Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Iron, Inflammation, and Early Death in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease

Rationale: Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have markers of chronic inflammation, but the mechanism of inflammation and its relevance to patient survival are unknown. Objective: To assess the relationship between iron, inflammation, and early death in SCD. Methods and Results: Using peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptome profile hierarchical clustering, we classified 24 patients and 10 controls in clusters with significantly different expression of genes known to be regulated by iron. Subsequent gene set enrichment analysis showed that many genes associated with the high iron cluster were involved in the toll-like receptor system (TLR4, TLR7, and TLR8) and inflammasome complex pathway (NLRP3, NLRC4, and CASP1). Quantitative PCR confirmed this classification and showed that ferritin light chain, TLR4, and interleukin-6 expression were >100-fold higher in patients than in controls (P<0.001). Further linking intracellular iron and inflammation, 14 SCD patients with a ferroportin Q248H variant that causes intracellular iron accumulation had significantly higher levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein compared with 14 matched SCD patients with the wild-type allele (P<0.05). Finally, in a cohort of 412 patients followed for a median period of 47 months (interquartile range, 24–82), C-reactive protein was strongly and independently associated with early death (hazard ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.7–5.2; P<0.001). Conclusions: Gene expression markers of high intracellular iron in patients with SCD are associated with markers of inflammation and mortality. The results support a model in which intracellular iron promotes inflammatory pathways, such as the TLR system and the inflammasome, identifying important new pathways for additional investigation.
Politics of Touch: Sense, Movement, Sovereignty

Political philosophy has long been bound by traditional thinking about the body and the senses. Through an engagement with the state-centered vocabulary of this discipline, Politics of Touch explores the ways in which sensing bodies continually run up against existing political structures. In this groundbreaking work, Erin Manning reconsiders how new politics can arise that challenge the national body politic.In Politics of Touch, Manning develops a new way to conceive the role of the senses, and of touch in particular. Exploring concepts of violence, gender, sexuality, security, democracy, and identity, she traces the ways in which touch informs and reforms the body. Specifically considering tango-a tactile, rhythmic, and improvisational dance- she foregrounds movement as the sensing body's intervention into the political. With a fresh vision and an original theoretical basis, Manning shows the ontogenetic potential of the body, and in doing so, redefines our understanding of the sense of touch in philosophical and political terms. Erin Manning is assistant professor of fine arts at Concordia University and the author of Ephemeral Territories (Minnesota, 2003).
MURC/Cavin-4 facilitates recruitment of ERK to caveolae and concentric cardiac hypertrophy induced by α1-adrenergic receptors

Significance Caveolae are recognized as a platform for preassembled complexes of receptors, signal components, and their targets, facilitating efficient and specific cellular responses at the plasma membrane. ERK is activated at the plasma membrane and an important molecule that has been well studied for its integral role in signal transduction events during physiological adaptation and pathological manifestation. Here we show that although muscle-restricted coiled-coil protein (MURC)/Cavin-4, a muscle-specific caveola component, is dispensable for caveolar formation in cardiomyocytes, MURC/Cavin-4 serves as an ERK-recruiting protein in the caveolae within cardiomyocytes. The recruiting function of MURC/Cavin-4 is necessary to elicit efficient signaling of the α1-adrenergic receptor–ERK cascade in concentric cardiac hypertrophy. Our findings provide unique insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying caveola-mediated signaling in cardiac hypertrophy. The actions of catecholamines on adrenergic receptors (ARs) induce sympathetic responses, and sustained activation of the sympathetic nervous system results in disrupted circulatory homeostasis. In cardiomyocytes, α1-ARs localize to flask-shaped membrane microdomains known as “caveolae. ” Caveolae require both caveolin and cavin proteins for their biogenesis and function. However, the functional roles and molecular interactions of caveolar components in cardiomyocytes are poorly understood. Here, we showed that muscle-restricted coiled-coil protein (MURC)/Cavin-4 regulated α1-AR–induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through enhancement of ERK1/2 activation in caveolae. MURC/Cavin-4 was expressed in the caveolae and T tubules of cardiomyocytes. MURC/Cavin-4 overexpression distended the caveolae, whereas MURC/Cavin-4 was not essential for their formation. MURC/Cavin-4 deficiency attenuated cardiac hypertrophy induced by α1-AR stimulation in the presence of caveolae. Interestingly, MURC/Cavin-4 bound to α1A- and α1B-ARs as well as ERK1/2 in caveolae, and spatiotemporally modulated MEK/ERK signaling in response to α1-AR stimulation. Thus, MURC/Cavin-4 facilitates ERK1/2 recruitment to caveolae and efficient α1-AR signaling mediated by caveolae in cardiomyocytes, which provides a unique insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying caveola-mediated signaling in cardiac hypertrophy.
Assessment of the quality of DNA from various formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and the use of this DNA for next-generation sequencing (NGS) with no artifactual mutation

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues used for pathological diagnosis are valuable for studying cancer genomics. In particular, laser-capture microdissection of target cells determined by histopathology combined with FFPE tissue section immunohistochemistry (IHC) enables precise analysis by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the genetic events occurring in cancer. The result is a new strategy for a pathological tool for cancer diagnosis: ‘microgenomics’. To more conveniently and precisely perform microgenomics, we revealed by systematic analysis the following three details regarding FFPE DNA compared with paired frozen tissue DNA. 1) The best quality of FFPE DNA is obtained by tissue fixation with 10% neutral buffered formalin for 1 day and heat treatment of tissue lysates at 95°C for 30 minutes. 2) IHC staining of FFPE tissues decreases the quantity and quality of FFPE DNA to one-fourth, and antigen retrieval (at 120°C for 15 minutes, pH 6.0) is the major reason for this decrease. 3) FFPE DNA prepared as described herein is sufficient for NGS. For non-mutated tissue specimens, no artifactual mutation occurs during FFPE preparation, as shown by precise comparison of NGS of FFPE DNA and paired frozen tissue DNA followed by validation. These results demonstrate that even FFPE tissues used for routine clinical diagnosis can be utilized to obtain reliable NGS data if appropriate conditions of fixation and validation are applied.
Metacognitive Control and the Spacing Effect

This study investigates whether the use of a spacing strategy absolutely improves final performance, even when the learner had chosen, metacognitively, to mass. After making judgments of learning, adult and child participants chose to mass or space their study of word pairs. However, 1/3 of their choices were dishonored. That is, they were forced to mass after having chosen to space and forced to space after having chosen to mass. Results showed that the spacing effect obtained for both adults and children when choices were honored. However, using a spacing strategy when it was in disagreement with the participant’s own choice, or forced, did not enhance performance for the adults (Experiment 1). And although performance was enhanced for the children (beyond massing strategies), it was not as good as when the spacing decisions were self-chosen (Experiment 2). The data suggest that although spacing is an effective strategy for learning, it is not universal, particularly when the strategy is not chosen by the learner. In short, metacognitive control is often crucial and should be honored.
Interethnic Marriage and the Labor Market Integration of Immigrants in the Netherlands

This study investigates the role of interethnic marriage on the economic integration of immigrants in the Netherlands. I measure economic integration in terms of two labor market outcomes: earnings and employment. Using the data from the Dutch survey ‘Social Position and Use of Public Utilities by Immigrants’, I examine whether immigrants married to a native have better labor market outcomes than those married within their own ethnic group. Accounting for potential endogeneity of intermarriage, the empirical findings indicate that interethnic marriage has a positive effect on immigrants’ labor market outcomes. Intermarried immigrants earn more than their endogamously married counterparts, while the intermarriage premium varies across generations. First generation immigrants receive a higher intermarriage premium than second generation immigrants. Moreover, there is a significant difference in the likelihood of employment between endogamously married immigrants and those who are married to a native. Marrying a native increases the probability of employment.
HIV/AIDS in context: The culture of health promotion among Ndau women in rural Zimbabwe

This ethnographic study explored factors that facilitate or hinder women's participation in health promotion and HIV prevention in the Mt. Selinda area of rural Zimbabwe. Rates of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe are among the highest in the world and increasing most quickly among young females. A purposeful convenience sample of 11 Ndau women (key participants) was interviewed twice. Seventeen key informants and four focus groups offered further perspectives. The resulting narrative presents a picture of Ndau women's existence that is difficult and oppressive. Females are socialized early to be workers and mothers within a context of limited voice, subservience, violence, and economic powerlessness. Application of a health promotion framework reinforced the reality that these women are generally unable to use measures for HIV prevention. Socio-cultural and economic factors of gender inequality were analyzed through an ecological approach, showing that cultural beliefs and practices, along with national and international forces, support and sustain gender inequality. If there is to be change in the AIDS crisis, the study's findings suggest that HIV prevention strategies should be integrated within a participatory community development model that includes opportunities for both men and women to carry out gender analysis. While health professionals must understand and be sensitive to culture and context, existing unjust and inequitable structures at all levels of society must be examined and challenged. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. HIV/AIDS in Context: The Culture of Health Promotion Among Ndau Women in Rural Zimbabwe by Lynne Duffy BScN, Universite de Moncton, 1985 MEd., University of New Brunswick, 1996 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Health Services Walden University November 2002 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.
Relationships Between Subclasses of Integral Input-to-State Stability

A certain “qualitative equivalence” has been recently demonstrated between integral input-to-state stability (iISS) and a nonlinear <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal{L}_2$</tex-math></inline-formula> -gain property. Furthermore, it has been observed that the properties of strong iISS and nonlinear <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal{L}_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-gain are preserved when multiple systems satisfying the respective property are connected in cascade. This technical note clarifies the relationships between various input-to-state stability and (non)linear <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathcal{L}_p$</tex-math> </inline-formula>-gain properties.
Boulevard of Broken Behaviors: Socio-Psychological Mechanisms of Entrepreneurship Policies

By simultaneously standing on the entrepreneurship, institutions and social influences literatures, this paper explores the use of socio-psychological mechanisms to stimulate entrepreneurial ecosystems. While past research has studied the effects of institutions that use normative, cognitive, regulative and economic mechanisms, this paper assesses the causal relationship between an exogenous treatment that leverages social influences, and subsequent changes in entrepreneurial behaviors. We do this by conducting an in-depth examination of Start-Up Chile, a recent and unorthodox policy that forces a social interaction between domestic and foreign entrepreneurs. We provide evidence about the behavioral differences between two social groups from distinct geographical regions, as well as the assimilation of useful entrepreneurial behaviors as a consequence of the exogenously induced social interaction between these groups. Moreover, we find that entrepreneurial self-efficacy acts as an inverse amplifier in the assimilation of the studied behaviors. Our results shed light on an unexplored landscape in the design of entrepreneurship policies. By challenging current wisdom about the use of conventional mechanisms of influence, we uncover the effectiveness of socio-psychological mechanisms to cause change where the former may fail to do so.
Two logical hierarchies of optimization problems over the real numbers

We introduce and study certain classes of optimization problems over the real numbers. The classes are defined by logical means, relying on metafinite model theory for so called R‐structures (see [12, 11]). More precisely, based on a real analogue of Fagin's theorem [12] we deal with two classes MAX‐NPR and MIN‐NPR of maximization and minimization problems, respectively, and figure out their intrinsic logical structure. It is proven that MAX‐NPR decomposes into four natural subclasses, whereas MIN‐NPR decomposes into two. This gives a real number analogue of a result by Kolaitis and Thakur [13] in the Turing model. Our proofs mainly use techniques from [17]. Finally, approximation issues are briefly discussed. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Attention deficits revealed by passive auditory change detection for pure tones and lexical tones in ADHD children

Inattention (IA) has been a major problem in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), accounting for their behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. However, there are at least three processing steps underlying attentional control for auditory change detection, namely pre-attentive change detection, involuntary attention orienting, and attention reorienting for further evaluation. This study aimed to examine whether children with ADHD would show deficits in any of these subcomponents by using mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a, and late discriminative negativity (LDN) as event-related potential (ERP) markers, under the passive auditory oddball paradigm. Two types of stimuli—pure tones and Mandarin lexical tones—were used to examine if the deficits were general across linguistic and non-linguistic domains. Participants included 15 native Mandarin-speaking children with ADHD and 16 age-matched controls (across groups, age ranged between 6 and 15 years). Two passive auditory oddball paradigms (lexical tones and pure tones) were applied. The pure tone oddball paradigm included a standard stimulus (1000 Hz, 80%) and two deviant stimuli (1015 and 1090 Hz, 10% each). The Mandarin lexical tone oddball paradigm’s standard stimulus was /yi3/ (80%) and two deviant stimuli were /yi1/ and /yi2/ (10% each). The results showed no MMN difference, but did show attenuated P3a and enhanced LDN to the large deviants for both pure and lexical tone changes in the ADHD group. Correlation analysis showed that children with higher ADHD tendency, as indexed by parents’ and teachers’ ratings on ADHD symptoms, showed less positive P3a amplitudes when responding to large lexical tone deviants. Thus, children with ADHD showed impaired auditory change detection for both pure tones and lexical tones in both involuntary attention switching, and attention reorienting for further evaluation. These ERP markers may therefore be used for the evaluation of anti-ADHD drugs that aim to alleviate these dysfunctions.
Energy Efficiency Analysis of Cooperative Jamming in Cognitive Radio Networks With Secrecy Constraints

We investigate energy-efficient cooperation for secrecy in cognitive radio networks. In particular, we consider a four-node cognitive scenario where the secondary receiver is treated as a potential eavesdropper with respect to the primary transmission. The cognitive transmitter should ensure that the primary message is not leaked to the secondary user by using cooperative jamming. We investigate the optimal power allocation and power splitting at the secondary transmitter for our cognitive model to maximize the secondary energy efficiency (EE) under secrecy constraints. We formulate and analyze an important EE Stackelberg game between the two transmitters aiming at maximizing their utilities. We illustrate the analytical results through our geometrical model, highlighting the EE performance of the system and the impact of the Stackelberg game.
Subspace-Based Algorithm for Parameter Estimation of Polynomial Phase Signals

In this correspondence, parameter estimation of a polynomial phase signal (PPS) in additive white Gaussian noise is addressed. Assuming that the order of the PPS is at least 3, the basic idea is first to separate its phase parameters into two sets by a novel signal transformation procedure, and then the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) method is utilized for joint estimating the phase parameters with second-order and above. In doing so, the parameter search dimension is reduced by a half as compared to the maximum likelihood and nonlinear least squares approaches. In particular, the problem of cubic phase signal estimation is studied in detail and its simplification for a chirp signal is given. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is also demonstrated by comparing with several conventional techniques via computer simulations.
Coordinate to cooperate or compete: Abstract goals and joint intentions in social interaction

Successfully navigating the social world requires reasoning about both high-level strategic goals, such as whether to co-operate or compete, as well as the low-level actions needed to achieve those goals. While previous work in experimental game theory has examined the former and work on multi-agent systems has examined the later, there has been little work investigating behavior in environments that require simultaneous planning and inference across both levels. We develop a hierarchical model of social agency that infers the intentions of other agents, strategically decides whether to cooperate or compete with them, and then executes either a cooperative or competitive planning program. Learning occurs across both high-level strategic decisions and low-level actions leading to the emergence of social norms. We test predictions of this model in multi-agent behavioral experiments using rich video-game like environments. By grounding strategic behavior in a formal model of planning, we develop abstract notions of both co-operation and competition and shed light on the computational nature of joint intentionality.
Variants of Non-Negative Least-Mean-Square Algorithm and Convergence Analysis

Due to the inherent physical characteristics of systems under investigation, non-negativity is one of the most interesting constraints that can usually be imposed on the parameters to estimate. The Non-Negative Least-Mean-Square algorithm (NNLMS) was proposed to adaptively find solutions of a typical Wiener filtering problem but with the side constraint that the resulting weights need to be non-negative. It has been shown to have good convergence properties. Nevertheless, certain practical applications may benefit from the use of modified versions of this algorithm. In this paper, we derive three variants of NNLMS. Each variant aims at improving the NNLMS performance regarding one of the following aspects: sensitivity of input power, unbalance of convergence rates for different weights and computational cost. We study the stochastic behavior of the adaptive weights for these three new algorithms for non-stationary environments. This study leads to analytical models to predict the first and second order moment behaviors of the weights for Gaussian inputs. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the new algorithms and the accuracy of the derived models.
Lefthandedness among Students of Architecture and Music

Three groups of subjects (60 students of architecture and 88 of music, and 87 from a general student group) were assessed on lefthandedness, reading problems, dyslexia, and stuttering. There was a higher frequency of lefthandedness among students of architecture, as well as a higher frequency of reading difficulties, dyslexia and stuttering among students of architecture and music, than the comparison group. The findings were discussed in relation to Geschwind's hypotheses.
Predictive significance of plasma levels of interleukin-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery.

BACKGROUND Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) plays a major role in the determination of hemodynamic deterioration and can be associated with cardiovascular events after coronary artery surgery. Elevated interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with AF suggest a role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of AF. We conducted a study to investigate the correlation between postoperative AF and IL-6 and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-nine patients with a mean age of 60.3 +/- 10.7 years were enrolled in this study. Preoperative and postoperative first day blood samples were collected to assess the IL-6 and hsCRP levels. IL-6 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and hsCRP was measured by rate turbidimetry method. RESULTS Fourteen patients (28.5%) developed AF postoperatively. Patients who developed AF showed elevated serum concentrations of postoperative first day IL-6 (P < .001), preoperative hsCRP (P < .005), and postoperative first day hsCRP (P < 0.001). Preoperative hsCRP levels (P < .002) and postoperative first day IL-6 (P < .001) and hsCRP (P < 0.001) levels were associated with prolonged endotracheal intubation time. Prolonged intensive care unit stay showed significant correlations with elevated levels of preoperative hsCRP (P < 0.002) and postoperative first day IL-6 (P < 0.001) and hsCRP (P < 0.001). There was also statistical significance between the AF+ and AF- groups regarding intensive care unit stay and endotracheal intubation times (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Cut-off points for postoperative first day IL-6, preoperative hsCRP, and postoperative first day hsCRP were 46.4 pg/mL (sensitivity = 92.9% and specificity = 80%), 0.46 mg/L (sensitivity = 71% and specificity = 75%), and 17.9 mg/L (sensitivity = 92.9% and specificity = 78%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Elevated IL-6 and hsCRP levels in patients with postoperative AF suggest inflammatory components have a role of in the pathogenesis of AF.