Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring cultural justifications for caregiving in African American and White caregivers

Objectives This report will elucidate the psychometric properties of the Cultural Justifications for Caregiving Scale (CJCS) and evaluate the differences in cultural values and demographic variables among a group of African American and White caregivers. The CJCS measures the cultural reasons for and expectations about providing care to an older relative. Methods CJCS data were collected from 202 adults caring for an older relative with memory loss. The factor structure of the CJCS was analyzed for reliability and its correlation with other measures pertaining to the caregiving experience. Results Exploratory factor analyses suggested two underlying factors relating to Duty and Reciprocity with high levels of reliability. The two factors showed different correlational patterns with other measures associated with the caregiving experience (CG demographics and well-being). Discussion Findings provide further evidence that the CJCS is a reliable measure for use with African American and White caregivers. Moreover, cultural motivations to provide care may differ for ethnically diverse CGs based on religious backgrounds and beliefs about family expectations surrounding the care of loved ones. The application of the CJCS is also discussed.
A multiscale model of adaptation and spatial vision for realistic image display

In this paper we develop a computational model of adaptation and spatial vision for realistic tone reproduction. The model is based on a multiscale representation of pattern, luminance, and color processing in the human visual system. We incorporate the model into a tone reproduction operator that maps the vast ranges of radiances found in real and synthetic scenes into the small fixed ranges available on conventional display devices such as CRT’s and printers. The model allows the operator to address the two major problems in realistic tone reproduction: wide absolute range and high dynamic range scenes can be displayed; and the displayed images match our perceptions of the scenes at both threshold and suprathreshold levels to the degree possible given a particular display device. Although in this paper we apply our visual model to the tone reproduction problem, the model is general and can be usefully applied to image quality metrics, image compression methods, and perceptually-based image synthesis algorithms. CR Categories: I.3. 0 [Computer Graphics]: General;
Progress and Promise of Genome-Wide Association Studies for Human Complex Trait Genetics

Enormous progress in mapping complex traits in humans has been made in the last 5 yr. There has been early success for prevalent diseases with complex phenotypes. These studies have demonstrated clearly that, while complex traits differ in their underlying genetic architectures, for many common disorders the predominant pattern is that of many loci, individually with small effects on phenotype. For some traits, loci of large effect have been identified. For almost all complex traits studied in humans, the sum of the identified genetic effects comprises only a portion, generally less than half, of the estimated trait heritability. A variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain why this might be the case, including untested rare variants, and gene–gene and gene–environment interaction. Effort is currently being directed toward implementation of novel analytic approaches and testing rare variants for association with complex traits using imputed variants from the publicly available 1000 Genomes Project resequencing data and from direct resequencing of clinical samples. Through integration with annotations and functional genomic data as well as by in vitro and in vivo experimentation, mapping studies continue to characterize functional variants associated with complex traits and address fundamental issues such as epistasis and pleiotropy. This review focuses primarily on the ways in which genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revolutionized the field of human quantitative genetics.
Cemento-ossifying Fibroma of the Mandible: A Benign but Potentially Destructive Tumor

Cemento-ossifying fibroma (COF) is a benign fibro-osseous tumor containing variable amount of mineralized tissue resembling bone or cementum. Microscopically it exhibits actively proliferating fibroblasts with varied cellular pleomorphism and mitotic activity. We present a case of a woman referred for eva luation of bony swelling in the lower half of the face. The mass had first appeare d 3 years ago and was growing larger. The clinical, radiological, histopathology and the successful surgical management of the case is discussed here.
Power Analysis for Real-Time PCR Quantification of Genes in Activated Sludge and Analysis of the Variability Introduced by DNA Extraction

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to determine the power of discrimination of the real-time PCR assay for monitoring fluctuations in microbial populations within activated sludge and to identify sample processing points where methodological changes are needed to minimize the variability in target quantification. DNA was extracted using a commercially available kit from mixed liquor samples taken from the aeration tank of four bench-scale activated-sludge reactors operating at 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-day solid retention times, with mixed-liquor volatile suspended solid (MLVSS) values ranging from 260 to 2,610 mg/liter. Real-time PCR assays for bacterial and Nitrospira 16S rRNA genes were chosen because they represent, respectively, a highly abundant and a less-abundant bacterial target subject to clustering within the activated sludge matrix. The mean coefficient of variation in DNA yields (measured as microgram of DNA per milligram of MLVSS) in triplicate extractions of 12 different samples was 12.2%. Based on power analyses, the variability associated with DNA extraction had a small impact on the overall variability of the real-time PCR assay. Instead, a larger variability was associated with the PCR assay. The less-abundant target (Nitrospira 16S rRNA gene) had more variability than the highly abundant target (bacterial 16S rRNA gene), and samples from the lower-biomass reactors had more variability than samples from the higher-biomass reactors. Power analysis of real-time PCR assays indicated that three to five samples were necessary to detect a twofold increase in bacterial 16S rRNA genes, whereas three to five samples were required to detect a fivefold increase in Nitrospira 16S rRNA genes.
Homepage Search in Blog Collections

A blog homepage consists of many individual blog postings. Current blog search services focus on retrieving postings but there is also a need to identify relevant blog homepages. In this paper, we investigate the properties of blog collections and describe the differences between blog homepage searches and general web page searches. We also introduce and evaluate a variety of approaches for blog homepage search. Our results show that noise reduction and the appropriate combination of techniques can achieve significant improvements in retrieval performance compared to a baseline approach and a traditional named page finding approach for general web pages.
Flecainide reduces Ca2+ spark and wave frequency via inhibition of the sarcolemmal sodium current

Aims Ca2+ waves are thought to be important in the aetiology of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. There have been conflicting results regarding whether flecainide reduces Ca2+ waves in isolated cardiomyocytes. We sought to confirm whether flecainide inhibits waves in the intact cardiomyocyte and to elucidate the mechanism. Methods and results We imaged spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release events in healthy adult rat cardiomyocytes. Variation in stimulation frequency was used to produce Ca2+ sparks or waves. Spark frequency, wave frequency, and wave velocity were reduced by flecainide in the absence of a reduction of SR Ca2+ content. Inhibition of INa via alternative pharmacological agents (tetrodotoxin, propafenone, or lidocaine) produced similar changes. To assess the contribution of INa to spark and wave production, voltage clamping was used to activate contraction from holding potentials of −80 or −40 mV. This confirmed that reducing Na+ influx during myocyte stimulation is sufficient to reduce waves and that flecainide only causes Ca2+ wave reduction when INa is active. It was found that Na+/Ca2+-exchanger (NCX)-mediated Ca2+ efflux was significantly enhanced by flecainide and that the effects of flecainide on wave frequency could be reversed by reducing [Na+]o, suggesting an important downstream role for NCX function. Conclusion Flecainide reduces spark and wave frequency in the intact rat cardiomyocyte at therapeutically relevant concentrations but the mechanism involves INa reduction rather than direct ryanodine receptor (RyR2) inhibition. Reduced INa results in increased Ca2+ efflux via NCX across the sarcolemma, reducing Ca2+ concentration in the vicinity of the RyR2.
Taste Hedonics Influence the Disposition of Fat by Modulating Gastric Emptying in Rats

We investigated how preferred and nonpreferred tastes influence the disposition of fat. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were infused with 5 ml of 20% intralipid through an intragastric catheter and with 0.3 ml of a taste solution through an intraoral catheter. At 120 min postinfusion, plasma concentrations of fat fuels (triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids) were either unchanged or slightly higher after rats tasted a preferred sweet taste solution (0.125% saccharin +3% glucose) than after they tasted water. They were markedly lower after rats tasted a non-preferred solution–either a bitter solution (0.15% quinine hydrochloride) or a sweet solution that had previously been the conditioned stimulus for lithium-induced taste aversion. The distribution of 14C-triolein mixed with the gastric load was determined at 4 h postinfusion. Rats that received a non-preferred bitter taste had significantly more 14C remaining in the stomach than did those that received a preferred sweet taste. These results suggest that taste hedonics–either unconditioned or conditioned aversive tastes–influence fat disposition by altering gastric emptying.
Symbolic exploration of large circuits with enhanced forward/backward traversals

Symbolic state space exploration techniques for Finite State Machines (FSMs) are a major recent result in CAD for VLSI. Most of them are exact and based on forward traversal, but limited to medium-size circuits. Approximate forward traversal deals with bigger circuits at the expense of exactness. Backward traversal takes into account many irrelevant, unreachable states. This paper combines the advantages of approximate forward traversal and of exact backward traversal. Cofactoring plays a key role in e cient function simpli cation. For the rst time, we are able to symbolically manipulate some of the larger ISCAS'89 and MCNC circuits in an exact way and to generate test patterns for them. 1 2
Leishmania pifanoi Amastigotes Avoid Macrophage Production of Superoxide by Inducing Heme Degradation

ABSTRACT Whereas infections of macrophages by promastigote forms of Leishmania mexicana pifanoi induce the production of superoxide, infections by amastigotes barely induce superoxide production. Several approaches were employed to gain insight into the mechanism by which amastigotes avoid eliciting superoxide production. First, in experiments with nitroblue tetrazolium, we found that 25% of parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs) that harbor promastigotes are positive for the NADPH oxidase complex, in contrast to only 2% of PVs that harbor amastigotes. Second, confocal microscope analyses of infected cells labeled with antibodies to gp91phox revealed that this enzyme subunit is found in PVs that harbor amastigotes. Third, in immunoblots of subcellular fractions enriched with PVs from amastigote-infected cells and probed with antibodies to gp91phox, only the 65-kDa premature form of gp91phox was found. In contrast, subcellular fractions from macrophages that ingested zymosan particles contained both the 91- and 65-kDa forms of gp91phox. This suggested that only the immature form of gp91phox is recruited to PVs that harbor amastigotes. Given that gp91phox maturation is dependent on the availability of heme, we found that infections by Leishmania parasites induce an increase in heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), the rate-limiting enzyme in heme degradation. Infections by amastigotes performed in the presence of metalloporphyrins, which are inhibitors of HO-1, resulted in superoxide production by infected macrophages. Taken together, we propose that Leishmania amastigotes avoid superoxide production by inducing an increase in heme degradation, which results in blockage of the maturation of gp91phox, which prevents assembly of the NADPH oxidase enzyme complex.
Celiprolol, A Vasodilatory &bgr;-Blocker, Inhibits Pressure Overload–Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy and Prevents the Transition to Heart Failure via Nitric Oxide–Dependent Mechanisms in Mice

Background—The blockade of &bgr;-adrenergic receptors reduces both mortality and morbidity in patients with chronic heart failure, but the cellular mechanism remains unclear. Celiprolol, a selective &bgr;1-blocker, was reported to stimulate the expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in the heart, and NO levels have been demonstrated to be related to myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure. Thus, we aimed to clarify whether celiprolol attenuates both myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure via the NO-signal pathway. Methods and Results—In rat neonatal cardiac myocytes, celiprolol inhibited protein synthesis stimulated by either isoproterenol or phenylephrine, which was partially suppressed by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Four weeks after transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in C57BL/6 male mice, the ratio of heart weight to body weight (mg/g) (8.70±0.42 in TAC, 6.61±0.44 with celiprolol 100 mg · kg−1 · d−1 PO, P<0.01) and the ratio of lung weight to body weight (mg/g) (10.27±1.08 in TAC, 7.11±0.70 with celiprolol 100 mg · kg−1 · d−1 PO, P<0.05) were lower and LV fractional shortening was higher in the celiprolol-treated groups than in the TAC group. All of these improvements were blunted by L-NAME. Celiprolol treatment significantly increased myocardial eNOS and activated phosphorylation of eNOS. Myocardial mRNA levels of natriuretic peptide precursor type B and protein inhibitor of NO synthase, which were increased in the TAC mice, were decreased in the celiprolol-treated mice. Conclusions—These findings indicated that celiprolol attenuates cardiac myocyte hypertrophy both in vitro and in vivo and halts the process leading from hypertrophy to heart failure. These effects are mediated by a selective &bgr;1-adrenergic receptor blockade and NO-dependent pathway.
The relative importance of host characteristics and co-infection in generating variation in Heligmosomoides polygyrus fecundity

SUMMARY We examined the relative importance of intrinsic host factors and microparasite co-infection in generating variation in Heligmosomoides polygyrus fecundity, a parameter that serves as a proxy for infectiousness. We undertook extensive trapping of Apodemus flavicollis, the yellow-necked mouse in the woodlands of the Italian Alps and recorded eggs in utero from the dominant nematode species H. polygyrus, and tested for the presence of five microparasite infections. The results showed that sex and breeding status interact, such that males in breeding condition harboured more fecund nematodes than other hosts; in particular, worms from breeding males had, on average, 52% more eggs in utero than worms from non-breeding males. In contrast, we found a weak relationship between intensity and body mass, and no relationship between intensity and sex or intensity and breeding condition. We did not find any evidence to support the hypothesis that co-infection with microparasites contributed to variation in worm fecundity in this system. The age-intensity profiles for mice singly-infected with H. polygyrus and those co-infected with the nematode and at least one microparasite were both convex and not statistically different from each other. We concluded that intrinsic differences between hosts, specifically with regard to sex and breeding condition, contribute relatively more to the variation in worm fecundity than parasite co-infection status.
Assessing epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Isfahan, Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Leishmaniasis has an annual incidence of 0.5-1.5 million new cases and is endemic in 88 countries throughout the world. About 90% of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are reported from seven countries including Iran. Evidence suggests the increased annual incidence of this disease in Iran. Intracellular protozoan parasite, Leishmania, is an obligatory parasite. Sandflies transfer infectious forms of the parasite or its metacyclic promastigotes to its vertebrate hosts such as humans by biting. In order to review the epidemiology of CL in Isfahan, Iran, factors such as incidence, disease causes, geographic features, age, and sex distribution, nationality, and occupation of patients, and the clinical spectrum of disease were evaluated. METHODS During the study, 1315 patients with CL, who referred to the Dermatology and Leishmaniasis Research Center at Isfahan, were evaluated. RESULTS The highest prevalence of CL was observed in fall (54%) and in northern areas of Isfahan (60.9%). Although CL was prevalent in both men and women, it had higher incidence in men (61.8%). The majority of patients (31.2%) aged 21-30 yr old. Most lesions were nodule-shaped (36.5%) and in upper extremities (48.3%) particularly in men (32.4%). While 81.2% of the subjects were Iranian, others were Afghani or with other nationalities. Most patients had multiple lesions on their bodies and 141 individuals (10.7%) had a previous history of disease. Among all occupations, the highest prevalence of CL was detected in students (18.1%). The response to treatment with compounds of meglumine antimoniate (glucantime) was better than other treatments. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Unfortunately, the results showed that the prevalence of CL has been increasing annually in some provinces of Iran, especially in Isfahan Province. Nevertheless, further studies are required to determine the vectors, reservoirs, and species of disease and to design appropriate strategies to control the disease.
Interaction in 4-second bursts: the fragmented nature of attentional resources in mobile HCI

When on the move, cognitive resources are reserved partly for passively monitoring and reacting to contexts and events, and partly for actively constructing them. The Re-source Competition Framework (RCF), building on the Multiple Resources Theory, explains how psychosocial tasks typical of mobile situations compete for cognitive resources and then suggests that this leads to the depletion of resources for task interaction and eventually results in the breakdown of fluent interaction. RCF predictions were tested in a semi-naturalistic field study measuring attention during the performance of assigned Web search tasks on mobile phone while moving through nine varied but typical urban situations. Notably, we discovered up to eight-fold differentials between micro-level measurements of atten-tional resource fragmentation, for example from spans of over 16 seconds in a laboratory condition dropping to bursts of just a few seconds in difficult mobile situations. By cali-brating perceptual sampling, reducing resources from tasks of secondary importance, and resisting the impulse to switch tasks before finalization, participants compensated for the resource depletion. The findings are compared to previous studies in office contexts. The work is valuable in many areas of HCI dealing with mobility.
Insulin leakage value in relation to pen needle length and administered dose after subcutaneous injection.

OBJECTIVE During a subcutaneous injection with commonly used pen needles, the safety of drug administration plays an essential role. Today short needles with a length of 5.0 mm are increasingly being used. However, so far it is unresolved whether short needles of <5.0 mm affect the safety of insulin injections because of an increased backflow to the skin surface. We examined the influence of needle length and administered insulin dosage on the insulin backflow and the distribution of human insulin in the tissue by a quantitative determination of the amount of backflow of insulin to the skin surface. For the first time a new 4.5-mm pen needle was examined for its administration safety. RESEARCH DESIGN Human insulin was radioactively marked. By means of an insulin pen different insulin dosages with pen needles of different lengths into fresh pork rind (ex vivo model) were administered. The amount of the marked insulin leaking from the tissues at the injection site was covered and absorbed immediately into a cotton swab. The amount of leakage was calculated by means of the radioactivity taken up by the swab. RESULTS The amount of leakage for each measurement was less than 1% of the total dosage administered. The amount of leakage increased with increased dosage administered in absolute terms, but expressed as a percentage of the increased dosage administered the leakage decreased. CONCLUSION The needle length (between 12 mm and 4.5 mm) did not have a meaningful influence on the amount of leakage; however, significant differences with different needle lengths could be observed.
Ethylene Modulates Stem Cell Division in the Arabidopsis thaliana Root

The construction of multicellular organisms depends on stem cells—cells that can both regenerate and produce daughter cells that undergo differentiation. Here, we show that the gaseous messenger ethylene modulates cell division in the cells of the quiescent center, which act as a source of stem cells in the seedling root. The cells formed through these ethylene-induced divisions express quiescent center-specific genes and can repress differentiation of surrounding initial cells, showing that quiescence is not required for these cells to signal to adjacent stem cells. We propose that ethylene is part of a signaling pathway that modulates cell division in the quiescent center in the stem cell niche during the postembryonic development of the root system.
Theoretical Justification of Popular Link Prediction Heuristics

There are common intuitions about how social graphs are generated (for example, it is common to talk informally about nearby nodes sharing a link). There are also common heuristics for predicting whether two currently unlinked nodes in a graph should be linked (e.g. for suggesting friends in an online social network or movies to customers in a recommendation network). This paper provides what we believe to be the first formal connection between these intuitions and these heuristics. We look at a familiar class of graph generation models in which nodes are associated with locations in a latent metric space and connections are more likely between closer nodes. We also look at popular link-prediction heuristics such as number-of-common-neighbors and its weighted variants [Adamic and Adar, 2003] which have proved successful in predicting missing links, but are not direct derivatives of latent space graph models. We provide theoretical justifications for the success of some measures as compared to others, as reported in previous empirical studies. In particular we present a sequence of formal results that show bounds related to the role that a node's degree plays in its usefulness for link prediction, the relative importance of short paths versus long paths, and the effects of increasing non-determinism in the link generation process on link prediction quality. Our results can be generalized to any model as long as the latent space assumption holds.