Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal obesity, gestational diabetes, and central nervous system birth defects.

BACKGROUND Maternal obesity and diabetes are both associated with increased risk of congenital central nervous system (CNS) malformations in the offspring and may share a common underlying mechanism. Our objective was to evaluate whether gestational diabetes influenced the association of prepregnancy maternal obesity and risks for CNS birth defects. METHODS This Texas population-based case-control study evaluated births occurring January 1997 through June 2001. Data came from structured telephone interviews. Cases (n=477) were mothers of offspring with anencephaly (n=120), spina bifida (n=184), holoprosencephaly (n=49), or isolated hydrocephaly (n=124). Controls (n=497) were mothers of live infants without abnormalities randomly selected from the same hospitals as cases. Response rates were approximately 60% for both cases and controls. We evaluated maternal obesity (body mass index > or =30.0 kg/m) and risks for CNS birth defects, as well as whether gestational diabetes influenced the risks. RESULTS After adjusting for maternal ethnicity, age, education, smoking, alcohol use, and periconceptional vitamin use, obese women had substantially increased risks of delivering offspring with anencephaly (odds ratio=2.3; 95% confidence interval=1.2-4.3), spina bifida (2.8; 1.7-4.5), or isolated hydrocephaly (2.7; 1.5-5.0), but not holoprosencephaly (1.4; 0.5-3.8). Odds ratios were higher for the joint effects of maternal obesity and gestational diabetes, with evidence for interaction on a multiplicative scale. CONCLUSIONS Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes may increase the risk of CNS birth defects through shared causal mechanisms.
Applying Sociocultural Theory to an Analysis of Learner Discourse: Learner-Learner Collaborative Interaction in the Zone of Proximal Development

SLA research in the tradition of sociocultural theory examines the dynamic relationship between interaction and acquisition, exploring how language, cognition, and culture are acquired through collaborative interaction. This paper presents an analysis of teacher-fronted and pair interaction involving two learners of Japanese in an intermediate language class, showing learner-learner collaborative activity between two students of differing levels of proficiency to result in creative interaction where scaffolding creates a positive environment for L2 acquisition. Learner use of Japanese in pair work is strikingly different from that in teacher-fronted practice, with learners becoming highly interactive and using the L2 for a variety of purposes, including 1) hypothesis-testing through language play, 2) talk about the here-and-now, 3) lexical experimentation, 4) modulating the pace of interaction, 5) repair, 6) negotiating roles 7) managing tasks, and 8) humor. Contribution of learner strengths and weaknesses results in refinement of both learners' L2 use, with both students learning and progressing through collaborative interaction in the zone of proximal development (ZPD).
PVFMM: A Parallel Kernel Independent FMM for Particle and Volume Potentials

We describe our implementation of a parallel fast multipole method for evaluating potentials for discrete and continuous source distributions. The ﬁrst requires summation over the source points and the second requiring integration over a continuous source density. Both problems require O ( N 2 ) complexity when computed directly; however, can be accelerated to O ( N ) time using FMM. In our PVFMM software library, we use kernel independent FMM and this allows us to compute potentials for a wide range of elliptic kernels. Our method is high order, adaptive and scalable. In this paper, we discuss several algorithmic improvements and performance optimizations including cache locality, vectorization, shared memory parallelism and use of coprocessors. Our distributed memory implementation uses space-ﬁlling curve for partitioning data and a hypercube communication scheme. We present convergence results for Laplace, Stokes and Helmholtz (low wavenumber) kernels for both particle and volume FMM. We measure efﬁciency of our method in terms of CPU cycles per unknown for different accuracies and different kernels. We also demonstrate scalability of our implementation up to several thousand processor cores on the Stampede platform at the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
Transcriptional Regulation by p53

The tumor suppressor p53 protein possesses activities typical of eukaryotic transcriptional activators; p53 binds to specific DNA sequences and stimulates transcription of the target genes. By a series of deletion and domain-swapping studies, we report here that (i) p53 has two auxiliary domains, which have little effect on the DNA binding activity of its core domain but are capable of modulating its transactivation activity in a target site-dependent manner; (ii) p53 contains two cell-specific transcriptional inhibitory domains, I1 and I2, which are active in Saos-2 and HeLa cells but not in HepG2 and Hep3B cells; and (iii) I1 inhibits the activity of several structurally different activating regions. These results demonstrate that the apparent transcriptional activity of p53 is determined by collaborations among its regulatory domains, its target sites, and the cellular environment.
Malignant transformation of oral lichen planus by a chronic inflammatory process. Use of topical corticosteroids to prevent this progression?

Abstract Background: Oral lichen planus is a potentially malignant disorder with a capacity, although low, for malignant transformation. Of all the factors related to the process of malignant transformation, it is believed that the chronic inflammatory process plays a key role in the development of oral cancer. This inflammatory process is capable of providing a microenvironment based on different inflammatory cells and molecules that affect cellular growth, proliferation and differentiation. Objectives: The objectives of our study are: to review the available evidence about the possible relationship between the chronic inflammatory process present in oral lichen planus and its malignant transformation, to discuss the potential therapeutic implications derived from this relationship and to study the role that topical corticosteroids play in the control of oral lichen planus inflammation and its possible progression to malignant transformation. Conclusion: The maintenance of a minimum dose of topical corticosteroids could prevent the inflammatory progression of oral lichen planus to oral cancer.
Antioxidant activity of wild plants collected in valsesia, an alpine region of Northern Italy

A selection of wild plants collected in Valsesia (Northwest Italy) was screened for their in vitro antioxidant activity. Aerial parts of selected plants were dried at room temperature and powdered. Then, four sequential extractions were performed with increasing polarity solvents, i.e. n‐hexane, chloroform, chloroform–methanol (9:1, v/v) and methanol. By employing different assays, it was shown that all the methanol extracts of the samples collected were endowed with antioxidant activity, though, as expected, their potency varied according to the different tests. In particular, plants of the Thymus and Achillea genus displayed the highest activity. Given that a diet rich in wild plants is associated with a reduced incidence of degenerative diseases, such as atherosclerosis and cancer, this study suggests that some Valsesia plants could be pharmaceutically exploited. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of genetic and biochemical diversity of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni by DNA fingerprinting and HPLC analysis

The genomic DNA polymorphism and phytochemical variation of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni was investigated by RAPD-PCR and HPLC analysis. For initial PCR screening, about hundred oligo-nucleotide primers were used to amplify the genomic DNA from three accessions of S. rebaudiana (L1 to L3). The concentration of stevioside content was quantified by using HPLC analysis. A total of 9 primers were finally selected to generate RAPD fingerprints that revealed 111 bands, in which 90 bands (81%) were found to be polymorphic bands. Three accessions were clustered into two major groups in the dendrogram and the stevioside content variation was linearly associated with these groups. This result was further confirmed by principle coordinate analysis. There was also high diversity in the concentration of active compounds in the collected samples as revealed by HPLC analysis. Data revealed that stevioside content varied between 15.82 mg/g DW (L1) to 4.68 mg/g DW (L3). The present results suggested that there was a strong correlation between the phytochemical variables and the DNA polymorphism data. The present study concluded that the results of the genetic and phytochemical diversity could be used to select best accessions for planting and conservation of S. rebaudiana for pharmaceutical applications.
The Link Between SCUBA and Spitzer: Cold Galaxies at z<1

We show that the far-IR properties of distant Luminous and UltraLuminous InfraRed Galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs, respectively) are on average divergent from analogous sources in the local Universe. Our analysis is based on Spitzer Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) and Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) data of LIR > 10 10 L� ,7 0μm selected objects in the 0.1 1 SubMillimetre Galaxies (SMGs) discovered in blank-field submillimetre surveys. The Herschel Space Observatory is well placed to fully characterize the nature of these objects, as its coverage extends over a major part of the far-IR/sub-mm SED for a wide redshift range.
Effect of music on submaximal cycling

Objective. Athletes frequently report training to music, yet there have been relatively few studies that have addressed the benefit of exercising with music. Design. Volunteer men and women (N=30), aged between 18 and 40 years, performed an initial familiarisation session. Part of this session involved the measurement of maximal oxygen consumption. With at least a 48-hour intervening period, this was then followed by a first 20-minute submaximal cycling session, at 80% of maximal oxygen consumption. At least 48 hours later a second submaximal cycling session was performed. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Group A cycled without music and group B cycled with music for the first submaximal cycling session. Subjects underwent the same testing procedure for the second submaximal cycling session, but this time group A cycled to music and group B cycled without music. Subjects served as their own controls. Setting. The study was performed in the physiology exercise laboratory, at the University of the Witwatersrand. Main outcome measures. During the submaximal sessions heart rate, perceived exertion (Borg scale) and plasma lactate concentration were assessed. Subjects completed a post-test questionnaire once both submaximal cycling sessions were completed. Results. There were no significant differences in physiological variables (change in plasma lactate and heart rate), nor were there any significant differences in Borg scale ratings when the subjects cycled with and without music. However, according to the post-test questionnaire 67% of subjects identified the cycling session with music to be easier than the session without music. Conclusion. Listening to music while performing submaximal cycling resulted in no physiological benefit. Yet, the cycling session done in conjunction with music was deemed, by the majority of the subjects, to be easier than the cycling session without music. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 20 (1) 2008: pp. 28-31
The Eminent Genius in History: the Critical Role of Creative Development

Why do creative geniuses appear in some periods of history but not in others? A review of recent research suggests that various external events--including formal education, role-model availability, zeitgeist, political fragmentation, war, civil disturbances, and political instability-- tend to have a critical impact on the development of creative potential in the young genius. Once that potential is established, however, and the genius enters adulthood, creative productivity tends to proceed with little interference from outside events.
Transformation of Clostridium perfringens L forms with shuttle plasmid DNA

L-form (L-phase) cultures of Clostridium perfringens were tested for their transformability with plasmid DNA. Three L-form strains were transformable, but one, strain L-13, was superior to the others. This strain was easily and reproducibly transformed with previously described shuttle vectors which were derived from either C. perfringens or Escherichia coli. Strain L-13 was transformable by a variety of methods, and a new micromethod worked well under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The maximal number of transformants was attained after strain L-13 was exposed for 4 h to the transforming DNA and polyethylene glycol. Viable counts determined in tubes of semisolid brain heart infusion medium containing 10% sucrose, with or without 2 micrograms of tetracycline per ml, showed a transformation rate of 3.9 X 10(-5) (transformants per viable cells).
Estimating the Knowledge-Capital Model of the Multinational Enterprise: Comment

What we term the firm includes three principal assumptions. First, services of knowledge-based and knowledge-generating activities, such as R&D, can be geographically separated from production and supplied to production facilities at low cost. Second, these knowledge-intensive activities are skilled-labor intensive relative to production. These characteristics give rise to vertical multinationals, which fragment production and locate activities according to factor prices and market size. Third, knowledge-based services have a (partial) joint-input characteristic that they can be supplied to additional production facilities at low cost. This characteristic gives rise to horizontal multinationals, which produce the same goods or services in multiple locations. In this paper, we note how this model predicts relationships between affiliate sales and country characteristics. We then subject these predictions to empirical tests.
Improved cytotoxicity assay for Bacillus cereus diarrhoeal enterotoxin

An improved McCoy cell cytotoxicity assay for Bacillus cereus diarrhoeal toxin, which includes a staining procedure in addition to visual examination, was developed and the method was compared with two commercially available kits (Oxoid BCET‐RPLA and Tecra BDE‐VIA). A total of 71 strains of 15 different Bacillus, Brevibacillus and Paenibacillus species, including 16 strains of B. cereus from outbreaks of food‐borne illness, were evaluated for toxin production. Eleven of the outbreak strains exhibited cytotoxicity, including all six B. cereus strains associated with diarrhoeal illness. Several other isolates of B. cereus, and its relatives B. anthracis, B. mycoides and B. thuringiensis, exhibited similar cytotoxicity. The other species showed no cytotoxicity, with the exception of certain B. subtilis strains. The cytotoxicity assay was more sensitive than the Oxoid kit and unlike the Tecra kit, did not give false positive results with supernatant fluids heat‐treated to destroy the toxin.
Wireless Medium Access for Concurrent Communication

Most wireless medium access control (MAC) protocols today prevent nearby concurrent communication due to concern that it would corrupt ongoing communication. While recent work has demonstrated that channel capture allows successful concurrent communication, MAC protocols to date have not exploited this approach to improve performance. In this paper we conduct experiments with 802.15. 4 radios to model concurrent communication, showing that concurrent communication is possible for nearly all topologies with appropriate power selection. From these experiments, we define a new MAC protocol, gain-adaptive power control (GAPC), with the goal of enabling concurrent communication when possible. Unlike prior power-adaptive MAC protocols, GAPC keeps a small power reserve and uses channel capture to support concurrent communication. We develop a fully distributed algorithm to allocate this reserve to boost minimum needed transmit powers, adapting the gain to overcome noise due to other transmissions or a varying environment. We show that this power reserve is essential to achieve significant performance advantage from concurrent communication. Finally, we quantify the benefits of concurrent communication, comparing GAPC performance to MACs which channel access that is optimal (Oracle-based); uses non-adaptive, RTS-CTS-based CSMA; or uses simple minimum-transmit power. The GAPC heuristic allows concurrent communication in 73% of cases of optimal in our evaluation. When communicating with neighbors, we show that GAPC can allow 2.6× more successful receptions than CSMA, and 3×more than CSMA with RTS/CTS. For multihop communication, GAPC completes a fixed-size transfer faster as well, with CSMA requiring 1.7× longer, or 1.2× longer with RTS/CTS, even ignoring control overhead. Our study shows embracing concurrent communication can significantly improve wireless throughput. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the following grants: CNS-0347621 (CAREEER), CNS-0325875 (NSF-ITR), CNS-0627028 (NeTs-NOSS), CCF-0430061 (Design Automation of Compute-Intensive Networked Embedded Systems), NeTS-NOSS-045517 (Sensor Networks for Undersea Seismic Experimentation), CNS-9626702 (Sensor-Internet Sharing and Search).
Tightly coupled brain activity and cerebral ATP metabolic rate

A majority of ATP in the brain is formed in the mitochondria through oxidative phosphorylation of ADP with the F1F0-ATP (ATPase) enzyme. This ATP production rate plays central roles in brain bioenergetics, function and neurodegeneration. In vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy combined with magnetization transfer (MT) is the sole approach able to noninvasively determine this ATP metabolic rate via measuring the forward ATPase reaction flux (Ff,ATPase). However, previous studies indicate lack of quantitative agreement between Ff,ATPase and oxidative metabolic rate in heart and liver. In contrast, recent work has shown that Ff,ATPase might reflect oxidative phosphorylation rate in resting human brains. We have conducted an animal study, using rats under varied brain activity levels from light anesthesia to isoelectric state, to examine whether the in vivo 31P MT approach is suitable for measuring the oxidative phosphorylation rate and its change associated with varied brain activity. Our results conclude that the measured Ff,ATPase reflects the oxidative phosphorylation rate in resting rat brains, that this flux is tightly correlated to the change of energy demand under varied brain activity levels, and that a significant amount of ATP energy is required for “housekeeping” under the isoelectric state. These findings reveal distinguishable characteristics of ATP metabolism between the brain and heart, and they highlight the importance of in vivo 31P MT approach to potentially provide a unique and powerful neuroimaging modality for noninvasively studying the cerebral ATP metabolic network and its central role in bioenergetics associated with brain function, activation, and diseases.
Stochastic Bounds for Queueing Systems with Multiple On–Off Sources

Consider a queueing system where the input traffic consists of background traffic, modeled by a Markov Arrival Process, and foreground traffic modeled by N ≥ 1 homogeneous on–off sources. The queueing system has an increasing and concave service rate, which includes as a particular case multiserver queueing systems. Both the infinite-capacity and the finite-capacity buffer cases are analyzed. We show that the queue length in the infinite-capacity buffer system (respectively, the number of losses in the finite-capacity buffer system) is larger in the increasing convex order sense (respectively, the strong stochastic order sense) than the queue length (respectively, the number of losses) of the queueing system with the same background traffic and M N homogeneous on–off sources of the same total intensity as the foreground traffic, where M is an arbitrary integer. As a consequence, the queue length and the loss with a foreground traffic of multiple homogeneous on–off sources is upper bounded by that with a single on–off source and lower bounded by a Poisson source, where the bounds are obtained in the increasing convex order (respectively, the strong stochastic order). We also compare N ≥ 1 homogeneous arbitrary two-state Markov Modulated Poisson Process sources. We prove the monotonicity of the queue length in the transition rates and its convexity in the arrival rates. Standard techniques could not be used due to the different state spaces that we compare. We propose a new approach for the stochastic comparison of queues using dynamic programming which involves initially stationary arrival processes.
An Anti-PCSK9 Antibody Reduces LDL-Cholesterol On Top Of A Statin And Suppresses Hepatocyte SREBP-Regulated Genes

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a promising therapeutic target for treating coronary heart disease. We report a novel antibody 1B20 that binds to PCSK9 with sub-nanomolar affinity and antagonizes PCSK9 function in-vitro. In CETP/LDLR-hemi mice two successive doses of 1B20, administered 14 days apart at 3 or 10 mpk, induced dose dependent reductions in LDL-cholesterol (≥ 25% for 7-14 days) that correlated well with the extent of PCSK9 occupancy by the antibody. In addition, 1B20 induces increases in total plasma antibody-bound PCSK9 levels and decreases in liver mRNA levels of SREBP-regulated genes PCSK9 and LDLR, with a time course that parallels decreases in plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). Consistent with this observation in mice, in statin-responsive human primary hepatocytes, 1B20 lowers PCSK9 and LDLR mRNA levels and raises serum steady-state levels of antibody-bound PCSK9. In addition, mRNA levels of several SREBP regulated genes involved in cholesterol and fatty-acid synthesis including ACSS2, FDPS, IDI1, MVD, HMGCR, and CYP51A1 were decreased significantly with antibody treatment of primary human hepatocytes. In rhesus monkeys, subcutaneous (SC) dosing of 1B20 dose-dependently induces robust LDL-C lowering (maximal ~70%), which is correlated with increases in target engagement and total antibody-bound PCSK9 levels. Importantly, a combination of 1B20 and Simvastatin in dyslipidemic rhesus monkeys reduced LDL-C more than either agent alone, consistent with a mechanism of action that predicts additive effects of anti-PCSK9 agents with statins. Our results suggest that antibodies targeting PCSK9 could provide patients powerful LDL lowering efficacy on top of statins, and lower cardiovascular risk.
Principles of Effective Co‐Parenting and Its Assessment in Infancy and Early Childhood

Excerpt only. Published in S. Tyano, M. Keren, H. Herman, & J. Cox. Parenthood and Mental Health: A Bridge Between Infant and Adult Psychiatry. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons doi:10.1002/978-470660683.ch32 For full access, check out the book through the USF St. Petersburg Library (HQ755.8.P37 2010), request it on interlibrary loan, or order it through a book dealer. Members of the USF System may access the full-text of the article through the authenticated link provided below.