Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trade and the value of information under unawareness

The value of information and the possibility of speculation are examined in an environment with unawareness. Although agents have â€œcorrectâ€ prior beliefs about events they are aware of and have a clear understanding of their available actions and payoffs, their unawareness may lead them to commit information processing errors and to behave suboptimally. As a result, more information is not always valuable and agents can speculate with each other. We identify two specific information processing errors that are responsible for both problems. Moreover, we construct a dynamic model where agents announce their posteriors and update their awareness as soon as they hear a counterfactual announcement. We study how awareness is updated and whether agreement about posteriors is reached.
Thyroid, cortisol and growth hormone levels in adult Nigerians with metabolic syndrome

Introduction The similarities in presentation of cortisol excess, growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome suggest that subtle abnormalities of these endocrine hormones may play a causal role in the development of metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of cortisol, thyroid and growth hormones in adult Nigerians with metabolic syndrome and determine the relationship between levels of these hormones and components of the syndrome. Methods This was a case control study conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were fifty adult men and women with the metabolic syndrome, and fifty, age and sex matched males and females without the metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome was defined based on the NCEP-ATPIII criteria. Written Informed consent was obtained from the participants. Socio demographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Venous blood was collected after an over-night fast. The Ethics committee of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria, approved the study protocol. Comparison of continuous variables was done using the Student's t test. Correlation analysis was employed to determine the associations between variables. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results Triiodotyronine (T3) was significantly decreased (p<0.001) and thyroxine (T4 ) significantly increased ( p<0.001) in metabolic syndrome compared to healthy controls. T3 correlated positively and significantly with waist circumference (p=0.004), glucose (p= 0.002), total cholesterol ( p=0.001) and LDL- cholesterol ( p<0.001 ) and negatively with body mass index ( p<0.001 )and triglyceride ( p=0.026). T4 had a negative significant correlation with waist circumference (p=0.004). Cortisol and growth hormone levels were similar in metabolic syndrome and controls. Cortisol however had a positive significant correlation with waist/hip ratio (p<0.001) while growth hormone correlated positively with HDL ( p=0.023)and negatively with diastolic blood pressure (p=0.049). Conclusion Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 were associated with metabolic syndrome. The thyroid hormones, cortisol and growth hormones correlated with components of the syndrome. A therapeutic role may exit for these hormones in the management of metabolic syndrome and related disorders.
Colonic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: A Population-Based Analysis of Incidence and Survival

Objectives The incidence of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) located in the colon is rare. Current studies mainly focus on case reports for colonic GISTs. Therefore, a population-based analysis was useful to guide the clinical treatment strategy. Methods The patients were selected from 2000 to 2015 based on Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients' demographics, tumor characteristics, incidence, treatment, and survival were retrieved for analysis. Results 249 cases of colonic GISTs were collected. The male-female ratio was close to 1 : 1 (male 51.41%, female 48.59%). Most cases were Caucasians (70.28%), and African Americans accounted for 19.68%. Age of diagnosis ranged from 21 to 93 years with a median (mean) age of 67.5 (65.56). The incidence was rare, only 0.018 per 100,000. It had an annual percentage change (APC = −0.7728) without statistical significance (P = 0.5127) while the incidence of other GISTs increased from 2000 to 2015, with an annual percentage change of 3.9% (P = 0.0001). Surgery was associated with better prognosis whereas chemotherapy did not impact the survival rate. Conclusion Colonic GIST is a rare solid tumor, and the incidence is stable. The entity has a poorer prognosis than other GISTs. Surgery improved the survival rate, while chemotherapy did not.
Effects of combined radiofrequency radiation exposure on levels of reactive oxygen species in neuronal cells

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the combined RF radiation (837 MHz CDMA plus 1950 MHz WCDMA) signal on levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neuronal cells. Exposure of the combined RF signal was conducted at specific absorption rate values of 2 W/kg of CDMA plus 2 W/kg of WCDMA for 2 h. Co-exposure to combined RF radiation with either H2O2 or menadione was also performed. The experimental exposure groups were incubator control, sham-exposed, combined RF radiation-exposed with or without either H2O2 or menadione groups. The intracellular ROS level was measured by flow cytometry using the fluorescent probe dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Intracellular ROS levels were not consistently affected by combined RF radiation exposure alone in a time-dependent manner in U87, PC12 or SH-SY5Y cells. In neuronal cells exposed to combined RF radiation with either H2O2 or menadione, intracellular ROS levels showed no statically significant alteration compared with exposure to menadione or H2O2 alone. These findings indicate that neither combined RF radiation alone nor combined RF radiation with menadione or H2O2 influences the intracellular ROS level in neuronal cells such as U87, PC12 or SH-SY5Y.
Regulation of Plasmodium falciparum Development by Calcium-dependent Protein Kinase 7 (PfCDPK7)*

Background: Calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) regulate key processes in malaria parasite. However, the role of PfCDPK7 has remained unclear. Results: PfCDPK7 is an effector of PI(4,5)P2 and regulates key parasitic processes. Conclusion: PfCDPK7 is a target of PI(4,5)P2 and is critical for parasite development. Significance: The data provides novel insights into the role of PfCDPK7, a key kinase of P. falciparum. Second messengers such as phosphoinositides and calcium are known to control diverse processes involved in the development of malaria parasites. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and pathways need to be unraveled, which may be achieved by understanding the regulation of effectors of these second messengers. Calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) family members regulate diverse parasitic processes. Because CDPKs are absent from the host, these kinases are considered as potential drug targets. We have dissected the function of an atypical CDPK from Plasmodium falciparum, PfCDPK7. The domain architecture of PfCDPK7 is very different from that of other CDPKs; it has a pleckstrin homology domain adjacent to the kinase domain and two calcium-binding EF-hands at its N terminus. We demonstrate that PfCDPK7 interacts with PI(4,5)P2 via its pleckstrin homology domain, which may guide its subcellular localization. Disruption of PfCDPK7 caused a marked reduction in the growth of the blood stage parasites, as maturation of rings to trophozoites was markedly stalled. In addition, parasite proliferation was significantly attenuated. These findings shed light on an important role for PfCDPK7 in the erythrocytic asexual cycle of malaria parasites.
HARMONIC CALCULUS ON FRACTALS—A MEASURE GEOMETRIC APPROACH II

Riesz potentials of fractal measures µ in metric spaces and their inverses are introduced. They deﬁne self–adjoint operators in the Hilbert space L 2 ( µ ) and the former are shown to be compact. In the Euclidean case the corresponding spectral asymptotics are derived with Besov space methods. The inverses of the Riesz potentials are fractal pseudodiﬀerential operators. For the order two operator the spectral dimension coincides with the Hausdorﬀ dimension of the underlying fractal.
Prevalence of lean type 2 diabetes mellitus in recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Introduction: Obesity has always been thought to be a risk factor for diabetes; however, some studies in India have reported that even lean people are prone to diabetes. We conducted this study to see if this holds true for this part of the country. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of lean type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in recently diagnosed type 2 DM in Manipur. Materials and Methods: All recently diagnosed type 2 DM patients, within a period of 24 weeks, who attended the endocrine clinic of RIMS from Jan to Dec 2012 are included in the study. Exclusion criteria are patients with chronic diseases. Results: Out of the 181 recently diagnosed diabetics 3.9% had a BMI of <19 kg/m2 of which five are females (5.4% of female patients) and two are males (2.2% of male patients). Mean age of Lean diabetics is 54.86 ± 15.32, mean fasting glucose is 212 ± 105.5 mg% and mean postprandial glucose is 351.57 ± 167.79 mg%. DM complications were observed in 28.6% of the Lean diabetics. Conclusion: Our study shows a low prevalence rate of Lean DM in recently diagnosed type 2 DM.
Suppressor adherent cells in human tuberculosis.

Patients with newly diagnosed active pulmonary tuberculosis were divided into high and low responder groups on the basis of 3H-thymidine incorporation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB MNC) induced by tuberculin-purified protein derivative (PPD). The group of patients with low tuberculin responses was characterized by anergy to tuberculin skin testing and larger numbers of circulating monocytes than the high responders. The groups were comparable in the extent of pulmonary tuberculosis and other clinical parameters. PB MNC from tuberculin low responders had normal phytohemagglutinin (PHA) but depressed streptokinase-streptodornase (SKSD), Candida antigen, and tetanus toxoid-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation. Depletion of adherent cells resulted in a mean 24.4-fold enhancement of T lymphocyte responses to PPD in the low responders as compared to a 2.9-fold increase in the high responders. The low response of PB MNC from low responders to nonmycobacterial antigens was not similarly augmented by adherent cell depletion. Adding back graded numbers of adherent cells to purified T lymphocyte populations resulted in greater depression of the PPD-induced proliferative response to the tuberculin low responders when compared to the high responders. These studies provide evidence for circulating suppressor adherent cells in tuberculosis patients with diminished responsiveness to PPD in vitro. This immunosuppression is not mediated by adherent cell supernatant products, nor does it involve T lymphocyte labile during culture. However, complex cellular interactions, possibly involving suppressor T cells, are implicated by the restriction of this phenomenon to PPD-induced lymphocyte activation and the depression of the PB MNC responses to nonmycobacterial antigens. The suppressor adherent cells defined in these studies may be relevant as a cause or consequence of infection in a subset of patients with tuberculosis.
Bipolar disorder during adolescence and young adulthood in a community sample.

OBJECTIVES To compare the incidence and prevalence of bipolar disorder (BD) between adolescence and young adulthood; to explore the stability and consequences of adolescent BD in young adulthood; to determine the rate of switching from major depressive disorder (MDD) to BD; and to evaluate the significance of subsyndromal BD (SUB). METHODS A large, randomly selected community sample (n = 1,507) received diagnostic assessments twice during adolescence, and a stratified subset (n = 893) was assessed again at 24 years of age. In addition, direct interviews were conducted with all available first-degree relatives. Five mutually exclusive groups, based on diagnoses in adolescence, were compared: BD (n = 17), SUB (n = 48), MDD (n = 275), disruptive behavior disorder (n = 49), and no-disorder (ND) controls (n = 307). RESULTS Lifetime prevalence of BD was approximately 1% during adolescence and 2%, during young adulthood. Lifetime prevalence for SUB was approximately 5%. Less than 1%, of adolescents with MDD 'switched' to BD by age 24. Adolescents with BD had an elevated incidence of BD from 19 to 23 years, while adolescents with SUB exhibited elevated rates of MDD and anxiety disorders in young adulthood. BD and SUB groups both had elevated rates of antisocial symptoms and borderline personality symptoms. Compared to the ND group, adolescents with BD and SUB both showed significant impairment in psychosocial functioning and had higher mental-health treatment utilization at age 24 years of age. The relatives of adolescents with BD and SUB had elevated rates of MDD and anxiety disorders. The relatives of SUB probands had elevated BD, while the relatives of BD had elevated rates of SUB and borderline symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent BD showed significant continuity across developmental periods and was associated with adverse outcomes during young adulthood. Adolescent SUB was also associated with adverse outcomes in young adulthood, but was not associated with an increased incidence of BD. Due to high rates of comorbidity with other disorders, definitive conclusions regarding the specific clinical significance of SUB must await studies with larger numbers of 'pure' SUB cases.
Hormonal control of gastroesophageal-sphincter strength.

Abstract Because of the possibility that the esophagus is protected during periods of increased gastric acidity by more forceful contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter, pressures were measured during routine gastric analyses. After betazole hydrochloride was given, sphincter pressure consistently increased, but this rise was not due to the simple presence of acid in the stomach, for sphincter pressure decreased consistently when 0.1 N hydrochloric acid was instilled into the stomach of normal subjects. Conversely, increases in sphincter pressure were noted when alkali was placed into the stomachs of the same subjects. These results suggested a possible role of endogenous gastrin in stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Prompt, marked increases in sphincter pressure after subcutaneous injection of submaximal doses of gastrin-like pentapeptide indicate that regulation of lower esophageal sphincter pressure may be a physiologic action of gastrin.
Molecular Phylogeny and Conservation Priorities of the Subfamily Acheilognathinae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

It is increasingly accepted that conservation work should consider the evolutionary history of target species. Fishes in the subfamily Acheilognathinae, family Cyprinidae, are, with the exception of three species exclusively distributed in Europe, restricted to Asia and show a distinct spawning behavior in laying their eggs in gill chambers of freshwater mussels. At present, many of the 70 species recognized in this group are facing with serious population decline in China and Japan, and their phylogenetic relationships are not well resolved. In the present study, based on mtDNA cyt b and 12S rRNA gene sequences, we reconstructed a more detailed species-level phylogenetic tree of this group, and assessed species conservation priorities based on their evolutionary distinctiveness. Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that the Acheilognathinae contains two major clades: Acheilognathus clade and Tanakia-Rhodeus clade. Based on this phylogenetic result, conservation priority analyses were conducted using ED (evolutionary distinctiveness)/HED (heightened evolutionary distinctiveness), and EDGE (evolutionary distinctiveness and global endangeredness)/HEDGE (heightened evolutionary distinctiveness and global endangeredness) methods. The results suggested that T. himantegus, T. lanceolata, A. gracilis, A. imberbis, T. tanago, and A. longipinnis should be ranked as the top-priority species for conservation. According to our results, we also discussed the current conservation efforts of the bitterling fishes and gave suggestions for future work.
‘Friendship’ for fitness in chimpanzees?

It has been repeatedly suggested that primates trade social services for fitness benefits in their relationships with the opposite sex. We tested this proposal in a colony of captive chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, by examining behavioural data on grooming, agonistic support and food sharing in relation to genetically established paternity. We found no support for the notion of trade. First, males did not sire more offspring with females that they actively groomed more frequently, that they supported more often or with which they shared food more frequently. Correspondingly, females did not give birth to more offspring sired by males from which they received more services. Second, males that showed more affiliative behaviour towards females in general did not sire more progeny. Furthermore, females did not bear more offspring sired by males to which they themselves directed more sociopositive behaviour. Results from this captive colony are compatible with those reported for chimpanzees under natural conditions. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Changes in Avidity and Level of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Sera of Patients Undergoing Treatment for Pulmonary Tuberculosis

ABSTRACT Much is known about specific antibodies and their titers in patients with tuberculosis. However, little is known about the avidity of these antibodies or whether changes in avidity occur during the progression of the disease or during treatment. The aims of this study were to determine the avidity of antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, to explore the value of avidity determination for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, and to study changes in levels of antibodies and their avidity during treatment. Antibody avidity was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with thiocyanate elution. Avidity indices and serum levels of immunoglobulin G to M. tuberculosis were determined for 22 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and during treatment and for 24 patients with other pulmonary diseases. Antibody levels and avidity were both significantly higher in untreated tuberculosis patients than in the controls. Avidity determination had more diagnostic potential than determination of the antibody levels. Tuberculosis patients with a long duration of symptoms had higher antibody avidity than those with a recent onset of symptoms, indicating affinity maturation of specific antibodies during active disease. In the early phase of treatment, a decrease in antibody avidity was observed for 73% of all tuberculosis patients, accompanied by an initial increase in antibody levels in 36% of these patients. These phenomena could be explained by an intense stimulation of the humoral response by antigens released from killed bacteria, reflecting early bactericidal activity of antituberculous drugs leading to the production of low-affinity antibodies against these released antigens.
Phosphorylation Sites in the Autoinhibitory Domain Participate in p70s6k Activation Loop Phosphorylation*

Here we have employed p70s6ktruncation and point mutants to elucidate the role played by the carboxyl-terminal autoinhibitory domain S/TP phosphorylation sites in kinase activation. Earlier studies showed that truncation of the p70s6k amino terminus severely impaired kinase activation but that this effect was reversed by deleting the carboxyl terminus, which in parallel led to deregulation of Thr229 phosphorylation in the activation loop (Dennis, P. B., Pullen, N., Kozma, S. C., and Thomas, G. (1996)Mol. Cell. Biol. 16, 6242–6251). In this study, substitution of acidic residues for the four autoinhibitory domainS/TP sites mimics the carboxyl-terminal deletion largely by rescuing kinase activation caused by the amino-terminal truncation. However, these mutations do not deregulate Thr229phosphorylation, suggesting the involvement of another regulatory element in the intact kinase. This element appears to be Thr389 phosphorylation, because substitution of an acidic residue at this position in the p70s6k variant containing the S/TP mutations leads to a large increase in basal Thr229 phosphorylation and kinase activity. In contrast, an alanine substitution at Thr389 blocks both responses. Consistent with these data, we show that a mutant harboring the acidicS/TP and Thr389 substitutions is an excellentin vitro substrate for the newly identified Thr229 kinase, phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (Pullen, N., Dennis, P. B., Andjelkovic, M., Dufner, A., Kozma, S., Hemmings, B. A., and Thomas, G. (1998)Science 279, 707–710), whereas phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 poorly utilizes the two p70s6k variants that have only one set of mutations. These findings indicate that phosphorylation of the S/TP sites, in cooperation with Thr389 phosphorylation, controls Thr229 phosphorylation through an intrasteric mechanism.
Patterns and predictors of sexual activity among women in the Hormone Therapy trials of the Women's Health Initiative

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the patterns and predictors of sexual activity in the Hormone Therapy (HT) Trials of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Methods:Sexual activity questions were administered to 27,347 women ages 50 to 79 years at baseline and at year 1 and to a random 8.6% subsample at years 3 and 6. The associations with demographic and health characteristics were determined. Results:Sexual activity at baseline was 60.7%, 44.9%, and 28.2% in the 50- to 59-, 60- to 69-, and 70- to 79-year-old age groups, respectively. Most of the participants were satisfied with their current sexual activity (63.2%). Of those dissatisfied, 57% preferred more sexual activity. Vaginal atrophy correlated with sexual inactivity at baseline (P < 0.001). The correlates associated with stopping sexual activity at year 1 included poor/fair self-rated health, lack of satisfaction with quality of life, depression, and loss of partner (P < 0.001). The strongest predictor of sexual activity at year 1 was sexual activity at baseline (odds ratio, 96.71; 95% CI, 81.90-114.20). A subset analysis of women adherent with HT or placebo at years 3 and 6 suggested that HT was associated with a higher percentage of participants reporting sexual activity (P = 0.01). Conclusions:Most women in the WHI HT Trials were satisfied with their sexual activity. Of those who were dissatisfied, the majority preferred more, rather than less, sexual activity. Vaginal atrophy at baseline correlated with sexual inactivity, and sexual activity at baseline was the strongest identified predictor of sexual activity at year 1. HT use was not predictive of ongoing sexual activity in the intent-to-treat analysis. This report further characterizes the participants in the WHI HT trials and reveals the complexity of factors related to the prevalence of sexual activity and satisfaction.