Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Umbilical Cord Blood-derived CD34+ Cell Concentration Depend on the Weight and Sex of a Full-term Infant?

Umbilical cord blood has recently been considered as an alternative source of hematopoietic progenitor cells for clinical application. Patient survival in allogenic cord blood transplantation is critically dependent on the cord blood-derived total nucleated cell count and the total CD34+ cell count/kg of the body weight. A number of factors such as maternal age, gestational age, newborn’s sex and weight, umbilical cord length, and placental weight can influence the volume, amount of mononuclear cells, and the CD34+ cell concentration. Cord blood was collected from normal vaginal and cesarean deliveries. It was immediately processed and assessed for the total nucleated cell count and CD34+ cell concentration. Assessment of maternal and neonatal parameters such as gestational age, baby’s birth weight, and sex was carried out with the CD34+ cell concentration. The mean CD34+ cell concentration was 0.21±0.24% for the group with <2500 g (low birth weight) birth weight of the baby (n=104). The mean CD34+ cell concentration was 1.84±1.12% for the group with ≥2500 g (normal birth weight) birth weight of the baby (n=396). A strong positive correlation was found between birth weight of the baby with cord blood-derived CD34+ cell concentration (*P<0.0001, r=0.81). A positive correlation was found between gestational age and cord blood-derived CD34+ cell concentration (*P<0.0001, r=0.31). No significant correlation was found between the baby’s sex with the CD34+ cell concentration and the total nucleated cell count. This study concludes that the higher the birth weight of the baby, the better the yield of the CD34+ cell concentration, and hence these should be the preferred samples for infusion.
When are defunctioning stomas in rectal cancer surgery really reversed? Results from a population-based single center experience

Background and Aims: This study assessed the timing of reversal of defunctioning stoma following low anterior resection of the rectum for cancer and risk factors for a defunctioning stoma becoming permanent in patients who were not reversed. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent low anterior resection with defunctioning stoma during a 12-year period were assessed with regard to timing of stoma reversal. Delayed reversal was defined as >4 months after low anterior resection. Patients with a defunctioning stoma that was never reversed were assessed regarding risk factors for permanent stoma. Results: A total of 134 patients were analyzed. Of 106 stoma reversals, 19% were reversed within 4 months of low anterior resection, while 81% were reversed later than 4 months. In 58% of these patients, the delay was to due to low medical priority given to this procedure. The other main reasons for delayed stoma reversal were nonsurgical complications (20%), symptomatic anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection (12%), and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (10%). Of all patients, 21% (28/134) ended up with a permanent stoma. Risk factors for a defunctioning stoma becoming permanent were stage IV cancer (P < 0.001) and symptomatic anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Four in five patients experienced a delayed stoma reversal, in a majority because of the low priority given to this surgical procedure.
Mind the gap: privileging epistemic access to knowledge in the transition from Leaving Certificate music to higher education

In recent years, music at Leaving Certificate level has come under increasing focus in media and higher education discourse as an easy option. In particular, scant attention has been paid to the musical knowledge and skills needed in the transition to higher music education within the Irish context. This paper addresses the perceived gap in knowledge through an examination of documents and student and lecturer experiences in higher music education. Findings reveal that students who have access to private music tuition because of their greater cultural, social and economic capital have a distinct advantage in higher education over those who have relied on the state for music education. Moreover, there would appear to be a shift in emphasis from practical to theoretical knowledge in the transition to higher education. More critically, the paper argues for a reappraisal of curriculum and knowledge at both levels in light of the implicit privileging of epistemic access to ‘powerful’ knowledge in private music education.
Complex channel networks of bone structure

Bone structure in mammals involves a complex network of channels (Havers and Volkmann channels) required to nourish the bone cells. This work describes how three-dimensional reconstructions of such systems can be obtained and represented in terms of complex networks. Three important findings are reported: (i) The fact that the channel branching density resembles a power law implies the existence of distribution hubs; (ii) the joint node degree density indicates a clear tendency of connection involving nodes with degree 3; and (iii) the application of the recently introduced concept of hierarchical clustering coefficient allows the identification of typical scales of channel redistribution. A series of relevant biological insights is drawn and discussed.
Cardiovascular effects of carbon disulfide: meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Objectives were to review the evidence of cardiovascular effects of carbon disulfide (CS2) on exposed workers from different cohort studies. Databases searched included MEDLINE, TOXLINE, and OSHtM Database (CD-ROM). Reference lists of reports and reviews were also searched. To be included in the analysis, a study had to have been a cohort study on cardiovascular effects of carbon disulfide with at least one outcome of interest. Every report was independently read using the Lichtenstein scale, General information of each study and relative risk estimates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals using the fixed-effects model. Pooled relative risks were calculated by the Dersimonian-Laird method basing on the random-effects model. Eleven cohort studies were identified in an extensive literature review. Pooled RR value was 1.56 and its 95% confidence interval was from 1.12 to 2.1, which showed CS2 exposure has feeble correlation with the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. It is proved that meta-analysis is a sensitive method for combining different results in occupational epidemiology.
Positive states in relation to entrepreneurship orientation

Orientation: The main issue of this article concerns the construction and evaluation of an instrument measuring positive states and its relationship with entrepreneurship orientation. Research purpose: The principal objective of the study was the construction of a normative scale to measure the positive states associated with appreciative ability and to relate it to a scale of entrepreneurial orientation. A secondary objective was to determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between the measures of the constructs and the biographical variables of gender and culture. Motivation: As appreciative ability is a relatively new construct and no instrument exists for measuring the positive states emanating from this construct, it was decided to develop such an instrument and to relate it to entrepreneurship orientation. Research design, approach and method: The primary data were obtained by means of the newly designed instrument, the Positive States Questionnaire and the Entrepreneurship Orientation Questionnaire. A convenience sample of 210 second year commerce students was drawn. Main findings: From a principal factor analysis applied to the two instruments, two factors each were obtained. A significantly high correlation was found, indicating a strong relationship between entrepreneurship orientation and the positive states. No significant differences were found between gender or population in the entrepreneurship orientation and positive states measures. Practical/managerial implications: The study produced an instrument with highly acceptable metrical properties which may be used in future studies and for entrepreneurship development. Contribution/value-add: The results of the study suggest that positive states are invaluable attributes for the entrepreneur and should be explored in the assessment and development of entrepreneurs.
Abnormal Electrical Properties of Myocytes From Chronically Infarcted Canine Heart: Alterations in &OV0312;max and the Transient Outward Current

BackgroundReentrant ventricular arrhythmias can occur in the surviving muscle fibers of the epicardial border zone of the canine heart 5 days after coronary artery occlusion. To understand the cellular basis of these arrhythmias, we developed a method of dispersing myocytes (IZs) from the epicardial border zone. Methods and ResultsWe compared the electrophysiological properties of IZs with those of cells dispersed from the epicardium of control noninfarcted (NZs) and of sham-operated animals (NZsham). Transmembrane action potentials of IZs are reduced in total action potential amplitude and maximum upstroke velocity compared with NZs. However, resting potential of IZs is no different from that of NZs. Action potential duration at −10 mV is significantly reduced in IZs compared with control, and IZ potentials do not show the typical “spike and dome” morphology that is evident in all NZs. Using Vmax as an indirect measure of the peak inward current available for the upstroke of the action potential, we found that the availability curve for IZs is significantly different from the NZ curve. Furthermore, the time course of recovery of Vmax after a depolarizing voltage clamp step was significantly altered in IZs. Using whole-cell voltage clamp techniques, we determined that the voltage-dependent, Ca2+-independent, 4-aminopyridine-sensitive transient outward current (it01) occurred in all NZs (n = 16) but existed in only 37% of IZs (n = 16). There was a significant reduction in the density of ito1 elicited by depolarizing steps in those IZs showing it. , compared with it01 density in NZs. ConclusionsWe have developed a single-cell model of cells that survive in the infarcted heart. Our studies indicate that there are changes in Vmax in IZs. In addition, there is no prominent phase 1 of repolarization in IZ action potentials. This is consistent with the dramatic loss in the function of the ionic channel responsible for the voltage-dependent transient outward current, it01.
Neutral sites for calcium ion binding to elastin and collagen: a charge neutralization theory for calcification and its relationship to atherosclerosis.

Neutral, uncharged binding sites for calcium ions are proposed for elastin and collagen. The sites utilize, particularly from a conformational viewpoint, the most striking feature of the amino acid composition, that is, the high glycine content. Glycines favor the formation of beta-turns and associated conformations that are known, from studies on ion-transporting antibiotics, to interact with cations. By analogy with certain antibiotics, which are uncharged polypeptides and depsipeptides that bind cations by coordination with neutral acyl oxygens, it is proposed that calcium-ion binding also utilizes uncharged coordinating groups, i.e., neutral sites, in the protein matrix. The protein matrix, which becomes positively charged by virtue of the bound calcium ions, attracts neutralizing phosphate and carbonate ions, which then allow further calcium ion binding. The driving force is, therefore, the affinity of calcium ions for the neutral nucleation sites. The charge neutralization theory of calcification suggests a fundamental role of organic anions, for example sulfated mucopolysaccharides, in regulating bone formation and in retardation of atherosclerosis. The proposed mechanism contains elements that tend to unify several theories on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Waning intestinal immunity after vaccination with oral poliovirus vaccines in India.

BACKGROUND The eradication of wild-type polioviruses in areas with efficient fecal-oral transmission relies on intestinal mucosal immunity induced by oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). Mucosal immunity is thought to wane over time but the rate of loss of protection has not been examined. METHODS We examined the degree and duration of intestinal mucosal immunity in India by measuring the prevalence of vaccine poliovirus in stool samples collected 4-28 days after a "challenge" dose of OPV among 47 574 children with acute flaccid paralysis reported during 2005-2009. RESULTS Previous vaccination with OPV was protective against excretion of vaccine poliovirus after challenge, but the odds of excretion increased significantly with the time since the child was last exposed to an immunization activity (odds ratio, 1.39 [95% confidence interval .99-1.97], 2.04 [1.28-3.25], and 1.31 [1.00-1.70] comparing ≥6 months with 1 month ago for serotypes 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Vaccine administered during the high season for enterovirus infections (April-September) was significantly less likely to result in excretion, especially in northern states (odds ratio, 0.57 [95% confidence interval, .50-.65], 0.58 [.41-.81], and 0.48 [.40-.57] for serotypes 1, 2, and 3). CONCLUSIONS Infection with OPV (vaccine "take") is highly seasonal in India and results in intestinal mucosal immunity that appears to wane significantly within a year of vaccination.
Increased IFNγ+ T Cells Are Responsible for the Clinical Responses of Low-Dose DNA-Demethylating Agent Decitabine Antitumor Therapy

Purpose: Low-dose DNA-demethylating agent decitabine therapy is effective in a subgroup of cancer patients. It remains largely elusive for the biomarker to predict therapeutic response and the underlying antitumor mechanisms, especially the impact on host antitumor immunity. Experimental Design: The influence of low-dose decitabine on T cells was detected both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, a test cohort and a validation cohort of advanced solid tumor patients with low-dose decitabine-based treatment were involved. The activation, proliferation, polarization, and cytolysis capacity of CD3+ T cells were analyzed by FACS and CCK8 assay. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were performed to investigate the prognostic value of enhanced T-cell activity following decitabine epigenetic therapy. Results: Low-dose decitabine therapy enhanced the activation and proliferation of human IFNγ+ T cells, promoted Th1 polarization and activity of cytotoxic T cells both in vivo and in vitro, which in turn inhibited cancer progression and augmented the clinical effects of patients. In clinical trials, increased IFNγ+ T cells and increased T-cell cytotoxicity predicted improved therapeutic responses and survival in the test cohort and validation cohort. Conclusions: We find that low-dose decitabine therapy promotes antitumor T-cell responses by promoting T-cell proliferation and the increased IFNγ+ T cells may act as a potential prognostic biomarker for the response to decitabine-based antitumor therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(20); 6031–43. ©2017 AACR.
Child-rearing patterns and dimensions of personality

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and EMBU Inventory for measurement of child-rearing practices were administered to 85 university students, 72 medical and surgical patients, and 66 employees of a state department in order to assess the relationships between personality dimensions and child-rearing. Results indicate that parents of extraverts tend to be performance-oriented and stimulating, parents of high psychoticism scorers tend to be unstimulating and unaffectionate, and that parents of high neuroticism scorers tend to be guilt-engendering, overprotective and shaming. There is no relationship between the Lie scale and parental rearing patterns. These findings suggest that child-rearing patterns have an influence on personality, although inheritance cannot be ruled out.
Yes We Can

The present research shows that belief in progress helps to alleviate the aversive experience of low levels of control. When control is low, believing in progress provides people with the promise of future control in a broader sense. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants lacking control disagreed more with an essay on the illusory nature of human progress. Experiment 3 corroborated these findings in a field study comparing airplane passengers with a nonairborne control group. Experiment 4 assessed belief in progress more directly and showed an increased willingness to invest in specific fields of progress-oriented research when personal control was low. Moreover, participants lacking control showed an increased preference for high-tech solutions to combat environmental problems and believed more firmly in scientific and moral progress.
Submodular Hamming Metrics

We show that there is a largely unexplored class of functions (positive polymatroids) that can define proper discrete metrics over pairs of binary vectors and that are fairly tractable to optimize over. By exploiting submodularity, we are able to give hardness results and approximation algorithms for optimizing over such metrics. Additionally, we demonstrate empirically the effectiveness of these metrics and associated algorithms on both a metric minimization task (a form of clustering) and also a metric maximization task (generating diverse k-best lists).
TCD-TIMIT: An Audio-Visual Corpus of Continuous Speech

Automatic audio-visual speech recognition currently lags behind its audio-only counterpart in terms of major progress. One of the reasons commonly cited by researchers is the scarcity of suitable research corpora. This paper details the creation of a new corpus designed for continuous audio-visual speech recognition research . TCD-TIMIT consists of high-quality audio and video footage of 62 speakers reading a total of 6913 phonetically rich sentences. Three of the speakers are professionally-trained lipspeakers, recorded to test the hypothesis that lipspeakers may have an advantage over regular speakers in automatic visual speech recognition systems. Video footage was recorded from two angles: straight on, and at 30°. The paper outlines the recording of footage, and the required post-processing to yield video and audio clips for each sentence. Audio, visual, and joint audio-visual baseline experiments are reported. Separate experiments were run on the lipspeaker and non-lipspeaker data, and the results compared. Visual and audio-visual baseline results on the non-lipspeakers were low overall. Results on the lipspeakers were found to be significantly higher. It is hoped that as a publicly available database, TCD-TIMIT will now help further state of the art in audio-visual speech recognition research.
Gender Representation in English Language Textbooks Used in the Singapore Primary Schools.

Abstract Two basal reader series used in the Singapore primary schools were analysed for discrepancies in the treatment of male and female characters. Imbalances were found in the female: male ratio, in the amount of speech given to characters, and in role‐representation. In both series, the importance of male characters becomes greater as the level of reader rises. The implications of this discrepancy are of some concern for Singapore's education system, where textbooks have long been seen as a major means of socialisation.
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? CONTINUED PARTICIPATION INTENTIONS IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES.

This study provides support for the proposition that participation intentions in online communities is a multi-dimensional construct. We analyze 534 survey responses and communication history of 135,477 messages from 33 different online communities to investigate multi-level antecedents of two dimensions of continued participation: participation continuance intentions and participation intensity intentions.
Doing What Simple Simon Says?

From within a social learning framework, the authors test the relative contributions of socialization, group pressure, social selection, and rationalization processes in explaining the relationships between peer-group associations, attitudes, and serious theft. Estimating a nonrecursive model, the authors argue that serious theft is as likely to affect delinquent associations and attitudes as associations and attitudes are to affect serious theft. The authors use panel data over three time periods from the National Youth Survey (NYS) to estimate simultaneously the influences of each social process over time. In addition, the authors estimate a measurement model to correct for the potential biasing effects of correlated measurement error. Estimation of the nonrecursive model reveals that the socialization effects of peers are negligible and insignificant. The group pressure effects are of relatively equal importance in comparison to the social selection effects. However, the group pressure effects are substantially smaller in magnitude compared to those commonly reported in recursive studies.
Sieves for low autocorrelation binary sequences

The value 2e^{2} is calculated by approximations as a conjectured asymptotic limit for the best central to sidelobe energy ratio of very long low autocorrelation binary sequences. The same bound is calculated by approximation for skewsymmetric sequences, hence it is concluded that the requirement of skewsymmetry constitutes a powerful and effective sieve for the search for near-optimal sequences. A second sieve based on the use of complementary sequences is discussed and shown to be quite effective for sequence lengths up to 31, and its investigation for longer lengths by means of computers is suggested. A third and a fourth sieve, based on the selection of restricted classes of complementary sequences, are also discussed.
Exploring parental involvement and home-school relations in Irish immersion education: Integrating multiple perspectives

This article describes qualitative findings from a mixed methods exploratory study of parental involvement in the heritage immersion context of Ireland. The research aimed to provide an in-depth analysis of the nature of home-school relations in this less usual educational setting. Three studies were designed in order to address this objective. Study 1 was a mixed methods investigation of the topic from the perspective of parents, involving a series of in-depth interviews and a self-report parental involvement survey. Study 2 was a qualitative exploration of educators’ experiences of parental involvement in an immersion setting. Study 3 was also qualitative in design and explored the topic at hand from the perspectives of immersion pupils. Findings indicated that there are distinct challenges to parental involvement in the context where the language of the home and the language of the school differ. Implications for practice in immersion schools are considered.
Alternative Modes of Self-Construal: Dimensions of Connectedness–Separateness and Advertising Appeals to the Cultural and Gender-Specific Self

This research examines how variations in consumers’ connectedness–separateness (C–S) self-schema, which refers to an individual's perceptions of others as an extension of self or of the self as distinct from others, may explain cultural and gender-level persuasion effects. Results from a cross-cultural experiment demonstrate that a connected advertising appeal stressing interdependence and togetherness results in more favorable brand attitudes among Chinese and women consumers than does a separated appeal stressing independence and autonomy. Conversely, a separated appeal results in more favorable attitudes among U.S. and male consumers. Most important, the results suggest that the interactions detected between ad appeal and culture, as well as between ad appeal and gender, are mediated by distinct dimensions of consumers’ C–S. The self-orientation dimension of C–S is shown to account for cultural-level persuasion effects, whereas gender-level effects are attributable to the dependence dimension. Thus, individual differences in these dimensions compose an important factor in explaining cultural and gender variations in consumers’ responses.