Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunoglobulin e, interleukin-18 and interleukin-12 in patients with atopic dermatitis: correlation with disease activity.

INTRODUCTION Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Immunological/inflammatory reactions are reported to play a role in AD but their role in disease activity has not been fully investigated. This study was done to investigate the role of immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-12 in AD patients with different disease severities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sera from 50 AD infants with varying levels of disease activity according to the scoring index of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index and 30 age-matched healthy controls were evaluated for serum levels of IgE, IL-18 and IL-12/p40. RESULTS Serum analysis showed higher levels of IgE, IL-18 or IL-12/p40 in AD patients compared with controls. Interestingly, not only was there an increased number of subjects positive for IgE, IL-18 or IL-12/p40, but also the levels of these parameters were higher among AD patients whose SCORAD scores were higher. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the levels of these parameters and SCORAD scores. CONCLUSION These findings support an association between IgE, IL-18 or IL-12/p40 and AD. The stronger response observed in serum samples from patients with higher SCORAD scores suggest that IgE, IL-18 and IL-12/p40 may be useful in evaluating the progression of AD and in elucidating the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis.
Approximate Invariance of Metabolic Energy per Synapse during Development in Mammalian Brains

During mammalian development the cerebral metabolic rate correlates qualitatively with synaptogenesis, and both often exhibit bimodal temporal profiles. Despite these non-monotonic dependencies, it is found based on empirical data for different mammals that regional metabolic rate per synapse is approximately conserved from birth to adulthood for a given species (with a slight deviation from this constancy for human visual and temporal cortices during adolescence). A typical synapse uses about glucose molecules per second in primate cerebral cortex, and about five times of that amount in cat and rat visual cortices. A theoretical model for brain metabolic expenditure is used to estimate synaptic signaling and neural spiking activity during development. It is found that synaptic efficacy is generally inversely correlated with average firing rate, and, additionally, synapses consume a bulk of metabolic energy, roughly during most of the developmental process (except human temporal cortex ). Overall, these results suggest a tight regulation of brain electrical and chemical activities during the formation and consolidation of neural connections. This presumably reflects strong energetic constraints on brain development.
Editorial Team work - a problem for ergonomics?

In his editorial for the ® rst issue of this journal, Alan Welford (1957: 1) de® ned the core disciplines of ergonomics as t̀he biological sciences, especially anatomy, physiology, and experimental psychology’ . Social psychology and sociology, if not explicitly ruled out, were generally thought of as comprising a separate discipline addressing a distinct set of problems, even those that are undeniably related to t̀he customs, habits or laws of work’ (Welford 1957). Throughout much of the intervening four decades papers appearing in this journal have been primarily concerned with physical and psychological assets and limitations of the individual `human operator’ . Early textbooks in ergonomics rarely mentioned social factors. For example, the classic human factors handbook by Morgan et al. (1962: 321 ± 362) has only one chapter on t̀he arrangement of groups of men and machines’ and this is concerned largely with the layout of spaces used by more than one individual so as to minimize mutual interference and to facilitate communication and supervision. Even the chapter on communication is concerned principally with acoustic problems of diVerent media and environments and not at all with the ̄ ow of information and ideas now regarded as essential to eVective team work. Organizational psychologists and industrial sociologists have, by contrast, been concerned with the functionality of working groups and have built up a considerable body of specialist knowledge on problems such as team motivation and social facilitation, and the eVects of group norms and conformity on productivity and decision-making. These are relevant to many broad issues concerning eVective management structures and industrial democracy. Whereas ergonomics has drawn heavily on psychophysics and cognitive psychology for both methods and concepts, organizational psychology has been more strongly in ̄ uenced by theories of group dynamics, but as Sanders (1986) notes, the two super® cially diverse traditions are by no means unrelated. This special issue on Team Work has been put together in recognition of the fact that work systems are often based on teams of people and that the design of successful industrial and military systems must take into account the ways in which working groups and teams function. Teams, especially those operating in a highly technological environment, can sometimes fail disastrously and this fact has been the trigger for extensive research, some of it reviewed in this special issue. The word t̀eam’ derives from the old English, Fresian and Norse word for a bridle and thence to a set of draught animals harnessed together and, by analogy, to a number of persons involved in a joint action. A set of de® nitions of related words is given in appendix 1. A group is `a number of persons or things in a certain relation or having a certain degree of similarity’ . A team is a group, but not all groups are teams. The key distinction lies in ERGONOMICS, 2000, VOL. 43, NO. 8, 1045± 1051
Nascent transcription from the nmt1 and nmt2 genes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe overlaps neighbouring genes

We have determined the extent of the primary transcription unit for the two highly expressed genes nmt1 and nmt2 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Transcription run‐on analysis in permeabilized yeast cells was employed to map polymerase density across the 3′‐flanking region of these two genes. Surprisingly, polymerases were detected 4.3 kb beyond the nmt1 polyadenylation [poly(A)] site and 2.4 kb beyond the nmt2 poly(A) site, which in each case have transcribed through an entire convergent downstream transcription unit. However, the steady‐state levels of both downstream genes were unaffected by the high level of nmt1 or nmt2 nascent transcription. Analysis of nmt1 and nmt2 RNA 3′ end formation signals indicates that efficient termination of transcription requires not only a poly(A) signal but also additional pause elements. The absence of such pause elements close to the poly(A) sites of these genes may account for their extended nascent transcripts.
Crescimento pessoal, mediação e sacrifício: itinerários sociais de estudantes beneficiários do Prouni

This article analyzes the social itineraries of students from families regarded as belonging to popular classes, who have benefitted from ProUni. It discusses the process of constitution of meanings and the practical incorporation of principles which contributed to the constitution and feasibility of the university degree acquisition project. The project is conceived in a non-naturalized way, implemented through interaction with mediating agents, placed in institutional frameworks that go beyond the limits of the nuclear family relationship network. Completion of a higher education programme represents the possibility of practicing a better paid and more valued profession and of being included in a group that has higher prestige and status.
First births after preimplantation genetic diagnosis of structural chromosome abnormalities using comparative genomic hybridization and microarray analysis.

BACKGROUND Balanced chromosomal rearrangements represent one of the most frequent indications for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Although fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been successfully employed for diagnosis in such cases, this approach usually restricts assessment of the chromosomes involved in the rearrangement. Furthermore, with FISH-based strategies, it is sometimes necessary to create patient-specific protocols, increasing the waiting time and costs. In the current study, we explored the use of two comprehensive chromosome screening methods, conventional metaphase comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and microarray-CGH (aCGH), as alternatives for PGD of chromosome rearrangements. METHODS The study included 16 patients who underwent 20 cycles of PGD for a variety of chromosome rearrangements (reciprocal or Robertsonian translocations or inversions). Testing was performed at various embryonic stages using CGH (9 cases) or aCGH (11 cases). RESULTS Results were obtained for 121 out of 132 samples (91.7%). Of the diagnosed samples, 48.8% were found to carry abnormalities associated with the rearrangement, either alone or in combination with other chromosomal abnormalities. A further 28.9% of samples were normal/balanced for the rearranged chromosomes, but affected by aneuploidy for other chromosomes. Only 22.3% of samples were chromosomally normal. Of the 15 patients who completed their treatment cycles, 5 became pregnant after one or two cycles resulting in four healthy births. The delivery rate per cycle was 21% (27% per embryo transfer). CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to describe the clinical application of comprehensive chromosome screening applied to polar bodies, blastomeres or trophectoderm cells from patients carrying inversions and translocations. Using these techniques, most patients requesting PGD for a chromosome rearrangement can be treated using a single protocol. Additionally, the detection of abnormalities affecting chromosomes unrelated to the rearrangement may assist in the selection of viable embryos for transfer.
EXPERIENCES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iii LIST OF TABLES . v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION. 1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS . 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 3 CHRONIC CONDITIONS . 3 MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND AGING . 7 THE BARRIERS AND MOTIVATORS TO PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 10 Physical Barriers . 10 Psychological Barriers . 12 Social and Environmental Barriers . 13 Physical Motivators . 17 Psychological Motivators . 18 Social and Environmental Motivators . 19 SOCIAL POSITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN LATER LIFE . 21 Gender . 21 Marital Status . 24 Educational Attainment and Income . 26 HEALTHISM AND SUCCESSFUL AGING . 29 Summary . 33 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS . 35 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK . 35 PARTICIPANT SELECTION . 37 Sample Rationale . 40 Sample Characteristics . 40 Interview Structure . 42 Interview Schedule . 43 Data Analysis . 44 The Interview Experience . 46 Reflexivity . 48 TABLE 1 PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS . 55 TABLE 2 CODEBOOK . 56 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS . 57 iv BARRIERS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY . 57 Physical Barriers . 57 Pain or Discomfort . 58 Fatigue . 59 Weakness or a Lack of Strength . 60 Shortness of Breath . 61 Poor Balance . 62 Psychological Barrier . 63 Fear . 63 Social and Environmental Barriers . 66 Age and Ageism . 66 Lack of Social Support. 68 Physician Recommendations . 70 Transportation . 70 MOTIVATORS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 72 Physical Motivators . 73 Improving Health . 73 Prevention of Additional Chronic Conditions . 75 Psychological Motivators . 77 Social Motivators . 78 Having a Companion . 78 Social Connections and Friendships . 79 Fun and Enjoyment . 80 PATTERNS OF PARTICIPATION . 81 Childhood and Adolescence . 82 Adulthood . 83 Later Adulthood and Time of Interview . 84 Adjusting Behaviour . 86 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION . 89 BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATING IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND/OR EXERCISE . 89 MOTIVATORS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE . 94 PATTERNS OF PARTICIPATION . 96 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION . 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 108 APPENDIX A: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION . 134 APPENDIX B: LETTER OF CONSENT . 136 APPENDIX C: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE . 139 APPENDIX D: VIGNETTES OF PARTICIPANTS. 141 APPENDIX E: UBC CLINICAL RESEARCH ETHICS APPROVAL CERTIFICATE . 147
Quality of INR Control and Outcomes Following Venous Thromboembolism

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of anticoagulation after venous thromboembolism (VTE) in actual clinical practice. Material and Methods: This study used the General Practice Research Database. Individuals aged 18+ years with VTE were matched to 3 controls. Results: Of the 46 335 patients with VTE and 138 024 controls, 70.2% of cases and 86.6% of controls had no obvious risk factors. The mortality risk was increased substantially around the time of diagnosis (relative hazard rate [RR] around 21) but remained elevated for a further 4 years (RRs around 1.5-2.0). The mean percentage of time spent within the therapeutic range for international normalized ratio (INR) was 57.0%. The lowest rate of VTE recurrence occurred in patients with ≥70% time spent within therapeutic range (RR of 0.50, 95% CI 0.39-0.63 compared to <30%). Conclusions: Higher time spent within therapeutic INR range was associated with lower risks of VTE recurrence and death due to VTE.
A quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm based on P systems for radar emitter signals

In this paper, a quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm based on P systems (QEPS) is used for radar emitter signals to promote the application of membrane computing. QEPS combines the framework and evolution rules of P systems with the chromosome representation and evolutionary mechanism of quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithms (QIEA). With good global search capability and rapid convergence, QEPS can extract specific information from radar emitter signals in a short span of time. Experiments are carried out on linear-frequency modulated radar emitter signals with 10 db signal-to-noise rate to test the effectiveness and practicality of the introduced approach. Experimental results show that QEPS performs better than the greedy algorithm and the counterpart QIEA.
Journal of Enterprise Information Management Investigating the Structural linkage between IT capability and Organizational agility : A Study on Indian Financial Enterprises sukanya

Purpose – Information technology (IT) is normally regarded as an enabling factor for making firms agile. Usually, it has been realized that greater IT spending enhances a firm’s agility. However, the role of IT as an obstructing factor towards organizational agility cannot be overlooked. Taking this commonly perceived but less-studied IT–agility contradiction into account this paper investigates whether IT can augment or impede organizational agility. This research which is conducted in context to privately-owned Indian financial enterprises proposes the premise that effective IT resource management is imperative for organizations to thrive for greater firm-wide IT capability for enhanced agility. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data collected from 300 business and IT executives working in various privately-owned financial enterprises across India are used for this study and a structural equation modelling is utilized to assess the IT-agility link. Findings – The findings of the study are two-folded. First, this study concludes that IT capability acts as an enabler for business process and market responsive organizational agility. Second, if IT spending is not properly translated into creating superior capability, huge and impudent IT investments will impede the overall organizational agility. Originality/value – This paper investigates both exogenous variable (IT capability) and endogenous variable (Organizational agility) in terms of second-order reflective measures and establishes a significant structural link between both the dimensions of IT capability (managerial and technical) and organizational agility (business process and market responsive). This analysis illustrates the moderating effect of IT spending on each of these relationships, thereby greatly contributes and extends the existing IT capability-agility related information systems (IS) literature.
Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduction of OFDM signals Using Improved PTS Scheme with Low Computational Complexity

In wireless communication, parallel transmission of symbols using multi carriers is applied to achieve high efficiency in terms of throughput and better transmission quality. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is one of the techniques for parallel transmission. It effectively mitigates the effect on performance due to Intersymbol Interference and delay spread caused by wireless medium. However high peak to average power ratio (PAPR) is a major demerit of OFDM system. High PAPR leads to increased complexity of circuit and reduced efficiency of RF amplifier. Partial Transmit Sequence (PTS) is one of the most promising techniques for PAPR reduction. In conventional PTS scheme the computation of optimal phase factors necessitates exhaustive searching of all possible and allowable phase factors, this leads to exponential increase of computation complexity in terms of complex additions and multiplications as number of subblock increases. In this paper by exploiting correlation among various candidate phase factors a novel scheme is proposed here which reduces the computation complexity by tremendous margin and at the same time maintaining same PAPR reduction as conventional PTS scheme. OFDM signal Implemented here complies with IEEE 802.11 a standard.
Lucifensins, the Insect Defensins of Biomedical Importance: The Story behind Maggot Therapy

Defensins are the most widespread antimicrobial peptides characterised in insects. These cyclic peptides, 4–6 kDa in size, are folded into α-helical/β-sheet mixed structures and have a common conserved motif of three intramolecular disulfide bridges with a Cys1-Cys4, Cys2-Cys5 and Cys3-Cys6 connectivity. They have the ability to kill especially Gram-positive bacteria and some fungi, but Gram-negative bacteria are more resistant against them. Among them are the medicinally important compounds lucifensin and lucifensin II, which have recently been identified in the medicinal larvae of the blowflies Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina, respectively. These defensins contribute to wound healing during a procedure known as maggot debridement therapy (MDT) which is routinely used at hospitals worldwide. Here we discuss the decades-long story of the effort to isolate and characterise these two defensins from the bodies of medicinal larvae or from their secretions/excretions. Furthermore, our previous studies showed that the free-range larvae of L. sericata acutely eliminated most of the Gram-positive strains of bacteria and some Gram-negative strains in patients with infected diabetic foot ulcers, but MDT was ineffective during the healing of wounds infected with Pseudomonas sp. and Acinetobacter sp. The bactericidal role of lucifensins secreted into the infected wound by larvae during MDT and its ability to enhance host immunity by functioning as immunomodulator is also discussed.
Controversial Treatment of Spasticity: Exploring Alternative Therapies for Motor Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy

The treatment and management of children with cerebral palsy is an ever-evolving story. In the past 20 years, a number of exciting innovations in treatment have expanded the opportunities to help children. At the same time, the field has experienced a remarkable proliferation of “alternative” therapies—approaches based on ideas about the biologic basis of neurodevelopmental disabilities and their management that differ considerably from conventional thinking in Western medicine. Professionals working with children with cerebral palsy and their families are frequently asked for an opinion about or even endorsement of these new and “promising” approaches to therapy. These can be very difficult to provide when the evidence is limited, peer-reviewed reports are scarce, and the primary source of information is the World Wide Web. The purposes of this article are to discuss briefly why it can be difficult to ascertain whether any treatment—conventional or alternative—does more harm than good, and to consider what rules of evidence can be applied to make a sound judgment about a new treatment. The article then discusses several current controversial alternative therapies, reviewing the available literature and offering a critical appraisal of each. Topics addressed include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, conductive education, the Adeli suit, and therapeutic (subthreshold) electrical stimulation because these approaches have been applied to children with cerebral palsy. (J Child Neurol 2003;18:S89—S94).
The Murine Pou6f2 Gene is Temporally and Spatially Regulated During Kidney Embryogenesis and its Human Homolog is Overexpressed in a Subset of Wilms Tumors

We have previously suggested the transcription factor gene POU6F2 as a novel tumor suppressor involved in Wilms tumor (WT) predisposition. Since WT arises from pluripotent embryonic renal precursors, in this study we analyzed the expression of the murine homolog Pou6f2 during kidney embryogenesis and compared it to that of Wt1, the homolog of WT1, a known WT related gene involved in mesenchyme to epithelium conversion. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) performed for Pou6f2 on kidney specimens from embryos, pups, and adult mice, showed that the Pou6f2 mRNA was more abundant in the earliest analyzed phase of kidney organogenesis (E13) than in more advanced fetal stages and in adult animal. In situ RT-PCR demonstrated that Pou6f2 expression parallels the centripetal differentiation of renal morphogenesis. In addition, in E18 kidney, most structures exhibiting Pou6f2 expression stained positively in immunohistochemistry for the Wt1 protein. Finally, quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed an overexpression (≥80 times) of POU6F2 compared with normal kidney in 5 of 22 (23%) WTs. The finding of a highly regulated temporal and spatial Pou6f2 expression during renal organogenesis, of its coexpression with Wt1 and of POU6F2 overexpression in a subset of WTs are consistent with a role of POU6F2 in kidney development and provide further support to its involvement in WT.
The Effects of Individual and Structural Characteristics on Intransitivity in Social Networks

Past research on intransitive or unbalanced sentiment relations focused on the incidence of intransitivity in triads embedded in a larger social network. The theoretical explanations for intransitivity, however, are directed toward the attitudes and sentiments of an individual rather than toward the structure of triadic configurations and the global properties of groups. This paper argues that intransitivity should be studied at the individual level, with the person experiencing the intransitive relationship as the focus of attention. Analyzing longitudinal data on 2,175 intransitive sentiment triplets from fourthand fifth-grade students, we show that individuals' personal characteristics and the structural properties of their dyadic and triadic ties affect both their tolerance for intransitivity and the manner in which they resolve intransitive friendships.