Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Baseline characteristics of a multiethnic lupus cohort: PROFILE

Purpose: To report the baseline characteristics of a US multi-ethnic, multi-regional, multi-institution cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and how it was constituted. Methods: Patients with SLE per American college of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria, 16 years of age and older, with disease of 10 years or less, of Hispanic (H), African American (AA) or Caucasian (C) ethnicity and living in the geographic catchment areas of the participating institutions (the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Johns Hopkins University (JHU), The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center (UTH) were eligible to enter the combined cohort (PROFILE, herein). Data from the individual SLE cohorts were pooled and the PROFILE cohort characteristics examined using descriptive statistics. Variables predictive of renal damage were then examined by logistic regression. Results: The PROFILE cohort constituted by 568 patients (H = 78, AA = 216, C = 260 (13 other ethnicities)) is predominantly female. Non-C had a greater number of ACR criteria, and of renal involvement. Among the two non-C groups, a higher proportion of H patients have developed overall renal damage, as well as decreased glomerular filtration rate. Other than Hispanic ethnicity (odds ratio, OR = 6.27, confidence limits, CL = 1.96–220.01), sustained hypertension (OR = 14.16, CL = 4.52–4.43) was a significant predictor of renal damage, whereas belonging to the JHU cohort was protective (OR = 0.18, CL = 0.05–0.63). Conclusions: We have constituted a large US multi-ethnic SLE cohort. Renal involvement was found to be more frequent among the non-C; within them, the H patients seem to be at higher risk for the occurrence of renal damage.
Protease-activated receptor 2 agonist increases cell proliferation and invasion of human pancreatic cancer cells

The aim of this study was to determine the expression of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) in the human pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990, and to evaluate its effect on cell proliferation and invasion. The expression of PAR-2 protein and mRNA in SW1990 cells was determined by immunocytochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. MTT and cell invasion and migration assays, as well as semi-quantitative PCR and zymography analysis, were additionally performed. PAR-2 mRNA was significantly upregulated in the cells treated with trypsin or the PAR-2 activating peptide Ser-Leu-Ile-Gly-Lys-Val (SLIGKV) (P<0.01), but not in the Val-Lys-Gly-Ile-Leu-Ser group (P>0.05). Trypsin and SLIGKV significantly promoted SW1990 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, trypsin and SLIGKV significantly increased the mRNA expression (P<0.01) and gelatinolytic activity (P<0.01) of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. In conclusion, PAR-2 is expressed in SW1990 cells. PAR-2 activation may promote the invasion and migration of human pancreatic cancer cells by increasing MMP-2 expression.
Developing an assessment pedagogy: the tensions and struggles in re-theorising assessment from a cultural–historical perspective

As schools become living sites of evidence-based practice, teachers increasingly accumulate large quantities of observations and records. In these times of an overabundance of documentation, there is a need to find the unit of analysis that determines the essence of what matters for assessment. In drawing upon cultural-historical theory, this paper presents the outcomes of a study which examined how 11 teachers from one primary school used the concepts of the social situation of development, motives, the zone of proximal development and the relations between the real and ideal forms of development in order to change their assessment practices. Findings show the tensions and struggles that emerged as teachers worked against the discourses associated with traditional institutionalised assessment practices where age dominates, and again as they worked with key concepts to theorise new ways of conceptualising and enacting assessment for building a new assessment pedagogy for their school.
The Symbolic Management of Strategic Change: Sensegiving Via Framing and Decoupling

This study develops a symbolic management perspective on strategic change to predict and test the antecedents and consequences of how firms frame strategic change. Using data from a sample of contemporary German corporations, we find support for our predictions that firms (1) use specific framing language that fits better with their divergent stakeholder preferences, (2) use language that decouples espousal and actual implementation of strategic change, and (3) realize positive market responses to institutionally appropriate frames of change.
On borrowed size, flawed urbanisation and emerging enclave spaces: The exceptional urbanism of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

This paper investigates the development trajectory and spatial governance practices in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small but affluent, rapidly developing member state of the European Union. Against the background of globalisation and its urban impact (particularly concerning smaller or emerging metropolitan areas), the paper aims at reconstructing the Luxembourgian urban development trajectory, which is characterised by continuous population growth and successful attraction of global services and financial industries in a rather unique context of the niche sovereignty politics of the small state/small city. The paper also presents a carefully balanced critique of governance practices that seeks to implement integrative strategies in a rather fragmented setting of development, policy and regulation. In so doing, the paper situates this specific case of urbanisation in the context of current paths and narratives of development, particularly with respect to the emergence of global ‘enclave spaces’ and the way these are becoming nested into broader network constellations. The paper also discusses possible consequences for both governance practices and comparative urban studies.
Adult Intergenerational Relationships

This chapter gives an overview of research on the relationships between parents and their adult, grown-up children. Interest in intergenerational ties has increased again as a result of the aging of Western societies. The chapter discusses the following topics in the literature: (i) the degree to which parents and children care for each other's well-being in times of need or what has been called intergenerational solidarity; (ii)the degree of conflict and tension in intergenerational relationships and how this relates to the concept of intergenerational solidarity; (iii) dominant theories about why parents and children provide each other with support, in particular theories of altruism and exchange; (iv) how parents' marital history affects adult intergenerational relations, in particular father-child relations; (v) the consequences of intergenerational ties for the well-being of both generations; and (vi) differences in intergenerational relations between countries, and how this relates to cultural differences and welfare state arrangements.
Evaluation of the AXIOS stent for the treatment of pancreatic fluid collections

ABSTRACT Introduction: Endoscopic ultrasound guided translumenal drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) has been widely practiced for over a decade, using conventional plastic and self-expandable metal stents. The use of such stents for transmural drainage is off-label and limited by the lack of lumen-to-lumen anchorage, which can lead to leakage, migration and tissue trauma. Areas covered: Novel stent designs dedicated to applications of translumenal drainage have recently emerged and promise to make transmural drainage quicker, safer, and more effective. Achieving faster resolution of the fluid collection, decreasing adverse events, decreasing recurrence rates, and lowering costs are critical to advancing the endoscopic management of PFCs. Expert commentary: Our paper suggests that the AXIOS stent is an innovative therapeutic approach for PFC drainage with excellent efficacy, safety, and relatively few adverse outcomes. Preliminary reports appear promising and large multicenter prospective studies are needed in the future to further determine its safety and efficacy.
Cancer Proliferation Gene Discovery Through Functional Genomics

Retroviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA)–mediated genetic screens in mammalian cells are powerful tools for discovering loss-of-function phenotypes. We describe a highly parallel multiplex methodology for screening large pools of shRNAs using half-hairpin barcodes for microarray deconvolution. We carried out dropout screens for shRNAs that affect cell proliferation and viability in cancer cells and normal cells. We identified many shRNAs to be antiproliferative that target core cellular processes, such as the cell cycle and protein translation, in all cells examined. Moreover, we identified genes that are selectively required for proliferation and survival in different cell lines. Our platform enables rapid and cost-effective genome-wide screens to identify cancer proliferation and survival genes for target discovery. Such efforts are complementary to the Cancer Genome Atlas and provide an alternative functional view of cancer cells.
‘They Didn’t Consider Me and No-one Even Took Me into Account’: Female School Principals in the Arab Education System in Israel

The study of women’s management and leadership in education has become a central research topic and the copious work published in many countries encompasses various issues relating to gender and educational leadership. The study of female school principals from the Arab minority in Israel has only recently begun. This is a minority that lives mostly in separate settlements, distinguished from the majority Jewish population by their lifestyle and culture, in a society that can be described as developing. In-depth interviews were conducted with the seven female school principals, from different socio-cultural backgrounds, who had successfully climbed the professional ladder to senior positions in the Arab education system in Israel. Data-analysis addressed three areas: biographical background; the social and political aspects of the women’s nomination to principalship; and the social and professional acceptance of the women as principals. Findings indicated that women principals contribute significantly to the development of Arab schools. As women in senior roles, the majority faces resistance; a change of societal norms and willingness to accept women’s leadership would enable many more women to fill public roles and to contribute to their society’s progress.
Is Project Management Still an Accidental Profession? A Qualitative Study of Career Trajectory

In this study, the authors used qualitative techniques to look for reoccurring themes related to 87 project managers’ responses to interview questions associated with entry into the field of project management and career progression. The study found that despite the efforts of higher education, professional associations, and their professional development and certifications, the project management remains a destination by accident. Professional project managers do not intend to be project managers but “fall into” the profession. This study provides a conceptual framework for project manager career trajectory that has implications for project management training and mentoring and contributes to the growing literature on the accidental profession.
Interactive alignment between bilingual interlocutors: Evidence from two information-exchange tasks*

This study investigated the occurrence of interactive alignment between bilingual interlocutors communicating in a shared second language (L2). Thirty university-level students from various language backgrounds completed two information-exchange tasks in L2 English. Excerpts from the beginning and end of the interactions were presented to ten native-speaking listeners who rated each interlocutor individually and both interlocutors as a team for speech and personality variables, including degree of alignment. Results revealed interactive alignment which encompassed different aspects of interlocutors’ speech and personality characteristics in each task. Theoretical and practical implications for alignment as a sociocognitive phenomenon in lingua franca contexts are discussed.
Testosterone as Potential Effective Therapy in Treatment of Obesity in Men with Testosterone Deficiency: A Review

Objective: Obesity negatively affects human health. Limiting food intake, while producing some weight loss, results in reduction of lean body mass. Combined with moderate exercise it produces significant weight loss, maintains lean body mass and improves insulin sensitivity, but appears difficult to adhere to. Bariatric surgery is clinically effective for severely obese individuals compared with non-surgical interventions, but has limitations. Clinical and pre-clinical studies have implicated a role for testosterone (T) in the patho-physiology of obesity. Methods: Evidence Acquisition and Synthesis: A literature search in PubMed on the role of T in counteracting obesity and its complications. Results: Obesity per se impairs testicular T biosynthesis. Furthermore, lower-than-normal T levels increase accumulation of fat depots, particularly abdominal (visceral) fat. This fat distribution is associated with development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its sequels, namely type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). T treatment reverses fat accumulation with significant improvement in lean body mass, insulin sensitivity and biochemical profiles of cardiovascular risk. The contribution of T to combating obesity in hypogonadal men remains largely unknown to medical professionals managing patients with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Many physicians associate T treatment in men with risks for prostate malignancy and CVD. These beliefs are not supported by recent insights. Conclusion: While overall treatment of obesity is unsuccessful, T treatment of hypogonadal men may be effective, also because it improves mood, energy, reduces fatigue and may motivate men to adhere to diet and exercise regimens designed to combat obesity.
Perceptual and cognitive aspects of wine expertise

This paper reviews experimental studies of wine expertise and the evidence that experts are better than novices at discriminating between, recognising, and describing wines in a consistent manner. An Australian Wine Knowledge test is reported that discriminates well between wine experts and novices (1st-year undergraduates). We examine the issue of whether expert performance is based on superior sensory ability, on fluency in “wine talk”, or on knowledge about wine. Despite some evidence for more effective perceptual encoding in regular wine drinkers, it appears that expert performance may rely heavily on explicit knowledge.
Which clinical studies provide the best evidence?

A common question in clinical consultations is: “For this person, what are the likely effects of one treatment compared with another? ” The central tenet of evidence based medicine is that this task is achieved by using the best evidence combined with consideration of that person's individual needs.1 A further question then arises: “What is the best evidence? ” Two recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine have caused uproar in the research community by finding no difference in estimates of treatment effects between randomised controlled trials and non-randomised trials. The randomised controlled trial and, especially, systematic reviews of several of these trials are traditionally the gold standards for judging the benefits of treatments, mainly because it is conceptually easier to attribute any observed effect to the treatments being compared. The role of non-randomised (observational) studies in evaluating treatments is contentious: deliberate choice of the treatment for each person implies that observed outcomes may be caused by differences among people being given the two treatments, rather than the treatments alone. Unrecognised confounding factors can always interfere with attempts to correct for identified differences between groups. These considerations have supported a hierarchy of evidence, with randomised controlled trials and derivatives at the top, controlled …
An Adapted Brief Strategic Family Therapy for Gang-Affiliated Mexican American Adolescents

Objective: This study assessed the effectiveness of an adapted Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) intervention for gang-affiliated Mexican American adolescents and their parents. Methods: A total of 200 adolescents and their family caregivers were randomized to either a treatment or a control condition. Outcomes included adolescent substance use, conflict resolution, gang identification, parent substance use knowledge, gang awareness, family cohesion, child conduct problems and stress. Participants were assessed at baseline, treatment exit at 16 weeks, and 6 months follow-up. General linear mixed-effects and generalized estimating equations models were used to evaluate between-group differences in outcomes. Results: There were significant differences between the BFST and control groups on adolescent alcohol use at 6 months and parents’ reported conduct problems. No impact on marijuana use was found. Conclusions: Results provide emerging evidence supporting the adapted BSFT for gang-affiliated Mexican American adolescents and their families for alcohol and behavioral outcomes. Future adaptations may be needed to reduce drug use.
Orientation Discrimination in a Visual Form Agnosic: Evidence from the McCollough Effect

The McCollough effect is a color aftereffect contingent on pattern orientation. The effect was induced in a woman who has a profound impairment in orientation perception due to brain damage. The fact that she experiences the McCollough effect indicates that her visual system is still representing orientation at some level. Further, the finding that her occipital lobe damage is confined mainly to the prestriate regions suggests that the McCollough effect may be mediated by mechanisms at a low level in the visual system, perhaps in area 17.
New media, elections and the political knowledge gap in Australia

This article tests the hypothesis that the internet is exacerbating an existing knowledge gap in Australia. The data come from the Australian Election Study, which has measured voters’ political knowledge and internet use since 2001. The results support the knowledge gap hypothesis: while internet access is expanding, consumption of political information online is narrowing among a younger, better educated and politically interested group, and is increasingly associated with higher levels of political knowledge. The internet is therefore reinforcing the advantages of the most knowledgeable while increasingly failing to draw in the most politically uninterested. Despite hopes that the internet would lead to a more informed demos, these findings suggest that it is exacerbating current participatory biases.
Prosecuting Presidents: The Politics within Ecuador's Corruption Cases

Abstract Across Latin America, many former presidents have faced criminal prosecutions on corruption charges, with widely varied outcomes. As with an impeachment, law and politics intersect in the prosecution of a president. In this essay, I examine this nexus by mapping the actions of agents who mobilise to influence how the justice system processes presidential prosecutions: first, accountability actors located in state-based institutions and civil society; second, partisan actors in the executive and legislative branches; and third, defendants, and their partisan and civil society supporters. This study argues that variations in the make-up, resources and alignment of these sets of actors fundamentally shape the trajectory of legal cases. Proceedings against three former presidents of Ecuador are analysed: Abdalá Bucaram, Jamil Mahuad and Gustavo Noboa. Spanish abstract A lo largo de Latinoamérica muchos expresidentes han enfrentado juicios bajo cargos de corrupción con resultados muy variados. Como cualquier acusación legal a funcionarios públicos (impeachment), la ley y la política se entremezclan en el enjuiciamiento a un presidente. Dicho nexo es examinado mediante el mapeo de las acciones de los agentes que se movilizan para influir en cómo el sistema de justicia procesa los enjuiciamientos presidenciales. Primero, en relación a los actores en instituciones estatales o en la sociedad civil vinculados con la rendición de cuentas; segundo, los actores partidarios en las ramas ejecutivas y legislativas; y tercero, los imputados, y sus apoyos en la sociedad política y civil. El análisis señala que las variaciones en la configuración, los recursos y el alineamiento de estos grupos de actores configuran de manera fundamental la trayectoria legal de los casos. Se analizan los procedimientos en contra de tres expresidentes de Ecuador: Abdalá Bucaram, Jamil Mahuad y Gustavo Noboa. Portuguese abstract Por toda América Latina, diversos ex-presidentes enfrentaram processos criminais de corrupção, seguidos de desfechos altamente variados. Assim como nos casos de impeachment, lei e política cruzam-se no julgamento de um presidente. Esta conjuntura é examinada pelo mapeamento das ações de agentes que mobilizam para influenciar a maneira pela qual o sistema judiciário processa as acusações contra presidentes. Em primeiro lugar estão atores situados em instituições estatais e na sociedade civil, que pressionam pela transparencia e responsabilização; em segundo, os partidários nos setores executivos e legislativos; e em terceiro, os réus e seus apoiadores partidários da socidade civil. A análise argumenta que as variações na composição, nos recursos e no alinhamento destas conjunturas de atores definem de forma fundamental a trajetória de processos legais. Casos contra três ex-presidentes do Equador são analisados: Abdalá Bucaram, Jamil Mahuad e Gustavo Noboa.
Donepezil Improves Cognitive Function in Mice by Increasing the Production of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Hippocampus

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) exerts beneficial effects on cognitive function. The selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil increases serum IGF-I levels in elderly subjects. Because stimulation of sensory neurons induces IGF-I production by releasing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the mouse brain, we hypothesized that donepezil increases IGF-I production by sensory neuron stimulation to improve the cognitive function in mice. Donepezil, but not tacrine, increased the CGRP release from dorsal root ganglion neurons isolated from wild-type (WT) mice. Pretreatment with the protein kinase A inhibitor KT5720 [(9S,10S,12R)-2,3,9,10,12-hexahydro-10-hydroxy-9-methyl-1-oxo-9,12-epoxy-1H-diindolo[1,2,3-fg:3′,2′,1′-kl]pyrrolo[3,4-i][1,6]-benzo-diazocine-10-carboxylic acid hexyl ester] reversed the effects induced by donepezil. Increase in tissue levels of CGRP, IGF-I, and IGF-I mRNA in the hippocampus was observed at 4 weeks after oral administration of donepezil in WT mice. In these animals, c-fos expression in spinal dorsal horns, parabrachial nuclei, the solitary tract nucleus, and the hippocampus was increased. Enhancement in angiogenesis and neurogenesis was observed in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of WT mice after donepezil administration. Improvement of spatial learning was observed in WT mice after donepezil administration. Oral administration of tacrine for 4 weeks produced none of the aforementioned effects induced by donepezil in WT mice. However, none of the effects observed in WT mice was seen after donepezil administration in CGRP-knockout mice and WT mice subjected to functional denervation. These observations suggest that donepezil may improve cognitive function in mice by increasing the hippocampal production of IGF-I through sensory neuron stimulation. These effects of donepezil may not be dependent on its acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.