Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor signatures of PTHLH overexpression, high serum calcium, and poor prognosis were observed exclusively in clear cell but not non clear cell renal carcinomas

High serum calcium (Ca) due to aberrant secretion of tumor parathyroid hormone‐like hormone (PTHLH) is a well‐known paraneoplastic sign and is associated with poor prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the status of serum Ca and tumor PTHLH expression have not been verified using the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) renal tumor classification. We retrospectively reviewed corrected serum Ca levels at initial onset (n = 683) and/or as of recurrence (n = 71) in patients with RCC. We also examined a total of 623 renal parenchymal tumor samples for PTHLH mRNA expressions by quantitative real‐time PCR. High serum Ca concomitant with PTHLH overexpression in tumors was observed exclusively in clear cell RCC but not in other non clear cell subtype tumors, including papillary, chromophobe, collecting‐duct, unclassified, and other rare subtype RCCs or in benign oncocytomas and angiomyolipomas. In clear cell RCC, PTHLH expression was significantly high in male patients, and was associated with a symptomatic presentation, higher grade, and higher stage cases, whereas it was not associated with VHL gene status. Univariate analyses demonstrated that high PTHLH expression was strongly associated with poor outcome both in overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) for patients who underwent standard nephrectomy. Further multivariate Cox analyses revealed that the PTHLH expressions remained as independent prognostic parameters for OS but not for DFS. These data suggest that the previously characterized tumor signatures of high serum Ca due to high PTHLH expression and poor prognosis are clear cell RCC‐specific features, whereas these characteristics are rare in non clear cell RCCs.
Predictors of Nature Connection Among Urban Residents: Assessing the Role of Childhood and Adult Nature Experiences

Fostering nature connection may promote psychological well-being and enhance proenvironmental attitudes. However, there is limited understanding of what factors influence a person’s nature connection. Using survey responses from 1,000 residents of a large Australian city, we describe the relationship between nature connection and nature experiences at different stages in life, that is, past nature experiences that occurred during childhood, and current, everyday nature experiences. Both past childhood nature experiences and duration of current nature experiences significantly predicted nature connection. The positive relationship between duration of current nature experiences and nature connection was not significantly moderated by past childhood nature experiences. Hence, current nature experiences are associated with high levels of nature connection, even among those lacking childhood nature experiences. This research empirically demonstrates the positive relationship between nature connection and nature experiences, and suggests that it may be equally important to promote nature experiences at any life stage if increasing nature connection is the goal.
A Multiple Resampling Method for Learning from Imbalanced Data Sets

Resampling methods are commonly used for dealing with the class‐imbalance problem. Their advantage over other methods is that they are external and thus, easily transportable. Although such approaches can be very simple to implement, tuning them most effectively is not an easy task. In particular, it is unclear whether oversampling is more effective than undersampling and which oversampling or undersampling rate should be used. This paper presents an experimental study of these questions and concludes that combining different expressions of the resampling approach is an effective solution to the tuning problem. The proposed combination scheme is evaluated on imbalanced subsets of the Reuters‐21578 text collection and is shown to be quite effective for these problems.
Modulation of cone horizontal cell activity in the teleost fish retina. I. Effects of prolonged darkness and background illumination on light responsiveness

The effects of prolonged (greater than 2 hr) darkness and background illumination on the light responsiveness of cone horizontal cells were examined in isolated, superfused white perch retinas. In retinas from fish maintained in complete darkness for more than 2 hr, cone horizontal cells had a resting membrane potential of about -18 mV, and they generated only slow, low-amplitude (3-4 mV) responses even when stimulated with bright flashes. Following the presentation of dim background light, the cone horizontal cells slowly hyperpolarized and thereafter remained at a more hyperpolarized level (about -25 mV). Concurrently, their light responses were dramatically enhanced in size, and response amplitudes to bright flashes eventually increased to about 50 mV. This was accompanied by noticeable changes in response waveforms; following light exposure, the responses became faster and showed initial on-transients. The increase in cone horizontal cell responsiveness was graded with intensity of the background light. A similar enhancement in response amplitudes of cone horizontal cells occurred after presenting bright flashes repetitively at intervals of 9 sec. This background sensitization phenomenon was observed in both L- and C-type cone horizontal cells. When light-sensitized isolated retinas were maintained in darkness for long periods (greater than 30 min), the light responsiveness of cone horizontal cells gradually decreased. The changes in membrane potential and response waveform were opposite to those that occurred when prolonged dark-adapted retinas were exposed to background lights; the cells depolarized by 5–7 mV and light-evoked responses became slower. Effects of background illumination on rod-driven horizontal cells were examined as well. Rod horizontal cells were about 2 log units more sensitive to white light than were cone horizontal cells. When recorded in prolonged dark- adapted retinas, rod horizontal cells showed large responses (approximately 50 mV), which could not be further enhanced by background illumination. Cone horizontal cell responsiveness in the carp retina was also depressed by prolonged darkness and increased by illumination in a fashion similar to that observed in the white perch retina. The change in response amplitude was only about 2-fold in carp compared with 5- to 10-fold changes observed in white perch. These results indicate that the light responsiveness of cone horizontal cells in the teleost retina is suppressed in prolonged darkness and that background lights release the cells from suppression. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Association of FCGR2A/FCGR3A variant rs2099684 with Takayasu arteritis in the Han Chinese population

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic large-vessel vasculitis of unclear pathogenesis. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) has revealed that the FCGR2A/FCGR3A, EEFSEC, RPS9/LILRB3, RIPPLY2 and MLX genes confer susceptibility to TA. We investigated the linkage between presumptive TA-related genes (FCGR2A/FCGR3A, EEFSEC, RPS9/LILRB3, RIPPLY2 and MLX) and TA in the Han Chinese population. We performed a large case-control multi-center study of 412 Han Chinese TA patients and 597 ethnically matched healthy controls. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed and genotyped using Sequenom MassArray system (iPLEX assay, Sequenom, San Diego, CA, USA). The frequency of the rs2099684 variant G allele in the FCGR2A/FCGR3A gene was significantly higher in the TA patients than in the controls (37.5% compared with 25.4%, OR =1.77, 95% CI: 1.462.14, Pc =1.5×10-8). Similar results were observed in genotype distribution analysis and logistic regression analyses conducted using three genetic models. The allele and genotype distributions for the other polymorphisms were not significantly associated with TA among the Han Chinese patients. The SNP rs2099684 in FCGR2A/FCGR3A can be considered a genetic risk factor for TA in the Chinese Han population. These findings provide further insights into the etiopathogenesis of TA.
Multiplicative Expression for the Coefficient in Fermionic 3–3 Relation

Recently, a family of fermionic relations were discovered corresponding to Pachner move 3–3 and parameterized by complex-valued 2-cocycles, where the weight of a pentachoron (4-simplex) is a Grassmann–Gaussian exponent. Here, the proportionality coefficient between Berezin integrals in the l.h. s. and r.h. s. of such relations is written in a form multiplicative over simplices.
The Kinematics of Kepler’s Supernova Remnant as Revealed by Chandra

I have determined the expansion of the supernova remnant of SN 1604 (Kepler’s supernova) based on archival Chandra ACIS-S observations made in 2000 and 2006. The measurements were done in several distinct energy bands, and were made for the remnant as a whole, and for six individual sectors. The average expansion parameter indicates that the remnant expands on average as r ∝ t0.5, but there are significant differences in different parts of the remnant: the bright northwestern part expands as r ∝ t0.35, whereas the rest of the remnant’s expansion shows an expansion r ∝ t0.6. The latter is consistent with an explosion in which the outer part of the ejecta has a negative power law slope for density (ρ ∝ v−n) of n = 7, or with an exponential density profile [ρ ∝ exp (− v/ve) ]. The expansion parameter in the southern region, in conjunction with the shock radius, indicates a rather low value (<5 × 1050 erg) for the explosion energy of SN 1604 for a distance of 4 kpc. A higher explosion energy is consistent with the results if the distance is larger. The filament in the eastern part of the remnant, which is dominated by X-ray synchrotron radiation, seems to mark a region with a fast shock speed r ∝ t0.7, corresponding to a shock velocity of v = 4200 km s−1, for a distance to SN 1604 of 4 kpc. This is consistent with the idea that X-ray synchrotron emission requires shock velocities in excess of ~2000 km s−1. The X-ray-based expansion measurements reported are consistent with results based on optical and radio measurements but disagree with previous X-ray measurements based on ROSAT and Einstein observations.
Assessment of Disability Services Information Variability Among Websites of One University System

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine Internet-based disability services information within the City University of New York (CUNY). The evaluation included exploring the CUNY university system disability services websites for information availability, language and nomenclature presence, ease of access, range of services, types of assistive technologies, and other resources. The study revealed great variability of Internet-based disability services information among the CUNY system, especially between undergraduate and graduate schools. Some institutions provided a variety of in-depth disability services information, while several provided only very basic, minimalistic bits of information. Names regarding the disability services offices also varied significantly throughout CUNY.
Oxidative Stress: Implications for the Development of Diabetic Retinopathy and Antioxidant Therapeutic Perspectives

In recent decades, localized tissue oxidative stress has been implicated as a key component in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Increasing evidence shows that oxidative stress caused by diabetes-induced metabolic abnormalities is the most common mechanism associated with the pathogenesis of DR for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations results in the activation of several mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of DR. In particular, damage or dysfunction caused by oxidative stress still persists even after glycemia has been normalized. Despite considerable evidence showing the beneficial effects of antioxidants in preventing the development of retinopathy, results from large-scale clinical trials on classic antioxidants are somewhat ambiguous. Scavenging reactive radicals may not be the most ideal antioxidant strategy in DR. Advances in understanding the function of ROS in the development of DR can lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies based on the mechanisms of ROS generation and scavenging. Increasing amounts of data have demonstrated the promising prospect of antioxidant therapy and its beneficial effects in vision protection. Therefore, new strategies that utilize antioxidants as additive therapy should be implemented in the treatment of DR.
Distributed classification in peer-to-peer networks

This work studies the problem of distributed classification in peer-to-peer(P2P) networks. While there has been a significant amount of work in distributed classification, most of existing algorithms are not designed for P2P networks. Indeed, as server-less and router-less systems, P2P networks impose several challenges for distributed classification: (1) it is not practical to have global synchronization in large-scale P2P networks; (2)there are frequent topology changes caused by frequent failure and recovery of peers; and (3) there are frequent on-the-fly data updates on each peer. In this paper, we propose an ensemble paradigm for distributed classification in P2P networks. Under this paradigm, each peer builds its local classifiers on the local data and the results from all local classifiers are then combined by plurality voting. To build local classifiers, we adopt the learning algorithm of pasting bites to generate multiple local classifierson each peer based on the local data. To combine local results, we propose a general form of Distributed Plurality Voting (DPV) protocol in dynamic P2P networks. This protocol keeps the single-site validity for dynamic networks, and supports the computing modes of both one-shot query and continuous monitoring. We theoretically prove that the condition (BOB CHECK THIS 'C')ω0 for sending messages used in DPV0 is locally communication-optimal to achieve the above properties. Finally, experimental results on real-world P2P networks show that: (1) the proposed ensemble paradigm is effective even if there are thousands of local classifiers; (2) in most cases, the DPV0 algorithm is local in the sense that voting is processed using information gathered from a very small vicinity, whose size is independent of the network size; (3) DPV0 is significantly more communication-efficient than existing algorithms for distributed plurality voting.
Gaze-Shifting: Direct-Indirect Input with Pen and Touch Modulated by Gaze

Modalities such as pen and touch are associated with direct input but can also be used for indirect input. We propose to combine the two modes for direct-indirect input modulated by gaze. We introduce gaze-shifting as a novel mechanism for switching the input mode based on the alignment of manual input and the user's visual attention. Input in the user's area of attention results in direct manipulation whereas input offset from the user's gaze is redirected to the visual target. The technique is generic and can be used in the same manner with different input modalities. We show how gaze-shifting enables novel direct-indirect techniques with pen, touch, and combinations of pen and touch input.
The Use of Hand Puppets to Increase Intrinsic Motivation during Science Learning of 6th And 7th Grade Learners in Dikgale, Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Case Study

One of the most important psychological concepts required for enhanced learning is motivation. This is especially true for science, which is seen by learners as being difficult. This study investigated the motivational changes with regard to studying science and the gender and age differences when using hand puppets in the science classroom. In order to examine this, a 7-week intervention involving the teaching of science by means of hand puppets was conducted in two Grade 6 and two Grade 7 classes in rural-based Dikgale, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The learnersâ€™ motivation was assessed in terms of basic psychological needs, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with a questionnaire before and after the intervention. Data were analysed using a paired sample t-test, an independent t-test and a MANCOVA. The results show an increase in basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation, and a decrease in extrinsic motivation for science, after the use of hand puppets. In addition, it appears that there are no gender and age differences regarding motivational change when using hand puppets in science education. It is therefore concluded that hand puppets are a promising teaching method that positively affects the motivation of school learners studying science. Thus it is recommended that further research in the form of an experimental longitudinal design be undertaken to ascertain long-term motivational changes.
A cytokine‐to‐chemokine axis between T lymphocytes and keratinocytes can favor Th1 cell accumulation in chronic inflammatory skin diseases

The recruitment of T cells into the skin is regulated by chemokines released by resident cells. In this study, we found that normal human keratinocytes activated with Th1‐derived supernatant (sup) expressed early (6–12 h) IP‐10/CXCL10, MCP‐1/CCL2, IL‐8/CXCL8, and I‐309/CCL1 mRNAs and with slower kinetics (24–96 h), RANTES/CCL5 and MDC/CCL22 mRNAs. Upon stimulation with the Th1 sup, keratinocytes secreted high levels of RANTES, IP‐10, MCP‐1, and IL‐8 and moderate levels of I‐309 and MDC. Although much less efficiently, Th2 sup could also induce keratinocyte expression of IL‐8, IP‐10, RANTES, and MCP‐1 but not of I‐309 and MDC. TARC/CCL17 was not significantly induced by any stimuli. Sup from keratinocytes activated with Th1‐derived cytokines elicited a strong migratory response of Th1 cells and a limited migration of Th2 cells, whereas sup from Th2‐activated keratinocytes promoted a moderate migration of Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes. Thus, keratinocytes appear considerably more sensitive to Th1‐ than to Th2‐derived lymphokines in terms of chemokine release and can support the preferential accumulation of Th1 lymphocytes in the skin.
A 3D photoionization model of the extreme planetary nebula NGC 6302

We present a 3D photoionization model of the planetary nebula NGC 6302, one of the most complex and enigmatic objects of its kind. It’s highly bipolar geometry and dense massive disk, coupled with the very wide range of ions present, from neutral species up to Si 8+ , makes it one of the ultimate challenges to nebular photoionization modelling. Our mocassin model is composed of an extremely dense geometrically thin circumstellar disk and a large pair of diffuse bipolar lobes, a combination which was necessary to reproduce the observed emission-line spectrum. The masses of these components, 2.2 M⊙ and 2.5 M⊙ respectively, gives a total nebular mass of 4.7 M⊙, of which 1.8 M⊙ (39%) is ionized. Discrepancies between our model fit and the observations are attributed to complex density inhomogeneities in the nebula. The potential to resolve such discrepancies with more complex models is confirmed by exploring a range of models introducing small-scale structures. Compared to solar abundances helium is enhanced by 50%, carbon is slightly subsolar, oxygen is solar, and nitrogen is enhanced by a factor of 6. These all imply a significant 3rd dredge-up coupled with hotbottom burning CN-cycle conversion of dredged-up carbon to nitrogen. Aluminium is also depleted by a factor of 100, consistent with depletion by dust grains. The central star of NGC 6302 is partly obscured by the opaque circumstellar disk, which is seen almost edge-on, and as such its properties are not well constrained. However, emission from a number of high-ionization ‘coronal’ lines provides a strong constraint on the form of the high-energy ionizing flux. We model emission from the central star using a series of stellar model atmospheres, the properties of which are constrained from fits to the high-ionization nebular emission lines. Using a solar abundance stellar atmosphere we are unable to fit all of the observed line fluxes, but a substantially better fit was obtained using a 220,000 K hydrogen-deficient stellar atmosphere with logg = 7.0 and L⋆ = 14,300 L⊙. The H-deficient nature of the central star atmosphere suggests that it has undergone some sort of late thermal pulse, and fits to evolutionary tracks imply a central star mass of 0.73–0.82 M⊙. Timescales for these evolutionary tracks suggest the object left the top of the asymptotic giant branch �2100 years ago, in good agreement with studies of the recent mass-loss event that formed one pair of the bipolar lobes. Based on the modelled nebular mass and central star mass we estimate the initial mass of the central star to be 5.5 M⊙, in approximate agreement with that derived from evolutionary tracks.
Exploration of Gaze-Arrow Stimuli in a Cued Paradigm of Overt Attention

Attentional shifts have been investigated extensively using gaze and arrow cues, but the spatiotemporal patterns of visual exploration of these stimuli—location and duration of fixations—has not been characterized. These patterns and the corresponding responses to gaze and arrow cues were examined using a saccade gap paradigm, with no constraints on central fixation, in 27 healthy adult males, aged 18–36. Mean relative dwell time, a measure of the duration of eye fixations on the stimuli relative to stimulus duration, was lower for gaze stimuli. In both stimulus conditions, responses were faster for validly cued targets at a stimulus-onset asynchrony of 400 ms, but slower at a stimulus-onset asynchrony of 800 ms. These effects were considered with reference to transient events at fixation (cue offset and gap). Foreperiod saccades—early idiosyncratic responses to the cue rather than to the target—occurred more frequently for arrow cues, were unrelated to attentional shifts, and moderately associated with readiness to respond. Asymmetries in saccade latencies, with faster responses either leftward or rightward, were present in 37% of the sample across all conditions.