Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of serum MDA and vitamin C levels in non-smokers, chronic smokers and chronic smokers with acute myocardial infarction in men

BACKGROUND: It is a well-known fact that there is increased oxidative stress and decreased serum antioxidant levels in smokers than in non-smokers. In this study, the aim was to compare the serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation product and vitamin C, an antioxidant, between non- smokers (Group A) and chronic smokers (Group B) and also between chronic smokers (Group B) and chronic smokers with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (Group C). METHODS: Thirty six non-smokers and 36 chronic smokers appropriately matched with AMI patients were selected. Thirty six smokers with AMI were selected from Hanagal Kumareshwara hospital, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India. Fasting blood sample was collected in group A and group B. In AMI patients, blood sample was collected before any intervention. Serum levels of MDA and vitamin C were estimated. Statistical analysis was done by t test using SPSS version 11. The p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All the results were expressed as mean ± SD. RESULTS: The MDA and vitamin C were compared between Group A and Group B and also between Group B and Group C. There was a significant rise in MDA (p<0.0001) and significant decrease in vitamin C (p<0.01) in Group B compared to Group A. There was a significant rise in MDA (p<0.0001) and significant decrease in vitamin C (p<0.001) in Group C compared to Group B. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in serum MDA level and decrease in vitamin C was found in chronic smokers compared to non-smokers. It was also found that there is increase in serum MDA and decrease in vitamin C in smokers with AMI compared with smokers without AMI, and the reason for this inter-subject variability of MDA and vitamin C levels may be due to gene-environmental factors.
Longitudinal quality of life data can provide insights on the impact of adjuvant treatment for pancreatic cancer—Subset analysis of the ESPAC‐1 data

The European Study Group for Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC‐1) study is the largest study of adjuvant treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to date and confirmed a survival advantage for adjuvant chemotherapy but not for chemoradiation. The importance of parallel evaluation of survival and quality of life (QoL) has been recognized as fundamental and the aim was to assess QoL and quality adjusted survival. A longitudinal QoL study on a subset of ESPAC‐1 patients who prospectively completed the EORTC QLQ C‐30 questionnaire during treatment and follow‐up. An integrated quality‐survival product method was used to adjust any treatment effect on survival by a function of measured QoL, calculated over a restricted 24‐month‐period (QALM‐24). Three hundred and sixteen patients completed 1,201 questionnaires. There were no differences between treatment groups in dimension scores at baseline (randomization). For the chemotherapy group, the mean Quality Adjusted Life Months over 24 months (QALM‐24) was 9.6 (95% CI: 8.7, 11.2) months compared with the mean QALM‐24 of 8.6 (95% CI: 7.6, 10.5) months for the no chemotherapy group. For the chemoradiation group, the mean QALM‐24 was 7.1 (95% CI: 6.0, 9.0) months compared with the mean QALM‐24 of 8.1 (95% CI: 7.0, 10.0) months for the no chemoradiation group. The previously reported survival advantage supporting the use of adjuvant chemotherapy is maintained when adjusted using quality adjusted survival methodology. Chemotherapy provided on average an additional 1.0 quality‐adjusted life months within a restricted 2‐year time period from the time of resection. © 2009 UICC
Similar power laws for foreshock and aftershock sequences in a spring‐block model for earthquakes

We introduce a crust relaxation process in a continuous cellular automaton version of the Burridge and Knopoff [1967] model. The most important model parameters are the level of conservation and the ratio of the crust relaxation time to the tectonic reloading time. In correspondence with the original spring-block model, the modified model displays a robust power law distribution of event sizes. The principal new result obtained with our model is the spatiotemporal clustering of events exhibiting several characteristics of earthquakes in nature. Large events are followed by aftershock sequences obeying the Omori [1894] law and preceded by localized foreshocks, which are initiated after a time period of seismic quiescence. While we observe a considerable variability of precursory seismicity, we find that the rate of foreshocks increases on average, according to a power law with an exponent q, which is in good agreement with the exponent p of the Omori law. In contrast to other events, the distribution of foreshock sizes is characterized by a significantly smaller Richter B value. Our model reproduces simultaneously the empirically observed values of the power law exponents, the Richter B, p and q, and their variability.
Ground Water Sustainability: Methodology and Application to the North China Plain

This article analyzes part of a ground water flow system in the North China Plain (NCP) subject to severe overexploitation and rapid depletion. A transient ground water flow model was constructed and calibrated to quantify the changes in the flow system since the predevelopment 1950s. The flow model was then used in conjunction with an optimization code to determine optimal pumping schemes that improve ground water management practices. Finally, two management scenarios, namely, urbanization and the South‐to‐North Water Transfer Project, were evaluated for their potential impacts on the ground water resources in the study area. Although this study focuses on the NCP, it illustrates a general modeling framework for analyzing the sustainability, or the lack thereof, of ground water flow systems driven by similar hydrogeologic and economic conditions. The numerical simulation is capable of quantifying the various components of the overall flow budget and evaluating the impacts of different management scenarios. The optimization modeling allows the determination of the maximum “sustainable pumping” that satisfies a series of prescribed constraints. It can also be used to minimize the economic costs associated with ground water development and management. Furthermore, since the NCP is one of the most water scarce and economically active regions in the world, the conclusions and insights from this study are of general interest and international significance.
Comparison of three commercial cryptococcal latex kits for detection of cryptococcal antigen

Three commercial latex kits, IBL, MYCO-Immune, and IMMY, for the detection of cryptococcal antigen were compared in regard to sensitivity, specificity, and height of antigen titers. A total of 218 cerebrospinal fluid and 79 serum specimens from 239 patients were included. Twenty-two patients had culture-proven disseminated cryptococcosis. Both the IBL and MYCO-Immune kits had sensitivities of 100%, and the IMMY kit had sensitivities of 82.6 and 45.4% in CSF and serum specimens, respectively. There was one false-positive reaction in serum with the MYCO-Immune kit and one false-negative reaction on screen only with all three kits. Rheumatoid factor-containing sera were used to check the agglutination titers between matching anti-cryptococcal globulin reagents and normal globulin reagents. The finding that agglutination titer with anti-cryptococcal globulin reagents was fourfold higher than with normal globulin reagents in the MYCO-Immune kit is considered to be a cause for a false-positive reaction in serum.
high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Malaysian Parkinson's disease patients

Background: Studies have reported a higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in Parkinson’s disease. Objectives: To determine the frequency of H. pylori in patients with Parkinson’s disease compared to controls and its effect on symptom severity and quality of life. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study involving 29 Parkinson’s disease patients and 23 controls. The 13 C-urea breath test was used to diagnose H. pylori. Symptom severity and quality of life were assessed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), respectively. Results: The frequency of H. pylori infection was 48.3% in the Parkinson’s disease group and 21.7% in controls (P=0.048). This became more significant ( P=0.012) when we excluded relatives of H. pylori-positive patients from the control group. There was no association between Hoehn and Yahr stages, UPDRS and PDQ-39 scores, and H. pylori. Conclusion: H. pylori infection is more prevalent in the Malaysian Parkinson’s disease population compared to controls (48.3% versus 21.7%). However, symptom severity and quality of life was not related to H. pylori infection.
Lactococcus lactis ZitR Is a Zinc-Responsive Repressor Active in the Presence of Low, Nontoxic Zinc Concentrations In Vivo

ABSTRACT In the family Streptococcaceae, the genes encoding zinc ABC uptake systems (called zit or adc) are regulated by a coencoded MarR family member (i.e., ZitR or AdcR), whereas in the great majority of bacteria, these genes are regulated by Zur, the Fur-like zinc-responsive repressor. We studied the zit operon from Lactococcus lactis and its regulation in response to Zn(II) in vivo. zit transcription is repressed by Zn(II) in a wide concentration range starting from nontoxic micromolar levels and is derepressed at nanomolar concentrations. The level of zit promoter downregulation by environmental Zn(II) is correlated with the intracellular zinc content. The helix-turn-helix domain of ZitR is required for downregulation. In vitro, the purified protein is a dimer that complexes up to two zinc ligands per monomer and specifically binds two intact palindromic operator sites overlapping the −35 and −10 boxes of the zit promoter. DNA binding is abolished by the chelator EDTA or TPEN and fully restored by Zn(II) addition, indicating that the active repressor complexes Zn(II) with high affinity. These results suggest that derepression under starvation conditions could be an essential emergency mechanism for preserving Zn(II) homeostasis by uptake; under Zn(II)-replete conditions, the function of ZitR repression could be to help save energy rather than to avoid Zn(II) toxicity. The characterization of a MarR family zinc-responsive repressor in this report gives insight into the way Streptococcaceae efficiently adapt to Zn(II) fluctuations in their diverse ecological niches.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine by children in the United States.

BACKGROUND Current estimates of pediatric complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use range from 10% to 15%. These estimates are derived from children sampled at health care facilities, with chronic conditions, and/or from countries other than the United States. OBJECTIVE To provide a population-based estimate of the prevalence of pediatric CAM use in the United States. DESIGN We used the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a nationally representative survey of the noninstitutionalized US population. The survey asks parents if their children used alternative care practitioners within the previous year. Our analysis included children younger than 18 years and accounted for the complex sampling design of MEPS. RESULTS Weighted for the US population, pediatric CAM use was 1.8% (95% confidence interval, 1.3%-2.3%). Participants who used CAM were found in each age category, and the mean age was 10.3 years; 76.8% were white, 54% were female, 32% lived in the West, 66% lived in a metropolitan statistical area, and 36% lived at 100% to 199% of the poverty level. Bivariate chi2 analysis shows that CAM use increased with age (P =.006) and was twice as common in children not living in a metropolitan statistical area (P =.02). CONCLUSIONS The use of CAM among US children, as measured by the MEPS, is far less prevalent than has previously been asserted. With such disparate estimates, future CAM research efforts would benefit from a consensus regarding what practices constitute CAM and how these practices should be measured.
Phosphatidylinositol-dependent actin filament binding by the SWI/SNF-like BAF chromatin remodeling complex

Recently, several chromatin remodeling complexes in yeast, Drosophila, and mammals have been shown to contain actin and actin-related proteins (arps). However, the function of actin in these complexes is unclear. Here, we show that the mammalian SWI/SNF-like BAF complex binds to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) micelles and PIP2-containing mixed lipid vesicles, and that PIP2 binding allows the complex to associate with actin pointed ends and branch points. Actin binds to at least two distinct domains in the C terminus of the Brg1 protein, and interaction with only one of these domains is sensitive to PIP2. Based on these findings, we propose a model for PIP2 activation of actin binding by relief of intramolecular capping of actin by Brg1.
Bootstrapping statistical parsers from small datasets

We present a practical co-training method for bootstrapping statistical parsers using a small amount of manually parsed training material and a much larger pool of raw sentences. Experimental results show that unlabelled sentences can be used to improve the performance of statistical parsers. In addition, we consider the problem of boot-strapping parsers when the manually parsed training material is in a different domain to either the raw sentences or the testing material. We show that boot-strapping continues to be useful, even though no manually produced parses from the target domain are used.
Function of Stem Cell Factor as a Survival Factor of Spermatogonia and Localization of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid in the Rat Seminiferous Epithelium.

To address the possibility that stem cell factor (SCF) is a paracrine regulator of germ cell development in the adult rat testis, stage-specific distribution of SCF messenger RNA (mRNA) was investigated with Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses. The highest levels of SCF mRNA were found in stages II–VI of the rat seminiferous epithelial cycle, whereas the lowest levels were in stages VII–VIII. Intermediate levels of SCF mRNA were detected in stages IX–XIV–I of the cycle. The expression of the SCF gene was found to be developmentally regulated, and the expression pattern followed the process of Sertoli cell proliferation and differentiation during postnatal life. The effect of mouse recombinant SCF on spermatogonial DNA synthesis was studied using an in vitro tissue culture system for stage-defined seminiferous tubules. A significant increase in DNA synthesis in spermatogonia could be detected when tubule segments from stage XII were cultured in the presence of 100 ng/ml SCF for 48 h (P < 0.05).
On the Role of Situational Stressors in the Disruption of Global Neural Network Stability during Problem Solving

When individuals are placed in stressful situations, they are likely to exhibit deficits in cognitive capacity over and above situational demands. Despite this, individuals may still persevere and ultimately succeed in these situations. Little is known, however, about neural network properties that instantiate success or failure in both neutral and stressful situations, particularly with respect to regions integral for problem-solving processes that are necessary for optimal performance on more complex tasks. In this study, we outline how hidden Markov modeling based on multivoxel pattern analysis can be used to quantify unique brain states underlying complex network interactions that yield either successful or unsuccessful problem solving in more neutral or stressful situations. We provide evidence that brain network stability and states underlying synchronous interactions in regions integral for problem-solving processes are key predictors of whether individuals succeed or fail in stressful situations. Findings also suggested that individuals utilize discriminate neural patterns in successfully solving problems in stressful or neutral situations. Findings overall highlight how hidden Markov modeling can provide myriad possibilities for quantifying and better understanding the role of global network interactions in the problem-solving process and how the said interactions predict success or failure in different contexts.
You’re not to dance with the girls: oral history, changing perception and practice

The learning disability nursing course at the University of Cumbria features people with a learning disability presenting an oral history of their past in a long-stay institution. These are powerful stories which frequently portray very negative life experiences. Student feedback suggests that the resulting learning is profound, possibly transformative and offering a different type of learning to a ‘traditional’ lesson. Students report that they experience different and more positive perceptions of people with a learning disability. They have a new respect for people who have survived these experiences. This change of perception may, in part, be due to observing people with a learning disability in positive roles such as storyteller, teacher and carer. The students reported that in subsequent placements their professional practice changed as a result of these insights. These changes include being more outspoken against bad practice and being able to listen more effectively.
Methodological Insights for Online Estimation of Induction Motor Parameters

This paper presents contributions for online estimation of states and parameters of an induction motor with Kalman filter. In order to ensure a good level of confidence of the estimation, a suitable methodology is proposed and two of its main points are investigated. First, an original method is used for tuning the covariance matrices, relying on the evaluation of the state noise due to modeling errors. Second, an observability analysis is developed, allowing to validate the model and the proposed excitation trajectory. Experimental results show that, with the chosen input signal, the parameters can be estimated with good accuracy in less than two seconds.
Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates efficiency of reading processes

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that offers promise as an investigative method for understanding complex cognitive operations such as reading. This study explores the ability of a single session of tDCS to modulate reading efficiency and phonological processing performance within a group of healthy adults. Half the group received anodal or cathodal stimulation, on two separate days, of the left temporo-parietal junction while the other half received anodal or cathodal stimulation of the right homologue area. Pre- and post-stimulation assessment of reading efficiency and phonological processing was carried out. A larger pre-post difference in reading efficiency was found for participants who received right anodal stimulation compared to participants who received left anodal stimulation. Further, there was a significant post-stimulation increase in phonological processing speed following right hemisphere anodal stimulation. Implications for models of reading and reading impairment are discussed.
Accuracy of Non-ECG–gated Computed Tomography Angiography of the Chest in Assessment of Left-sided Cardiac Chamber Enlargement

Purpose: To determine whether measurement of left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) diameters on nongated computed tomography angiography (CTA) can detect left atrial and left ventricular enlargement (LAE and LVE) with high specificity. Materials and Methods: Ninety-nine patients who had undergone both nongated CTA of the chest and echocardiography within 1 week constituted the pilot group. On CTA, LA and LV diameters were measured in the axial plane and on a 3-chamber-view multiplanar reconstruction. These measurements were compared with echocardiography results. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then generated to determine optimal cutoff values for diagnosis of LAE and LVE. These thresholds were applied to a validation group (n=203), and sensitivities and specificities for cutoff values were determined. Simple &kgr;-coefficients were calculated for interobserver agreement. Results: In the pilot group, axial measurements of the LA and LV diameters were superior to multiplanar reconstruction measurements based on areas under the ROC (LV: 0.82 vs. 0.76, LA: 0.87 vs. 0.82). Using the ROC results, cutoff values of 5.5 and 4.5 cm were chosen for LVE and LAE, respectively. These thresholds were applied to the validation group, achieving an average sensitivity and specificity for LAE of 53% [confidence interval (CI): 37%-71% and 94% (89%-97%)], respectively. Average sensitivity and specificity for LVE were 41% (CI: 23%-59%) and 99% (CI: 96%-100%), respectively. Kappa coefficients for diagnosis of LAE and LVE were 0.70 and 0.81, respectively. Conclusion: Thresholds for LA and LV diameter on nongated CTA can be chosen to provide specific, but not sensitive, detection of LAE and LVE.
Video Based Children's Social Behavior Classification in Peer-Play Scenarios

Labeling children's play behavior is an important process in children's social behavior analysis which is traditionally done by experienced coders. With the growing volume of data, automatic methods for labeling are increasingly required. This paper presents a novel method to label children's social behavior automatically in peer-play scenarios based on visual attention and mutual interaction computation. In this method, the discrete distribution of children's visual attention is computed based on face pose estimation. Then, the mutual interaction among children is calculated by "Attention Processes", which are continuous periods of time during which a certain child pays attention to the same target. After that, "Solitary Feature" and "Group Feature" are extracted by the mutual interaction of children and children's play behaviors will be classified into 3 types ("Solitary Play", "Parallel Play" and "Group Play") by these two kinds of features. Finally, this method is evaluated by a dataset of children's peer-play scenarios and the results show this method has a good performance in our dataset.
Distribution and abundance of spotted seals Phoca largha and ribbon seals Phoca fasciata in the southern Sea of Okhotsk

The distribution and abundance of spotted seals (Phoca largha) and ribbon seals (Phoca fasciata) were assessed in March and April, 2000, by aerial line-transect surveys along the southern edge of the pack ice off the coast of Hokkaido (southern Sea of Okhotsk), Japan. Five hundred and seventeen spotted seals and 107 ribbon seals were found on the total 2944 km survey line. Total abundance was estimated to be 13 653 spotted (95% CI = 6167–30 252) and 2260 ribbon seals (95% CI = 783–6607) in March, and 6545 spotted (95% CI = 3284–815 644) and 3134 ribbon seals (95% CI = 1247–17 802 512) in April. The pack ice area off Hokkaido had higher densities (0.54 seals km−2 and 0.58 seals km−2 in March and April, respectively) of spotted seals than those reported in eastern Sakhalin, whereas densities (0.09 seals km−2 in March and 0.28 seals km−2 in April) of ribbon seals were lower than those in eastern Sakhalin. The large number of spotted seal pups suggests that the study area is an important breeding center. A greater number of female spotted seals with pups tended to be found in the center of larger and rougher floes than in other categories, and they were more abundant in stable pack ice areas. Observations of ribbon seals were limited because the survey period preceded the peak of pupping season. Ribbon seal surveys were also hampered by the inability to fly over the main breeding area between the Shiretoko Peninsula and Kunashiri Island.