Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased levels of apoptosis of leukocyte subsets in cultured PBMCs compared to whole blood as shown by Annexin V binding: relevance to cytokine production.

Most of the investigatory studies of cytokine production by cells have been performed on purified cells or cell lines by measuring the secreted cytokine levels in the bulk culture supernatant. However, results of cytokine production from isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) cultivated in synthetic media, have been reported to be inaccurate and of low reproducibility. Isolation procedures have been shown to be toxic to certain cells. We hypothesised that purified cell culture techniques may result in increased levels of apoptosis of cells compared with whole blood culture techniques. To compare the effects on cell viability between PBMCs and whole blood techniques, an Annexin V binding assay was utilised. The effect of different cell concentration and serum/plasma concentrations on apoptosis levels in the various leukocyte subsets in PBMC and whole blood cultures following stimulation was investigated. There were significantly increased levels of apoptosis of cells in PBMC compared to whole culture at similar plasma concentrations, suggesting that cell viability was plasma concentration-dependent. There were significantly increased levels of apoptosis in PBMC cultures at the same cell concentration to whole blood techniques, suggesting that interaction between all cellular elements (as in whole blood techniques) is important in maintaining cell viability. These results suggest that whole blood culture techniques provide the best conditions for study of leukocyte cytokine production. If PBMC culture is performed, similar plasma and cell concentration to whole blood will best preserve cell viability.
CpG methylation directly inhibits binding of the human papillomavirus type 16 E2 protein to specific DNA sequences

CpG methylation of the human papillomavirus upstream regulatory region has previously been shown to reduce virus promoter activity. Here, we demonstrate that methylation of the CpG dinucleotides contained within the binding site of the human papillomavirus type 16 E2 protein has a direct effect on the interaction of this protein with DNA. Methylation of both CpG dinucleotides within the E2 site abolishes the binding of E2.
The ASP Questionnaire as an Explorative Research Tool

As the interest in non-institutional spirituality increases, it is unclear which aspects of the multidimensional construct are vital. We thus developed an open 40-item questionnaire to measure distinct expressions of spirituality and tested it in 488 healthy individuals. Reliability and factor analysis resulted in an instrument with seven factors (Cronbach's a = 0.942): "Prayer, trust in God and shelter", "Insight, awareness and wisdom", "Transcendence conviction", "Com passion, generosity and patience", "Conscious interactions", "Gratitude, reverence and respect" and "Equanimity". This explorative research tool may give relevant information for health cares and chaplains, and provides insights in distinct aspects of vital spirituality.
Pigmentation susceptibility of teeth after bleaching with 2 systems: an in vitro study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the susceptibility of teeth to darken after bleaching with 35% hydrogen peroxide and 16%carbamideperoxide. METHOD AND MATERIALS Thirty-eight premolars were covered with varnish and the mesiobuccal facets polished up to 0.04 microm, leaving a flat surface. Thirty-six of these premolars were then randomly assigned to 3 groups and the shade of the polished surfaces recorded using a Vita shade guide set in a value disposition. According to the manufacturers'instructions, 12 samples were bleached with 35% hydrogen peroxide (in-office group) and 12 samples with 16%carbamide peroxide (at-home group). The 12 samples in the control group were not bleached. Two days later, the shades of the bleached teeth were recorded; all samples were immersed in silver nitrate 50% for 4 hours,rinsed, and fixed (using a dithioxamidesolution) for 24 hours. Polished surfaces were cleaned and the samples' shade recorded and analyzed using ANOVA. The remaining 2 premolars were bleached the same as those in the test group and analyzed using atomic force microscopy. RESULTS The mean shade values were 6.2, 3.7, and 10.9 for in-office samples; 8.8, 1.7, and 6.1 for at-home samples; and 7.8 and 9.4 for the control group. After pigmentation, the at-home group had a lighter shade than the in-office group (P=or<.001). Atomic force microscopy showed no significant surface differences. CONCLUSION While all the samples were susceptible to pigmentation, this tendency was greater following application of 35% hydrogen peroxide
Generation and Characterisation of Keratin 7 (K7) Knockout Mice

Keratin 7 (K7) is a Type II member of the keratin superfamily and despite its widespread expression in different types of simple and transitional epithelia, its functional role in vivo remains elusive, in part due to the lack of any appropriate mouse models or any human diseases that are associated with KRT7 gene mutations. Using conventional gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells, we report here the generation and characterisation of the first K7 knockout mouse. Loss of K7 led to increased proliferation of the bladder urothelium although this was not associated with hyperplasia. K18, a presumptive type I assembly partner for K7, showed reduced expression in the bladder whereas K20, a marker of the terminally differentiated superficial urothelial cells was transcriptionally up-regulated. No other epithelia were seen to be adversely affected by the loss of K7 and western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy analysis revealed that the expression of K8, K18, K19 and K20 were not altered in the absence of K7, with the exception of the kidney where there was reduced K18 expression.
Community Violence and PTSD in Selected South African Townships

Given the high rates of crime in South Africa’s townships, nonpolitical violence out-side the home and its psychological impact on women were investigated within two samples, the primary a help-seeking sample and the secondary a community sample. In the help-seeking sample, two thirds of the women reported having experienced several traumatic events outside the home. Those women displayed a median of 9 PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms, with nearly half meeting all criteria for PTSD. In the community sample, 40 women of color were interviewed at a community festival for women, and again two thirds reported having experienced several traumatic events outside the home during the previous year. These women displayed a median of 8.8 PTSD symptoms, with none meeting all criteria for PTSD. South Africa’s distinctive culture of violence is discussed as context for understanding issues of community violence and PTSD among women in its minority townships.
Benchmarking Numerical Multiobjective Optimizers Revisited

Algorithm benchmarking plays a vital role in designing new optimization algorithms and in recommending efficient and robust algorithms for practical purposes. So far, two main approaches have been used to compare algorithms in the evolutionary multiobjective optimization (EMO) field: (i) displaying empirical attainment functions and (ii) reporting statistics on quality indicator values. Most of the time, EMO benchmarking studies compare algorithms for fixed and often arbitrary budgets of function evaluations although the algorithms are any-time optimizers. Instead, we propose to transfer and adapt standard benchmarking techniques from the single-objective optimization and classical derivative-free optimization community to the field of EMO. Reporting \emph{target-based runlengths} allows to compare algorithms with varying numbers of function evaluations quantitatively. Displaying data profiles can aggregate performance information over different test functions, problem difficulties, and quality indicators. We apply this approach to compare three common algorithms on a new test function suite derived from the well-known single-objective BBOB functions. The focus thereby lies less on gaining insights into the algorithms but more on showcasing the concepts and on what can be gained over current benchmarking approaches.
How Price Promotions Influence Postpurchase Consumption Experience over Time

The current research examines how price promotions influence postpurchase hedonic consumption experience. On the one hand, getting a good deal can elevate moods and dampen the "pain of payment," thus enhancing consumption enjoyment. On the other hand, discounts also reduce sunk-cost considerations and the need to recover one's spending. As a result, price promotions can lower attention during consumption, which in turn diminishes consumption enjoyment. The authors posit that the time delay between payment and consumption plays an important role in determining the relative strength of these competing effects. Four experiments involving real spending and consumption demonstrate that when consumption occurs immediately after payment, discounts make consumption more enjoyable; however, this pattern reverses when consumption is delayed. The experiments provide support for the roles of feelings and attention, respectively, in accounting for these effects while ruling out several alternative explanations, including perceived quality, absolute paid price, and a direct sunk-cost account.
Hybrid Self-adaptive Differential Evolution Method with Augmented Lagrange Multiplier for Power Economic Dispatch of Units with Valve-Point Effects and Multiple Fuels

This paper presents an efficient method for solving power economic dispatch problems using a hybrid self-adaptive differential evolution method with augmented Lagrange multiplier (SADE_ALM). Treated as additional control variables, two strategic parameters called the mutation factor (F) and the crossover constant (CR) are dynamically self-adaptive throughout the evolutionary process. Since tuning of the parameters is a tedious task due to complex relationship among parameters, the optimal parameter settings may never be found, and possibly leads to a local optimal solution. An augmented Lagrange multiplier method (ALM) is applied to handle equality/inequality constraints. With the developed algorithm, both the valve-point effects and multiple fuels can be simultaneously considered. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, two test cases are conducted and compared with other methods e.g. differential evolution (DE) based methods, improved evolutionary programming (IEP), improved genetic algorithm with multiplier updating (IGA_MU) etc. The results show that the proposed SADE_ALM is very effective and promising for solving the power economic dispatch problem
Exploring Barriers In Expertise Seeking: Why Don'T They Ask An Expert?

This paper reports findings from a research project that explores reasons why some employees prefer to seek expertise to resolve work-related problems from direct colleagues rather than designated internal experts. Several studies suggest that while an expert generally provides a higher quality solution in a shorter time, workers tend to ask friendly or proximate colleagues to help with knowledge-based problems at work. Prior research provides only fragmented insights into understanding the barriers to asking a designated internal expert for help at work. To address this gap, we asked post-graduate students enrolled in a knowledge management subject at a large Australian university to share their perspectives in an online discussion forum. Content analysis of the collected perspectives enabled identification of twenty-one factors that may limit the seeking of expertise from a designated internal expert. The factors are grouped in four categories: environment, accessibility, communication and personality. In addition one context variable is described, determining the extent to which the barriers are influential in a specific situation. By synthesising the results, we have proposed two models of expertise-seeking barriers. A literature review helps validate the barriers identified by the study. Key theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
Metabolic risk score and cancer risk: pooled analysis of seven cohorts

Background: There are few data on the joint influence of metabolic factors on risk of separate cancers. Methods: We analysed data on body mass index, blood pressure and plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides from seven European cohorts comprising 564 596 men and women with a mean age of 44 years. We weighted those factors equally into a standardized metabolic risk score [MRS, mean = 0, standard deviation (SD) = 1], with an individual’s level indicated as SDs from the sex- and cohort-specific means. Cancer hazard ratios were calculated by Cox regression with age as timescale and with relevant adjustments including smoking status. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: During a mean follow-up of 12 years, 21 593 men and 14 348 women were diagnosed with cancer. MRS was linearly and positively associated with incident cancer in total and at sites (P < 0.05). In men, risk per SD MRS was increased by 43% (95% confidence interval: 27–61) for renal cell cancer, 43% (16–76) for liver cancer, 29% (20–38) for colon cancer, 27% (5–54) for oesophageal cancer, 20% (9–31) for rectal cancer, 19% (4–37) for leukaemias, 15% (1–30) for oral cancer and 10% (2–19) for bladder cancer. In women, risk increases per SD MRS were 56% (42–70) for endometrial cancer, 53% (29–81) for pancreatic cancer, 40% (16–67) for renal cell cancer, 27% (9–47) for cervical cancer and 17% (3–32) for rectal cancer. Conclusion: This largest study to date on the joint influence of metabolic factors on risk of separate cancers showed increased risks for several cancers, in particular renal cell and liver cancer in men and endometrial and pancreatic cancer in women.
O/W lipid emulsions for parenteral drug delivery. II. Effect of composition on pharmacokinetics of incorporated drug.

The potential usefulness of O/W lipid emulsions as injectable drug delivery systems for lipophilic drugs was examined using a model lipophilic drug, sudan II (clogP = 5.4) in the normal rats. The standard lipid emulsion composed of soybean oil and egg yolk phosphatides increased the blood concentration of sudan II after i.v. injection when compared with its solubilized solution by plasma. However, it was still lower than that of the oil particles, and the distribution of sudan II to liver, lungs, adipose tissue, heart, and muscle was not altered, and only that to brain and kidneys was decreased. Herein, the effect of extensive alterations in the lipid emulsion composition on the blood concentration and organ distribution of sudan II was examined in comparison with the standard formulation. Addition of cholesterol, use of pure egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, use of phospholipids with saturated alkyl chain, use of saturated long chain triglycerides, and use of saturated medium chain triglycerides were tested. The oil particles of all tested lipid emulsions were still located in plasma space, and use of saturated medium chain triglycerides was the most effective way to increase blood concentration of sudan II, resulting in higher distribution to liver, lungs, spleen, and brain. This was caused by the increase of the steady-state partition of sudan II to the oil particles, and not by alteration of their organ distribution clearance.
Verbal Fluency and Verbal Short-Term Memory in Adults with Down Syndrome and Unspecified Intellectual Disability

The purpose of this study was to examine verbal fluency and verbal short-term memory in 12 adults with Down syndrome (DS) and 12 adults with Intellectual Disability (ID) of unspecified origin, matched for receptive vocabulary and chronological age. Participants’ performance was assessed on two conditions of a verbal fluency test, namely, semantic and phonemic fluency. In addition to the total number of correct words produced, the use of clustering and switching strategies was also evaluated. In order to investigate the likely relations of verbal short-term memory with the test variables, a digit span task was administered. According to the results of the study, the two groups differed significantly on the average phonemic cluster size, with the ID group outperforming the DS group. Regarding the within-group comparisons, a relatively similar pattern of results was found for the two groups, indicating higher scores on all the measures involved in the semantic test than the phonemic one. The examination of the relation of verbal short-term memory with the verbal fluency test measures revealed that, in the DS group, only the total words produced in the semantic and the phonemic test and the number of phonemic switches were significantly associated with verbal short-term memory. Additionally, in both groups, word productivity in the semantic and the phonemic test was positively associated with the number of switches. The observed similarities and differences in the performance of the two groups, as well as the associations that emerged among the test variables in each group, are discussed.
Learning with Forest Sparsity

In this paper, we investigate a new model called \emph{forest sparsity} for sparse learning and compressive sensing. It is an extension of standard sparsity when the support set of the data is consisted of a series of mutually correlated trees. Forest sparsity exists in many practical applications such as multi-contrast MRI, parallel MRI, multispectral image and color image recovery. We theoretically prove the benefit of forest sparsity, that much less measurements are required for successful recovery in compressive sensing. Moreover, a new algorithm is proposed and applied on several applications with forest sparsity. All experimental results validate the superiority of forest sparsity.
Wound metastases following laparoscopic and open surgery for abdominal cancer in a rat model

The recent application of laparoscopic resection techniques to malignant disease has raised safety concerns due to metastasis to surgical access wounds. The significance and incidence of this problem are controversial. In the present study a rat model, in which an implanted tumour was lacerated, was used to investigate whether application of laparoscopic techniques for malignant abdominal disease leads to an increased risk of tumour dissemination and implantation within the peritoneal cavity, and abdominal wall wounds. Malignant cells were implanted into the abdominal wall of 42 rats, resulting 7 days later in the growth of a tumour measuring 20–25 mm in diameter. There were three control groups: no surgery (n = 6); blunt manipulation of the tumour laparoscopically (n = 6); and blunt manipulation of the tumour at laparotomy (n = 6). Twenty‐four rats underwent surgical laceration of the tumour capsule at either laparoscopy (n = 12) or laparotomy (n = 12). All rats were killed 1 week later, and examined for macroscopic evidence of tumour metastasis. The abdominal surgical wounds were excised for independent microscopic examination by a histopathologist. Growth of the primary tumour was greater in rats that had an operation than in unoperated controls, and was greatest after laparotomy. However, wound metastases were five times more likely after laparoscopic tumour laceration than after the same procedure through an open incision (ten of 12 rats versus two of 12, P = 0.0033). Wound metastases following laparoscopic tumour manipulation are an important and real problem, with significant implications for the application of laparoscopic techniques to excise malignant disease in humans.
Open Access Molecular Neurodegeneration Upregulation of Mirna Hsa-mir-342-3p in Experimental and Idiopathic Prion Disease

The aim of our study was to analyze the differential expression of miRNAs in the brains of BSE-infected cynomolgus macaques as a model for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression by mRNA targeting. Among other functions they contribute to neuronal development and survival. Recently, the lack of miRNA processing has been shown to promote neurodegeneration and deregulation of several miRNAs has been reported to be associated with Scrapie in mice. Therefore, we hypothesized that miRNAs are also regulated in response to human prion disease. We have applied miRNA-microarrays to identify deregulated miRNA candidates in brains of BSE-infected macaques. Shock-frozen brain sections of six BSE-infected and five non-infected macaques were used to validate regulated miRNA candidates by two independent qRT-PCR-based methods. Our study revealed significant upregulation of hsa-miR-342-3p and hsa-miR-494 in the brains of BSE-infected macaques compared to non-infected animals. In a pilot study we could show that hsa-miR-342-3p was also upregulated in brain samples of human type 1 and type 2 sporadic CJD. With respect to the reported regulation of this miRNA in Scrapie-infected mice, we propose that upregulation of hsa-miR-342-3p may be a general phenomenon in late stage prion disease and might be used as a novel marker for animal and human TSEs. Findings Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) comprise a group of neurodegenerative diseases including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, Scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans [1]. The causative agent is or is closely related to a pathogenic isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrP c). It is generally assumed that the alpha-helix-rich isoform changes conformation to form the beta-sheet-rich counterpart , PrP Sc [2]. Aggregation of PrP Sc coincides with neu-ronal loss that finally leads to death of the host. The molecular mechanism underlying prion-induced neuro-degeneration is still poorly understood. which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Developing Partnerships With Businesses to Support Job Training for Youth With Disabilities in Singapore

Under-employment for individuals with disabilities is a worldwide epidemic, which Singapore has addressed by significantly increasing employment rates for this population. Providing work experiences for youth with disabilities at community-based job sites has been shown to increase positive post-school employment outcomes. To provide these opportunities, employment specialists benefit from developing partnerships with businesses. For this study, 14 Singaporean employment specialists, from five different schools and one government agency, were interviewed to better understand strategies utilized to nurture these valuable partnerships with businesses. Data suggest effective partnerships include (a) direct support for employers, (b) job matching, (c) job customization, (d) involving businesses in the school community, and (e) parent involvement. Implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.