Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of global transcriptome abnormalities and potential biomarkers in eutopic endometria of women with endometriosis: A preliminary study

The etiology and pathophysiology of endometriosis remain unclear. The aim of the current study was to identify a candidate pathogenic gene, as well as potential biomarkers of endometriosis using messenger RNA (mRNA) sequencing (mRNA-seq). Twenty-three eutopic endometria from women with endometriosis and 20 endometria from control subjects were investigated. Eight eutopic endometria and five normal endometria were selected for mRNA-seq. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and functional analysis was conducted. Validation of certain DEGs was performed in the remaining cases and control subjects by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). A total of 72 DEGs (66 upregulated and 6 downregulated) were identified in samples from women with endometriosis and compared with the control subjects. High DEGs included those involved in various functions, such as extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, angiogenesis, cell proliferation and differentiation. Enriched by these DEGs, 100 Gene Ontology terms were identified as significantly important, particularly ‘ECM’ and ‘endogenous stimulus’. Validation using RT-qPCR indicated that matrix metallopeptidase 11, dual specificity phosphatase 1, Fos proto-oncogeneand serpin family E member 1 were significantly upregulated and adenosine deaminase 2 was significantly downregulated in the eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis. The identified DEGs may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and may be potential biomarkers in the eutopic endometrium. The current study provides a comprehensive, but preliminary insight for elucidating the mechanisms of endometriosis, which require further in-depth studies for confirmation.
Affluent Neighborhoods Reduce Excess Risk of Tooth Loss among the Poor

The effect of neighborhood on health may vary according to the characteristics of the residents. We tested the hypothesis that, in affluent neighborhoods, low-income adults retain more teeth than their income-equivalent peers in poor neighborhoods. In 2003, the Adelaide Small Area Dental Study collected sociodemographic and tooth retention information from 2860 adults in 60 neighborhoods. Neighborhood socio-economic position was a census-based composite measure. Using multilevel modelling, we fitted a series of two-level random intercept variance component models. Findings revealed significant main effects for individual and neighborhood predictors and a significant interaction between neighborhood disadvantage and low income. In affluent areas, disparities in tooth retention were negligible, but in poor neighborhoods, substantial variation in tooth retention between individuals was found based on their level of income. Low-income adults appeared to benefit from living in affluent areas, while wealthier adults living in poor neighborhoods did not lose their oral health advantage.
The impact of unstructured case studies on surface learners: a study of second-year accounting students

ABSTRACT The empirical study described here uses the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire [Biggs, J., Kember, D. , & Leung, D. Y. (2001). The revised two-factor study process questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(1), 133–149] to test deep and surface approaches to learning in a university intermediate-level accounting class that uses business cases in group presentations. Statistical testing of results for learning style before and after group presentations indicates an increase in surface learning over time, with no detectable change in deep learning style. The type of business case used has no effect, in this setting. Course grades, however, are significantly less for students who did not participate in the group presentation activity at all. The results support the claim that students focus on what is required; they may adopt a strategic approach to learning. In a similar way, accounting academics and workload models may be reacting to incentives that discourage reflective and formative feedback. If deeper approaches to learning are desirable, assessments need to reward this behaviour.
Effects of Peripheral Visual Field Loss on Eye Movements During Visual Search

Natural vision involves sequential eye movements that bring the fovea to locations selected by peripheral vision. How peripheral visual field loss (PVFL) affects this process is not well understood. We examine how the location and extent of PVFL affects eye movement behavior in a naturalistic visual search task. Ten patients with PVFL and 13 normally sighted subjects with full visual fields (FVF) completed 30 visual searches monocularly. Subjects located a 4° × 4° target, pseudo-randomly selected within a 26° × 11° natural image. Eye positions were recorded at 50 Hz. Search duration, fixation duration, saccade size, and number of saccades per trial were not significantly different between PVFL and FVF groups (p > 0.1). A χ2 test showed that the distributions of saccade directions for PVFL and FVL subjects were significantly different in 8 out of 10 cases (p < 0.01). Humphrey Visual Field pattern deviations for each subject were compared with the spatial distribution of eye movement directions. There were no significant correlations between saccade directional bias and visual field sensitivity across the 10 patients. Visual search performance was not significantly affected by PVFL. An analysis of eye movement directions revealed patients with PVFL show a biased directional distribution that was not directly related to the locus of vision loss, challenging feed-forward models of eye movement control. Consequently, many patients do not optimally compensate for visual field loss during visual search.
Bilinguals implicitly name objects in both their languages: an ERP study

Upon being presented with a familiar name-known image, monolingual infants and adults implicitly generate the image's label (Meyer et al., 2007; Mani and Plunkett, 2010, 2011; Mani et al., 2012a). Although the cross-linguistic influences on overt bilingual production are well studied (for a summary see Colomé and Miozzo, 2010), evidence that bilinguals implicitly generate the label for familiar objects in both languages remains mixed. For example, bilinguals implicitly generate picture labels in both of their languages, but only when tested in L2 and not L1 (Wu and Thierry, 2011) or when immersed in their L2 (Spivey and Marian, 1999; Marian and Spivey, 2003a,b) but not when immersed in their L1 (Weber and Cutler, 2004). The current study tests whether bilinguals implicitly generate picture labels in both of their languages when tested in their L1 with a cross-modal ERP priming paradigm. The results extend previous findings by showing that not just do bilinguals implicitly generate the labels for visually fixated images in both of their languages when immersed in their L1, but also that these implicitly generated labels in one language can prime recognition of subsequently presented auditory targets across languages (i.e., L2–L1). The current study provides support for cascaded models of lexical access during speech production, as well as a new priming paradigm for the study of bilingual language processing.
Psychiatric morbidity: a multilevel approach to regional variations in the UK.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--To establish whether regional variations in psychiatric morbidity in Britain constitute a distinctive geography of mental health arising from factors that are context-specific at area level or whether these variations are an artifact generated by sampling fluctuations and differing population compositions in areas. DESIGN--Multilevel modelling techniques were applied to data from the 1984-85 health and lifestyle survey. The outcome was the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity as recorded by the application of the general health questionnaire in this survey. SETTING--The analysis was undertaken simultaneously at the individual level, electoral ward level, and regional level for England, Wales, and Scotland. PARTICIPANTS--A total of 6572 adults were selected from the electoral register. MAIN RESULTS--Regional variations were detected in crude aggregate general health questionnaire scores but these were found to be the result of sampling fluctuations and varying regional population compositions rather than higher level contextual effects. There was certainly no evidence of a clear north-south distinction in psychiatric morbidity as was suggested by earlier work. In addition, the local neighbourhood did not seem to have any importance beyond the type of people who lived there. A number of individual characteristics was shown to be associated with mental wellbeing but a large degree of individual variation remained unexplained. CONCLUSIONS--In terms of low level psychiatric disturbance it seems that the characteristics of individuals have greater importance than the characteristics of areas, although the latter may still operate as important mediating factors. Multilevel modelling represents a robust statistical method of examining area variations in health outcomes and further work needs to be conducted, particularly on more serious psychiatric conditions.
W O R M H O L E S IN SPACETIME AND THE CONSTANTS OF NATURE*

The proposal that wormholes in spacetime cause the cosmological constant A to vanish is reviewed, and its implications are studied. Wormholes also drive Newton's constant G to the lowest possible value. The requirement that G is at its min imum determines, in principle, all other constants of Nature. In practice, the values of fundamental constants other than A cannot be predicted without a detailed knowledge of Planck-scale physics.
‘It’s just girls’ hockey’: Troubling progress narratives in girls’ and women’s sport

The current historical moment abounds with social ideologies suggesting that girls’ and women’s sport has come a long way. Narratives of achievement, success and the gains that have ostensibly been made over the last three decades hold up these ideologies. In this interview-based study, we consider girls’ minor hockey in Southern Alberta, Canada to examine whether and how historically entrenched inequalities are being challenged, eradicated and/or maintained. To do this, we consider how gender systems are simultaneously resisted and reproduced in girls’ minor hockey in this region thus, positioning it outside the ‘triumphant feminist tale’. In so doing, we highlight the importance of critically considering progress narratives of growth and success in girls’ and women’s sport.
Systemic sclerosis and pseudomesotheliomatous adenocarcinoma of the lung

A 55-year-old man, diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (SSc) for 20 years, was admitted to our hospital for exertional dyspnea and pleural effusion. Computed tomography scan and cytological findings of the pleural fluid suggested malignant mesothelioma. In the postmortem examination, the tumor was pathologically diagnosed as pseudomesotheliomatous adenocarcinoma (PMA) of the lung, classified into pleomorphic carcinoma with adenocarcinoma component according to the new World Health Organization guidelines. This is the first case report of SSc with PMA.
The use of blood biomarkers to predict radiation lung toxicity: a potential strategy to individualize thoracic radiation therapy.

BACKGROUND Radiation-induced lung toxicity (RILT) is an important dose-limiting toxicity during thoracic radiotherapy. Early prediction of radiation lung toxicity will allow physicians to determine a customized treatment regimen for each patient and deliver a radiation dose tailored to that individual's normal tissue sensitivity profile rather than to the average tolerance of the whole population. METHODS This review focuses on blood biomarkers in predicting radiation-induced lung toxicity. We searched the literature for data associated with cytokines, and we review the updates of proteomic and genetic polymorphisms in radiation lung toxicity. RESULTS Studies from single institutions have demonstrated the significant values of cytokines such as TGF-beta1, IL-6, KL-6, surfactant proteins, and IL-1ra on predicting RILT. The majority of studies focus on the values prior to and at the end of radiation therapy. There is limited data from proteomics and specific genomic single nucleotide polymorphism studies that target individualized radiation therapy for patients with lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS Biomarkers or models that can accurately predict radiation-induced lung damage at an early stage, before completion of chemoradiation, would allow physicians to monitor and customize remaining treatment for each patient.
Reduction in medication costs for patients with chronic nonmalignant pain completing a pain rehabilitation program: a prospective analysis of admission, discharge, and 6-month follow-up medication costs.

OBJECTIVE Chronic nonmalignant pain (CNMP) is both a prevalent and a costly health problem in our society. Pain rehabilitation programs have been shown to provide cost-effective treatment. A treatment goal for some rehabilitation programs is reduction in the use of pain-related medication. Medication costs savings from pain rehabilitation programs have not been analyzed in previous studies. DESIGN This prospective cohort study of 186 patients with CNMP addresses the costs of medications at admission to a 3-week outpatient pain rehabilitation program, at discharge, and at 6-month follow-up. Medication use was determined through a detailed pharmacist interview with patients at admission and discharge. Patients were sent questionnaires 6 months after program completion, which obtained current medication information. RESULTS Statistically significant medication cost savings were seen for program completers at discharge and at 6-month follow-up (P < 0.05). The mean (standard deviation) daily prescription medication cost reduction from admission to discharge was $9.31 ($12.70) using the average wholesale price of medications. From the original study cohort, 121 patients completed the 6-month follow-up survey. The mean daily prescription medication cost savings from admission to 6-month follow-up was $6.68 ($14.40). CONCLUSION Patients benefited from significant medication cost savings at the completion of the 3-week outpatient pain rehabilitation program and maintained significant savings after 6 months. This study adds to the current literature on the economic value of comprehensive pain rehabilitation programs.
Birthweight placental weight ratio of appropriate‐for‐dates and light‐for‐dates infants in preterm delivery

Aim: Although birthweight placental weight ratio (BPR) may be a promising indicator which reflects pathophysiology of fetal growth restriction (FGR), the standard of BPR changes throughout gestation in a Japanese population has not been established as far as we know. Therefore, we first examined BPR of appropriate‐for‐dates (AFD) infants in each gestational week in preterm deliveries. We then compared it with that in a group of light‐for‐dates (LFD) infants born from mothers with and without pregnancy‐induced hypertension (PIH).
The effect of sleep loss on next day effort

The study had two primary objectives. The first was to determine whether sleep loss results in a preference for tasks demanding minimal effort. The second was to evaluate the quality of performance when participants, under conditions of sleep loss, have control over task demands. In experiment 1, using a repeated‐measures design, 50 undergraduate college students were evaluated, following one night of no sleep loss and one night of sleep loss. The Math Effort Task (MET) presented addition problems via computer. Participants were able to select additions at one of five levels of difficulty. Less‐demanding problems were selected and more additions were solved correctly when the participants were subject to sleep loss. In experiment 2, 58 undergraduate college students were randomly assigned to a no sleep deprivation or a sleep deprivation condition. Sleep‐deprived participants selected less‐demanding problems on the MET. Percentage correct on the MET was equivalent for both the non‐sleep‐deprived and sleep‐deprived groups. On a task selection question, the sleep‐deprived participants also selected significantly less‐demanding non‐academic tasks. Increased sleepiness, fatigue, and reaction time were associated with the selection of less difficult tasks. Both groups of participants reported equivalent effort expenditures; sleep‐deprived participants did not perceive a reduction in effort. These studies demonstrate that sleep loss results in the choice of low‐effort behavior that helps maintain accurate responding.
A Balanced Secondary Structure Predictor

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Thromboprophylaxis in patients with lower limb immobilisation – review of current status

The risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with lower limb immobilisation is unclear, owing to of a lack of evidence from studies in this patient group. However, six small, randomised control trials (RCTs), totalling 1536 patients, compared low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) with controls and showed a significant reduction in asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from 17·1% to 9·8%, with very low bleeding rates. This is likely to be an underestimate of the real risk reduction as most trials excluded high‐risk patients from randomisation. There have been no other controlled trials in cast‐immobilised patients using alternative prophylactic measures. Together with the RCTs, other cohort studies have identified risk factors that increase the risk for VTE in lower limb immobilisation. In summary, patients in lower limb cast (or brace) immobilisation should be risk assessed and those deemed high risk for VTE should receive prophylactic LMWH for at least the duration of cast immobilisation.
The State of the Art in Smart City Research - A Literature Analysis on Green IS Solutions to Foster Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is one of the most critical issues worldwide, concerning every individual. The main objective in this area is to preserve scarce resources and reduce CO2 emissions in order to prevent environmental degradation. In recent years the potential of information systems (IS) as a driver for environmental sustainability has emerged under the term “Green IS”. Given that cities represent a huge share of environmental degradation due to factors such as mobility, energy and water consumption, and waste production, the municipal domain offers huge potentials in terms of sustainability. The advent of smart cites is an attempt to address this concern. In this paper we aim to provide an overview of current publications on environmental sustainability in smart cities, as research in this field is still unstructured. This paper focuses on structuring the research field by providing a research framework to achieve a more holistic view on the application of Green IS. We distinguish between research performed by the IS community and that of related fields, such as urban development, and perform a cross-sectional, exhaustive literature analysis with almost 1,500 articles to uncover the differences and commonalities between the domains.
Why Are Some STEM Fields More Gender Balanced Than Others?

Women obtain more than half of U.S. undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, yet they earn less than 20% of computer science, engineering, and physics undergraduate degrees (National Science Foundation, 2014a). Gender differences in interest in computer science, engineering, and physics appear even before college. Why are women represented in some science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields more than others? We conduct a critical review of the most commonly cited factors explaining gender disparities in STEM participation and investigate whether these factors explain differential gender participation across STEM fields. Math performance and discrimination influence who enters STEM, but there is little evidence to date that these factors explain why women’s underrepresentation is relatively worse in some STEM fields. We introduce a model with three overarching factors to explain the larger gender gaps in participation in computer science, engineering, and physics than in biology, chemistry, and mathematics: (a) masculine cultures that signal a lower sense of belonging to women than men, (b) a lack of sufficient early experience with computer science, engineering, and physics, and (c) gender gaps in self-efficacy. Efforts to increase women’s participation in computer science, engineering, and physics may benefit from changing masculine cultures and providing students with early experiences that signal equally to both girls and boys that they belong and can succeed in these fields.
Survival of Migrating Salmon Smolts in Large Rivers With and Without Dams

The mortality of salmon smolts during their migration out of freshwater and into the ocean has been difficult to measure. In the Columbia River, which has an extensive network of hydroelectric dams, the decline in abundance of adult salmon returning from the ocean since the late 1970s has been ascribed in large measure to the presence of the dams, although the completion of the hydropower system occurred at the same time as large-scale shifts in ocean climate, as measured by climate indices such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. We measured the survival of salmon smolts during their migration to sea using elements of the large-scale acoustic telemetry system, the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) array. Survival measurements using acoustic tags were comparable to those obtained independently using the Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag system, which is operational at Columbia and Snake River dams. Because the technology underlying the POST array works in both freshwater and the ocean, it is therefore possible to extend the measurement of survival to large rivers lacking dams, such as the Fraser, and to also extend the measurement of survival to the lower Columbia River and estuary, where there are no dams. Of particular note, survival during the downstream migration of at least some endangered Columbia and Snake River Chinook and steelhead stocks appears to be as high or higher than that of the same species migrating out of the Fraser River in Canada, which lacks dams. Equally surprising, smolt survival during migration through the hydrosystem, when scaled by either the time or distance migrated, is higher than in the lower Columbia River and estuary where dams are absent. Our results raise important questions regarding the factors that are preventing the recovery of salmon stocks in the Columbia and the future health of stocks in the Fraser River.