Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The moderating roles of self-esteem and self-construal in reaction to a threat to the self: evidence from the People's Republic of China and the United States.

The present research evaluated whether a well-established finding in the U.S.-based self-esteem literature (i.e., a positive relationship between trait self-esteem and self-protection following a threat to the self) was moderated by individuals' self-construal. Participants varying in self-esteem and degree of independent self-construal were studied in 2 different cultures: the United States and the People's Republic of China. Half of the participants received negative individual performance feedback, whereas the remaining half did not. For the U.S. sample (but not the People's Republic of China sample) as a whole, the authors observed a positive relationship between trait self-esteem and self-protection in response to negative feedback. However, the subset of participants from the People's Republic of China with more independent self-construals did exhibit a positive relationship between trait self-esteem and self-protection in response to negative feedback.
Effects of Mannose and Fructose on the Synthesis and Secretion of Insulin

Synthesis-secretion coupling of insulin was determined in perfused pancreases stimulated for 3 h by various sugars. These monosaccharide stimuli included glucose alone at either 200 or 300 mg/dl; mannose or fructose alone at 1,200 mg/dl; or combinations of mannose and fructose or galactose and fructose at 600 mg/dl each. Glucose and mannose each promoted insulin synthesis and secretion. Mannose at 1,200 mg/dl produced synthesis-secretion coupling similar to glucose at 200 mg/dl. Fructose alone at 1,200 mg/dl failed to cause any significant release of insulin, but it did significantly increase beta cell insulin content. When mannose and fructose were combined at 600 mg/dl each, in the absence of glucose, they resulted in a synergistic effect on insulin secretion and an additive effect on insulinogenesis, which was in excess of, or equal to, the insulinotropic effect of glucose at 300 mg/dl. These results clearly establish that the synthesis and secretion of insulin can be uncoupled. Mannose primarily stimulates the putative beta cell glucoreceptor, and fructose signals the insulin biosynthetic pathway. When combined, these monosaccharides couple synthesis-secretion of insulin comparable to glucose. The data suggest that the uncoupling of insulin secretion and synthesis, which may contribute either independently or in combination to abnormalities in pancreatic function observed in various diabetic conditions can be studied using the isolated perfused pancreas model. Use of this relatively physiological experimental model should provide optimal opportunity to further investigate and identify cellular controlling signals regulating either insulin biosynthesis, insulin secretion, or the coupling of both mechanisms.
The impact of medical education on psychological health of students: A cohort study

Many studies have shown that the prevalence of psychological distress among medical students during medical training is higher than that in general population. A few studies have shown that the prevalence of psychological distress among medical students before the onset of medical training was similar to general population. This study aimed to investigate psychological health of medical students before and during medical training. A one-year prospective study was done on successful applicants who undergo the first year of medical training for 2010/2011 academic session. The stress, anxiety and depression were measured by the DASS-21 at five intervals; during interview (Time 0), two months (Time 1), four months (Time 2), six months (Time 3) and final examination (Time 4) of the first year medical training. The prevalence of unfavourable stress, anxiety and depression before the onset of medical training was 4.1%, 55.6% and 1.8%, respectively. The prevalence of unfavourable stress during medical training ranged between 11.8% and 19.9%. The prevalence of anxiety during medical training ranged between 41.1% and 56.7%. The prevalence of depression during medical training ranged between 12% and 30%. Mean scores of stress and depression before (Time 0) and during medical training (Time 1–4) were significantly different (p < 0.001). The prevalence and level of unfavourable stress and depression during medical training were significantly higher than before the onset medical training. This study supports views that medical training is not an optimal environment to psychological health of medical students.
Myostatin is a human placental product that regulates glucose uptake.

CONTEXT Myostatin is a member of the TGF-beta superfamily and is primarily known for its ability to inhibit muscle growth. It also has actions on glucose metabolism. We hypothesized that it may act as a paracrine regulator of glucose uptake in the placenta, potentially contributing to fetal and placental growth. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to determine whether myostatin is present in and formed by the human placenta and to evaluate its effects on glucose uptake. MATERIALS AND METHODS Myostatin protein and mRNA were measured using Western immunoblotting and real-time PCR, respectively. Glucose uptake was assessed by uptake of radiolabeled deoxyglucose in vitro. Placental tissues were obtained at term (n = 8), preterm (n = 8; 24-34 wk), and early in pregnancy (n = 6; 9-13 wk). RESULTS Human placentas were shown to express myostatin protein, with a significantly lower expression in term samples compared with samples collected in preterm samples. Human placentas express myostatin mRNA throughout gestation, which does not change. Myostatin treatment of human term placental explants resulted in an increase in deoxyglucose uptake compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS Myostatin is synthesized, released, and acts within the human placenta. It contributes to placental glucose homeostasis and may be a therapeutic target in diseases ranging from placental insufficiency to diabetes in pregnancy.
A Study on the Relation between Linguistics-oriented and Domain-specific Semantics

In this paper we dealt with the comparison and linking between lexical resources with domain knowledge provided by ontologies. It is one of the issues for the combination of the Semantic Web Ontologies and Text Mining. We investigated the relations between the linguisticsoriented and domain-specific semantics, by associating the GO biological process concepts to the FrameNet semantic frames. The result shows the gaps between the linguistics-oriented and domain-specific semantics on the classification of events and the grouping of target words. The result provides valuable information for the improvement of domain ontologies supporting for text mining systems. And also, it will result in benefits to language understanding technology.
Shared-Vehicle Mobility-on-Demand Systems: A Fleet Operator's Guide to Rebalancing Empty Vehicles

The authors consider the operation of automated mobility-on-demand systems, whereby users share access to a fleet of self-driving vehicles. In these systems, rebalancing, the process by which the supply of empty vehicles is periodically realigned with the demand for transport, is carried out by a fleet operator. Where much of the rebalancing literature skews to the theoretical or simulation-based, the authors consider shared mobility systems from the perspective of the fleet operator. The authors test, via simulations, how key performance metrics vary as a function of fleet size and rebalancing policy using rental data from car2go, a free-floating carsharing service operating in markets across Europe and North America. Results reveal that rebalancing can dramatically reduce the number of customer walk aways, even for relatively small fleet sizes. A framework is provided to assess what fleet size is a appropriate for a city factoring in the cost of vehicles, customer walk aways, and the added expense of moving empty vehicles.
Transmission of hepatitis C virus by a cardiac surgeon.

BACKGROUND In the course of a study conducted in 1992 through 1994 of the efficacy of screening blood donors for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV), we found that two patients had acquired hepatitis C after cardiac surgery, with the transmission apparently unrelated to blood transfusions. Because their surgeon had chronic hepatitis C, we sought to determine whether he was transmitting the virus to his patients. METHODS Of 222 of the surgeon's patients who participated in studies of post-transfusion hepatitis between 1988 and 1994, 6 contracted postoperative hepatitis C, despite the use of only seronegative blood for transfusions. All six patients had undergone valve-replacement surgery. Analyses were performed to compare nucleotide sequences encompassing the hypervariable region at the junction between the coding regions for envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 in the surgeon, the patients, and 10 controls infected with the same HCV genotype. RESULTS The surgeon and five of the six patients with hepatitis C unrelated to transfusion were infected with HCV genotype 3; the sixth patient had genotype 1 and was considered to have been infected from another source. Thirteen other patients of the surgeon had transfusion-associated hepatitis C and were also infected with genotype 1. The average net genetic distance between the sequences from the five patients with HCV genotype 3 and those from the surgeon was 2.1 percent (range, 1.1 to 2.5 percent; P < 0.001), as compared with an average distance of 7.6 percent (range, 6.1 to 8.3 percent) between the sequences from the patients and those from the controls. The results of phylogenetic-tree analysis indicated a common epidemiologic origin of the viruses from the surgeon and the five patients. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide evidence that a cardiac surgeon with chronic hepatitis C may have transmitted HCV to five of his patients during open-heart surgery.
Transient and phase-locked evoked magnetic fields in response to periodic acoustic signals

Using whole-head MEG, time course and hemispheric lateralization effects of phase-locked brain responses to complex periodic acoustic signals (stimulus frequency 13, 22, 40, 67, or 111 Hz) were determined based on a dipole analysis approach. Apart from systematic rate-induced changes in amplitude and shape of the transient evoked magnetic fields (M50, M100), phase-locked brain activity emerged, being more pronounced over the right as compared to the left hemisphere. Furthermore, this MEG component showed a consistent phase angle across subjects, indicating active synchronization mechanisms within auditory cortex that operate upon afferent input. Conceivably, these early side-differences in periodicity encoding contribute to or even snowball into hemispheric lateralization effects of higher-order aspects of central-auditory processing such as melody perception.
Frequency of factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor in haemophilia A.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of factor VIII specific inhibitors in haemophilia A. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY National Institute of Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, from August 2007 to March 2009. METHODOLOGY Venous blood samples of diagnosed haemophilia A patients were collected in tubes containing 0.109 M (3.2%) trisodium citrate, centrifuged without delay at 1200 G for 15 minutes. Factor VIII inhibitors were screened by APTT based method using 50:50 patients' plasma mixed with normal plasma incubated together for 2 hours at 37°C. Quantitative assay was carried out to measure Bethesda units (BU). Samples were labelled as low titre inhibitor when less than 5 BU detected, while high titre inhibitor when more than 5 BU were detected. RESULTS A total of 140 Haemophilia A patients were evaluated for allo-antibodies who received treatment with FVIII concentrates / FFP/ cryoprecipitate. Among them 21 patients (15%) were found to have positive screening test results for inhibitors. The mean age of patients with inhibitors was 11.9 + 8.81 years. Thirteen were high responders (62%) while 8 were low responders (38%). The mean inhibitor level in low (titre) responders was 2.46 + 1.31 BU while in high (titre) responders it was 29.15 + 12.81 BU. According to severity of the disease 12/21 with severe haemophilia A (57.2%) developed inhibitors, whereas 8/21 with moderate (38%) and 1/21 with mild haemophilia A (4.7%) showed positive results for inhibitors. CONCLUSION Fifteen percent haemophilia A patients developed inhibitors in this cohort, majority with severe and moderate haemophilia A. Age and severity of disease were found to be main contributing factors in patients who developed inhibitors.
Lateral assembly of N-cadherin drives tissue integrity by stabilizing adherens junctions

Cadherin interactions ensure the correct registry and anchorage of cells during tissue formation. Along the plasma membrane, cadherins form inter-junctional lattices via cis- and trans-dimerization. While structural studies have provided models for cadherin interactions, the molecular nature of cadherin binding in vivo remains unexplored. We undertook a multi-disciplinary approach combining live cell imaging of three-dimensional cell assemblies (spheroids) with a computational model to study the dynamics of N-cadherin interactions. Using a loss-of-function strategy, we demonstrate that each N-cadherin interface plays a distinct role in spheroid formation. We found that cis-dimerization is not a prerequisite for trans-interactions, but rather modulates trans-interfaces to ensure tissue stability. Using a model of N-cadherin junction dynamics, we show that the absence of cis-interactions results in low junction stability and loss of tissue integrity. By quantifying the binding and unbinding dynamics of the N-cadherin binding interfaces, we determined that mutating either interface results in a 10-fold increase in the dissociation constant. These findings provide new quantitative information on the steps driving cadherin intercellular adhesion and demonstrate the role of cis-interactions in junction stability.
Enzymes of ureide synthesis in pea and soybean.

Soybean (Glycine max) and pea (Pisum sativum) differ in the transport of fixed nitrogen from nodules to shoots. The dominant nitrogen transport compounds for soybean are ureides, while amides dominate in pea. A possible enzymic basis for this difference was examined.The level of enzymes involved in the formation of the ureides allantoin and allantoic acid from inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) was compared in different tissues of pea and soybean. Two enzymes, 5'-nucleotidase and uricase, from soybean nodules were found to be 50- and 25-fold higher, respectively, than the level found in pea nodules. Other purine catabolizing enzymes (purine nucleosidase, xanthine dehydrogenase, and allantoinase) were found to be at the same level in the two species. From comparison of enzyme activities in nodules with those from roots, stems, and leaves, two enzymes were found to be nodule specific, namely uricase and xanthine dehydrogenase. The level of enzymes found in the bacteroids indicated no significant contribution of Rhizobium japonicum purine catabolism in the overall formation of ureides in the soybean nodule. The presence in the nodules of purine nucleosidase and ribokinase activities makes a recirculation of the ribose moiety possible. In concert with phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase, ribose becomes available for a new round of purine de novo synthesis, and thereby ureide formation.
LACK OF CONVERGENCE IN AQUATIC ANOLIS LIZARDS

Abstract Why convergent evolution occurs among some species occupying similar habitats but not among others is a question that has received surprisingly little attention. Caribbean Anolis lizards, known for their extensive convergent evolution among islands in the Greater Antilles, are an appropriate group with which to address this question. Despite the well-documented pattern of between-island convergence, some Greater Antillean anoles are not obviously part of the convergence syndrome. One example involves aquatic anoles—species that are found near to and readily enter streams—which have evolved independently twice in the Caribbean and also twice on mainland Central America. Despite being found in similar habitats, no previous study has investigated whether aquatic anoles represent yet another case of morphological convergence. We tested this hypothesis by collecting morphological data for seven aquatic anole species and 29 species from the six convergent types of Greater Antillean habitat specialists. We failed to find evidence for morphological convergence: the two Caribbean aquatic species are greatly dissimilar to each other and to the Central American species, which, however, may be convergent upon each other. We suggest two possible reasons for this lack of convergence in an otherwise highly convergent system: either there is more than one habitat type occupied by anoles in the proximity of water, or there is more than one way to adapt to a single aquatic habitat. We estimate that almost all of the 113 species of Greater Antillean anoles occupy habitats that are also used by distantly related species, but only 15% of these species are not morphologically similar to their distantly related ecological counterparts. Comparative data from other taxa would help enlighten the question of why the extent of convergence is so great in some lineages and not in others. Corresponding Editor: T. Smith
Vitamin B12 deficiency in the elderly.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to affect 10%-15% of people over the age of 60, and the laboratory diagnosis is usually based on low serum vitamin B12 levels or elevated serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels. Although elderly people with low vitamin B12 status frequently lack the classical signs and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, e.g. megaloblastic anemia, precise evaluation and treatment in this population is important. Absorption of crystalline vitamin B12 does not decline with advancing age. However, compared with the younger population, absorption of protein-bound vitamin B12 is decreased in the elderly, owing to a high prevalence of atrophic gastritis in this age group. Atrophic gastritis results in a low acid-pepsin secretion by the gastric mucosa, which in turn results in a reduced release of free vitamin B12 from food proteins. Furthermore, hypochlorhydria in atrophic gastritis results in bacterial overgrowth of the stomach and small intestine, and these bacteria may bind vitamin B12 for their own use. The ability to absorb crystalline vitamin B12 remains intact in older people with atrophic gastritis. The 1998 recommended daily allowance for vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms, but elderly people should try to obtain their vitamin B12 from either supplements or fortified foods (e.g. fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals) to ensure adequate absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Because the American food supply is now being fortified with folic acid, concern is increasing about neurologic exacerbation in individuals with marginal vitamin B12 status and high-dose folate intake.
Determinants of the Cost-Effectiveness of Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Malaria in Infants and Children

Background Trials of intermittent preventive treatment in infants (IPTi) and children (IPTc) have shown promising results in reducing malaria episodes but with varying efficacy and cost-effectiveness. The effects of different intervention and setting characteristics are not well known. We simulate the effects of the different target age groups and delivery channels, seasonal or year-round delivery, transmission intensity, seasonality, proportions of malaria fevers treated and drug characteristics. Methods We use a dynamic, individual-based simulation model of Plasmodium falciparum malaria epidemiology, antimalarial drug action and case management to simulate DALYs averted and the cost per DALY averted by IPTi and IPTc. IPT cost components were estimated from economic studies alongside trials. Results IPTi and IPTc were predicted to be cost-effective in most of the scenarios modelled. The cost-effectiveness is driven by the impact on DALYs, particularly for IPTc, and the low costs, particularly for IPTi which uses the existing delivery strategy, EPI. Cost-effectiveness was predicted to decrease with low transmission, badly timed seasonal delivery in a seasonal setting, short-acting and more expensive drugs, high frequencies of drug resistance and high levels of treatment of malaria fevers. Seasonal delivery was more cost-effective in seasonal settings, and year-round in constant transmission settings. The difference was more pronounced for IPTc than IPTi due to the different proportions of fixed costs and also different assumed drug spacing during the transmission season. The number of DALYs averted was predicted to decrease as a target five-year age-band for IPTc was shifted from children under 5 years into older ages, except at low transmission intensities. Conclusions Modelling can extend the information available by predicting impact and cost-effectiveness for scenarios, for outcomes and for multiple strategies where, for practical reasons, trials cannot be carried out. Both IPTi and IPTc are generally cost-effective but could be rendered cost-ineffective by characteristics of the setting, drug or implementation.
Optimizing Computer Representation and Computer Processing of Epistemic Uncertainty for Risk-Informed Decision Making: Finances etc.

Uncertainty is usually gauged by using standard statistical characteristics: mean, variance, correlation, etc. Then, we use the known values of these characteristics (or the known bounds on these values) to select a decision. Sometimes, it becomes clear that the selected characteristics do not always describe a situation well; then other known (or new) characteristics are proposed. A good example is description of volatility in finance: it started with variance, and now many descriptions are competing, all with their own advantages and limitations. In such situations, a natural idea is to come up with characteristics tailored to specific application areas: e.g., select the characteristic that maximize the expected utility of the resulting risk-informed decision making. With the new characteristics, comes the need to estimate them when the sample values are only known with interval uncertainty. Algorithms originally developed for estimating traditional characteristics can often be modified to cover new characteristics.
Non-Obtuse Remeshing with Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation

We present a novel remeshing algorithm that avoids triangles with small (acute) angles and those with large (obtuse) angles. Our solution is based on an extension of Centroidal Voronoi Tesselation (CVT). We augment the original CVT formulation with a penalty term that penalizes short Voronoi edges, while the CVT term helps to avoid small angles. Our results show significant improvements in remeshing quality over the state of the art.