Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contribution of serum adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein levels to the presence of microalbuminuria in a Chinese hyperglycemic population

Individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus are vulnerable to micro‐ and macrovascular complications in the presence of microalbuminuria. Adipocyte fatty acid‐binding protein (A‐FABP) was proposed as an indicator for albuminuria in patients with diabetes. The present study aimed to explore the associations between serum A‐FABP levels and microalbuminuria in the hyperglycemic population.
Points of View and Pieces of Time: A Taxonomy of Image Attributes

Visual persuasion is effective to the extent that manipulations of attributes in the ad system elicit desired responses in the human system. This article identifies several ad system attributes—angle of vision, cutting rate, and camera motion—and proposes metrics for specifying the range of values for each attribute. Using the resource-matching hypothesis as a theoretical framework, it discusses human system effects of the ad system attributes and, thus, integrates the semiotics and information-processing approaches to advertising.
European Conference on Information Systems ( ECIS ) 5-15-2012 PARTICIPATORY URBAN SENSING : CITIZENS ' ACCEPTANCE OF A MOBILE REPORTING SERVICE

Urban sensing describes the use of today’s mobile devices to collectively gather information about environmental issues of public interest. Such information and communication technology (ICT) tools can enhance current e-government practices by enabling citizens to actively participate in urban decision making and service delivery. Yet, it is widely unclear whether there is a link between the citizens’ propensity to participate and the use of urban sensing technology. In this study we draw on technology acceptance literature to propose a model for the acceptance of a mobile reporting service, i.e. a sensing tool for reporting urban infrastructure issues to a municipality. The model explains perceived usefulness of urban sensing by the citizen’s degree of environmental awareness and his/her willingness to participate in public affairs. Furthermore, we conceptualize mobile literacy as an important antecedent of perceived ease of use. Empirical tests using data from 200 potential service adopters support these ideas. The findings also suggest that for mobile e-government offerings, perceived privacy risks are not a significant barrier to adoption. These results provide important implications for theory and practice.
Expression of Multidrug Resistance Transporter ABCB5 in a Murine Model of Human Conjunctival Melanoma

Conjunctival melanoma (CM) is a rare ocular malignancy with a high tendency to reoccur locally and with a high risk of metastatic disease. Metastases are often unresponsive to conventional treatment. Recently, an animal model was set up using human CM cells. Orthotopic xenografts from human CM were created by subconjunctival injection of three different CM cell lines into NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid IL2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice. Subconjunctival injection of cultured CM cells led to excellent subconjunctival growth, but no metastases were found. When single-cell suspensions were obtained from the subconjunctival xenografts and passaged in vivo, all mice developed metastases. As recent findings indicate that cancer stem cells are linked to tumor recurrences, we used this new murine model to determine the expression of the stem cell marker ABCB5 during tumor progression. Expression of the ABCB5 protein was determined in three cell lines and during different stages of tumor development as observed in our model. All three cell lines contained a subpopulation of cells positive for ABCB5. During tumor development, expression of ABCB5 increased during phases of tumor expansion. Furthermore, expression of ABCB5 was increased in metastases. Using this model for CM, we were able to initiate metastatic spread and determine the expression of the stem cell marker ABCB5 during different stages of tumor development, identifying ABCB5 as a potential novel therapeutic target. This study illustrates the potential of our newly established murine model.
Auditory, Visual, and Auditory-Visual Perception of Emotions by Adolescents with and without Learning Disabilities, and Their Relationship to Social Skills.

This study investigated the perception of emotions and the social skills of 60 eighth-grade adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) and adolescents without LD. The adolescents (n = 30 with LD; n = 30 without LD; mean age = 13.95 years) were asked to identify 6 different emotions expressed by an actor making the same verbally neutral statement: happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, and fear. The emotions were each presented in 3 modes: auditory, visual, and combined auditory-visual. Participants' social skills were evaluated by self-assessment questionnaires and teacher ratings. The results showed that the participants with LD performed significantly lower than their peers without LD in the perception of emotions via all 3 modes. In both groups, solely visual perception of emotions surpassed solely auditory, and the combined auditory-visual mode surpassed either of the 2 separate modes. Yet, the auditory-visual minus visual differential demonstrated that the adolescents without LD were able to .
The prevalence of psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy at the Integrated Health and Social Well Being Center of Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS)

This study aims to verify the prevalence of psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy and the therapeutic interaction between these at the Integrated Health and Social Well Being Center (Cisbes) located in the town of Santa Maria/RS. For this purpose, a descriptive survey of the therapeutic practices used in the said service during the period from January to July 2005 was carried out, along with a survey of the user profile, using sociodemographic variables. The results show that 1456 people were undergoing treatment during the time of research. Out of these people, 78% (1140) received psychopharmacological treatment, 9% (132) received psychotherapy and 13% (184) had therapeutic interaction. It was seen that the average user age was 36, most were married, 75% lived with family members, 69% were women and 51% had basic schooling. The study looks at factors that may be associated to the results obtained, both in relation to the mental health care model in Brazil and also the possible difficulties faced by the mental health services in the public network.
High-dose atorvastatin ameliorates the uterine microenvironment in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate whether atorvastatin can ameliorate the uterine microenvironment in diabetes mellitus. Six non-diabetic (control) and 12 diabetic mature female Sprague–Dawley albino rats were used in this study. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injections of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin, and 10 mg/kg/day of oral atorvastatin was administered for 4 weeks via orogastric tubes. The animals were euthanized, and blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. Bilateral hysterectomy was performed for the histopathologic examination. Endometrial gland degeneration and stromal fibrosis scores concomitant with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoexpressions were analyzed. The endometrial gland degeneration scores, stromal fibrosis scores and VEGF immunoexpression was significantly lower, and the EGFR immunoexpression was significantly higher in the atorvastatin-treated diabetic rats when compared to the non-treated diabetic group, suggesting that atorvastatin ameliorates the uterine microenvironment in diabetes mellitus. Chinese abstract 本研究的主要目的为探讨阿托伐他汀能否改善糖尿病患者子宫微环境6只非糖尿病（对照）和12只糖尿病成熟雌性SD大鼠被用于这项研究。 通过60 mg/kg链脲霉素对大鼠腹腔内注射诱导糖尿病，并按照10 mg/kg/天的剂量灌胃给予口服阿托伐他汀共四周。 对大鼠进行安乐死术，通过心脏采血的方式获取血液样本并进行生化分析，行双子宫切除术用作组织病理学检查。 同时亦对大鼠子宫内膜腺体退化评分、间质纤维化评分及表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)和血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)的免疫表达进行了分析。 与未接受处理糖尿病大鼠组相比，阿托伐他汀组大鼠内膜退化评分，间质纤维化评分及VEGF免疫表达明显降低，而EGFR免疫表达明显升高。 说明阿托伐他汀可改善糖尿病大鼠子宫微环境。
Vaccinia Virus Activation of CCR5 Invokes Tyrosine Phosphorylation Signaling Events That Support Virus Replication

ABSTRACT Vaccinia virus, a poxvirus, produces structurally distinct forms of virions for which the immediate events following cell entry are ill-defined. We provide evidence that intracellular mature virus (IMV) enters both permissive and nonpermissive T-cell lines and that introduction of CCR5 into nonpermissive mouse fibroblasts or human primary T cells renders the cells permissive for vaccinia replication. Notably, T cells expressing CCR5 in which tyrosine 339 in the intracellular region is replaced by phenylalanine no longer support virus replication or virus-inducible activation of specific host cell signaling effectors IRS-2, Grb2, and Erk1/2. We show that following IMV entry into the cell, the intact but not the tyrosine-deficient CCR5 is rapidly internalized and colocalizes with virus. This colocalization precedes virus-inducible signaling and replication.
Blood Flow Changes in Dichorionic Twins With Growth Discordance

Aim: The study evaluated the applicability of Doppler ultrasonography in predicting the course of pregnancy and neonatal outcome in dichorionic pregnancy complicated by growth discordance. Methods: Doppler examination of the umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) was performed in 106 twins. Abnormal values of the UA pulsatility index (PI) were considered to be above the 95th percentile and below 5th percentile for the MCA PI for gestational week. The difference of UA PI ≥0.5 in twin pairs was considered abnormal. Doppler results were compared with selected parameters that characterize the course of pregnancy and fetal outcome. Results: Abnormal UA PI as well as the intertwine PI difference of 0.5 and more correlated significantly with lower gestational age at delivery, intertwine growth discordance of 35% or more, lower birth weight, and abnormal fetal outcome. The abnormal cerebro-umbilical (C/U) ratio correlated statistically with lower birth weight, abnormal fetal outcome, and an increased risk of premature delivery. There were no statistically significant differences in the majority of parameters that characterize the neonatal outcome between the groups with normal and abnormal MCA PI. Conclusion: The intertwine UA PI difference ≥0.5 had the highest predictive value in the assessment of adverse fetal outcome and risk for small for gestational age (SGA). Relatively poor sensitivity was noted with regard to the abnormal values of UA PI and C/U ratio. The worse correlation was found in case of MCA PI.
Variation in the Markers of Nutritional and Oxidative State in a Long-Lived Seabird: Associations with Age and Longevity

Age-related declines in life-history traits have been widely observed in free-living animals. Several theories link senescence to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to measure several widely used markers of oxidative and nutritional state in a long-lived seabird, the common gull (Larus canus), in order to assess the suitability of these markers for describing deterioration in physiological condition associated with chronological age and survival. Associations with longevity and individual consistency of these parameters over the years (repeatability) were also assessed. Senescence in fitness parameters was observed during the study period: in females, laying date and clutch mass were related to bird age in a curvilinear manner, with middle-aged birds breeding earlier and laying heavier eggs. The only parameter associated with aging processes was glutathione concentration in erythrocytes, which was lower in female birds with longer life spans. Of indexes of nutritional state, plasma triglyceride concentration showed a between-individual increase with age, suggesting selective mortality of birds with low levels. Additionally, total plasma protein levels of individual males increased with age. The mostly negative results of this study hint that the commonly used parameters of physiological condition and oxidative state used in this study do not adequately reflect an individual’s long-term health condition. Alternatively, it is possible that in common gulls, senescence occurs in reproductive mechanisms but not in mechanisms responsible for maintaining an organism’s redox balance, consistent with the idea that different aspects of an organism’s physiological condition age at different rates. Significant interannual repeatability was detected in three plasma constituents—carotenoids, uric acid, and total protein—all of which can possibly be linked to variation in dietary habits.
Leadership for Social Justice: An Agenda for 21st Century Schools

Abstract The shift in the demographic data highlights the growth in minority, second language learner, and economically disadvantaged student populations that traditionally have been underserved in public schools (Marshall and Oliva 2006). The purpose of this discussion is to explore the leadership praxis of four female secondary school leaders faced with challenges of social justice, democracy, and equity in their schools. The principals could be characterized as stewards of social justice in their school communities.
Development and Validation of a Novel Leishmania donovani Screening Cascade for High-Throughput Screening Using a Novel Axenic Assay with High Predictivity of Leishmanicidal Intracellular Activity

Visceral leishmaniasis is an important parasitic disease of the developing world with a limited arsenal of drugs available for treatment. The existing drugs have significant deficiencies so there is an urgent need for new and improved drugs. In the human host, Leishmania are obligate intracellular parasites which poses particular challenges in terms of drug discovery. To achieve sufficient throughput and robustness, free-living parasites are often used in primary screening assays as a surrogate for the more complex intracellular assays. We and others have found that such axenic assays have a high false positive rate relative to the intracellular assays, and that this limits their usefulness as a primary platform for screening of large compound collections. While many different reasons could lie behind the poor translation from axenic parasite to intracellular parasite, we show here that a key factor is the identification of growth slowing and cytostatic compounds by axenic assays in addition to the more desirable cytocidal compounds. We present a screening cascade based on a novel cytocidal-only axenic amastigote assay, developed by increasing starting density of cells and lowering the limit of detection, and show that it has a much improved translation to the intracellular assay. We propose that this assay is an improved primary platform in a new Leishmania screening cascade designed for the screening of large compound collections. This cascade was employed to screen a diversity-oriented-synthesis library, and yielded two novel antileishmanial chemotypes. The approach we have taken may have broad relevance to anti-infective and anti-parasitic drug discovery.
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor p75 is required in ischemia-induced neovascularization.

BACKGROUND Aging is a risk factor for coronary and peripheral artery disease. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a proinflammatory cytokine, is expressed in ischemic tissue and is known to modulate angiogenesis. Little is known about the role of TNF-alpha receptors (TNFR1/p55 and TNFR2/p75) in angiogenic signaling. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied neovascularization in the hindlimb ischemia model in young and old TNFR2/p75 knockout (p75KO) and wild-type age-matched controls. Between days 7 to 10 after hindlimb surgery, 100% of old p75KOs experienced autoamputation of the operated limbs, whereas none of the age-matched wild-type mice exhibited hindlimb necrosis. Poor blood flow recovery in p75KO mice was associated with increased endothelial cell apoptosis, decreased capillary density, and significant reductions in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor-2 mRNA transcripts in ischemic tissue and in circulating endothelial progenitor cells. The number of circulating bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells was significantly reduced in p75KO mice. Transplantation of wild-type bone marrow mononuclear cells into irradiated old p75KO mice 1 month before hindlimb surgery prevented limb loss. CONCLUSIONS Our present study suggests that ischemia-induced endothelial progenitor cell-mediated neovascularization is dependent, at least in part, on p75 TNF receptor expressed in bone marrow-derived cells. Specifically, endothelial cell/endothelial progenitor cell survival, vascular endothelial growth factor expression, endothelial progenitor cell mobilization from bone marrow, endothelial progenitor cell differentiation, and ultimately ischemia-induced collateral vessel development are dependent on signaling through TNFR2/p75. Furthermore, because TNFR2/p75 becomes an age-related limiting factor in postischemic recovery, it may be a potential gene target for therapeutic interventions in adult vascular diseases.
Consequences of cellular cholesterol accumulation: basic concepts and physiological implications.

The cells of most organs and tissues satisfy their requirements for membrane cholesterol via endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis (1). Many cell types, however, have acquired mechanisms to internalize exogenous sources of cholesterol, usually in the form of plasma-derived lipoproteins (2). Examples include steroid-synthesizing cells, hepatocytes, and macrophages and smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesions, often referred to as foam cells. In the case of steroidogenic cells, the internalization of lipoprotein-cholesterol represents a physiological process that provides cells with precursor cholesterol stores, to be used for “acute” steroid hormone production (3). Hepatocyte lipoprotein uptake mediates the clearance of various classes of plasma lipoproteins (1), which can lead to whole-body elimination of excess diet-derived cholesterol in the bile, a process known as reverse cholesterol transport (Tall, this Perspective series, ref. 4). The uptake of arterial-wall lipoproteins by macrophages and smooth muscle cells may be a type of physiological scavenging response that initially helps rid the endothelium of potentially harmful lipoprotein material (5). As will be discussed below, however, this cellular process eventually contributes to the progression and complications of atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Seeing and mastering difficulty: The role of affective change in achievement flow

Achievement flow involves total absorption in an activity, high concentration without effort and merging of thought and action. The authors propose that achievement flow is facilitated by dynamic alternatives between low positive affect (“seeing difficulty”) and high positive affect (“mastering difficulty”). Consistent with this hypothesis, three studies showed that traits associated with reduced positive affect (avoidant adult attachment, schizoid-like personality style, introversion) and traits supportive of restoring positive affect (mastery orientation) predicted achievement flow, as assessed with a new operant motive test (OMT). Achievement flow motives were further found to be associated with flow experiences in achievement tasks (Study 1), intrinsic motivation in an academic context (Study 2), and volitional facilitation as assessed by removal of Stroop interference after experimentally induced difficulty and positive affect (Study 3). These findings offer converging evidence that flow experiences arise from dynamic changes in positive affect.
The Self-Refuting Paradox and the Conditions of Sociological Thought

Modernity and postmodernity have formed an important framework for debate in sociological theory. The often confrontational nature of the debate has obscured key conclusions but these can be outlined by considering an argument often used by modernists against postmodernists, called the self-refuting paradox. This argument takes the form ‘the claim that there is no such thing as the Rational is itself a rational claim and so refutes itself’. First, the notions of self-refutation and self-reference are separated. It is then noted that the result of the self-refuting paradox is neither the loss of modernity's key categories, as claimed by postmodernists, or the failure of the postmodern project, as claimed by modernists. Instead, both sides are shown to succeed and fail; forms of legitimation that previously underlay modernity's thought fail and the strong forms of postmodern claims, such as there are no universals, also fail. The result of this analysis is that attention should be paid to the nature of universals, truths and norms, rather than disputing their existence. These arguments are pursued first at a general level and then in relation to the three key concepts of difference, truth and universality.
Gromov-Hausdorff Distance for Quantum Metric Spaces

By a quantum metric space we mean a C^*-algebra (or more generally an order-unit space) equipped with a generalization of the Lipschitz seminorm on functions which is defined by an ordinary metric. We develop for compact quantum metric spaces a version of Gromov-Hausdorff distance. We show that the basic theorems of the classical theory have natural quantum analogues. Our main example involves the quantum tori, $A_{\th}$. We show, for consistently defined ``metrics'', that if a sequence $\{\th_n\}$ of parameters converges to a parameter $\th$, then the sequence $\{A_{\th_n}\}$ of quantum tori converges in quantum Gromov-Hausdorff distance to $A_{\th}$.
Verbal Ability and Teacher Effectiveness

Critics of traditional teacher education programs have suggested that verbal ability along with subject knowledge is sufficient for measuring good teaching. A small group of research studies is called upon to support this contention. This article reviews these studies, analyzes the role of verbal ability in teaching, and presents research examining the relationship of teachers’ verbal ability and teacher effectiveness. Research results indicate that for acceptable, good, very good, and outstanding teachers, there is no significant correlation between verbal scores and expert assessment of teacher effectiveness. However, weaker teachers have lower average verbal scores. This research and logical analysis suggest that educators should take verbal ability into account, but due to the wide range of scores among good to excellent teachers, it is inadvisable to use single measures of verbal ability to measure or predict teacher effectiveness. The authors provide an alternative system for teacher selection.