Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colon mucosa of patients both with spondyloarthritis and Crohn’s disease is enriched with macrophages expressing the scavenger receptor CD163

Background: Crohn’s disease is associated with an increased number of macrophages in ileal and colonic mucosa. Data on macrophages in gut mucosa of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) are scarce. Objective: To investigate macrophages and other antigen presenting cells in gut mucosa from patients with SpA and Crohn’s disease, given the relationship between both entities. Methods: Biopsy specimens from patients with SpA, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and from controls were immunohistochemically stained with different markers for macrophages and dendritic cells. Slides were scored semiquantitatively on a four point scale. Results: SpA and Crohn’s disease were associated with large numbers of CD68+ macrophages. Colon mucosa of both patients with SpA and Crohn’s disease, but not ulcerative colitis, showed increased numbers of macrophages expressing the scavenger receptor CD163. Conclusions: Macrophages expressing the scavenger receptor CD163 are increased in colonic mucosa in SpA and in Crohn’s disease, highlighting the relationship between these entities. The increased number of CD163+ macrophages in colon mucosa of patients with SpA suggests this is another argument for a role of macrophage scavenger receptors in this group of diseases.
The clinical significance of the azygos anterior cerebral artery (A.C.A.).

The phylogenetic development of the unpaired (azygos) anterior cerebral artery and its transient existence during human embryologic development are reviewed.Retrospective examination of arteriograms of 107 patients in whom both internal cerebral arteries were opacified revealed 4 examples of azygos A.C. A.Azygos A.C. A.s may occur with other congenital anomalies. Cases showing their occurrence with an arteriovenous malformation and an aneurysm of a pericallosal artery are presented.The clinical implications of the azygos A.C. A. or bihemispheric anomaly, are illustrated by a case history of a patient who had occlusion of a single large anterior cerebral vessel.
Automatic Verification of Complex Security Protocols With an Unbounded Number of Sessions

We present a new protocol logic, called Logic of Local Sessions (LLS), which is based on a quite natural semantic model called Instantiation Space. Given a protocol and a log file for a principal’s message data flow, which is formalized in Cryptographical Message Exchange model (CME), the notion of Instantiation Space is used to identify all the protocol’s local runs carried out by the principal. LLS is implemented and resulted in a robust Security Protocol Verifier (SPV), which is particularly suitable for automatic verification of complex protocols with an unbounded number of sessions. Due to the flexibility of LLS, the current version of SPV can deal with complex message formats with arbitrarily nested encryptions by public, private, shared and hash keys as well as freshly generated keys. Also, SPV can be used to verify complex security properties such as “Alice observes (knows) Bob observes (knows) Alice said something”. Most importantly, it has been applied to automatically verify a lot of interesting and important properties for quite complex security protocols like Kerberos V5 and the SET purchase phase protocol.
Temporal and Spatial Expression of Muc1 During Implantation in Sows

Recent evidence points to an important role for Muc1 in embryo implantation. In this study, Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to study mRNA and protein levels at, and between, the attachment sites of the endometrium of Day 13, 18 and 24 pregnant sows. The results indicate that Muc1 mRNA expression was higher between attachment sites than at attachment sites during implantation and this effect was significant on Day 13 (P < 0.01) and 24 (P < 0.01). Intense Muc1 immunostaining was observed in luminal epithelium and stroma and the staining between attachment sites was stronger than at attachment sites on Days 13 and 18. Collectively, these results suggest the crucial role of Muc1 in successful implantation and embryo survival.
Impression Materials and Techniques used in the Fabrication of Implant-supported Fixed Partial Dentures: A Survey among Dental Practitioners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: The objectives of this study were to determine the attitude of the dental practitioners practicing dental implants in Saudi Arabia toward the restorative phase of implant dentistry. In particular, this study investigated the most accepted impression materials and techniques used to make impressions for dental implants among these practitioners and their opinions regarding the clinical factors that may influence the decision-making process for the selection of impression materials and techniques. Materials and Methods: An email questionnaire, of a closed response format, was sent to dental practitioners across Saudi Arabia. Returned responses were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results: A total of 315 dental implant practitioners responded to this survey. The majority (about 85%) of the respondents preferred using additional silicone and polyether as an impression material, and 70% of them used the open-tray technique. About two-thirds of the respondents agreed that the presence of angulated implants and sub-gingival implant depth adversely affect the impression's accuracy. About 63% of the respondents preferred splinting the copings before taking the impression for multiple implants whereas 71% confirmed the seating of the copings with radiographs. Only 45% of the respondents used the verification jig while taking the impression. Significant relationships between the choice of the impression technique and some of the demographic characteristics of the respondents were noted. The open-tray technique was more used by non-Saudi practitioners (P = 0.008) and those respondents who had an implant degree (P = 0.036). Conclusions: It can be concluded from the current study survey that, most of the dentists with postgraduate diploma or board qualification in dental implant followed the well-documented technique and proven materials.
Non-interactive simulation of joint distributions: The Hirschfeld-Gebelein-Rényi maximal correlation and the hypercontractivity ribbon

We consider the following problem: Alice and Bob observe sequences Xn and Y n respectively where {(Xi, Yi)}i=1∞ are drawn i.i. d. from P(x, y), and they output U and V respectively which is required to have a joint law that is close in total variation to a specified Q(u, v). One important technique to establish impossibility results for this problem is the Hirschfeld-Gebelein-Rényi maximal correlation which was considered by Witsen-hausen [1]. Hypercontractivity studied by Ahlswede and Gács [2] and reverse hypercontractivity recently studied by Mossel et al. [3] provide another approach for proving impossibility results. We consider the tightest impossibility results that can be obtained using hypercontractivity and reverse hypercontractivity and provide a necessary and sufficient condition on the source distribution P(x, y) for when this approach subsumes the maximal correlation approach. We show that the binary pair source distribution with symmetric noise satisfies this condition.
Metabolic programming of obesity by energy restriction during the perinatal period: different outcomes depending on gender and period, type and severity of restriction

Epidemiological studies in humans and controlled intervention studies in animals have shown that nutritional programming in early periods of life is a phenomenon that affects metabolic and physiological functions throughout life. The phenotypes of health or disease are hence the result of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors, starting right from conception. In this sense, gestation and lactation are disclosed as critical periods. Continuous food restriction during these stages may lead to permanent adaptations with lasting effects on the metabolism of the offspring and may influence the propensity to develop different chronic diseases associated with obesity. However, the different outcomes of these adaptations on later health may depend on factors such as the type, duration, period, and severity of the exposure to energy restriction conditions, and they are, in part, gender specific. A better understanding of the factors and mechanisms involved in metabolic programming, and their effects, may contribute significantly to the prevention of obesity, which is considered to be one of the major health concerns of our time. Here, the different outcomes of maternal food restriction during gestation and lactation in the metabolic health of offspring, as well as potential mechanisms underlying these effects are reviewed.
SER for Optimal Combining in the Presence of Multiple Correlated Co-Channel Interferers

Symbol error rate (SER) performance has been analyzed for a receive diversity system in the presence of multiple interferers and noise over fading channels. Both unequal power interferers and correlated interferers have been considered. The derived approximate SER expressions are easy to evaluate and are applicable to any QAM constellation and arbitrary number of receive antennas and interferers. Further, the impact of correlation between interferer channels is studied and it is shown that correlation behaves like partial interference alignment.
Towards a Specific Theory of Task-Technology Fit for Mobile Information Systems

Mobile information systems hold great potential to support organizational processes. This paper addresses how to realize that potential, the issues involved, the challenges to overcome, and accordingly, the effective strategy to deploy. Based on Goodhue and Thompson's (1995) general theory of task-technology fit and on Zigurs and Buckland's (1998) specific theory for task-technology fit for group support systems, we propose a specific theory of task-technology fit for mobile information systems. Task-technology fit is determined as a three-way match between the profiles of managerial tasks (operationalized by difficulty, interdependence and time-criticality), mobile information systems (operationalized by functionality as notification, com-munication, information access, and data processing; form factors; and location-awareness), and individual use context (operationalized by distraction, movement, quality of network connection, and previous experience). The analysis shows that use situations characterized by high distraction and poor quality of network connection are particularly challenging for the design and development of mobile information systems, requiring special attention to form factors (intuitive user interfaces and simple menu structures), and verification features.
A sequential approach for short-term water level prediction using nonlinear autoregressive neural networks

The water level in an artificial lake is important not only for the production of electric energy but also for other activities such as tourism, irrigation and drought control. The water level in the lake is influenced by various factors, among which the most important include: the water inflow, discharge of water and water seepage. In this research, artificial neural networks (ANN) are selected for the water level prediction because of their well-known abilities for learning from examples. A total of 29 years of water level measurement data was used for ANN training and validation. This paper represents a sequential approach for the short-term water level prediction in Jablanicko lake by using only water level data. With regard to sequential approach for every step of the prediction, the most recent data were used for ANN training. Two types of ANNs were used in this study: Nonlinear Autoregressive (NAR) neural networks and Feed Forward Back Propagation (FFBP) neural networks. The main focus of this study was on NAR networks prediction of water level, while FFBP networks were used for comparison purposes. The results showed that neural networks can provide quality water level prediction even if only water level data is used.
Influence of effective angle of attack oscillation amplitude on force generation by pitching-plunging flat plates

An experimental study exploring the effective angle of attack oscillation amplitude on pitching and plunging flat plates is presented, as an extension of previous studies on pitching-plunging flat plate airfoils with harmonic effective angle of attack history. We consider the effect of reduced frequency and plunge motion amplitude. Two sets of test cases are studied: a shallow dynamic stall (-6°<αeff<22°), and a deep dynamic stall (-2.35°< αeff <13.65°). Force measurements are shown, and PIV data is presented for the shallow stall cases. Results show that for the shallow stall cases, the LEVs are significantly smaller in size than for the deep stall cases reported in literature. The force measurement results show significant impact of unsteady effects on the force time history, particularly for the more aggressive motions. Shallow stall cases delay the lift force history by almost a quarter cycle. In addition, significant lift generation is observed in the shallow cases given the narrow range of αeff used. Non-circulatory effects or rotation rate effects appear to be more dominant than LEV in force generation for the shallow stall cases.
Othering Obama

The literature on descriptive representation indicates that the election of black political leaders may prompt white enmity. We assess this claim by examining the relationship between whites’ racial attitudes and their likelihood of othering Barack Obama by labeling him as a Muslim and/or a noncitizen interloper. The findings reveal that both symbolic racial resentment and traditional racial attitudes are associated with othering Obama. In addition, the results reveal that the relationship between racial resentment and othering is substantially mediated by the use of seemingly nonracist frames based on emotional reactions and negative expectations about an Obama presidency. Conversely, much of the effect of belief in traditional antiblack stereotypes was transmitted directly to othering Obama without the use of justificatory frames. Despite claims of racial progress, our findings suggest that racial sentiments—both overt and symbolic—continue to play a major role in politics.
Cigarette purchase patterns in four countries and the relationship with cessation: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey

Background: Higher cigarette prices result in decreased cigarette consumption, but some smokers may seek lower-taxed cigarette sources. This price avoidance behaviour likely dampens the health impact of higher cigarette prices although it has not been thoroughly studied. Objective: To describe the characteristics of smokers who purchase low/untaxed cigarettes and to examine how this behaviour is associated with subsequent changes in smoking behaviours. Methods: Telephone survey data from 8930 smokers from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey (ITC-4) were used to assess cigarette purchase patterns and smoking behaviours in Wave 1 conducted from October to December 2002 and subsequently followed seven months later in Wave 2. Respondents’ smoking status, attempts to quit, amount smoked, and cigarette purchase patterns were assessed in both waves. Results: Rates of purchase from a low/untaxed source at the respondents’ last cigarette purchase differed notably between countries at Wave 1, from less than 1% in Australia to 15% in the United Kingdom. In the UK, but not the other countries, this increased significantly to 20% at Wave 2. Smokers who were older, white/English speakers, had higher incomes, and had higher levels of education were more likely to report purchasing cigarettes from a low/untaxed source on their last purchase. Those who reported purchasing from a low/untaxed source on their last purchase at Wave 1 were less likely to have tried to quit smoking quit smoking by Wave 2 (relative risk 0.70, p < 0.01), while no overall significant association with smoking cessation was observed. Conclusion: Data from this study indicate that there are lower levels of making a quit attempt among purchasers of low/untaxed cigarettes compared to purchasers of full-priced cigarettes. The availability of low/untaxed cigarettes may mitigate the influence of increases in cigarette prices.
Gender and Computers: The Beneficial Effects of Experience on Attitudes

This study examines gender differences in computer attitudes and experiences of adolescents. A sample of students from five Bay Area high schools was surveyed for their uses of computers before and during their high school years, in both formal instruction and informal settings. Adolescent males had greater total exposure to computers, based primarily on higher enrollments in computer programming classes and participation in voluntary experiences, such as home computer use. Fewer gender differences were found in enrollment in classes using computers for purposes other than programming. Overall, males held more positive attitudes of interest in and confidence with computers than did females. Controlling for amount of computer experience, however, males and females responded with similar levels of interest. Social influences, especially those among peer groups, are explored as important factors for differential rates of participation in computer activities.
Social Identity, Organizational Identity and Corporate Identity: Towards an Integrated Understanding of Processes, Patternings and Products

This paper provides an overview of previous work that has explored issues of social, organizational and corporate identity. Differences in the form and focus of research into these three topics are noted. Social identity work generally examines issues of cognitive process and structure; organizational identity research tends to address the patterning of shared meanings; studies of corporate identity tend to focus on products that communicate a specific image. Nonetheless, across these areas there is general consensus that collective identities are (a) made viable by their positivity and distinctiveness, (b) fluid, (c) a basis for shared perceptions and action, (d) strategically created and managed, (e) qualitatively different from individual identities and (f) the basis for material outcomes and products. This paper calls for greater cross-fertilization of the three identity literatures and discusses requirements for the integration of micro- and macro-level analyses.
End-of-Course Evaluations as Indicators of Student Learning and Instructor Effectiveness

There are two aspects of this article that readers should find particularly interesting. First, Marlin and Niss provide additional data on the question of student evaluations of professors and courses. Second, they suggest the use of canonical correlation as an ideal way of facing the problems confronted in analyzing the educational production function. The authors assert that “canonical correlation would seem to answer many of the problems encountered in previous single-equation models…. ” Their research suggests that student evaluations can be used as surrogates for direct evaluations and that the former “do indeed measure the level of teacher input. ”
Counseling the HIV-Infected Client

The emerging empirical and clinical literature on the psychosocial issues of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has only begun to guide clinicians in their work with seropositive clients. This article presents a model that provides a conceptual framework for assessing the client's resources as he or she attempts to address the psychosocial issues that may occur as a result of this disease. The model has four components: special characteristics, social supports, situation, and client characteristics. It is hypothesized that these client resources predict or moderate the clients response to HIV infection. Responses to HIV infection are discussed followed by counseling strategies and interventions to address each response or reaction. Case management issues are presented including ethical dilemmas, rethinking clinical goals, the changing boundaries of the therapeutic relationship, transference, and countertransference.
A Non-Invasive Laboratory Panel as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Thrombotic Microangiopathy: Development and Application in a Chinese Cohort Study

Background Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in the kidney is a histopathologic lesion that occurs in a number of clinical settings and is often associated with poor renal prognosis. The standard test for the diagnosis of TMA is the renal biopsy; noninvasive parameters such as potential biomarkers have not been developed. Methods We analyzed routine parameters in a cohort of 220 patients with suspected TMA and developed a diagnostic laboratory panel by logistic regression. The levels of candidate markers were validated using an independent cohort (n = 46), a cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 157) and an expanded cohort (n = 113), as well as 9 patients with repeat biopsies. Results Of the 220 patients in the derivation cohort, 51 patients with biopsy-proven TMA presented with a worse renal prognosis than those with no TMA (P = 0.002). Platelet and L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels showed an acceptable diagnostic value of TMA (AUC = 0.739 and 0.756, respectively). A panel of 4 variables - creatinine, platelets, ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats 13) activity and LDH - can effectively discriminate patients with TMA (AUC = 0.800). In the validation cohort, the platelet and LDH levels and the 4-variable panel signature robustly distinguished patients with TMA. The discrimination effects of these three markers were confirmed in patients with SLE. Moreover, LDH levels and the 4-variable panel signature also showed discrimination values in an expanded set. Among patients undergoing repeat biopsy, increased LDH levels and panel signatures were associated with TMA status when paired evaluations were performed. Importantly, only the 4-variable panel was an independent prognostic marker for renal outcome (hazard ratio = 3.549; P<0.001). Conclusions The noninvasive laboratory diagnostic panel is better for the early detection and prognosis of TMA compared with a single parameter, and may provide a promising biomarker for clinical application.