Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma Composition on Anabolic and Catabolic Activities in Equine Cartilage and Meniscal Explants

Objective: To evaluate the effects of single- and double-spin preparations of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on anabolic and catabolic activities of cartilage and meniscal explants in vitro. Methods: Single- and double-spin PRP was prepared using laboratory processing or commercial kits. The cellular contents were quantified, and each PRP was mixed in equal quantities with cell culture medium and added to cartilage or meniscus explant cultures, with or without interleukin 1 β (IL-1β). Extracellular matrix synthesis was quantified over 24 hours via 35S-sulfate and 3H-proline incorporation, while gene expression of catabolic enzymes was evaluated using real-time PCR. Results: The platelet concentration in single-spin laboratory PRP was 59% higher than blood. Platelet and white blood cell concentrations in single-spin laboratory and kit PRP were not significantly different, while the double-spin kit resulted in approximately 2.5-fold higher platelet and approximately 400-fold higher white blood cell concentrations. In cartilage cultures without IL-1β, radiolabel incorporation in single-spin PRP cultures was significantly higher than in double-spin cultures. Similar results were obtained for 35S-sulfate incorporation in meniscus cultures without IL-1β. In IL-1β, radiolabel incorporation was largely similar among all PRPs. After 24 hours of culture, ADAMTS-4 gene expression in cartilage was lowest for single-spin PRP, while expression in the double-spin kit was not significantly different from double-spin laboratory PRP in which platelets were concentrated 6-fold. Conclusions This study suggests that single-spin PRP preparations may be the most advantageous for intra-articular applications and that double-spin systems should be considered with caution.
Natural Compounds as Potential Treatments of NF2-Deficient Schwannoma and Meningioma: Cucurbitacin D and Goyazensolide

Hypothesis Cucurbitacin D and goyazensolide, 2 plant-derived natural compounds, possess potent growth-inhibitory activity in schwannoma and meningioma cells. Background Currently, no FDA-approved drugs are available for neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)-associated schwannomas and meningiomas. Selected natural compounds with antineoplastic activity, such as cucurbitacin D and goyazensolide, may be developed as potential treatments for these tumors. Methods The Nf2-deficient mouse schwannoma Sch10545 and human benign meningioma Ben-Men-1 cells were treated with various concentrations of cucurbitacin D and goyazensolide. The effect on cell proliferation was determined using resazurin assays. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cell cycle profiles. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of various signaling molecules related to the cell cycle and the AKT pathway. Results Cucurbitacin D inhibited proliferation of Sch10545 cells (IC50 ∼ 0.75 &mgr;M) and Ben-Men-1 cells (IC50 ∼0.2 &mgr;M). Goyazensolide also reduced cell proliferation of Sch10545 cells (IC50 ∼0.9 &mgr;M) and Ben-Men-1 cells (IC50 ∼1 &mgr;M). The G2/M population increased in both Sch10545 and Ben-Men-1 cells treated with cucurbitacin D or goyazensolide around the IC50. Cucurbitacin and goyazensolide substantially reduced the levels of cyclins E and A in treated Sch10545 and Ben-Men-1 cells. Cucurbitacin D also inhibited cyclin B, phospho-AKT and phospho-PRAS40 expression. In addition, goyazensolide reduced the levels of phospho-AKT and NF&kgr;B and increased the expression of pro-apoptotic Bim in Sch10545 and Ben-Men-1 cells. Conclusion Both cucurbitacin D and goyazensolide effectively inhibit proliferation of NF2-deficient schwannoma and meningioma cells, suggesting that these natural compounds should be further evaluated as potential treatments for NF2-related tumors.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Working Paper Series Risk Aversion, Investor Information, and Stock Market Volatility Risk Aversion, Investor Information, and Stock Market Volatility Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Norges Bank

The views in this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Abstract This paper employs a standard asset pricing model with power-utility to derive theoretical volatility measures for the price-dividend ratio and the real equity return in a setting that allows for varying degrees of investor information about future dividends. For reasonable levels of risk aversion, we show that the model can match the observed volatility in long-run U.S. data if investors can accurately foresee future dividends. The variance of the model price-dividend ratio increases monotonically with investor information about future dividends whereas the relationship between equity return variance and information is non-monotonic. Finally, we derive a theoretical variance decomposition for the fundamental price-dividend ratio and show that it di¤ers in important ways from the data. Speci…cally, even though the model can account for observed stock market volatility, it does so by generating an implausibly volatile risk-free rate combined with an insu¢ ciently predictable excess return on equity.
Organization of the zebra finch song control system: I. Representation of syringeal muscles in the hypoglossal nucleus

Understanding the representation of learned skills in the brain requires that one know the neural substrate for those skills. The avian song control system uses auditory information to establish and modify motor programs, which provide patterns for the excitation of individual muscles. In the present study, a combination of neurophysiological and anatomical techniques was used to map the representation of syringeal muscles in the tracheosyringeal part of the hypoglossal nucleus of adult male zebra finches. Microstimulation revealed that control zones for individual muscles are arranged along the rostrocaudal axis of the nucleus. The ventralis and dorsalis muscles have the largest domains, located at the rostral and caudal ends of the nucleus, respectively. The retrograde tracer fluorogold was applied to the muscles and confirmed this pattern. The muscle map obtained will provide a useful tool for further study of the convergence of muscle representation and sound representation in the more central portions of the song control pathway. This knowledge is essential for understanding how learned sounds are perceived and produced.
Validating the multimedia activity recall for children and adolescents in a large New Zealand sample

Abstract The aim of the study was to validate the self-report Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA) against accelerometry for the assessment of physical activity in New Zealand children. Participants (n = 716, 10–18 years) recalled 3–4 days of activity using the MARCA and underwent a partially overlapping 7-day accelerometry protocol during a national survey. Spearman correlation coefficients (ρ) assessed the association between accelerometer-derived counts per minute and MARCA-derived physical activity level and time in locomotion. Both data sources estimated time spent in light and moderate–vigorous physical activity. Association and agreement between methods for light physical activity and moderate–vigorous physical activity was assessed using correlations and Bland–Altman plots respectively, and paired t-tests conducted. Accelerometer-derived activity counts were moderately correlated with both MARCA-derived physical activity level and locomotion (ρ = 0.38, P < 0.0001). The correlation between methods was –0.14 for light physical activity and 0.28 for moderate–vigorous physical activity (P < 0.0001). The MARCA overestimated moderate–vigorous physical activity compared with accelerometry (120 min, P < 0.0001), which increased as moderate–vigorous physical activity time increased. Some sex and ethnicity (Māori [indigenous] versus non-Māori) differences were observed. Overall, the MARCA indicated moderate validity for assessment of physical activity level, locomotion and moderate–vigorous physical activity and poor validity for assessment of light physical activity. This was comparable to other self-report tools. The MARCA has utility for future large-scale research.
The Influences of Skill Level, Anxiety, and Psychological Skills Use on Amateur Golfers’ Performances

The present study not only explored the influence of golf expertise on mental skills utilization, but also the influences of the use of mental skills and anxiety on performance at a major national golf competition. Participants, who had played golf for an average of 23 years, ranged in age (M = 52.17, SD = 11.81) and in skill level (M handicap = 15.58, SD = 6.41), included 1151 male and 173 female amateur golfers competing in the Dupont World Amateur Golf Championship in Myrtle Beach, SC. Measures targeted mental skills utilization, golf-specific skills, and competitive trait anxiety. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to examine the use of psychological skills across age (≤49, 50 and above) and levels of golf skill (Professional Golf Association certified handicaps, ≤11, 12–19, and ≥20), and based upon prospective longitudinal data, hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine those factors that predicted successful golf performance across all three rounds of the tournament. Not surprisingly, consistent differences in the use of psychological skills across skill level were found, favoring more skilled players. The most salient predictors of better tournament performance (lower gross scores) were automaticity, commitment to golf, and disruptions in concentration, whereas positive self-talk predicted higher scores. These findings reinforce the role of automaticity in fostering the experience of peak performance in a competitive sport context.
Managing Affect in Interpreter-mediated Institutional Talk: Examples from the Medical Setting

The present paper sets out to explore ways in which affectivity surfaces and is dealt with in interpreter-mediated doctor-patient talk. Section 1 briefly discusses previous work on doctor-patient talk with and without the mediation of an interpreter. Section 2 sheds some light on the concept of affect. Section 3 includes a description of the data analysed and the methodological approach adopted. Section 4 offers a close investigation of five interactional sequences containing affective cues. Finally, Section 5 draws some conclusions regarding the role of interpreters in managing affective displays within conventionalised forms of interaction. 1
Effects of sieve aperture modification on dewatered cassava mash sieving process

Dewatered cassava mash (DCM) sieve aperture is fixed arbitrarily at 3mm by local craftsmen. This contributes to high energy and time consumption. This research focused on modifying this aperture experimentally and to assess its effect on sieving time, throughput capacity, and particle size dimension. Sieving was done with four replications using 2kg DCM across 3mm, 5mm and 7mm apertures. The result showed throughput capacity of 35kg/h, 59kg/h and 84kg/h respectively. The Anova, at 5% shows a significant difference among the means of the throughput capacity. Also, effective size D 10 of garified sample, fineness modulus and average particle size of the sieves were close. The t cal for the particles from 3mm compared to 5mm and 7mm sieve were 0.61 and 1.1 respectively whereas the t crital was 2.15 showing that the particle sizes do not differ significantly. Sieve aperture can be modified to between 5mm to 7mm inclusive with good results. Keywords: Sieve, Aperture, Dewatered Cassava Mash, Throughput Capacity
Modeling and analysis of PeerTrust-like trust mechanisms in P2P Networks

To counter malicious peers in P2P systems, PeerTrust-like schemes take advantage of similarity between peers to compute service provider's trust value. To derive the similarity, there currently exist some approaches documented which however mostly are interested in algorithm or process enhancement, the analytic study in theory for these PeerTrust-like mechanisms might be missed. This paper focuses on the basic problems in PeerTrust-like trust schemes and makes the following distinctive contributions. It formalizes the generic framework of trust mechanisms in a probabilistic manner; gives the mathematical description for PeerTrust-like trust mechanisms; attempts to figure out some unclear questions: based on PeerTrust-like schemes, how to compute similarity via Euclidean distance; should all feedback be counted in; how to compare PeerTrust-like mechanisms with other distance/similarity computations.
Skin cancer identification using multifrequency electrical impedance-a potential screening tool

Electrical bio-impedance can be used to assess skin cancers and other cutaneous lesions. The aim of this study was to distinguish skin cancer from benign nevi using multifrequency impedance spectra. Electrical impedance spectra of about 100 skin cancers and 511 benign nevi were measured. Impedance of reference skin was measured ipsi-laterally to the lesions. The impedance relation between lesion and reference skin was used to distinguish the cancers from the nevi. It was found that it is possible to separate malignant melanoma from benign nevi with 75% specificity at 100% sensitivity, and to distinguish nonmelanoma skin cancer from benign nevi with 87% specificity at 100% sensitivity. The power of skin cancer detection using electrical impedance is as good as, or better than, conventional visual screening made by general practitioners.
ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL MODELS OF ENERGY SAVING INTENTIONS FORMATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NORMATIVE INFLUENCE

Energy sa ving can be achieved using technologies able to improve energetic efficiency but also with virtuous behaviours. In this research we consider three everyday behaviours: to turn off the lights not necessary in the house; to turn off the electronic devices in stead of leaving them on stand -by; to have short -time showers. Firstly the research aims to test if the intentions to carry out such behaviours are predicted by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). A further aim is to understand the role played by normat ive influence in the intention formation process. For this reason along with the subjective norm (the approval of important others) two further predictors are added to the original TPB model: the moral norm (feelings of personal obligation), and the descri ptive norm (perception of how others actually behave). Two hundred and fifty -five Italian university students (91 males and 164 females) filled out a structured questionnaire. Data have been analysed using structural equation modeling. The original TPB mod el was tested for each behaviour. Results support model validity and the explained variance in intention ranged between 86% and 70%. Therefore two extended models were successfully tested. In the first one the descriptive norm was introduced; in the second one the moral norm was also added. The
H-mine: hyper-structure mining of frequent patterns in large databases

Methods for efficient mining of frequent patterns have been studied extensively by many researchers. However, the previously proposed methods still encounter some performance bottlenecks when mining databases with different data characteristics, such as dense vs. sparse, long vs. short patterns, memory-based vs. disk-based, etc. In this study, we propose a simple and novel hyper-linked data structure, H-struct and a new mining algorithm, H-mine, which takes advantage of this data structure and dynamically adjusts links in the mining process. A distinct feature of this method is that it has very limited and precisely predictable space overhead and runs really fast in memory-based setting. Moreover it can be scaled up to very large databases by database partitioning, and when the data set becomes dense, (conditional) FP-trees can be constructed dynamically as part of the mining process. Our study shows that H-mine has high performance in various kinds of data, outperforms the previously developed algorithms in different settings, and is highly scalable in mining large databases. This study also proposes a new data mining methodology, space-preserving mining, which may have strong impact in the future development of efficient and scalable data mining methods.
Intercombination and forbidden transition rates in C- and N-like ions ( O 2 + , F 3 + , and S 9 + ) measured at a heavy-ion storage ring

Rates of an intercombination transition and several electric-dipole forbidden transitions between the levels of the ground complex in C-like ions of O and F and in N-like ions of S have been measured optically at a heavy-ion storage ring. The lifetime results, 1.250~13! ms for the 2s2p 35 S2 level in O 21 , 530~25! and 304~5! ms for the 2s 2 2p 21 So level in O 21 and F 31 , respectively, and 5.20~15! and 2.10~6! ms for the 2s 2 2p 3 2 P 1/2,3/2 o levels of S 91 , agree with only some of the theoretical predictions, while they have a lower estimated uncertainty than all of them.
Self-Estrangement’s Toll on Job Performance: The Pivotal Role of Social Exchange Relationships With Coworkers

Perhaps because self-estrangement is inherently dysfunctional, empirical research has primarily sought to understand its antecedents but not its consequences. As a result, despite its ubiquity in the workplace, self-estrangement’s insidious effects are not well understood. In this paper, because coworkers frequently bear the brunt of interactions with self-estranged workers, we sought to understand how the behavior of self-estranged workers corrodes their social exchange relationships with coworkers. In particular, we focus on how increasing self-estrangement, through its dysfunctional influence on the quality of social exchange relationships with coworkers, can exact a toll on estranged workers’ job performance. To provide greater insight into their relationships, we extend social exchange theory by specifying three behavioral outcomes that underlie the quality of ongoing, reciprocal exchanges, including the level of trustworthiness, accessibility, and peer citizenship behavior. To test our model, we gathered matching survey data in a large corporation from three sources, including 346 professional employees, a knowledgeable coworker, and their supervisor. Results show that self-estrangement indirectly impacts job performance and damages relationships with coworkers by reducing the estranged workers’ level of trustworthiness, accessibility, and peer citizen behavior. We also found that each of these behavioral outcomes served as a significant intervening mechanism separately, as well as when they were combined as a set, suggesting that coworker social exchange quality should be viewed as multidimensional.
Mobile communication and public affairs engagement in Korea: an examination of non-linear relationships between mobile phone use and engagement across age groups

This study examines the links between the use of mobile telephony and involvement in key areas of public life deemed important for a healthy society. We assess how three types of mobile phone uses (informational, relational, and social recreational) are related to two aspects of public affairs participation in South Korea (community engagement and political participation). Overall, findings in this study show significant roles of mobile phone use. For example, use of the mobile phone to seek out public affairs information and to discuss politics, i.e., informational use, was positively related to civic and political participation. Relational and social recreational use of the mobile phone was also found to have interesting and distinctive patterns of relationships with the criterion variables. Findings of this study mostly support the Mobile Reinforcement Hypothesis, which predicts that mobile communication primarily fuels trends already in place with the greatest benefits going to those who are already involved in public affairs, such as those who are older and with greater political interest. However, the observation of nonlinear relationships between mobile phone use and engagement dimensions along the age continuum strongly suggests that the political and civic role of mobile telephony is much more nuanced than previously assumed.
Efficacy and Molecular Mechanisms of Differentiated Response to the Aurora and Angiogenic Kinase Inhibitor ENMD-2076 in Preclinical Models of p53-Mutated Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype associated with poor prognosis and for which there are limited therapeutic options. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ENMD-2076 in p53-mutated TNBC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and describe patterns of terminal cell fate in models demonstrating sensitivity, intrinsic resistance, and acquired resistance to ENMD-2076. Experimental design p53-mutated, TNBC PDX models were treated with ENMD-2076 and evaluated for mechanisms of sensitivity or resistance to treatment. Correlative tissue testing was performed on tumor tissue to assess for markers of proliferation, apoptosis, senescence, and pathways of resistance after treatment and at the time of acquired resistance. Results Sensitivity to ENMD-2076 200 mg/kg daily was associated with induction of apoptosis while models exhibiting intrinsic or acquired resistance to treatment presented with a senescent phenotype. Response to ENMD-2076 was accompanied by an increase in p53 and p73 levels, even within the background of mutant p53. Treatment with ENMD-2076 resulted in a decrease in pAurA and an increase in pHH3. We observed a TNBC subtype switch from the luminal androgen receptor to the basal-like subtype at acquired resistance. Conclusion ENMD-2076 has antitumor activity in preclinical models of p53-mutated TNBC. Increased levels of p53 and p73 correlated with sensitivity whereas senescence was associated with resistance to ENMD-2076. The novel finding of a TNBC subtype switch at time of acquired resistance may provide mechanistic insights into the biologic effects of selective pressure of anticancer treatments on TNBC. ENMD-2076 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with metastatic, previously treated TNBC where these biologic correlates can be further explored.