Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of glycemic control on CEA, CA 19-9, amylase and lipase levels

Abstract Background: Diabetes mellitus is closely related to pancreas cancer. In this study we aimed to investigate the effect of hyperglycemia on tumor and inflammation markers, as well as pancreatic exocrine functions. Methods: A total of 98 consecutive diabetic patients with poor glycemic control, and 50 healthy controls were included in the study. We measured hsCRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), CA19-9, CEA, amylase and lipase in addition to routine biochemistry tests, before and after euglycemia was achieved. Results: Fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, CA19-9,CEA, hsCRP, ESR, triglycerides, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, total cholesterol and LDL-C levels decreased significantly with the regulation of glycemic control. Amylase and lipase levels increased with the regulation of glycemic control. After glycemic control, CA19-9 and CEA levels were still higher, whereas amylase and lipase levels were still lower in the diabetic group compared with the control group. Basal HbA1c showed significant correlation with CA19-9, CEA, amylaseand lipase. Conclusions: We propose to repeat observations of tumor markers after hyperglycemia is resolved, in order to avoid unnecessary invasive tests. Our data also suggest that pancreatic exocrine function was improved with lowering blood glucose in a short period of time.
Attitudes to western loanwords in Indonesian

Abstract The study examines attitudes of young tertiary educated Indonesians toward words borrowed from English (and formerly Dutch), referred to here as western loanwords (WLWs). Respondents' attitudes were investigated using both a matched guise instrument and overt questionnaire items. The matched guise instrument suggested a dislike of western loanwords, whereas the questionnaire items indicated strongly favorable attitudes to them. The latter measure of attitudes appears to be the more valid, and it is concluded that young highly educated speakers have a strong liking and acceptance of WLWs. As for factors affecting attitudes to WLWs, a good knowledge of these words was conducive to more favorable attitudes toward them. Two other factors, a liking for the donor language (English) and an absence of a strong liking for the receptor language (Indonesian), also appeared to incline people to regard loanwords more favorably. Lastly, it is concluded that the matched guise technique may be unsuitable as a tool for probing attitudes to purely lexical variation within a single speech variety.
Retinoic acid signaling and the evolution of chordates

In chordates, which comprise urochordates, cephalochordates and vertebrates, the vitamin A-derived morphogen retinoic acid (RA) has a pivotal role during development. Altering levels of endogenous RA signaling during early embryology leads to severe malformations, mainly due to incorrect positional codes specifying the embryonic anteroposterior body axis. In this review, we present our current understanding of the RA signaling pathway and its roles during chordate development. In particular, we focus on the conserved roles of RA and its downstream mediators, the Hox genes, in conveying positional patterning information to different embryonic tissues, such as the endoderm and the central nervous system. We find that some of the control mechanisms governing RA-mediated patterning are well conserved between vertebrates and invertebrate chordates, such as the cephalochordate amphioxus. In contrast, outside the chordates, evidence for roles of RA signaling is scarce and the evolutionary origin of the RA pathway itself thus remains elusive. In sum, to fully understand the evolutionary history of the RA pathway, future research should focus on identification and study of components of the RA signaling cascade in non-chordate deuterostomes (such as hemichordates and echinoderms) and other invertebrates, such as insects, mollusks and cnidarians.
Semantic Blockchain to Improve Scalability in the Internet of Things

Generally scarce computational and memory resource availability is a well known problem for the IoT, whose intrinsic volatility makes complex applications unfeasible. Noteworthy efforts in overcoming unpredictability (particularly in case of large dimensions) are the ones integrating Knowledge Representation technologies to build the so-called Semantic Web of Things (SWoT). In spite of allowed advanced discovery features, transactions in the SWoT still suffer from not viable trust management strategies. Given its intrinsic characteristics, blockchain technology appears as interesting from this perspective: a semantic resource/service discovery layer built upon a basic blockchain infrastructure gains a consensus validation. This paper proposes a novel Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) based on a semantic blockchain for registration, discovery, selection and payment. Such operations are implemented as smart contracts, allowing distributed execution and trust. Reported experiments early assess the sustainability of the proposal.
Learner centered higher education in East Asia: assessing the effects on student engagement

Purpose – The global expansion of higher education has brought about more ambitious educational goals that require new approaches to curriculum, teaching, and learning. While higher education in East Asia is no exception to this trend, it has been observed that both teachers and learners in the region have adhered to a strong tradition of lecture‐based instruction. An underlying research question concerned the responsiveness of East Asian students to learner‐centered education. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which learner‐centered education can be implemented successfully in the East Asian higher education context.Design/methodology/approach – This study presents a quantitative study informed by a description of the context for implementation. It adopts a quasi‐experimental, multiple time series design and examines the process and effects of change in teaching and learning at a graduate school of business (GSB) in Thailand. The GSB implemented a variety of active learning methods th.
Adam Smith and ordoliberalism: on the political form of market liberty

Abstract In the context of the contemporary crisis of neoliberal political economy, the politics of austerity has reasserted the liberal utility of the state as the political authority of market freedom. This article argues that economy has no independent existence, and that instead, economy is a political practice. It examines the political economy of Adam Smith and the German ordoliberal tradition to decipher the character of the political in political economy and its transformation from Smith's liberal theory into neoliberal theology. Ordoliberalism emerged in the late 1920s at a time of a manifest crisis of political economy, and its argument was fundamental for the development of the neoliberal conception that free economy is matter of strong state authority. The conclusion argues with Marx that the state is the concentrated force of free economy.
Pinocembrin Protects Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells against Fibrillar Amyloid-β 1−40Injury by Suppressing the MAPK/NF-κB Inflammatory Pathways

Cerebrovascular accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may contribute to disease progression through Aβ-induced microvascular endothelial pathogenesis. Pinocembrin has been shown to have therapeutic effects in AD models. These effects correlate with preservation of microvascular function, but the effect on endothelial cells under Aβ-damaged conditions is unclear. The present study focuses on the in vitro protective effect of pinocembrin on fibrillar Aβ 1−40 (fAβ 1−40) injured human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) and explores potential mechanisms. The results demonstrate that fAβ 1−40-induced cytotoxicity in hBMECs can be rescued by pinocembrin treatment. Pinocembrin increases cell viability, reduces the release of LDH, and relieves nuclear condensation. The mechanisms of this reversal from Aβ may be associated with the inhibition of inflammatory response, involving inhibition of MAPK activation, downregulation of phosphor-IKK level, relief of IκBα degradation, blockage of NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, and reduction of the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Pinocembrin does not show obvious effects on regulating the redox imbalance after exposure to fAβ 1−40. Together, the suppression of MAPK and the NF-κB signaling pathways play a significant role in the anti-inflammation of pinocembrin in hBMECs subjected to fAβ 1−40. This may serve as a therapeutic agent for BMEC protection in Alzheimer's-related deficits.
Overcoming fieldwork challenges in urban health research in developing countries: a research note

With rapid growth in the global urban population over the next two decades, health will increasingly have an urban bias. The picture of public health is particularly complex in African cities, where rates of urbanisation, poverty and inequity are high. This paper identifies the main data collection problems encountered within a panel study in low‐income areas of Johannesburg, with special emphasis on sampling, access and partnerships. The paper will be of relevance to anyone considering research in the cities of developing countries, especially in Africa.
Extra-School Factors in Achievement, Attainment, and Aspiration among Junior and Senior High School-Age African American Youth.

It is generally accepted that school-related achievement, attainment, personal and career aspiration, and eventual attainment are functions of the direct and interactional effects of many factors. Using a psychological perspective, the present article examines individual, family, and community factors that show evidence of having effects on achievement, attainment, and aspiration among African American youth at the junior and senior high school level, and reviews certain methodological aspects involved in these findings. Achievement refers to the traditional indices of the degree to which a student has encountered success in school. These may include school grades, grade point average, rank in class, scores on standardized achievement and aptitude tests, and other scaled indicators used within the school setting to document and report level of academic progression. Attainment has a meaning similar to achievement in that it represents academic progression in the school setting. Attainment is denoted by the reaching of certain academic milestones such as the completion of junior or senior high school or the completion of three years of mathematics in high school. It also includes recognition by means of performancebased awards or certificates and other indicators that represent important ordinal steps in level of academic progression. Aspiration is by definition a more ethereal concept and is more difficult to define and measure than the preceding constructs. It is denoted by the personal aims, goals, and objectives toward which an individual directs seeking behavior. It may be measured by career choice or by self-report instruments related to one's goals and objectives such as career interest and academic interest inventories. It may also be measured by less structured personality measures and by the actual attainments necessary for progression toward the aspired goals. An example is the completion of four years of high
The Psychological Sense of Community in the Neighborhood

Abstract Many urban problems are blamed on a declining sense of community. To assess such claims and to learn how policies affect sense of community, we need a reliable and valid measure for the construct. This paper describes the development and testing of an 11-item Likert scale of the sense of neighborhood community, using responses from 54 residents in three suburbs in Columbus, Ohio. One test of the scale with 100 residents in single-use and mixed-use areas near one another found significantly more sense of community in the mixed-use neighborhood. More sense of community emerged among married persons and couples with children as compared to singles and childless couples. A test with 32 renters in neighboring apartment buildings, one with an outdoor courtyard and the other with an interior double-loaded corridor, found significantly more sense of community in the courtyard building. Scores agreed with two other measures associated with community: number of neighbors known by name, and number of friend.
Sexual Coercion and Attraction to Sexual Aggression in a Community Sample of Young Men

Few studies have examined sexually coercive behavior in nonoffending yound adults other than college students. The present investigation examined self-report measures of peer delinquency, sexual promiscuity, hostility toward women, anger, and alcohol consumption on dates as predictors of sexual coercion and attraction to sexual aggression in a cross section of 65 nonoffending young men from a rural community. Delinquency was the strongest predictor of both coercive sexual behavior and attraction to sexual aggression. Attraction to sexual aggression also was significantly predicted by hostility toward women. Individuals with no histories of committing sexually coercive acts but who were highly attracted to sexual aggression shared profiles similar to sexually coercive men on hostility toward women, delinquency, and alcohol consumption on dates. Sexually noncoercive men low on attraction scored significantly lower than sexually coercive men on hostility toward women and alcohol consumption on dates and reported significantly less delinquent behavior than both other groups.
Cultural Complexity: The Concept and Its Measurement

Cultural complexity is one of the most commonly used variables in cross-cultural research. It has often been used as a measure of cultural evolution and has been shown to correlate with numerous other variables. At least eight measures of cultural complexity have been constructed since the late 1940s. The purpose of this article is to examine three of them, those proposed by Carneiro, Murdock and Provost, and Naroll. Particular attention will be devoted to the validity of these measures. Factor analysis and reliability analysis indicate that Murdock and Provost's index, designed for use with the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample, although reliable, has two dimensions rather than one and may lack content and construct validity. A case is made for the use of the logarithm of the size of the largest settlement in a society as a measure of cultural complexity, as suggested by Naroll.
Angiogenic Potential of Human Neonatal Foreskin Stromal Cells in the Chick Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane Model

Several studies have demonstrated the multipotentiality of human neonatal foreskin stromal cells (hNSSCs) as being able to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts and potentially other cell types. Recently, we demonstrated that hNSSCs play a role during in vitro angiogenesis and appear to possess a capacity to differentiate into endothelial-like cells; however, their angiogenic potential within an ex vivo environment remains unclear. Current study shows hNSSCs to display significant migration potential in the undifferentiated state and high responsiveness in the in vitro wound healing scratch assay. When hNSSCs were seeded onto the top of the CAM, human von Willebrand factor (hVWF), CD31, smooth muscle actin (SMA), and factor XIIIa positive cells were observed in the chick endothelium. CAMs transplanted with endothelial-differentiated hNSSCs displayed a higher number of blood vessels containing hNSSCs compared to CAMs transplanted with undifferentiated hNSSCs. Interestingly, undifferentiated hNSSCs showed a propensity to differentiate towards ectoderm with indication of epidermal formation with cells positive for CD1a, CK5/6, CK19, FXIIIa, and S-100 cells, which warrant further investigation. Our findings imply a potential angiogenic role for hNSSCs ex vivo in the differentiated and undifferentiated state, with potential contribution to blood vessel formation and potential application in tissue regeneration and vascularization.
Decreased coronary flow reserve in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is related to remodeling of the coronary microcirculation.

BACKGROUND Ischemia occurs frequently in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) without evidence of epicardial stenosis. This study evaluates the hypothesis that the occurrence of ischemia in HCM is related to remodeling of the coronary microcirculation. METHODS AND RESULTS End-diastolic septal wall thickness was significantly increased in patients with HCM (25.8+/-2.9 mm) in comparison with cardiac transplant recipients (control subjects: 11.4+/-3.0 mm; P<0.05). Although the diameter of the left anterior descending coronary artery was similar in both groups (3.0+/-0.8 versus 3.0+/-0.5 mm, P=NS), the coronary resistance reserve (CRR=CRRbasal/CRRhyperemic), corrected for extravascular compression (end-diastolic left ventricular pressure), was reduced to 1.5+/-0.6 in HCM (P<.05; control, 2.6+/-0.8). Arteriolar lumen (AL) divided by wall area was lower in HCM (21+/-5% versus 30+/-4%; P<.05), and capillary density tended to decrease (from 1824+/-424 to 1445+/-513 per mm2, P=.11) in HCM. CRR was linearly related to normalized AL according to the formula CRR=O.1 AL-0.45 (r=.57; P<.05). Further analysis revealed that CRR, AL, and capillary density were all linearly related to the degree of hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS Decrements in CRR were related to changes of the coronary microcirculation. Both the decrease in CRR and these changes in the coronary microcirculation were related to the degree of hypertrophy. All these factors might contribute to the well-known occurrence of ischemia in this patient group.
Cold air drainage flows subsidize montane valley ecosystem productivity

In mountainous areas, cold air drainage from high to low elevations has pronounced effects on local temperature, which is a critical driver of many ecosystem processes, including carbon uptake and storage. Here, we leverage new approaches for interpreting ecosystem carbon flux observations in complex terrain to quantify the links between macro‐climate condition, drainage flows, local microclimate, and ecosystem carbon cycling in a southern Appalachian valley. Data from multiple long‐running climate stations and multiple eddy covariance flux towers are combined with simple models for ecosystem carbon fluxes. We show that cold air drainage into the valley suppresses local temperature by several degrees at night and for several hours before and after sunset, leading to reductions in growing season respiration on the order of ~8%. As a result, we estimate that drainage flows increase growing season and annual net carbon uptake in the valley by >10% and >15%, respectively, via effects on microclimate that are not be adequately represented in regional‐ and global‐scale terrestrial ecosystem models. Analyses driven by chamber‐based estimates of soil and plant respiration reveal cold air drainage effects on ecosystem respiration are dominated by reductions to the respiration of aboveground biomass. We further show that cold air drainage proceeds more readily when cloud cover and humidity are low, resulting in the greatest enhancements to net carbon uptake in the valley under clear, cloud‐free (i.e., drought‐like) conditions. This is a counterintuitive result that is neither observed nor predicted outside of the valley, where nocturnal temperature and respiration increase during dry periods. This result should motivate efforts to explore how topographic flows may buffer eco‐physiological processes from macroscale climate change.
Family Planning: Football Style. The Relative Age Effect in Football

Recent studies indicate that month of birth is related to achievement in a number of sports. Birth dates were collected for all players on teams competing in the 1990 World Cup and the 1989 Under-17s and Under-20s World Tournaments in Football. Results indicated that those born early in the "activity year" (August 1 through July 31 for football) were over- represented, while those born later were under-represented. The effect was particularly strong in the Under-17s and Under-20s tournaments. Results are interpreted in the context of the "relative age effect".
Thinking with the Sardinian: Antonio Gramsci and social work

Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937), who died over 70 years ago, produced a complex body of theorisation which is mostly ignored within social work. In this paper it is maintained that there are a number of obstacles presented for those reading Gramsci. Nonetheless, these obstacles should not deter us from trying to engage with Gramsci. After briefly outlining his biography, the article focuses on just two of his key thematic preoccupations. First, the related ideas of Americanism, Fordism and Taylorism; second, the concept of hegemony. Although conceding that there are problems with his work, it will be argued that these theoretical formulations continue to be of potential use and might aid our understanding of social work and related forms of activity during a period of neoliberal inspired transformations. Furthermore, thinking with Gramsci, and other social theorists, might enable the social professions to help construct counter hegemonic strategies.
Genetic predisposition of the interleukin-6 response to inflammation: implications for a variety of major diseases?

BACKGROUND A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene at position -174 (G>C) has been reported to be associated with a variety of major diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease, cancer, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, sepsis, and systemic-onset juvenile chronic arthritis. However, authors of previous in vitro and in vivo studies have reported conflicting results regarding the functionality of this polymorphism. We therefore aimed to clarify the role of the -174 SNP for the induction of IL-6 in vivo. METHODS We vaccinated 20 and 18 healthy individuals homozygous for the -174 C and G alleles, respectively, with 1 mL of Salmonella typhii vaccine. IL-1beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured in the blood at baseline and up to 24 h after vaccination. RESULTS Individuals with the G genotype had significantly higher plasma IL-6 values at 6, 8, and 10 h after vaccination than did individuals with the C genotype (P <0.005). There were no differences between the two genotypes regarding serum concentrations of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha before or after vaccination. CONCLUSIONS The -174 G>C SNP in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene is functional in vivo with an increased inflammatory response associated with the G allele. Considering the central role of IL-6 in a variety of major diseases, the present finding might be of major relevance.
Better mental health care

Os professores Thornicroft (Reino Unido) e Tansella (Itália) nos apresentam, em linguagem mais acessível e com incorporação de novas evidências de pesquisas, a partir do livro anterior (The Mental Health Matrix, 1999) um guia consistente para o desenvolvimento e avaliação dos serviços comunitários de saúde mental. Devese pautar pelo atendimento perto de casa, quebra do ciclo de exclusão e busca do melhor cuidado, aliados à evidência clínica (pesquisas, linhas guias, protocolos), à experiência acumulada, à ética e à luta contra o estigma da doença mental. As propostas se engendram num plano de ação/avaliação, o “modelo matricial”, com duas dimensões: tempo (estrutura, processo e resultados) 293