Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stabilization of Perivascular Mast Cells by Endothelial CNP (C-Type Natriuretic Peptide)

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective: Activated perivascular mast cells (MCs) participate in different cardiovascular diseases. Many factors provoking MC degranulation have been described, while physiological counterregulators are barely known. Endothelial CNP (C-type natriuretic peptide) participates in the maintenance of vascular barrier integrity, but the target cells and mechanisms are unclear. Here, we studied whether MCs are regulated by CNP. Approach and Results: In cultured human and murine MCs, CNP activated its specific GC (guanylyl cyclase)-B receptor and cyclic GMP signaling. This enhanced cyclic GMP–dependent phosphorylation of the cytoskeleton-associated VASP (vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein) and inhibited ATP-evoked degranulation. To elucidate the relevance in vivo, mice with a floxed GC-B (Npr2) gene were interbred with a Mcpt5-CreTG line to generate mice lacking GC-B in connective tissue MCs (MC GC-B knockout). In anesthetized mice, acute ischemia-reperfusion of the cremaster muscle microcirculation provoked extensive MC degranulation and macromolecule extravasation. Superfusion of CNP markedly prevented MC activation and endothelial barrier disruption in control but not in MC GC-B knockout mice. Notably, already under resting conditions, such knockout mice had increased numbers of degranulated MCs in different tissues, together with elevated plasma chymase levels. After transient coronary occlusion, their myocardial areas at risk and with infarction were enlarged. Moreover, MC GC-B knockout mice showed augmented perivascular neutrophil infiltration and deep vein thrombosis in a model of inferior vena cava ligation. Conclusions: CNP, via GC-B/cyclic GMP signaling, stabilizes resident perivascular MCs at baseline and prevents their excessive activation under pathological conditions. Thereby CNP contributes to the maintenance of vascular integrity in physiology and disease.
Nutri-Score: Evidence of the effectiveness of the French front-of-pack nutrition label

France recently decided to implement a newly developed 5 colour Front-of-Pack (FOP) nutrition labelling, “Nutri-Score” to orient consumers towards healthier food choices at the point of purchase and as an incentive for manufacturers to reformulate their products towards healthier compositions. Results of validation studies suggest that the Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system (FSA-NPS) underlying the Nutri-Score can adequately characterize the nutritional quality of foods, and that an individual score (FSA-NPS dietary index, FSA-NPS DI) based on the FSA score of the foods consumed can adequately summarize the nutritional quality of the diet. Moreover, the FSA-NPS DI is associated with chronic diseases onset. The format of the Nutri-Score appears well-perceived and understood. Finally, the Nutri-Score was associated with a higher nutritional quality of purchases in experimental and large scale trials. Altogether, these elements tend to corroborate the Nutri-Score as an efficient tool in public health nutrition.
Point Forces and Their Alternatives in Cell-Based Models for Skin Contraction in Two Dimensions

Deep tissue injury is often followed by contraction of the scar tissue. This contraction occurs as a result of pulling forces that are exerted by fibroblasts (skin cells). We consider a cell-based approach to simulate the contraction behavior of the skin. Since the cells are much smaller than the wound region, we model cellular forces by means of Dirac Delta distributions. Since Dirac Delta distributions cause a singularity of the solution in terms of loss of smoothness, we study alternative approaches where smoothed forces are considered. We prove convergence and consistency between the various approaches, and we also show computational consistency between the approaches.
Validation of Thai version of Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale for adults

วัตถุประสงค์ เพื่อแปลแบบวัดการเสพติดสมาร์ตโฟนส�าหรับผู้ใหญ่เป็นภาษาไทย และเพื่อ ตรวจสอบคุณสมบัติทางจิตมิติของแบบวัดการเสพติดสมาร์ตโฟนส�าหรับผู้ใหญ่ฉบับภาษาไทย วธิกีารศกึษา ภายหลงัการแปลไปข้างหน้าและแปลย้อนกลบั จากนั น้ตรวจสอบความเที ย่งตรง ตามเนื อ้หา ความสอดคล้องภายใน ความเท่ียงตรงตามโครงสร้างของแบบวดัการเสพตดิสมาร์ต โฟนฉบบัภาษาไทยในกลุ ม่ตวัอย่างจ� านวน 200 ราย และตรวจสอบความน่าเชื อ่ถอืแบบวัดซ� า้ใน กลุ่มตัวอย่างจ�านวน 30 ราย ผลการศกึษา ค่าเฉลี ย่ของดชันคีวามสอดคล้องระหว่างข้อค� าถาม 15 ข้อและวตัถปุระสงค์มค่ีา เท่ากับ 0.86 ค่าสัมประสิทธิ์สหสัมพันธ์ภายในชั้นเท่ากับ 0.79 (ช่วงความเชื่อมั่น 95%; 0.61 ถึง 0.89) ค่าสัมประสิทธ์แอลฟาของครอนบาคภาพรวมเท่ากับ 0.83 (ช่วงความเชื่อมั่น 95%; 0.79 ถึง 0.86) วิเคราะห์องค์ประกอบพบว่ามีความเที่ยงตรงตามโครงสร้าง แบบวัดการเสพติด สมาร์ตโฟนฉบับภาษาไทยทุกข้อค�าถามมีค่าน�้าหนักปัจจัยอยู่ในเกณฑ์ยอมรับได้ (p<0.05) สรุป แบบวัดฉบับนี้สามารถใช้เป็นเครื่องมือที่มีความเหมาะสมเพื่อประเมินการเสพติด สมาร์ตโฟนส�าหรับคนไทยวัยผู้ใหญ่ เนื่องจากมีความเที่ยงตรงและความน่าเชื่อถือในระดับดี
Results of biological experiments carried out under conditions of "Vostok" flights with the participation of cosmonauts A.G. Nikolajev, P.R. Popovich and V.F. Bykovsky.

: The data are presented on a study of the effect of space flight factors, particularly of weightlessness and radiation, on the fertilization, growth and development of Drosophila melanogaster and on the mechanism of heredity in Tradescantia paludosa. Copulation, oviposition and development of Drosophila are shown to be possible under 4-day weightless conditions. A distortion in the sex ratio has been registered in the cultures of flies grown in flight. Three types of changes in Tradescantia microspores brought about by flight factors have been revealed, i.e. chromosome rearrangements, distortions in the mitotic mechanism and stimulation of growth processes in the cell. It is suggested that rearrangements of chromosomes are caused by the action of vibrations and accelerations while distortions in the mechanism of mitosis are mainly related to the weightlessness effect.
Expression of pituitary tumor transforming gene,p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor in colon cancer and their meanings

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship beteween the expression of PTTG,VEGF,p53 and MVD and their role in occurance and development as well as their correlations to clinicopathologic features of colon rectal cancer.METHODS: The expression of PTTG,VEGF,p53 and CD34 was detected immunohistochemistrically in 18 cases of nomal colon tissue,20 cases of colon adenoma,44 cases of colon cancer.RESULTS: The positive rate of PTTG in normal colorectal tissues was 11.1%(2/18) and in colorectal adenomas and in colon cancer the positive rate were 75.0%(15/20),88.6%(39/44). The positive rate VEGF in normal colorectal tissues was 11.1%(2/18),while the positive expression rate in colorectal adenomas,colon cancer were of 40.0%(8/20),70.4%(31/44). p53 in normal colorectal tissue was negative expression,in colorectal adenomas and colon cancer positive expression rate were 50.0%(10/20),68.2%(30/44). Average density value of MVD in colon cancer was 67±26;while in the adenomas and normal colorectal tissues were 33±7 and 11±4.The espressions of PTTG,VEGF,p53 were significantly higher in colon cancer than that in nomal colon tissue and colon adenoma.In colon cancer the posive correlation existed between PTTG and VEGF(r=0.46,P0.05),between PTTG and p53(r=0.51,P0.05),between VEGF and p53(r=0.32,P0.05). CONCLUSIONS:PTTG,VEGF,p53 involved in the incidence of colon cancer,and up regulate tumor angiogenesis,promoting tumor invasion and metastasis.They can be used as a valid reference index of early diagnosis and prognosis for colorectal cancer.
Testicular Development in Male Rats Is Sensitive to a Soy-Based Diet in the Neonatal Period 1 Running Title: EXPOSURE TO ISOFLAVONES AFFECTS TESTIS DEVELOPMENT

Approximately 30% of infants in the United States are exposed to high doses of isoflavones resulting from soy infant formula consumption. Soybeans contain the isoflavones genistin and daidzin, which are hydrolyzed in the gastrointestinal tract to their genistein and daidzein aglycones. Both aglycones possess hormonal activity and may interfere with male reproductive development. Testosterone, which supports male fertility, is mainly produced by testicular Leydig cells. Our previous studies indicated that perinatal exposure of male rats to isoflavones induced proliferative activity in Leydig cells and increased testosterone concentrations into adulthood. However, the relevance of the neonatal period as part of the perinatal window of isoflavone exposure remains to be established. The present study examined the effects of exposure to isoflavones on male offspring of dams maintained on a casein-based control or whole soybean diet in the neonatal period, i.e., days 1 to 21 postpartum. Results showed that the soybean diet stimulated proliferative activity in developing Leydig cells while suppressing their steroidogenic capacity in adulthood. In addition, isoflavone exposure decreased production of anti-Mullerian hormone by Sertoli cells. Similar to our previous in vitro studies of genistein action in Leydig cells, daidzein induced proliferation and interfered with signaling pathways to suppress steroidogenic activity. Overall, data showed that the neonatal period is a sensitive window of exposure to isoflavones and support the view that both genistein and daidzein are responsible for biological effects associated with soy-based diets. Summary sentence: Feeding of a soy-based diet in the neonatal period disrupted development of steroidogenic capacity and inhibited anti-Mullerian hormone protein expression in the rat testis.
Effect of mutations in PHO85 and PHO4 genes on utilization of proline in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts

Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae can utilize proline as a single nitrogen source. We have found that the strains with mutations in gene PH085, a structural gene encoding cyclin-dependent phosphoprotein kinase, cannot grow on the proline-containing media. The ability to utilize proline is restored in strains of the pho85pho4 genotype. We suggest that phosphoprotein kinase Pho85p is involved in either phosphorylation of a highly specific proline permease, Put4p, or in signaling proline concentration. The Pho4p protein that activates transcription of the PH05 gene, a structural gene of acid phosphatase, seems to participate in the negative regulation of the PUT1 and PUT2 genes encoding enzymes of proline catabolism, proline oxidase and delta-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase. Thus, regulation of phosphorus and nitrogen metabolism have common elements.
PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AND SEIZURE DISORDERS

Psychiatric comorbidities of Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and seizure disorders include depression, anxiety, psychosis, and behavioral problems. They are common complications of both diagnosis and treatment. Shared symptoms of psychiatric comorbidity and neurological illness make identification of psychiatric illness challenging and suggest common underlying pathophysiology for some symptoms. Diagnosis and management of comorbid psychiatric illness should include consideration of multiple causes, including the neurological illness itself, primary psychiatric disorders, side effects of treatment, and other environmental and psychological factors. Treatment of neurological illness is a frequent cause of psychiatric comorbidity and complicates the management of comorbid anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Careful selection and dosing of psychotropic medication can avoid worsening neurological symptoms. Psychotherapy and social support provide effective adjunctive treatment.
I. Size and Shape of Cells, Occurrence of Mitoses

Summary. An extensive hypertrophy of the muscle coat develops in the small intestine of the guinea pig oral to an experimental stenosis. The profiles of smooth muscle cells become larger and irregular in shape. From the analysis of serial sections the arrangement of the muscle cells is less orderly than in control muscles. Many muscle cells are split into two or more branches over part of their length. The average cell volume is 3-4 times that of control muscle cells; the cell surface increases less dramatically and, in spite of the appearance of deep invaginations of the cell membrane, the surface-to-volume ratio falls from 1.4 to 0.8. The average cell length is only slightly increased compared with controls. Smooth muscle cells in mitosis are observed in all the hypertrophic muscles examined, in both muscle layers; in the circular musculature they occur mainly found in the middle part of the layer.
Basophil and Mast Cell Lineages In Vitro and In Vivo

VER SINCE Paul Ehrlich’s discovery that granuleE laden cells (“mastzellen”) in the frog mesentery, originally observed by von Recklinghausen, possessed metachromatic staining properties,’” cells in the basophil and mast cell lineages have been the subject of much scrutiny. The description by dermatologists at the turn of the century of the condition known as urticaria pigmentosa, involving mast cell infiltration in the skin and other organs? 4 and subsequent findings that mast cells contain various preformed mediators of inflammation such as histamine: led gradually to a widespread fascination with the role of these cells in biologic processes. In parallel with these observations were descriptions by Ehrlich’ and later by hematologists of the presence of a blood-borne metachromatic, histamine-producing granulocyte, the basophil, significantly prominent in a number of myeloproliferative diseases, especially in chronic myeloid leukemia: Historically, because of their common metachromatic staining properties, the basophil and the mast cell have been thought to be intimately related in terms of hematopoietic lineage, and the literature is indeed replete with this assumption. The mast cell in the tissue and the basophil in the blood have, however, not been proven to be derived from a common stem cell in either animals or humans; moreover, there appears to be an inverse relationship between the presence of basophils or mast cells as the prominent representative of a metachromatic cell among various species. ’ This review will focus on the ontogeny of basophils and mast cells, exploring knowledge in this field as it relates to cytokine biology, allergy and inflammation, and clinical hematology. The extensive literature on the biology of the mast cell in various processes, such as wound healing, repair, and fibrosis or on basophil and mast cell secretory function, will be touched upon only briefly within the scope of this review. MURINE MAST CELL GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION
The enzyme systems in natural populations of the housefly Musca domestica highly resistant to organophosphate insecticides

: Two natural population of house flies from the Podol'sk District, Moscow Province have been studied. The both natural populations proved to be highly resistant to organophosphorus insecticides and sensitive to pyrethroids. The activity of esterases and glutathione-S-transferase has been studied, as well as the sensitivity of the enzymes of esterase complex in vitro to TBTP, DDVP and paraoxon, as compared with that of the sensitive strain SRS. Reliable differences have been established in the sensitivity of non-specific esterases to organophosphorus compounds. The esterase spectrum of enzymes from heads and abdomens of house flies has been studied by electrophoresis in PAAG and the zones of esterase activity have been revealed in the presence of two substrates: 2-HA and ATX. Differences in the activity of catecholamine esterase and cholinesterase and inn the sensitivity of cholinesterase from the natural populations to organophosphorus compounds have been established.
Properties of a TiAl Turbocharger Wheel Produced by Electron Beam Melting

Powder of alloy Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb was used to fabricate turbocharger wheel prototypes by electron beam melting. This additive manufacturing technology uses an electron beam to generate parts by selectively melting the powder in a layer-by-layer way based on CAD data. The parts were fully densified with only minor percentages of build flaws. A loss of Al of about 1.4 wt% is observed, while the levels of impurities are comparable between the powder and the part. Furthermore, the microstructure was investigated after EBM and after EBM + heat treatment. It is characterized by equiaxed grains after EBM. An additional heat treatment transformed this microstructure into a fully lamellar one showing that the microstructure was homogenized.
Comparing Research Contributions in a Scholarly Knowledge Graph

Conducting a scientific literature review is a time consuming activity. This holds for both finding and comparing the related literature. In this paper, we present a workflow and system designed to, among other things, compare research contributions in a scientific knowledge graph. In order to compare contributions, multiple tasks are performed, including finding similar contributions, mapping properties and visualizing the comparison. The presented workflow is implemented in the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG) which enables researchers to find and compare related literature. A preliminary evaluation has been conducted with researchers. Re-sults show that researchers are satisfied with the usability of the user interface, but more importantly, they acknowledge the need and usefulness of contribution comparisons.
Analysis of Preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiographic Parameters in Elderly Patients Undergoing Emergency Orthopedic Surgery

The number of elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery is continuously increasing in Japan. Very elderly patients have limited cardiopulmonary reserve, and complications may induce intraoperative hemodynamic compromise, particularly in an emergency setting. This retrospective study investigated the hemodynamic characteristics of very elderly patients undergoing either emergency or elective orthopedic surgery using preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE). We enrolled 125 patients and compared the following TTE parameters between 64 elective and 61 emergency patients using the 2-D Teichholz method: end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, stroke volume, ejection fraction, and fractional shortening. Patients undergoing emergency surgery had a significantly lower stroke volume and stroke index, but a significantly higher heart rate than elective patients. The ejection fraction and fractional shortening were not significantly different, and the cardiac index was almost identical between the two groups. Our results suggest that elderly patients undergoing emergency orthopedic surgery are volume-depleted, and their cardiac output is maintained primarily by compensatory activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Preoperative non-invasive TTE examination was capable of evaluating the hemodynamic status of elderly patients undergoing emergency orthopedic surgery. Both general and regional anesthesia may induce cardiovascular instability to varying degrees. Anesthesiologists should respect the importance of preoperative fluid administration and meticulously monitor and manage these patients perioperatively.
Trust and Moral Hazard: An Analysis of the Motorcycle-taxi Market in Togo and Benin∗

In the motorcycle taxi market in Sub-Saharan Africa, the relation between the owners and the drivers is characterized by a principal agent problem with the following features: (i) the principal cannot observe the final output of the agent and therefore cannot condition his wage on it. (ii) Higher effort from the agent depreciates the asset. These two features (i) and (ii) imply that the principal ideally wants the agent to exert as little effort as possible, while still leasing the asset from him. The problem with low effort implementation is that the asset will not generate enough revenue. I analyze the contractual arrangements between the owners and the drivers in this market and use survey data to address the determinant of the contracts and their implications. I show that the quest for trust between the principal and the agent can lead to the choice of a socially sub-optimal contract because of moral hazard problems. ∗I would like to thank Christopher Flinn, Leonard Wantchekon, Debraj Ray, Ali Yurukoglu, and Djibibe Moussa Zakari, for their comments and suggestions. Thanks to students from the University of Lome (Togo) and the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) who assisted with the data collection. Thanks to the participants of Seminars at NYU (2007) and the Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE, Benin). All errors are mine.
Morphology of yellow passion fruit seedlings submitted to triazole induced growth inhibition

ABSTRACT Inhibiting seedling vegetative growth may be a strategy for improving modulation against biotic and abiotic stresses after transplanting. The objective of this study was to evaluate morphological responses of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seedlings to growth inhibition resulted from the application of an inhibitor of gibberellin biosynthesis. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using seedlings grown in 290 cm3 polyethylene tubes. At 40 days after emergence, trays containing the seedlings were immersed in solutions at concentrations of 0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg (Paclobutrazol) PBZ L-1 up to substrate saturation. These five treatments were laid out in a randomized block design with four replicates. At 15, 30 and 45 days after PBZ application (DAA), basal stem diameter was measured; at 45 DAA, stem diameter, individual leaf area, specific leaf area, root diameter and root volume were measured, lignin content and the anatomy of leaves, stems, and roots were analyzed. Triazole-induced anatomical alterations in stems, leaves and roots cause morphological traits and intensify the specific reagent staining of phenolic compounds and lignin in yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seedlings.
Training citizen scientists through an online game developed for data quality control

Abstract. Some form of training is often necessary for citizen science projects. While in some citizen science projects, it is possible to keep tasks simple so that training requirements are minimal, other projects include more challenging tasks and, thus, require more extensive training. Training can be a hurdle to joining a project, and therefore most citizen science projects prefer to keep training requirements low. However, training may be needed to ensure good data quality. In this study, we evaluated whether an online game that was originally developed for data quality control in a citizen science project can be used for training for that project. More specifically, we investigated whether the CrowdWater game can be used to train new participants on how to place the virtual staff gauge in the CrowdWater smartphone app for the collection of water level class data. Within this app, the task of placing a virtual staff gauge to start measurements at a new location has proven to be challenging; however, this is a crucial task for all subsequent measurements at this location. We analysed the performance of 52 participants in the placement of the virtual staff gauge before and after playing the online CrowdWater game as a form of training. After playing the game, the performance improved for most participants. This suggests that players learned project-related tasks intuitively by observing actual gauge placements by other citizen scientists in the game and thus acquired knowledge about how to best use the app instinctively. Interestingly, self-assessment was not a good proxy for the participants' performance or the performance increase through the training. These results demonstrate the value of an online game for training. These findings are useful for the development of training strategies for other citizen science projects because they indicate that gamified approaches might provide valuable alternative training methods, particularly when other information materials are not used extensively by citizen scientists.