Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor levels in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus: possible relation to diabetic microvascular complications

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a potent inhibitor of fibrinolysis isolated from human plasma. This study was designed to investigate the association between TAFI levels in relation to metabolic control, microvascular complications and lipid profile in a cohort of Egyptian children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Eighty normotensive nonobese type 1 diabetic patients (45 with and 35 without microvascular complications) with a mean age of 12.75 ± 3.6 years and mean disease duration of 7.42 ± 2.4 years in addition to 60 sex and age-matched normal individuals were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and microvascular complications were analysed. HbA1c, albumin-to-creatinine ratio in urine, lipid profile and TAFI levels were measured. Plasma level of TAFI in diabetic patients was significantly elevated, compared with normal individuals (16 ± 2.8 vs. 10.3 ± 0.7 &mgr;g/ml; P < 0.004). Plasma level of TAFI in diabetic patients with microvascular complications was significantly higher than in diabetic patients without complications (17.9 ± 1.8 vs. 12.9 ± 0.6 &mgr;g/ml; P < 0.001). Plasma TAFI levels were positively correlated with HbA1c levels (r = 0.38; P < 0.03) and SBP (r = 0.37; P < 0.02). Total cholesterol and triglycerides were higher in patients with microvascular complications than in those without complications (P < 0.001, P < 0.05, respectively). Our results showed that TAFI is considered a valid predictor for microvascular complications with best cut off value 15 &mgr;g/ml with sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 100%. Our data imply that increased plasma TAFI as well as high lipid levels may be involved in the mechanism of vascular endothelial damage in patients with T1DM. This suggests the possibility of TAFI participating in the mechanism of hypofibrinolysis, hence occurrence of microvascular complications in diabetes.
Work and motivation

Why do people choose the careers they do? What factors cause people to be satisfied with their work? No single work did more to make concepts like motive, goal incentive, and attitude part of the workplace vocabulary. This landmark work, originally published in 1964, integrates the work of hundreds of researchers in individual workplace behavior to explain choice of work, job satisfaction, and job performance. Includes an extensive new introduction that highlights and updates his model for current organization behavior educators and students, as well as professionals who must extract the highest levels of productivity from today's downsized workforces.
What Explains Persistent Racial Disproportionality in Minnesota’s Prison and Jail Populations?

Racial disparity in prison and jail populations, measured by the ratio of black to white per capita incarceration rates, varies substantially from state to state. To understand these variations, researchers must examine disparity at earlier stages of the criminal process and also racial differences in socioeconomic status that help explain disparity in cases entering the system. Researchers must adjust disparity ratios to correct for limitations in available data and in studies of prior incarceration rates. Minnesota has one of the highest black/white incarceration ratios. Disparities at the earliest measurable stages of Minnesota’s criminal process—arrest and felony conviction—are as great as the disparity in total custody (prison plus jail) populations. Disparities are substantially greater in prison sentences imposed and prison populations than at arrest and conviction. The primary reason is the heavy weight sentencing guidelines give to offenders’ prior conviction records. Highly disparate arrest rates appear to reflect unusually high rates of socioeconomic disparity between black and white residents.
Effect of Early Expressed Human Milk on Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 and Short-Term Outcomes in Preterm Infants

Aims Preterm breast milk contains high levels of bioactive components, including insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), that are reduced by Holder pasteurization. Animal studies have shown that milk-borne IGF-1 is likely absorbed intact in a bioactive form by the intestines. The aim of this study was to assess if early non-pasteurized expressed breast milk nutrition may affect IGF-1 plasma levels in premature infants. We also investigated the possible association between early expressed milk nutrition and short-term outcomes. Methods Fifty-two preterm infants with gestational age < 31 weeks were divided into two groups according to expressed breast milk intake (< or ≥ 50 mL/Kg/day) until 32 weeks of postmenstrual age when blood sampling for IGF-1 analysis was performed. Results In our population, early expressed breast milk does not affect IGF-1 plasma levels (p 0.48). An association was observed between early expressed milk nutrition and a lower incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, sepsis, feeding intolerance, need for parenteral nutrition and length of hospitalization. Conclusions Contrary to the results in some animal studies, our results did not seem to show that early expressed breast milk can help to maintain postnatal IGF-1 near foetal levels in preterm infants. The observed protective effect of expressed breast milk on short-term outcomes can be the starting point for further study of the effects of non-pasteurized human milk in preterm infants.
Endothelial dysfunction and preeclampsia: role of oxidative stress

Preeclampsia (PE) is an often fatal pathology characterized by hypertension and proteinuria at the 20th week of gestation that affects 5–10% of the pregnancies. The problem is particularly important in developing countries in where the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is higher and maternal mortality rates are 20 times higher than those reported in developed countries. Risk factors for the development of PE include obesity, insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia that stimulate inflammatory cytokine release and oxidative stress leading to endothelial dysfunction (ED). However, how all these clinical manifestations concur to develop PE is still not very well understood. The related poor trophoblast invasion and uteroplacental artery remodeling described in PE, increases reactive oxygen species (ROS), hypoxia and ED. Here we aim to review current literature from research showing the interplay between oxidative stress, ED and PE to the outcomes of current clinical trials aiming to prevent PE with antioxidant supplementation.
De Inventaris Leerstijlen (ILS) nader beschouwd. A closer look at the Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS)

In his dissertation V. V. Busato (1998) concluded that the Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) by J. D. Vermunt (1992) reliably measures 8 factors instead of the 4 to which most researchers restrict their analysis, following Vermunt's original study. Extracting a smaller number of factors than is statistically warranted tends to lead to instability of the results over different samples, especially for the smaller factors. For measuring the 8 factors proposed by Busato, however, the present 20 scales are not optimal. The aim of the present study was a reanalysis of the ILS on the item level to arrive at a better coverage of the 8 factors. The sample consisted of 963 psychology students. As predicted, an 8-factor solution proves to describe the global structure of the ILS best.
Bringing them back to spend more: student foodservice experiences to satisfy their taste buds

Purpose – This study aims to examine student’s foodservice experience and its effect on satisfaction, dining frequency and expenditures. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 674 samples collected at a large Malaysian private university were used for data analysis. Structural equation modelling based on partial least squares method was conducted. Findings – Results confirm that student foodservice experience significantly influences satisfaction, dining frequency and dining expenditure. Furthermore, four first-order constructs (product component, service component, price component and healthy component) are also validated on the designated second-order construct (customer foodservice experience). Research limitations/implications – These findings indicate that on-campus foodservice operators should focus on student experience and satisfaction to increase visits and expenditures. Originality/value – This study would enable on-campus foodservice operators to have a better understanding of various dimensi.
Prevalence of colonic adenomas in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: Epidemiologic data suggest that colonic adenomas have an increased tendency to occur in patients who are obese, African American, or have a positive family history of colon cancer, or diabetes mellitus. Recent data suggest that impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are associated with a higher risk for colonic adenomas. Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) often share several of the aforementioned risk factors for colonic adenomas. However, data are lacking about the relationship between NAFLD and colonic adenomas. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate whether NAFLD is an independent risk factor for colonic adenomas. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort observational study on 233 patients who underwent screening colonoscopies at Brooke Army Medical Center from November 2007 to March 2010 to assess for the association between NAFLD and colonic adenomas. Patients who had previously been found to have biopsy-proven simple steatosis (n = 65) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (n = 29) were compared with a control group without fatty liver disease on sonographic imaging (n = 139). Patients were stratified based on gender, race, body mass index (BMI), and family history and adjusted for variables previously known to be associated with increased adenoma risk. Results: The mean age was 54.7 ± 6.0 years (48.5% women). Racial demographics were: 62.7% White, 18.5% Hispanic, 13.7%, African American, and 5.2% other. The mean BMI was 29.7 ± 5.8. The prevalence of colonic adenomas was 25.1% in the control group and 24.4% in the NAFLD group to include simple steatosis and NASH (p = 1.00). Furthermore, when adjusting for known confounders to include race, BMI, and family history no significant differences were found (p = 0.33). However, the ultrasound-negative patients ranked lower in the number of adenomas per person (p = 0.016). Conclusions: There was no difference in the prevalence of colonic adenomas when comparing the NAFLD group who had undergone colonoscopy with a group of control patients without NAFLD who had undergone colonoscopy. However, patients with negative ultrasounds appeared to have a lower polyp burden.
Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope

Preface: Teaching and Living in Hope 1. The Will to Learn: The World as Classroom 2. Time Out: Classrooms without Boundaries 3. Talking Race and Racism 4. Democratic Education 5. What Happens When White People Change 6. Standards 7. How Can We Serve 8. Moving beyond Shame 9. Keepers of Hope: Teaching in Communities 10. Progressive Learning: A Family Value 11. Heart to Heart: Teaching with Love 12. Good Sex: Passionate Pedagogy 13. Spirituality in Education 14. This Is Our Life: Teaching toward Death 15. Spiritual Matters in the Classroom 16. Practical Wisdom
Phosphorylation of PP1 Regulator Sds22 by PLK1 Ensures Accurate Chromosome Segregation*

During cell division, accurate chromosome segregation is tightly regulated by Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and opposing activities of Aurora B kinase and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying the aforementioned hierarchical signaling cascade during mitotic chromosome segregation have remained elusive. Sds22 is a conserved regulator of PP1 activity, but how it regulates PP1 activity in space and time during mitosis remains elusive. Here we show that Sds22 is a novel and cognate substrate of PLK1 in mitosis, and the phosphorylation of Sds22 by PLK1 elicited an inhibition of PP1-mediated dephosphorylation of Aurora B at threonine 232 (Thr232) in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of a phosphomimetic mutant of Sds22 causes a dramatic increase in mitotic delay, whereas overexpression of a non-phosphorylatable mutant of Sds22 results in mitotic arrest. Mechanistically, the phosphorylation of Sds22 by PLK1 strengthens the binding of Sds22 to PP1 and inhibits the dephosphorylation of Thr232 of Aurora B to ensure a robust, error-free metaphase-anaphase transition. These findings delineate a conserved signaling hierarchy that orchestrates dynamic protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of critical mitotic regulators during chromosome segregation to guard chromosome stability.
Human medial frontal cortex activity predicts learning from errors.

Learning from errors is a critical feature of human cognition. It underlies our ability to adapt to changing environmental demands and to tune behavior for optimal performance. The posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) has been implicated in the evaluation of errors to control behavior, although it has not previously been shown that activity in this region predicts learning from errors. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined activity in the pMFC during an associative learning task in which participants had to recall the spatial locations of 2-digit targets and were provided with immediate feedback regarding accuracy. Activity within the pMFC was significantly greater for errors that were subsequently corrected than for errors that were repeated. Moreover, pMFC activity during recall errors predicted future responses (correct vs. incorrect), despite a sizeable interval (on average 70 s) between an error and the next presentation of the same recall probe. Activity within the hippocampus also predicted future performance and correlated with error-feedback-related pMFC activity. A relationship between performance expectations and pMFC activity, in the absence of differing reinforcement value for errors, is consistent with the idea that error-related pMFC activity reflects the extent to which an outcome is "worse than expected. "
On Augmentation Algorithms for Linear and Integer-Linear Programming: From Edmonds-Karp to Bland and Beyond

Motivated by Bland's linear programming (LP) generalization of the renowned Edmonds--Karp efficient refinement of the Ford--Fulkerson maximum flow algorithm, we analyze three closely related natural augmentation rules for LP and integer-linear programming (ILP) augmentation algorithms. For all three rules and in both contexts, LP and ILP, we bound the number of augmentations. Extending Bland's “discrete steepest-descent” augmentation rule (i.e., choosing directions with the best ratio of cost improvement per unit 1-norm length, and then making maximal augmentations in such directions) from LP to ILP, we (i) show that the number of discrete steepest-descent augmentations is bounded by the number of elements in the Graver basis of the problem matrix and (ii) give the first strongly polynomial-time algorithm for $N$-fold ILP. For LP, two of the rules can suffer from a “zig-zagging” phenomenon, and so in those cases we apply the rules more subtly to achieve good bounds. Our results improve on what is known fo.
Making sense of the sensemaking perspective: Its constituents, limitations, and opportunities for further development

Through a wide-ranging critical review of relevant publications, we explore and articulate what constitutes the sensemaking perspective in organization studies, as well as its range of applications and limitations. More specifically, we argue that sensemaking in organizations has been seen as consisting of specific episodes, is triggered by ambiguous events, occurs through specific processes, generates specific outcomes, and is influenced by several situational factors. Furthermore, we clarify the application range of the sensemaking perspective and identify, as well as account for, the types and aspects of organizational sensemaking that have been under-researched. We critically discuss the criticism that the sensemaking perspective has received so far and selectively expand on it. Finally, we identify the main limitations of the sensemaking perspective, which, if tackled, will advance it: the neglect of prospective sensemaking, the exclusive focus on disruptive episodes at the expense of more mundane forms of sensemaking implicated in routine activities, the ambiguous status of enactment, the conflation of first-order and second-order sensemaking, and the lack of proper attention to embodied sensemaking. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Effects of External Sodium and Potassium Concentration on the Membrane Potential of Atrioventricular Fibers of the Toad

Intracellular records were made from fibers in the A-V conducting system of isolated toad hearts. The A-V region was perfused with Ringer's solution of various K and Na concentrations. Resting potential in 2.8 mM [K]o was about 60 mv. Over the range 0.28 to 28 mM, resting potential diminished with increasing [K]o. Spontaneous action potentials appeared when [K]o was increased to 11.2 mM, and when resting potential had fallen to about 40 to 50 mv. Changes in [Na]o over the range 22 to 110 mM had a little effect on resting potential, but there was a linear relation between the peak value of the action potential and log [Na]o Wenckebach periodicity was observed when [Na]o was lowered.
Role of MRI in Detection of Morton’s Neuroma

Background: Distinguishing between patients with a true Morton’s neuroma and other forefoot pathology can be difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when compared to clinical examination for Morton’s neuroma. Methods: We retrospectively identified 71 patients who underwent operative treatment due to the diagnosis of Morton’s neuroma between 2007 and 2013. All patients had a MRI preoperative. Our study group comprised 58 female and 13 male patients with a mean age of 57 (range, 38-92) years. We compared the results of preoperative MRI and the patient’s clinical assessment with postoperative histopathological results. Results: Typical clinical signs were found in 65 cases. Most common symptoms were plantar pain (92%) and increased pain on walking (89%). A Morton’s neuroma was detected on MRI in 59 of 71 cases. Its sensitivity was 0.84 and its specificity was 0.33. The positive and negative predictive values were 0.97 and 0.08, respectively. For the presence of main clinical symptoms we found a sensitivity of 0.94 and a specificity of 0.33. The positive predictive value was 0.97 and the negative predictive value was 0.20. Conclusion: MRI under routine conditions had a good detection rate for the evaluation of Morton’s neuroma. However, its accuracy was not as high as the accuracy of clinical assessment. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective series.
Immunogenicity of dendritic cells pulsed with CEA peptide or transfected with CEA mRNA for vaccination of colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. We have demonstrated that vaccination of autologous ex vivo cultured DCs results in the induction of tumor-specific immune responses in cancer patients, which correlates with clinical response. Optimization of antigen loading is one of the possibilities for further improving the efficacy of DC vaccination. Theoretically, transfection of DCs with RNA encoding a tumor-specific antigen may induce a broader immune response as compared to the most widely used technique of peptide pulsing. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this clinical study, RNA transfection was compared with peptide pulsing as an antigen loading strategy for DC vaccination. Patients with resectable liver metastases of colorectal cancer were vaccinated intravenously and intradermally 3 times weekly with either carcinoembryogenic antigen (CEA)-derived HLA-A2 binding peptide-loaded or CEA mRNA electroporated DCs prior to surgical resection of the metastases. All DCs were loaded with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) as a control protein. Evaluation of vaccine-induced immune reactivity consisted of T-cell proliferative responses and B-cell antibody responses against KLH in peripheral blood. CEA reactivity was determined in T-cell cultures of biopsies of post-treatment delayed type hypersensitivity skin tests. RESULTS Sixteen patients were included. All patients showed T-cell responses against KLH upon vaccination. CEA peptide-specific T-cells were detected in 8 out of 11 patients in the peptide group, but in none of the 5 patients in the RNA group. CONCLUSION In our study, DC CEA mRNA transfection was not superior to DC CEA peptide pulsing in the induction of a tumor-specific immune response in colorectal cancer patients.
Knowledge in an Uncertain World

Introduction 1. Fallibilism 2. Contextualism 3. Knowledge and Reasons 4. Justification 5. Belief 6. The Value and Importance of Knowledge 7. Infallibilism or Pragmatic Encroachment? Appendix I Conflicts with Bayesian Decision Theory? Appendix II Does KJ entail infallibilism? Glossary Bibliography
Convergence of a boundary integral method for 3D interfacial Darcy flow with surface tension

We study convergence of a boundary integral method for 3D interfacial flow with surface tension when the fluid velocity is given by Darcy’s Law. The method is closely related to a previous method developed and implemented by Ambrose, Siegel, and Tlupova, in which one of the main ideas is the use of an isothermal parameterization of the free surface. We prove convergence by proving consistency and stability, and the main challenge is to demonstrate energy estimates for the growth of errors. These estimates follow the general lines of estimates for continuous problems made by Ambrose and Masmoudi, in which there are good estimates available for the curvature of the free surface. To use this framework, we consider the curvature and the position of the free surface each to be evolving, rather than attempting to determine one of these from the other. We introduce a novel substitution which allows the needed estimates to close.
Light-Evoked and Spontaneous Discrete Waves in the Ventral Nerve Photoreceptor of Limulus

Discrete waves, recorded from the ventral nerve photoreceptor, occur in the light and in the dark. Spontaneous waves, on the average, are smaller than light-evoked waves. This suggests that not all spontaneous waves can arise from spontaneous changes in the visual pigment molecule identical to changes induced by photon absorption. Spontaneous and light-evoked waves are statistically independent of each other. This is shown by determination of frequency of response as a function of pulse energy for short pulses and determination of the distribution of intervals between waves evoked by steady lights. The available data can be explained by two models. In the first each photon produces a time-dependent excitation that goes to zero the instant the wave occurs so that the number of effective absorptions from a short light pulse equals the number of waves produced by the light pulse. In the second the excitation produced by photon absorption is unaffected by the occurrence of the waves so that the number of waves produced from a short light pulse may be different from the number of effective absorptions. Present results do not allow a choice between the two models.