Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular endothelial growth factor coordinates islet innervation via vascular scaffolding

Neurovascular alignment is a common anatomical feature of organs, but the mechanisms leading to this arrangement are incompletely understood. Here, we show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling profoundly affects both vascularization and innervation of the pancreatic islet. In mature islets, nerves are closely associated with capillaries, but the islet vascularization process during embryonic organogenesis significantly precedes islet innervation. Although a simple neuronal meshwork interconnects the developing islet clusters as they begin to form at E14.5, the substantial ingrowth of nerve fibers into islets occurs postnatally, when islet vascularization is already complete. Using genetic mouse models, we demonstrate that VEGF regulates islet innervation indirectly through its effects on intra-islet endothelial cells. Our data indicate that formation of a VEGF-directed, intra-islet vascular plexus is required for development of islet innervation, and that VEGF-induced islet hypervascularization leads to increased nerve fiber ingrowth. Transcriptome analysis of hypervascularized islets revealed an increased expression of extracellular matrix components and axon guidance molecules, with these transcripts being enriched in the islet-derived endothelial cell population. We propose a mechanism for coordinated neurovascular development within pancreatic islets, in which endocrine cell-derived VEGF directs the patterning of intra-islet capillaries during embryogenesis, forming a scaffold for the postnatal ingrowth of essential autonomic nerve fibers.
Interplay of Stem Cell Characteristics, EMT, and Microtentacles in Circulating Breast Tumor Cells

Metastasis, not the primary tumor, is responsible for the majority of breast cancer-related deaths. Emerging evidence indicates that breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) cooperate to produce circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that are highly competent for metastasis. CTCs with both CSC and EMT characteristics have recently been identified in the bloodstream of patients with metastatic disease. Breast CSCs have elevated tumorigenicity required for metastatic outgrowth, while EMT may promote CSC character and endows breast cancer cells with enhanced invasive and migratory potential. Both CSCs and EMT are associated with a more flexible cytoskeleton and with anoikis-resistance, which help breast carcinoma cells survive in circulation. Suspended breast carcinoma cells produce tubulin-based extensions of the plasma membrane, termed microtentacles (McTNs), which aid in reattachment. CSC and EMT-associated upregulation of intermediate filament vimentin and increased detyrosination of α-tubulin promote the formation of McTNs. The combined advantages of CSCs and EMT and their associated cytoskeletal alterations increase metastatic efficiency, but understanding the biology of these CTCs also presents new therapeutic targets to reduce metastasis.
Cognitive Pattern in Men and Women Is Influenced by Fluctuations in Sex Hormones

cal Study of the Strange Situation (Erlbaum, Hills dale, NJ, 1978). 7. N.A. Fox, N.L. Kimmerly, and W.D. Sch? fer, Attachment to mother/attachment to father: A meta analysis, Child Development, 62, 210-225 (1991). 8. M.H. van Ijzendoom and P.M. Kroonen berg, Cross-cultural patterns of attachment: A meta analysis of the strange situation, Child Develop ment, 59, 147-156(1988). 9. H.H. Goldsmith and J.A. Alansky, Maternal and infant temperamental predictors of attachment: A meta-analytic review, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 805-816 (1987).
A Meta-Analysis of Motivational Interviewing: Twenty-Five Years of Empirical Studies

Objective: The authors investigated the unique contribution motivational interviewing (MI) has on counseling outcomes and how MI compares with other interventions. Method: A total of 119 studies were subjected to a meta-analysis. Targeted outcomes included substance use (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, marijuana), health-related behaviors (diet, exercise, safe sex), gambling, and engagement in treatment variables. Results: Judged against weak comparison groups, MI produced statistically significant, durable results in the small effect range (average g = 0.28). Judged against specific treatments, MI produced nonsignificant results (average g = 0.09). MI was robust across many moderators, although feedback (Motivational Enhancement Therapy [MET]), delivery time, manualization, delivery mode (group vs. individual), and ethnicity moderated outcomes. Conclusions: MI contributes to counseling efforts, and results are influenced by participant and delivery factors.
Brain white-matter lesions and psychosis

Self-harm and depressive disorder SIR: Ennis et a! (Journal, January 1989, 154, 41â€”47) found a 31% point prevalence of major depressive episode (MDE) in their sample using DSMâ€”III criteria. We conducted a similar study at Reims Hospital's Emergency Unit with 113 deliberate self harm patients consulting a psychiatrist (ThÃ©rett a! , 1988). A 58% point prevalence of MDE was found using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSMâ€”IIIâ€”R (SCID). As discrepant results may arise from different methods, we would like to discuss some points. The DSMâ€”IIIâ€”R criteria for MDE are known to be more stringent than those ofDSMâ€”III,so the discrepancy of results cannot be explained by the use of different classifications. In our study the cases of self-harm wererestrictedtodrugself-poisonings, butitis known that the latter account for approximately 90% of the former. The sampleofEnnis etats studymight not be representative of the patientsconsulting in psychiatry afteradeiberateself-harmatToronto Hospital, since only 23% (71 of25 1)of the patients admitted for that cause at the Emergency Department entered the study. The inter-rater diagnostic reliability was low (x=0.445) despite heuseofachecklistcontaining the DSMâ€”III criteria for MDE. A standardised diagnos tic assessment tool would have been more appropri ate. The results are thus ofless practical value. Finally, an astonishing statement by the authors is that attempted suicide and parasuicide are synonymous terms. Such an assimilation could lead to a confusion in the definitions. Kreitman's definition of para suicide (Dyer & Kreitman, 1984) does not take suicidal intent into account, so that parasuicidal (or deliberate non-fatal self-harm) people constitute a much broader group than suicide attempters. LAURENT TiEi@r J. G. PASCALIS Clinique Universitaire de Psychiatric C.H. U. â€”¿ HÃ ́pita! Robert DebrÃ© Rue Alexis Carrel 51092 Reims Cedex, France
On the Tidal Interaction of a Solar-Type Star with an Orbiting Companion: Excitation of g-Mode Oscillation and Orbital Evolution

We calculate the dynamical tides raised on a nonrotating solar-type star by a close stellar or planetary companion. Dissipation arising from a turbulent viscosity operating in the convection zone and radiative damping in the radiative core are considered. We compute the torque exerted on the star by a companion in circular orbit and determine the potentially observable magnitude of the tidally induced velocity at the stellar photosphere. These calculations are compared to the results obtained by assuming that a very small frequency limit can be taken in order to calculate the tidal response (equilibrium tide). For a standard solar model the latter is found to give a relatively poor approximation at the periods of interest of several days, even when the system is far from resonance with a normal mode. This behavior is caused by the small value of the Brunt-Väisälä frequency in the interior regions of the convection zone. It is shown that although the companion may go through a succession of resonances as it spirals in under the action of the tides, for a fixed spectrum of normal modes its migration is controlled essentially by the nonresonant interaction. We find that the turbulent viscosity that is required to provide the observed circularization rates of main-sequence solar-type binaries is about 50 times larger than that simply estimated from mixing-length theory for nonrotating stars. We discuss the means by which this enhanced viscosity might be realized. These calculations are applied to 51 Pegasi. We show that the perturbed velocity induced by the tides at the stellar surface is too small to be observed. This result is insensitive to the magnitude of the turbulent viscosity assumed and is not affected by the possibility of resonance. For this system the stellar rotation and the orbital motion are expected to be synchronized if the mass of the companion is as much as 1/10 M☉.
Faster Solutions of Rabin and Streett Games

In this paper we improve the complexity of solving Rabin and Streett games to approximately the square root of previous bounds. We introduce direct Rabin and Streett ranking that are a sound and complete way to characterize the winning sets in the respective games. By computing directly and explicitly the ranking we can solve such games in time O(mnk+1kk! ) and space O(nk) for Rabin and O(nkk! ) for Streett where n is the number of states, m the number of transitions, and k the number of pairs in the winning condition. In order to prove completeness of the ranking method we give a recursive fixpoint characterization of the winning regions in these games. We then show that by keeping intermediate values during the fixpoint evaluation, we can solve such games symbolically in time O(nk+1k! ) and space O(nk+1k! ). These results improve on the current bounds of O(mn2kk! ) time in the case of direct (symbolic) solution or O(m(nk2k! )k) in the case of reduction to parity games
Single Image Multi-focusing Based on Local Blur Estimation

In this paper, we address a challenging problem of multi-focusing image from a single photograph taken with an uncalibrated conventional camera. In order to achieve this, we firstly derive an optical degradation model which enables us to adopt a point operation scheme to realize image multi-focusing. This scheme can effectively reduce halo artifacts in the refocused image and greatly improve the computational efficiency. Then, a two-step approach is applied to estimate the blur map of the input image. i). A sparse blur map is obtained by estimating the amount of defocus blur at edge locations. ii). The guided image filtering method is applied to propagate the value from edge locations into the unknown regions. In order to obtain the depth map of the whole scene to realize the multi-focusing, we adopt a simple geometry prior of photograph to eliminate the ambiguity over the focal plane. Based on the obtained depth map, we can directly produce different styles of images by multi-focusing with the adjustment to the camera parameters. Experimental results on a variety of images show that our method can acquire visual pleasing multi-focusing results. Moreover, our method can also extract the depth map of the scene with fairly good extent of accuracy.
Factors of inflammation in Haitian Americans and African Americans with and without type 2 diabetes

Background: Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) often occur jointly and have been associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These metabolic processes may partially be explained by a pro-inflammatory state. Ethnic subgroups within the nonHispanic Black population have not been characterized in metabolic disorder studies. The purpose of this study was to assess levels of IL-6 and CRP by ethnicity and diabetes status; and determine whether MetS will be associated with higher levels of IL-6 or CRP. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 471 participants (230 Haitian Americans and 241 African Americans; 240 with and 231 without T2D) recruited from various community sources in South Florida, were included in this study. Results: African Americans had higher log IL-6 and log CRP levels than Haitian Americans (P<0.001). Haitian Americans with and without MetS had lower log IL-6 levels and log CRP than African Americans with and without MetS, respectively (P < 0.001). Log IL-6 and log CRP correlated with higher waist circumference in all groups except for log IL-6 in African Americans without T2D. Log IL-6 and log CRP positively correlated with triglycerides in Haitian Americans with T2D. Log IL-6 was negatively correlated with HDL-C in Haitian Americans with T2D. Higher levels of log CRP (β = 0.34, SE = 0.14, P = 0.012), but not log IL-6 (P = 0.727) were associated with MetS. Conclusion: Ethnic-centered health interventions that focus on improving these metabolic parameters may be the key to reducing the risk for T2D and cardiovascular diseases in this population.
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID IMPROVE NON ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER INDUCED BY HIGH FAT DIET IN RATS.

Reem M. Hashem 1 , Laila A. Rashed 2 , Ghada M. Safwat 3 and Ibrahim T. Ibrahim 1 . 1. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt. 2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. 3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
Dual Farnesyl and Geranylgeranyl Transferase Inhibitor Thwarts Mutant KRAS-Driven Patient-Derived Pancreatic Tumors

Purpose: Mutant KRAS is a major driver of pancreatic oncogenesis and therapy resistance, yet KRAS inhibitors are lacking in the clinic. KRAS requires farnesylation for membrane localization and cancer-causing activity prompting the development of farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) as anticancer agents. However, KRAS becomes geranylgeranylated and active when cancer cells are treated with FTIs. To overcome this geranylgeranylation-dependent resistance to FTIs, we designed FGTI-2734, a RAS C-terminal mimetic dual FT and geranylgeranyltransferase-1 inhibitor (GGTI). Experimental Design: Immunofluorescence, cellular fractionation, and gel shift assays were used to assess RAS membrane association, Western blotting to evaluate FGTI-2734 effects on signaling, and mouse models to demonstrate its antitumor activity. Results: FGTI-2734, but not the selective FTI-2148 and GGTI-2418, inhibited membrane localization of KRAS in pancreatic, lung, and colon human cancer cells. FGTI-2734 induced apoptosis and inhibited the growth in mice of mutant KRAS–dependent but not mutant KRAS–independent human tumors. Importantly, FGTI-2734 inhibited the growth of xenografts derived from four patients with pancreatic cancer with mutant KRAS (2 G12D and 2 G12V) tumors. FGTI-2734 was also highly effective at inhibiting, in three-dimensional cocultures with resistance promoting pancreatic stellate cells, the viability of primary and metastatic mutant KRAS tumor cells derived from eight patients with pancreatic cancer. Finally, FGTI-2734 suppressed oncogenic pathways mediated by AKT, mTOR, and cMYC while upregulating p53 and inducing apoptosis in patient-derived xenografts in vivo. Conclusions: The development of this novel dual FGTI overcomes a major hurdle in KRAS resistance, thwarting growth of patient-derived mutant KRAS–driven xenografts from patients with pancreatic cancer, and as such it warrants further preclinical and clinical studies.
Error in telemetry studies: Effects of animal movement on triangulation

We used Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effects of animal movement on error of estimated animal locations derived from radio-telemetry triangulation of sequentially obtained bearings. Simulated movements of 0-534 m resulted in up to 10-fold increases in average location error but <10% decreases in location precision when observer-to-animal distances were <1,000 m. Location error and precision were minimally affected by censorship of poor locations with Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests. Location error caused by animal movement can only be eliminated by taking simultaneous bearings. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 54(3):506-510 Telemetry triangulation is commonly used for obtaining location estimates of animals. The accuracy of a location estimate "is a function of tower locations, the animal's location relative to the towers, and precision of the bearings from the tower to the animal" (White and Garrott 1986:509), where towers refer to the antennas used by observers to obtain bearings. For triangulation from fixed antennas where bearings are obtained simultaneously, an animal has only 1 location relative to the antennas. However, many studies employ a single mobile antenna to sequentially obtain all bearings for a single location estimate. The time delay due to changing ' Present address: Alaska Fish and Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503. This content downloaded from 157.55. 39.116 on Sat, 11 Jun 2016 06:28:10 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms J. Wildl. Manage. 54(3):1990 MOVEMENT-INDUCED TELEMETRY ERRORn Schmutz and White 507 antenna locations allows for animal movement and, thus, error due to changes in the animal's position. These errors may decrease the ability to detect habitat selection (White and Garrott 1986) or may alter the interpretation of social interactions (Pyrah 1984, Andelt 1985). Our objective was to simulate the telemetry location process and to understand how animal movements might magnify telemetry location error. By examining animal movements simultaneously with other sources of location error, the relative importance of animal movements in obtaining accurate location estimates can be determined. We thank C. E. Braun, C. A. DeYoung, K. M. Giesen, N. T. Hobbs, J. K. Ringelman, D. G. Saltz, Y. Cohen, and 5 anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript. Our study was conducted while the senior author was receiving a graduate research assistantship from the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Urban Mammals

There is a clear relationship between mammalian diversity and the degree of urbanization of the landscape. As urbanization increases, mammalian diversity is lost. The loss of species in urban areas is generally attributed to habitat degradation and fragmentation, the loss of vegetation to impervious surface, and the simplification of vegetation. Mammals with large body sizes and corresponding large movement and range patterns, predators, interior species, and habitat specialists all appear to be sensitive to urbanization. On the other hand, a number of omnivores, generalists, and mediumsize carnivores have been able to utilize the ample resources of the urban environment. Mammalian populations that have adapted to the urban environment commonly have higher densities, higher rates of survival and reproduction, and lower rates of dispersal than their rural counterparts. Additionally, urban populations also frequently show different behaviors from rural populations, including reduced responses to humans, altered activity periods, smaller ranges of movement, and different territorial behaviors. Urban mammals also have been shown to alter their diets to consume more anthropogenic foods and to use buildings, culverts, and bridges for shelter and the rearing of young. However, the concentrated nature of urban resources and the high population densities of urban adapted mammal population make them more susceptible to disease outbreaks and parasites. The moderately developed areas with anthropogenic food, high net primary production, and structures for shelter probably hold the most potential for urban conservation efforts of native mammals. As the dominant ecological force on the planet, humans have altered more than 75% of the ice-free surface of the globe (Ellis and Ramankutty, 2008). The most intensive alterations to Earth’s surface have come from the creation of cities. Cities play a vital role in human culture as centers for commerce, residence, entertainment, and social interactions. Currently, more than 50% of the planet’s human population lives in cities and more than 65% of the population is projected to live in urban areas by 2045 (United Nations, 2008). Cities account for only 2.4% of the Earth’s surface (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005), but because of the intensity and magnitude of this land use, it has a disproportionate influence on regional and global ecological systems and processes (Collins and Kinzig, 2000). R. McCleery, Western Illinois University, Dep. of Biological Sciences. 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455 (ra-mccleery@wiu.edu). doi:10.2134/agronmonogr55.c5 Copyright © 2010. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA. Agronomy Monograph 55. Urban Ecosystem Ecology. J. Aitkenhead-Peterson and A. Volder (ed.)
Validity of Self-Reported Anthropometric Measures in Estimating Obesity Prevalence in Brazil: Study with Data from the National Health Survey (PNS), 2013

Background Self-reported height and weight measurement is a simple and a non-invasive method of collecting data in population surveys. However, the inaccuracy of self-reported data may bias the population nutritional status evaluation. The aim of this study is to compare the obesity prevalence estimated with self-reported anthropometric data and with measured weight and height using data from the National Health Survey, Brazil, 2013. Methods A three-stage cluster sampling (census tracts, households, and individuals) with stratification of the primary sampling units and random selection in all stages was used to select Brazilian adults aged 18 years and over. Excluding pregnant women, measurements of weight and height were taken among all selected adults and were also self-reported during the interview on the same day. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the sociodemographic factors and lifestyles associated with the outcome "reported weight and height during the interview”. Obesity prevalence estimates calculated with self-reported and measured weight and height were compared in all variable categories. Results From the sample of 59,402 adults, 70.2% self-reported weight and height. Men were most likely to report their weight (OR = 1.14) and white people when compared to non-white (OR = 0.60). People from the upper socioeconomic class are 6.5 times more likely to report their weight and height during the interview. Healthy habits and medical consultation in the past year were significantly associated with the outcome. Among women, obesity prevalence estimated with self-reported measures (20.5%) was significantly lower than those with measured weight and height (24.4%), with larger differences among women of high socioeconomic status. No significant differences were found among men. Conclusions Given that the body mass index is used as a guide for identifying health risks, these findings indicate that direct measurement of height and weight should be performed whenever possible in Brazilian surveys to adequately support public health policies. Keywords: Health surveys; Nutritional status; Obesity; Self-reported anthropometric measures.
Review Article The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project

Compo, G. P.; Whitaker, J. S. ; Sardeshmukh, P. D. ; Matsui, N. ; Allan, R. J.; Yin, X. ; Gleason, B. E. Jr.; Vose, R. S. ; Rutledge, G. ; Bessemoulin, P.; Brönnimann, S. ; Brunet, M. ; Crouthamel, R. I. ; Grant, A. N. ; Groisman, P. Y. ; Jones, P. D. ; Kruk, M. C. ; Kruger, A. C. ; Marshall, G. J.; Maugeri, M. ; Mok, H. Y. ; Nordli, Ø. ; Ross, T. F. ; Trigo, R. M. ; Wang, X. L. ; Woodruff, S. D. ; and Worley, S. J., "Review Article The Twentieth Century Reanalysis Project" (2011). Publications, Agencies and Staff of the U.S. Department of Commerce. 254. https://digitalcommons.unl. edu/usdeptcommercepub/254