Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
D2 dopamine receptor gene and obesity.

The prevalence of Taql A D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) alleles was determined in 73 obese women and men. In this sample with a mean body mass index of 35.1, the A1 (minor) allele of the DRD2 gene was present in 45.2% of these nonalcohol, nondrug abusing subjects. The DRD2 A1 allele was not associated with a number of cardiovascular risk factors examined, including blood lipids (cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL]- and low-density lipoprotein [LDL]-cholesterol, and triglycerides). However, phenotypic factors characterized by the presence of parental history and postpuberty onset of obesity as well as carbohydrate preference were associated with obese subjects carrying the A1 allele. The cumulative number of these three factors was positively and significantly (p < .0002) related to A1 allelic prevalence. The data showing an association of the minor allele of the DRD2 gene with phenotypic characteristics suggest that this gene, located on q22-q23 region of chromosome 11, confers susceptibility to a subtype of this disorder.
Melanopsin and non-melanopsin expressing retinal ganglion cells innervate the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus

Retinal input to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizes the SCN circadian oscillator to the external day/night cycle. Retinal ganglion cells that innervate the SCN via the retinohypothalamic tract are intrinsically light sensitive and express melanopsin. In this study, we provide data indicating that not all SCN-projecting retinal ganglion cells express melanopsin. To determine the proportion of ganglion cells afferent to the SCN that express melanopsin, ganglion cells were labeled following transsynaptic retrograde transport of a recombinant of the Bartha strain of pseudorabies virus (PRV152) constructed to express the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). PRV152 injected into the anterior chamber of the eye retrogradely infects four retinorecipient nuclei in the brain via autonomic circuits to the eye, resulting in transneuronally labeled ganglion cells in the contralateral retina 96 h after intraocular infection. In animals with large bilateral lesions of the lateral geniculate body/optic tract, ganglion cells labeled with PRV152 are retrogradely infected from only the SCN. In these animals, most PRV152-infected ganglion cells were immunoreactive for melanopsin. However, a significant percentage (10–20%) of EGFP-labeled ganglion cells did not express melanopsin. These data suggest that in addition to the intrinsically light-sensitive melanopsin-expressing ganglion cells, conventional ganglion cells also innervate the SCN. Thus, it appears that the rod/cone system of photoreceptors may provide signals to the SCN circadian system independent of intrinsically light-sensitive melanopsin ganglion cells.
Does lamotrigine use in pregnancy increase orofacial cleft risk relative to other malformations?

Objective: To investigate whether first trimester exposure to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy is specifically associated with an increased risk of orofacial clefts (OCs) relative to other malformations, in response to a signal regarding increased OC risk. Methods: Population-based case-control study with malformed controls based on EUROCAT congenital anomaly registers. The study population covered 3.9 million births from 19 registries 1995–2005. Registrations included congenital anomaly among livebirths, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis. Cases were 5,511 nonsyndromic OC registrations, of whom 4,571 were isolated, 1,969 were cleft palate (CP), and 1,532 were isolated CP. Controls were 80,052 nonchromosomal, non-OC registrations. We compared first trimester LTG and antiepileptic drug (AED) use vs nonepileptic non-AED use, for mono and polytherapy, adjusting for maternal age. An additional exploratory analysis compared the observed and expected distribution of malformation types associated with LTG use. Results: There were 72 LTG exposed (40 mono- and 32 polytherapy) registrations. The ORs for LTG monotherapy vs no AED use were 0.67 (95% CI 0.10–2.34) for OC relative to other malformations, 0.80 (95% CI 0.11–2.85) for isolated OC, 0.79 (95% CI 0.03–4.35) for CP, and 1.01 (95% CI 0.03–5.57) for isolated CP. ORs for any AED use vs no AED use were 1.43 (95% CI 1.03–1.93) for OC, 1.21 (95% CI 0.82–1.72) for isolated OC, 2.37 (95% CI 1.54–3.43) for CP, and 1.86 (95% CI 1.07–2.94) for isolated CP. The distribution of other nonchromosomal malformation types with LTG exposure was similar to non-AED exposed. Conclusion: We find no evidence of a specific increased risk of isolated orofacial clefts relative to other malformations due to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy. Our study is not designed to assess whether there is a generalized increased risk of malformations with LTG exposure.
Access to Digital Technology Among Families Coming to Urban Pediatric Primary Care Clinics

OBJECTIVE: Digital technologies offer new platforms for health promotion and disease management. Few studies have evaluated the use of digital technology among families receiving care in an urban pediatric primary care setting. METHODS: A self-administered survey was given to a convenience sample of caregivers bringing their children to 2 urban pediatric primary care centers in spring 2012. The survey assessed access to home Internet, e-mail, smartphone, and social media (Facebook and Twitter). A “digital technology” scale (0–4) quantified the number of available digital technologies and connections. Frequency of daily use and interest in receiving medical information digitally were also assessed. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 257 caregivers. The sample was drawn from a clinical population that was 73% African American and 92% Medicaid insured with a median patient age of 2.9 years (interquartile range 0.8–7.4). Eighty percent of respondents reported having Internet at home, and 71% had a smartphone. Ninety-one percent reported using e-mail, 78% Facebook, and 27% Twitter. Ninety-seven percent scored ≥1 on the digital technology scale; 49% had a digital technology score of 4. The digital technology score was associated with daily use of digital media in a graded fashion (P < .0001). More than 70% of respondents reported that they would use health care information supplied digitally if approved by their child’s medical provider. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers in an urban pediatric primary care setting have access to and frequently use digital technologies. Digital connections may help reach a traditionally hard-to-reach population.
A Study of Modular AWGs for Large-Scale Optical Switching Systems

Array-waveguide grating (AWG) is a kind of passive wavelength router. It can perform nonblocking switching functions in conjunction with tunable wavelength converters (TWCs). For optical switching systems with large number of ports, however, the scalability of the AWG is restricted by coherent crosstalk. In this paper, we propose a modular method of designing arrays of AWGs for large-scale switching systems, in which a contention-free connection from an idle input to an idle output can always be established regardless of the number of existing connections in progress. The construction process of AWG networks is sometimes called AWG function decomposition. For the decomposition of an N × N AWG, we describe the modular architecture of a functionally equivalent three-stage network of smaller AWGs, and derive the necessary and sufficient conditions on the number of smaller AWG modules needed for nonblocking switching. Our results can be applied to the decomposition of any AWG components employed in an AWG-based switching network to suppress the coherent crosstalk.
Corneal ulcer management using human amniotic membrane in dogs: A report of 6 cases

The present study was conducted on 6 clinical cases of dogs irrespective of age, sex and breed which were having corneal ulcer to evaluate the efficacy of surgical procedure. Dogs presented with corneal ulcer were confirmed by clinical examination, direct ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein dye test and then subjected to human amniotic membrane transplantation. All the dogs were subjected to topical moxifloxacin eye drops and flurbiprofen eyedrops prior and post-surgery at the rate of two drops four times daily for a period of 2 weeks and 5 days respectively. Healing of the ulcer were studied based on vision function tests, schirmer tear test, gross appearance of the cornea, corneal clarity before and 7 th , 14 th and 28 th post-operative days. Negative fluorescein staining was seen on 7 th post-operative day in most of cases suggests that the corneal epithelialization was rapid and was complete by 7 th post AMT and corneal transparency was regained by 28th postoperative day in most of the cases.
Grit and Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study

Grit, defined as perseverance of effort and consistency of interest, has attracted attention as a predictor of success in various fields beyond IQ and the Big Five personality dimension of Conscientiousness. The purpose of the current study was to examine previously uninvestigated questions regarding grit using a cross-sectional design among a large number of working adults in Japan. First, we tested geographical generalizability of associations between grit and orientations towards happiness by comparing previous studies in the U.S. and the current study in Japan. It was confirmed that orientation towards meaning rather than orientation towards engagement had a stronger positive correlation with grit in our sample of Japanese people. This result is inconsistent with previous studies in the U.S. Furthermore, the Big Five dimension of Openness to Experience was newly confirmed as having a positive association with grit. Second, we examined the association between grit and work engagement, which is considered as an outcome indicator for work performance. In this analysis, grit was a strong predictor for work performance as well as academic performance.
The Third Phase of In Vitro Insulin Secretion: Evidence For Glucose Insensitivity

In this study, in vitro B-cell models are described, which may be applicable for studying the reported B-cell desensitization produced by hyperglycemia in IDDM and NIDDM. Using a programmable perifusion/ perfusion system, insulin secretion from perifused islets was measured at 10–30-min intervals for 24–50 h. After 3–4 h continuous glucose (11 mM), a new phase of insulin release occurs in which secretion declines to, and remains at, ∼25% maximal release. Results were similar when using: (1) perifused islets embedded in Cytodex 3, or Bio-Gel P-2,100–200 mesh; (2) batchincubated islets with hourly changes of medium; and (3) the isolated pancreas perfused for 8 h. Three different media, Hana HB104 (fortified, fully defined medium), RPMI-1640 + 10% FBS, and perfusion bufferalbumin, were used. Despite reduced secretion to continuous glucose, each system responded vigorously to an acute stimulation with glucose-forskolin. Decreased secretion was primarily caused by decreased secretagogue efficiency (reduced fractional secretion). Prolonged stimulation with glucose or glucose-IBMX produced a similar waning of secretion regardless of the amount of insulin released. It is concluded that the third phase of insulin secretion may represent a secretagogue-induced, signal desensitization of the B-cell, rather than exhaustion of a B-cell compartment of Stored insulin.
Are emergency admissions in palliative cancer care always necessary? Results from a descriptive study

Objectives Patients with advanced cancer are often admitted to hospital as emergency cases. This may not always be medically indicated. Study objectives were to register the reasons for the emergency admissions, to examine interventions performed during hospitalisation and self-reported symptom intensity at admission and discharge, and to assess patients’ opinions about the admission. Design This was a descriptive before-and-after study. Participating patients completed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) twice, upon hospital admission and prior to discharge. All patients underwent a structured interview assessing their opinion about the emergency admission. Medical data were obtained from the hospital records. Setting The study was performed in two Norwegian acute care secondary hospitals with urban catchment areas. Participants 44 patients with cancer (men 27 and women 17; mean age 69.2, SD 9.2) representing 50 emergency admissions were included. Results Median length of stay was 7 days (95% CI 7.4 to 11.4). Median survival was 50 days (95% CI 51 to 115). 90% were admitted from home, and 46% had been hospitalised less than 1 month earlier. Lung and gastrointestinal symptoms and pain were the most frequent reasons for admissions. Mean pain scores on ESAS were reduced by 50% from admission to discharge (p<0.01). Simple interventions such as hydration, bladder catheterisation and oxygen therapy were most frequent. Nearly one-third would have preferred treatment at another site, provided that the quality of care was similar. Home visits by the family doctor and specialised care teams were perceived by patients as important to prevent hospitalisation. Conclusions In most emergency admissions, relatively simple medical interventions are necessary. Specialised care teams with palliative care physicians, easier access to the family doctor and better lines of cooperation between hospitals and the primary care sector may make it possible to perform more of these procedures at home, thereby reducing the need for emergency admissions.
Enhancing Pyocyanin Production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS11 using Response Surface Methodology

The objective of this study was to maximize production of pyocyanin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS11using response surface methodology. Plackett-Burman design (PBD) was used to select the operational parameters influencing the optimization process. The most effective variables (pH, yeast extract, and K 2 SO 4 ) were chosen for further optimization using Box-Behnken design. The optimal fermentation parameters for enhancing PYO production were found to be pH 5.8, K 2 SO 4 20 g/l and yeast extract 1.5 g/l. The model predicted a PYO yield of 15.55 µg/ml. Verification of the optimization showed that the maximum PYO yield reached 17.7 µg/ml. Up to our knowledge, this is the first report on PYO optimization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS11 using response surface methodology. The yield after optimization was 2.1-fold higher than the unoptimized medium. The response surface methodology (RSM) with the Box–Behnken design was a useful tool for achieving the high yield of pyocyanin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS11.
A Critical Perspective on Moral Neuroscience

In this paper, we highlight several historical developments in the neuroscience of ethics as well as recent advances that forecast the experimental research to come. We argue, in particular, that our understanding of the moral brain will benefit from the further use of a formal, mathematical approach to the construction and testing of alternative theories, such as that found in the field of neuroeconomics. The use of economic modeling to understand the psychological processes underlying distributional preferences and charitable giving is reviewed to illustrate this potential. We also consider some obstacles to such an approach, notably the challenge of capturing substantive moral values within a mathematical model.
Evaluating the Radiocarbon Reservoir Effect in Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT We examined the radiocarbon (14C) reservoir effect in Lake Kutubu using tephrochronology and terrestrial plant material to deliver a precise age-depth profile and sedimentation rates for this lake. Based on the presence of two tephra horizons (Tibito and Olgaboli), we found a reservoir age offset in sediments of between 1490 and 2280 14C yr using the sediment ages derived from the lead-210 (210Pb) dating method. The live submerged biological samples collected exhibited a higher reservoir age offset than the sediment. This is most likely a result of delayed transport of “bomb” 14C from the atmosphere to aquatic and sedimentary system. The 14C reservoir effect increased with distance from the lake inlet and also decreased with depth. Dissolution of 14C-depleted carbon from surrounding limestone and direct in-wash of old soil or vegetation remnants from the catchment are the most likely causes of the 14C reservoir effect. Based on limestone areas mapped in Papua New Guinea, we indicate lakes which may be subject to a significant 14C reservoir effect. The results of this study demonstrate the magnitude of the 14C reservoir effect in lakes and provide insights to the correct interpretation of past environmental and archaeological events in PNG.
Evaluation of Knowledge Management Technologies for the Support of Technology Forecasting

Today’s business environment is characterized by highly transparent markets and global competition. Technology life cycles are decreasing due to the fast pace at which development of new technologies is progressing. To compete in this environment, it is necessary to identify upcoming innovations and trends as early as possible to decrease uncertainty, implement technology leadership, and create competitive advantage. In a parallel development, the amount of information available is already vast and increasing daily. With a growing number of features for innovation in technology, each contributing a new need for analysis, technology forecasting has become increasingly challenging. The goal of our paper is to investigate to what extent knowledge management technologies support and improve the technology forecasting process to face the aforementioned problems successfully. Consequently, we will develop a characterization scheme which works as a framework for the subsequent evaluation of knowledge management technologies and apply this to a real world case.
A Fuzzy-Neural System Incorporating Unequally Important Expert Opinions for semiconductor Yield Forecasting

Yield forecasting is a very important task to a semiconductor manufacturing factory. To enhance both the precision and accuracy of semiconductor yield forecasting, a fuzzy-neural system incorporating unequally important expert opinions is constructed in this study. In the proposed methodology, multiple experts construct their own fuzzy yield learning models from various viewpoints to predict the yield of a product. Besides, these expert opinions can also be considered unequally important. To aggregate these fuzzy yield forecasts, a two-step aggregation mechanism is applied. At the first step, fuzzy intersection is applied to aggregate the fuzzy yield forecasts into a polygon-shaped fuzzy yield forecast, in order to improve the precision of yield forecasting. After that, a back propagation network is constructed to defuzzify the polygon-shaped fuzzy yield forecast and to generate a representative/crisp value, so as to enhance the accuracy. For evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed methodology and to.
Cardiovascular effects of dipyrone and propofol on hemodynamic function in rabbits

Objective —To evaluate the short-term cardiovascular effects of IV administration of dipy-rone (metamizole) as an intraoperative analgesic during total IV anesthesia with propofol. Animals —6 healthy female New Zealand White rabbits. Procedures —Anesthesia was induced with propofol (4.0 to 8.0 mg/kg, IV) and maintained with the same drug (1.2 to 1.3 mg/kg/min, IV). After induction, 3 doses of dipyrone (65 mg/ kg each) were administered IV at 25-minute intervals. Before and for 10 minutes after each dipyrone injection, the following vascular and hemodynamic variables were recorded at the left common carotid artery every minute after the first injection: vessel diameter; peak systolic, minimum diastolic, end-diastolic, and mean blood flow velocities; mean volumetric flow; resistance and pulsatility indices; mean arterial blood pressure (MAP); heart rate; arterial oxygen saturation (Sp o 2 ); and end-tidal partial pressure of CO 2 (P etco 2 ). Echocardiography was performed after the second injection. The same variables were measured at the abdominal aorta (AA) after the third injection. Results —Dipyrone injections caused a significant, transient decrease in the resistance index at the AA. Also detected were a minor decrease in pulsatility index at the left common carotid artery and a minor increase in end-diastolic blood flow velocity at the AA. The MAP, heart rate, Sp o 2 , and P etco 2 did not significantly change after injections. A comparison of HR and MAP after the first and third bolus injections revealed only minor changes.
Callous/unemotional traits and social-cognitive processes in adjudicated youths.

OBJECTIVE There seem to be two dimensions associated with psychopathic traits in youths: a callous/unemotional factor (C/U) and an impulsivity/conduct problems factor (I/CP). This study sought to clarify the nature of these two factors and examine their relation with social-cognitive problems in incarcerated adolescents. METHOD One hundred sixty-nine male and female adjudicated youths were recruited for participation. Self-report measures and archival data were used to assess psychopathic traits, emotional distress, behavioral dysregulation, social-cognitive processes, and delinquency severity. RESULTS Analyses demonstrated that the I/CP factor is associated with increased levels of dysregulated behavior, while the C/U dimension is related to deficits in empathy. The two factors exhibited differential relations with measures of emotional distress and fearfulness. C/U traits were associated with an increased focus on the positive aspects of aggression and a decreased focus on the negative aspects of hostile acts. Findings remained after controlling for demographic characteristics, abuse history, intellectual abilities, and delinquency severity. CONCLUSIONS Results provide support for the two-dimensional nature of psychopathy in youths and suggest that C/U traits are associated with lower emotional distress and a specific social information-processing pattern. The potential implications for working with adjudicated youths exhibiting C/U traits are noted.
The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire in Germany: From the validation of the instrument to the formation of a job-specific database of psychosocial factors at work

The German version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) was established and tested in a sample of 2561 employees in order to: (a) assess the questionnaires’ psychometric properties; and (b) develop an appropriate instrument to use in the assessment of psychosocial risk factors. A shortened version of the instrument was developed, reducing the number of items from 141 to 87. With this, a database has been established since 2005. In a cooperation model between science (Freiburg Research Centre of Occupational and Social Medicine) and companies or organizations, new COPSOQ data are added to the dynamically growing database with profession-specific profiles of psychosocial factors at work. In return, companies can compare their results with job-related data in the database, facilitating the interpretation of their results and the implementation of improvement measures. The COPSOQ database has reached >25,000 respondents. Ongoing projects will expand the German COPSOQ database and include representative samples. Furthermore, a job exposure matrix for psychosocial factors at work will be constructed in 2009. Finally, in several projects, a first assessment has been followed by efforts to improve the problematic areas of psychosocial working conditions.