Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth Differentiation Factor 5-Mediated Enhancement of Chondrocyte Phenotype Is Inhibited by Heparin: Implications for the Use of Heparin in the Clinic and in Tissue Engineering Applications

The highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) heparin is widely used in the clinic as an anticoagulant, and researchers are now using it to enhance stem cell expansion/differentiation protocols, as well as to improve the delivery of growth factors for tissue engineering (TE) strategies. Growth differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) belongs to the bone morphogenetic protein family of proteins and is vital for skeletal formation; however, its interaction with heparin and heparan sulfate (HS) has not been studied. We identify GDF5 as a novel heparin/HS binding protein and show that HS proteoglycans are vital in localizing GDF5 to the cell surface. Clinically relevant doses of heparin (≥10 nM), but not equivalent concentrations of HS, were found to inhibit GDF5's biological activity in both human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived chondrocyte pellet cultures and the skeletal cell line ATDC5. We also found that heparin inhibited both GDF5 binding to cell surface HS and GDF5-induced induction of Smad 1/5/8 signaling. Furthermore, GDF5 significantly increased aggrecan gene expression in chondrocyte pellet cultures, without affecting collagen type X expression, making it a promising target for the TE of articular cartilage. Importantly, this study may explain the variable (and disappointing) results seen with heparin-loaded biomaterials for skeletal TE and the adverse skeletal effects reported in the clinic following long-term heparin treatment. Our results caution the use of heparin in the clinic and in TE applications, and prompt the transition to using more specific GAGs (e.g., HS derivatives), with better-defined structures and fewer off-target effects.
On the Underfitting and Overfitting Sets of Models Chosen by Order Selection Criteria

For a general class of order selection criteria, we establish analytic and non-asymptotic evaluations of both the underfitting and overfitting sets of selected models. These evaluations are further specified in various situations including regressions and autoregressions with finite or infinite variances. We also show how upper bounds for the misfitting probabilities and hence conditions ensuring the weak consistency can be derived from the given evaluations. Moreover, it is demonstrated how these evaluations, combined with a law of the iterated logarithm for some relevant statistic, can provide conditions ensuring the strong consistency of the model selection criterion used.
Understanding Commitment

Various factors have shown to relate to different forms of career commitment (i.e., affective, continuance, and normative commitment). Commitment has been associated with intent to remain within a profession or organization, suggesting that commitment is an important component of career retention. Correspondingly, commitment to one’s academic major may also provide information about university retention. The current study examined fit (e.g., objective and subjective), attitudes (e.g., organizational commitment, satisfaction, involvement, and intention to quit), and demographic (e.g., semesters in major) factors that have been previously related to career commitment to investigate the construct of major commitment of undergraduate students (N = 303). Using canonical correlation analysis, several significant relationships were found with approximately 69% and 67% of the shared variance between the three forms of major commitment and other variables for Black and White students, respectively, being explained.
Cognitive Processing Therapy for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder Following Sexual Assault: A Randomised Effectiveness Study

The effectiveness of individually administered cognitive processing therapy (CPT) when compared with treatment as usual (TAU) in a community sexual assault centre was tested. Trauma survivors with acute stress disorder (ASD) following sexual assault were randomised to either CPT (n = 25) or TAU (n = 22), and assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up. Both groups demonstrated large reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms following treatment, and these gains were maintained over the course of follow-ups (Cohen's ds for PTSD symptom reductions ranging between 0.76 to 1.45). Although smaller and not always consistent, between-group effect sizes typically favoured CPT. Effect sizes (d) ranged between 0.13–0.50 for posttraumatic stress and 0.13–0.41 for depression over the course of follow-ups. Independent assessment of PTSD severity indicated more CPT participants reached good end-state functioning at 12-month follow-up (50%) than TAU (31%). Although both treatments were effective, there were some indications that CPT led to better outcomes relative to therapists delivering their usual therapy. The present study demonstrates that evidence-based, trauma-focused therapy such as CPT can be effective when delivered as an early intervention in a routine mental health setting.
Making sense of sudden personal transformation: a qualitative study on people’s beliefs about the facilitative factors and mechanisms of their abrupt and profound inner change.

Sudden personal transformation (SPT) was defined as a subjectively reported, positive, profound, and lasting personal change that follows a relatively brief and memorable inner experience. Although such change has been described in numerous biographies, works of fiction, and religious and scholarly texts, a consistent definition and systematic program of research is lacking in the psychological literature. Moreover, almost nothing is known about what causes such change from the subjective point of view of individuals who have experienced it first hand. This study used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore the common beliefs of three participants about the factors that facilitated and the mechanisms that caused their SPT. Findings reveal that all participants reported a life transition, feeling miserable, feeling exhausted, feeling unable to resolve adverse circumstances, reaching a breaking point, and support from others facilitated their individual SPT’s. All participants also indicated that a formalized activity or ceremony as well as a process outside of their conscious control (either a higher power or a deep inner wisdom) produced or caused their SPT’s. Implications for future research and counselling practice are discussed.
Expression of T‐cadherin in tumor cells influences invasive potential of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Overexpression of T‐cadherin (T‐cad) transcripts occurs in ≈50% of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). To elucidate T‐cad functions in HCC, we examined T‐cad protein expression in normal and tumoral human livers and hepatoma cell lines and investigated its influence on invasive potential of HCC using RNA interference silencing of T‐cad expression in Mahlavu cells. Whereas T‐cad expression was restricted to endothelial cells (EC) from large blood vessels in normal livers, it was up‐regulated in sinusoidal EC from 8/15 invasive HCCs. Importantly, in three of them (38%) T‐cad was detected in tumor cells within regions in which E‐cadherin expression was absent. Among six hepatoma cell lines, only Mahlavu expressed T‐cad but not E‐cadherin. T‐cad exhibited a globally punctuate distribution in quiescent Mahlavu and additionally it concentrated at the leading edge of migrating cells. Matrigel invasion assay revealed that Mahlavu possess a high invasive potential that was significantly inhibited by T‐cad silencing. Wound healing and random motility assays demonstrated that inhibition of T‐cad expression in Mahlavu significantly reduced their motility. We propose that T‐cad expression in tumor cells might occur by cadherin‐switching during epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and may represent an additional mechanism contributing to HCC metastasis. —Riou, P., Saffroy, R. , Chenailler, C. , Franc, B. , Gentile, C. , Rubinstein, E. , Resink, T. , Debuire, B. , Piatier‐Tonneau, D. , Lemoine, A. Expression of T‐cadherin in tumor cells influences invasive potential of human hepatocellular carcinoma. FASEB J. 20, 2291–2301 (2006)
Exploratory Study of a Measure of Self-Actualization

Two studies were conducted to measure positive personality change expected to occur during four years of a self-actualizing program. The first study computed intercorrelations among the scales of the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) for students in the Psychology and English Departments of a Spanish-speaking college, which were then compared with those reported in the test manual. Generally, correlations were greater than those in the manual, which suggested possible influence by the humanistic and Christian philosophy of the college. The second study examined the effect of training for self-actualization and personality growth on the behavior of a group of psychology teacher-trainees. Results indicated that subjects in the treatment conditions improved significantly in their levels of self-actualization as measured by the Time Competency and Inner-directedness scales of the POI.
Human altruistic tendencies vary with both the costliness of selfless acts and socioeconomic status

Altruism toward strangers is considered a defining feature of humans. However, manifestation of this behaviour is contingent on the costliness of the selfless act. The extent of altruistic tendencies also varies cross-culturally, being more common in societies with higher levels of market integration. However, the existence of local variation in selfless behaviour within populations has received relatively little empirical attention. Using a ‘lost letter’ design, we dropped 300 letters (half of them stamped, half of them unstamped) in 15 residential suburbs of the greater Perth area that differ markedly in socioeconomic status. The number of returned letters was used as evidence of altruistic behaviour. Costliness was assessed by comparing return rates for stamped vs. unstamped letters. We predicted that there is a positive association between suburb socioeconomic status and number of letters returned and that altruistic acts decrease in frequency when costs increase, even minimally. Both predictions were solidly supported and demonstrate that socioeconomic deprivation and elevated performance costs independently impinge on the universality of altruistic behaviour in humans.
Potential Diagnostic Value of Serum p53 Antibody for Detecting Esophageal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background Mutant p53 protein overexpression has been reported to induce serum antibodies against p53. Various studies assessing the diagnostic value of serum p53 antibody in patients with esophageal cancer remain controversial. This study aims to comprehensively and quantitatively summarize the potential diagnostic value of serum p53 antibody in esophageal cancer. Methods We systematically searched PubMed and Embase until 31st May 2012, without language restriction. Studies were assessed for quality using QUADAS (quality assessment of studies of diagnostic accuracy). Positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were pooled separately and compared with overall accuracy measures diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and symmetric summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC). The PLR and NLR and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a fixed effects model according to the Mantel-Haensed method and random effects model based on the work of Der Simonian and laird, respectively. Results Fifteen studies (cases = 1079, controls = 2260) met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Approximately 53.33% (8/15) of the included studies were of high quality (QUADAS score≥8), which were retrospective case-control studies. The summary estimates for quantitative analysis of serum p53 antibody in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer were PLR 6.95 (95% CI: 4.77–9.51), NLR 0.75 (95%CI: 0.72–0.78) and DOR 9.65 (95%CI: 7.04–13.22). However, we found significant heterogeneity between NLRs. Conclusions The current evidence suggests serum p53 antibody has a potential diagnostic value for esophageal cancer. However, its discrimination power is not perfect because of low sensitivity. Impact These results suggest that s-p53-antibody may be useful for monitoring residual tumor cells and for aiding in the selection of candidates for less invasive treatment procedures because of the high specificity of s-p53-antibody. Further studies may need to identify patterns of multiple biomarkers to further increase the power of EC detection.
Income , wealth and risk of diabetes among older adults : cohort study using the English longitudinal study of ageing

that different aspects of social disadvantage are important predictors of mortality among diabetic people. The importance of socioeconomic factors together with lifestyle factors should be taken into account in planning diabetes care. The results of this study indicate that different aspects of social disadvantage are important predictors for poor outcomes of diabetes. Unemployment was found to be a strong predictor of mortality among diabetic men and among type 1 diabetic women. Excessive alcohol use especially among type 1 diabetic people with low socioeconomic position seems to increase mortality risk markedly. The importance of socioeconomic factors together with lifestyle factors should be taken into account in planning diabetes care. Socioeconomic gradient in morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes: cohort study findings from the Whitehall Study and the Coronary heart disease among diabetic and non-diabetic people-socioeconomic differences in incidence, prognosis and mortality. 15 Gnavi R, Petrelli A, Demaria M, et al. Mortality and educational level among diabetic and non-diabetic population in the Turin Longitudinal Study: a 9-year follow-up. 16 Voss M, Nylén L, Floderus B, et al. Unemployment and early cause-specific mortality: a study based on the Swedish twin registry. 17 Pensola T, Martikainen P. Life-course experiences and mortality by adult social class among young men. The impact of diabetes mellitus and prior myocardial infarction on mortality from all causes and from coronary heart disease in men. 21 Haffner SM, Lehto S, Rönnemaa T, et al. Mortality from coronary heart disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes and in nondiabetic subjects with and without prior myocardial infarction. Contribution of deaths related to alcohol use to socioeconomic variation in mortality: register based follow up study. 24 Wibell L, Nyström L, O ¨ stman J, et al. Increased mortality in diabetes during the first 10 years of the disease. A population-based study (DISS) in Swedish adults 15-34 years old at diagnosis. Background: Socioeconomic status has been associated with diabetes in cross-sectional studies. This study aimed to evaluate associations of household income and wealth with both prevalent and incident diabetes among older adults in the UK. It also evaluated the association between obesity and socioeconomic status. Methods: A cohort of people aged ! 50 years was selected from the English Longitudinal Study 310 European Journal of Public Health of Ageing. The relation of prevalent and incident self-reported physician diagnosed diabetes to household income and wealth was evaluated in logistic regression models adjusting for education, social …
Aspects of the antimicrobial mechanisms of action of a polyquaternium and an amidoamine.

OBJECTIVES Polyquad (Alcon) (polyquaternium-1, PQ-1) and Aldox (Alcon) (myristamidopropyl dimethylamine, MAPD) are two biocides that are used commercially in a contact lens disinfecting solution, namely Opti-Free Express (Alcon) multi-purpose disinfecting solution. Their potential mechanisms of action were investigated against a range of common ocular pathogens. These were Acanthamoeba castellanii (trophozoites and cysts), Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS Three aspects were investigated: the lethal effects of the biocides on the organisms, the leakage of K+ from treated cells, and the lysis of spheroplasts derived from the cells. RESULTS PQ-1 was found to have predominantly antibacterial activity, and induced K+ leakage from the bacteria and C. albicans. It also caused lysis of spheroplasts of S. marcescens, but not those of C. albicans. MAPD was active against all of the organisms, but showed higher activity against the fungi and amoeba. It induced K+ leakage from A. fumigatus and C. albicans, and like PQ-1, lysed the spheroplasts of S. marcescens but not C. albicans. CONCLUSIONS The two biocides have different spectra of antimicrobial activity. PQ-1 has mainly antibacterial activity, whereas MAPD was active against all of the test organisms, particularly the fungi.
How Does the Narrowing of Eligibility Criteria Affect Enrollment in Part C Early Intervention?

In recent years, many states have narrowed their eligibility criteria for participation in the IDEA Part C early intervention (EI) program for infants and toddlers with or at risk for developmental delays. However, there is scant research on the effects of such a policy change on the population of children served or on the timing of children's access to EI services. Using data from an EI program serving a diverse, urban population in a large southeastern state, we compared characteristics of children who enrolled in EI the year before (n = 432) and the year after (n = 399), the state adopted more restrictive eligibility criteria for its EI program. Results indicated that following the policy change, children served in the program represented a smaller percentage of the resident birth-to-3 population; a smaller proportion of children enrolling in EI had mild delays; and children were 1.5 months older, on average, when they enrolled in services. The findings not only provide evidence that the narrowing of eligibility criteria achieved the intended effect of reducing EI enrollment but also raise concerns that the new policy may delay access to needed services for children with emergent developmental delays.
Energy spectrum in the dissipation range of fluid turbulence

High-resolution, direct numerical simulations of three-dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are carried out to study the energy spectrum in the dissipation range. An energy spectrum of the form A(k/kd)α exp[−βk/kd] is confirmed. The possible values of the parameters α and β, as well as their dependence on Reynolds numbers and length scales, are investigated, showing good agreement with recent theoretical predictions. A ‘bottleneck’-type effect is reported at k/kd≈4, exhibiting a possible transition from near-dissipation to far-dissipation.
Validating a Measure of Forms and Functions of Aggression in Turkish Adolescents

This study examined psychometric properties of the Little Aggressive Inventory (LAI), which determines forms and functions of aggression in Turkish adolescents. The study group was 1445 adolescents aged 11–17 (mean age 14.32). Results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model produced a good fit to the Turkish sample. Results showed that boys demonstrated more pure overt and relational aggression than girls. A positive significant correlation between pureovert and pure-relational aggression, as well as a negative significant correlation between age and instrumental aggression, were found with respect to age. Furthermore, subscales of LAI demonstrated high internal consistency, and results indicated that LAI could separate four areas of aggression -overt, relational, reactive, and instrumental- in the Turkish sample.
"Physical Negation" Integrating Fault Models into the General Diagnostic Engine

The General Diagnostic Engine (GDE) provides an elegant and general framework for model-based diagnosis. However, like many other diagnostic systems, GDE's device models capture only the correct, or intended, behavior of its components. It is lacking an important part of diagnostic reasoning: knowledge about how components may behave when they are faulty. This fact can limit the performance of GDE considerably. We present a solution for integrating the use of fault models into GDE in a very homogeneous way, a system called GDE +. Unlike the basic GDE, it can not only exploit contradictions between the assumed correct behavior of components and the observations, but also analyze whether the faultiness of components would really explain the observations. Based on an extended version of the ATMS, GDE + is able to prove the correctness of components and to rule out implausible diagnostic hypotheses.
A Human Action Recognition Method Based on Tchebichef Moment Invariants and Temporal Templates

In this paper, a new human action recognition method based on Tchebichef moment invariants and temporal templates is presented. We use the motion energy image (MEI) and motion history image (MHI) as the feature representation of the human action at first. Then the Tchebichef moment invariants extract the feature vectors of MEI and MHI. Tchebichef moment invariants perform better than Hu moment invariants and Zernike moment invariants. Finally cluster the actions and use the nearest neighbor algorithm to recognize each human action. The result of these experiments suggests that this method has a high recognition rate in in both noise-free and noisy condition. Therefore, the algorithm has a good robustness.
Lightweight anomaly detection system with HMM resource modeling

In this paper, a lightweight anomaly detection infrastructure named Anomaly Detection by Resource Monitoring is presented for Information Appliances. We call it Ayaka for short. It provides a monitoring function for detecting anomalies, especially attacks which are a symptom of resource abuse, by using the resource patterns of each process. Ayaka takes a completely application black-box approach, based on machine learning methods. It uses the clustering method to quantize the resource usage vector data and then learn the normal patterns with a hidden Markov Model. In the running phase, Ayaka finds anomalies by comparing the application resource usage with the learned model. This reduces the general overhead of the analyzer and makes it possible to monitor the process in real-time. The evaluation experiment indicates that our prototype system is able to detect anomalies such as SQL injection and buffer overrun with a minimum of false positives and small (about 1%) system overhead, without previously defined anomaly models.
Scaffolded writing and early literacy development with children who are deaf: a case study

ABSTRACT This case study examined the effects that the processes of private speech and materialization (using line underscores as word placeholders) had on the emergent writing behaviours of one, six-year-old student who was enrolled in an auditory–oral deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) first-grade classroom situated on a large urban public school campus. Over the period of four months, this study examined (a) how the processes of private speech and materialization assisted emergent writers to become conventional writers, and (b) what changes occurred in children’s writing when they used scaffolded writing. Evidence demonstrated that scaffolded writing accompanied by the sociocultural tools of materialization, self-talk and adult assistance resulted in dramatic qualitative changes in the student’s writing and spelling. Implications include the importance of understanding individual psychogenetic development and the advantages of a sociocultural theory-based approach to emergent writing in the DHH classroom.