Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Admixture estimates for the population of Havana City

Background: The Cuban population is essentially a result of the admixture between Spanish, West African and, to a lesser degree, Amerindian tribes that inhabited the island. Aim: The study analysed the genetic structure of the three principal ethnic groups from Havana City, and the contribution of parental populations to its genetic pool. Subjects and methods: According to genealogical information and anthropological traits, 206 subjects were classified as Mulatto, of Spanish decent or of African descent. Seventeen Ancestry Informative Markers, with high difference in frequency between parental populations, were selected to estimate individual and group admixture proportions. The statistical analyses were performed using the ADMIX, ADMIX95 and STRUCTURE 2.1 packages. Results: The results demonstrate a high level of European and African admixture in Mulattos (57–59% European; 41–43% West African). The European contribution was higher in those of Spanish descent (85%) while in those of African descent, the West African contribution ranged between 74% and 76%. Genetic structure was only detected in Mulattos and those of African descent. An Amerindian contribution was not detectable in the studied sample. Conclusion: Our findings indicate the existence of admixture and genetic structure in the population of Havana City. This study represents one of the first steps towards understanding Cuban population admixture in order to produce successful experimental designs for admixture mapping.
MicroRNA-135a acts as a putative tumor suppressor by directly targeting very low density lipoprotein receptor in human gallbladder cancer

The precise functions and mechanisms of microRNAs (miR) in gallbladder cancer (GBC) remain elusive. In this study, we found that miR‐135a‐5p expression is often dampened and correlated with neoplasm histologic grade in GBC. MicroRNA‐135a‐5p introduction clearly inhibited GBC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), which is often upregulated in GBC tissues, was identified as a direct functional target of miR‐135a‐5p. Furthermore, the p38 MAPK pathway was proven to be involved in miR‐135a‐VLDLR downstream signaling. Together, these results suggested that the miR‐135a–VLDLR–p38 axis may contribute to GBC cell proliferation.
Molecular Characterization of a NovelStaphylococcus aureus Serine Protease Operon

ABSTRACT The present study identified and characterized a unique operon (spl) encoding six serine protease-like proteins. In addition, native Spl proteins were isolated and characterized. Typical of most exoproteins, the spl gene products contain putative 35- or 36-amino-acid signal peptides. The Spl proteins share 44 to 95% amino acid sequence identity with each other and 33 to 36% sequence identity with V8 protease. They also contain amino acids found in catalytic triads of enzymes in the trypsin-like serine protease family, and SplB and SplC were shown to degrade casein. The sploperon is transcribed on a 5.5-kb transcript, but several nonrandom degradation products of this transcript were also identified. Similar to other S. aureus exoprotein genes, the sploperon is maximally expressed during the transition into stationary phase and is positively controlled by the Agr virulence factor regulator. The Sar regulatory system did not affect sploperon expression. PCR analysis revealed the presence of thespl operon in 64% of the S. aureus isolates tested, although one spl operon-negative isolate was shown to contain at least two of the spl genes. Finally, intraperitoneal injection of an spl operon deletion mutant revealed no major differences in virulence compared to the parental strain.
Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats is associated with impaired metabolic availability of vitamin A (retinol)

Using streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats, studies were carried out to examine the metabolic availability of vitamin A in the plasma, liver and the retina of the eye. Control and diabetic rats were fed ad lib. on a semi-purified diet either with or without (basal) vitamin A supplementation, or pair-fed on the basal diet for 4 weeks. Despite the fact that diabeticrats consumed 48% more feed, they had lower plasma concentrations of retinol (P<0·003). The decrease in plasma retinol concentration was a response to diabetes (or diabetes-induced trauma), since neither pair-feeding (P<0·01) nor vitamin A supplementation altered this effect (P<0·05). Furthermore, the hepatic concentrations of the vitamin in these animals remained elevated and this increase was greater in the supplemented diabetic group (P<0·001). Decreases in 11-cis retinal (a component of rhodopsin) concentrations in the retina were also observed in diabetic animals. The increased hepatic and the decreased plasma and retina vitamin Alevels suggest a defect in the transport of the vitamin from the liver.
Coming of Age Online: The Developmental Underpinnings of Girls’ Blogs

Adolescent girls have emerged as the largest demographic of bloggers in the United States. In this study, the author interviewed 20 girls, aged 17 to 21, who had been blogging for 3 or more years. Consistent with previous studies involving youths’ online activities, the girls discussed their use of blogging for self-expression and peer interaction. They also observed that the content and style of their blog writing has changed considerably over the years. Their observations reflect key changes in self-development and peer relationships that typically occur during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Drawing on these findings, the author presents a conceptual framework that illustrates how developmental theory can illuminate our understanding of adolescents’ and emerging adults’ online behaviors.
Metacontrol: A Cognitive Model of Brain Functioning for Psychophysiological Study of Complex Learning

This article describes a metacontrol model of complex learning for research in cognitive psychophysiology. The model specifically addresses the relation between central nervous system functioning and human cognitive processing. It assumes that human beings (and their brains) construct subjective reality based upon certain biological and environmental constraints. Besides reviewing the relevant anatomical literature, several electroencephalography (EEG) studies bearing on the model are presented. The implications of the model for educationally relevant research in psychophysiology are discussed.
Management of Library Course Reserves and the Textbook Affordability Crisis

Students at U.S. colleges and universities are concerned about the high cost of textbooks. Expansion of library course reserves has been suggested as one solution to this problem. The authors surveyed libraries at public universities to explore the status and management of physical course reserves and the role they play vis-à-vis textbook affordability. Both size and circulation of physical course reserve collections are declining. Despite a large growth in the use of electronic reserves, physical reserves play a significant role in providing textbooks for recommended reading lists. Physical course reserves represent a safety valve for students looking for ways to pay for college in an environment of ever-increasing textbook costs.
Mothers with zero Beck depression scores act more “depressed” with their infants

Abstract Mothers who scored zero on the Beck Depression Inventory (N = 25) were compared to “depressed” mothers (high scores on the Beck) (N = 39) and nondepressed mothers (N = 98) during face-to-face interactions with their 5-month-old infants. The interaction videotapes were rated on the Interaction Rating Scales and were coded second-by-second for attentive/affective behavior states. The zero Beck mothers and their infants received lower ratings and were in less positive behavior states (alone or together) than the high scoring Beck “depressed” mother/infant dyads and even more frequently than the nondepressed mother/infant dyads. The lower activity levels, lesser expressivity, and less frequent vocalizing were suggestive of “depressed” behavior in both the mothers and their infants. In addition, the infants of the zero Beck mothers had lower vagal tone and lower growth percentiles (weight, length, and head circumference) than the infants of nondepressed mothers, although they did not differ from the infants of depressed mothers on these measures. These data suggest that mothers who report no depressive symptoms may present as much, if not greater risk, for their infants than mothers who do report depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory.
Does Enlistment Propensity Predict Accession? High School Seniors' Plans and Subsequent Behavior

This article examines how high school seniors' plans or "propensity" to serve in the armed forces relate to their actual enlistment. Longitudinal data were used from more than M 33.000 participants in the Monitoring the Future Project's nationally representative samples from the high school classes of 1976-1991; however, primary attention was focused on the more recent classes (1984-1991). Men's expectations at the end of high school predicted their entrance into military service just about as accurately as they predicted entrance into college. Among those men who "definitely" expected to enlist, fully 70 percent did so within five or six years; however, among, those who "probably" expected to enlist, only 29 percent did so; and among all other men, under 10 percent enlisted. Compared with men, far fewer women expected to enlist, and they were only half as likely actually to do so. These findings show far higher correlations between plans and enlistment than have been found in previous studies using other samples.
Determinants of first trimester attendance at antenatal care clinics in the Amazon region of Peru: A case-control study

Objective To identify determinants which influence the timing of the first antenatal care (ANC) visit in pregnant women. Design Retrospective matched nested case-control study. Setting Two health centres, Belén and 6 de Octubre, in the Peruvian Amazon. Population All pregnant women who had attended ANC during the years 2010, 2011, and 2012. Methods All cases (819 women initiating ANC in their first trimester) were selected from ANC registries from 2010 to 2012. A random sample of controls (819 women initiating ANC in their second or third trimester) was matched 1:1 to cases on health centre and date of first ANC visit. Data were obtained from ANC registries. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed. Main outcome measure Case-control status of each woman determined by the gestational age at first ANC visit. Results Cases had higher odds of: 1) being married or cohabiting (aOR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.41); 2) completing secondary school or attending post-secondary school (aOR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.06); 3) living in an urban environment (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.10) and 4) having had a previous miscarriage (aOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.15), compared to controls. No statistically significant difference in odds was found for parity (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.36). Conclusions This study provides empirical evidence of determinants of first ANC attendance. These findings are crucial to the planning and timing of local interventions, like deworming, aimed at pregnant women so that they can access and benefit fully from all government-provided ANC services.
The Fuzzy Correlation between Code and Performance Predictability

Recent studies have shown that most SPEC CPU2K benchmarks exhibit strong phase behavior, and the Cycles per Instruction (CPI) performance metric can be accurately predicted based on program's control-flow behavior, by simply observing the sequencing of the program counters, or extended instruction pointers (EIPs). One motivation of this paper is to see if server workloads also exhibit such phase behavior. In particular, can EIPs effectively predict CPI in server workloads? We propose using regression trees to measure the theoretical upper bound on the accuracy of predicting the CPI using EIPs, where accuracy is measure by the explained variance of CPI with EIPs. Our results show that for most server workloads and, surprisingly, even for CPU2K benchmarks, the accuracy of predicting CPI from EIPs varies widely. We classify the benchmarks into four quadrants based on their CPI variance and predictability of CPI using EIPs. Our results indicate that no single sampling technique can be broadly applied to a large class of applications. We propose a new methodology that selects the best-suited sampling technique to accurately capture the program behavior.
Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Melanoma Using Border- and Wavelet-Based Texture Analysis

This paper presents a novel computer-aided diagnosis system for melanoma. The novelty lies in the optimized selection and integration of features derived from textural, border-based, and geometrical properties of the melanoma lesion. The texture features are derived from using wavelet-decomposition, the border features are derived from constructing a boundary-series model of the lesion border and analyzing it in spatial and frequency domains, and the geometry features are derived from shape indexes. The optimized selection of features is achieved by using the gain-ratio method, which is shown to be computationally efficient for melanoma diagnosis application. Classification is done through the use of four classifiers; namely, support vector machine, random forest, logistic model tree, and hidden naive Bayes. The proposed diagnostic system is applied on a set of 289 dermoscopy images (114 malignant, 175 benign) partitioned into train, validation, and test image sets. The system achieves an accuracy of 91.26% and area under curve value of 0.937, when 23 features are used. Other important findings include 1) the clear advantage gained in complementing texture with border and geometry features, compared to using texture information only, and 2) higher contribution of texture features than border-based features in the optimized feature set.
Cross-cultural learning through computer-mediated communication

This article discusses a project in which electronic conferencing was used to replace the conventional seminar as a means of heightening cross-cultural awareness. Tertiary level students were provided with a scenario in which a breakdown in relationship or communication had taken place and were invited to comment on both the incident itself and other students' reactions to it. The discussion was not moderated in any way. The project leaders found that participation levels were higher than for previous conventional seminars; that non-British students contributed as much as home students, despite their linguistic disadvantage; that students were more willing to disclose quite intimate details of their experiences; and that they were able to reflect more deeply on the quality of their ideas and the language in which they were expressed. A ‘narrative’ also emerged, in which exploration of cultural conflict led to conflict within the discussion itself, but this conflict was resolved spontaneously by participants themselves. The project leaders were sufficiently encouraged by the results to wish to pursue this method of learning further.
Adverse event profile and dose modification of everolimus for advanced renal cell carcinoma in real-world Japanese clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of everolimus therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma in Japanese patients receiving real-world care. METHODS Patients who had been treated with everolimus for advanced renal cell carcinoma at 39 Japanese medical centers between January 2010 and November 2011 were retrospectively investigated to assess adverse events and the time to treatment failure. RESULTS A total of 180 patients were identified. Their median age was 65 years (range 23-93). The median time to treatment failure was 2.9 months (95% confidence interval 2.4-3.4). The median time to treatment failure was significantly longer in patients with dose modification (4.2 months; 95% confidence interval 3.4-5.0) than in patients without dose modification (1.7 months; 95% confidence interval 1.0-2.3; P < 0.01) after experiencing adverse events. Stomatitis (44%) was the most frequent adverse event, followed by thrombocytopenia (31%), anemia (22%), interstitial pneumonia (22%) and hyperglycemia (17%). Interstitial pneumonia was the most frequent cause of discontinuation in patients who discontinued everolimus due to intolerability regardless of the dose modification status. None of the patients with dose modification of everolimus discontinued everolimus due to thrombocytopenia or leukopenia. CONCLUSIONS The adverse event profile of everolimus may differ between Japanese and Caucasian patients. Dose modification of everolimus might be associated with longer treatment duration in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Further studies are required to clarify this association. Interstitial pneumonia may be difficult to overcome by dose modification.
The Turkish Community in Austria and Belgium: The Challenge of Integration

Abstract The Turkish migrant community is in many European countries one of the largest minority groups. Although the Turks have lived for many decades in different European countries, they remain rather marginalized in the host societies. This study looks into the socio‐economic position of the Turkish population in Austria and Belgium, two relatively small countries. Although there are many differences and similarities between both countries and although many success stories can be found on an individual level, the main conclusion that can be drawn in this contribution is that many Turkish immigrants fail to integrate and/or to find their position in their host societies.
Cardiometabolic treatment decisions in patients with type 2 diabetes: the role of repeated measurements and medication burden

Purpose Clinical guidelines for cardiometabolic risk management indicate a simple threshold-based strategy for treatment, but physicians and their patients may be reluctant to modify drug treatment after a single elevated measurement. We determined how repeated measurements of blood pressure, cholesterol and haemoglobin A1c affect general practitioners' decisions to start or intensify medication in patients with type 2 diabetes. We also evaluated whether medication burden altered these decisions. Methods We conducted a cohort study in 3029 patients managed by 62 general practitioners (GPs). We assessed the predictive value of the last risk factor measurement, the number of successive measurements above target level and the percentage change between the last two measurements. Medication burden was assessed as the number of drugs concurrently used. Effects on treatment decisions were estimated by multilevel logistic regression analysis, correcting for clustering at GP level. Results Repeated high levels of diastolic blood pressure increased the likelihood to start antihypertensive medication (OR=2.08, CI 1.37 to 3.17). Repeated high haemoglobin A1c levels affected intensification of oral glucose-lowering medication (OR=1.71, CI 1.44 to 2.03). Modification of lipid-lowering medication was limited, and only affected by the last total cholesterol level. Starting treatment for all three risk factors, as well as intensifying antihypertensive treatment, was more likely in patients already using more drugs for other chronic diseases. Conclusions Waiting for the next measurement before deciding to change medication can explain in part the apparent undertreatment for hypertension and hyperglycaemia, but not for hypercholesterolaemia. Medication burden was not a barrier for treatment modification.
The Evolving Culture of Retailer Regulation and the Failure of the ‘Balfour Bill’ in Interwar Britain

The authors explore the interactions between retailer conflict, types of competition, and retail regulation. Their study is set within the wider debates surrounding the attempts to retheorise retail geography, and, more specifically, in the context of retail competition within interwar Britain. The specific focus is on the attempts to control large-scale corporate retailing, and the failure of such strategies. The authors also draw on comparisons with the situation in the USA and show that the British case was very different, as illustrated by the failure of the ‘Balfour Bill’. Within this context they debate a number of reasons why the attempts to regulate retailing failed in Britain. On a broader front they also demonstrate the need for further research into the complex relationships between retailer conflict and regulatory control.
TarBase 6.0: capturing the exponential growth of miRNA targets with experimental support

As the relevant literature and the number of experiments increase at a super linear rate, databases that curate and collect experimentally verified microRNA (miRNA) targets have gradually emerged. These databases attempt to provide efficient access to this wealth of experimental data, which is scattered in thousands of manuscripts. Aim of TarBase 6.0 (http://www.microrna.gr/tarbase) is to face this challenge by providing a significant increase of available miRNA targets derived from all contemporary experimental techniques (gene specific and high-throughput), while incorporating a powerful set of tools in a user-friendly interface. TarBase 6.0 hosts detailed information for each miRNA–gene interaction, ranging from miRNA- and gene-related facts to information specific to their interaction, the experimental validation methodologies and their outcomes. All database entries are enriched with function-related data, as well as general information derived from external databases such as UniProt, Ensembl and RefSeq. DIANA microT miRNA target prediction scores and the relevant prediction details are available for each interaction. TarBase 6.0 hosts the largest collection of manually curated experimentally validated miRNA–gene interactions (more than 65 000 targets), presenting a 16.5–175-fold increase over other available manually curated databases.
Social Connectivity in America: Changes in Adult Friendship Network Size From 2002 to 2007

There is some panic in the United States about a possible decline in social connectivity. The authors used two American national surveys to analyze how changes in the number of friends are related to changes in Internet use. The authors found that friendships continue to be abundant among adult Americans between the ages of 25 to 74 and that they grew from 2002 to 2007. This trend is similar among Internet nonusers, light users, moderate users, and heavy users and across communication contexts: offline, virtual only, and migratory from online to offline. Heavy users are particularly active, having the most friends both online and offline. Intracohort change consistently outweighs cohort replacement in explaining overall growth in friendship.
A new realization of the cohomology of Springer fibers

In this note we give a geometric realization of the cohomology of Springer fibers in type A. More precisely, we describe the cohomology by the coordinate ring of a scheme theoretic intersection of a Cartan subalgebra with a certain union of cones of nilpotent elements inside the Lie algebra of the group SL_n. As such, the main result of this note is similar to an earlier description given by de Concini and Procesi.