Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is a major determinant of arterial thrombolysis resistance.

BACKGROUND Platelet-rich thrombi are resistant to lysis by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a rapid inhibitor of tPA, may contribute to arterial thrombolysis resistance. However, few data are available regarding the effect of PAI-1 on arterial thrombolysis in animals. We used a murine carotid injury model to test the hypothesis that PAI-1 inhibits thrombolysis mediated by pharmacological concentrations of tPA. METHODS AND RESULTS Platelet-rich thrombi were induced in wild-type mice (PAI-1 +/+; n=11) and PAI-1-deficient mice (PAI-1 -/-; n=11) with ferric chloride. Baseline carotid blood flows and mean occlusion times did not differ between PAI-1 +/+ and PAI-1 -/- mice. Clot lysis was induced by infusion of heparin (200 U/kg bolus, 70 U. kg-1. h-1 drip), human plasminogen (50 mg/kg), and tPA at 20 (n=10) or 100 (n=12) microg. kg-1. min-1. Mean plasma tPA antigens were 2.7 microg/mL (tPA infusion, 20 microg. kg-1. min-1) and 5.5 microg/mL (tPA infusion, 100 microg. kg-1. min-1), with no significant differences between PAI-1 +/+ mice and PAI-1 -/- mice. Reperfusion after tPA 20 microg. kg-1. min-1 occurred in 1 of 5 PAI-1 +/+ mice versus 5 of 5 PAI-1 -/- mice (P=0.0006). Reperfusion occurred in all mice that received tPA 100 microg. kg-1. min-1, but reperfusion times were significantly shorter in PAI-1 -/- mice (17. 8+/-2.6 minutes, n=6) than in PAI-1 +/+ mice (35.7+/-5.1 minute, n=6; P=0.01). Histological analyses confirmed that carotid thrombi were platelet rich and that PAI-1 was distributed uniformly throughout thrombi from PAI-1 +/+ mice. Lysates of PAI-1 +/+ platelets inhibited human tPA, whereas PAI-1 -/- platelet lysates did not. CONCLUSIONS PAI-1 is a major determinant of the resistance of platelet-rich arterial thrombi to lysis by pharmacological concentrations of tPA. Strategies to inhibit or resist PAI-1 may enhance thrombolysis.
Is photosynthetic acclimation to low temperature controlled by capacities for storage and growth at low temperature? Results from comparative studies of grasses and trees

The ability of warm-grown leaves to acclimate their photosynthetic machinery to low, non-freezing temperature was compared for contrasting species of grasses and trees. All trees (Betula pubescens, Salix sp. and Picea abies), and young plants of one of the grasses (Hordeum vulgare) showed acclimation of photosynthesis while the other two grasses (Phalaris arundinacea and Festuca ovina) did not. It was those species that maintained leaf sugar concentrations essentially unchanged that showed acclimation. Trees maintained leaf sugar concentrations essentially unchanged by effectively converting leaf sugar surpluses into storage compounds. Grasses were, by comparison, less effective. However, very young plants of Hordeum maintained leaf sugar concentrations unchanged by continued growth rather than by increased storage. This diversity of low-temperature responses are discussed in relation to possible different priorities of trees and grasses: for grasses to undergo cold hardening by allowing sugars to rise, and for trees to store sugars to allow photosynthesis to operate independently of growth as growth varies with growth rhythm and air temperature.
Multivariate Analysis of Grain Yield and Its Attributing Traits in Different Maize Hybrids Grown under Heat and Drought Stress

This study was carried out to evaluate F1 single cross-maize hybrids in four crop growing seasons (2010–2012). Morphological traits and physiological parameters of twelve maize hybrids were evaluated (i) to construct seed yield equation and (ii) to determine grain yield attributing traits of well-performing maize genotype using a previously unexplored method of two-way hierarchical clustering. In seed yield predicting equation photosynthetic rate contributed the highest variation (46%). Principal component analysis data showed that investigated traits contributed up to 90.55% variation in dependent structure. From factor analysis, we found that factor 1 contributed 49.6% variation (P < 0.05) with primary important traits (i.e., number of leaves per plant, plant height, stem diameter, fresh leaves weight, leaf area, stomata conductance, substomata CO2 absorption rate, and photosynthetic rate). The results of two-way hierarchical clustering demonstrated that Cluster III had outperforming genotype H12 (Sultan × Soneri) along with its most closely related traits (photosynthetic rate, stomata conductance, substomata CO2 absorption rate, chlorophyll contents, leaf area, and fresh stem weight). Our data shows that H12 (Sultan × Soneri) possessed the highest grain yield per plant under environmentally stress conditions, which are most likely to exist in arid and semiarid climatic conditions, such as in Pakistan.
A similarity-based robust clustering method

This paper presents an alternating optimization clustering procedure called a similarity-based clustering method (SCM). It is an effective and robust approach to clustering on the basis of a total similarity objective function related to the approximate density shape estimation. We show that the data points in SCM can self-organize local optimal cluster number and volumes without using cluster validity functions or a variance-covariance matrix. The proposed clustering method is also robust to noise and outliers based on the influence function and gross error sensitivity analysis. Therefore, SCM exhibits three robust clustering characteristics: 1) robust to the initialization (cluster number and initial guesses), 2) robust to cluster volumes (ability to detect different volumes of clusters), and 3) robust to noise and outliers. Several numerical data sets and actual data are used in the SCM to show these good aspects. The computational complexity of SCM is also analyzed. Some experimental results of comparing the proposed SCM with the existing methods show the superiority of the SCM method.
The efficiency of chewing during eating and ruminating in goats and sheep

The total amounts of time spent eating and ruminating per 24 h by goats and sheep were determined. The efficiencies of chewing during eating () and chewing during ruminating () on the breakdown of feed particles to below the critical size required to leave the rumen (< 1.0 mm) were investigated. All studies were done with the animals fed on a chaffed lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay diet. Goats spent more time eating (+3.1 h; P < 0.01), and less time ruminating (-2.2 h; P < 0.05) per 24 h, than sheep, when fed hourly at ad lib. intake. The efficiency of chewing during eating () in breaking down feed particles to < 1.0 mm was greater in goats (85%; P < 0.01) than sheep (48%). The process of rumination in sheep served to reduce the feed particles which were > 1.0 mm in the rumen to < 1.0 mm. Sheep tended to be more efficient in this process than goats (59 ν 48%), with the difference not attaining significance (P > 0.1). The greater frequency of chews (number of total jaw movements/min) during eating in goats (P < 0.01), or during ruminating in sheep (P < 0.001), was the major component explaining differences in efficiency between the two species in both the eating and rumination processes. When corrected for the number of chews/min, the differences in and were not significant between goats and sheep. During eating goats had greater apparent rates of total salivary secretion (P < 0.1), and greater apparent rates of salivary nitrogen secretion (P < 0.05) than sheep. The results help explain the greater fibre digestibility and rumen ammonia irreversible loss rates in goats than sheep, when both species were fed on lucerne chaff.
A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and thyroid cancer risk

Background It is still inconclusive whether alcohol consumption affects the risk of thyroid cancer. We conducted a meta-analysis of available epidemiological data to address this issue. Results Compared with nondrinkers, the pooled relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidential intervals (CIs) of thyroid cancer were 0.80 (95% CI 0.71-0.90) for any drinkers, 0.81 (95% CI 0.70-0.93) for light and 0.71 (95% CI 0.63-0.79) for moderate drinkers. The dose–response analysis suggested that there is no evidence of a dose-risk relationship between alcohol intaking and thyroid cancer risk (P = 0.112). Methods Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMbase databases. A total of 24 studies, included 9,990 cases with thyroid cancer, were included in this meta-analysis. We defined light alcohol intake as ≤ one drink/day and moderate as >one drink/day. The summary risk estimates were calculated by the random effects model. A dose-response analysis was also conducted for modeling the dose-risk relation. Conclusion This meta-analysis confirmed an inverse association between alcohol consumption and thyroid cancer risk. Further studies are needed to better understand the potential mechanisms underlying this association.
Probability Density Estimation by Decomposition of Correlation Integral

Correlation dimension is usually used to study features of fractals and data generating processes. For estimation of value of correlation dimension in a particular case often a polynomial approximation of correlation integral is used and then the linear regression for logarithms of variables is applied. In this paper we show that correlation integral can be decomposed into functions each related to particular point of data space. For these functions one can use similar polynomial approximations as for the correlation integral. Essential difference is that value of exponent, which would correspond to correlation dimension, differs in accordance to position of point in question. Moreover we show that multiplicative constant represents probability density estimation at that point. This finding is used for construction of a classifier. Tests with some data sets from Machine Learning Repository shows that this classifier can be very effective.
The Composite Task Reveals Stronger Holistic Processing in Children than Adults for Child Faces

Background While own-age faces have been reported to be better recognized than other-age faces, the underlying cause of this phenomenon remains unclear. One potential cause is holistic face processing, a special kind of perceptual and cognitive processing reserved for perceiving upright faces. Previous studies have indeed found that adults show stronger holistic processing when looking at adult faces compared to child faces, but whether a similar own-age bias exists in children remains to be shown. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we used the composite face task – a standard test of holistic face processing – to investigate if, for child faces, holistic processing is stronger for children than adults. Results showed child participants (8–13 years) had a larger composite effect than adult participants (22–65 years). Conclusions/Significance Our finding suggests that differences in strength of holistic processing may underlie the own-age bias on recognition memory. We discuss the origin of own-age biases in terms of relative experience, face-space tuning, and social categorization.
Age Estimation of a Large Bighead Carp From Grand Lake, Oklahoma

On April 23, 2011, a 1356-mm total length (TL), 39.8 kg bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) was brought to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. This specimen is the largest bighead carp recorded from Oklahoma, and it is near the maximum size reported from the United States. This specimen was estimated to be nine years old based on estimates from three different structures (pectoral fin ray, branchiostegal ray, and otolith). The age, together with past Oklahoma records of the species, indicates that there has been multiple introductions or undocumented reproduction of bighead carp in the Grand Lake basin. © 2011 Oklahoma Academy of Science.
Community Evaluation and Exchange of Word Vectors at wordvectors.org

Vector space word representations are useful for many natural language processing applications. The diversity of techniques for computing vector representations and the large number of evaluation benchmarks makes reliable comparison a tedious task both for researchers developing new vector space models and for those wishing to use them. We present a website and suite of offline tools that that facilitate evaluation of word vectors on standard lexical semantics benchmarks and permit exchange and archival by users who wish to find good vectors for their applications. The system is accessible at: www.wordvectors. org.
Mildly Handicapped Students Can Succeed with Learning Styles.

major concepts They also studied each student's learning styles profile to determine individual approaches To ensure that these students were not being given a watered-down course, the students were given the same departmentally prepared six-weeks and semester exams as the other Algebra II classes At the end of the year, 32 of the 34 students passed the course! Mission Accomplished Five years after that transforming sum mer when I made my vow, I feel a sense of accomplishment My princi pal, my colleagues, and I have found a more successful way to teach Credit also goes to each and every student who so eagerly embraced a better way of learning The reward for all of us is the satisfaction that our students are learning more successfully than ever before Our dropout rate has declined because school is a more interesting and friendly place to be Together, we have created a secondary school that Rip Van Winkle would not recognize. That school is Corsicana High School in Corsicana, Texas.O
Breaking the Myths of Rewards: An Exploratory Study of Attitudes about Knowledge Sharing

Many CEOs and managers understand the importance of knowledge sharing among their employees and are eager to introduce the knowledge management paradigm in their organizations. However little is known about the determinants of the individual's knowledge sharing behavior. The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the factors affecting the individual's knowledge sharing behavior in the organizational context. The research model includes various constructs based on social exchange theory, self-efficacy, and theory of reasoned action. Research results from the field survey of 467 employees of four large, public organizations show that expected associations and contribution are the major determinants of the individual's attitude toward knowledge sharing. Expected rewards, believed by many as the most important motivating factor for knowledge sharing, are not significantly related to the attitude toward knowledge sharing. As expected, positive attitude toward knowledge sharing is found to lead to positive intention to share knowledge and, finally, to actual knowledge sharing behaviors.
[A Study to Determine the Norms for the Trail Making Test For the Age Range of 20-49 in Turkey].

OBJECTIVE The main goal of the study is to determine the normative values of Trail Making Test (TMT) for people between 20-49 years of age; to examine the effect of age, education and sex variables over TMT scores and identify the reliability coefficient of the test. METHOD The sample of the study consisted of 133 women and 130 men, 261 voluntary and healthy participants in total. The data of the research was collected according to 3 x 2 x 2 factorial experimental design; and the participants were distributed to experimental conditions well balanced in terms of the levels of age, education and sex. TMT A and B form, and Beck Depression Scale (BDS) were applied for the assessment. RESULTS Seven scores were calculated determining for Turkish normative values; 3 x 2 x 2 factorial multivariate variance analysis was applied in order to identify the effect of levels of age, education and sex over TMT scores. According to the results of the analyses, it was found that main effect of education was significant, while the main effects of age and sex variables were not (p<.05). The test-retest reliability coefficients of the TMT changed between . 71 and . 87. CONCLUSION This study indicated that especially the TMT B and subtest scores were affected by the education in the range of 20-49 years of age. Additionally, normative values depending on the means of TMT scores for 20-49 age group were obtained in the study; it was shown that TMT was a reliable assessment tool.
Development of the New Zealand strategy for local eradication of tuberculosis from wildlife and livestock

Abstract We describe the progressive development of New Zealand's national strategy for control of tuberculosis (TB) in its agricultural sector over the last four decades. The strategy is globally unique, reflecting the need for effective and co-ordinated management of TB in a wildlife maintenance host, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), in addition to controlling infection in cattle and farmed deer herds. Since the early 1990s, the strategy has been developed by the Animal Health Board (AHB), formed to empower the farming industry to take the leadership role in funding of TB control, policy development and administration. The AHB became the first non-government organisation to develop and gain acceptance by the funders (farming industry and government) of a National Pest Management Strategy (NPMS) under the Biosecurity Act 1993. A key outcome of the NPMS for TB control was the development and inclusion of very challenging objectives that provided direction for management, research and possum control. This paper describes the process whereby the NPMS was revised twice, following achievement of each successive set of strategy objectives within budget. Success was based on firstly, reorganisation of the AHB and its operational systems to achieve increased efficiency; secondly, improved efficiency through contracting possum and disease control, and thirdly research delivering effective and practical applications, while also providing a scientific basis for setting directions for future control strategies. The last revision of the NPMS was implemented in 2011, and included objectives to eradicate Mycobacterium bovis-infected wildlife populations over 2.5 million hectares by 2026. This ambitious objective was adopted only after extensive forecast modelling enabled stakeholders to identify and select the most cost-effective long-term solution for the management of M. bovis-infected possum populations. The accomplishment of New Zealand's TB control programme, in meeting successive sets of demanding NPMS objectives, has seen a 95% decrease in the number of infected cattle and deer herds since they peaked at 1,694 in 1994, and the eradication of TB from infected possum populations from 830,000 hectares. Provided the current level of funding continues, New Zealand is positioned to achieve national eradication of TB well in advance of the 40–50-year timeline forecast 3 years ago.
Development and Validation of a Pediatric IBD Knowledge Inventory Device: The IBD-KID

Objectives: Questionnaires exist to assess inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)–related knowledge of adults. Owing to wording and content concerns, these were believed to be inappropriate for use in pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire to assess disease-related knowledge of pediatric patients with IBD and their parents. Methods: Following a formal process of item generation and reduction, the IBD-Knowledge Inventory Device was developed and pilot tested. It was administered to 10- to 17-year-old patients with IBD, and to 1 of each of their parents. To evaluate its discriminatory validity, pediatric residents, nurses, and ward clerks completed the questionnaire. Results: A total of 99 patients (mean 42, Crohn disease 46, age 14(±2) years) and 99 parents completed the IBD-Knowledge Inventory Device. Parent knowledge scores, 15(±4), were higher than those of patients, 11(±4), P < 0.001. Patient and parent knowledge scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.62, P < 0.001). Patient knowledge score was significantly related to disease type (Crohn disease scored higher than ulcerative colitis, P = 0.004) and to perceived knowledge level (P < 0.001) by regression analysis. Similarly, parent knowledge score was significantly related to sex (girls scored higher, P = 0.014), postsecondary education (P < 0.001), and perceived knowledge level (P = 0.002). The questionnaire scores of 23 were 19, 16, and 10, respectively, for residents, nurses, and ward clerks. Both residents and nurses scored significantly higher than ward clerks (P = 0.001 for both). Conclusions: A valid IBD-related knowledge assessment questionnaire was developed for use in older children and adolescents with IBD and their parents.
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmaceutical Drug Binding into Calsequestrin

Calsequestrin (CASQ) is a major Ca2+-storage/buffer protein present in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of both skeletal (CASQ1) and cardiac (CASQ2) muscles. CASQ has significant affinity for a number of pharmaceutical drugs with known muscular toxicities. Our approach, with in silico molecular docking, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), identified three distinct binding pockets on the surface of CASQ2, which overlap with 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) binding sites observed in the crystal structure. Those three receptor sites based on canine CASQ1 crystal structure gave a high correlation (R2 = 0.80) to our ITC data. Daunomycin, doxorubicin, thioridazine, and trifluoperazine showed strong affinity to the S1 site, which is a central cavity formed between three domains of CASQ2. Some of the moderate-affinity drugs and some high-affinity drugs like amlodipine and verapamil displayed their binding into S2 sites, which are the thioredoxin-like fold present in each CASQ domain. Docking predictions combined with dissociation constants imply that presence of large aromatic cores and less flexible functional groups determines the strength of binding affinity to CASQ. In addition, the predicted binding pockets for both caffeine and epigallocatechin overlapped with the S1 and S2 sites, suggesting competitive inhibition by these natural compounds as a plausible explanation for their antagonistic effects on cardiotoxic side effects.
Cultural Diversity and Social Skills Instruction: Understanding Ethnic and Gender Differences

Finally, a book that shows how to teach social skills from a culturally sensitive perspective. This unique manual provides valuable information and insights for working with students from the four largest minority groups--Hispanic American, African American, Native American, and Asian American. The authors differentiate between skill deficits that need to be changed and cultural differences that should be respected in their current form or altered according to specific situations. The book also addresses differences in social skills instruction for male and female students.
La mortalité des étrangers en France

Résumé Brahimi Michèle. — Mortalité des étrangers en France. Aussi bien en France qu'en Suisse ou qu'en R.F. A. , les quotients de mortalité des immigrés sont inférieurs aux âges actifs à ceux des autochtones. Des erreurs d'observation ne peuvent expliquer à elles seules ces résultats et si la possibilité d'un retour au pays avant le décès n'est pas une hypothèse qu'on peut totalement rejeter, elle n'est cependant pas suffisante. La sous-mortalité des étrangers serait due en partie à la sélection à l'entrée, plus importante chez les hommes plus souvent actifs que chez les femmes et cela d'autant plus que les courants d'immigration sont plus récents. Mais elle reflète aussi des différences profondes dans les causes de décès. A âge égal, les étrangers d'âge actif meurent moins souvent que les autochtones de maladies cardio-vasculaires, cancers, alcoolisme et suicide, maladies fortement liées au mode de vie engendré par nos sociétés industrielles.