Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variants of CTGF are associated with hepatic fibrosis in Chinese, Sudanese, and Brazilians infected with Schistosomes

Abnormal fibrosis occurs during chronic hepatic inflammations and is the principal cause of death in hepatitis C virus and schistosome infections. Hepatic fibrosis (HF) may develop either slowly or rapidly in schistosome-infected subjects. This depends, in part, on a major genetic control exerted by genes of chromosome 6q23. A gene (connective tissue growth factor [CTGF]) is located in that region that encodes a strongly fibrogenic molecule. We show that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9402373 that lies close to CTGF is associated with severe HF (P = 2 × 10−6; odds ratio [OR] = 2.01; confidence interval of OR [CI] = 1.51–2.7) in two Chinese samples, in Sudanese, and in Brazilians infected with either Schistosoma japonicum or S. mansoni. Furthermore, SNP rs12526196, also located close to CTGF, is independently associated with severe fibrosis (P = 6 × 10−4; OR = 1.94; CI = 1.32–2.82) in the Chinese and Sudanese subjects. Both variants affect nuclear factor binding and may alter gene transcription or transcript stability. The identified variants may be valuable markers for the prediction of disease progression, and identify a critical step in the development of HF that could be a target for chemotherapy.
Sticks, Stones, Words, and Broken Bones

Stereotype threat is frequently purported to be an important determinant of gender gaps in math. Unlike prior studies, which mostly occur in lab settings, I use data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—a large, representative assessment of U.S. children—where through a design quirk, students are randomly assigned test blocks, some of which include gender prime questions while others do not. I exploit this natural field experiment by comparing the gender gap in math scores of students receiving primes to those who do not. I find that girls actually perform better relative to boys for some primes (stereotype reactance) and no worse for others. These findings suggest that stereotype priming effects are relevant outside of lab settings, and that consistent with findings from a companion lab experiment and other lab studies from the stereotype literature, the effects appear to depend on the exact phrasing of the primes.
Activated T cells enhance nitric oxide production by murine splenic macrophages through gp39 and LFA‐1

Macrophages can be stimulated to produce a relatively large amount of nitric oxide, which is an important component in macrophage‐mediated defense mechanisms and regulation of T cell activities. It has been known that T helper (Th) cell activation requires intimate physical interaction between T helper cells and macrophages and that cytokines from activated Th cells regulate macrophage activities including nitric oxide production. The current study indicates that surface molecules on activated Th cells also can synergize with cytokines to substantially enhance nitric oxide production by macrophages through cell‐cell contact. The CD40 ligand (gp39) and LFA‐1 appear to be two major contributors for T cell dependent nitric oxide production.
What is the relationship between long working hours, over-employment, under-employment and the subjective well-being of workers? Longitudinal evidence from the UK

Are long working hours, over-employment and under-employment associated with a reduction in subjective well-being? If they are, is the association long or short-lasting? This article answers these questions through within-person analysis of a nationally representative longitudinal survey from the United Kingdom. The results suggest that long working hours do not directly affect subjective well-being, but in line with theories of person–environment fit, both over-employment and under-employment are associated with lower subjective well-being. However, over-employment is more likely for those who work the longest hours. The duration of the subjective well-being penalty associated with over-employment and under-employment is typically short, but subjective well-being levels tend to remain depressed for those who remain over-employed for two years or more. Results imply that state and organizational policies that reduce the incidence of long hours working are likely to enhance aggregate well-being levels.
Student Achievement and National Economic Growth

Educational policy around the world has increasingly focused on improving aggregate student achievement as a means to increase economic growth. In the last two decades, attention has focused especially on the importance of achievement in science and mathematics. Yet, the policy commitments involved have not been based on research evidence. The expansion of cross‐national achievement testing in recent decades makes possible longitudinal analyses of the effects of achievement on growth, and we carry out such analyses here. Regression analyses appear to show some effects of science and mathematics achievement on growth, but these effects are due mainly to the inclusion of the four “Asian Tigers” and are not consistent over time. These empirical findings call into question educational policy discourse that emphasizes strong causal links between achievement and growth.
Persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy and excessive dosing in the community psychiatric treatment setting: a review of medication profiles in 435 Canadian outpatients.

OBJECTIVE The present study aimed (1) to determine the proportion of patients treated with persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy in an outpatient population and (2) to determine if persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy is associated with excessive dosing. METHOD Using a province-wide network that links all pharmacies in British Columbia, Canada, to a central set of data systems, we identified community mental health outpatients who had been treated with the same pharmacologic regimen for at least 90 days. Apart from antipsychotics, data collection included anticholinergics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, lipid-lowering agents, and antidiabetic agents. Demographic data including sex, age, and diagnosis were obtained from the patient's chart. In order to compare dosages of the various antipsychotics we used a fixed unit of measurement based on dividing the prescribed daily dose (PDD) by the defined daily dose (DDD). A PDD/DDD ratio greater than 1.5 was defined as excessive dosing. RESULTS Four hundred thirty-five patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Overall, the prevalence of persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy was 25.7% for the entire cohort. The prevalence of persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy was highest for patients with schizoaffective disorder (33.7%), followed by schizophrenia (31.7%), psychosis not otherwise specified (20.0%), bipolar disorder (16.9%), and major depression (14.3%). The mean +/- SD PDD/DDD ratio for all patients prescribed persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy was not only excessive, it was significantly greater compared to that of patients receiving antipsychotic monotherapy (1.94 +/- 0.12 vs 0.94 +/- 0.04, P < .005). CONCLUSIONS Using a diagnostically heterogeneous outpatient population, this study is, we believe, the first to report that persistent antipsychotic polypharmacy is associated with excessive dosing, in and of itself as well as compared to antipsychotic monotherapy.
Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation: Relationships With Various Forms of Racism

Previous research revealed that right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO) are strongly related to racism. However, this line of inquiry neglected to study these relationships for various forms of racism. In Study 1, it was found in a Flemish heterogeneous adult sample (N= 146) that RWA and SDO bore about equally strong relationships with biological racism, symbolic racism, ethnocentrism, and aversive racism. Study 2 revealed in a heterogeneous adult sample (N= 176), also administered in Flanders (Belgium), that RWA was positively related to both subtle and blatant prejudice, whereas SDO was positively related only to blatant prejudice. Moreover, RWA differentiates better between different types of racists composed on the basis of scores on the racism dimensions. The implications of these results for RWA- and SDO-based prejudice are discussed.
Epidemics of overweight and obesity among growing childhood in China between 1997 and 2009: Impact of Family Income, Dietary Intake, and Physical Activity Dynamics

Background: Obesity has become a major health problem among children and adolescents worldwide. This study aimed to examine the trends of overweight and obesity among childhood in China and assess their associations with family income, dietary intake, and physical activity (PA) between 1997 and 2009. Methods: Two waves of cross-sectional data of Chinese children and adolescents aged 7–17 years from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were used. Weight and height were measured following standardized procedures. Dietary intake was assessed by 3 consecutive 24-h recalls. Childhood overweight and obesity were defined using the International Obesity Task Force-recommended body mass index cut-offs. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations of family income with diet intakes and PA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations of overweight and obesity with family income, dietary intake, and PA. Results: The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity increased from 12.6% in 1997 to 22.1% in 2009, particularly in the medium- and high-family income groups, which increased by 102.7% and 90.3%, respectively. Higher fat intake (% energy), and moderate and vigorous PA were significantly associated with overweight and obesity in final model (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.02, P = 0.004; and OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98–1.00, P = 0.036, respectively). Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents has increased between 1997 and 2009. Reducing fat intake and increasing PA may help obesity prevention.
Ca2+ cyt negatively regulates the initiation of oocyte maturation

Ca2+ is a ubiquitous intracellular messenger that is important for cell cycle progression. Genetic and biochemical evidence support a role for Ca2+ in mitosis. In contrast, there has been a long-standing debate as to whether Ca2+ signals are required for oocyte meiosis. Here, we show that cytoplasmic Ca2+ (Ca2+ cyt) plays a dual role during Xenopus oocyte maturation. Ca2+ signals are dispensable for meiosis entry (germinal vesicle breakdown and chromosome condensation), but are required for the completion of meiosis I. Interestingly, in the absence of Ca2+ cyt signals oocytes enter meiosis more rapidly due to faster activation of the MAPK-maturation promoting factor (MPF) kinase cascade. This Ca2+-dependent negative regulation of the cell cycle machinery (MAPK-MPF cascade) is due to Ca2+ cyt acting downstream of protein kinase A but upstream of Mos (a MAPK kinase kinase). Therefore, high Ca2+ cyt delays meiosis entry by negatively regulating the initiation of the MAPK-MPF cascade. These results show that Ca2+ modulates both the cell cycle machinery and nuclear maturation during meiosis.
Thinking Through Dualisms in Urban Policy Mobilities

type="main"> The growing use of the notion of ‘policy mobilities’ to conceptualize how policy is made and moved across and among cities and urbanized regions has led to worthwhile insights, but has also encouraged some critiques. Many of these address certain dualisms that seem to undergird the policy mobilities approach. This essay engages with three of these apparent dualisms—success/failure, presence/absence and mobilities/immobilities—and argues that while they must be treated with care, they should not be dismissed or expunged a priori. Rather, we argue that there is utility in conceptualizing urban policy mobilities through relational dyads, rather than oppositional dualisms. If studies of policy mobilities, urban or otherwise, are to maintain their momentum, success, failure, presence, absence, mobilities and immobilities should be understood as being intertwined, mutually constituting and reinforcing elements of policymaking.
THE INFLUENCE OF PROSTAGLANDINS ON NORADRENALINE‐INDUCED VASOCONSTRICTION IN ISOLATED PERFUSED MESENTERIC BLOOD VESSELS OF THE RAT

1 The report of the depression by indomethacin of vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline and their partial restoration by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and PGE1 in rat isolated perfused mesenteric blood vessels was investigated. The further suggestion that prostaglandins may be necessary for the combination of noradrenaline with the α‐adrenoceptor in this tissue was also studied. 2 The reported depression by indomethacin was confirmed and was further shown to be in the form of a concentration‐dependent flattening of the noradrenaline concentration‐effect curve. 3 A concentration‐dependent restorative effect was observed for all prostaglandins studied. The decreasing order of potency for the restoration towards normal of the indomethacin‐depressed responses to noradrenaline was: PGE2, PGE1, PGA1, PGF2α, PGA2. 4 The prostaglandins studied were not uniform in their restorative actions and could be separated into two groups. PGE2 and PGE1 restored responses towards the control level whereas PGA1, PGA2 and PGF2α increased responses to an above control level and did so over a smaller concentration range. The possibility of several prostaglandin receptors is discussed. 5 At concentrations equi‐effective in restoring depressed responses to control levels PGA1 but not PGE2, caused a parallel shift of the noradrenaline concentration‐effect curve to the left and a small, gradual rise in the basal perfusion pressure. 6 The reason for the differing effects remains obscure but does not seem to involve a change in the α‐adrenoceptor as indicated by the pA2 of phentolamine. Furthermore, the restorative and potentiating effect of PGA1 is not mediated by blockade of neuronal uptake of noradrenaline. 7 It appears that prostaglandins are required for the vasoconstrictor action of noradrenaline in rat mesenteric blood vessels and that this effect is distal to the drug‐receptor interaction. The possible involvement of prostaglandins with intracellular calcium ions is discussed.
A Mobile Health Lifestyle Program for Prevention of Weight Gain in Young Adults (TXT2BFiT): Nine-Month Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The unprecedented rise in obesity among young adults, who have limited interaction with health services, has not been successfully abated. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the maintenance outcomes of a 12-week mHealth intervention on prevention of weight gain in young adults and lifestyle behaviors at 9 months from baseline. Methods A two-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with subjects allocated to intervention or control 1:1 was conducted in a community setting in Greater Sydney, Australia. From November 2012 to July 2014, 18- to 35-year-old overweight individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-31.99 kg/m2 and those with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 and a self-reported weight gain of ≥ 2 kg in the past 12 months were recruited. A 12-week mHealth program “TXT2BFiT” was administered to the intervention arm. This included 5 coaching calls, 96 text messages, 12 emails, apps, and downloadable resources from the study website. Lifestyle behaviors addressed were intake of fruits, vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), take-out meals, and physical activity. The control group received 1 phone call to introduce them to study procedures and 4 text messages over 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the intervention arm received 2 further coaching calls, 6 text messages, and 6 emails with continued access to the study website during 6-month follow-up. Control arm received no further contact. The primary outcome was weight change (kg) with weight measured at baseline and at 12 weeks and self-report at baseline, 12 weeks, and 9 months. Secondary outcomes were change in physical activity (metabolic equivalent of task, MET-mins) and categories of intake for fruits, vegetables, SSBs, and take-out meals. These were assessed via Web-based surveys. Results Two hundred and fifty young adults enrolled in the RCT. Intervention participants weighed less at 12 weeks compared with controls (model β=−3.7, 95% CI −6.1 to −1.3) and after 9 months (model β=− 4.3, 95% CI − 6.9 to − 1.8). No differences in physical activity were found but all diet behaviors showed that the intervention group, compared with controls at 9 months, had greater odds of meeting recommendations for fruits (OR 3.83, 95% CI 2.10-6.99); for vegetables (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.32-4.44); for SSB (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.47-6.59); and for take-out meals (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.07-3.30). Conclusions Delivery of an mHealth intervention for prevention of weight gain resulted in modest weight loss at 12 weeks with further loss at 9 months in 18- to 35-year-olds. Although there was no evidence of change in physical activity, improvements in dietary behaviors occurred, and were maintained at 9 months. Owing to its scalable potential for widespread adoption, replication trials should be conducted in diverse populations of overweight young adults. Trial Registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12612000924853; (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6i6iRag55)
Professional Self-Concept as a Predictor of Teacher Burnout

Abstract The primary goal of this research was to investigate the relationship of teacher burnout to the various ways that teachers view themselves professionally and to the ways in which they sense that others within the educational system view them. A total of 641 teachers in 40 Israeli elementary schools completed a modified form of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a composite measure of professional self-concept. Results indicate that of several dimensions of professional self-concept, professional satisfaction–how teachers feel about the gratification they receive from teaching–bore the strongest negative correlation to burnout; that among the possible discrepancies among scores on the self-concept dimensions, the discrepancy between teachers' views of themselves as professionally competent and professionally satisfied bore the strongest correlation to burnout; that stronger correlations to burnout existed in terms of how teachers perceive themselves rather than how they feel that others perceive th.
Detecting Cyberbullying in Online Communities

Online communities are platforms enabling their users to interact over the web. In particular, they are popular among adolescents as a tool to discuss topics of mutual interest. However, offending communication is a growing issue in these online environments. In its basic form, the process of sending messages over electronic media to cause psychological damage to a victim is called online harassment. In a more severe form, cyberbullying is the process of sending offending messages several times to the same victim by the same offender. In this work, we propose an approach to detect cyberbullies and their victims. Identifying and aiding victims received only brief attention in existing work. We introduce a harassment graph to capture multiple message exchanges comprising cyberbullying cases. We show that our approach is able to precisely detect cyberbullies and their victims. Additionally, we propose metrics to measure the severity of online harassment and cyberbullying cases in terms of quantitative aspects. In particular, the metrics allow to identify victims of severe cyberbullying cases and might be used as an early indicator to provide fast and selective aid by administrators. We further propose use cases for our approach in online communities to tackle the problem of cyberbullying.
Mothers with Learning Disabilities: Experiences and Meanings of Losing Custody of their Children

Women with learning disabilities are at high risk of losing their children, yet their experience of this process remains under‐investigated. This study looks at the experiences of eight mothers with learning disabilities who lose custody of their children. In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted to explore their experiences. Findings suggest that concern about the women's parenting tend to be raised by other people, rather than the women themselves. Many of the women appeared not to understand the process of their children's removal, and said that they felt bullied and victimised by it. All blamed their violent partner or the social workers for what had happened, while some blamed their ‘learning disabilities’. All commented that they had received inadequate support from both services and their families before and after their children were removed. All described intense feelings of loss. The psychological impact seemed to reinforce their feelings of powerlessness and brought the salience of their learning disabilities into focus. Service and clinical implications are addressed.
Gaia: Geo-Distributed Machine Learning Approaching LAN Speeds

Machine learning (ML) is widely used to derive useful information from large-scale data (such as user activities, pictures, and videos) generated at increasingly rapid rates, all over the world. Unfortunately, it is infeasible to move all this globally-generated data to a centralized data center before running an ML algorithm over it--moving large amounts of raw data over wide-area networks (WANs) can be extremely slow, and is also subject to the constraints of privacy and data sovereignty laws. This motivates the need for a geo-distributed ML system spanning multiple data centers. Unfortunately, communicating over WANs can significantly degrade ML system performance (by as much as 53.7× in our study) because the communication overwhelms the limited WAN bandwidth. Our goal in this work is to develop a geo-distributed ML system that (1) employs an intelligent communication mechanism over WANs to efficiently utilize the scarce WAN bandwidth, while retaining the accuracy and correctness guarantees of an ML algorithm; and (2) is generic and flexible enough to run a wide range of ML algorithms, without requiring any changes to the algorithms. To this end, we introduce a new, general geo-distributed ML system, Gaia, that decouples the communication within a data center from the communication between data centers, enabling different communication and consistency models for each. We present a new ML synchronization model, Approximate Synchronous Parallel (ASP), whose key idea is to dynamically eliminate insignificant communication between data centers while still guaranteeing the correctness of ML algorithms. Our experiments on our prototypes of Gaia running across 11 Amazon EC2 global regions and on a cluster that emulates EC2 WAN bandwidth show that Gaia provides 1.8-53.5× speedup over two state-of-the-art distributed ML systems, and is within 0.94-1.40× of the speed of running the same ML algorithm on machines on a local area network (LAN).
Estimation of Process Parameters to Determine the Optimum Diagnosis Interval for Control of Defective Items

The online quality monitoring procedure for attributes proposed by Taguchi has been critically studied and extended by a few researchers. Determination of the optimum diagnosis interval requires estimation of some parameters related to the process failure mechanism. Improper estimates of these parameters may lead to an incorrect choice of the diagnosis interval and thus huge economic penalties. We propose a Bayesian approach to estimate the process parameters under two different process models, commonly called as the case II and case III models in the literature. We discuss a systematic way to use available engineering knowledge in eliciting the prior for the parameters, and demonstrate the performance of the proposed method using extensive simulation and a case study from a hot rolling mill.