Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interplay between a Wnt-dependent organiser and the Notch segmentation clock regulates posterior development in Periplaneta americana

Summary Sequential addition of segments in the posteriorly growing end of the embryo is a developmental mechanism common to many bilaterians. However, posterior growth and patterning in most animals also entails the establishment of a ‘posterior organiser’ that expresses the Caudal and Wnt proteins and has been proposed to be an ancestral feature of animal development. We have studied the functional relationships between the Wnt-driven organiser and the segmentation mechanisms in a basal insect, the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Here, posteriorly-expressed Wnt1 promotes caudal and Delta expression early in development to generate a growth zone from which segments will later bud off. caudal maintains the undifferentiated growth zone by dampening Delta expression, and hence Notch-mediated segmentation occurs just outside the caudal domain. In turn, Delta expression maintains Wnt1, maintaining this posterior gene network until all segments have formed. This feedback between caudal, Wnt and Notch-signalling in regulating growth and segmentation seems conserved in other arthropods, with some aspects found even in vertebrates. Thus our findings not only support an ancestral Wnt posterior organiser, but also impinge on the proposals for a common origin of segmentation in arthropods, annelids and vertebrates.
Hypertension Awareness and Associated Factors among Older Chinese Adults

Hypertension is one of the most preventable chronic conditions. Improving hypertension awareness is a critical first step to reducing morbidity and mortality from hypertension in the elderly, yet the factors associated with hypertension awareness in China are poorly understood. The objective of this paper is to examine the extent to which older Chinese adults are aware of their hypertension, and factors associated with this awareness. We included 2404 adults aged 60 years or older clinically identified as hypertensive from panel data surveyed in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006 as part of the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Comparing this data with respondents’ self-reported diagnosis of hypertension enabled us to characterize hypertension awareness. Covariates included socio-demographic, health status, functional disability, and behavioral factors. Generalized estimating equations were used to identify factors for hypertension awareness. We found 22.9% in 1997 and 42.7% in 2006 of study participants were aware of their hypertensive status. Lower awareness was found among those who lived in rural areas [odds ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 0.47–0.88]. Higher awareness was noted for persons who were aware of their hypertensive status in a previous survey wave (OR = 7.43, 95% CI, 5.45–10.13), had high income (OR = 1.55, 95% CI, 1.05–2.28), had stage two hypertension (OR = 2.28, 95% CI, 1.69–3.06), had acute condition (OR = 2.54, 95% CI, 1.89–3.42), and had greater activities of daily living limitations (OR = 1.24, 95% CI, 1.08–1.43). Studying dynamics of hypertension awareness can help inform both clinical and public health approaches to improve healthcare.
Uremia-Specific Effects in the Arterial Media During Development of Uremic Atherosclerosis in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice

Objective—Uremia accelerates formation of atherosclerosis-like lesions in apolipoprotein E–deficient (apoE−/−) mice. In this study, we compared gene expression patterns in classical and uremic atherosclerosis. Methods and Results—High-density oligonucleotide microarray analyses were performed with aortic RNA from 5/6 nephrectomized (NX) and sham-operated mice. After 12 weeks, NX apoE−/− mice had more atherosclerosis and 24 genes were differentially expressed as compared with sham apoE−/− mice. Nine genes expressed in muscle cells displayed reduced expression (3.3- to 142-fold, P<0.05), whereas osteopontin gene expression was increased 8.7-fold (P<0.05) in NX mice. Studies of NX wild-type mice suggested that the changes in NX apoE−/− mice were dependent on hypercholesterolemia. Nevertheless, lesioned versus nonlesioned areas of aortas from nonuremic apoE−/− mice with classical atherosclerosis displayed less pronounced reductions in expression of the muscle cell related genes than seen in NX apoE−/− mice even though the osteopontin gene expression was increased ≈15-fold. Electron microscopy showed more vacuolized and necrotic smooth muscle cells within the media underneath both nonlesioned and lesioned intima in NX than in sham apoE−/− mice. Conclusion—The results suggest that uremic vasculopathy in apoE−/− mice, in addition to intimal atherosclerosis, is characterized by a uremia-specific medial smooth muscle cell degeneration, which appears to be accentuated by hypercholesterolemia.
The Effect of Distance on Moral Engagement: Event Related Potentials and Alpha Power are Sensitive to Perspective in a Virtual Shooting Task

In a shooting video game we investigated whether increased distance reduces moral conflict. We measured and analyzed the event related potential (ERP), including the N2 component, which has previously been linked to cognitive conflict from competing decision tendencies. In a modified Go/No-go task designed to trigger moral conflict participants had to shoot suddenly appearing human like avatars in a virtual reality scene. The scene was seen either from an ego perspective with targets appearing directly in front of the participant or from a bird's view, where targets were seen from above and more distant. To control for low level visual features, we added a visually identical control condition, where the instruction to “shoot” was replaced by an instruction to “detect. ” ERP waveforms showed differences between the two tasks as early as in the N1 time-range, with higher N1 amplitudes for the close perspective in the “shoot” task. Additionally, we found that pre-stimulus alpha power was significantly decreased in the ego, compared to the bird's view only for the “shoot” but not for the “detect” task. In the N2 time window, we observed main amplitude effects for response (No-go > Go) and distance (ego > bird perspective) but no interaction with task type (shoot vs. detect). We argue that the pre-stimulus and N1 effects can be explained by reduced attention and arousal in the distance condition when people are instructed to “shoot. ” These results indicate a reduced moral engagement for increased distance. The lack of interaction in the N2 across tasks suggests that at that time point response execution dominates. We discuss potential implications for real life shooting situations, especially considering recent developments in drone shootings which are per definition of a distant view.
A Comparison of Methods for Generating Poisson Disk Distributions

Poisson disk distributions have many applications in the field of computer graphics. Besides sampling, Poisson disk distributions are used in object distribution, non‐photorealistic rendering and procedural texturing. Over the years, a large number of methods for generating Poisson disk distributions have been proposed, making it difficult to choose the right method for a given application. In this paper, we present a detailed comparison of most techniques for generating Poisson disk distributions. The methods we study include dart throwing, relaxation dart throwing, Lloyd's relaxation, Shade's Poisson disk tiles, tiled blue noise samples, fast hierarchical importance sampling with blue noise properties, edge‐based Poisson disk tiles, template Poisson disk tiles, corner‐based Poisson disk tiles and recursive Wang tiles for real‐time blue noise. Analysing all of these methods within a single framework is one of the major contributions of this work.
The CABG surgery volume-outcome relationship: temporal trends and selection effects in California, 1998-2004.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the temporal trends in the volume-outcome relationship in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in California from 1998 to 2004, and to assess the selection effects on this relationship by using data from periods of voluntary and mandatory hospital reporting. DATA SOURCES We used patient-level clinical data collected for the California CABG Mortality Reporting Program (CCMRP, a voluntary reporting program with between 68 and 81 hospitals) from 1998 to 2002 and the California CABG Outcomes Reporting Program (CCORP, a mandatory reporting program with 121 and 120 hospitals) from 2003 to 2004. STUDY DESIGN The patient was the primary unit of analysis, and in-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. We used hierarchical logistic regression models (generalized linear mixed models) to assess the association of hospital annual volume with hospital mortality while controlling for detailed patient-level covariates in each of the 7 years. DATA COLLECTION METHODS All data were systematically collected, reviewed for accuracy, and validated by the State of California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We found that during the period of voluntary hospital reporting (1998-2002), with the exception of 1998, higher volume hospitals had significantly lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rates, on average, than lower volume hospitals (1998 odds ratio [OR] per 100 operations performed = 0.962, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 0.912-1.015; 1999 OR=0.955, 95 percent CI: 0.920-0.991; 2000 OR=0.942, 95 percent CI: 0.897-0.989; 2001 OR=0.935, 95 percent CI: 0.887-0.986; 2002 OR=0.946, 95 percent CI: 0.899-0.997). We also found that in the period of mandatory reporting (2003 and 2004) there was no volume-outcome relationship (2003 OR=0.997, 95 percent CI: 0.939-1.058; 2004 OR=0.984, 95 percent CI: 0.915-1.058) and that this lack of association was not due to a reporting bias from the addition of data from hospitals that did not originally contribute during the voluntary program. CONCLUSIONS In California, where no state regulations support regionalization of CABG surgeries, a weak volume-outcome relationship was present from 1998 to 2002, but was absent in 2003 and 2004. The disappearance of the volume-outcome association was temporally related to the implementation of a statewide mandatory CABG surgery reporting program.
On gas drag in a circular binary system

We investigate both analytically and numerically the motion of massless particles orbiting primary star in a close circular binary system with particular focus on the gas drag effects. These are the first calculations with particles ranging in size from 1m to 10km, which account for the presence of a tidally perturbed gaseous disk. We have found numerically that the radial mass transport by the tidal waves plays a crucial role in the orbital evolution of particles. Numerical results are confirmed analytical calculations that do not assume anything about origin of the radial flow in the disk. We demonstrate that the migration rate of a particle in a disk out of radial equilibrium is enhanced due to the enhanced mass flux of gas colliding with the particle and the migration is always directed inward regardless of the sign of the radial gas velocity. Within the framework of the perturbation theory we derive general, formulae for short-term variations of the particle semi-major axis, eccentricity and inclination in such disk. The formulae account for departures from axial symmetry by introducing effective components of the gas velocity. They agree with numerical results within several percent. We have also found in numerical simulations that the tidal waves introduce coherence in periastron longitude and eccentricity for particles on neighbouring orbits. The degree of the coherence depends on the particle size and on the distance from the primary star, being most prominent for particles with 10m radius. The results are important mainly in the context of planetesimal formation and, to a lesser degree, during the early planetesimal accretion stage.
Changes in Follicular Helper T Cells in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Patients

Background: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a primary autoimmune disease with a decreased platelet count caused by platelet destruction mediated mainly by platelet antibodies. T follicular helper (TFH) cells have demonstrated important roles in autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study is to explore the might role of TFH cells in the patients of ITP. Methods: Twenty-three ITP patients and 12 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. The frequency of circulating TFH cells in both the patients and HC was analyzed by flow cytometry. Serum interleukin (IL)-21 and IL-6 levels were measured using ELISA, and platelet antibodies were tested using a solid phase technique. Additionally, IL-21, IL-6, Bcl-6 and c-Maf mRNA expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were detected using real-time PCR. Results: The percentages of circulating CXCR5+ CD4+TFH cells with ICOShigh or PD-1high expression were significantly higher in the ITP patients than in the HC. Moreover, the frequencies of circulating CXCR5+ CD4+TFH cells with inducible costimulator (ICOS)high or programmed death-1 (PD-1)high expression were notably higher in ITP with platelet-antibody-positive ( ITP (+) ) patients than in ITP with platelet-antibody-negative ( ITP (-) ) patients and HC, as were the serum IL-21 and IL-6 levels (significant). Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the CXCR5+CD4+TFH cells with ICOShigh or PD-1high expression and the serum IL-21 levels of ITP (+) patients. Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of IL-21, IL-6, Bcl-6 and c-Maf were significantly increased in ITP patients, especially in ITP (+) patients. Conclusions: This study demonstrated TFH cells and effector molecules might play an important role in the pathogenesis of ITP, which are possible therapeutic targets in ITP patients.
CHECK (Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee): similarities and differences with the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Objective: To describe the osteoarthritis study population of CHECK (Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee) in comparison with relevant selections of the study population of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) based on clinical status and radiographic parameters. Methods: In The Netherlands a prospective 10-year follow-up study was initiated by the Dutch Arthritis Association on participants with early osteoarthritis-related complaints of hip and/or knee: CHECK. In parallel in the USA an observational 4-year follow-up study, the OAI, was started by the National Institutes of Health, on patients with or at risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. For comparison with CHECK, the entire cohort and a subgroup of individuals excluding those with exclusively hip pain were compared with relevant subpopulations of the OAI. Results: At baseline, CHECK included 1002 participants with in general similar characteristics as described for the OAI. However, significantly fewer individuals in CHECK had radiographic knee osteoarthritis at baseline when compared with the OAI (p<0.001). In contrast, at baseline, the CHECK cohort reported higher scores on pain, stiffness and functional disability (Western Ontario and McMaster osteoarthritis index) when compared with the OAI (all p<0.001). These differences were supported by physical health status in contrast to mental health (Short Form 36/12) was at baseline significantly worse for the CHECK participants (p<0.001). Conclusion: Although both cohorts focus on the early phase of osteoarthritis, they differ significantly with respect to structural (radiographic) and clinical (health status) characteristics, CHECK expectedly representing participants in an even earlier phase of disease.
Redirection: an extension of career during retirement.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY This study explores (a) whether retirees' formal volunteer experiences represent an extension of their career in the paid workforce; and (b) how this integration of life roles affects career self-concept, as interpreted through Donald Super's life-span, life-space theory of career development. DESIGN AND METHODS A survey was conducted involving a Canadian sample of 214 individuals aged 55-75 years to examine retirees' volunteer activities and their sense of self. RESULTS The results demonstrate the need to further develop Super's theory with the addition of a new developmental stage, which I am labeling "Redirection" to better reflect postretirement experiences. During "Redirection," retirees develop a "new self. " IMPLICATIONS This study indicates that retirees experienced a new stage of "Redirection" and found new meaning through volunteer work during retirement. The results will be of interest to professionals and researchers focused on career development, older workers, and retirement.
Formative Assessment and its E-learning Implementation

Innovation in assessment is no more a choice in a tech-savvy instant age. The purpose of this study was to get more insight into the implementation of formative assessment through the e-learning tool called Black Board Learning System in our University. The proposal is to implement a series of weekly or fortnightly tests on the BB. These would have options to provide sufficient feedback as a follow up to the attempt of students. Responses from questionnaires were used to discover the important concerns in the perceptions of students on the proposed concept of continuous assessment and the BB Online test implementation. The results indicate that students support the idea mainly because they find the disintegration into small topic assessments as useful, coupled with the availability of immediate teacher feedback. What we intend is a culture of success, backed by a belief that all pupils can achieve the same.
Chromatin Regulation and Gene Centrality Are Essential for Controlling Fitness Pleiotropy in Yeast

Background There are a wide range of phenotypes that are due to loss-of-function or null mutations. Previously, the functions of gene products that distinguish essential from nonessential genes were characterized. However, the functions of products of non-essential genes that contribute to fitness remain minimally understood. Principal Findings Using data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we investigated several gene characteristics, which we are able to measure, that are significantly associated with a gene's fitness pleiotropy. Fitness pleiotropy is a measurement of the gene's importance to fitness. These characteristics include: 1) whether the gene's product functions in chromatin regulation, 2) whether the regulation of the gene is influenced by chromatin state, measured by chromatin regulation effect (CRE), 3) whether the gene's product functions as a transcription factor (TF) and the number of genes a TF regulates, 4) whether the gene contains TATA-box, and 5) whether the gene's product is central in a protein interaction network. Partial correlation analysis was used to study how these characteristics interact to influence fitness pleiotropy. We show that all five characteristics that were measured are statistically significantly associated with fitness pleiotropy. However, fitness pleiotropy is not associated with the presence of TATA-box when CRE is controlled. In particular, two characteristics: 1) whether the regulation of a gene is more likely to be influenced by chromatin state, and 2) whether the gene product is central in a protein interaction network measured by the number of protein interactions were found to play the most important roles affecting a gene's fitness pleiotropy. Conclusions These findings highlight the significance of both epigenetic gene regulation and protein interaction networks in influencing the fitness pleiotropy.
Genetic and environmental influences on adult human height across birth cohorts from 1886 to 1994

Human height variation is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but it remains unclear whether their influences differ across birth-year cohorts. We conducted an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts including 143,390 complete twin pairs born 1886–1994. Although genetic variance showed a generally increasing trend across the birth-year cohorts, heritability estimates (0.69-0.84 in men and 0.53-0.78 in women) did not present any clear pattern of secular changes. Comparing geographic-cultural regions (Europe, North America and Australia, and East Asia), total height variance was greatest in North America and Australia and lowest in East Asia, but no clear pattern in the heritability estimates across the birth-year cohorts emerged. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that heritability of height is lower in populations with low living standards than in affluent populations, nor that heritability of height will increase within a population as living standards improve. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.20320. 001
The Prevalence of Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Based on an Interferon-γ Release Assay: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Urban Adults in Mwanza, Tanzania

Introduction One third of the world’s population is estimated to be latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI). Surveys of LTBI are rarely performed in resource poor TB high endemic countries like Tanzania although low-income countries harbor the largest burden of the worlds LTBI. The primary objective was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in household contacts of pulmonary TB cases and a group of apparently healthy neighborhood controls in an urban setting of such a country. Secondly we assessed potential impact of LTBI on inflammation by quantitating circulating levels of an acute phase reactant: alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in neighborhood controls. Methods The study was nested within the framework of two nutrition studies among TB patients in Mwanza, Tanzania. Household contacts- and neighborhood controls were invited to participate. The study involved a questionnaire, BMI determination and blood samples to measure AGP, HIV testing and a Quantiferon Gold In tube (QFN-IT) test to detect signs of LTBI. Results 245 household contacts and 192 neighborhood controls had available QFN-IT data. Among household contacts, the proportion of QFT-IT positive was 59% compared to 41% in the neighborhood controls (p = 0.001). In a linear regression model adjusted for sex, age, CD4 and HIV, a QFT-IT positive test was associated with a 10% higher level of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein(AGP) (10B 1.10, 95% CI 1.01; 1.20, p = 0.03), compared to individuals with a QFT-IT negative test. Conclusion LTBI is highly prevalent among apparently healthy urban Tanzanians even without known exposure to TB in the household. LTBI was found to be associated with elevated levels of AGP. The implications of this observation merit further studies.