Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calcitriol is a potent inhibitor of retinal neovascularization.

PURPOSE Vitamin D compounds inhibit the growth of a variety of tumors in preclinical and clinical studies. Among the mechanisms suggested for this inhibition is antiangiogenesis. Retinal angiogenesis is the basis for vision loss in several major blinding diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiangiogenic activity of calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)) in vivo and its effect on retinal endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration, and capillary morphogenesis in vitro. METHODS The mouse oxygen-induced ischemic retinopathy (OIR) model was used to assess the antiangiogenic activity of calcitriol. Ocular VEGF levels were determined by Western blot analysis of whole eye extracts from postnatal day (P) 15 mice during OIR. The effects of calcitriol on retinal EC proliferation, migration, and capillary morphogenesis were also assessed in vitro. RESULTS Calcitriol-treated animals demonstrated a significant decrease in retinal neovascularization compared with control animals. This effect was dose dependent, and retinal neovascularization was significantly inhibited in calcitriol-treated mice. Although no deaths occurred, calcitriol administration was associated with increased serum calcium and a lack of increase in body weight in a dose-independent manner. The ocular level of VEGF was similar in control and calcitriol-treated animals. At a lower concentration of calcitriol, retinal EC capillary morphogenesis in solubilized basement membrane was inhibited without a significant inhibitory effect on EC proliferation and migration. The concentration of calcitriol required to inhibit retinal EC proliferation was significantly higher than that required to inhibit EC capillary morphogenesis. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest calcitriol is a potent inhibitor of retinal neovascularization and may be of benefit in the treatment of a variety of eye diseases with a neovascular component.
Using data assimilation to identify diffuse recharge mechanisms from chemical and physical data in the unsaturated zone

It is difficult to estimate groundwater recharge in semiarid environments, where precipitation and evapotranspiration nearly balance. In such environments, groundwater supplies are sensitive to small changes in the processes that control recharge. Numerical modeling provides the temporal resolution needed to analyze these processes but is highly sensitive to model errors. Natural chloride tracer measurements in the unsaturated zone provide more robust indicators of low recharge rates but yield estimates at coarse time scales that mask most control mechanisms. This study presents a new probabilistic approach for analyzing diffuse recharge in semiarid environments, with an application to study sites in the U.S. southern High Plains. The approach uses data assimilation to combine model predictions and chloride‐based recharge estimates. It has the advantage of providing probability distributions rather than point values for uncertain soil and vegetation properties. These can then be used to quantify recharge uncertainty. Estimates of moisture flux time series indicate that percolation (or potential recharge) at the data sites is episodic and exhibits interannual variability. Most percolation occurs during intense rains when crop roots are not fully developed and there is ample antecedent soil moisture. El Niño events can contribute to interannual variability of recharge if they bring rainy winters that provide wet antecedent conditions for spring precipitation. Data assimilation methods that combine modeling and chloride observations provide the high temporal resolution information needed to identify mechanisms controlling diffuse recharge and offer a way to examine the effects of land use change and climatic variability on groundwater resources.
Linked Data - The Story So Far

The term “Linked Data” refers to a set of best practices for publishing and connecting structured data on the Web. These best practices have been adopted by an increasing number of data providers over the last three years, leading to the creation of a global data space containing billions of assertions— the Web of Data. In this article, the authors present the concept and technical principles of Linked Data, and situate these within the broader context of related technological developments. They describe progress to date in publishing Linked Data on the Web, review applications that have been developed to exploit the Web of Data, and map out a research agenda for the Linked Data community as it moves forward.
Bronchiectasis in pediatric AIDS.

OBJECTIVES There are several reports of the pulmonary findings in children with HIV disease; however, the occurrence of bronchiectasis rarely has been noted. We evaluated occurrence of bronchiectasis in a large group of children referred to us with AIDS pneumopathy. METHODS From January 1984 to April 1996, 203 children with AIDS and respiratory problems were referred to the pediatric pulmonary division at Children's Medical Center of Brooklyn. Medical records for 164 of these children were available and retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Uncomplicated pneumonia was present in 75, 24 had recurrent pneumonia, and 18 had unresolved pneumonia; lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis (LIP) was diagnosed in 47 patients, worsening with time in all patients. Bronchiectasis was observed in 26 patients (26/164, 15.8%), diagnosed by chest radiograph in 26 (26/26, 100%), confirmed by CT scan of chest in 10 (10/26, 38.4%), and by histology in three (3/26, 11.5%). Median age at time of diagnosis of bronchiectasis was 7.5 years (range, 1 to 16 years). Sixteen children with LIP developed bronchiectasis (16/47, 34.0%). Three patients with recurrent pneumonia (3/24, 12.5%) developed bronchiectasis. Five patients with unresolved pneumonia (5/18, 27.7%) developed bronchiectasis. One infant developed bronchiectasis after Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; another child developed bronchiectasis after P. carinii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis pneumonia. The CD4+ T-cell counts measured within 6 months of diagnosis of bronchiectasis were available in 23/26 patients and, all were < 100 cells per cubic millimeter. CONCLUSION We conclude, from our experience, that there is a significant occurrence of bronchiectasis in children with AIDS and pulmonary disease, especially in children developing LIP, recurrent pneumonia and unresolved pneumonia, and CD4+ T-cell counts < 100 cells per cubic millimeter.
Biopolymers Regulate Silver Nanoparticle under Microwave Irradiation for Effective Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities

In the current study, facile synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and sodium alginate capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was examined using microwave radiation and aniline as a reducing agent. The biopolymer matrix embedded nanoparticles were synthesized under various experimental conditions using different concentrations of biopolymer (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2%), volumes of reducing agent (50, 100, 150 μL), and duration of heat treatment (30 s to 240 s). The synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for identification of AgNPs synthesis, crystal nature, shape, size, and type of capping action. In addition, the significant antibacterial efficacy and antibiofilm activity of biopolymer capped AgNPs were demonstrated against different bacterial strains, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 740 and Escherichia coli MTCC 9492. These results confirmed the potential for production of biopolymer capped AgNPs grown under microwave irradiation, which can be used for industrial and biomedical applications.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Natural Recombinant Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Isolated from a Pig Farm in Yunnan Province, Southwest China

ABSTRACT YN-2011 is a highly pathogenic North American porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Unlike previously described PRRSVs, which contained a 30-amino-acid deletion in NS2, YN-2011 had no amino acid deletions or insertions but had several new mutations in NS2. Here, we announce the complete genome sequence of YN-2011.
Situational influences on reported musical preference.

This study investigated the ways in which musical preferences might vary with the listening situation. Independent groups of subjects were presented with a verbal description of 1 of 17 different music listening situations and asked to rate the importance of 27 musical descriptors, if they were to like the music experienced in that situation. Although ratings were consistent within situations, the results showed that different musical descriptors were preferred for different proposed listening situations, with some indication that preference for specific musical descriptors is positively related to the degree to which they augmented the affective qualities of the listening situation. A factor analysis yielded several factors which underlay responses to the musical descriptors; these might be interpreted as representing arousal, sensuality, melancholia, spirituality, nostalgia, and sophistication. A second factor analysis of ratings assigned between the 17 situations yielded situational factors that were salient in subjects' ratings; these might be interpreted as representing activity, localized subdued behavior, spirituality, and social constraint. These results indicate that musical preferences are associated with the listening environment.
First and Second Order Statistics Features for Classification of Magnetic Resonance Brain Images

In literature, features based on First and Second Order Statistics that characterizes textures are used for classification of images. Features based on statistics of texture provide far less number of relevant and distinguishable features in comparison to existing methods based on wavelet transformation. In this paper, we investigated performance of texture-based features in comparison to wavelet-based features with commonly used classifiers for the classification of Alzheimer’s disease based on T2-weighted MRI brain image. The performance is evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, training and testing time. Experiments are performed on publicly available medical brain images. Experimental results show that the performance with First and Second Order Statistics based features is significantly better in comparison to existing methods based on wavelet transformation in terms of all performance measures for all classifiers.
An EM Algorithm for Markov Modulated Markov Processes

An expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for estimating the parameter of a Markov modulated Markov process in the maximum likelihood sense is developed. This is a doubly stochastic random process with an underlying continuous-time finite-state homogeneous Markov chain. Conditioned on that chain, the observable process is a continuous-time finite-state nonhomogeneous Markov chain. The generator of the observable process at any given time is determined by the state of the underlying Markov chain at that time. The parameter of the process comprises the set of generators for the underlying and conditional Markov chains. The proposed approach generalizes an earlier approach by Ryden for estimating the parameter of a Markov modulated Poisson process.
Photonic Bandgap–Cholesteric Device with Electrical Tunability and Optical Tristability in Its Defect Modes

This study proposes a hybrid structure for a one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal (PC) comprising a tristable cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) as the defect layer. The CLC exhibits three optically stable states: the Grandjean planar (P), focal conic (FC), and uniform lying helix (ULH) configurations. Specifically, the reflection band of the CLC is set within the photonic bandgap (PBG) of the 1D PC. While the ULH and the FC states can be regarded as the light-on and light-off states for defect-mode peaks in the visible spectrum, respectively, switching the device from the ULH to the P state enables suppression of the transmission of partial defect modes within the PBG. This device possesses many alluring features, such as optical tristability at null applied voltage and transmission tunability of the defect modes, providing a new pathway for the design of multifunctional and energy-efficient optical switches, light shutters, multichannels, and wavelength selectors.
Coping with social capital? The cultural economy of tourism in the North.

This article engages critically with recent social theorising about local development, with illustrative examples from Icelandic peripheral settings. People in resource–based localities have attempted to cope with the transformations of late modernity in various ways. Such coping strategies consist of reflexive social practices which simultaneously produce and make use of social capital. A view of social capital as embedded in practice is advanced: instead of considering it as being a quantitatively measurable property of individuals, communities or even nations, we suggest a qualitative, interactionist approach. Seen in this way, the analytical concepts of coping and social capital are helpful for understanding current trends from resource–based towards cultural economies. Tourism is one such trajectory which has become particularly significant in Iceland. Examples of coping and social capital are provided in the article, obtained from the authors’ studies of tourist operators in two Icelandic localities.
Development of stealth liposome coencapsulating doxorubicin and fluoxetine

Stealth liposomes form an important subset of liposomes, demonstrating prolonged circulation half-life and improved safety in vivo. Caelyx® (liposomal doxorubicin; Merck & Co., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA) is a successful example of the application of stealth liposomes in anticancer treatment. However, multidrug resistance (MDR) to chemotherapy still remains a critical problem, accounting for more than 90% of treatment failure in patients with advanced cancer. To circumvent MDR, fluoxetine and doxorubicin were tested in combination for synergistic activity in MCF-7 (human breast carcinoma) and MCF-7/adr (doxorubicin-resistant human breast carcinoma) cells using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell-viability assay. Coencapsulation of doxorubicin and fluoxetine, using an ammonium sulphate gradient, was investigated, and a factorial experiment was designed to determine the optimal drug-to-lipid (D/L) ratio for coencapsulation. Drug release from Dox-Flu-SL (stealth liposome coencapsulating doxorubicin and fluoxetine) under both in vitro and in vivo conditions was determined. In MCF-7 cells, synergism was demonstrated at specific doxorubicin:fluoxetine ratios of between 0.09 and 0.5 (molar ratio), while MCF/7/adr cells demonstrated synergism across all drug ratios. Coencapsulation of doxorubicin and fluoxetine (Dox-Flu-SL) was successfully achieved (optimal doxorubicin:fluoxetine:lipid molar ratio of 0.02:0.05:1), obtaining a mean concentration of 257 ± 12.1 and 513 ± 29.3 µM for doxorubicin and fluoxetine, respectively. Most important, Dox-Flu-SL demonstrated drug release in synergistic ratios in cell-culture media, accounting for the improved cytotoxicity of Dox-Flu-SL over liposomal doxorubicin (LD) in both MCF-7 and MCF-7/adr cells. Pharmacokinetic studies also revealed that Dox-Flu-SL effectively prolonged drug-circulation time and reduced tissue biodistribution. Dox-Flu-SL presents a promising anticancer formulation, capable of effective reversal of drug resistance, and may constitute a novel approach for cancer therapy.
The American Dream in Russia: Extrinsic Aspirations and Well-Being in Two Cultures

Recent research in the United States suggests that individuals who strongly value extrinsic goals (e.g., fame, wealth, image) relative to intrinsic goals (e.g., personal growth, relatedness, community) experience less well-being. This study examines such goals in university samples from two cultures—the United States and Russia. Participants (N = 299) rated the importance, expectancies, and current attainment of 15 life goals, including 4 target intrinsic and 4 target extrinsic goals. Results confirmed the relevance of the intrinsic-extrinsic distinction for both samples and that stronger importance and expectancies regarding extrinsic goals were negatively related to well-being, although these effects were weaker for Russian women. Furthermore, for both men and women, perceived attainment of intrinsic goals was associated with greater well-being, whereas this was not the case for perceived attainment of extrinsic goals.
Relative Industry Concentration and Customer-Driven IT Spillovers

We examine how one industry's productivity is affected by the IT capital of its customers and how this effect depends on industries' relative concentration. These customer-driven IT spillovers result from customers' IT investments in various information systems that reduce transaction costs through information sharing and coordination and lead to more efficient production and logistics upstream. The magnitude of IT spillovers depends on relative industry concentration because customers in more concentrated industries relative to those of their suppliers are better able to retain the benefits from their IT investments. We model customer-driven effects based on production theory and empirically test the model using two industry-level data sets covering different and overlapping time periods (1987--1999 and 1998--2005), different scopes of the economy (manufacturing only versus all industries), and different levels of industry aggregation. We find that, given an increase in a downstream industry's IT capital, there is a significant increase in downstream industry output as well as significant increases in upstream industry output. Moreover, the magnitude of IT spillovers is related to relative industry concentration: A 1% decrease in a customer's relative industry concentration increases spillovers by roughly 1%. Thus, further increases in IT capital can be justified along the supply chain, and an industry's relative concentration---which can reflect market power---in part determines the distribution of productivity benefits.
Effects of Peer Supports on Conduct Behavior and Withdrawal of Adolescence : Focusing on Mediating Effect of Negative Automatic Thoughts

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of peer sup port on conduct behavior and withdrawal and to investigate the mediating effect of negative automatic thought. The subjects included 461 students(boys 51%, girls 49%) from the 1st to 3rd grades of middle school in Seoul. Conduct behavior and withdrawal was measured by the Korean Youth Self Report and the Conners-Wells’-Adolescent Self Report Scales. Ne gative automatic thoughts were measured by the Korean Children Youth Automatic Thoughts Scale. Using Amos 20, structural equation modeling was conducted. The findings of the structural equation modeling was that peer support had an impac t on conduct behavior and withdrawal. Peer support contributed to a reduction of negative automatic thoughts. Negative automatic thoughts had a mediating effect between peer support and withdrawal or conduct. We suggest that peer support affects conduct behavior and withdrawal through negative automatic thought. We also found gender differences; compared with girls, boys received less support from peers. They also had lower levels of negative automatic thoughts and withdrawal than girls. The further study should be considered to provide more correlation factors of peer support.
Early magnesium modifications as a surrogate marker of efficacy of cetuximab-based anticancer treatment in KRAS wild-type advanced colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND KRAS wild-type mutational status is necessary but not sufficient to get benefit from epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition. Predictive markers are currently being evaluated. In this study, we investigated early hypomagnesemia as a predictor of efficacy and outcome in terms of time to progression (TtP) and overall survival (OS) in a cohort of patients affected by advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma KRAS wild-type cetuximab-treated. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and forty-three patients affected by stage IV colorectal adenocarcinoma KRAS wild type receiving cetuximab + irinotecan (CTX+IRI) as third-line anticancer treatment and resistant to oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy were retrospectively included. Magnesium plasma levels were measured before the first day and 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after CTX+IRI infusion. RESULTS The median magnesium basal value showed a statistically significant decrease after the start of CTX+IRI treatment (at 28 days, P < 0.0001). Patients with an early decrease of magnesium levels >50% compared with the basal level had a higher tumor response rate (55.8% versus 16.7%, P < 0.0001), a longer TtP (6.3 versus 3.6, P < 0.0001) and a longer median OS (11.0 versus 8.1, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS We have shown that early hypomagnesemia could be a predictor of efficacy and outcome in those patients. Magnesium circulating level is an easy and inexpensive biomarker to routinely be detected in patients treated with cetuximab.
Implementation of a group-based physical activity programme for ageing adults with ID: a process evaluation.

RATIONALE, AIM AND OBJECTIVES This paper describes the results of the process evaluation of a physical activity programme for people with intellectual disabilities (ID), including information about the concepts 'fidelity', 'dose delivered', 'satisfaction' and 'context'. METHODS Qualitative and quantitative methods among participants and programme leaders were used. RESULTS The programme was well accepted, feasible and applicable to ageing people with ID. It was successfully implemented in terms of fidelity and dose delivered, although differences between day-activity centres were observed. CONCLUSIONS The hampering factors that are revealed in this study and the facilitating activities that were part of the implementation plan may be used by care provider services for (ageing) people with ID and other groups of people with cognitive and/or physical deficits, such as frail elderly people or people with dementia when developing and or preparing implementation of health promotion programmes.
Factors Critical to Iontophoretic Assessment of Vascular Reactivity: Implications for Clinical Studies of Endothelial Dysfunction

Skin microvascular responses to iontophoresis of acetylcholine, an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, and sodium nitroprusside, an endothelium-independent vasodilator, were measured using a laser Doppler imager whose software controlled iontophoretic current delivery in an integrated fashion. A novel feature involved monitoring voltage across the iontophoresis chambers during current application (total charge: 8 mC). Both drugs elicited vasodilatation but with differing magnitudes and time courses, whereas current delivery with only vehicle (0.5% NaCl) present was ineffective. During drug delivery a three-to fourfold difference in calculated skin resistance was observed between subjects, with higher resistance being associated with lower dilator responses to both drugs. There was a significant (p < 0.0001) linear inverse correlation between perfusion.time and resistance.time integrals for both acetylcholine (r = −0.86) and sodium nitroprusside (r = −0.96). This was corrected in individual subjects by multiplying individual perfusion values by the resistance.time integral, which reduced response variability. Cyclooxygenase inhibition by aspirin apparently attenuated acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside vasodilator responses but after correcting for skin resistance there was no longer any difference. Monitoring voltage across the iontophoretic circuit is critical, as effective drug delivery in individual subjects is influenced by the circuit resistance that can be corrected for. These findings have implications for clinical studies that use the iontophoresis technique for assessing vascular function.