Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Myocardial Infarction Upregulates Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor‐23

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death worldwide. Epidemiological studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to MI incidence. Because fibroblast growth factor‐23 (FGF23) is a master regulator of vitamin D hormone production and has been shown to be associated with cardiac hypertrophy per se, we explored the hypothesis that FGF23 may be a previously unrecognized pathophysiological factor causally linked to progression of cardiac dysfunction post‐MI. Here, we show that circulating intact Fgf23 was profoundly elevated, whereas serum vitamin D hormone levels were suppressed, after induction of experimental MI in rat and mouse models, independent of changes in serum soluble Klotho or serum parathyroid hormone. Both skeletal and cardiac expression of Fgf23 was increased after MI. Although the molecular link between the cardiac lesion and circulating Fgf23 concentrations remains to be identified, our study has uncovered a novel heart–bone–kidney axis that may have important clinical implications and may inaugurate the new field of cardio‐osteology. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Electronic Data Interchange and Small Organizations: Adoption and Impact of Technology

Many EDI researchers and practitioners have recognized the importance of high penetration levels for the success of EDI. Unfortunately, such penetration is partly impeded by the resistance of small companies to become EDI capable. To investigate this issue, we identify three major factors that influence the EDI adoption practices of small firms. These factors are: organizational readiness (because of the low levels of IT sophistication and resource availability of small firms), external pressures to adopt (because of the weak market positions of small firms and the network nature of the technology), and perceived benefits (because of the limited impact that IT has on small firms due to under-utilization and lack of integration). By combining the anticipated effects of these factors, we developed a framework of EDI adoption by small businesses. The applicability of this framework is empirically demonstrated using the results of seven case studies. Lastly, recommendations are made for the development of successful EDI partner expansion plans. These include the development of a long term EDI partner expansion plan from the very beginning, the individual assessment of each partner's EDI preparedness level, and the selection of appropriate influence tactics to expedite adoption by small partners. Specifically, it is suggested that EDI initiators pursue promotional efforts to improve partners' perceptions of EDI benefits, provide financial and technological assistance to partners with low organizational readiness, and carefully select and enact influence strategies to reduce resistance.
Tolerability and efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery on hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis

This is a retrospective study on the safety and efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). Patients with confirmed HCC and PVTT were allocated into two groups based on the treatments they received (palliative or GKR). A total of 138 patients were included (74 in the palliative group, 64 in GKR group). No significant differences in baseline characteristics existed between the two groups. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were recorded and compared between groups. The majority of AEs were mild to moderate and subsided naturally or after medication. There was no AE-induced death. The influences of baseline characteristics and treatment options on patients' OS were analyzed. The median OS of patients in the palliative and GKR group were 3.0 months (95% CI: 2.719-3.281) and 6.1 months (95% CI: 4.706-7.494) respectively (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that GKR treatment, performance status 0-1, Child A, smaller tumor diameter and monolobar distribution were significant favorable prognosticators. Subgroup analyses showed OS benefit of GKR regardless of PVTT location (main or branch of PVTT). In conclusion, GKR is well tolerated in selected HCC-PVTT patients and can confer OS benefit, which needs validation in future prospective studies.
The Protective Effect of Melatonin on Neural Stem Cell against LPS-Induced Inflammation

Stem cell therapy for tissue regeneration has several limitations in the fact that transplanted cells could not survive for a long time. For solving these limitations, many studies have focused on the antioxidants to increase survival rate of neural stem cells (NSCs). Melatonin, an antioxidant synthesized in the pineal gland, plays multiple roles in various physiological mechanisms. Melatonin exerts neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system. To determine the effect of melatonin on NSCs which is in LPS-induced inflammatory stress state, we first investigated nitric oxide (NO) production and cytotoxicity using Griess reagent assays, LDH assay, and neurosphere counting. Also, we investigated the effect of melatonin on NSCs by measuring the mRNA levels of SOX2, TLX, and FGFR-2. In addition, western blot analyses were performed to examine the activation of PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling in LPS-treated NSCs. In the present study, we suggested that melatonin inhibits NO production and protects NSCs against LPS-induced inflammatory stress. In addition, melatonin promoted the expression of SOX2 and activated the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling under LPS-induced inflammation condition. Based on our results, we conclude that melatonin may be an important factor for the survival and proliferation of NSCs in neuroinflammatory diseases.
The Influence of the Educational Environment on College Student Activity Behaviors

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iii DEDICATION . iv LIST OF TABLES . xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION . 1 Theoretical Framework . 4 Purpose of the Study . 9 The Research Design . 9 Instruments . 9 Participants . 10 Definitions. 11 Justification . 11 Limitations . 13 Assumptions . 13 Delimitations . 14 Summary . 14 Remaining Chapters . 15 CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . 17 vi Institutional Responsibility . 19 Astin’s Input-Environment-Output Model (I-E-O) . 22 Input. 25 Gender . 25 Body mass index (BMI). 26 Previous exercise experience. 27 Environment . 30 Accessibility of fitness/wellness/recreation facilities . 31 Proximity of fitness/wellness facilities to campus housing. 32 Pedestrian friendly campus . 32 Campus safety . 33 Required physical activity courses. 34 Physical activity incentive programs . 35 Output . 37 Intention to exercise . 37 Models that compete with TPB. 39 Summary . 41 CHAPTER III METHODS . 42 Purpose . 42 Participants . 42 vii Materials/ Instrumentation . 46 Self-reported Physical Activity . 47 Educational Environment Questions. 48 Accessibility of fitness centers. 48 Pedestrian friendly. 49 Campus safety. 49 PA programming. 49 Requirement of PA courses. 50 Intention to Participate in Physical Activity . 50 Attitude . 51 Subjective norm. 51 Perceived control. 51 Self-efficacy. 52 Intention. 52 Data Analysis . 53 Model Specification . 53 Sample Size . 55 Preparing the Data. 55 Calculating body mass index. 55 Examining the IPAQ data. 56 viii Calculating MET values. 57 Recoding Data. 58 Educational environment scoring. 58 Accessibility of fitness centers. 59 Pedestrian friendly. 59 Campus safety. 59 PA programming. 59 Requirement of PA courses. 60 TPB scoring. 60 Summary . 61 CHAPTER IV –RESULTS . 62 Demographic Data . 62 Descriptive statistics . 63 Data Cleaning. 63 Missing Data. 64 Factor Descriptives and Confirmation . 65 Check plots/graphs and correlation. 65 Accessibility of fitness centers. 66 Pedestrian friendly . 66 Campus safety. 67 ix PA incentive programming. 67 Requirement of PA courses. 68 Intention to Participate in Physical Activit . 69 Confirmatory factor analysis. 70 Degrees of freedom and c
Population-based surveillance of asthma among workers in British Columbia, Canada.

INTRODUCTION Population-based health databases were used for the surveillance of asthma among workers in British Columbia for the period 1999 to 2003. The purpose was to identify high-risk groups of workers with asthma for further investigation, education and prevention. METHODS Workers were identified using an employer-paid health premium field in the provincial health registry, and were linked to their physician visit, hospitalization, workers' compensation and pharmaceutical records; asthma cases were defined by the presence of an asthma diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-9-493) in these health records. Workers were assigned to an ''at-risk'' exposure group based on their industry of employment. RESULTS For males, significantly higher asthma rates were observed for workers in the Utilities, Transport/Warehousing, Wood and Paper Manufacturing (Sawmills), Health Care/Social Assistance and Education industries. For females, significantly higher rates were found for those working in the Waste Management/Remediation and Health Care/Social Assistance industries. CONCLUSION The data confirm a high prevalence of active asthma in the working population of British Columbia, and in particular, higher rates among females compared to males and in industries with known respiratory sensitizers such as dust and chemical exposures.
Spitzer IRS High-Resolution Spectroscopy of the 12 μm Seyfert Galaxies. I. First Results

The first high-resolution Spitzer IRS 9-37 μm spectra of 29 Seyfert galaxies of the 12 μm Active Galaxy Sample are presented. The spectroscopy was obtained with off-source observations, allowing excellent background subtraction and thus accurate measurements of continuum levels and strengths of weak emission lines. Several new combinations of emission-line ratios and line/continuum ratios were identified as effective diagnostics of the strength of the AGN component in these galaxies. The line ratios [Ne V]/[Ne II], [O IV]/[Ne II], already known, but also [Ne III]/[Ne II] and [Ne V]/[Si II] can be used to measure the dominance of the AGN. The equivalent width of the 11.25 μm PAH feature, like that of the 6.2 μm PAH feature, already studied, also anticorrelates with the dominance of the AGN. Our measurements indicate that the 11.25 μm PAH feature has a constant ratio with H2 S(1) irrespective of Seyfert type, approximately 10 to 1. The ratio of the 19 μm fluxes observed with the two spectrometer channels, with aperture areas differing by a factor of 4, measures the source extendedness, giving another estimate of the AGN dominance, which correlates with both the EWs of [Ne II] and PAH emission. Using the rotational transitions of H2, we estimated temperatures (200-300 K) and masses (1-10 × 106 M☉) for the warm molecular component. Finally, we used the ratios of the doublets of [Ne V] and of [S III] to estimate the gas electron density, which appears to be of the order of ne ∼ 103-104 cm−3 for the highly ionized component and a factor 10 lower for the intermediate-ionization gas.
Miles to go

While some believe there is little need to be concerned about girls in education, they continue to face such ongoing stereotyping, biases, and harassment that follow them into their careers. Shannon Andrus, Charlotte Jacobs, and Peter Kuriloff explore the current state of girls’ education and discuss importance of an intersectional lens that takes into account other identities, such as race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Using data from a large-scale qualitative study of girls and teachers, the authors recommend ways to address and overcome these obstacles, including the use of active gender consciousness in the classroom.
Effect of Denosumab on Bone Mineral Density and Markers of Bone Turnover among Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of denosumab (Dmab) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers after 1 year of treatment. Additionally, the effect of Dmab in bisphosphonate-naïve patients (BP-naïve) compared to patients previously treated with bisphosphonates (BP-prior) was analyzed. This retrospective study included 425 postmenopausal women treated with Dmab for 1 year in clinical practice conditions in specialized centers from Argentina. Participants were also divided according to previous bisphosphonate treatment into BP-naïve and BP-prior. A control group of patients treated with BP not switched to Dmab matched by sex, age, and body mass index was used. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. After 1 year of treatment with Dmab the bone formation markers total alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin were significantly decreased (23.36% and 43.97%, resp.), as was the bone resorption marker s-CTX (69.61%). Significant increases in BMD were observed at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip without differences between BP-naïve and BP-prior. A better BMD response was found in BP-prior group compared with BP treated patients not switched to Dmab. Conclusion. Dmab treatment increased BMD and decreased bone turnover markers in the whole group, with similar response in BP-naïve and BP-prior patients. A better BMD response in BP-prior patients versus BP treated patients not switched to Dmab was observed.
Can Charter Schools Address Racial Inequities Evidenced in Access to the General Education Classroom? A Longitudinal Study in Chicago Public Schools

This study presents a longitudinal analysis of racial inequities evidenced in placement patterns in the least restrictive environment (LRE). We compared placement trends in neighborhoods and charter schools for Black and White students receiving special education services (SRSES). Drawing from the concept of institutional isomorphism and using a longitudinal analysis of odds ratio, we examined annual school data from 2008 to 2012 on students’ placement in the LRE in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Our findings indicate that over time charter schools mirror neighborhood schools’ (NS) racial inequities evidenced in access to general education classrooms.
Kir3 channel signaling complexes: focus on opioid receptor signaling

Opioids are among the most effective drugs to treat severe pain. They produce their analgesic actions by specifically activating opioid receptors located along the pain perception pathway where they inhibit the flow of nociceptive information. This inhibition is partly accomplished by activation of hyperpolarizing G protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium (GIRK or Kir3) channels. Kir3 channels control cellular excitability in the central nervous system and in the heart and, because of their ubiquitous distribution, they mediate the effects of a large range of hormones and neurotransmitters which, upon activation of corresponding G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) lead to channel opening. Here we analyze GPCR signaling via these effectors in reference to precoupling and collision models. Existing knowledge on signaling bias is discussed in relation to these models as a means of developing strategies to produce novel opioid analgesics with an improved side effects profile.
Model Based Layout Pattern Dependent Metal Filling Algorithm for Improved Chip Surface Uniformity in the Copper Process

Thickness range, i.e. the difference between the highest point and the lowest point of the chip surface, is a key indicator of chip yield. This paper presents a novel metal filling algorithm that seeks to minimize the thickness range of the chip surface during the copper damascene process. The proposed solution considers the physical mechanisms in the damascene process, namely ECP (which is the process used to deposit Cu in the trenches) and CMP (which is the process used to polish Cu after ECP), that affect thickness range. Key predictors for the final thickness range, which is the thickness range after ECP and CMP, that can be computed efficiently are identified and used to drive the metal filling process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first metal filling algorithm that uses an ECP model among other things to guide metal filling. Experimental results are very promising and indicate that the proposed method can significantly reduce the thickness range after metal filling. This is in sharp contrast with the density-driven approaches which often increase the thickness range after metal filling, thereby potentially adversely impacting yield. In addition, the proposed method inserts significantly smaller amount of fill when compared to the density-driven approaches. This is desirable as it limits the impact of metal filling on timing.
Scaffold Attachment Factor B1 Functions in Development, Growth, and Reproduction

ABSTRACT Scaffold attachment factor B1 (SAFB1) is a multifunctional protein that can bind both DNA and RNA and is involved in RNA processing and stress response. In addition, SAFB1 contains a transcriptional repression domain and can bind certain hormone receptors and repress their activity. To assess the role of SAFB1 in vivo, we generated SAFB1 mutant mice through targeted deletion in embryonic stem cells. While viable homozygous mutant (SAFB1−/−) mice were obtained, genotypic distribution indicated that homozygous deficiency resulted in both prenatal and neonatal lethality. Mice lacking SAFB1 exhibited dwarfism, as a result of in utero growth retardation, and had low serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels. In agreement with the previous characterization of SAFB1 as a corepressor for hormone receptors, we found that SAFB1−/− mice displayed dramatic defects in the development and function of the reproductive system. Male SAFB1 null mice were infertile, apparently because of low circulating levels of testosterone. SAFB1−/− testes were small and showed progressive degeneration of the germinal epithelium, increased apoptosis of germ cells, and Leydig cell hyperplasia. SAFB−/− female mice were subfertile and showed progressive infertility, in part because of defects in oviductal transport and reduced numbers of follicles. Immortalized SAFB1−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts showed cell-intrinsic defects including increased transcriptional estrogen receptor α activity and enhanced responsiveness to IGF1. Together, these in vivo findings establish a critical role for SAFB1 in development, growth regulation, and reproduction.
The Advanced Computing Systems Association Sbox: Put Cgi Scripts in a Box Sbox: Put Cgi Scripts in a Box

sbox is a CGI wrapper script that allows Web sites to safely grant CGI authoring privileges to untrusted or naive authors. The script increases security in several ways. It changes the process privileges of CGI scripts to match their owners, preventing one script from interfering with another's data les or operations. It establishes conngurable ceilings on script resource usage, avoiding intentional or unintentional denial of service attacks. Most importantly, sbox can also be used to run untrusted CGI scripts within a chroot()-ed directory, thereby preventing CGI scripts from accessing sensitive portions of the le system. sbox can be used and redistributed freely.
Radiation-driven Warping: The Origin of Warps and Precession in Accretion Disks

A geometrically thin, optically thick, warped accretion disk with a central source of luminosity is subject to nonaxisymmetric forces due to radiation pressure; the resulting torque acts to modify the warp. In a recent paper, J. E. Pringle used a local analysis to show that initially planar accretion disks are unstable to warping that is driven by radiation torque. Here we extend this work with a global analysis of the stable and unstable modes. We confirm Pringle's conclusion that thin, centrally illuminated accretion disks are generically unstable to warping via this mechanism; we discuss the time evolution and likely steady state of such systems, and show specifically that this mechanism can explain the warping of the disk of water masers in NGC 4258 and the 164 day precession period of the accretion disk in SS 433. Radiation-driven warping and precession provide a robust mechanism for producing warped, precessing accretion disks in active galactic nuclei and X-ray binary systems.
Examining the Performance of Evolutionary Many-Objective Optimization Algorithms on a Real-World Application

Recently research into many-objective optimization has attracted much attention. One of the main topics of the research is to develop evolutionary many-objective optimization (EMAO) algorithms that can solve optimization problems with more than three objectives. EMAO algorithms generally differ from evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO) algorithms as EMO algorithms are known to work mainly for optimization problems with two or three objectives. Thus far the performance of EMO algorithms has been validated using both benchmark test problems and real-world applications. Although the performance of EMAO algorithms has also been shown using benchmark test problems, their performance on real-world applications rarely appears in the literature. in this paper we examine the performance of state-of-the-art EMAO algorithms by applying them to a real-world application, namely a hybrid car controller optimization problem with six objectives. It is demonstrated that EMAO algorithms work well for this optimization problem.
Ex Vivo Staining of Metastatic Lymph Nodes by Class I Major Histocompatibility Complex Tetramers Reveals High Numbers of Antigen-experienced Tumor-specific Cytolytic T Lymphocytes

Characterization of cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to tumor antigens has been impeded by a lack of direct assays of CTL activity. We have synthesized reagents (“tetramers”) that specifically stain CTLs recognizing melanoma antigens. Tetramer staining of tumor-infiltrated lymph nodes ex vivo revealed high frequencies of tumor-specific CTLs which were antigen-experienced by surface phenotype. In vitro culture of lymph node cells with cytokines resulted in very large expansions of tumor-specific CTLs that were dependent on the presence of tumor cells in the lymph nodes. Tetramer-guided sorting by flow cytometer allowed isolation of melanoma-specific CTLs and confirmation of their specificity and their ability to lyse autologous tumor cells. Our results demonstrate the value of these novel reagents for monitoring tumor-specific CTL responses and for generating CTLs for adoptive immunotherapy. These data also indicate that strong CTL responses to melanoma often occur in vivo, and that the reactive CTLs have substantial proliferative and tumoricidal potential.
Design issues of visual languages for supporting software evolution

We describe issues in design of visual languages that can provide a support for software evolution and lessons learned from our experience in the development of a visual language environment called KLIEG. In this paper, we put emphasis on general frameworks for visual syntax, interaction supports and aspect visualization. We also describe several specific techniques and design decisions of KLIEG.
Emergentism, Connectionism, and Language Learning.

This review summarizes a range of theoretical approaches to language acquisition. It argues that language representations emerge from interactions at all levels from brain to society. Simple learning mechanisms, operating in and across the human systems for perception, motor-action and cognition as they are exposed to language data as part of a social environment, suffice to drive the emergence of complex language representations. Connectionism provides a set of computational tools for exploring the conditions under which emergent properties arise. I present various simulations of emergence of linguistic regularity for illustration.