Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ROLE OF l‐ARGININE IN NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION IN HEALTH AND HYPERTENSION

1 l‐Arginine is the substrate for vascular nitric oxide (NO) formation. Under normal physiological conditions, intracellular l‐arginine levels far exceed the Km of NO synthase for l‐arginine. However, endogenous NO formation is dependent on extracellular l‐arginine concentrations, giving rise to the concept of the ‘l‐arginine paradox’. 2 Nitric oxide production in epithelial and endothelial cells is closely coupled to cellular l‐arginine uptake, indicating that l‐arginine transport mechanisms play a major role in the regulation of NO‐dependent function. 3 Consistent with the data in endothelial and epithelial cells are functional data indicating that exogenous l‐arginine can increase renal vascular and tubular NO bioavailability and thereby influence kidney perfusion, function and arterial pressure. The integrated effect of increased cellular l‐arginine transport is to lower arterial pressure. Therefore, the use of l‐arginine in the treatment of hypertension warrants investigation. 4 Low NO bioavailability is central to the development and maintenance of hypertension and to related endothelial dysfunction and target organ damage. We propose that l‐arginine can interrupt the vicious cycle that initiates and maintains low NO in hypertension by increasing the formation of NO.
25 percent Ahead of Schedule and just at “Step 2” of the SAMI

The Sidky Agile Measurement Index (SAMI) is a 5-step value-based roadmap to agility. The SAMI is designed to help guide organizations seeking to become more agile. Each of SAMI’s 5 steps (Collaborative, Evolutionary, Integrated, Adaptive and Encompassing) aims to instill a new value in teams and organizations. This report shows how an organization that is just at Step 2 of the SAMI has realized a number of tangible business benefits. Some of these notable benefits are (a) 25% increase in the speed to market, (b) 45% decrease in the number of bugs reported after delivery of the system, (c) unprecedented customer satisfaction, and (d) 19% decrease in employee turnover because of the substantial increase in the team moral.
Visualizing Temporal Graphs using Visual Rhythms - A Case Study in Soccer Match Analysis

In several applications, a huge amount of graph data have been generated, demanding the creation of appropriate tools for graph visualization. One class of graph data which is attracting a lot of attention recently are the temporal graphs, which encode how objects and their relationships evolve over time. This paper introduces the Graph Visual Rhythm, a novel image-based representation to visualize changing patterns typically found in temporal graphs. The use of visual rhythms is motivated by its capacity of providing a lot of contextual information about graph dynamics in a compact way. We validate the use of graph visual rhythms through the creation of a visual analytics tool to support the decision-making process based on complex-network-oriented soccer match analysis.
A γ‐herpesvirus immune evasion gene allows tumor cells in vivo to escape attack by cytotoxic T cells specific for a tumor epitope

DNA vaccines induce CTL attack on target tumor epitopes, but tumor elimination in vivo also requires sufficient effector CTL to enter the site, guided by inflammatory chemokines. Manyherpesviruses contain genes for chemokine and chemokine receptor‐like proteins to protect infected cells from immune attack. To assess if this evasion strategy could protect tumor cells, we used a model where CTL specific for a single epitope were the only effectors. Following DNA vaccination, CTL eliminated tumor cells from a subcutaneous site. However, introducing a viral gene encoding a secreted broad‐spectrum chemokine‐binding protein (M3) into tumor cells completely blocked CTL attack. Transduced tumor cells also protected neighboring non‐transduced tumor. These findings confirm the importance of chemokines for migration of CTL to a non‐lymphoid site. They may have relevance for escape of human virus‐associated malignancies, and raise the question of whether analogous molecules might contribute to the failure of CTL to eliminate tumors.
The role of coping strategies and self-efficacy as predictors of life satisfaction in a sample of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND This research aims to understand the role of coping strategies and self-efficacy expectations as predictors of life satisfaction in a sample of parents of boys and girls diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. METHODS A total of 129 parents (64 men and 65 women) answered a questionnaire on life-satisfaction, coping strategies and self-efficacy scales. RESULTS Using a regression model, results show that the age of the child is associated with a lower level of satisfaction in parents. The results show that self-efficacy is the variable that best explains the level of satisfaction in mothers, while the use of problem solving explains a higher level of satisfaction in fathers. Men and women show similar levels of life satisfaction; however significant differences were found in coping strategies where women demonstrated higher expressing emotions and social support strategies than men. CONCLUSIONS The development of functional coping strategies and of a high level of self-efficacy represents a key tool for adapting to caring for children with autism. Our results indicated the necessity of early intervention with parents to promote coping strategies, self-efficacy and high level of life satisfaction.
Does student performance on preclinical OSCEs relate to clerkship grades?

Background Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) have been used to assess the clinical competence and interpersonal skills of healthcare professional students for decades. However, the relationship between preclinical (second year or M2) OSCE grades and clerkship performance had never been evaluated, until it was explored to provide information to educators at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). In addition, the relationship between M2 OSCE communication scores (which is a portion of the total score) and third-year (M3) Internal Medicine (IM) clerkship OSCE scores was also explored. Lastly, conflicting evidence exists about the relationship between the amount of previous clinical experience and OSCE performance. Therefore, the relationship between M3 IM clerkship OSCE scores and the timing of the clerkship in the academic year was explored. Methods Data from UNMC M2 OSCEs and M3 IM clerkship OSCEs were obtained for graduates of the 2013 and 2014 classes. Specifically, the following data points were collected: M2 fall OSCE total, M2 fall OSCE communication; M2 spring OSCE total, M2 spring OSCE communication; and M3 IM clerkship OSCE total percentages. Data were organized by class, M3 IM clerkship OSCE performance, and timing of the clerkship. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were used for data organization and analysis. Results Of the 245 records, 229 (93.5%) had data points for all metrics of interest. Significant differences between the classes of 2013 and 2014 existed for average M2 spring total, M2 spring communication, and M3 IM clerkship OSCEs. Retrospectively, there were no differences in M2 OSCE performances based on how students scored on the M3 IM clerkship OSCE. M3 IM clerkship OSCE performance improved for those students who completed the clerkship last in the academic year. Conclusions There were inconsistencies in OSCE performances between the classes of 2013 and 2014, but more information is needed to determine if this is because of testing variability or heterogeneity from class to class. Although there were no differences in preclinical scores based on M3 IM clerkship OSCE scores, students would benefit from a longitudinal review of their OSCE performance over their medical training. Additionally, students may benefit from more reliable and valid forms of assessing communication. In general, students who take the IM clerkship last in the academic year performed better on the required OSCE. More information is needed to determine why this is seen only at the end of the year.
Exploring information assurance to support electronic health record systems

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) provide continuity of care as all the patient health information is stored in one place. Patients and health care staff have privacy concerns regarding EHRs as they are not informed how the information in the system is protected. Information assurance is a holistic approach to the protection of data in a EHR. This paper makes use of a literature review to discuss both information security risks and information assurance as it applies to EHRs. The significance of information assurance to protect patient information in an EHR is also investigated. The Maconachy cube is used to discuss the various information assurance dimensions as they relate to the EHRs. These include the information states, critical information characteristics, security measures and time dimensions. The paper provides and overview of information assurance as it relates to electronic health records and can be used in future research to improve the protection of information in EHRs.
A photovoltaic cell model based on nominal data only

A model of a photovoltaic array is developed using only the nominal values of the modules: open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, maximum power point, and the temperature coefricients of the first two parameters. Its originality is that, although the model uses four degrees of freedom for the characteristics I-U at nominal junction temperature, these are fitted without using the temperature coefficients. After that, the temperature coefficients are still available for the determination of the temperature behavior of the elements of the model. A numerical example is presented and the source code used is made available.
DNA integrity is compromised in protamine-deficient human sperm.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between DNA integrity and protamines in human sperm. One hundred forty-nine male infertility patients were included in an Institutional Review Board-approved study. Sperm were evaluated for DNA fragmentation using the DNA Integrity Assay, a test equivalent to the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA). Additionally, nuclear proteins were extracted and the protamine-1/protamine-2 ratio (P1/P2), protamine-1 (P1), protamine-2 (P2), and total protamine concentrations were evaluated. We identified 37 patients with abnormally low P1/P2 ratios, 99 patients with normal P1/P2 ratios, and 13 patients with abnormally high P1/P2 ratios. DNA fragmentation was significantly elevated in patients with low P1/P2 ratios (37.1 +/- 6.02) vs those with normal and high P1/P2 ratios (26.7 +/- 1.9 and 23.8 +/- 3.2, respectively; P < .05) and was inversely correlated with the P1/P2 ratio (R(s) -0.18, P < . 05), P1 concentration (R(s) -0.29, P < . 001), P2 concentration (R(s) - 0.24, P < . 005), and total protamine concentration (R(s) -0.28, P < . 001). Furthermore, chi2 analysis revealed a significant increase in the incidence of marked DNA fragmentation in patients with diminished levels of either P1 or P2. The present study is the first to report that human sperm protamine content is significantly related to DNA fragmentation. In particular, sperm P1 and P2 concentrations inversely correlate with DNA fragmentation, indicating a protective role of the protamines against sperm DNA damage. In light of recent studies highlighting the negative effect of sperm DNA damage on ART outcomes, these findings indicate a possible clinical significance for human sperm protamine levels.
Results of biological standardization with standardized allergen preparations

The aim of biological standardization (BS) is to equilibrate the activity (potency) of allergen extracts from different source materials. This was done by performing skin prick tests (SPT) on patients who were sensitive to one of the following 10 allergens: Birch, alder, hazel, timothy, rye grass, velvet grass, cultivated rye, mugwort, D. farinae and Cladosporium herbarum. Patient sensitivity varied within a range of diree to four powers of ten for each allergen investigated. The weal size in each patient corresponding to that elicited by histamine 1 mg/ml was calculated using the model log (mean weal diameter) = a + b log (concentration). The correlation coefficients of the regression lines of die allergen dose response relationship were found to be > 0.85 in most cases. The median slope for all extracts was 0.24. The slope for Cladosporium was significantly steeper than that for pollens. The amount of material in ng dry weight (d.w./ml) equal to 1000 biological units/ml (BU/ml) varied within a factor of three between species for all tested purified allergen preparations but Cladosporium. For Cladosporium, about 30 times more material was needed than for D. farinae. When using crude radier than purified material, it was necessary to use five to ten times more to elicit a reaction corresponding to 1000 BU/ml, but the difference was significant only for Cladosporium. The narrow range of allergen concentrations used by us as well as other investigators does not assure positive skin prick test results in all patients with clinical symptoms due to the allergen in question. Skin prick testing should therefore be done over a wide range of concentrations to improve the methods for BS.
After Nerve Injury, Lineage Tracing Shows That Myelin and Remak Schwann Cells Elongate Extensively and Branch to Form Repair Schwann Cells, Which Shorten Radically on Remyelination

There is consensus that, distal to peripheral nerve injury, myelin and Remak cells reorganize to form cellular columns, Bungner's bands, which are indispensable for regeneration. However, knowledge of the structure of these regeneration tracks has not advanced for decades and the structure of the cells that form them, denervated or repair Schwann cells, remains obscure. Furthermore, the origin of these cells from myelin and Remak cells and their ability to give rise to myelin cells after regeneration has not been demonstrated directly, although these conversions are believed to be central to nerve repair. Using genetic lineage-tracing and scanning-block face electron microscopy, we show that injury of sciatic nerves from mice of either sex triggers extensive and unexpected Schwann cell elongation and branching to form long, parallel processes. Repair cells are 2- to 3-fold longer than myelin and Remak cells and 7- to 10-fold longer than immature Schwann cells. Remarkably, when repair cells transit back to myelinating cells, they shorten ∼7-fold to generate the typically short internodes of regenerated nerves. The present experiments define novel morphological transitions in injured nerves and show that repair Schwann cells have a cell-type-specific structure that differentiates them from other cells in the Schwann cell lineage. They also provide the first direct evidence using genetic lineage tracing for two basic assumptions in Schwann cell biology: that myelin and Remak cells generate the elongated cells that build Bungner bands in injured nerves and that such cells can transform to myelin cells after regeneration. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT After injury to peripheral nerves, the myelin and Remak Schwann cells distal to the injury site reorganize and modify their properties to form cells that support the survival of injured neurons, promote axon growth, remove myelin-associated growth inhibitors, and guide regenerating axons to their targets. We show that the generation of these repair-supportive Schwann cells involves an extensive cellular elongation and branching, often to form long, parallel processes. This generates a distinctive repair cell morphology that is favorable for the formation of the regeneration tracks that are essential for nerve repair. Remyelination, conversely, involves a striking cell shortening to form the typical short myelin cells of regenerated nerves. We also provide evidence for direct lineage relationships between: (1) repair cells and myelin and Remak cells of uninjured nerves and (2) remyelinating cells in regenerated nerves.
Keratinocyte growth factor is up-regulated by estrogen in the porcine uterine endometrium and functions in trophectoderm cell proliferation and differentiation.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is expressed by uterine endometrial epithelial cells during the estrous cycle and during pregnancy in pigs, whereas KGF receptor is expressed in conceptus trophectoderm and endometrial epithelia. In particular, KGF expression in the endometrium is highest on day 12 of pregnancy. This corresponds to the period of maternal recognition of pregnancy in pigs, which is signaled by large amounts of estrogen secreted by conceptus trophectoderm acting on the endometrium. Our hypothesis is that estrogens of conceptus origin stimulate endometrial epithelial KGF expression, and, in turn, secreted KGF stimulates proliferation and differentiation of conceptus trophectoderm. To determine the factors affecting KGF expression in the uterus, endometrial explants from gilts on day 9 of the estrous cycle were cultured in the presence of 17beta-estradiol, catechol estrogens, or progesterone. 17beta-Estradiol stimulated the expression of KGF (P < 0.05), whereas catechol estrogens had no effect (P > 0.05). Between days 9 and 15 of pregnancy, proliferating cell nuclear antigen was abundant in conceptuses, but was barely detectable in uterine endometrial epithelia. To determine the effects of KGF on conceptus trophectoderm, porcine trophectoderm (pTr) cells were treated with recombinant rat KGF (rKGF). rKGF increased the proliferation of pTr cells (P < 0.01) as measured by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation. rKGF elicited phosphorylation of KGF receptor and activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2) cascade in pTr cells. pTr cell differentiation was affected by rKGF, because it increased expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator, a marker for differentiation in pTr cells. Collectively, these results indicate that estrogen, the pregnancy recognition signal from the conceptus in pigs, increases uterine epithelial KGF expression, and, in turn, KGF stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of conceptus trophectoderm.
A Land Management Based Approach to Integrated Striga hermonthica Control in sub-Saharan Africa

Striga hermonthica, an obligate root parasite of grasses, Is one of the most severe constraints to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. In the recent past, prior to increased production pressure on land, S. hermonthica was controlled in African farming systems by prolonged crop rotations with bush fallow. Because of increasing need for food and concomitant changes in land management practices, however, these fallow rotations are no longer extensively used. Shorter crop rotations and fallow periods have also led to declines in soil fertility which present a very serious threat to African food production. A sustainable solution will be an integrated approach that simultaneously addresses both of these major problems. An integrated programme that replaces traditional bush fallow rotation with non-host nitrogen-fixing legume rotations, using cultivars selected for efficacy in germinating S. hermonthica seeds, is outlined. The programme includes use of S. hermonthlca-free planting material, biological control, cultural control to enhance biological suppressiveness, host-plant resistance, and host-seed treatments.
Organization and maintenance of molecular domains in myelinated axons

Over a century ago, Ramon y Cajal first proposed the idea of a directionality involved in nerve conduction and neuronal communication. Decades later, it was discovered that myelin, produced by glial cells, insulated axons with periodic breaks where nodes of Ranvier (nodes) form to allow for saltatory conduction. In the peripheral nervous system (PNS), Schwann cells are the glia that can either individually myelinate the axon from one neuron or ensheath axons of many neurons. In the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes are the glia that myelinate axons from different neurons. Review of more recent studies revealed that this myelination created polarized domains adjacent to the nodes. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the organization of axonal domains are only now beginning to be elucidated. The molecular domains in myelinated axons include the axon initial segment (AIS), where various ion channels are clustered and action potentials are initiated; the node, where sodium channels are clustered and action potentials are propagated; the paranode, where myelin loops contact with the axolemma; the juxtaparanode (JXP), where delayed‐rectifier potassium channels are clustered; and the internode, where myelin is compactly wrapped. Each domain contains a unique subset of proteins critical for the domain's function. However, the roles of these proteins in axonal domain organization are not fully understood. In this review, we highlight recent advances on the molecular nature and functions of some of the components of each axonal domain and their roles in axonal domain organization and maintenance for proper neuronal communication. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Linguistic perception of corporate responsibility disclosure: the case of Japanese Idemitsu

Purpose This paper aims to examine a case to illustrate the linguistic perception of corporate responsibility disclosures. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a content analysis framework based on fuzzy linguistic variables is proposed to measure the level of sustainable and responsible practices perceived by the stakeholders. A case is examined to illustrate the linguistic perception of corporate responsibility disclosures. Findings The results demonstrated a significant difference between Perception of Disclosure, using linguistic variables and most common sustainability indicators, and a Boolean analysis based on sustainability reporting indicators. The approach helps companies in developing a more robust stakeholder management program and to better respond to stakeholders’ demands. Research limitations/implications Future studies can evaluate corporate responsibility and sustainability performance using linguistic variables. Practical implications The approach helps companies to better respond to stakeholders’ demands. Social implications The approach helps companies in developing a more robust stakeholder management program and to better respond to stakeholders’ demands. Originality/value Most of the studies on corporate responsibility disclosure analysis have focused on a binary response to the level of disclosure of a certain economic, social, environmental or governance issue; however, how a disclosed item is being perceived by the user has not been taken into consideration.