Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incorporation of arginine, glutamine or leucine in culture medium accelerates in vitro activation of primordial follicles in 1-day-old mouse ovary

Summary In vitro activation of primordial follicles provides cancer patients subjected to oncotherapy with a safe therapeutic strategy for fertility preservation, however a successful protocol for activation of primordial follicles in prepubertal patients has not yet been defined comprehensively. There is evidence that amino acids such as leucine, arginine and glutamine could stimulate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which plays a pivotal role in primordial follicle activation. Nevertheless, there has been no report that elucidates the effect of these amino acids on in vitro development of ovarian follicles. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of these amino acids and their combination on the formation and activation of primordial follicles in 1-day-old murine ovaries during an 11-day culture period. The experimental groups consisted of base medium (BM), base medium + arginine (ARG), base medium + glutamine (GLU), base medium + leucine (LEU) and base medium + a combination of arginine, glutamine and leucine (AGL). The proportions of different stages of ovarian follicles and gene expression of regulatory factors were assessed using histology and quantitative real-time PCR on days 5 and 11 of culture. The proportion of transitional and primary follicles was greater in all amino acid-treated groups compared with the BM group (P < 0.05). Moreover, leucine resulted in elevated expression of Gdf9 and Bmp15, and glutamine augmented the expression of Pi3k on day 11 of culture. In conclusion, the present study showed that inclusion of leucine, glutamine, arginine or their combination in the culture medium for murine ovarian tissue could accelerate the activation of primordial follicles and alter the expression of the corresponding factors.
Uncertainty in an era of transformative therapy for haemophilia: Addressing the unknowns

Haemophilia is at the dawn of a new era in therapeutic management, one that can generate greater protection from bleeding and a functional cure in some individuals. Prior advances in protein engineering and monoclonal antibody technology have facilitated therapeutic options to maintain decreased risk of bleeding and less burdensome treatment. The use of gene transfer, first proposed in 1971 for monogenic diseases, is emerging as an effective long‐term treatment for a variety of diseases. Transfer of functional factor VIII (FVIII) and factor IX (FIX) genes has witnessed a series of advances and setbacks since the first non‐clinical experiments in animals were initiated nearly 30 years ago. More recently, multiyear therapeutic levels of FVIII and FIX activity have been achieved in human clinical trials, translated into meaningful clinical benefit and a functional cure. While clinical progress has been definitive, many questions remain unanswered as prelicensure phase 3 clinical trials are underway. These unanswered questions translate into a state of uncertainty about the known unknowns and unknown unknowns intrinsic to any new therapeutic platform. Accepting this modality as a means to functionally cure haemophilia also means accepting the uncertainty regarding the biology of viral vector‐mediated gene transfer, which remains inadequately understood. Gene therapy is a far more complex biological ‘drug’ than small molecule and protein drugs, where manufacturing processes and the drugs themselves are now well characterized. Extent of community acceptance of uncertainty and acknowledgement of the need for an uncompromising drive for answers to the unknowns will characterize the introduction of this first generation of gene therapy for haemophilia to the wider patient population in both resource‐rich and resource‐poor countries.
Crosstalk between melatonin and nitric oxide in plant development and stress responses.

Melatonin is widely involved in plant growth and stress responses as a master regulator. Melatonin treatment alters the levels of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and NO affects endogenous melatonin content. Melatonin and NO may induce various plant physiological behavior through interaction mechanism. However, the interactions between melatonin and NO in plants are largely unknown. The review presented the metabolism of endogenous melatonin and NO and their relationship in plants. The interactions between melatonin and NO in plant growth and development and responses to environmental stress were summarized. The molecular mechanisms of interaction between melatonin and NO in plants were also proposed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Juvenile development as part of the extraordinary social system of the Mara Dolichotis patagonum (Rodentia : Caviidae)

Chez les Maras (Dolichotis patagonum), plusieurs couples elevent leur progeniture en commun dans un terrier ou les jeunes forment une creche. La combinaison monogamie et elevage dans un terrier commun est unique chez les mammiferes. Pendant cinq mois de recolte des donnees, 10 (5 ? , 5 ? ) jeunes sont nes. Apres avoir etabli un ethogramme, on a rassemble des donnees sur le comportement social et individuel (en dehors du terrier) et on a determine les distances interindividuelles par categorie d'âge. Le developpement juvenile jusqu'a la maturite sexuelle est divise en 3 phases : se cacher (1 a 3 semaines), suivre (4 a 13 semaines) et la phase suivant le sevrage (apres la quatorzieme semaine). Au cours de la premiere phase les jeunes restent aux environs du terrier. Plus tard, ils quittent le terrier dans la journee pour accompagner leurs parents lors de la pâture jusqu'a ce qu'ils soient sevres. Les interactions avec les freres et soeurs et les camarades de creche sont plus frequentes chez les jeunes lorsqu'ils vivent dans le terrier. On observe beaucoup de jeux, et des contacts corporels divers (comme se serre ensemble). Chez les jeunes qui sont parvenus a la phase «suivre», les interactions avec mere, freres et soeurs sont plus frequentes, mais reduites a l'allaitement et au maintien d'une proximite physique. La transition entre la phase ou les jeunes se cachent et celle ou ils suivent se traduit par une brusque diminution du jeu et des comportements sociaux. La premiere semaine de la vie est une phase ou les jeunes sont tres rapproches les uns des autres et on observe egalement de nombreux controles olfactifs des jeunes par les membres du groupe.
Food habits of the antelope ground squirrel in southern Nevada.

The food habits of Ammospermophilus leucurus were studied in southern Nevada. The contents of 609 stomachs were sorted into main food items such as seeds, green vegetation, arthropods and vertebrates. The per cent frequency of occurrence in the stomachs, and the per cent volume for each food item is given for monthly periods. In addition, data based on the contents of 154 cheek pouches and 93 observations of feeding behavior are given. These data indicate that this species is omnivorous. Food preferences appear to be closely related to food availability and to the need for some succulent food in the diet for the maintenance of water balance. Seeds are a staple throughout the year, strongly supplemented by green vegetation in the winter and spring and by insects in the summer and fall. Some vertebrate remains are found in stomachs throughout the year, and probably represent both prey and carrion. The highly generalized diet is discussed in relation to the large home range of the species and to the heterogeneity of the biotic community.
Carrier and Symbol Synchronisation for LoRa Receivers

LoRa is one of the most popular transmission scheme for the Internet of Things (IoT). It is used in many applications such as home automation, smart cities and smart agriculture. It provides low bitrate transmissions over long ranges, using unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands. Being a relatively new, and proprietary modulation, there are still challenges and improvements to be addressed and discovered. In this article, we cover estimation, tracking, and correction of slow varying timing and frequency offsets. Both timing and frequency offsets can arise, in particular , when oscillators, found in radios, are either of poor quality, or aged. The latter scenario is a serious concern for IoT, where devices are envisioned to stay in operation during decades without maintenance. The proposed estimators are based on symbol-by-symbol processing of the output of the demodulator. Tracking and correction are then performed by including these estimators in a tracking loop. Simulations show that the proposed closed-loop system can efficiently and jointly track timing and frequency offsets, even at low SNR.
Transient Abnormal Myelopoeisis and Mosaic down Syndrome in a Phenotypically Normal Newborn

Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) is a common and potentially fatal neonatal complication of newborn babies with Down syndrome (DS). Children born with mosaic DS are also at risk of developing TAM. However, due to their variable phenotypes, early identification of patients with mosaic DS may be difficult; thus, early diagnosis of TAM is just as challenging. In this report, we describe a case of a phenotypically normal newborn who presented with concerns for neonatal leukemia. The diagnosis of mosaic DS and TAM was confirmed with abnormal GATA1 mutation testing, highlighting the importance of early GATA1 mutation testing in newborn leukemia with high suspicion for TAM.
Evidence for massive clonal growth in the invasive weed Fallopia japonica (Japanese Knotweed).

Abstract Clonal growth in introduced populations of Japanese Knotweed ( Fallopia japonica ) in Britain was assessed using RAPDs (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA). A total of 150 British samples was analysed for genetic variation using ten arbitrary decamer primers, and compared with data from 16 samples of other introduced populations from Europe and the U.S.A. All samples produced an identical multi-primer RAPD profile. Accepting that RAPD profile identity need not equate to genet identity, based on the sensitivity of these markers for detecting genetic diversity in related taxa and on the absence of male fertile individuals of this species in Britain, we interpret this result as consistent with the presence of a single, exceptionally widespread clone. This clone must represent one of the world's largest vascular plants.
HAPTEN-SPECIFIC TOLERANCE

The induction of tolerance in guinea pigs with a 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) derivative of a copolymer of copolymer of D-glutamic acid and D-lysine (D-GL) leads to a preferential depression of the capacity to produce high affinity anti-DNP antibody in response to immunization with DNP-guinea pig albumin. Thus, immunization 2 wk after tolerance induction with 3 mg of DNP-D-GL results in an immune response in which individual plaque-forming cells (PFC) secreting high affinity anti-DNP antibody are absent and in which the affinity of circulating anti-DNP antibody is reduced. A similar, but less marked, suppression is seen when 0.3 mg of DNP-D-GL is used for tolerance induction. If immunization is delayed until 2 months after tolerance induction, then suppression is restricted to the highest avidity PFC group. Our data is consistent with a state of tolerance in the pool of precursors of anti-DNP antibody-secreting cells induced as a result of their interaction with DNP-D-GL in the absence of specific "helper" cells, which appear to be lacking for DNP-D-GL. In such a situation, the affinity of receptors on precursor cells for tolerogen and the concentration of tolerogen appear to be crucial determinants of whether an individual cell will become tolerant.
The Influence of Sleep Quality, Vigilance, and Sleepiness on Driving-Related Cognitive Abilities: A Comparison between Young and Older Adults

Background: Driving performance is strongly vulnerable to drowsiness and vigilance fluctuations. Excessive sleepiness may alter concentration, alertness, and reaction times. As people age, sleep undergoes some changes, becoming fragmented and less deep. However, the effects of these modifications on daily life have not been sufficiently investigated. Recently, the assessment of sleepiness became mandatory in Europe for people at risk who need the driving license release. Moreover, considering the expectation that people around the world are rapidly aging, it is necessary to investigate the relationships between senescence sleep changes, vigilance levels, and driving-related cognitive skills. Method: 80 healthy subjects (40 young adults and 40 elders) participated in the study. Sleep quality, sleepiness, and vigilance levels were assessed through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). Driving-related cognitive abilities were assessed through Vienna Test System TRAFFIC, investigating selective attention, tachistoscopic perception, and risk assumption. Results: 2 × 2 between-subject ANOVAs showed less habitual sleep efficiency and worse performances in PVT in the older group. Unexpectedly, younger subjects show higher self-rated sleepiness. Moreover, older adults have lower performance in attention and perception tests, but they appear to be more cautious in situations involving traffic. Finally, the multiple regressions show age to be the only robust predictor of cognitive driving-related abilities. Conclusions: This is the first study that investigates the relationships among sleepiness/vigilance and specific driving-related cognitive skills on a sufficiently large sample. Nevertheless, the study should be considered preliminary and does not allow us to understand how specific changes in sleep architecture impact performances in the elders’ everyday life and, specifically, on driving skills.
Development and physiology of infection by the downy mildew fungus Peronospora parasitica (Pers. ex Fr.) Fr. in susceptible and resistant Brassica species

The growth of two isolates of the downy mildew fungus Peronospora parasitica, one obtained from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) and the other from oilseed rape (B. napus) was assessed in their respective hosts of origin, and also in the alternative combination. Both isolates were capable of infecting either host, but there were marked contrasts in the time course and extent of mycelial development, the amounts of associated host-cell necrosis, and eventual intensity of sporulation. Oilseed rape, which was partially resistant to the isolate from cauliflower, exhibited extensive necrosis of mesophyll cells, in conjunction with reduced mycelial development, and delayed and reduced sporulation by the pathogen. The isolate from oilseed rape was virulent on both host species. Pathogenesis in the susceptible combinations was accompanied by large increases in electrolyte leakage, and increased activity of the enzymes β-glucosidase, ribonuclease, and peroxidase. Effects on chlorophyll content were variable and activities of acid phosphatase and acid phosphodiesterase were unaffected. Electrophoretic analyses of extracts from fungal sporangia and infected seedlings indicated that the large increases in β-glucosidase were of pathogen origin, while evidence from inhibitor studies suggested that enhanced ribonuclease activity was due to a new post-infectional form of the enzyme. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to pathogenesis and host resistance mechanisms.
Effects of Rehearsal Time and Repertoire Speed on Extensor Carpi Radialis EMG in Conservatory Piano Students.

BACKGROUND Repetitive actions while playing piano may overload forearm muscles and tendons, leading to playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs), including lateral epicondylitis. METHODS In this pilot study, surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) was captured in 10 conservatory piano students while playing a fast and a slow music score selected from the individual's repertoire, each 3 minutes long. Measurements were made at baseline and again after 2 hrs and 4 hrs of rehearsal time of the piano études. The amplitude of the sEMG signal was processed by a smoothing algorithm, and the frequency component with a non-orthogonal wavelets procedure. Amplitude of the sEMG was expressed in percent of maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC) at baseline. Statistical analysis encompassed 2-way repeated measures ANOVAs for the amplitude and frequency components of the sEMG signal (a set at 5%). The students also rated the intensity of rehearsals using a VAS. RESULTS The ECR presented with a mean amplitude of 23%MVC for the slow scores, which increased significantly to 36%MVC for the fast scores. The sEMG signal presented a significant though small decrease of 1.9%MVC in amplitude between baseline and 4 hrs of rehearsal time and no shift in frequency, which may indicate that the rehearsals were held at a physiological steady-state and suggesting optimization or complementary muscle loading. CONCLUSIONS These data accentuated that the loading of the ECR (as reflected in the amplitude component) was higher than that seen for computer keyboard workers. The augmented loading of the ECR and reduced blood flow to forearm muscles may be a factor in the development of PRMDs in pianists.
Neural network-based supervised descent method for 2D electrical impedance tomography

Objective: In this work, we study the application of the neural network-based supervised descent method (NN-SDM) for 2D electrical impedance tomography. Approach: The NN-SDM contains two stages: offline training and online prediction. In the offline stage, neural networks are iteratively applied to learn a sequence of descent directions for minimizing the objective function, where the training data set is generated in advance according to prior information or historical data. In the online stage, the trained neural networks are directly used to predict the descent directions. Main results: Numerical and experimental results are reported to assess the efficiency and accuracy of the NN-SDM for both model-based and pixel-based inversions. In addition, the performance of the NN-SDM is compared with the linear SDM (LSDM), an end-to-end neural network (E2E-NN) and the Gauss–Newton (GN) method. The results demonstrate that the NN-SDM achieves faster convergence than the LSDM and GN method, and achieves a stronger generalization ability than the E2E-NN. Significance: The NN-SDM combines the strong non-linear fitting ability of the neural network and good generalization capability of the supervised descent method (SDM), which also provides good flexibility to incorporate prior information and accelerates the convergence of iteration.
The Evolving Spectrum of Precursor Lesions of Cervical Adenocarcinomas

Modern classification schemes divide cervical adenocarcinomas into human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated and HPV-independent types. The precursor lesions of the former are well known and comprise HPV-associated (usual/endocervical) adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and the much less common stratified mucin–producing intraepithelial lesion (SMILE). The precursor lesions of HPV-independent cervical adenocarcinomas are much less well known, although postulated precursors of gastric-type adenocarcinoma include atypical lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia and gastric-type AIS. In this review, we cover HPV-associated and HPV-independent precursor lesions of cervical adenocarcinomas concentrating on diagnostic criteria (morphology and immunophenotype) and differential diagnosis. We propose a uniform terminology and diagnostic criteria for precursor lesions showing intestinal differentiation with goblet cells because this may be a feature of both HPV-associated and HPV-independent AIS.
Aetiology of an ulcerative disease in goldfish Carassius auratus (L.): microbiological examination of diseased fish from seven locations

A comparative diagnostic study was conducted on goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.), with a cutaneous ulcerative disease from five locations in the United States and one each in England and Japan. Fish were examined for parasites, viruses and bacteria. Fish from all locations examine d were infested by ectoparasites; no single parasite species was common to all locations. No virus-associated cytopathology was observed in fathead minnow (FHM) or adult goldfish (CAR) monolayer cell cultures inoculated with homogenates of cutaneous lesions, kidneys and livers from diseased fish. The only bacterium cultured from fish from all locations was an atypical, often late-pigmenting strain of Aeromonas salmonicida. This organism was isolated from 64 of 83 (77%) of the total lesions cultured and was most prevalent in early lesions. A second commonly isolated organism was Aeromonas hydrophila, which was cultured from fish at four of the seven locations and from 28 (34%) of the total lesions cultured. A. hydrophila was most prevalent in terminal lesions. From these studies it was concluded that A. salmonicida was the probable cause of ulcers noted In the cases examined an d that A. hydrophila was a secondary invader.
Weight discrimination inflates psychological health risk and academic impairment in sexual minority cisgender college students relative to their heterosexual peers

ABSTRACT This study examined whether exposure to weight discrimination modified the association between sexual orientation, self-reported eating disorders, self-reported depression and academic impairment in a large sample of college students. Participants (n = 13,782) were from the 2015–2018 College Student Health Survey. Logistic regressions tested whether weight discrimination magnified psychological health concerns and academic impairment in sexual minority students (i.e., lesbian, gay) relative to their heterosexual peers and were stratified by gender (cisgender men and cisgender women). Sexual minority men and women reported more weight discrimination, eating disorders, depression, and academic impairment than their heterosexual peers, even after controlling for BMI and race. Among sexual minority men and women, weight discrimination was associated with increased eating disorders and academic impairment, but not depression. Weight discrimination increased the rate of eating disorders, depression, and academic impairment, however, the rate was still higher among sexual minority students regardless of weight discrimination status or gender. College-based interventions should aim to reduce weight stigmatization and its associated influence on psychological health and academic functioning, and address the needs of sexual minority college students, as they may be at highest risk. Clinicians should work to reduce the harms of weight discrimination, particularly in sexual minority young adults.