Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sequence analysis of MYOC and CYP1B1 in a Chinese pedigree of juvenile glaucoma with goniodysgenesis

Purpose This study was designed to analyze two candidate genes, myocilin (MYOC) and cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1), in a Chinese pedigree of juvenile glaucoma with goniodysgenesis. Methods In a three-generation family of juvenile glaucoma with goniodysgenesis (13 members), six of them were patients with glaucoma and the rest were asymptomatic. All members of the family underwent complete ophthalmologic examinations. Exons of MYOC and CYP1B1 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, sequenced, and compared with a reference database. Results Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and visual function impairment was found in all patients, and goniodysgenesis was noticed in five of them (nine eyes) with relatively transparent corneas. One MYOC heterozygous mutation, c.1109 C>T (P370L), in exon 3 was identified in all six patients but not in the asymptomatic family members. Two CYP1B1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), g.3947 C>G (R48G) in exon 2 and 372−12 C>T in intron 1, were identified in all six patients and but not in the asymptomatic family members except the proband’s grandmother. Three SNPs were identified, 730 + 35 A>G in intron 2 of MYOC and g.8131 G>C (V432L) and g.8184 T>C (D449D) in exon 3 of CYP1B1. Conclusions The presence of a P370L mutation of MYOC in all six glaucoma patients suggests a casual association between this mutation and juvenile glaucoma with goniodysgenesis. The possible role of SNPs of CYP1B1 in the pathogenesis of the disease remains to be elucidated.
Updates on the diagnosis and treatment of intracranial nerve malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare entities and MPNSTs of intracranial nerves are even more sporadic. MPNSTs present diagnosis and treatment challenges since there are no defined diagnosis criteria and no established therapeutic strategies. Methods: We reviewed literature for MPNST-related articles. We found 45 relevant studies in which 60 cases were described. Results: We identified 60 cases of intracranial nerve MPNSTs. The age ranged from 3 to 75 years old. Male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The most involved cranial nerves (CNs) were CN VIII (60%), CN V (27%), and CN VII (10%). Most of the MPNSTs reported (47%) arose sporadically, 40% arose from a schwannoma, 8% arose from a neurofibroma, and 6% arose from an unspecified nerve tumor. Twenty patients had a history of radiation exposure, four patients had neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), four patients had neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), and NF2 was suspected in two other patients. Twenty-two patients were treated with radiotherapy and presented a higher survival rate. Seventy-two percent of patients died of their disease while 28% of patients survived. One-year survival rate was 33%. Forty-five percent of tumors recurred and 19% of patients had metastases. Conclusion: MPNSTs involving CNs are very rare. Diagnosis is made in regards to the histological and pathological findings. Imaging may help orient the diagnosis. A preexisting knowledge of the clinical situation is more likely to lead to a correct diagnosis. The mainstay of treatment is radical surgical resection with adjuvant radiotherapy. Since these tumors are associated with a poor prognosis, a close follow-up is mandatory.
Forced distribution: Is it right for you?

This article reports the relevant highlights of our experience with companies that adopt a forced distribution (FD) system. We describe why they choose it, what impact it has on their organization, and how we help them decide if FD is a good match for their culture. We have included a cultural checklist that we designed with one of our clients to assist in the decision to use an FD system.
Islamization in Indonesia: Women Activists’ Discourses

H ow Indonesian feminist activists and scholars discuss and react to the present form of Islamization in their country is the issue addressed in this symposium contribution. First of all, the term Islamization is hardly ever used in this context in Indonesia; it refers to the process of conversion of non-Muslims, which does not happen in great numbers in Indonesia. Rather, Indonesian scholars and activists, male and female alike, speak of developments within Indonesian Islam such as the proliferation of hard-liner groups, the spread of fundamentalist thought and practices, and the growth or reappearance of political Islam. A second issue is that there is no unanimity on whether to speak of a wave (short term) or a rising tide (long term) of Islamic fundamentalism. Indonesia, the country with the largest population of Muslims in the world (commonly stated as 90 percent of its 220 million inhabitants), has mostly been characterized by and praised for its largely moderate and plural forms of Islam. Yet there have always been fundamentalist groups fighting for an Islamic state, which sometimes resulted in open rebellions (Boland 1982; Effendy 2003). The recent spate of terrorist attacks, then, can be seen as just the latest phase of an always present undercurrent of intolerance in Indonesian Islam. In fact, Indonesia, which is officially a secular state, is neither fully secular nor theocratic. Religion, particularly Islam, is very important in public life. Indonesian Islam is characterized by its diversity of practices
Two-Dimension Chaotic-Multivariate Signature System

A novel hybrid cryptosystem which is resistant to quantum algorithm is developed. The system is combined with multivariate cryptosystem and chaotic system, two systems which are both secure under quantum attacks. The plaintexts are displaced by an affine transformation and encrypted by central map in multivariable cryptosystem. And then, the outputs of central map act as initial values in a two-dimension chaos system and are transformed by another affine transformation. Finally, the cipher texts are derived by adding the outputs of chaos system and the second affine transformation. Due to the chaos system, the shortcomings of traditional multivariate cryptosystems are offset and therefore the security is enhanced. The analysis shows that the proposed signature system is able to
Comparison of induction and recovery characteristics of intravenous midazolam and thiopentone in paediatric halothane general anaesthesia

Fifty children were randomized for induction with 0.3 mg kg−1 midazolam or 5 mg kg−1 thiopentone. Efficacy, safety, recovery time, amnesic effect, tolerability and recovery characteristics were compared. Midazolam required longer for induction and recovery from anaesthesia. The safety profile was similar with both drugs.
The Relationship between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance among Commercial Banks in Kenya

Banking industry has been in a process of significant transformation. The force behind this transformation of the banking industry is innovation in information technologies. Information and communication technology is at the centre of this global change curve of electronic banking system in Kenya today. It is against this background, this study investigated the relationship between e-banking and performance of Kenya banking system. Specifically, the study established whether there is relationship between the dependent variable i.e., performance measured by return on assets and the independent variables: investments in e-banking, number of ATMS and number of debits cards issued to customers as proxy for e-banking. The study used secondary data. The data was collected from annual report of target banks and Central Bank of Kenya. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing the data. In general the study revealed that e-banking has strong and significance marginal effects on returns on asset in the Kenyan banking industry. Thus, there exists positive relationship between e-banking and bank performance. In general conclusion the electronic banking has made banking transaction to be easier by bringing services closer to its customers hence improving banking industry performance.
Strongly enhanced levels of sclerostin during human fracture healing

Sclerostin (SOST), an antagonist of Wnt signaling, is an important negative regulator of bone formation. However, no data on the role of SOST in the human fracture healing have been published so far. This study addressed this issue. Seventy‐five patients with long bone fractures were included into the study and divided in two groups. The first group contained 69 patients with normal fracture healing. Six patients with impaired fracture healing formed the second group. Thirty‐four volunteers donated blood samples as control. Serum samples were collected over a period of 1 year following a standardized time schedule. In addition, SOST levels were measured in fracture hematoma and serum of 16 patients with bone fractures. Fracture hematoma contained significantly higher SOST concentrations compared to patient's serum. SOST levels in fracture hematoma and in patient's serum were both significantly higher than in the serum of controls. Highly elevated SOST serum concentrations were found in patients with physiological fracture healing. SOST levels were decreased in patients with impaired fracture healing. However, this difference was not statistically significant. This is the first study to provide evidence of strongly enhanced SOST levels in patients with bone fracture. The results indicate local and systemic involvement of SOST in humans during fracture healing. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1549–1555, 2012
The Effectiveness of Feminist Social Work Methods

ABSTRACT This integrative review of the effectiveness of feminist social work methods compared 35 independent studies of feminist interventions with 44 independent studies of social work practice that were based on other theoretical orientations. Feminist interventions were observed to be more effective than those based on other practice models. And among feminist social work interventions, radical methods seemed to be more effective than liberal methods. These findings are consistent with a theory by target system interaction that was suggested by a previous meta-analysis (Gorey, Thyer, & Pawluck, 1998). While personal theoretical orientations such as cognitive-behavioral modes of practice seem more supportive of individual client change, systemic-structural models, including feminist ones, seem to be more effective in supporting mutual client-worker strategies to change larger system targets. This study's review-generated finding of feminist, specifically radical feminist, social work's differential effectiveness is essentially a screened hypothesis. Its validity remains to be tested with well controlled primary research.
Silence is Not Golden: Review of Studies of Couple Interaction

Couple interaction and dialogue make up the most important pillars of a functional relationship. In this article, the vast body of research between the 1970s and 2010s was reviewed. The role of couple interaction in long-lasting relationships was dissected through this literature meta-analysis, which was categorized into three perspectives: the level, content, and accuracy of interaction. The core question was how happy and unhappy couples differ in their communication skills and habits. A general view of positive couple interaction was built and discussed. Communication skills and self-disclosure appeared the key factors in the positive development of a romantic relationship.
On the design of switching functions for sliding mode output feedback controllers using LMIS

The development of sliding mode controllers based on output information alone is a topic of considerable current research interest; sliding mode control is known to be robust but for confident industrial application there is a need to consider design methods which use only a subset of state information. LMI optimisation has proved a useful tool both for determining switching surfaces and also for computing static output feedback controllers which satisfy the reaching condition. This paper moves forward to consider switching surface design when dynamical compensation is required to solve the associated output feedback problems.
Design of HyQ – a hydraulically and electrically actuated quadruped robot

A new versatile hydraulically powered quadruped robot (HyQ) has been developed to serve as a platform to study not only highly dynamic motions, such as running and jumping, but also careful navigation over very rough terrain. HyQ stands 1 m tall, weighs roughly 90 kg, and features 12 torque-controlled joints powered by a combination of hydraulic and electric actuators. The hydraulic actuation permits the robot to perform powerful and dynamic motions that are hard to achieve with more traditional electrically actuated robots. This paper describes design and specifications of the robot and presents details on the hardware of the quadruped platform, such as the mechanical design of the four articulated legs and of the torso frame, and the configuration of the hydraulic power system. Results from the first walking experiments are presented, along with test studies using a previously built prototype leg.
Age Expectations of Behavioural Autonomy in Hong Kong, Australian and American Youth: The Influence of Family Variables and Adolescents' Values

Abstract Tenth and 11th grade students from Hong Kong (N = 141), Australia (N = 155), and the United States (N = 155) completed questionnaires about the age at which they expected to achieve behavioural autonomy and about their family environments and values. In general, Hong Kong youth had later expectations for autonomy; described their families as less accepting-engaged and less structured; placed less value on individualism, outward success, and individual competence, and more value on tradition, prosocial, and well socialised outcomes. However, in all three cultures, age expectations for behavioural autonomy showed similar patterns of association with family environments and values as revealed by parallelism of regression planes. Expectations for later autonomy were associated with perceptions of parental monitoring, a demanding family environment, low levels of autocratic parenting, and with youths' de-emphasis of individualism, individual competence and outward success. In regression analyses the f.
An Algorithm for Japanese Character Recognition

In this paper we propose a geometry- topology based algorithm for Japanese Hiragana character recognition. This algorithm is based on center of gravity identification and is size, translation and rotation invariant. In addition, to the center of gravity, topology based landmarks like conjunction points masking the intersection of closed loops and multiple strokes, as well as end points have been used to compute centers of gravity of these points located in the individual quadrants of the circles enclosing the characters. After initial pre-processing steps like notarization, resizing, cropping, noise removal, synchronization, the total number of conjunction points as well as the total number of end points are computed and stored. The character is then encircled and divided into four quadrants. The center of gravity (cog) of the entire character as well as the cogs of each of the four quadrants are computed and the Euclidean distances of the conjunction and end points in each of the quadrants with the cogs are computed and stored. Values of these quantities both for target and template images are computed and a match is made with the character having the minimum Euclidean distance. Average accuracy obtained is 94.1 %.
Effective Teachers of Eskimo and Indian Students

There is a prominent villain in Indian education-the ethnocentric teacher who strives to destroy his students' cultural identity in order to propel them into the American mainstream. Confronted with silent, resistive Indian students, he then quotes chapter and verse of cultural deprivation texts to rationalize his own teaching failure. While the characteristics of such ineffective teachers are well
As the Postcolonial Moment Deepens: A Response to Green, Sonn, and Matsebula

Green, Sonn, and Matsebula's (2007) article is useful in helping to establish and develop whiteness studies in South African academia, and thus to shift the academic gaze from the margins to the centre. The article is published in the wake of three waves of international whiteness studies, which successively described whiteness as a space of taken-for-granted privilege; a series of historically different but related spaces; and, finally, as part of the global, postcolonial world order. Green, Sonn, and Matsebula's (2007) contribution could be extended by more fully capturing the dissimilarity in the texture of the experience of whiteness in Australia and South Africa. In South Africa whiteness has never had the quality of invisibility that is implied in the ‘standard’ whiteness literature, and in post-apartheid South Africa white South Africans cannot assume the same privileges, with such ease, when state power is overtly committed to breaking down racial privilege.
Potential Role of Synaptic Activity to Inhibit LTD Induction in Rat Visual Cortex

Long-term depression (LTD), a widely studied form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, is typically induced by prolonged low-frequency stimulation (LFS). Interestingly, LFS is highly effective in eliciting LTD in vitro, but much less so under in vivo conditions; the reasons for the resistance of the intact brain to express LTD are not well understood. We examined if levels of background electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity influence LTD induction in the thalamocortical visual system of rats under very deep urethane anesthesia, inducing a brain state of reduced spontaneous cortical activity. Under these conditions, LFS applied to the lateral geniculate nucleus resulted in LTD of field postsynaptic potentials (fPSPs) recorded in the primary visual cortex (V1). Pairing LFS with stimulation of the brainstem (pedunculopontine) reticular formation resulted in the appearance of faster, more complex activity in V1 and prevented LTD induction, an effect that did not require muscarinic or nicotinic receptors. Reticular stimulation alone (without LFS) had no effect on cortical fPSPs. These results show that excitation of the brainstem activating system blocks the induction of LTD in V1. Thus, higher levels of neural activity may inhibit depression at cortical synapses, a hypothesis that could explain discrepancies regarding LTD induction in previous in vivo and in vitro work.
Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Plays a Key Role in Lyme Arthritis but Not in Dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme arthritis, does not produce any exported proteases capable of degrading extracellular matrix despite the fact that it is able to disseminate from a skin insertion site to infect multiple organs. Prior studies have shown that B. burgdorferi induces the host protease, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), and suggested that the induction of MMP-9 may allow the organism to disseminate and produce local tissue destruction. We examined the role of MMP-9 in dissemination of B. burgdorferi and pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis. In a MMP-9−/− mouse model, MMP-9 was not required for the dissemination of the spirochete to distant sites. However, MMP-9−/− exhibited significantly decreased arthritis compared to wild-type mice. The decrease in arthritis was not due to an inability to control infection since the spirochete numbers in the joints were identical. Levels of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines were also similar in MMP-9−/− and wild-type mice. We examined whether decreased inflammation in MMP-9−/− mice may be the result of decreased production of neoattractants by MMP-9-dependent cleavage of collagen. MMP-9 cleavage of type I collagen results in increased monocyte chemoattraction. MMP-9 plays an important role in regulating inflammation in Lyme arthritis, potentially through the cleavage of type I collagen.
The variable XMM-Newton spectrum of Markarian 766

The narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 766 was observed for GO ks with the XMM-Newton observatory. The source shows a complex X-ray spectrum. The 2-10 keV spectrum can be adequately represented by a power law and broad Fe Ka emission. Between 0.7 and 2 keV the spectrum is harder and exhibits a flux deficit with respect to the extrapolated medium energy slope. Below 0.7 keV, however, there is a strong excess of emission. The RGS spectrum shows an edge-like feature at 0.7 keV; the energy of this feature is inconsistent with that expected for an OVII edge from a warm absorber, Mrk 766 varies by a factor of similar to2 in overall count rate in the EPIC and RGS instruments on a timescale of a few thousand seconds, while no significant flux changes are observed in the ultraviolet with the Oh I. The X-ray variability is spectrally dependent with the largest amplitude variability occurring ill the 0.4-2 keV band. The spectral variability can be explained by a change in flux and slope of the medium energy continuum emission, superimposed on a less variable (or constant) low energy emission component.
Abnormal DNA Methylation of Imprinted Loci in Human Preimplantation Embryos

Purpose: To evaluate the epigenetic risk linked to assisted reproductive technology (ART) at single-embryo level by analyzing the methylation status of imprinted H19, PEG1, and KvDMR1 in human preimplantation embryos. Methods: A total of 254 human day 3 embryos produced by ART procedures were collected. All embryos were normally fertilized but unsuitable for transfer or freezing due to poor quality. Pyrosequencing with confirmatory routine bisulfite sequencing were used to determine the DNA methylation patterns of H19 differentially methylated region (DMR) in 63 embryos, PEG1 DMR in 65 embryos, and KvDMR1 in 67 embryos. Results: Aberrant methylation patterns were found in 8.0% embryos at H19 DMR, 16.9% embryos at PEG1 DMR, and 10.4% embryos at KvDMR1. No methylation errors were found in corresponding sperm samples. Conclusions: We hypothesized that the use of poor-quality embryos may increase the risk of imprinting defects because they might have methylation errors.
Local names, foreign claims: family inheritance and national heritage on a Greek island

In this article I analyze the ways in which a national response to an international controversy—the naming of the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”—is mediated by local-level kinship practices. While the Greek government insists that it has historical claims to this name, much of the press in the United States and Europe depicts Greece as displaying “hysteria over history” with respect to this issue. Both of these discourses mask the significance of the issue of the name “Macedonia” for ordinary Greeks, as interpreted through their ideologies and practices concerned with giving baptismal names and with inheritance and continuity. These provide the unstated assumptions through which a national ideology of historical continuity is filtered and reformulated. This case study suggests how anthropologists can make a unique contribution to current studies of nationalism “from the bottom up. ”