Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systemic cytokine levels and the effects of etanercept in TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) involving a C33Y mutation in TNFRSF1A.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12p70 in the plasma of patients with TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) in relation to CRP levels and treatment with etanercept. METHODS Cytokine concentrations were measured in sequential plasma samples obtained from eight patients with a C33Y mutation in TNFRSF1A and diagnosed with TRAPS, using cytokine bead array. The TRAPS samples were compared with samples from normal controls and rheumatoid arthritis patients. RESULTS Levels of IL-6 were significantly elevated in C33Y TRAPS patients and these correlated with CRP levels in some of the patients. IL-8 levels were also significantly elevated in the TRAPS patients. However, neither TNF-alpha nor IL-1beta demonstrated a similar increase. This differed from the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, for whom levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-10 were significantly elevated. The levels of detectable TNF-alpha in the TRAPS patients' plasma were elevated during etanercept treatment. CONCLUSIONS The cytokine profile of C33Y TRAPS differs from that of a typical autoimmune inflammatory condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, as only IL-6 and IL-8 were elevated in C33Y TRAPS patients, as distinct from a generalized elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, only some of the C33Y patients tested showed a relationship between elevated IL-6 and CRP. This is consistent with clinical observations that there is marked heterogeneity between individuals with TRAPS, including those in the same family cohort. Although etanercept has a therapeutic effect in some TRAPS patients, it induces increased plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha, possibly by increasing TNF-alpha stability.
Generalising and Normalising Distributional Contexts to Reduce Data Sparsity: Application to Medical Corpora

Vector space models implement the distributional hypothesis. They are based on the repetition of information occurring in the contexts of words to associate. However, these models suffer from a high number of dimensions and data sparsity in the matrix of contextual vectors. This is a major issue with specialised corpora that are of much smaller size and with much lower context frequencies. We tackle the problem of data sparsity on specialised texts and we propose a method that allows to make the matrix denser, by generalising and normalising distributional contexts. Generalisation gives better results with the Jaccard index, narrow sliding windows and relations of lexical inclusion. On the other hand, normalisation has no positive effect on the relation extraction, with any combination of distributional parameters.
Chronic Polymyositis Associated with Disseminated Sarcocystosis in a Captive-born Rhesus Macaque

A 2–year-old, captive-born, clinically healthy male, rhesus macaque, was euthanatized as part of an experimental study. At necropsy, diffuse pale streaking of the trunk, lumbar, and limb muscles were noted macroscopically. On histology, numerous elongated cysts that contained crescent-shaped basophilic spores were found in the fibers of skeletal muscles. Scattered affected myofibers were degenerate and accompanied by eosinophilic-to-granulomatous inflammation. Sarcocysts had prominent villus-like projections with the morphology of a type 11 sarcocyst wall similar to Sarcocystis neurona but possessing many more villus microtubules than is reported for S. neurona. In addition, bradyzoites were very long, up to approximately 12 um in length. The protozoa were consistent with a Sarcocystis sp. , based on histology and ultrastructure, however, a definitive identification of the species was not possible. Nonspecific immunohistochemical crossreaction with Sarcocystis cruzi antisera was observed. The 18S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid sequence showed 91% similarity to Sarcocystis hominis, 90% similarity to Sarcocystis buffalonis, and 89% similarity to Sarcocystis hirsuta. Interestingly, the ITSI sequence showed very little homology to any sequence in GenBank, suggesting that this is possibly a unique Sarcocystis sp. Sarcocystosis is often considered an incidental finding, particularly in wild-caught animals, with little clinical significance. However, as demonstrated in this report and others, disseminated sarcocystosis can occur in captive-born rhesus macaques with or without clinical signs. In some cases interference with research results can occur; including death in fulminant cases.
Estimating the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for Baltimore, MD

In order to better manage progress toward improved human welfare, governments and organizations around the world have begun to report on more comprehensive indicators of environmental, social, and economic conditions. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) has proven useful as a measure of economic welfare by incorporating changes in environmental conditions, resource stocks, social capital, income distribution, and other non-marketed economic activity. Studies at the local scale have also found the GPI to be an effective tool for informing debate and stimulating questions about the nature of the economic development process. In this study, the GPI methodology is applied to Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Maryland in order to explore how sustainable economic welfare in the Baltimore region has changed from 1950-2005. A comparison among per capita GPI trends in four US cities shows Baltimore to have the highest average annual growth rate over the study period. Comparisons are made between per capita GPI and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the most widely recognized measure of national economic performance. Analysis of the trends at all three scales show that GDP growth does not correlate well with changes in welfare as measure by GPI. This implies that Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Maryland could be in a period of uneconomic growth, when the social and environmental costs of further economic growth outweigh the benefits of such growth. However, the underlying methods used in sub-national applications of the GPI inevitably lead toward certain results, giving rise to an indicator framework that favors particular policy and development outcomes. This situation is defined as indicator bias. Since indicator bias can inadvertently lead society toward undesirable conditions, key assumptions that contribute to indicator bias in the GPI are tested for how they influence the final GPI results. The costs of crime, long-term environmental damage, and depletion of non-renewable natural resources categories are explored in more depth. GPI is found to be an imperfect measure of true progress, but it is believed to be an improvement over GDP for guiding modern society towards a more sustainable and desirable future. More work is needed to incorporate uncertainty, fine-tune the underlying GPI methodology, and build broad consensus about how to measure economic performance and social progress. By providing information about social, ecological, and economic conditions of the region, though, the Baltimore GPI does inform citizens and decision-makers about a wide range of impacts resulting from the modern ‘GDP growth’ paradigm.
How Do We Choose among Strategies to Accomplish Cognitive Tasks? Evidence from Behavioral and Event-Related Potential Data in Arithmetic Problem Solving.

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to determine the time course of mechanisms underlying strategy selection. Participants had to select the better strategy on multiplication problems (i.e., 51 × 27) to find approximate products. They could choose between rounding up and rounding down both operands to their nearest decades. Two types of problems were tested, homogeneous problems (e.g., 34 × 61) and heterogeneous problems (e.g., 61 × 36). Homogeneous problems are easier to solve because both operands are close to the lowest or the upper decades. Behavioral data revealed that participants selected the better strategy more often on homogeneous problems. ERPs showed that homogeneous problems elicited more positive cerebral activities than heterogeneous problems in the 0–200 and 800–1,000 ms windows, and more negative cerebral activities than heterogeneous problems in the 400–600 ms window. These findings have important theoretical implications for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying strategy selection.
Evidence for the involvement of a Src-related tyrosine kinase in Xenopus egg activation.

Recently, we have purified a Src-related tyrosine kinase, named Xenopus tyrosine kinase (Xyk), from oocytes of Xenopus laevis and found that the enzyme is activated within 1 min following fertilization [Sato et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 13250-13257]. A concomitant translocation of a part of the activated enzyme from the membrane fraction to the cytosolic fraction was also observed. In the present study, we show that parthenogenetic egg activation by a synthetic RGDS peptide [Y. Iwao and T. Fujimura, T. (1996) Dev. Biol. 177, 558-567], an integrin-interacting peptide, but not by electrical shock or the calcium ionophore A23187 causes the kinase activation, tyrosine phosphorylation, and translocation of Xyk. A synthetic tyrosine kinase-specific inhibitor peptide was employed to analyze the importance of the Xyk activity in egg activation. We found that the peptide inhibits the kinase activity of purified Xyk at IC50 of 8 microM. Further, egg activation induced by sperm or RGDS peptide but not by A23187 was inhibited by microinjection of the peptide. In the peptide-microinjected eggs, penetration of the sperm nucleus into the egg cytoplasm and meiotic resumption in the egg were blocked. Indirect immunofluorescence study demonstrates that Xyk is exclusively localized to the cortex of Xenopus eggs, indicating that Xyk can function in close proximity to the sperm-egg or RGDS peptide-egg interaction site. Taken together, these data suggest that the tyrosine kinase Xyk plays an important role in the early events of Xenopus egg activation in a manner independent or upstream of calcium signaling.
Long-term octreotide therapy in growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas: evaluation with serial MR.

PURPOSE To compare the changes in tumor volume with length of octreotide treatment in patients with acromegaly, to analyze signal alterations of the pituitary mass during treatment, and to determine an optimal MR imaging protocol. METHODS Eighteen patients with growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenomas were studied with MR imaging before and during octreotide treatment. The length of follow-up was 9 to 70 months. Tumor volume, extension, and signal characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS The total pituitary volume decreased in 16 patients by a mean of 37%. In 11 patients the tumor could be demarcated from the normal gland, and mean tumor reduction was 51%. Most of the tumor reduction took place within the first year, but an additional effect was noted in four patients during the following 3 years. Tumor reexpansion, hemorrhage, or necrosis did not occur. Serum GH levels were effectively lowered within the first year, with slight additional reductions thereafter. CONCLUSION In long-term octreotide treatment of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas, tumor shrinkage occurs primarily during the first year, but effects are noted up to 4 years. The treatment may be considered an alternative to surgery in the select group of patients in whom the peripheral effects of chronic GH elevation, as determined by serum insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I), are controlled. We suggest MR imaging with T1-weighted coronal and sagittal images at baseline and after 3 and 12 months, with additional MR imaging if GH or IGF-I levels rise during treatment. At baseline, both noncontrast and contrast-enhanced images should be obtained. Unenhanced images may be sufficient during follow-up unless tumor reexpansion occurs or surgery is anticipated.
The discourse of Romanian universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the discourse of Romanian universities as a mirror of the reformation process in the national higher educational system.Design/methodology/approach – The focus of this paper is on external and internal communication, on institutional identity and the symbiosis of orders of discourse. The paper highlights the prospective EU integration as a major trigger of change in the Romanian educational system. It then draws upon critical discourse analysis (CDA) as a relevant research approach and presents the results of conducting critical discourse analysis on a corpus consisting of the web site presentation of ten public and private universities, on three faculty and university prospectuses, and one promotional CD. Finally, the paper briefly compares the discourse of Romanian universities with the discourse of universities from the UK, France, Italy and Germany, and suggest lines for improvement.Findings – Romanian society is currently the site of ample reformation.
Understanding Natural Language Through Parallel Processing of Syntactic and Semantic Knowledge: An Application to Data Base Query

This paper describes the main features of the PARNAX system for natural language access (in Italian) to an ADABAS data base. The core of the system is constituted by the analyzer that includes parallel processing of syntactic and semantic knowledge. It is argued that this feature (together with the new macro and micro-analysis technique which is only shortly mentioned in this paper) allowed the system to reach a good linguistic coverage, still ensuring an acceptable degree of efficiency. After the basic architecture and operation of PARNAX have been described, attention is focused on the parallel syntactic/semantic analyzer which is illustrated in detail. The advantages obtained through parallelism are also shortly discussed. Examples of PARNAX operation are presented. References to related works are mentioned, and directions for future research are outlined.
Millennium development goal 5: a review of maternal mortality at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

OBJECTIVES To review if there is a change in the maternal mortality rate at the Kenyatta National Hospital since the inception of the Millennium Development Goal strategy in 1990, compared to earlier reviews. DESIGN A retrospective descriptive study. SETTING Kenyatta National Hospital. SUBJECTS Maternal deaths attributed directly to obstetric causes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Determination of maternal mortality rates of all patients admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital Maternity and died after admission up till six weeks of admission. Also determine any avoidable causes of the same. RESULTS During the period under review, there were 27,455 deliveries and 253 maternal deaths giving a maternal mortality ratio of 921.5 per 100,000 live births. Direct obstetric causes accounted for 71% of all maternal deaths with sepsis, haemorrhage, and hypertension being the leading causes. Respiratory tract infections associated with HIV/ AIDS infection was the prominent indirect cause. 67.5% of deaths occurred in women aged between 25 and 35 years and 78.7% were Para 2 or less. Evidently there was poor antenatal clinic attendance with only 28.6% having had any attendance at all. CONCLUSION Antenatal clinic attendance needs to be re-emphasised if an impact is to be realised in curbing maternal mortality; moreover there is need for early referrals and encouraging mothers to deliver under skilled care.
Depressed women's emotional experiences of the mother-child relationship : perspectives from a low-income South African community

The present research study formed part of a larger longitudinal project concerned with low-income South African women’s subjective experiences of depression (Lourens & Kruger, 2013). The present study specifically focussed on how depressed women experienced their relationships with their children. The study aimed to provide a descriptive overview of how one group of depressed South African mothers experience their relationships with their children, as well as to compare the findings with existing literature. Therefore, the scope of this study does not include in-depth analyses of findings. While numerous researchers have examined and identified the important negative effects of depression in mothers on children during the past decade, a very limited number of studies have been focussed on the opposite direction of the depressed mother-child relationship. Very few studies have explored how relationships with their children may influence the development and subjective experience of depression and emotional distress in mothers, as well as, on the other hand, may protect against depression and emotional distress (Dix & Meunier, 2009; Greig & Howe, 2001; Leung & Slep, 2006; Rishel, 2012; Turney, 2012). The present study attempted to address this gap in the literature. The feminist social constructionist perspective was utilised as theoretical framework (De Vos, Strydom, Fouche, & Delport, 2011). Consistent with social constructionism, the study was conducted within the qualitative research paradigm (De Vos et al., 2011). Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants most suitable for the aims of the study (APA Dictionary of Psychology, 2007). Data were collected by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews. A semistructured interview schedule was utilised as data collection instrument. Each interview was recorded by video camera, as well as by voice recorder, in order to ensure back-up recordings. The interviews were then transcribed. Social constructionist grounded theory was used to analyse the data (Charmaz, 1995). The results indicated that the depressed women and children in this study seem to be different from the stereotype of the depressed mothers and children in the literature. Depressed mothers are typically portrayed in the literature as not able to form a close and secure bond with their children, while the children of depressed mothers are almost always portrayed in the literature as showing behavioural and emotional problems, as well as being “parentified” (Coyne & Thompson, 2011; Dix & Meunier, 2009; Turney, 2012). Although the depressed women in the present study did report child factors which contributed to their Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Periodic Solutions and Chaotic Dynamics in Forced Impact Oscillators

It is shown that a periodically forced impact oscillator may exhibit chaotic dynamics on two symbols, as well as an infinity of periodic solutions. Two cases are considered, depending on if the impact velocity is finite or infinite. In the second case, the Poincare map is well defined by continuation of the energy. The proof combines the study of phase-plane curves together with the “stretching-along-paths” notion.
Learning Styles of Science and Engineering Students in Problem and Project Based Education

At the Faculty of Engineering and Science at Aalborg University, Denmark, process skills are an integrated part of the curriculum objectives. During the first year programme, a special course in Collaboration, Learning and Project Management (CLP) is given to develop those skills. In order to develop students’ learning and the CLP-course, the Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS®) has been used in that course and data has been collected to investigate whether some learning style preferences are more conspicuous that others in a problem based learning environment. The results show, more pronounced than similar studies, that the first year engineering students at Aalborg University are considerable more active than reflective. This results leads to a discussion of whether reflection and conceptualization should be facilitated further in the curriculum to balance the students learning style and more importantly enhance critical thinking on the actions taken.
PARADIS: An Efficient Parallel Algorithm for In-place Radix Sort

In-place radix sort is a popular distribution-based sorting algorithm for short numeric or string keys due to its linear run-time and constant memory complexity. However, efficient parallelization of in-place radix sort is very challenging for two reasons. First, the initial phase of permuting elements into buckets suffers read-write dependency inherent in its in-place nature. Secondly, load balancing of the recursive application of the algorithm to the resulting buckets is difficult when the buckets are of very different sizes, which happens for skewed distributions of the input data. In this paper, we present a novel parallel in-place radix sort algorithm, PARADIS, which addresses both problems: a) "speculative permutation" solves the first problem by assigning multiple non-continuous array stripes to each processor. The resulting shared-nothing scheme achieves full parallelization. Since our speculative permutation is not complete, it is followed by a "repair" phase, which can again be done in parallel without any data sharing among the processors. b) "distribution-adaptive load balancing" solves the second problem. We dynamically allocate processors in the context of radix sort, so as to minimize the overall completion time. Our experimental results show that PARADIS offers excellent performance/scalability on a wide range of input data sets.
Ablating Adult Neurogenesis in the Rat Has No Effect on Spatial Processing: Evidence from a Novel Pharmacogenetic Model

The function of adult neurogenesis in the rodent brain remains unclear. Ablation of adult born neurons has yielded conflicting results about emotional and cognitive impairments. One hypothesis is that adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus enables spatial pattern separation, allowing animals to distinguish between similar stimuli. We investigated whether spatial pattern separation and other putative hippocampal functions of adult neurogenesis were altered in a novel genetic model of neurogenesis ablation in the rat. In rats engineered to express thymidine kinase (TK) from a promoter of the rat glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ganciclovir treatment reduced new neurons by 98%. GFAP-TK rats showed no significant difference from controls in spatial pattern separation on the radial maze, spatial learning in the water maze, contextual or cued fear conditioning. Meta-analysis of all published studies found no significant effects for ablation of adult neurogenesis on spatial memory, cue conditioning or ethological measures of anxiety. An effect on contextual freezing was significant at a threshold of 5% (P = 0.04), but not at a threshold corrected for multiple testing. The meta-analysis revealed remarkably high levels of heterogeneity among studies of hippocampal function. The source of this heterogeneity remains unclear and poses a challenge for studies of the function of adult neurogenesis.
Proactive Goal Generation and Innovative Work Behavior: The Moderating Role of Affective Commitment, Production Ownership and Leader Support for Innovation

Building on goal-regulation theory, we develop and test the hypothesis that proactive goal generation fosters individual innovative work behavior. Consistent with a resource-based perspective, we further examine two-three-way interactions to assess whether the link between proactive goal generation and innovative behavior is jointly moderated by organizational affective commitment and production ownership, or, alternatively, leader support for innovation. In a sample of 442 municipal employees from the administrative division of an Italian city hall, proactive goal generation was positively associated with innovative work behavior. Additionally, as expected, this relationship was stronger when employees were highly affectively committed to their organization and when they exhibited a high level of production ownership or received extensive support for innovation from their supervisors. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
[Study on anxiety and depression status among the methadone maintenance treatment patients in Wuxi, Jiangsu].

美沙酮维持治疗(MMT)是控制海洛因成瘾者滥用毒品以及经共用注射器传播艾滋病、丙型肝炎等疾病较为有效的干预措施. 本研究对无锡市疾病预防控制中心MMT门诊的吸毒人群进行焦虑和抑郁状况调查,为MMT效果评价提供依据。