Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of enzymatic degradation of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins in the 150K complex during pregnancy.

Western ligand blot analysis of the different molecular forms of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein IGF-BP) in serum and plasma samples from 89 pregnant women has revealed a marked decrease, after the second month of pregnancy, in the 41.5 and 38.5K species (which are the binding units of the 150K complex) as well as in the 24K form. There was also a slight decrease in the 34K form, the 30K form was unaffected, and additional 21.5 and 20K bands appeared. Cross-linking experiments demonstrated the disapperance of a 49K band which is characteristic of the 150K complex. The alterations of the electrophoretic profile of the BPs were accompanied by a decrease in binding activity of up to 90%. Gel filtration at pH 7.4 confirmed that the decrease was essentially attributable to changes in the 150K complex BPs: 1) material eluting in the 150K zone contained only one third of the binding activity, as opposed to three quarters in reference material; 2) radiocompetition experiments illustrated the loss of affinity for IGF-I and IGF-II of the BPs extracted from the 150K complex; 3) ligand blot analysis revealed, in contrast with the virtual disappearance of the 41.5 and 38.5K forms, the appearance of a broad indistinct band at 30K and additional bands at 21.5 and 20K. With immunoblotting, the anti-IGF-BP-3 antibody, which specifically recognizes the 41.5 and 38.5K species, cross-reacted with this 30K material. The alterations of the BPs appeared to be enzymatic. When pregnancy serum was mixed with reference serum, the 41.5, 38.5, and 24K forms contributed by the reference serum were markedly reduced after 30 min of incubation at 37 C. However, these alterations could be prevented by incubation at either 0 or at 37 C in the presence of EDTA or aprotinin and could be curbed in the presence of high concentrations of phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride. Unmixed reference serum incubated at 37 C yielded an unchanged BP profile. Incubation of pregnancy serum with hypopituitary serum, which has elevated levels of the 34 and 30K BPs, resulted in a marked decrease in the 41.5 and 38.5K forms, a slight alteration of the 34K form, and no change in the 30K form. These findings suggest that during pregnancy, enzymatic (probably protease) activity either appears or is significantly increased in the circulation, which specifically degrades some of the IGF-BPs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
On the Intonation of Tonal Varieties of English

Carlos Gussenhoven Abstract Varieties of English with substrate tone languages are tone languages. Detailed descriptions of sentence-wide tone structures in Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Cantonese English show that British English words with initial stress have H-tone melodies, while other words have MH or LH melodies. These languages vary in the use of final intonational boundary tones and the extent to which phonological downstep on H-tones is triggered by both overt and non-overt (floating) low tones (Nigerian and Ghanaian English) or by overt tones only (Cantonese English). The analyses of Nigerian English and Cantonese English are supported by the results of production and perception experiments run on location with native speakers. While the structural differences deprive these languages of the many intonation contrasts that characterize British English, two structural contrasts that British English lacks are identified in the tonal varieties.
Multiple visual areas in the caudal superior temporal sulcus of the macaque

Anatomical and physiological evidence indicates that, in addition to area MT, much of the cortex in the caudal superior temporal sulcus (STS) of the macaque has visual functions. Yet the organization of areas outside of MT remains unclear, and there are even conflicting data on the boundaries of MT itself. To examine these issues, we recorded from neurons throughout this region in three monkeys. Anterograde or retrograde tracers were injected into MT at the conclusion of recording to identify its projection fields. Based on differences in their visuotopic organization, neuronal properties, receptive field size, myeloarchitecture, and pattern of connections with MT, several visual areas were distinguished within the caudal STS.
Cyclic compression loaded on cartilage explants enhances the production of reactive oxygen species.

OBJECTIVE Although mechanical forces are an essential factor in the regulation of cartilage metabolism, the precise mechanisms involved have not yet been determined. We previously demonstrated that mechanical forces on chondrocytes inhibited proteoglycan (PG) synthesis. We also demonstrated the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is loaded on the chondrocytes. Our purpose was to determine the ROS induction with mechanical compression and its involvement in PG synthesis of cartilage slices. METHODS Bovine articular cartilage slices were subjected to cyclic compression loading. Synthesis of PG and ROS was measured using Na2[35S]-SO4 and a chemiluminescent probe, respectively. The induction of nitrotyrosine was determined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The synthesis of PG was significantly inhibited with 2.0 MPa of compression stress; 1 h of compression was sufficient to inhibit PG synthesis. The ROS inhibitor ebselen reversed the compression-inhibited synthesis of PG. Compression on the cartilage induced synthesis of ROS and the expression of nitrotyrosine. CONCLUSION Mechanical compression at 2.0 MPa inhibited PG synthesis by cartilage explants. ROS were involved in this action.
The context of adjustment: qualitative reports from Australian men being treated for non-localised prostate cancer

Studies using standardised group measures can mask individual factors that patients consider important to understanding their adjustment. In this study, clinical psychologists categorised verbal and written comments from 77 Australian men before and during treatment for non-localised prostate cancer. Emergent themes included appraisals, health beliefs, coping resources, coping strategies, attributions about medication and feelings about participating in research. Results demonstrated substantial individual differences in adjustment to prostate cancer. Themes raised by participants suggest potential avenues for clinical interventions and future studies with this patient group.
Steady State–Hopf Mode Interactions at the Onset of Electroconvection in the Nematic Liquid Crystal Phase V

We report on a new mode interaction found in electroconvection experiments on the nematic liquid crystal mixture Phase V in planar geometry. The mode interaction (codimension two) point occurs at a critical value of the frequency of the driving AC voltage. For frequencies below this value the primary pattern-forming instability at the onset voltage is an oblique stationary instability involving oblique rolls, and above this value it is an oscillatory instability giving rise to normal traveling rolls (oriented perpendicular to and traveling in the director direction). The transition has been confirmed by measuring the roll angle and the dominant frequency of the time series, as both quantities exhibit a discontinuous jump across zero when the AC frequency is varied near threshold. The globally coupled system of Ginzburg–Landau equations that qualitatively describe this mode interaction is constructed, and the resulting normal form, in which slow spatial variations of the mode amplitudes are ignored, is analyzed. This analysis shows that the Ginzburg–Landau system provides the adequate theoretical description for the experimentally observed phenomenon. The experimentally observed patterns at and higher above the onset allow us to narrow down the range of the parameters in the normal form.
Comparison of Right Anterolateral Thorocotomy with Standard Median Steronotomy for Mitral Valve Replacement

Obejectives The objectives of this study were to compare and analyze the results of right anterolateral thoracotomy and median sternotomy approach for primary mitral valve replacement with reference to the exposure during Valve Replacement , length of surgical incision, mean cross clamp time, mean bypass time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, hospitalization, overall comorbidity with sternotomy; sepsis, dehiscence, healing cosmetic issues and cost effectiveness. Methods The present study comprised 68 patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease who underwent mitral valve replacement in the Department ofCardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Sher‑i‑Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences from September 2009 to August 2011. Results This study comprised 64 patients with 23 (35.9%) males and 41 (64.1%) females. Sternotomy group had 10 males (31.3%) and 22 females (68.7%). Thoracotomy group had 13 males (40.6%) and 19(59.4%) females. The length of incision between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.0001). Mean incision length were 24.6±2.1 cm and 14.8±2.3 cm in sternotomy and thoracotomy respectively. Statistically significant difference regarding duration of ICU stay was found between the two groups (P<0.0001). Scar visibility was 100% in sternotomy and around 25% in thoracotomy( P<0.0001). Conclusions Thoracotomy through a right anterolateral aspect was easy to perform while maintaining maximum security for the patients. Besides its satisfactory cosmetic result especially in female patients, this approach proved to have several advantages. It offers a better exposure to the mitral apparatus even in patients with small left, allowing easy mitral valve replacement which is apparent from the lower cross‑clamp time in the test group. The invaluable advantage of the above- mentioned thoracotomy is total eradication of the risk of deep sternal infection. The shorter hospital stay and cost effectiveness of thoracotomy approach are additional relief to the family.
Understanding gastric forces calculated from high-resolution pill tracking

Although other methods exist for monitoring gastrointestinal motility and contractility, this study exclusively provides direct and quantitative measurements of the forces experienced by an orally ingested pill. We report motive forces and torques calculated from real-time, in vivo measurements of the movement of a magnetic pill in the stomachs of fasted and fed humans. Three-dimensional net force and two-dimensional net torque vectors as a function of time data during gastric residence are evaluated using instantaneous translational and rotational position data. Additionally, the net force calculations described can be applied to high-resolution pill tracking acquired by any modality. The fraction of time pills experience ranges of forces and torques are analyzed and correlate with the physiological phases of gastric digestion. We also report the maximum forces and torques experienced in vivo by pills as a quantitative measure of the amount of force pills experience during the muscular contractions leading to gastric emptying. Results calculated from human data are compared with small and large animal models with a translational research focus. The reported magnitude and direction of gastric forces experienced by pills in healthy stomachs serves as a baseline for comparison with pathophysiological states. Of clinical significance, the directionality associated with force vector data may be useful in determining the muscle groups associated with gastrointestinal dysmotility. Additionally, the quantitative comparison between human and animal models improves insight into comparative gastric contractility that will aid rational pill design and provide a quantitative framework for interpreting gastroretentive oral formulation test results.
Molecular Imaging of Microglial Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

There is growing evidence of activated microglia and inflammatory processes in the cerebral cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Activated microglia is characterized by increased expression of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) in the brain and may be a useful biomarker of inflammation. In this study, we evaluated neuroinflammation in ALS patients using a radioligand of TSPO, 18F-DPA-714. Ten patients with probable or definite ALS (all right-handed, without dementia, and untreated by riluzole or other medication that might bias the binding on the TSPO), were enrolled prospectively and eight healthy controls matched for age underwent a PET study. Comparison of the distribution volume ratios between both groups were performed using a Mann-Whitney’s test. Significant increase of distribution of volume ratios values corresponding to microglial activation was found in the ALS sample in primary motor, supplementary motor and temporal cortex (p = 0.009, p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). These results suggested that the cortical uptake of 18F-DPA-714 was increased in ALS patients during the “time of diagnosis” phase of the disease. This finding might improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of ALS and might be a surrogate marker of efficacy of treatment on microglial activation.
Two Tests of the Effectiveness of Bilingual Education in Preschool

Abstract Three meta-analytic studies have shown that bilingual education is an effective method for teaching students who are English language learners. However, there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of bilingual education in preschool. This study used multiple years of data from the Manchester (New Hampshire) Even Start program and relevant comparison groups to conduct two separate tests of the effectiveness of bilingual education in preschool. The results support the effectiveness of bilingual education in preschool, but only at marginally significant levels of statistical inference. A fixed effects model of literacy outcomes comparing a cohort of students who had received bilingual education in preschool but English-only education in kindergarten with a cohort of students who received English-only education in both preschool and kindergarten showed evidence of an achievement gap (favoring the students receiving bilingual education) that emerged at the end of preschool but had closed by the end of kindergarten (p values ranged from .028 to .068). Also, an analysis of two years of preschool data from an Even Start program that utilized bilingual education in the first year, but not the second, showed that Even Start students who did not receive bilingual education performed worse on posttest literacy assessments when controlling for pretest scores (p values ranged from .056 to .060). However, when estimated with a control group consisting of only English language learners, this negative effect was no longer significant. Although the study provides some evidence of the effectiveness of bilingual education in preschool, further research is needed to validate these findings.
The Birman-Murakami-Algebras Algebras of Type Dn

The Birman-Murakami-Wenzl algebra (BMW algebra) of type Dn is shown to be semisimple and free of rank (2^n+1)n! -(2^(n-1)+1)n! over a specified commutative ring R, where n! is the product of the first n odd integers. We also show it is a cellular algebra over suitable ring extensions of R. The Brauer algebra of type Dn is the image af an R-equivariant homomorphism and is also semisimple and free of the same rank, but over the polynomial ring Z with delta and its inverse adjoined. A rewrite system for the Brauer algebra is used in bounding the rank of the BMW algebra above. As a consequence of our results, the generalized Temperley-Lieb algebra of type Dn is a subalgebra of the BMW algebra of the same type.
The Influence of Consumer Self-Disclosure on Web Sites on Advertising Response

ABSTRACT This article assesses the consequences of consumer self-disclosure by examining the disclosure-liking effect in the context of advertising. Of particular interest is whether self-disclosure by visitors to a Web site leads to more positive reactions to subsequent advertising for the products/services offered on that site. Brand relationship theory and social response theory provide the theoretical basis for predictions about the potential influence of the disclosure-liking effect in the non-interpersonal context of the World Wide Web. Specifically, this research posits a transference effect of self-disclosure in three hypotheses, tested with two experiments that identify some moderating and mediating variables. The results demonstrate that the positive attitude that self-disclosure can elicit favorably influences subsequent attitudes toward ads and behavior toward the target of the disclosure.
The VLAB OER Experience: Modeling Potential-Adopter Student Acceptance

Virtual Labs (VLAB) is a multi-institutional Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative, exclusively focused on lab experiments for engineering education. This project envisages building a large OER repository, containing over 1650 virtual experiments mapped to the engineering curriculum. The introduction of VLAB is a paradigm shift in an educational system that is slow to change. Treating VLAB OER as an educational technology innovation, its adoption by potential-adopter engineering students (N=131) is modeled based on Roger's theory of perceived attributes. Regression and factor analysis were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that the attributes of Compatibility, Ease of Use, Relative Advantage, and Trialability significantly influence potential-adopter students' intention to adopt an innovation like VLAB. The study also observed that using OER (such as VLAB) on desktops and low-cost tablets had similar effects in student performance to using physical labs. This has interesting implications for education policy-makers who are looking to reduce the digital divide.
Transplantation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Lyme Disease

Case series Patient: Male, 42 • Female, 30 Final Diagnosis: Human embryonic stem cells showed good therapeutic potential for treatment of multiple sclerosis with lyme disease Symptoms: Fatigue • weakness in limbs Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Human embryonic stem cells transplantation Specialty: Transplantology Objective: Rare disease Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease in which the myelin sheath of nerve cells is damaged. It can cause delayed neurologic symptoms similar to those seen in Lyme disease (LD) patients. Thymus derived T-cells (myelin reactive) migrate to the blood brain barrier and stimulate an inflammatory cascade in the central nervous system. Cell based therapies play an important role in treating neurological diseases such as MS and LD. Case Report: Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) therapy was used to treat two patients with both MS and LD. The hESCs were administered via different routes including intramuscular, intravenous, and supplemental routes (e.g., deep spinal, caudal, intercostal through eye drops) to regenerate the injured cells. Both the patients showed remarkable improvement in their functional skills, overall stamina, cognitive abilities, and muscle strength. Furthermore, the improvement in the patients’ conditions were assessed by magnetic resonance tractography and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Conclusions: Therapy with hESCs might emerge as an effective and safe treatment for patients with both MS and LD. Well-designed clinical trials and follow-up studies are needed to prove the long-term efficacy and safety of hESC therapy in the treatment of patients with MS and LD.
Factors influencing ERP outcomes in SMEs: a post-introduction assessment

Purpose – Small enterprises are very different in size and organisation, and cannot be considered scaled‐down larger companies. Thus the adoption of ERP by an SME may occur in a highly different environment and cannot directly leverage on corporate experiences. Therefore, finding this subject interesting, this paper aims to analyse the peculiarities of this innovation in SMEs and specifically to cross‐assess the benefits obtained with context/project factors that could influence them.Design/methodology/approach – The research was explicitly focused on an ex post evaluation of a panel of Italian SMEs which completed the introduction of an ERP system. Data about actual achievement, advantages and context/project characteristics were collected through direct interviews with SMEs' managers. A factors‐outcomes model is proposed, discussed and finalised in its most significant variables.Findings – ERP introduction is considered successful to a greater extent than was expected. The most frequently observed benef.
Every Monotone 3-Graph Property is Testable

Recently Alon and Shapira [Every monotone graph property is testable, New York, Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, Baltimore, MD, ACM Press, 2005, pp. 128-137] have established that every monotone graph property is testable. They raised the question whether their results can be extended to hypergraphs. The aim of this paper is to address this problem. Based on the recent regularity lemma of Ro¨dl and Schacht [Regular partitions of hypergraphs, Combin. Probab. Comput. , to appear], we prove that any monotone property of 3-uniform hypergraphs is testable answering in part the question of Alon and Shapira. Our approach is similar to the one developed by Alon and Shapira for graphs. We believe that based on the general version of the hypergraph regularity lemma the proof presented in this article extends to $k$-uniform hypergraphs.
Accounting for the Influence of Overall Justice on Job Performance: Integrating Self‐Determination and Social Exchange Theories

Grounded in self-determination and social exchange theories, this study examined two pathways through which overall justice influences job performance. Specifically, we hypothesized need satisfaction as a mediator of the influence of overall justice on intrinsic motivation and trust in organization which, in turn, relate to job performance. Results of structural equation modelling using Mplus revealed that need satisfaction mediated the overall justice–intrinsic motivation relationship as well as the overall justice–trust in organization relationship. We also found that intrinsic motivation mediated the respective influence of need satisfaction and trust in organization on job performance. We interpret our findings as suggesting an integration of need-based theories of motivation into explanations of the performance implications of justice.
Barriers to Project Performance

This paper contributes to our understanding of how the performance of IT projects might be improved. It identifies the need for including drivers of failure and underperformance in models of project performance and proposes such a model, focusing on organizational capabilities available to apply to projects. Barriers to learning and capability development are proposed that can offset capability accumulation, reducing the organization's ability to perform well.