Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms with diabetic retinopathy in Caucasians with type 2 diabetes

Background: Nitric oxide synthesized by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays a key role in the regulation of endothelial function, and controversial results regarding the association of eNOS gene polymorphisms with diabetic complications have been reported. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the relationship of the −786T/C, the VNTR intron 4 a/b and the 894G/T (Glu298Asp) polymorphisms in the eNOS gene with the presence or severity of diabetic retinopathy was analyzed in 630 Caucasian-Brazilians with type 2 diabetes (434 with and 196 without diabetic retinopathy). Genotyping of eNOS polymorphisms was carried out using the PCR or PCR-RFLP method, and haplotype frequencies were estimated using a Bayesian method. Results: Genotype and allele frequencies in patients with any degree of diabetic retinopathy or proliferative diabetic retinopathy were not significantly different from those of patients without this complication for all eNOS polymorphisms. Likewise, there were no differences in haplotype frequencies among diabetic patients with or without diabetic retinopathy (p values > 0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusion: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that the −786T/C, the VNTR intron 4 a/b and the 894G/T (Glu298Asp) polymorphisms in the eNOS gene play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes.
Role of Biotechnology in Stimulating Agribusiness R&D Investment in India

The seed industry is the most research-intensive agribusiness in India and over the last 15 years has had the fastest growth in research expenditure of any major agribusiness. In another paper (Pray & Nagarajan, 2012), we suggested that biotechnology could have been an important cause of research and development (R&D) intensity and growth in the seed industry. Promoters of biotechnology argue that it will stimulate R&D and innovation by providing technological opportunities to produce crop varieties that are more productive and have improved quality. Critics of biotech argue that genetically modified (GM) crops have not increased technological opportunity because the new crops are not more productive or are no more productive than crops developed through convention methods. They argue that the main impact of GM crops has been to increase the ability of major biotech firms to appropriate more money from their innovations because of the protection provided new traits through patents and the regulatory system. This may or may not lead to more research. The major biotech firms may do more research, but smaller firms may reduce their research because patents may be inaccessible and it may be difficult to move new technology through the regulatory system. As far as we know, no empirical research has been done on this issue. This article attempts to assess the impact of biotechnology on the Indian seed industry research. The next section describes the evolution of the Indian seed industry. Then we review previous literature on the determinants of Indian seed industry R&D and propose three hypotheses about how biotechnology may have influenced R&D in the Indian seed industry. Following that, we propose and test a simple econometric model of R&D using a unique R&D dataset from the Indian seed industry for the years 1987, 1994, 2005, and 2008/09. Finally, we discuss the implications of the empirical work for the issues raised in the previous paragraph and discuss the policy implications.
A Hybrid Course for Probability and Statistics for Engineers: An E-Readiness Study at Shahid Beheshti University

Probability and Statistics for Engineers covers verities of subjects in the set theory, the combinatory analysis, probability, statistics, and (in some universities) the stochastic processes. Since, course receives only 3 credits it has to be thought 3 hours/week. This overloading content along with time limitation make course as a challenging and difficult one for students. Also, many instructors, including the first author, found the course very challenging to teach. Two popular on-site and e-learning training systems do not provide any appropriate solution. This article suggests a hybrid training system, which combines some elements of both training systems to reduce the disadvantages of both systems. Readiness of such hybrid course is measured by preparedness of students for online activities. The readiness study at Shahid Beheshti University shows that Internet skills, self-directed learning, learner attitude toward e-learning, e-mail skills, and software ability of students are factors which are significantly affect readiness of students.
Incontinência urinária em idosos institucionalizados no Brasil: uma revisão integrativa

Este estudo teve como objetivo abordar os principais aspectos relacionados a incontinencia urinaria (IU) em idosos institucionalizados no Brasil, por meio de revisao integrativa de literatura. Em agosto de 2013, foram pesquisadas as bases de dados PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, SciELO, PAHO, MedCarib, CAPES e Google Academico, utilizando combinacoes dos termos "incontinencia urinaria", "idosos", "institucionalizados" e "Brasil". Apos aplicacao dos criterios de elegibilidade, selecionaram-se 11 trabalhos: nove artigos cientificos e duas dissertacoes de mestrado. A maior parte dos estudos foi do tipo seccional, realizado na Regiao Sul ou Sudeste, e com amostra menor que 100 individuos. A frequencia da IU variou entre 22 e 100%, ultrapassando 50% na maior parte das pesquisas, com acometimento maior no sexo feminino. A forma clinica mais comum foi a IU de esforco, seguida pela IU de urgencia, e o volume das perdas urinarias referido pelos residentes variou entre pequena e grande quantidade, sem predominância de nenhuma das categorias. O impacto da condicao na qualidade de vida do individuo e diverso, entre leve e elevado, mas parece ser menor que em idosos nao institucionalizados. Com base neste trabalho, conclui-se que a IU e um problema de saude frequente no âmbito asilar, que pode afetar a qualidade de vida do residente e se associar ao declinio da mobilidade e a funcao cognitiva. As pesquisas no Brasil, contudo, sao escassas e com amostra reduzida e, portanto, sao necessarios estudos com maior rigor metodologico que facilitem o planejamento de medidas adequadas de prevencao e tratamento, que visem reduzir os gastos sanitarios, a sobrecarga dos cuidadores e profissionais de saude e que permitam diminuir o impacto desta condicao na saude dos idosos institucionalizados.
A Novel, Sensitive Assay for Behavioral Defects in Parkinson's Disease Model Drosophila

Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder with the pathology of α-synuclein aggregation in Lewy bodies. Currently, there is no available therapy that arrests the progression of the disease. Therefore, the need of animal models to follow α-synuclein aggregation is crucial. Drosophila melanogaster has been researched extensively as a good genetic model for the disease, with a cognitive phenotype of defective climbing ability. The assay for climbing ability has been demonstrated as an effective tool for screening new therapeutic agents for Parkinson's disease. However, due to the assay's many limitations, there is a clear need to develop a better behavioral test. Courtship, a stereotyped, ritualized behavior of Drosophila, involves complex motor and sensory functions in both sexes, which are controlled by large number of neurons; hence, behavior observed during courtship should be sensitive to disease processes in the nervous system. We used a series of traits commonly observed in courtship and an additional behavioral trait—nonsexual encounters—and analyzed them using a data mining tool. We found defective behavior of the Parkinson's model male flies that were tested with virgin females, visible at a much younger age than the climbing defects. We conclude that this is an improved behavioral assay for Parkinson's model flies.
In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence for Active Brain Uptake of the GHB Analog HOCPCA by the Monocarboxylate Transporter Subtype 1

γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a recreational drug, a clinically prescribed drug in narcolepsy and alcohol dependence, and an endogenous substance that binds to both high- and low-affinity sites in the brain. For studying the molecular mechanisms and the biologic role of the GHB high-affinity binding sites, ligands with high and specific affinity are essential. The conformationally restricted GHB analog HOCPCA (3-hydroxycyclopent-1-enecarboxylic acid) is one such compound. The objective of this study was to investigate the transport of HOCPCA across the blood-brain barrier in vitro and in vivo and to investigate the hypothesis that HOCPCA, like GHB, is a substrate for the monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). For in vitro uptake studies, MCT1, -2, and -4 were recombinantly expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and the previously reported radioligand [3H]HOCPCA was used as substrate. HOCPCA inhibited the uptake of the endogenous MCT substrate l-[14C]lactate, and [3H]HOCPCA was shown to act as substrate for MCT1 and 2 (Km values in the low- to mid-millimolar range). Introducing single-point amino acid mutations into positions essential for MCT function supported that HOCPCA binds to the endogenous substrate pocket of MCTs. MCT1-mediated brain entry of HOCPCA (10 mg/kg s.c.) was further confirmed in vivo in mice by coadministration of increasing doses of the MCT inhibitor AR-C141990 [(R)-5-(3-hydroxypyrrolidine-1-carbonyl)-1-isobutyl-3-methyl-6-(quinolin-4-ylmethyl)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione], which inhibited brain penetration of HOCPCA in a dose-dependent manner (ID50 = 4.6 mg/kg). Overall, our study provides evidence that MCT1 is an important brain entry site for HOCPCA and qualifies for future in vivo studies with HOCPCA.
Too Much of a Good Thing? Trade-offs in Promotion and Prevention Focus

Different kinds of motivational orientations provide distinctive ways of perceiving the world, dealing with life’s inevitable slings and arrows, regulating challenges and opportunities, and creating success. In this chapter, we explore these differences in the two motivational systems outlined in regulatory focus theory—the promotion and prevention systems (Higgins, 1997). In particular, we discuss these systems in terms of the trade-offs in each; what are the benefits and costs of a strong promotion focus? What are the advantages and drawbacks of a strong prevention focus? We explore the trade-offs of each system with regard to three significant aspects of self-regulation and motivation: emotional experiences, the balance between commitment versus exploration, and performance. We conclude by discussing the importance of constraints on these systems for effective selfregulation and by suggesting avenues for future research.
The Invisible Hand of Dynamic Market Pricing

Walrasian prices, if they exist, have the property that one can assign every buyer some bundle in her demand set, such that the resulting assignment will maximize social welfare. Unfortunately, this assumes carefully breaking ties amongst different bundles in the buyer demand set. Presumably, the shopkeeper cleverly convinces the buyer to break ties in a manner consistent with maximizing social welfare. Lacking such a shopkeeper, if buyers arrive sequentially and simply choose some arbitrary bundle in their demand set, the social welfare may be arbitrarily bad. In the context of matching markets, we show how to compute dynamic prices, based upon the current inventory, that guarantee that social welfare is maximized. Such prices are set without knowing the identity of the next buyer to arrive. We also show that this is impossible in general (e.g., for coverage valuations), but consider other scenarios where this can be done. We further extend our results to Bayesian and bounded rationality models.
Conserved units of co-expression in bacterial genomes: an evolutionary insight into gene regulation

Genome-wide measurements of transcriptional activity in bacteria indicate that the transcription of successive genes is strongly correlated beyond the scale of operons. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly characterized and a systematic method for identifying local groups of co-transcribed genes is lacking. Here, we identify supra-operonic segments of consecutive genes by comparing gene proximity in thousands of bacterial genomes. Structurally, the segments are contained within micro-domains delineated by known nucleoid-associated proteins, and they contain operons with specific relative orientations. Functionally, the operons within a same segment are highly co-transcribed, even in the absence of regulatory factors at their promoter regions. Hence, operons with no common regulatory factor can be co-regulated if they share a regulatory factor at the level of segments. To rationalize these findings, we put forward the hypothesis supported by RNA-seq data that facilitated co-transcription, the feedback of transcription into itself involving only DNA and RNA-polymerases, may represent both an evolutionary primitive and a functionally primary mode of gene regulation.
Alcohol use in Denmark: A descriptive study on drinking contexts

Using data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey from 2005, we examined the contexts of alcohol use in Denmark in relation to gender and age. Among the 21,832 subjects invited to participate, 14,566 completed the survey. For the entire study population and restricted to heavy users (>21 standard drinks per week for males; >14 for females), we computed the prevalence of each age and gender group who indicated to drink alcohol in different drinking contexts. To compare the contexts for heavy use between age groups, we estimated prevalence ratios for each group compared to the 16–20-year-old age group, with adjustments for gender. Results showed that more than 68% of the study population drank alcohol in social contexts, such as at home with/visiting family and friends, or in party contexts. We found similar patterns among males and females; however, there was a predominance of males for drinking alcohol during work and leisure-times. The majority of heavy users also drank alcohol in social and party contexts. Among heavy users, drinking at home alone was eight times more prevalent among those aged 45–64 compared with those aged 16–20 years. We concluded that drinking contexts varied in relation to gender and age. Our findings provided useful insight into contexts for alcohol use in Denmark and will enable us to understand better some of the many aspects associated with alcohol use.
Beyond Restenosis: Five-Year Clinical Outcomes From Second-Generation Coronary Stent Trials

Background—In the first year after coronary stent implantation, clinical failures are driven mainly by procedural complications and restenosis, but the subsequent relative contributions of restenosis and disease progression to late failures are less clear. Methods and Results—We observed 1228 patients for 5 years after the implantation of stents as part of pivotal second-generation coronary stent trials. Clinical events of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and repeat hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome or congestive heart failure were attributed to the index stented (target) lesion or other distinct sites (either in the target or other coronary vessels) and further classified as procedural, restenosis, or nonrestenosis. During the first year the hazard rate was 18.3% for target-lesion events and 12.4% for events unrelated to the target lesion. After the first year the average annual hazard rate was 1.7% for target-lesion events and 6.3% for nontarget-lesion events. By the fifth year, restenosis events occurred in 20.3% of patients, whereas 30-day procedural complications or later nonrestenosis events occurred in 37.9%, including 11.4% who also experienced a restenosis event, for a combined cumulative event rate of 46.4%. Diabetes mellitus and multivessel disease were independently associated with increased risk for both restenosis and nonrestenosis events. Conclusion—In a low-risk clinical trial population, the clinical outcome beyond 1 year after stenting is determined by a high rate of events related to disease progression in segments other than the stented lesion, which itself remains relatively stable.
Prediction of hearing thresholds: Comparison of cortical evoked response audiometry and auditory steady state response audiometry techniques

The present study evaluated how well auditory steady state response (ASSR) and tone burst cortical evoked response audiometry (CERA) thresholds predict behavioral thresholds in the same participants. A total of 63 ears were evaluated. For ASSR testing, 100% amplitude modulated and 10% frequency modulated tone stimuli at a modulation frequency of 40Hz were used. Behavioral thresholds were closer to CERA thresholds than ASSR thresholds. ASSR and CERA thresholds were closer to behavioral thresholds at higher frequencies than at lower frequencies. Although predictions based on CERA thresholds are slightly more accurate than ASSR thresholds, the differences may not be clinically significant, particularly when the degree of individual variations is considered. Prediction of hearing thresholds became more accurate when hearing loss increased. Due to variations in prediction across participants, a single correction factor cannot be used. Other factors must be considered in selecting whether to use CERA or ASSR in predicting behavioral thresholds.
Disturbance of Cerebral Neuronal Migration following Congenital Parvovirus B19 Infection

Objective: We describe the clinical course of an infant who presented with severe fetal anemia and fetal hydrops following congenital parvovirus B19 infection before 16 gestational weeks. The fetus was treated by cordocentesis and intrauterine transfusion at 18 weeks. Results: The infant demonstrated mild unilateral ventriculomegaly on antenatal magnetic resonance imaging, and polymicrogyria and heterotopia on postnatal magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: This adds to the evidence in recent literature of central nervous system damage associated with congenital parvovirus B19 infection.
Canine Gouging: A Taboo Resurfacing in Migrant Urban Population

Cosmopolitan cities have become a pool of migrants from different parts of the world, who carry their cultural beliefs and superstitions with them around the globe. Canine gouging is a kind of infant oral mutilation (IOM) which is widely practiced among rural population of Africa where the primary tooth bud of the deciduous canine is enucleated. The belief is that the life threatening illnesses in children like vomiting, diarrhoea, and fevers are caused by worms which infest on tooth buds. This case report is of a 15-year-old Somalian born boy, who presented at the dental institute with intermittent pain in his lower right permanent canine which was associated with a discharging intra oral buccal sinus. The tooth was endodontically treated and then restored with composite. General dental practitioners need to be vigilant when encountered with tooth presenting unusual morphology, unilateral missing tooth, and shift in the midline due to early loss of deciduous/permanent canines. Identification of any such dental mutilation practice will need further counselling of the individual and family members. It is the duty of every dental professional to educate and safeguard the oral and dental health of general public.
Model‐based Prediction of Skid‐steer Robot Kinematics Using Online Estimation of Track Instantaneous Centers of Rotation

This paper presents a kinematic extended Kalman filter (EKF) designed to estimate the location of track instantaneous centers of rotation (ICRs) and aid in model‐based motion prediction of skid‐steer robots. Utilizing an ICR‐based kinematic model has resulted in impressive odometry estimates for skid‐steer movement in previous works, but estimation of ICR locations was performed offline on recorded data. The EKF presented here utilizes a kinematic model of skid‐steer motion based on ICR locations. The ICR locations are learned by the filter through the inclusion of position and heading measurements. A background on ICR kinematics is presented, followed by the development of the ICR EKF. Simulation results are presented to aid in the analysis of noise and bias susceptibility. The experimental platforms and sensors are described, followed by the results of filter implementation. Extensive field testing was conducted on two skid‐steer robots, one with tracks and another with wheels. ICR odometry using learned ICR locations predicts robot position with a mean error of −0.42 m over 40.5 m of travel during one tracked vehicle test. A test consisting of driving both vehicles approximately 1,000 m shows clustering of ICR estimates for the duration of the run, suggesting that ICR locations do not vary significantly when a vehicle is operated with low dynamics.
Predicting head-marking variability in Yucatec Maya relative clause production

abstract Recent proposals hold that the cognitive systems underlying language production exhibit computational properties that facilitate communicative efficiency, i.e., an efficient trade-off between production ease and robust information transmission. We contribute to the cross-linguistic evaluation of the communicative efficiency hypothesis by investigating speakers’ preferences in the production of a typologically rare head-marking alternation that occurs in relative clause constructions in Yucatec Maya. In a sentence recall study, we find that speakers of Yucatec Maya prefer to use reduced forms of relative clause verbs when the relative clause is more contextually expected. This result is consistent with communicative efficiency and thus supports its typological generalizability. We compare two types of cue to the presence of a relative clause, pragmatic cues previously investigated in other languages and a highly predictive morphosyntactic cue specific to Yucatec. We find that Yucatec speakers’ preferences for a reduced verb form are primarily conditioned on the more informative cue. This demonstrates the role of both general principles of language production and their language-specific realizations.
Amplitude and Phase Measurements of Scattered Fields for Quantitative Imaging in the W-band

This communication investigates a bi-static scattering measurement system for mm-Wave imaging purposes in the W-band (75-110 GHz). The main benefit of using millimeter waves is the high resolution provided by short wavelengths (2.7 to 4 mm). The specific interest in the W-band stems from the increasing number of applications. The system provides multi-frequency, multi-view (multiple receiver positions) data at a single incidence, as the emitter is fixed. In the context of future imaging applications, we seek high accuracy in the measurements. For this, we compare the experimental results obtained from two PEC cylinders with the analytic solution. Raw measurement data have been calibrated during postprocessing in order to account for misalignment errors and noise of the measurement system. Therefore the large cylinder is used as the reference target for deriving the calibration coefficients and the small cylinder is used as a test object. Averaged values of the signal-to-noise ratio over the W-band are 15.5 dB and 10 dB for the large and the small cylinder, respectively. Measurement results are used for the first time in W-band for quantitative imaging.