Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polymorphisms and haplotypes of acid mammalian chitinase are associated with bronchial asthma.

RATIONALE Chitinases are enzymes that cleave chitin, a polysaccharide contained in many parasites of humans. Recent studies in mouse models of bronchial asthma have shown that acid mammalian chitinase (AMCase) is involved in the pathophysiology of asthma. It acts downstream of interleukin-13; inhibition of AMCase leads to an abrogated T-helper cell 2 inflammation, less bronchial hyperreactivity, and fewer eosinophils. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify common genetic variants in human AMCase and to use them to test for association of AMCase with pediatric asthma. METHODS By sequencing the promotor region and all 11 exons on 30 individuals, 12 high-frequency polymorphisms were identified. Genotyping of six variants in exons and one promotor polymorphism was performed on the following populations by means of restriction fragment length polymorphisms: 322 children with asthma, 270 randomly chosen adult controls, and a pediatric control population consisting of 565 children who, at age 10 yr, had never wheezed and never been diagnosed having asthma. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We identified three known and two new amino acid variants. Analyses by the Armitage's trend test using both control populations showed association of the newly identified variant K17R and the nearby noncoding polymorphism rs3818822 with asthma (p = 0.0031 and p = 0.0003, respectively). In addition, haplotype analyses revealed strong association of haplotypes with the disease (asthma population vs. pediatric control subjects, p < 10(-10)). CONCLUSIONS This newly described association between AMCase polymorphisms and asthma adds further evidence supporting the involvement of AMCase in the development of asthma.
Efficient progressive sampling

Having access to massive amounts of data does not necessarily imply that induction algorithms must use them all. Samples often provide the same accuracy with far less computational cost. However, the correct sample size rarely is obvious. We analyze methods for progressive samplingusing progressively larger samples as long as model accuracy improves. We explore several notions of efficient progressive sampling. We analyze efficiency relative to induction with all instances; we show that a simple, geometric sampling schedule is asymptotically optimal, and we describe how best to take into account prior expectations of accuracy convergence. We then describe the issues involved in instantiating an efficient progressive sampler, including how to detect convergence. Finally, we provide empirical results comparing a variety of progressive sampling methods. We conclude that progressive sampling can be remarkably efficient .
Plasma Cytokine Expression Is Associated with Cardiac Morbidity in Chagas Disease

The expression of immune response appears to be associated with morbidity in Chagas disease. However, the studies in this field have usually employed small samples of patients and statistical analyses that do not consider the wide dispersion of cytokine production observed in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the plasma cytokine levels in well-defined clinical polar groups of chagasic patients divided into categories that better reflect the wide cytokine profile and its relationship with morbidity. Patients infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) were grouped as indeterminate (IND) and cardiac (CARD) forms ranging from 23 to 69 years of age (mean of 45.6±11.25). The IND group included 82 individuals, ranging from 24 to 66 years of age (mean of 39.6±10.3). The CARD group included 94 patients ranging from 23 to 69 years of age (mean of 48±12.52) presenting dilated cardiomyopathy. None of the patients have undergone chemotherapeutic treatment, nor had been previously treated for T. cruzi infection. Healthy non-chagasic individuals, ranging from 29 to 55 years of age (mean of 42.6±8.8) were included as a control group (NI). IND patients have a higher intensity of interleukin 10 (IL-10) expression when compared with individuals in the other groups. By contrast, inflammatory cytokine expression, such as interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), proved to be the highest in the CARD group. Correlation analysis showed that higher IL-10 expression was associated with better cardiac function, as determined by left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular diastolic diameter values. Altogether, these findings reinforce the concept that a fine balance between regulatory and inflammatory cytokines represents a key element in the establishment of distinct forms of chronic Chagas disease.
Mutual Neutralization in Li+−D− Collisions: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the mutual neutralization (MN) process in collisions of lithium ions (Li+) with deuterium anions (D−) at collision energies below 1 eV. We employ a merged-beam apparatus to determine total and state-to-state MN cross sections. We perform nuclear dynamics calculations using the multichannel Landau–Zener model based on accurate ab initio molecular data. We obtain an excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical results over the energy range covered in this work. We show that the basis sets used in the ab initio calculations have a limited influence on the total cross section, but strongly impacts the results obtained for the partial cross sections or the reaction branching ratios. This demonstrates the important role of high-precision measurements to validate the theoretical approaches used to study gas-phase reactive processes. Finally, we compute MN rate coefficients for Li+ + H− and Li+ + D−, and discuss their significance for astrochemistry models.
Toward a further understanding of object feature binding : a cognitive neuroscience perspective

The aim of this thesis is to lead to a further understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying object feature binding in the human brain. The focus is on information processing and integration in the visual system and visual shortterm memory. From a review of the literature it is clear that there are three major competing binding theories, however, none of these individually solves the binding problem satisfactorily. Thus the aim of this research is to conduct behavioural experimentation into object feature binding, paying particular attention to visual short-term memory. The behavioural experiment was designed and conducted using a within-subjects delayed responset ask comprising a battery of sixty-four composite objects each with three features and four dimensions in each of three conditions (spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal). Findings from the experiment,which focus on spatial and temporal aspects of object feature binding and feature proximity on binding errors, support the spatial theories on object feature binding, in addition we propose that temporal theories and convergence, through hierarchical feature analysis, are also involved. Because spatial properties have a dedicated processing neural stream, and temporal properties rely on limited capacity memory systems, memories for sequential information would likely be more difficult to accuratelyr ecall. Our study supports other studies which suggest that both spatial and temporal coherence to differing degrees,may be involved in object feature binding. Traditionally, these theories have purported to provide individual solutions, but this thesis proposes a novel unified theory of object feature binding in which hierarchical feature analysis, spatial attention and temporal synchrony each plays a role. It is further proposed that binding takes place in visual short-term memory through concerted and integrated information processing in distributed cortical areas. A cognitive model detailing this integrated proposal is given. Next, the cognitive model is used to inform the design and suggested implementation of a computational model which would be able to test the theory put forward in this thesis. In order to verify the model, future work is needed to implement the computational model.Thus it is argued that this doctoral thesis provides valuable experimental evidence concerning spatio-temporal aspects of the binding problem and as such is an additional building block in the quest for a solution to the object feature binding problem.
An Adaptive Spline-Based Sieve Semiparametric Maximum Likelihood Estimation for the Cox Model with Interval-Censored Data

We propose to analyze interval-censored data with Cox model using a spline-based sieve semi-parametric maximum likelihood approach in which the baseline cumulative hazard function is approximated by a monotone B-splines function. We apply the generalized Rosen algorithm , used in Zhang & Jamshidian (2004), for computing the maximum likelihood estimate. We show that the the estimator of regression parameter is asymptotically normal and semiparametrically efficient. We also develop an easy-to-implement method to consistently estimate the standard error of the regression parameter estimate that facilitates an adaptive 1 inference procedure for semiparametric likelihood analysis for interval censored-data with the Cox model. The method is evaluated by simulation studies regarding its finite sample performance and is illustrated using the data from breast cosmesis study.
Expanding the Sample of Radio Minihalos in Galaxy Clusters

Radio minihalos are diffuse synchrotron sources of unknown origin found in the cool cores of some galaxy clusters. We use GMRT and VLA data to expand the sample of minihalos by reporting three new minihalo detections (A2667, A907, and PSZ1 G139.61+24.20) and confirming minihalos in five clusters (MACS J0159.8–0849, MACS J0329.6–0211, RXC J2129.6+0005, AS 780, and A3444). With these new detections and confirmations, the sample now stands at 23, the largest sample to date. For consistency, we also reanalyze archival VLA 1.4 GHz observations of seven known minihalos. We revisit possible correlations between the nonthermal emission and the thermal properties of their cluster hosts. Consistent with our earlier findings from a smaller sample, we find no strong relation between the minihalo radio luminosity and the total cluster mass. Instead, we find a strong positive correlation between the minihalo radio power and X-ray bolometric luminosity of the cool core (r < 70 kpc). This supplements our earlier result that most, if not all, cool cores in massive clusters contain a minihalo. Comparison of radio and Chandra X-ray images indicates that the minihalo emission is typically confined by concentric sloshing cold fronts in the cores of most of our clusters, supporting the hypothesis that minihalos arise from electron reacceleration by turbulence caused by core gas sloshing. Taken together, our findings suggest that the origin of minihalos should be closely related to the properties of thermal plasma in cluster cool cores.
Testing a New Model of Sexual Minority Stress to Assess the Roles of Meaning in Life and Internalized Heterosexism on Stress-Related Growth and Life Satisfaction

This study tested two theoretically and empirically derived structural equation models based on Hatzenbuehler’s integrative mediational model of minority stress to examine the potential pathways between heterosexist discrimination, internalized heterosexism, meaning in life, stress-related growth, and life satisfaction among a sample of 287 sexual minority individuals. The models represented competing hypotheses for this sample, regarding the manners by which these variables were related, directly and indirectly versus indirectly only. The hypothesized indirect and direct effects model fit significantly better than the alternative indirect effects model. The results provided support for Hatzenbuehler’s Integrative Mediational Model. Findings showed all but one structural coefficient was statistically significant (heterosexist discrimination was not predictive of life satisfaction as a direct effect). All four indirect effects were significant. The results provided support for Hatzenbuehler’s model, suggesting that sexual minority individuals’ experience of minority stress in the form of heterosexist discrimination may be linked directly with greater stress-related growth and indirectly to life satisfaction through the general psychological process of finding meaning in life. This study also provided additional evidence indicating the potential importance of reducing the internalized heterosexism for sexual minority individuals, with higher levels of internalized heterosexism being directly related to lower levels of both stress-related growth and life satisfaction, as well as indirectly affecting the positive relationship between minority stress and stress-related growth. Study limitations and implications for research and practice are also provided.
An Accurate Empirical Model Based on Volterra Series for FET Power Detectors

An empirical model for field-effect transistor (FET) based power detectors is presented. The electrical model constitutes a Volterra analysis based on a Taylor series expansion of the drain current together with a linear embedding small-signal circuit. It is fully extracted from S-parameters and IV curves. The final result are closed-form expressions for the frequency dependence of the noise equivalent power (NEP) in terms of the FET intrinsic capacitances and parasitic resistances. Excellent model agreement to measured NEP of coplanar access graphene FETs with varying channel dimensions up to 67 GHz is obtained. The influence of gate length on responsivity and NEP is theoretically and experimentally studied.
The Epstein-Barr Virus BART miRNA Cluster of the M81 Strain Modulates Multiple Functions in Primary B Cells

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a B lymphotropic virus that infects the majority of the human population. All EBV strains transform B lymphocytes, but some strains, such as M81, also induce spontaneous virus replication. EBV encodes 22 microRNAs (miRNAs) that form a cluster within the BART region of the virus and have been previously been found to stimulate tumor cell growth. Here we describe their functions in B cells infected by M81. We found that the BART miRNAs are downregulated in replicating cells, and that exposure of B cells in vitro or in vivo in humanized mice to a BART miRNA knockout virus resulted in an increased proportion of spontaneously replicating cells, relative to wild type virus. The BART miRNAs subcluster 1, and to a lesser extent subcluster 2, prevented expression of BZLF1, the key protein for initiation of lytic replication. Thus, multiple BART miRNAs cooperate to repress lytic replication. The BART miRNAs also downregulated pro- and anti-apoptotic mediators such as caspase 3 and LMP1, and their deletion did not sensitize B-cells to apoptosis. To the contrary, the majority of humanized mice infected with the BART miRNA knockout mutant developed tumors more rapidly, probably due to enhanced LMP1 expression, although deletion of the BART miRNAs did not modify the virus transforming abilities in vitro. This ability to slow cell growth could be confirmed in non-humanized immunocompromized mice. Injection of resting B cells exposed to a virus that lacks the BART miRNAs resulted in accelerated tumor growth, relative to wild type controls. Therefore, we found that the M81 BART miRNAs do not enhance B-cell tumorigenesis but rather repress it. The repressive effects of the BART miRNAs on potentially pathogenic viral functions in infected B cells are likely to facilitate long-term persistence of the virus in the infected host.
Pengaruh perilaku pemimpin terhadap motivasi kerja pegawai di lingkungan Sub Satker Bidang Hukum Polda Kaltim

Leadership plays an important role in an organization, the leader is the main driving force in the organization so that all of the goals, vision and mission of the organization can be achieved, to achieve all that organizations need to pay attention to the efforts that the work motivation of employees are motivated to work more optimally and providing all resources to the organization. This study aims to determine the effect of leader behavior on the work motivation of employees of the Sub-Satker Bidang Hukum unit Polda Kaltim. The population in this study were all the staff of the Bidang Hukum unit Polda Kaltim, the sampling method used is the census and the sample size of 25 people. Examiners research hypotheses using PLS with the data processing program. These results indicated that: the positive effect of behavior leader on work motivation.Kepemimpinan memegang peran pertama dalam suatu organisasi, pemimpin adalah motor penggerak utama dalam organisasi agar semua tujuan, visi dan misi organisasi bisa tercapai. Untuk mencapai semuanya itu organisasi perlu memperhatikan upaya motivasi kerja agar pegawai termotivasi untuk bekerja lebih optimal dan memberikan seluruh daya upayanya kepada organisasi, maka pegawai perlu didukung dengan memberikan perhatian kepada kebutuhan pegawai. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui pengaruh perilaku pemimpin terhadap motivasi kerja pegawai Sub Satker Bidang Hukum Polda Kaltim. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah semua pegawai di lingkungan Sub Satker Bidang Hukum Polda Kaltim, metode penentuan sampel yang digunakan adalah metode sensus dan jumlah sampel 25 orang. Penguji hipotesis penelitian menggunakan PLS dengan program pengolah data. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa: perilaku pemimpin berpengaruh positif terhadap motivasi kerja.
Food consumption of larval, young and adult herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea

The total food consumption of herring Clupea harengus L. and sprat Sprattus sprattus (L.), the dominant zooplanktivorous fish in the Baltic Sea, was estimated from published data on abundances, growth, mortality rates and diets uslng a bioenergetics model. The annual food consumption was 5.0 X 107 tonnes for herring and 2.4 X 107 tonnes for sprat. For herring ca 90 % of the food consumed was zooplankton and the rest n~ysids and benthos. Larvae and young-of-the-year (YOY) of sprat and herring accounted for 50 and 45% of the total consumption respectively. Peak consumption rates occurred in August-September. Our estimate for annual consumption of zooplankton by clupeids in the Baltic sea is 4 times higher than previous estimates. One major explanation for this is that we included the consumption by YOY and 1 yr old fish. Our simulations also show that a diet shift, from a mix of zooplankton, mysids and amphipods to only zooplankton, could have a significant effect on fish growth rate. At a fixed biomass consumption, the lower energy density of zooplankton would mean that thls shift would decrease growth by about 25 % for older age groups. This decrease is similar to that observed in the Baltlc Sea in the late 1980s.
Social support-oriented coping and resilience for self-harm protection among adolescents

The study aimed to investigate the extent to which social support-focused coping and resilience can predict lower risk for self-harm by at-risk adolescents. Participants were 962 high school learners from nine high schools in the Free State Province, South Africa (female = 57.9 %; black = 70.7 %; mean age = 16.34 years). They completed the Revised Coping Schemas Inventory and the Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents. Logistic regression analysis was computed to predict risk for self-harm from social support-focused coping and resilience. The results indicate that higher levels of social support predict lower risk for adolescent self-harm. Social support-oriented coping and resilience predicted tension-reduction and emotional reactivity. Social support-focused coping seems to have an influence in lowering the risk of self-harm amongst adolescents.
A program evaluation of ZGiRLS: The role of cognitive emotion regulation in predicting mental health outcomes in adolescent girls

This study investigated the impact of ZGiRLS, a sport-based youth development program (YDP) that seeks to empower adolescent girls by teaching psychological skills. Sport-based YDPs have shown great potential for promoting healthy psychological development (AndersonButcher et al., 2013), and may even serve a preventative function by providing an effective setting for developing positive traits, attitudes, and skills (Weissberg, Kumpfer, & Seligman, 2003). The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation to explore the effectiveness of ZGiRLS. Four specific aims of the study were to examine (a) a change in psychological skills (i.e., self-talk and goal setting), (b) a change in cognitive emotion regulation, (c) a change in negative and positive mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, selfesteem, resilience), and (d) cognitive emotion regulation as a mediator in the relationship between psychological skills and mental health outcomes. Participants were 107 adolescent girls (Mean age = 12.35; SD = 1.41), enrolled in an 8session curriculum program. Utilizing a preand post-test design, ZGiRLS participants responded to the following questionnaires: Test of Performance Strategies, Athletic Coping Skills Inventory, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. The mediated model was evaluated with path analysis based on maximum likelihood estimation with SPSS Amos 25. Bootstrapped results of indirect, direct, and total effects were obtained. Results from the respecified model, (χ2 = 99.84, df = 9, p = <.001), indicate that selftalk predicted cognitive emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and resilience. Goal setting did viii PROGRAM EVALUATION OF ZGIRLS not predict cognitive emotion regulation or mental health outcomes. Furthermore, psychological skills did not predict negative or positive mental health outcomes indirectly through cognitive emotion regulation, which suggests that another mechanism may account for these relationships. Findings suggest that the ZGiRLS curriculum program was successful in teaching psychological skills and enhancing protective factors in adolescent girls and thus, this approach may be utilized to cultivate other positive traits. Finally, findings contribute to the literature on sport-based YDPs, and offer key implications for program design, curriculum development, and
Adult presentation of Bartter syndrome type IV with erythrocytosis

Abstract Bartter syndrome comprises a group of rare autosomal-recessive salt-losing disorders with distinct phenotypes, but one unifying pathophysiology consisting of severe reductions of sodium reabsorption caused by mutations in five genes expressed in the thick ascending limb of Henle, coupled with increased urinary excretion of potassium and hydrogen, which leads to hypokalemic alkalosis. Bartter syndrome type IV, caused by loss-of-function mutations in barttin, a subunit of chloride channel CLC-Kb expressed in the kidney and inner ear, usually occurs in the antenatal-neonatal period. We report an unusual case of late onset presentation of Bartter syndrome IV and mild phenotype in a 20 years-old man who had hypokalemia, deafness, secondary hyperparathyroidism and erythrocytosis.