Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between Serum Osteoprotegerin and Biomarkers of Bone Metabolism during Anti-Thyroid Treatment in Patients with Graves’ Disease

Bone turnover is increased in favor of resorption in hyperthyroid patients. We aimed to examine whether osteoprotegerin (OPG), which has an inhibitory effect on osteoclasts, is correlated with any biomarkers for bone turnover in Graves’ disease. Twenty-one patients with Graves’ disease were examined in this study, before and after treatment. Briefly, OPG, calcium, phosphorus, PTH, free T3, free T4, TSH, TSH receptor antibody and TSH-stimulating antibody were measured. Elevated serum OPG levels were decreased in accordance with anti-thyroid treatment. This change of OPG level was associated with thyroid hormone free T4 (r = 0.175, p = 0.038) but not with free T3 (r = 0.164, p = 0.052) and TSH (r = 0.046, p = 0.59). Additionally, there was a negative correlation between OPG and PTH (r = –0.37, p = 0.0001). In stepwise regression analysis, the change in serum OPG levels during anti-thyroid treatment was significantly and independently associated with PTH (F ratio = 24.4, p < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that OPG may prevent excessive bone loss in the hyperthyroid state in accordance with the change of biomarkers for bone turnover.
Predicting Postoperative Vomiting for Orthopedic Patients Receiving Patient-Controlled Epidural Analgesia with the Application of an Artificial Neural Network

Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) was used in many patients receiving orthopedic surgery to reduce postoperative pain but is accompanied with certain incidence of vomiting. Predictions of the vomiting event, however, were addressed by only a few authors using logistic regression (LR) models. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are pattern-recognition tools that can be used to detect complex patterns within data sets. The purpose of this study was to develop the ANN based predictive model to identify patients with high risk of vomiting during PCEA used. From January to March 2007, the PCEA records of 195 patients receiving PCEA after orthopedic surgery were used to develop the two predicting models. The ANN model had a largest area under curve (AUC) in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The areas under ROC curves of ANN and LR models were 0.900 and 0.761, respectively. The computer-based predictive model should be useful in increasing vigilance in those patients most at risk for vomiting while PCEA is used, allowing for patient-specific therapeutic intervention, or even in suggesting the use of alternative methods of analgesia.
Parenting children with cochlear implants : challenges, stress, coping, and processes

The central goal of the current dissertation was to expand the research on the experiences of parents of children with cochlear implants (Cis). To accomplish this goal, three studies were conducted: The first study explored everyday problems associated with parenting children who undergo cochlear implantation; to investigate parents' interpersonal relationships as a resource for collaborative problem solving; and to examine links between parents' everyday problems, stress, and life satisfaction. Thirty-one parents of children with Cis responded to open-ended questions regarding the types of everyday problems they encountered in parenting their child, and also rated their stress and life satisfaction. Problems were categorized into nine domains: implant drawbacks, communication difficulties, child's behavior, child's social competence, rehabilitation demands and parenting role, financial difficulties, services, educating others/advocacy, and academic concerns. Professionals, spouses, and other parents of deaf children were frequently nominated partners for collaborative problem solving and coping. Significant correlations emerged among parents' everyday problems, stress, and life satisfaction. The second study described and categorized the attributes that parents of young children with Cis consider as facilitating their parental coping experience. Fifteen hearing mothers and thirteen hearing fathers whose children had Cis were interviewed, using the critical incident technique. A total of 430 critical incidents were documented and sorted into 20 categories. Results indicated various sources of influence on parents' coping experience, associated with social contextual aspects, with the parent himself or herself, and with the child. The third study examined the complexity of parenting children who have received Cis as well as parents' involvement in the C l rehabilitation process. Action theory and its related
Effects of Nano Fertilizer Application and Maternal Corm Weight on Flowering at Some Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Ecotypes

To develop saffron planting in Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran, a split-split plot experiment based on CRBD was carried out in the Urmia University's research farm for two years . Nanofertilizers (Fe, P, K and nofertilizer (control)) as main plots, saffron ecotypes (Mashhad, Torbat-Heydarieh, Torbat-jam, Gonabad, Ghaen and Birjand) as subplots and maternal corm weight (6, 8, 10 and 12 g) as sub-sub plots were considered. Throughout the two years of the study, results showed significant differences between nanofertilizers levels, saffron ecotypes, maternal corm weight and their interactions in terms of all flowering traits. Results highlighted the importance of the nanofertilizers on improving saffron yield. In addition, it was also clear that Fe, P and K nanofertilizers all had positive effects on the saffron flowering. The results also illustrated that the high yield ecotypes Torbat-Heydarieh and Mashhad in Urmia region were due to similar climatic conditions of these regions. These results emphasized the importance of the mother corm weight on increasing saffron flowering was much better than both the nanofertilizer and saffron ecotype. As the mother corm weight increases from 6 to 12 grams, all the studied traits, including dry saffron yield and flower number also increased, by 5.17 times and 4.4 times, respectively. The results of stepwise regression and correlation coefficients noted that flower number, dry and fresh flower weight were the most effective traits on dry saffron yield. In total, it was concluded that saffron flowering traits are strongly influenced by environmental conditions and farm management. Therefore, the correct choice of saffron ecotypes, nanofertilizer and maternal corm weight are vital factors in farm management and economic saffron production
A Design and Implementation of OpenFlow Controller Handling IP Multicast with Fast Tree Switching

We present a design of an OpenFlow controller handling IP multicast and a method to switch a multicast tree to the other with little packet loss. Reducing packet loss during reconstruction of multicast tree triggered by a failure has been an important problem to make multicast communications more reliable. One approach for this problem is to use redundant trees for multicast trees, but algorithms to compute redundant trees require centralized computation therefore cannot be used in IP network. We used OpenFlow, which has features of centralized control and programmability, to realize redundant multicast trees in the network. In this paper, we present a design of an OpenFlow controller supporting IP multicast and a method to set up multiple multicast trees of one multicast group in the network for fast tree switching. To avoid delivering duplicate packets to the receivers, we assign an ID to each tree, embed it into multicast packets, and select the tree to deliver multicast packets in the sender switch by rewriting the packet header. We showed little packet loss when switching the multicast tree triggered by the failure using implementation of the OpenFlow controller by the evaluation experiment.
Localization of sulfated glycoprotein‐2/clusterin mRNA in the rat brain by in situ hybridization

Sulfated glycoprotein‐2 (SGP‐2) gene expression seems to be constitutively expressed in a variety of tissues and organs, although levels of expression vary widely from one tissue to the other. SGP‐2, also known as clusterin, has been reported to be expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Some possible roles for brain SGP‐2 have been postulated. In order to provide a substrate for a better understanding of the functions of this glycoprotein in the CNS, we investigated the detailed anatomical and cellular distribution of SGP‐2 mRNA in the adult rat brain as well as the variation in its cellular expression after excitotoxin lesion. Transcripts for SGP‐2 were found to be distributed throughout the rat CNS, although regional differences in their prevalence were readily observed. The ependymal lining of the ventricles showed the highest level of expression followed by various gray matter areas, some of which contained very intensively labeled cells. These cells were mostly found among several hypothalamic and brainstem nuclei, the habenular complex, as well as in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, which displayed striking hybridization signals over motoneurons. Occasional cells expressing high levels of SGP‐2 transcripts were found in fiber tracts. Highly SGP‐2 mRNA‐positive resting glial cells were mainly located near the glial limitans and blood vessels. Two areas of relatively low constitutive SGP‐2 mRNA expression are shown to produce strong hybridization signals 10 days after the local administration of the excitotoxin kainic acid. This overexpression of SGP‐2 transcripts appears to involve GFAP‐positive cells. Taken together, these results indicate that in the intact adult rat CNS, various cell populations, including neurons, constitutively express SGP‐2 transcripts, whereas in the injured brain, reactive astrocytes become the major producers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Repetitive firing of rat cerebellar parallel fibres after a single stimulation

The excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked in Purkinje cells (PCs) by stimulating parallel fibres (PFs) usually show a single peak, but EPSCs with multiple peaks (polyphasic EPSCs) can be observed in slices from animals older than 15 days. The EPSCs remain polyphasic when the postsynaptic current is reduced (either by reducing the intensity of the PF stimulation or by adding AMPA receptor antagonists) and when the PC membrane potential is made positive. Thus the late peaks are not due to postsynaptic active currents generated in the imperfectly clamped PC, and must arise from repetitive action potentials in the PF. Extracellular recordings from granule cell (GC) somata showed that a single PF stimulation can elicit a doublet or a train of action potentials. Both the late action potentials recorded in the GCs and the late peaks of the polyphasic EPSCs recorded in the PCs were reduced or abolished by paired‐pulse stimulation of the PF or by bath application of the GABAA agonist muscimol. The late action potentials in the GCs were also suppressed by local application of muscimol around the cell body. We propose that after a single stimulation of a PF, the antidromic invasion of the ascending axon and the granule cell can trigger a doublet or a burst of action potentials which back‐propagate into the PF (except for the first, which finds the PF still in its refractory period). The repetitive activation of the PF by a single stimulation could play a role in the induction of long‐term depression.
A Land of Milk and Honey? Breastfeeding and Identity in Lesbian Families

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between breastfeeding and identity in lesbian-identified families based on a pilot study of qualitative interviews and a short survey of six lesbian families in Canada and the United States. Although breastfeeding is assumed to be “natural” and a biological function, we problematize the practice as both gendered and heteronormative. In our research we found that breastfeeding has a complex role to play within the construction of one's identity as a mother, of one's gender, and of one's sexual orientation. These women's experiences offer interesting insights into the nebulous boundaries of biology and the ways in which assumptions about what is “natural” are actually social and cultural constructions.
Environmental Records from Great Barrier Reef Corals: Inshore versus Offshore Drivers

The biogenic structures of stationary organisms can be effective recorders of environmental fluctuations. These proxy records of environmental change are preserved as geochemical signals in the carbonate skeletons of scleractinian corals and are useful for reconstructions of temporal and spatial fluctuations in the physical and chemical environments of coral reef ecosystems, including The Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We compared multi-year monitoring of water temperature and dissolved elements with analyses of chemical proxies recorded in Porites coral skeletons to identify the divergent mechanisms driving environmental variation at inshore versus offshore reefs. At inshore reefs, water Ba/Ca increased with the onset of monsoonal rains each year, indicating a dominant control of flooding on inshore ambient chemistry. Inshore multi-decadal records of coral Ba/Ca were also highly periodic in response to flood-driven pulses of terrigenous material. In contrast, an offshore reef at the edge of the continental shelf was subject to annual upwelling of waters that were presumed to be richer in Ba during summer months. Regular pulses of deep cold water were delivered to the reef as indicated by in situ temperature loggers and coral Ba/Ca. Our results indicate that although much of the GBR is subject to periodic environmental fluctuations, the mechanisms driving variation depend on proximity to the coast. Inshore reefs are primarily influenced by variable freshwater delivery and terrigenous erosion of catchments, while offshore reefs are dominated by seasonal and inter-annual variations in oceanographic conditions that influence the propensity for upwelling. The careful choice of sites can help distinguish between the various factors that promote Ba uptake in corals and therefore increase the utility of corals as monitors of spatial and temporal variation in environmental conditions.
Gender-dependent differences of mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in rat skeletal muscle at rest and after exercise training

ABSTRACT Objective: This study investigated gender-dependent differences of mitochondrial function and sensitivity to in vitro ROS exposure in rat skeletal muscle at rest and after exercise training. Methods: Wistar rats underwent running training for 6 weeks. In vitro measurements of hydroxyl radical production, oxygen consumption (under basal and maximal respiration conditions) and ATP production were made on permeabilized fibers. Mitochondrial function was examined after exposure and non-exposure to an in vitro generator system of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were also determined. Results: Compared with sedentary males, females showed a greater resistance of mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption and ATP production) to ROS exposure, and lower MDA content and antioxidant enzyme activities. The training protocol had more beneficial effects in males than females with regard to ROS production and oxidative stress. In contrast to male rats, the susceptibility of mitochondrial function to ROS exposure in trained females was unchanged. Discussion: Exercise training improves mitochondrial function oxidative capacities in both male and female rats, but is more pronounced in males as a result of different mechanisms. The resistance of mitochondrial function to in vitro oxidative stress exposure and the antioxidant responses are gender- and training-dependent, and may be related to the protective effects of estrogen.
Some findings relevant to the great man theory of leadership.

breakdowns in communication are but a few of the symptoms of faulty group structure. Evidence of these should be identified in training and either corrected through training or appropriate changes should be made in crew composition. Participation in the activities of a group under survival conditions calls for skills in individual behavior for which all members are not adequately equipped, leading to tension, ineffectiveness, panic and withdrawal from participation. Crew members differ in their abilities to modify their roles with changing demands. Crew members, through training in the simulated survival situation, need to be trained to diagnose required roles, to perform them, and to modify their roles as required by group functioning.
The role of experimentation in software engineering: past, current, and future

Software engineering needs to follow the model of other physical sciences and develop an experimental paradigm for the field. This paper proposes the approach towards developing an experimental component of such a paradigm. The approach is based upon a quality improvement paradigm that addresses the role of experimentation and process improvement in the content of industrial development. The paper outlines a classification scheme for characterizing such experiments.
Training and organizational commitment: exploring the moderating role of goal orientation in the Lebanese context

In this study, we investigated the impact of organizational training on organizational commitment and whether goal orientation moderates the relationship between training and commitment. The sample consisted of 124 employees from different industries in the country of Lebanon. Multiple regression and hierarchical moderated regression were used to test hypotheses. The results of the analysis showed that training has a significant effect on organizational commitment. Moderation analysis showed that the relationship between training and affective commitment was stronger for individuals who had higher levels of learning goal orientation. Performance goal orientation failed to moderate the relationship between training and affective commitment. Ultimately, this suggests that advanced training offered to individuals with performance goal orientations may not necessarily increase their commitment to their employer, in contrast to individuals with learning goal orientations. Theoretical and management implications in the context of Lebanon are proposed.
The Effects of Scattering Angle and Cumulus Cloud Geometry on Satellite Retrievals of Cloud Droplet Effective Radius

The effect of scattering angle on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrievals of cloud drop effective radius is studied using ensembles of cumulus clouds with varying sun-satellite scattering geometries. The results are interpreted as shadowing and illumination effects. When 3-D clouds are viewed near the backscatter geometry, well-illuminated cloud surfaces are seen, and the retrievals based on plane-parallel geometry underestimate the effective radius. The reverse is true when the satellite is far from the backscatter position, and the shadowed portions of clouds are observed. The shadowing geometry produces a larger bias than the illuminated geometry. These differences between the shadowed and the illuminated ensembles decrease toward zero as the clouds become shallower. Removing the edge pixels based on 1-km-scale geometry partially reduces biases due to the 3-D effects and surface contamination. Recommendations are provided for reducing the 3-D cloud effects using current satellite retrieval algorithms
Perceived uncertainty, social support and psychological adjustment in older patients with cancer being treated with surgery.

AIM The purpose of this longitudinal correlative study was to explore the degree, compare the differences and to detect the relationships of uncertainty, social support and psychological adjustment for older cancer patients who were undergoing surgery. BACKGROUND While the number of the older cancer patients has been increasing, there has been little research exploring their needs with respect to psychological adjustment during cancer treatment. DESIGN The study used a pre-/postdescriptive design. METHODS Purposive sampling was used to recruit 43 patients aged 65-84 from six surgery wards in a medical centre in northern Taiwan from January 2005-May 2005. Participants were interviewed one to two days prior to surgery and interviewed again one to two days before hospital discharge. Demographic data, Mishel's Uncertainty Illness Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List were used to collect data. RESULTS Uncertainty varied with cancer stage. At the time of surgery, the patients had moderate levels of uncertainty. There was a significant decrease in uncertainty at the second data collection period before hospital discharge. In these participants, anxiety was significantly associated with past medical history. The participants obtained social support from family members, physicians, nurses, relatives and other patients. Married patients had higher levels of social support than those without a spouse. Significant relationships were found among uncertainty and anxiety and depression. Interestingly, a positive relationship between anxiety and social support after surgery was also identified. CONCLUSION Increasing levels of social support could ameliorate the degree of uncertainty, anxiety and depression in older cancer patients. Nurses should provide resources to establish an effective social network to older cancer patients who were being treated surgically. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE These findings can assist nurses in understanding the psychological adjustment needs among older cancer patients who were undergoing surgery and provide appropriate intervention in nursing care.
Recent Results from CANGAROO

The CANGAROO-III telescope system for very-high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics consists of four 10-m atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes located near Woomera, South Australia. The construction of the fourth telescope was completed in summer 2003, and stereoscopic observations have been in progress since March 2004. Here we report on the status of the system and some recent results from CANGAROO-III observations.
Social class and self-esteem : psychological centrality, compensation, and the relative effects of work and home

In this study we examine how the processes of psychological centrality and compensation affect the relationships between social class (as well as other structural and contextual variables) and self-esteem. We propose that the muted relationship generally found in research on social class and self-esteem is due largely to the uncontrolled influence of the self-esteem motive