Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the role of interleukin-6 and hepcidin antimicrobial peptide in the development of anemia with age

Anemia is common in older adults and associated with adverse health outcomes in epidemiological studies. A thorough understanding of the complex pathophysiological mechanisms driving anemia in the elderly is lacking; but inflammation, iron restriction, and impaired erythroid maturation are thought to influence the phenotype. We hypothesized that interleukin-6 contributes to this anemia, given its pro-inflammatory activities, its ability to induce hepcidin antimicrobial peptide, and its negative impact on several tissues in older adults. We tested this hypothesis by comparing changes in indices of inflammation, iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in aged C57BL/6 mice to aged mice with targeted deletions of interleukin-6 or hepcidin antimicrobial peptide. Circulating neutrophil and monocyte numbers and inflammatory cytokines increased with age. Decline in hemoglobin concentration and red blood cell number indicated that C57BL/6, interleukin-6 knockout mice, and hepcidin antimicrobial peptide knockout mice all demonstrated impaired erythropoiesis by 24 months. However, the interleukin-6 knock out genotype and the hepcidin antimicrobial peptide knock out genotype resulted in improved erythropoiesis in aged mice. Increased erythropoietic activity in the spleen suggested that the erythroid compartment was stressed in aged C57BL/6 mice compared to aged interleukin-6 knockout mice. Our data suggest C57BL/6 mice are an appropriate mammalian model for the study of anemia with age. Furthermore, although interleukin-6 and hepcidin antimicrobial peptide are not required, they can participate in the development of anemia in aging mice, and could be targeted, pre-clinically, with existing interventions to determine the feasibility of such agents for the treatment of anemia in older adults.
The effect of experimental presentation of thin media images on body satisfaction: a meta-analytic review.

OBJECTIVE The effect of experimental manipulations of the thin beauty ideal, as portrayed in the mass media, on female body image was evaluated using meta-analysis. METHOD Data from 25 studies (43 effect sizes) were used to examine the main effect of mass media images of the slender ideal, as well as the moderating effects of pre-existing body image problems, the age of the participants, the number of stimulus presentations, and the type of research design. RESULTS Body image was significantly more negative after viewing thin media images than after viewing images of either average size models, plus size models, or inanimate objects. This effect was stronger for between-subjects designs, participants less than 19 years of age, and for participants who are vulnerable to activation of a thinness schema. CONCLUSION Results support the sociocultural perspective that mass media promulgate a slender ideal that elicits body dissatisfaction. Implications for prevention and research on social comparison processes are considered.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Introduction

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or acute demyelinating polyneuropathy is an acute disease, which is characterized by symmetric muscle weakness, loss of sensation and loss of deep tendon reflexes (1, 2). Its incidence ranges between 0.6 and 4/100 000 annually, and it is 1.5-2 times frequent in males compared to females (1, 3). Numerous factors such as various microorganisms ranging from bacteria to viruses and stress of surgical intervention have been accused in the aetiology of the disease (1-4). It has been reported that 2/3 of cases develop a flu-like disease or gastroenteritis 6 weeks before the occurrence of disease (2-4). It has been claimed that the infection creates an immune response which cross-reacts with axolemmal or Schwann cell antigens, leading to peripheral nerve damage (1).
Epicardium-derived progenitor cells require β-catenin for coronary artery formation

We have previously identified several members of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway that are differentially expressed in a mouse model with deficient coronary vessel formation. Systemic ablation of β-catenin expression affects mouse development at gastrulation with failure of both mesoderm development and axis formation. To circumvent this early embryonic lethality and study the specific role of β-catenin in coronary arteriogenesis, we have generated conditional β-catenin-deletion mutant animals in the proepicardium by interbreeding with a Cre-expressing mouse that targets coronary progenitor cells in the proepicardium and its derivatives. Ablation of β-catenin in the proepicardium results in lethality between embryonic day 15 and birth. Mutant mice display impaired coronary artery formation, whereas the venous system and microvasculature are normal. Analysis of proepicardial β-catenin mutant cells in the context of an epicardial tracer mouse reveals that the formation of the proepicardium, the migration of proepicardial cells to the heart, and the formation of the primitive epicardium are unaffected. However, subsequent processes of epicardial development are dramatically impaired in epicardial-β-catenin mutant mice, including failed expansion of the subepicardial space, blunted invasion of the myocardium, and impaired differentiation of epicardium-derived mesenchymal cells into coronary smooth muscle cells. Our data demonstrate a functional role of the epicardial β-catenin pathway in coronary arteriogenesis.
A Dynamic Polymerase Exchange with Escherichia coli DNA Polymerase IV Replacing DNA Polymerase III on the Sliding Clamp*♦

An assay that measures synchronized, processive DNA replication by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme was used to reveal replacement of pol III by the specialized lesion bypass DNA polymerase IV when the replicative polymerase is stalled. When idled replication is restarted, a rapid burst of pol III-catalyzed synthesis accompanied by ∼7-kb full-length products is strongly inhibited by the presence of pol IV. The production of slower-forming, shorter length DNA reflects a rapid takeover of DNA synthesis by pol IV. Here we demonstrate that pol IV rapidly (<15 s) obstructs the stable interaction between pol III* and the β clamp (the lifetime of the complex is >5 min), causing the removal of pol III* from template DNA. We propose that the rapid replacement of pol III* on the β clamp with pol IV is mediated by two processes, an interaction between pol IV and the β clamp and a separate interaction between pol IV and pol III*. This newly discovered property of pol IV facilitates a dynamic exchange between the two free polymerases at the primer terminus. Our study suggests a model in which the interaction between pol III* and the β clamp is mediated by pol IV to ensure that DNA replication proceeds with minimal interruption.
A practical alternative to chemiluminescence-based detection of nitrogen dioxide: cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy.

We present results obtained from a greatly improved version of a previously reported nitrogen dioxide monitor (Anal Chem. 2005, 77, 724-728) that utilizes cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS). The sensor, which detects the optical absorption of nitrogen dioxide within a 20 nm bandpass centered at 440 nm, comprises a blue light emitting diode, an enclosed stainless steel measurement cell (26 cm length) incorporating a resonant optical cavity of near-confocal design and a vacuum photodiode detector. An analog heterodyne detection scheme is used to measure the phase shift in the waveform of the modulated light transmitted through the cell induced by the presence of nitrogen dioxide within the cell. The sensor, which operates at atmospheric pressure, fits into a 19 in. -rack-mounted instrumentation box, weighs 10 kg, and utilizes 70 W of electrical power with pump included. The sensor response to nitrogen dioxide (calculated as the cotangent of the phase shift) is demonstrated to be linear (r2 > 0.9999) within +/- 1 ppb over a range of 0-320 ppb (by volume). The device exhibits a detection limit (3sigma precision) of less than 60 parts per trillion (0.060 ppb) with 10 s integration, a value derived from measurements at NO2 concentration levels of both 0 and 20 ppb; the detection limit improves as the integration time is increased to several hundred seconds. The observed baseline drift is less than +/- 0.5 ppb overthe course of a month. An intercomparison of measurements of ambient NO2 concentrations over several days using this sensor with a quantum cascade laser-based infrared absorption spectrometer and a standard chemiluminescence-based NOx analyzer is presented. The data from the CAPS sensor are highly correlated (r2 > 0.99) with the other two instruments. The absolute agreement between the CAPS and each of the two other instruments is within the expected statistical noise associated with the infrared laser-based absorption spectrometer (+/- 0.3 ppb with 10 s sampling) and chemiluminescence analyzer (+/- 0.4 ppb with 60 s averaging). The major limitation concerning accuracy is a direct spectral interference with phototchemically produced 1,2-dicarbonyl species (e.g., glyoxal, methylglyoxal). However, this interference can be readily removed by shifting the detection band to a slightly longer wavelength and ensuring that the lower edge of the detection band is greater than 455 nm.
Competition over resources algorithm and its application for planar array pattern synthesis

This paper will investigate a method of synthesizing planar arrays through the application of a new optimization algorithm based on competitive behavior of animal groups that will impose deeper nulls in the interfering direction with the constraint of a reduced Side Lobe Level (SLL). Simulation results for optimal patterns by position-only and both the element space and amplitude controlling with the imposed single and double nulls are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. In the following, after a general explanation of the algorithm, a comparison of obtained results with particle swarm optimizations, as a well-known heuristic algorithm, is presented. Furthermore, in order to set which design case could provide a better performance in imposed deeper nulls and side lobe reduction, a comparative evaluation of both proposed methods (position-only, position and amplitude) will be done. Finally, the optimized design case with a uniform planar array will be achieved. Also, the proposed algorithm on array antenna synthesis, shows faster and superior results compared to other optimization algorithms.
Cloning and characterization of a gene which determines osmotic stability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The srb1-1 mutation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ochre allele which renders the yeast dependent on an osmotic stabilizer for growth and gives the cells the ability to lyse on transfer to hypotonic conditions. A DNA fragment which complements both of these phenotypic effects has been cloned. This clone contains a functional gene which is transcribed into a 2.3-kb polyadenylated mRNA molecule. Transformation of yeast strains carrying defined suppressible alleles demonstrated that the cloned fragment does not contain a nonsense suppressor. Integrative transformation and gene disruption experiments, when combined with classical genetic analysis, confirmed that the cloned fragment contained the wild-type SRB1 gene. The integrated marker was used to map SRB1 to chromosome XV by Southern hybridization and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A disruption mutant created by the insertion of a TRP1 marker into SRB1 displayed only the lysis ability phenotype and was not dependent on an osmotic stabilizer for growth. Lysis ability was acquired by growth in (or transfer to) an osmotically stabilized environment, but only under conditions which permitted budding. It is inferred that budding cells lyse with a higher probability and that weak points in the wall at the site of budding are involved in the process. The biotechnological potential of the cloned gene and the disruption mutant is discussed.
CETA: designing mixed-reality tangible interaction to enhance mathematical learning

The benefits of applying technology to education have been often questioned. Learning through digital devices might imply reducing the children's physical interaction with the real world, when cognitive theories hold that such interaction is essential to develop abstract concepts in Mathematics or Physics. However, conflicting reports suggest that tangible interaction does not always improve engagement or learning. A central question is how cognitive theories can be successfully applied to the design of interactive systems in order to achieve enhanced learning experiences. In this paper we discuss the interaction design of a mixed-reality system for mathematics learning for school-aged children. Our design approach combines inspiration from previous frameworks with a user-centered design process with early prototype evaluations. As a result of this process we have created a mixed-reality environment for low-cost tablets and an augmented version of the Cuisenaire rods, a milestone of the manipulatives for mathematics learning.
Age changes and sex differences in serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentrations throughout adulthood.

In a cross-sectional study, serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DS) concentrations were measured in 981 men and 481 women, aged 11-89, yr. The resulting data were asymetrically distributed and were normalized by logarithmic transformation and analyzed by 5-yr age grouping (e.g. 15-19 yr, 20-24 yr, etc.). The DS concentration peaked at age 20-24 yr in men (logarithmic mean, 3470 ng/ml) and at age 15-19 yr in women (log mean, 2470 ng/ml). Mean values then declined steadily in both sexes (log mean at greater than 70 yr of age, 670 ng/ml in men and 450 ng/ml in women) and were significantly higher in men than women at ages from 20-69 yr. Analysis of 517 randomly selected sera (from women) which had been stored frozen for 10-15 yr gave results indistinguishable from values obtained from fresh specimens. In a supplementary study, a longitudinal analysis of weekly specimens from 4 normal men, aged 36-59 yr, revealed individual variability (mean coefficient of variation, 19%) and failed to demonstrate any monthly, seasonal, or annual rhythmicity. Based on the above analyses, a table of normal serum DS ranges for adult men and women is presented for use as a clinical reference.
Time of day variation in rates of obstetric intervention to assist in vaginal delivery

The frequency of use of commonly performed obstetric procedures to assist in vaginal delivery has been shown to vary according to characteristics of both the patient and provider, independently of clinical indications for intervention.1–5 This variation in procedure use according to “non-medical” factors is worthy of attention, as it raises the spectre of unnecessary intervention that increases the cost of maternity care, and possibly the risks of adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes as well. Mounting evidence of the additional maternal and neonatal morbidity associated with frequent episiotomy use 6 and operative vaginal delivery,7,8 in particular, underscores the need to examine the extent, causes and consequences of the unnecessary use of these and other obstetrical interventions to assist in vaginal delivery. Obstetrical procedures may be overused or misused, at least in part, for the purposes of convenience—that is, as a way for doctors and hospitals to control patient flow or manage time more efficiently.1,9–13 While there is some empirical evidence for this “convenience” hypothesis with regard to caesarean section practices,11,13 there is little such evidence where obstetric procedures to assist in vaginal delivery are concerned. We explored the extent to which “convenience” factors may be influencing the use of obstetric procedures other than caesarean section, for a geographically defined study population of women at relatively low risk for obstetric intervention. Specifically, the objective of the study was to document any time of day variation associated with labour augmentation, episiotomy, or instrumental delivery—variation that may indicate more willingness to perform these procedures during times when providers may be under additional pressures to influence (that is, …
The FERONIA Receptor-like Kinase Mediates Male-Female Interactions During Pollen Tube Reception

In flowering plants, signaling between the male pollen tube and the synergid cells of the female gametophyte is required for fertilization. In the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant feronia (fer), fertilization is impaired; the pollen tube fails to arrest and thus continues to grow inside the female gametophyte. FER encodes a synergid-expressed, plasma membrane–localized receptor-like kinase. We found that the FER protein accumulates asymmetrically in the synergid membrane at the filiform apparatus. Interspecific crosses using pollen from Arabidopsis lyrata and Cardamine flexuosa on A. thaliana stigmas resulted in a fer-like phenotype that correlates with sequence divergence in the extracellular domain of FER. Our findings show that the female control of pollen tube reception is based on a FER-dependent signaling pathway, which may play a role in reproductive isolation barriers.
Institutional Logics and Interorganizational Learning in Technological Arenas: Evidence from Standard-Setting Organizations in the Mobile Handset Industry

Conceptualizing standard-setting organizations SSOs as technological arenas within which firms from different countries interact and learn, we offer insights into the interplay between firms' institutional logics and their interorganizational learning outcomes. We suggest that firms' interorganizational learning is embedded in their macrolevel country contexts, characterized by more corporatist versus less corporatist pluralist institutional logics. Whereas corporatism spurs coordinated approaches, pluralism engenders competitive interactions that affect the extent to which firms span organizational and technological boundaries and learn from each other. We test our theory using longitudinal analysis of 181 dyads involving 26 firms participating in 17 SSOs in the global mobile handset industry. We find that interorganizational learning, as measured by patent citations, involving corporatist firm dyads significantly increases when the dominant logic within the arena is also corporatist. By making cooperative schemas more accessible, a dominant corporatist logic also enhances interorganizational learning across technologically distant dyads. When a pluralist logic dominates the arena, corporatist dyads learn less because firms in the dyad activate a contradictory logic that decouples them from their natural processes for interorganizational learning. These findings highlight the implications of institutional logics for interorganizational learning outcomes and provide insights into how firms attend to institutional contradictions in arenas that provide opportunities for interorganizational learning.
The analgesic efficacy of intra-articular acetaminophen in an experimental model of carrageenan-induced arthritis.

BACKGROUND Acetaminophen is one of the most common drugs used for the treatment of pain and fever. OBJECTIVES To examine the effects of intra-articular (IA) acetaminophen on carrageenan-induced arthritic pain-related behaviour and spinal c-Fos expression in rats. METHODS The present study was performed using 20 Sprague Dawley rats. Forty microlitres of IA 0.9% NaCl was injected in the control group, and 40 µL of IA carrageenan was injected in the carrageenan group. One hour after carrageenan injection, 400 µg of IA acetaminophen was injected in the IA acetaminophen group, and 400 µg of intraperitoneal (IP) acetaminophen was injected in the IP acetaminophen group. One day before injection, and 4 h and 8 h after injection, diameters of both knee joints, motility of the rat, paw loading and joint mobility were assessed. After the rats were euthanized, L3 and L4 spinal segments were excised for c-Fos assessment. RESULTS IA acetaminophen decreased both the severity and distribution of c-Fos expression. IP acetaminophen decreased only the distribution of c-Fos expression. IA acetaminophen decreased knee diameter at 8 h. IA and IP acetaminophen increased rat motility and paw loading scores. Joint mobility scores of IP acetaminophen were similar to saline at 8 h. CONCLUSIONS Results of the present study indicate an analgesic and⁄or possible anti-inflammatory effect of IA acetaminophen and provide further evidence on the efficacy of systemic acetaminophen injection in reducing arthritic pain.
COMPARISON OF THE GENE TRANSFER EFFICIENCY OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS HARVESTED FROM MURINE FAT AND BONE MARROW

Mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to secrete a variety of humoral factors, deliver exogenous genes and differentiate into a range of cells. Thus, these cells may serve as carriers for cell and gene-cell therapies. In this paper, we report differences between adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BSCs) from the viewpoint of gene transfer efficiency. Both ASCs and BSCs were harvested from 5-week-old mice (C57BL/6N). Following three passages in culture, we analyzed the capacity of these cells to differentiate along osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages in vitro. After confirmation of multipotency, these cell populations were studied for gene transfer efficiency, using adenoviral, lentiviral, retroviral and adeno-associated viral (AAV) type 1, 2 and 5 vectors. EGFP was used as the reporter for all vectors. The gene encoding EGFP was transduced into ASCs more easily than into BSCs. Both cell populations were transduced effectively with AAV types 1 and 5, lentiviral and retroviral vectors, but were resistant to transduction with adenoviral and AAV type 2 vectors. In conclusion, found that the AAV types 1 and 5, lentiviral and retroviral vectors deserved further study in both ASCs and BSCs. Moreover, the transduction efficiency of ASCs was greater than that of BSCs, suggesting that the former would be more useful in clinical applications involving gene transduction.
More preoperative assessment by physicians and less by laboratory tests.

The conclusion of the elegant study by Schein et al.1 in this issue of the Journal seems obvious from their data: we should stop ordering routine preoperative laboratory tests for patients before cataract operations or other relatively simple surgical procedures. On the other hand, without changes to the system to increase preoperative clinical assessment by physicians, we may see poorer patient outcomes and higher long-term costs. The ultimate goals of preoperative medical assessment are to reduce the morbidity associated with surgery, to increase the quality and decrease the cost of perioperative care, and to restore the patient quickly to the .
New generation carry look twice-ahead adder CL2A and carry look thrice-ahead adder CL3A

Proposed innovation gives a faster, lower depth, lower power and lower area solution for addition. The paper describes two novel static gates developed for 4-bit Majority Carry Generate (MCG) and Majority Carry Propagate (MCP) operation in a single gate depth. Derivation of a novel 72-bit CL2A within 6 gate-depth, using MCG, MCP and a novel sparse5 (5×2n) algorithm with a variable sparse is described. Implementation of a novel 64-bit CL3A within 5 gate-depth, by extending CL2A with progressive sparse 1+30 + 31 + 32 +. 3n algorithm is described. Silicon evaluation of an 8-bit application for the CL2A is presented in 32nm. Post-layout results of 64-bit CL2A and 64-bit CL3A against Ling-Carry-select adder are presented in 14nm along with the advantages and limitations.