevents sudden decreases in rate using a modified physiological band and flywheel feature. Twelve patients (51 ± 21 years) with hemodynamically tolerated AF of 4 months to 20 years duration were studied. Atrial and ventricular leads were connected to the external pacemaker device in the electrophysiology laboratory. Consecutive RR intervals during AF were measured at baseline and after ventricular pacing with RSA ON. Ventricular pacing with the rate smoothing algorithm reduced maximum RR intervals (1,207 ± 299 vs 855 ± 148 ms, P = 0.0005), with no significant change in the minimum RR interval (401 ± 55 vs 393 ± 74 ms, P = 0.292). A small shortening of the mean RR interval (634 ± 153 vs 594 ± 135 ms, P = 0.007) was seen with no change in the median RR interval (609 ± 153 vs 595 ± 143 ms, P = 0.388). There was a 43% reduction in RR standard deviation (145 ± 52 vs 82 ± 28, P = 0.0005), 49% reduction in mean absolute RR interval difference (MAD) (152 ± 64 vs 77 ± 34, P = 0.0005) and MAD/mean RR ratio (0.23 ± 0.05 vs 0.13 ± 0.04, P = 0.0005). We conclude that rate‐smoothed pacing effectively reduces RR variability of AF in the acute setting.
Identification of a Catalytic Aspartyl Residue ofd-Ribulose 5-Phosphate 3-Epimerase by Site-directed Mutagenesis*

Guided by comparative sequence considerations, we have examined the possibility of a catalytic role of Asp186 of d-ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase by site-directed mutagenesis of the recombinant spinach enzyme. Accordingly, D186A, D186N, and D186E mutants of the epimerase were constructed, purified, and characterized; as judged by their electrophoretic mobilities the mutants are properly assembled into octamers like the wild-type enzyme. Based on the extent of internal quenching of Trp fluorescence, the conformational integrity of the wild-type enzyme is preserved in the mutants. The wild-typek cat of 7.1 × 103s−1 is lowered to 3.3 × 10−4s−1 in D186A, 0.13 s−1 in D186N, and 1.1 s−1 in D186E; as gauged by D186A, altogether lacking a functional side chain at position 186, the β-carboxyl of Asp186 facilitates catalysis by >107-fold. Relative to the wild-type enzyme, the K m ford-ribulose 5-phosphate is essentially unaltered with D186N and D186E but increased 10-fold with D186A. Apart from their impairments in epimerase activity, the mutants are unable to catalyze exchange between solvent protons and the C3 proton of substrates. This deficiency and the differential alterations of kinetic parameters among the mutants are consistent with Asp186 serving as an electrophile to facilitate α-proton abstraction. This study is the first to identify a catalytic group of the epimerase.
Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: analysis of prognostic factors in transcatheter management.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of transcatheter management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective trial of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed in patients with unresectable HCC. Three hundred twenty-two patients (265 men, 57 women; age range, 30-83 years) underwent TAE alone: 60 patients underwent TAE with gelatin sponge (GS) that contained anticancer agents (protocol 1); 78, TAE with GS and iodized oil mixed with anticancer agents (protocol 2); and 159, TAE with iodized oil with anticancer agents (protocol 3). A Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze prognostic factors. RESULTS In the randomized group (n = 272), survival rates for protocols 1, 2, and 3 were 80.4%, 86.3%, and 65.9%, respectively, at 1 year. Findings of analysis of prognostic factors showed that extrahepatic metastases, ascites, tumor extension, and icterus were the important factors. CONCLUSION TAE with GS was superior to TAE without GS. Patient characteristics were important factors for survival.
The Effect of CSR on Learning and Growth Perspective in Private Universities

The assessment of the strategic goals of organisations calls for an holistic understanding of the entire workforce; moreso that the human capacity development is also crucial. Moreover, the influence and inter-relationships of the financial performance of organisations have been well documented by researchers, particularly with respect to the non-financial performances, such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Internal Business Perspective (IBP), Learning and Growth Perspective (LGP). However, the influence of these components of non-financial considerations are yet to be given adequate research attentions. Furthermore, organizations’ social influence, responsibilities, and their perceptions in the operating environments on one hand have not been given the required considerations. On the other hand, the organisations’ human capacity developments have not been fully documented. This paper therefore investigates the effects of CSR of organisations, such as the Yemen’s Private Universities (PUs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on the LGP. To achieve these, a structured questionnaire was administered for PUs faculties using the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results obtained showed that the CSR has a positive influence on the LGP. This implied that the CSR influences the innovative drives for the workforce of the PUs management teams, which could culminate into better financial status of the PUs and HEIs. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015. v6n4s1p129
Relationships between leaf morphology and climate, Bolivia: implications for estimating paleoclimate from fossil floras

Abstract Fossil floras are an important source of quantitative terrestrial paleoclimate data. Many paleoclimate estimates are based on relationships observed in modern vegetation between leaf morphology and climate, such as the increase in the percentage of entire-margined species with increasing temperature and the increase in leaf size with increasing precipitation. An important question is whether these observed relationships are universal or regional; for example, recent studies suggest that significant differences exist between floras from three domains: the Northern Hemisphere, New Zealand/Australia, and subalpine zones. Also, debate exists over which statistical models of modern data sets, univariate or multivariate, provide the most accurate estimates of paleoclimate. In this study, 12 foliage samples from living Bolivian forests are compared with data sets from different regions. Models based on data sets from North America and Japan, namely the Climate-Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP) data set of J. A. Wolfe, and from east Asia produce reasonably accurate estimates of temperature and precipitation, suggesting that the climate–leaf morphology relationships for Bolivian vegetation do not differ significantly from those for Northern Hemisphere vegetation. The mean leaf size for a given mean annual precipitation is smaller than for a data set from the Western Hemisphere and Africa, but this difference is most likely due to different sampling methods. As for estimating climate from fossil floras, these results, along with the analysis of four other regional data sets, imply that the most accurate climate estimates will be produced by the predictor data set with the most similar climate–leaf morphology relationships. Unfortunately, our present lack of understanding of why climate-morphology relationships vary between the North America/Japan, New Zealand/Australia, and subalpine domains makes it difficult to identify data sets similar to paleofloras. Until we learn more, it is probably best to compare fossil floras to predictor data sets from the same domain. The performance of the various statistical methods depends on the nature of the predictor data set. Multiple regression analysis tends to produce the most accurate estimates for small data sets with a narrow range of environmental variation that have similar relationships to the flora, and linear regression or canonical correspondence analysis for the larger and more varied CLAMP data set. If a similar predictor data set is not available, then nearest-neighbor analysis can still produce accurate paleoclimate estimates.
Comparative Analysis of Multi-criteria Evaluation of Sustainable Supplier Selection Problem Based on Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Term Sets

The sustainable supplier selection process requires consideration of multi-criteria evaluations. In recent years, to prevent the hesitation of different linguistic expressions by the decision makers, and to help the selection of the best one as the solution of different alternatives, researchers have been using several methods such as hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTS), hesitant fuzzy linguistic (HFL) VIKOR, HFL TOPSIS, and HFL TODIM. In this paper, the sustainable supplier selection process based on Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach (economic, environmental, and social dimensions) and the comparative analysis of multi-criteria decision-making problem are evaluated using these different methods. Firstly, the decision-making methodologies for the selection of best alternative are described to determine compromise solutions for a problem with conflicting criteria. Then, an illustrative example from the retail market is presented to compare HFLTS, HFL VIKOR, HFL TOPSIS, and HFL TODIM methods for the supplier selection problem with hesitate fuzzy linguistic information. Consequently, similar results have been obtained despite the differences in calculation algorithms of decision methodologies.
Relationship between implicit theory of intelligence, 2*2 achievement goals framework, self-regulating learning with academic achievement A casual model

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a expanded model of Dweck's social- cognitive theory of motivation . The model comprised implicit theories of intelligence (incremental theory and entity theory) achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach and -avoidance goals), study strategies (metacognitive, deep cognitive, surface cognitive and resource management strategies) and academic achievement in a mmathematic and statistic course. To do this, 253 students from faculty of psychology were chosen through multistage cluster sampling. They were assessed on achievement goal orientations, implicit beliefs, study strategies using questionnaires. Findings were generally consistent with Dweck's theoretical predictions. Mastery goals had a positive impact on learning strategies and academic achievement, while performance goals had a negative influence on learning strategies and academic achievement. In addition, the predicted effects of implicit theories of intelligence on goal orientation and study strategies confirmed. In addition results showed that achievement goals and study strategies, have a mediating role between implicit theories of intelligence beliefs and academic achievement.