Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D and LL-37 in children with pneumonia

Background: Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of about1000 human genes. Recent studies suggest that vitamin D may have other actions outside of its classic functions related to bone and calcium homeostasis. The only human cathelicidin, LL 37, enhances microbial killing against a broad range of respiratory pathogens and has a defined vitamin D- dependent mechanism. Objective: evaluate the association between vitamin D status and plasma LL-37 levels in children with pneumonia. Study design: Forty consecutive children admitted to the chest unit of the Pediatric Department of Zagazig University Hospital with proven diagnosis of pneumonia were included in the study. They were 22 males and 18 females, of ages ranging from 2 to 5 years. In addition, 40 age and sex matched apparently healthy children served as a control group. A verbal consent was obtained from parent(s) of each child before inclusion to the study. All children were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, routine investigations (CBC, CRP and ESR) and chest X-ray done for patients only, as well as determination of serum 25-OH vitamin D and plasma LL-37. Results: The study revealed a highly significant increase of WBCs, ESR and CRP and a highly significant decrease in hemoglobin of patients. Absence of history of sun exposure, increased WBCs counts and low levels of vitamin D and LL-37 were considered as risk factors for pneumonia while site of residence, hemoglobin level and platelets count were not. Both vitamin D and LL-37 were significantly lower in patients than controls (P < 0.001). There were significant positive correlations between vitamin D and LL-37 in studied groups. Conclusion: Appropriate concentrations of vitamin D facilitate the ability of immune system to defend against respiratory tract infections through enhancing LL-37 production. Keywords: vitamin D- LL 37- pneumonia Egypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010;8(2):81-86
The symptomatic carotid plaque.

BACKGROUND The natural histories of equally severe symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenoses are very different, which suggests dichotomy in plaque behavior. The vascular biology of the symptomatic carotid plaque is presented in this review. SUMMARY OF REVIEW Histology studies comparing asymptomatic and symptomatic plaques were identified from MEDLINE. Reports in which stenosis severity was not stated or not similar for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients were excluded. In vitro studies and reports from the coronary circulation were reviewed with regard to the vascular biology of the plaque. Histology studies comparing carotid plaques removed from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients reveal characteristic features of unstable plaques: surface ulceration and plaque rupture (48% of symptomatic compared with 31% of asymptomatic, P<0.001), thinning of the fibrous cap, and infiltration of the cap by greater numbers of macrophages and T cells. In vitro studies suggest that macrophages and T cells release cytokines and proteinase, which stimulate breakdown of cap collagen and smooth muscle cell apoptosis and thereby promote plaque rupture. CONCLUSIONS Infiltration of inflammatory cells to the surface of carotid plaques may be a critical step in promoting plaque rupture and resultant embolization or carotid occlusion. Further understanding of cell recruitment and behavior in carotid atherosclerosis may allow better detection of unstable plaques and therapeutic methods of plaque stabilization.
A Hunch without a Sound: Co-Constructing Meanings of Nonverbal and Verbal Interactions in Video Data

This narrative account describes a collaborative qualitative video data analysis process between a bilingual Deaf female researcher and a bilingual Puerto Rican female researcher. Via three processing points, we examine our journeys to co-construct meanings from a single video data source which was part of a larger ethnographic study of an urban community change initiative. We highlight how our respective epistemologies informed the process of watching, analyzing, and interpreting nonverbal and verbal interactions from a video segment. The video watching process included a hunch and discovery of a critical incident. While engaging independently and collaboratively in analysis, we confirmed how the critical incident revealed concepts of access and participation. This article is distinctive in that it highlights Deaf epistemology and qualitative inquiry processes through video data analysis of nonverbal interactions. Our work contributes to the growing body of methodology literature emphasizing collaborative social practices for video data analysis.
Consequences and Peer Influence as Proximal and Contextual Factors in Alcohol Consumption

The present study examines the role of positive and negative consequences and peer influence as proximal and contextual variables that influence drinking in college students. Data from a sample of 1482 students who completed the CORE survey in 2006 and 2007 were utilized to test three models predicting the likelihood of alcohol use in the 30 days prior to survey completion. The final model reflected the best fit of the data and indicated that both positive and negative consequences were positively associated with a greater likelihood of drinking while freshman standing and being a racial and ethnic minority were negatively associated. Two variables assessing the influence of peer pressure were also significant in the final model, suggesting that peer pressure continues to play a role in drinking behavior, even when controlling for the role of consequences. The implications of the findings for interventions are discussed.
A Prospective Evaluation of 18F-FDG and 11C-Acetate PET/CT for Detection of Primary and Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Because 18F-FDG PET has insufficient sensitivity for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 11C-acetate PET has been proposed as another technique for this use. We prospectively evaluated the value of PET/CT using these 2 tracers for the detection of primary and metastatic HCC. Methods: One hundred twelve patients (99 with HCC, 13 with cholangiocellular carcinoma) underwent biopsy and 18F-FDG and 11C-acetate PET/CT. Results: The overall sensitivities of 18F-FDG, 11C-acetate, and dual-tracer PET/CT in the detection of 110 lesions in 90 patients with primary HCC were 60.9%, 75.4%, and 82.7%, respectively. Elevated serum α-fetoprotein levels, an advanced tumor stage, portal vein tumor thrombosis, large tumors, and multiple tumors were significantly associated with positive 18F-FDG PET/CT results. Uptake of 11C-acetate was associated with large and multiple tumors. For 18F-FDG, the sensitivities according to tumor size (1–2, 2–5, and ≥5 cm) were 27.2%, 47.8%, and 92.8%, respectively; for 11C-acetate, these respective values were 31.8%, 78.2%, and 95.2%. 18F-FDG was more sensitive in the detection of poorly differentiated HCC. Overall survival was lower in patients with 18F-FDG PET/CT positive for all indexed lesions than in those with FDG negative or partially positive through the entire follow-up period. In analysis based on biopsied lesions, the sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT was 64.4% for primary HCC and 84.4% for 11C-acetate PET/CT. The overall sensitivities of 18F-FDG, 11C-acetate, and dual-tracer PET/CT for 35 metastatic HCCs were 85.7%, 77.0%, and 85.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the sensitivity of tracers according to metastatic tumor size, location, or differentiation. Conclusion: The addition of 11C-acetate to 18F-FDG PET/CT increases the overall sensitivity for the detection of primary HCC but not for the detection of extrahepatic metastases. 18F-FDG, 11C-acetate, and dual-tracer PET/CT have a low sensitivity for the detection of small primary HCC, but 18F-FDG PET/CT has a relatively high sensitivity for the detection of extrahepatic metastases of HCC.
Construction and evaluation of an articulatory model of the vocal tract

Articulatory models of the vocal tract play an important role in the investigation of relations between the geometry of the vocal tract and its acoustic properties. This paper presents the construction and the evaluation of an articulatory model from a corpus of X-ray and MRI images, which approximates lateral vocal tract shapes of vowels and consonants with a very good precision. First, this paper describes the coordinate system used to represent the tongue contour and the strategy employed to find the deformation modes. Then, a speaker adaptation procedure is presented and the adapted model is evaluated on a second database of X-ray images. This evaluation shows that the model approximates tongue shapes with a very good precision. Finally, a centerline algorithm, i.e. an algorithm used to decompose the vocal tract in a sequence of elementary tubes, is presented.
Making a European welfare state? : convergences and conflicts over European social policy

1. Introduction: Open markets versus Welfare Citizenship - Conflicting Approaches to Policy Convergence in Europe: Peter Taylor-Gooby (University of Kent). 2. Pressures on State Welfare in Post-industrial Societies: Is More or Less Better? : Mads Meier Jaeger (Danish National Institute Of Social Research, Copenhagen) and Jon Kvist (Danish National Institute Of Social Research, Copenhagen). 3. When Is A Change Big Enough To Be A System Shift? Small System-Shifting Changes in German and Finnish Pension Policies: Karl Hinrichs (University of Bremen) and Olli Kangas. 4. Organisational Restructuring in European Health Systems: The Role of Primary Care: Ana Rico (European Observatory on Health Care Systems, Madrid), Richard B. Saltman and Wienke B.W. Boerma. 5. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe: Bjorn Hvinden (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). 6. Adaptation to Labour Market Change in France and the UK: Convergent or Parallel Tracks? : Anne Daguerre (University of Kent) and Peter Taylor-Gooby (University of Kent). 7. Mending Nets in the South: Anti-Poverty Policies in Greece, Italy, Portugal And Spain: Manos Matsaganis (University of Crete), Maurizio Ferrera (University of Pavia), Luis Capucha (Higher Institute for Business and Labour Studies, Lisbon) and Luis Moreno (National Research Council, Madrid). 8. The Trajectory of Welfare State Development: The Cases of Post-Communist Bulgaria and Romania: Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos (University of Athens), Ileana Neamtu and Maya Stoyanova. 9. Convergence in the Social Welfare Systems in Europe: From Goal to Reality: Denis Bouget (Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Ange Guepin Nantes).
On the optimal power allocation for two-way full-duplex AF relay networks

This paper investigates the optimal power allocation that maximizes the system utility for a full-duplex (FD) amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying two-way relay network (TWRN) with a rate outage and a power constraint. Both cases of an individual and a sum power constraint are considered. To formulate the corresponding optimization problem, closed-form expressions of outage probabilities are needed. With FD transceivers, the derivation of such closed-form expressions becomes too involved. Thus, approximate closed-form expressions were derived instead. The resulting optimization problem is still non-convex and difficult to solve. Via solving a series of approximate convex problems, a successive convex approximation (SCA) algorithm was proposed. Our simulation results demonstrate the proposed SCA algorithm achieves near-optimal performance and outperforms the full power allocation under the individual power constraint and uniform power allocation under the sum power constraint both in system utility and in power consumption. A tradeoff between the FD system and the half-duplex (HD) system with respect to the residual self-interference was also observed.
Waveform discrimination, phase sensitivity and jamming avoidance in a wave-type electric fish

The electric organ discharge (EOD) of most species of the freshwater knifefishes (Gymnotiformes) of South America is of the wave, not the pulse, type. Wave EODs are usually of constant frequency and amplitude, and show a bewildering multitude of species-characteristic waveforms. The EOD of Eigenmannia is sexually dimorphic in waveform and in the intensity of its higher harmonics. In a go/no go paradigm, trained food-rewarded fish discriminated between these waveforms, and naive (untrained) fish showed a significant preference. To determine whether spectral or waveform (time) cues are used by the fish, artificial stimuli of identical amplitude spectrum were synthesized that differed only in phase relationship between their harmonics, i.e. waveform, and the fish discriminated even among these stimulus waveforms (i.e. spectral cues are not required). Our sensory model predicts that, for successful waveform detection, a minimum frequency difference is required between the stimulus and the EOD. As expected, trained fish confused test stimuli of different waveform that were frequency-clamped and phase-locked to the EOD (frequency difference 0 Hz). Opening the electronic feedback loop immediately restored discrimination performance on an on/off basis, and a strong jamming avoidance response (JAR; a frequency shift away from the stimulus) accompanied every behavioural decision (to go for a food reward). The strong habituation of the JAR that occurs in response to stimuli of no behavioural consequence (the usual test situation) was not seen in the present experiments. The proposed sensory model (which is based on time-marking T electroreceptors) is supported by these experiments, and a biological function for the JAR - subserving EOD waveform discrimination is shown to be useful in a social context.
Forecasting industrial production with linear, nonlinear, and structural change models

We compare the forecasting performance of linear autoregressive models, autoregressive models with structural breaks, self-exciting threshold autoregressive models, and Markov switching autoregressive models in terms of point, interval, and density forecasts for h-month growth rates of industrial production of the G7 countries, for the period January 1960-December 2000. The results of point forecast evaluation tests support the established notion in the forecasting literature on the favorable performance of the linear AR model. By contrast, the Markov switching models render more accurate interval and density forecasts than the other models, including the linear AR model. This encouraging finding supports the idea that non-linear models may outperform linear competitors in terms of describing the uncertainty around future realizations of a time series.
Inherited platelet‐storage pool deficiency associated with a high incidence of acute myeloid leukaemia

Summary A family with an inherited bleeding disorder extending over four generations, and multiple cases of myeloblastic and myelomonoblastic leukaemia was studied. Ten members of the family had, by history, a haemorrhagic diathesis. There were three documented cases of myeloblastic leukaemia, two documented cases of myelomonoblastic leukaemia and two more cases of leukaemia by history. In four of the cases the bleeding diathesis clearly antedated the leukaemia, in two by many years. The bleeding disorder is characterized by a long bleeding time, abnormal platelet aggregation, low platelet ADP and decreased numbers of platelet dense bodies consistent with a dense granule storage pool deficiency. The number of dense granules was decreased by immunofluorescence employing quinacrine or using an antibody to the dense granule membrane protein, granulophysin, confirming an absolute decrease in dense granule numbers rather than the presence of empty granule sacs. This congenital storage pool deficiency is associated with a high incidence of acute myeloid leukaemia in this family.
Deliberating While Voting: The Antecedents, Dynamics, and Consequences of Talking While Completing Ballots in Two Vote-by-Mail States

An overlooked context for citizen deliberation occurs when voters discuss their ballots with others while completing them at home. Voting by mail (or “absentee voting”) creates an opportunity for informal deliberation in the midst of exercising a basic form of citizen power. We examined this understudied context by blending prior theory with qualitative observations of dyadic and small-group absentee voter discussions to identify common features of such talk, which range from cynical joking and speculation on election outcomes to observing norms of politeness and engaging in heated argument. The hypothesized antecedents and consequences of those behaviors were examined in a survey of 295 Washington and Oregon voters’ recollections of their ballot discussions. Results showed that pro-deliberative features of discussion were reported most often by voters with more formal education and political knowledge. Contrary to hypotheses, the strength of voters’ partisan identities bore no relation to deliberative behavior. Finally, the presence of key discussion features had many of the expected effects on voters’ confidence in ballot choices and their respect for the electoral process, particularly for those voters with less political knowledge.
International relations theory and the Third World

Introduction: International Relations Theory and the Third World: An Oxymoron? S.G. Neuman Beyond Anarchy: Third World Instability and International Order after the Cold War A.Acharya Subaltern Realism: IR Theory Meets the Third World M.Ayoob The Primacy of Internal War S.David Peripheral Realism and the Interstate System: Argentina and the Condor II Missle Project C.Escude International Theory and Domestic War in the Third World K.J.Holsti Third World Thinking and Contemporary International Relations D.J.Puchala A Critique of the Critics B.Buzan Conclusion: The Future of International Relations Theory S.G. Neuman
Reorganization of Auditory Cortex by Pairing and Anti-Pairing Intracortical Microstimulation

Intrinsic plastic properties in the auditory cortex can cause dynamic remodeling of topographic organization according to the experience. Here we show that the auditory cortex of rats can be modified by intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) with paired and anti-paired tone stimuli on the basis of the spike time-dependent plasticity rule found in recent single-cell experiments. Two kinds of ICMS were applied; a pairing ICMS following tone-induced excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs) and an anti-paring ICMS preceding the tone-induced EPSPs. The pairing and anti-pairing ICMS produced potentiation and depression, respectively, in responses to the paired tones with a particular test frequency. In addition, the combination of pairing and anti-pairing ICMS could modify the neural properties more precisely and drastically. The comparison between the pre- and post-ICMS frequency tuning properties suggested that the pairing and antipairing ICMS could reorganize the auditory cortex as desired
Characterization of a human Rhomboid homolog, p100hRho/RHBDF1, which interacts with TGF‐α family ligands

The activity of the TGF‐α‐like ligand Spitz in Drosophila depends on Rhomboid, a seven‐transmembrane spanning protein that resides in the Golgi and acts as a serine protease to cleave Spitz, thereby releasing the soluble ligand. Several rhomboids in Drosophila have been implicated in the processing of TGF‐α‐like ligands, and consequent EGF receptor activation. The larger number of TGF‐α‐like ligands in vertebrates raises the possibility that they too might be subject to regulation by rhomboid‐like proteins. We present the cDNA cloning and polypeptide sequence of an atypically long human rhomboid, which, based on the absence of critical residues for serine protease activity, is not predicted to act as a serine protease. We examined its tissue distribution, in comparison with TGF‐α and the TGF‐α‐related protein HB‐EGF, and the EGF/TGF‐α receptor, in mouse embryo. This rhomboid, named p100hRho or RHBDF1, is a seven‐transmembrane protein with a long N‐terminal cytoplasmic extension that comprises half of the polypeptide sequence, and is found in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, but not on the cell surface. It is expressed as two forms with different lengths, forms dimers and interacts with TGF‐α ligands through a luminal interaction with the EGF core ectodomain. Finally, we evaluated the function of p100hRho/RHBDF1 in Drosophila, demonstrating that the short, but not the full‐length form has functional activity. The characterization of this protein extends our understanding of the rhomboid family of regulatory proteins. Developmental Dynamics 233:1315–1331, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Psychopathic traits in non-referred youths : a new assessment tool

The main aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether traits on the level of the individual are important in understanding violent, frequent antisocial behavior among adolescents. The first of the four studies included in this dissertation asks whether individual-level explanations are going to be a fruitful approach at all. The other three studies speak to the question which particular individual characteristics are related to violent, frequent antisocial behavior. Two different large samples of 14 to 16-year-old male and female non-referred adolescents were assessed. The adolescents were mainly assessed with self-report questionnaires but information from parents and teachers was also incorporated in one of the samples. Results show that aggressive, antisocial behavior for a subgroup of adolescents cuts across social contexts, indicating that their aggressive behavior is largely dependent on individual characteristics, more than on situational factors. It is further shown that a constellation of personality traits involving a grandiose, manipulative interpersonal disposition, callous, unemotional affective traits, and an impulsive, irresponsible behavioral style, characterizes a subgroup of antisocial adolescents who have more violent, frequent antisocial behavior than antisocial adolescents without this personality constellation. This same subgroup also shows more pronounced problem behaviors of other kinds — early behavioral problems, problems with inhibiting aggressive behaviors, and problems with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and attention. Moreover, the results show that the affective facet of this particular personality constellation, involving callous, unemotional traits, plays an important role in violent, frequent antisocial behavior independently of other antisocial-related dimensions such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, and sensation seeking traits. Importantly, the main findings were similar for males and females. It is concluded that specific personality traits are important to consider when moving further toward an understanding of violent, frequent antisocial behavior and that research on non-referred, community samples of youths can be particularly helpful for this purpose. Implications for prevention and intervention and directions for future research are discussed.