Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bovine ICM derived cells express the Oct4 ortholog

The goal of this study was to define conditions for the successful isolation of embryonic stem cells from bovine blastocysts. Expression of the Pit‐Oct‐Unc (POU) transcription factor Oct4 was employed to monitor the pluripotent status of cultured cells. No expression of the previously identified bovine Oct4 pseudogene was found, and transcription of the Oct4 ortholog correlated with the proliferative potential of bovine ICM derived cells. Two methods to isolate pluripotent inner cell mass were compared; 90% of trypsin isolated ICMs formed growing cultures, whereas only 12%–23% of the ICMs isolated by immunosurgery attached and grew. Colony formation from complete blastocysts was 55%. The bovine ICM derived cells could be grown for 4–7 passages. However, Oct4 transcripts were only present in the primary cultures, indicating that the initial culture period of bovine ICM derived cells is critical and needs to be optimized to yield true ES cells. In contrast to bovine ICMs, murine ICMs yielded rapidly growing cells, which proliferated for more than 60 passages. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neural Network Model for Classification Algorithms and Its Application

Neural network-based systems that allow the system, through an analysis of historical data, to determine the relationship between account characteristics and the probability of default. The backpropagation algorithm - the multilayer feedforward network structure is described based on data with nine financial ratios from 81 firms listed in China. A simulation on network is made. Neural network model for classification algorithms are established. By varying network parameters we demonstrate that LevenbergMarque training error is smallest among 4 learning algorithms and its performance is better. Increasing the number of hidden layer can result in minor improvement.
Passaging Protocols for Mammalian Neural Stem Cells in Suspension Bioreactors

Mammalian neural stem cells (NSC) offer great promise as therapeutic agents for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. As a consequence of the large numbers of cells that will be needed for drug testing and transplantation studies, it is necessary to develop protocols for the large‐scale expansion of mammalian NSC. Neural stem cells and early progenitor cells can be expanded in vitro as aggregates in controlled bioreactors using carefully designed media. The first objective of this study was to determine if it is possible to maintain a population of murine neural stem and progenitor cells as aggregates in suspension culture bioreactors over extended periods of time. We discovered that serial passaging of a mixture of aggregates sizes resulted in high viabilities, high viable cell densities, and good control of aggregate diameter. When the NSC aggregates were serially subcultured three times without mechanical dissociation, a total multiplication ratio of 2.9 × 103 was achieved over a period of 12 days, whereas the aggregate size was controlled (mean diameter less than 150 μm) below levels at which necrosis would occur. Moreover, cell densities of 1.0 × 106 cells/mL were repeatedly achieved in batch culture with viabilities exceeding 80%. The second objective was to examine the proliferative potential of single cells shed from the surface of these aggregates. We found that the single cells, when subcultured, retained the capacity to generate new aggregates, gave rise to cultures with high viable cell densities and were able to differentiate into all of the primary cell phenotypes in the central nervous system.
Spine loss and other dendritic abnormalities in epilepsy

Studies of neurons from human epilepsy tissue and comparable animal models of focal epilepsy have consistently reported a marked decrease in dendritic spine density on hippocampal and neocortical pyramidal cells. Spine loss is often accompanied by focal varicose swellings or beading of dendritic segments. An ongoing excitotoxic injury of dendrites (dendrotoxicity), produced by excessive release of glutamate during seizures, is often assumed to produce these abnormalities. Indeed, application of glutamate receptor agonists to dendrites can produce both spine loss and beading. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the two processes appear to be different. One recent study suggests NMDA‐induced spine loss is produced by Ca2+‐mediated alterations of the spine cytoskeleton. In contrast, dendritic beading is not dependent on extracellular Ca2+; instead, it appears to be produced by the movement of Na+ and Cl− intracellularly and an obligate movement of water to maintain osmolarity. A decrease in dendritic spine density was recently reported in a model of recurrent focal seizures in early life. Unlike results from other models, dendritic beading was not observed, and other signs of neuronal injury and death were absent. Thus, additional mechanisms to those of excitotoxicity may produce dendritic spine loss in epileptic tissue. A hypothesis is presented that spine loss can be a product of a partial deafferentation of pyramidal cells, resulting from an activity‐dependent pruning of neuronal connectivity induced by recurring seizures. The dendritic abnormalities observed in epilepsy are commonly suggested to be a product and not a cause of epilepsy. However, anatomical remodeling may be accompanied by alterations in molecular expression and targeting of both voltage‐ and ligand‐gated channels in dendrites. It is conceivable that such changes could contribute to the neuronal hyperexcitability of epilepsy. Hippocampus 2000;10:617–625. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An investigation of interoceptive sensitivity in eating disorders using a heartbeat detection task and a self-report measure.

BACKGROUND Interoception has been proposed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of eating disorders (EDs). OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine a heart beat detection task (HBDT) as an objective index of interoceptive sensitivity in individuals with an ED. METHOD The self-report interoceptive deficits subscale of the Eating Disorders Inventory 3 was also used. RESULTS The results of the HBDT demonstrated no significant difference between individuals with an ED and healthy controls. However, performance on this task also did not appear to be different from that expected by chance. Thus, these results cast doubt on the utility of the present HBDT for measuring interoceptive sensitivity. CONCLUSION Overall, the findings indicate that further research is needed to develop valid, objective measures of interoceptive sensitivity to be used in EDs, so as to overcome the reliance on the Eating Disorders Inventory 3 self-report subscale and to determine how such measures relate to ED and general psychopathology.
Is noncentral obesity metabolically benign? Implications for prevention from a population survey.

OBJECTIVE To determine if individuals who are overall obese but have low waist-to-hip ratios have unfavorable lipid profiles, blood pressures, and glucose statuses. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING The Manitoba Heart Health Survey surveyed a representative sample of residents of the Canadian province of Manitoba. PARTICIPANTS --A total of 2,792 adults aged 18 to 74 years were interviewed, 2,339 of whom underwent clinical examinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein measurements were compared across categories of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). MAIN RESULTS Manitobans with noncentral obesity tend to occupy positions between those of the nonobese and the centrally obese in terms of the effect on blood pressure, plasma lipids, and glucose. In multiple linear regression models involving age, BMI, and WHR as independent variables and one of the metabolic variables as dependent variables, both BMI and WHR are significant independent predictors of most metabolic variables. Where both are significant, BMI tends to be the stronger predictor, with a larger standardized regression coefficient. CONCLUSIONS Noncentral obesity is not metabolically benign; BMI as an overall measure of obesity is as important as, and sometimes more important than, WHR in predicting metabolic effects. The recognition of the epidemiological significance of the WHR as a centrality measure of obesity should not divert attention from the metabolic risk status of noncentrally obese individuals who require continued health education to reduce weight.
Inflation and Relative Price Variability in Brazil: A Time-Varying Parameter Approach

This paper aims at analyzing the relationship between inflation and relative price variability (RPV) in Brazil, for the period spanning from July 1999 to May 2017. State Space models, together with Kalman Filter, are used as main econometric methodology. As a benchmark exercise, ARDL-OLS and GMM estimations are applied, enabling to compare time-fixed and time-varying parameter approaches, and to examine the impact of potential endogeneity on the results. A GARCH-type model is also assessed to account for inflation variability. Results show that: i) the correlation between inflation and RPV is positive, but with statistical significance only in some months up to 2003 and from 2015 on; ii) the passthrough from inflation to RPV seems to increase when inflation increases, especially in the beginning of 2015; iii) the time-varying parameter approach proves to be relevant due to instabilities found in time-fixed estimations; iv) inflation variability is statistically significant and affects relative price variability throughout the whole period analyzed.
An Examination of Cognitive Versus Behavioral Components of Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa

Definitions of “full recovery” from anorexia nervosa (AN) vary, and rarely include the cognitive criteria of lack of body image distortion and fear of weight gain. We investigated the implications of including or excluding cognitive criteria of AN in the definition of “full recovery”. Current symptomatology and personality characteristics associated with AN were assessed and compared in 42 behaviorally but not cognitively recovered women, 32 both behaviorally and cognitively recovered women, and 253 controls. On all measures included, the scores of the behaviorally recovered women were significantly more anorexic-like than those of the women recovered cognitively as well, who were indistinguishable from controls. Criteria for recovery from AN need to be refined and standardized, and cognitive criteria incorporated, to characterize a minority who recover to the extent that their eating attitudes and personality profiles are indistinguishable from those of women with no history of an eating disorder.
Education and religious decline: evidence from the Canadian compulsory schooling laws

ABSTRACT The present study assesses how education impacts religiosity. Education is instrumented using the changes in the Canadian school leaving age laws. The data are from the Canadian General Social Surveys collected between 1990 and 2011. The effects of education on both affiliation status and religious attendance are considered. Education is found to cause a higher likelihood of unaffiliation and a considerably lower frequency of religious attendance. The fall in the religious attendance rates is found to be stronger among Roman Catholics. Possible channels of impacts are explored.
Simple‐sugar meals target GLUT2 at enterocyte apical membranes to improve sugar absorption: a study in GLUT2‐null mice

The physiological significance of the presence of GLUT2 at the food‐facing pole of intestinal cells is addressed by a study of fructose absorption in GLUT2‐null and control mice submitted to different sugar diets. Confocal microscopy localization, protein and mRNA abundance, as well as tissue and membrane vesicle uptakes of fructose were assayed. GLUT2 was located in the basolateral membrane of mice fed a meal devoid of sugar or containing complex carbohydrates. In addition, the ingestion of a simple sugar meal promoted the massive recruitment of GLUT2 to the food‐facing membrane. Fructose uptake in brush‐border membrane vesicles from GLUT2‐null mice was half that of wild‐type mice and was similar to the cytochalasin B‐insensitive component, i.e. GLUT5‐mediated uptake. A 5 day consumption of sugar‐rich diets increased fructose uptake fivefold in wild‐type tissue rings when it only doubled in GLUT2‐null tissue. GLUT5 was estimated to contribute to 100 % of total uptake in wild‐type mice fed low‐sugar diets, falling to 60 and 40 % with glucose and fructose diets respectively; the complement was ensured by GLUT2 activity. The results indicate that basal sugar uptake is mediated by the resident food‐facing SGLT1 and GLUT5 transporters, whose mRNA abundances double in long‐term dietary adaptation. We also observe that a large improvement of intestinal absorption is promoted by the transient recruitment of food‐facing GLUT2, induced by the ingestion of a simple‐sugar meal. Thus, GLUT2 and GLUT5 could exert complementary roles in adapting the absorption capacity of the intestine to occasional or repeated loads of dietary sugars.
CXCR3 ligands in pleural fluid as markers for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion.

SETTING A tertiary care academic medical centre. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical usefulness of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) ligands in tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE). DESIGN We recruited 336 patients with pleural effusion due to various causes. Concentrations of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and the CXCR3 ligands CXCL9 and CXCL11 were determined using enzyme immunoassays; adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was measured in pleural fluid and serum. RESULTS TPE was diagnosed in 106 patients. Non-TB conditions included lung cancer (n = 95), para-pneumonic effusion (n = 52), non-lung malignancy (n = 30), other exudate (n = 24) and transudate (n = 29) disorders. All marker levels in serum samples and pleural fluid were significantly higher in the TPE group. Analyses of receiver operating characteristic curves for differentiating TPE from non-TB effusions produced the following results for the area under the curve (AUC) for CXCL9, CXCL11, IFN-γ and ADA, respectively: 0.982, 0.952, 0.982, and 0.952. Marker AUCs in lymphocytic exudates were also high. Combining the levels of CXCL9, IFN-γ and ADA in pleural fluid improved the diagnostic performance. Serum levels of CXCL9 had the highest AUC (0.848) for diagnosing TPE. CONCLUSION Levels of CXR3 ligands in pleural effusion are useful for diagnosing TPE.
Effect and propagation of water level fluctuations in a sloping sandy beach—Unsaturated porous media

In coastal processes, the strong water movements due to short periodic waves (such as sea swell) can induce irregular water level fluctuations in the swash zone and within the sandy beach. The measured water level fluctuations with very complex entry water level fluctuations in a wave canal with a sloping sandy beach were analyzed by using 7 capacitive sensors. Numerical simulations have also been implemented in order to complement the experimental water level signal analyses. In this paper, numerical test of single harmonic wave with same computational domain and porous media properties as the experiment is conducted to understand the effect and propagation of the water level fluctuations in the unsaturated porous media. The key coupling parameter of the macro (sea water) porous and micro (sloping sandy beach) porous media in the Richards equation model is identified by the numerical test of single harmonic wave, which is the basis to simulate the complex numerical simulation with experimental boundary conditions.
An Oncogenic Virus Promotes Cell Survival and Cellular Transformation by Suppressing Glycolysis

Aerobic glycolysis is essential for supporting the fast growth of a variety of cancers. However, its role in the survival of cancer cells under stress conditions is unclear. We have previously reported an efficient model of gammaherpesvirus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-induced cellular transformation of rat primary mesenchymal stem cells. KSHV-transformed cells efficiently induce tumors in nude mice with pathological features reminiscent of Kaposi’s sarcoma tumors. Here, we report that KSHV promotes cell survival and cellular transformation by suppressing aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation under nutrient stress. Specifically, KSHV microRNAs and vFLIP suppress glycolysis by activating the NF-κB pathway to downregulate glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3. While overexpression of the transporters rescues the glycolytic activity, it induces apoptosis and reduces colony formation efficiency in softagar under glucose deprivation. Mechanistically, GLUT1 and GLUT3 inhibit constitutive activation of the AKT and NF-κB pro-survival pathways. Strikingly, GLUT1 and GLUT3 are significantly downregulated in KSHV-infected cells in human KS tumors. Furthermore, we have detected reduced levels of aerobic glycolysis in several KSHV-infected primary effusion lymphoma cell lines compared to a Burkitt’s lymphoma cell line BJAB, and KSHV infection of BJAB cells reduced aerobic glycolysis. These results reveal a novel mechanism by which an oncogenic virus regulates a key metabolic pathway to adapt to stress in tumor microenvironment, and illustrate the importance of fine-tuning the metabolic pathways for sustaining the proliferation and survival of cancer cells, particularly under stress conditions.
Low latency radio interface for 5G flexible TDD local area communications

This paper presents a low latency radio interface design for future 5G local area communications that provides transmission latencies less than 1 ms while providing sufficient spectral efficiency. We concentrate on the excellent latency aspects of the proposed 5GETLA radio interface and discuss the factors leading to very low latency and high energy efficiency. In addition, we study two different radio interface parameterizations and compare their total overheads and achievable transmission times.
Factors parents use in selecting play spaces for young children.

BACKGROUND The amount of time children spend in play spaces (ie, physical locations that are appropriate for children's physical activity) near their homes is correlated with their level of physical activity. OBJECTIVE To examine factors used in parents' decisions about the selection of play spaces for their children. SUBJECTS Parents (primarily mothers) of 178 Mexican American and 122 white children who were a mean age of 4.9 years old at the first measurement. MEASURES In individual interviews, parents rated 24 factors on their importance in selecting for their children a play space that is away from their home or yard. Decision factors were rated from 1 (ie, not important at all) to 5 (ie, very important). RESULTS The most important factors, with ratings ranging from 4.8 to 4.2, were safety and availability of toilets, drinking water, lighting, and shade. Mexican American parents rated 8 of 24 items significantly higher than did white parents, including lighted at night, organized activities, play supplies, and drinking water. White parents rated 5 of 24 items significantly higher than did Mexican American parents, including distance from home, cost of admission, and child's friends go there. The rated importance of 7 of 24 items increased during 1 year, including play supplies, drinking water, distance from home, and parents' friends or relatives go there. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that parents can identify factors they use in selecting places for their young children to play, and selection factors differ somewhat by ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Further studies are needed to determine whether improvements on the most important selection factors might be effective in increasing the use of play spaces by children and their parents. Clinicians may be able to use the most highly rated decision factors to help parents assess the acceptability of play spaces in their areas.
Nucleotide sequence, regulation and functional analysis of the papC gene required for cell surface localization of Pap pili of uropathogenic Escherichia coli

The papC gene of uropathogenic Escherichia coli is required for the formation of digalactoside‐binding Pap pili. papC forms part of an operon wherein the regulatory gene papS, the major pilin gene papA, a minor pilin‐like gene papH, and papC are co‐transcribed. Furthermore, the extent of PapC synthesis was found to affect the number of pili expressed on the cell surface. The DNA sequence of the papC gene is presented and its deduced amino acid sequence is compared to that of the FaeD protein encoded by the K88 pili gene cluster. The PapC protein was localized to the E. coli outer membrane where it may form a trans‐membrane channel through which pilin subunits are surface localized.
Predictors of life satisfaction of Korean nurses.

AIM This paper reports a study to identify the levels of work satisfaction, burnout and life satisfaction among Korean hospital nurses and the relative importance of negative and positive work outcomes (burnout and work satisfaction) in explaining the variance of life satisfaction of nurses. BACKGROUND Previous research has demonstrated that work outcomes such as job satisfaction and burnout can affect overall life satisfaction. It is not yet known, however, whether positive and negative aspects of work outcomes exert equally strong or varying degrees of effect, nor whether the relationships demonstrated primarily in Western cultures also are present in other cultures. Given the widespread shortage of nurses, it is important to identify areas for organizational interventions that have the greatest potential for improving both recruitment and retention of nurses. METHODS A cross-sectional correlational design was used. A survey was undertaken with 194 nurses from general hospitals of 300 beds or more in southern Korea between May 1999 and March 2000. Paper and pencil self-rating questionnaires were used to gather information. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and multiple regressions. RESULTS Korean nurses reported moderate levels of life satisfaction, with low levels of work satisfaction and high levels of burnout. Burnout explained more variance in life satisfaction than work satisfaction. Those who experienced higher personal accomplishment and lower emotional exhaustion and who were satisfied with their professional status and did not work at night reported higher life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the relative importance of negative work outcomes on nurses' overall well-being. Strategies to reduce emotional exhaustion, enhance nurses' personal accomplishment and satisfaction with professional status, and accommodate shift preferences for work scheduling were suggested. Replicating this study with nurses from other geographic areas using random selection will be needed to increase the generalizability of the findings.