Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interleukin‐6 is expressed by plasma cells from patients with multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is an important growth factor for human myeloma cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the identity of the cells producing IL‐6 in vivo in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) remains the subject of debate. We have developed a sensitive dual‐colour fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique to investigate the expression of IL‐6 mRNA by individual bone marrow plasma cells from patients with multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and healthy subjects. IL‐6 mRNA could be identified in all immunoglobulin light chain (IgLC) expressing cells from all patients with MM and MGUS. The IL‐6 protein could also be detected by direct immunofluorescence in all plasma cells (cytoplasmic light chain positive) from all patients with MM and MGUS. Furthermore, it was also possible to demonstrate cytoplasmic IL‐6 staining of plasma cells from patients with MM by flow cytometric analysis. In contrast, neither the IL‐6 mRNA or protein could be detected in normal plasma cells from healthy bone marrow donors. These data demonstrate that plasma cells from patients with MM and MGUS express the IL‐6 mRNA and synthesize the IL‐6 protein and support the hypothesis that autocrine synthesis of IL‐6 is of importance in patients with MM.
Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analysis

Systematic reviews with meta-analysis represent the gold standard for conducting reliable and transparent reviews of the literature. The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) to address why and when it is worthwhile to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis, covering advantages of this approach in the context of the statistics reform in the behavioral sciences; (b) to explain how to conduct and publish a systematic review with meta-analysis, describe the main steps, and suggest best practices for each of them; and (c) to discuss the relevance of conducting a systematic review with meta-analysis for the emerging adulthood field, suggesting how this approach can be applied to address research questions about the specificity of this period. In addressing these issues, a fictitious systematic review with meta-analysis aimed at examining gender differences in the view of emerging adulthood as a period of exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling-in-between, and possibilities is presented. Furthermore, individual participant data systematic review with meta-analysis is proposed as an important future direction for conducting reviews within the social sciences.
Analysis of Four Element Chua Circuit Containing New Passive Component “ Memristor ”

After being realized practically in 2008, the scientists have started investigating the applications of the memristor element in different engineering fields. In this paper, hoping to be helpful in the modelling of real biomedical systems and the design of secure communication systems, the fourelement Chua circuit containing the memristor is examined and analyzed. When the parameters of the circuit are changed, various dynamic behaviour sequences such as limit cycle oscillations and chaotic attractors are obtained.
Changing classroom practices: the role of school-wide capacity for sustainable improvement

– Elementary schools have been confronted with large-scale educational reforms as strategies to improve the educational quality. While building school-wide capacity for improvement is considered critical for changing teachers’ classroom practices, there is still little empirical evidence for link between enhanced school capacity for improvement and instructional change. In this study, the authors examined the impact of school improvement capacity on changes in teachers’ classroom practices over a period of time. Leadership practices, school organizational conditions, teacher motivation and teacher learning were used to measure school-wide capacity for improvement. The paper aims to discuss these issues. , – Mixed-model analysis of longitudinal data over a four years (2005-2008) period of time from 862 teachers of 32 Dutch elementary schools were used to test the impact of school improvement capacity on changing teachers’ instructional practices. , – The results showed that organizational-level conditions and teacher-level conditions play an important, but different role in changing teachers’ classroom practices. Whereas teacher factors mainly affect changes in teachers’ classroom practices, organizational factors are of significant importance to enhance teacher motivation and teacher learning. , – More longitudinal research is needed to gain better insight into the opportunities and limits of building school-wide capacity to stimulate instructional change. , – By encouraging teachers to question their own beliefs, facilitating opportunities for teachers to work together to solve problems, and through the promotion of shared decision making, school leaders can reinforce the personal and social identification of teachers with the organization. As a consequence, teachers will feel increasingly committed and are more willing to change their classroom practices. Additionally, school leaders can use the findings from this study and the related instrument as a tool for school self-evaluation. , – This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the nature of changes in conditions for school improvement and its influence on changes in teachers’ instructional practices over a period of time.
OASIS natural language call steering trial

A recent trial of natural language call steering on live UK calls to the operator is described along with its results. The characteristics of the problem are described along with the acoustic, language, semantic and dialogue modelling approaches employed. Natural language call steering is found to be viable, with recognition and semantic accuracy the current limiting factors.
A Triadic Reflective-Impulsive-Interoceptive Awareness Model of General and Impulsive Information System Use: Behavioral Tests of Neuro-Cognitive Theory

This study examines a behavioral tripartite model developed in the field of addiction, and applies it here to understanding general and impulsive information technology use. It suggests that technology use is driven by two information-processing brain systems: reflective and impulsive, and that their effects on use are modulated by interoceptive awareness processes. The resultant reflective-impulsive-interoceptive awareness model is tested in two behavioral studies. Both studies employ SEM techniques to time-lagged self-report data from n1 = 300 and n2 = 369 social networking site users. Study 1 demonstrated that temptations augment the effect of habit on technology use, and reduce the effect of satisfaction on use. Study 2 showed that temptations strengthen the effect of habit on impulsive technology use, and weaken the effect of behavioral expectations on impulsive technology use. Hence, the results consistently support the notion that information technology users' behaviors are influenced by reflective and impulsive information processing systems; and that the equilibrium of these systems is determined, at least in part, by one's temptations. These results can serve as a basis for understanding the etiology of modern day addictions.
A Novel Approach for Speckle Reduction and Enhancement of Ultrasound Images

In recent years, ultrasonography is being used for effective diagnosis of various organs such as the heart, kidney, prostate, liver, ovary, uterus, thyroid glands etc. Unfortunately, one of its shortcomings is the low contrast, high noise images which are an inevitable byproduct. This is due to an artifact known as “Speckle” which obscures fine details in an image and may lead to erroneous diagnosis. Hence Speckle Filtering is a prerequisite in ultrasonography, provided that the features of interest for diagnosis are not lost. This paper presents a Hybrid and multistage Filtering approach in order to reduce the Speckle noise and improve the visual quality for better diagnosis. The performance of our approach is compared with the other Speckle reduction Filters on the basis of image quality parameters like Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Effective Number of Looks (ENL), Image Quality Index (IQI) and Mean Structure Similarity Index Map (MSSIM). We could achieve in Multistage approach a better performance with higher value of PSNR (79.915), IQI (0.9497), MSSIM (0.9945) and ENL (0.0984) compared to Hybrid Filter. General Terms Ultrasound Image, Speckle Noise, Linear Filter, Non-linear Filter
Genital tract leukocytes and shedding of genital HIV type 1 RNA.

BACKGROUND The mechanism of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission via heterosexual intercourse is unknown. We sought to determine whether the presence of inflammatory cells in the vagina is associated with the presence of genital tract HIV type 1 (HIV-1) RNA. METHODS Analysis of a longitudinal prospective cohort was performed. Women with HIV-1 infection were assessed with use of paired plasma and cervicovaginal lavage specimens. Viral load measurements were performed using nucleic acid sequence-based amplification. White blood cells found in the genital tract (GT WBCs) were quantified using a hemacytometer. Common lower genital tract infections assessed for association with viral shedding (i.e., genital tract viral load [GTVL]) included bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis, and trichomoniasis. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the prevalence and odds of detectable GTVL by GT WBC. The association was examined both in the presence and in the absence of lower genital tract infections. RESULTS A total of 97 women and 642 visits were included in the analysis. Median duration of follow-up was 30.4 months. Thirty women (31%) had detectable GTVL at any visit. The median CD4 cell count at baseline was 525 cells/muL. Most women were antiretroviral therapy naive at baseline. After adjustment for plasma viral load, the odds of detectable GTVL increased as GT WBC increased, with an odds ratio of 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.7) per 1000-cell increase in GT WBC among women without lower genital tract infections. After adjustment for plasma viral load and lower genital tract infections by incorporating them in a regression model, GT WBC remained significantly associated with GTVL, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.37). CONCLUSIONS The presence of GT WBC is associated with an increased risk of detectable GTVL.
Constant Light Desynchronizes Olfactory versus Object and Visuospatial Recognition Memory Performance

Circadian rhythms optimize physiology and behavior to the varying demands of the 24 h day. The master circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus and it regulates circadian oscillators in tissues throughout the body to prevent internal desynchrony. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that, under standard 12 h:12 h light/dark (LD) cycles, object, visuospatial, and olfactory recognition performance in C57BL/6J mice is consistently better at midday relative to midnight. However, under repeated exposure to constant light (rLL), recognition performance becomes desynchronized, with object and visuospatial performance better at subjective midday and olfactory performance better at subjective midnight. This desynchrony in behavioral performance is mirrored by changes in expression of the canonical clock genes Period1 and Period2 (Per1 and Per2), as well as the immediate-early gene Fos in the SCN, dorsal hippocampus, and olfactory bulb. Under rLL, rhythmic Per1 and Fos expression is attenuated in the SCN. In contrast, hippocampal gene expression remains rhythmic, mirroring object and visuospatial performance. Strikingly, Per1 and Fos expression in the olfactory bulb is reversed, mirroring the inverted olfactory performance. Temporal desynchrony among these regions does not result in arrhythmicity because core body temperature and exploratory activity rhythms persist under rLL. Our data provide the first demonstration that abnormal lighting conditions can give rise to temporal desynchrony between autonomous circadian oscillators in different regions, with different consequences for performance across different sensory domains. Such a dispersed network of dissociable circadian oscillators may provide greater flexibility when faced with conflicting environmental signals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus regulates physiology and behavior across the 24 h day by synchronizing peripheral clocks throughout the brain and body. Without the SCN, these peripheral clocks rapidly become desynchronized. Here, we provide a unique demonstration that, under lighting conditions in which the central clock in the SCN is dampened, peripheral oscillators in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb become desynchronized, along with the behavioral processes mediated by these clocks. Multiple clocks that adopt different phase relationships may enable processes occurring in different brain regions to be optimized to specific phases of the 24 h day. Moreover, such a dispersed network of dissociable circadian clocks may provide greater flexibility when faced with conflicting environmental signals (e.g., seasonal changes in photoperiod).
Unrecognised bipolar disorder in primary care patients with depression.

BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder is complex and can be difficult to diagnose. It is often misdiagnosed as recurrent major depressive disorder. AIMS We had three main aims. To estimate the proportion of primary care patients with a working diagnosis of unipolar depression who satisfy DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder. To test two screening instruments for bipolar disorder (the Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) and Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS)) within a primary care sample. To assess whether individuals with major depressive disorder with subthreshold manic symptoms differ from those individuals with major depressive disorder but with no or little history of manic symptoms in terms of clinical course, psychosocial functioning and quality of life. METHOD Two-phase screening study in primary care. RESULTS Three estimates of the prevalence of undiagnosed bipolar disorder were obtained: 21.6%, 9.6% and 3.3%. The HCL-32 and BSDS questionnaires had quite low positive predictive values (50.0 and 30.1% respectively). Participants with major depressive disorder and with a history of subthreshold manic symptoms differed from those participants with no or little history of manic symptoms on several clinical features and on measures of both psychosocial functioning and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Between 3.3 and 21.6% of primary care patients with unipolar depression may have an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. The HCL-32 and BSDS screening questionnaires may be more useful for detecting broader definitions of bipolar disorder than DSM-IV-defined bipolar disorder. Subdiagnostic features of bipolar disorder are relatively common in primary care patients with unipolar depression and are associated with a more morbid course of illness. Future classifications of recurrent depression should include dimensional measures of bipolar symptoms.
The health status of elderly persons in the last year of life: a comparison of deaths by suicide, injury, and natural causes.

OBJECTIVES This study identified health status variables related to suicide by elderly persons and compared the health status of suicide decedents with natural death and injury decedents. METHODS Data were obtained from the 1986 National Mortality Followback Survey. RESULTS When other variables were controlled for, suicide decedents were significantly more likely than injury decedents to have a history of cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 51.94), moderate (OR = 29.37) or heavy (OR = 22.87) alcohol use, and mental or emotional disorder (OR = 10.91) and to be White (OR = 18.54) and male (OR = 9.12). CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that a history of cancer should be considered as a risk for suicide in the elderly.
Opinions about evidence: A study of social workers’ attitudes towards evidence-based practice

Summary This article reports on a large survey of Australian social workers regarding their attitudes to evidence-based practice and thoughts on the factors affecting its implementation in human service organisations. Findings Findings from a national survey of Australian social workers found a degree of support for evidence-based practice with the majority of respondents reporting changes in practice due to the influence of research. A sample size of 364 social workers formed the basis of the final analysis. Both the support for evidence-based practice and the reported changes in practice due to new evidence was highest among social workers in management positions and those with between 10 and 30 years is needed post-qualifying practice experience. The survey also found, however, an unsophisticated understanding of evidence and evidence-based practice and ‘inadequate’ skills in the critical appraisal of research. Applications Despite the level of support for evidence-based practice, responses to open-ended questions reflected reservations about the formalisation, relevance, useability, and applicability of the EBP agenda among social workers. Given that the issues relating to the transfer of research to practice appear far more complex than EBP suggests, this study sought to understand the complex dynamics of the research transfer process in social work and the human services.
An Estimating Function Approach to the Analysis of Recurrent and Terminal Events

In clinical and observational studies, the event of interest can often recur on the same subject. In a more complicated situation, there exists a terminal event (e.g., death) which stops the recurrent event process. In many such instances, the terminal event is strongly correlated with the recurrent event process. We consider the recurrent/terminal event setting and model the dependence through a shared gamma frailty that is included in both the recurrent event rate and terminal event hazard functions. Conditional on the frailty, a model is specified only for the marginal recurrent event process, hence avoiding the strong Poisson‐type assumptions traditionally used. Analysis is based on estimating functions that allow for estimation of covariate effects on the recurrent event rate and terminal event hazard. The method also permits estimation of the degree of association between the two processes. Closed‐form asymptotic variance estimators are proposed. The proposed method is evaluated through simulations to assess the applicability of the asymptotic results in finite samples and the sensitivity of the method to its underlying assumptions. The methods can be extended in straightforward ways to accommodate multiple types of recurrent and terminal events. Finally, the methods are illustrated in an analysis of hospitalization data for patients in an international multi‐center study of outcomes among dialysis patients.
Interlacement percolation on transient weighted graphs

In this article, we first extend the construction of random interlacements, introduced by A.S. Sznitman in [14], to the more general setting of transient weighted graphs. We prove the Harris-FKG inequality for this model and analyze some of its properties on specific classes of graphs. For the case of non-amenable graphs, we prove that the critical value $u_*$ for the percolation of the vacant set is finite. We also prove that, once $\mathcal{G}$ satisfies the isoperimetric inequality $I S_6$ (see (1.5)), $u_*$ is positive for the product $\mathcal{G} \times \mathbb{Z}$ (where we endow $\mathbb{Z}$ with unit weights). When the graph under consideration is a tree, we are able to characterize the vacant cluster containing some fixed point in terms of a Bernoulli independent percolation process. For the specific case of regular trees, we obtain an explicit formula for the critical value $u_*$.
In Vitro Hyperglycemia or a Diabetic Intrauterine Environment Reduces Neonatal Endothelial Colony-Forming Cell Numbers and Function

OBJECTIVE—Emerging data demonstrate that maternal diabetes has long-term health consequences for offspring, including the development of hypertension. In adults, circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) participate in vascular repair, and EPC numbers and function inversely correlate with the risk of developing vascular disease. Therefore, our objectives were to determine whether hyperglycemia or exposure to a diabetic intrauterine environment alters EPC function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We used well-established clonogenic endothelial colony-forming cell (ECFC) assays and murine transplantation experiments to examine human vasculogenesis. RESULTS—Both in vitro hyperglycemia and a diabetic intrauterine environment reduced ECFC colony formation, self-renewal capacity, and capillary-like tube formation in matrigel. This cellular phenotype was linked to premature senescence and reduced proliferation. Further, cord blood ECFCs from diabetic pregnancies formed fewer chimeric vessels de novo after transplantation into immunodeficient mice compared with neonatal ECFCs harvested from uncomplicated pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS—Collectively, these data demonstrate that hyperglycemia or exposure to a diabetic intrauterine environment diminishes neonatal ECFC function both in vitro and in vivo, providing potential mechanistic insights into the long-term cardiovascular complications observed in newborns of diabetic pregnancies.
Detecting intentional response distortion on measures of the five-factor model of personality: An application of differential person functioning

4 Acknowledgments . 6 List of Tables. 11 List of Figures . 15 Introduction. 18 Personality. 21 The Use of Personality Measures in Personnel Decisions. 24 Response Distortion. 26 The Impact of Response Distortion on the Measurement of Personality in Employment Contexts . 28 Frequency and magnitude of response distortion . 29 Impact of response distortion on personality factor structures. 30 Impact of response distortion on validity and personnel decisions . 31 Summary . 33 Assessing Response Distortion on Measure of Personality. 34 Item Response Theory . 36 Applying IRT to Personality Measurement . 41 Utilizing IRT to Detect Response Distortion on Personality Measures . 46 Differential item functioning . 47 Person-fit measures . 51 Limitations of Current IRT Approaches for Detecting Response Distortion . 54 Differential Person Functioning . 56