Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
C-peptide and Retinal Microangiopathy in Diabetes

Increased extracellular matrix (ECM) protein deposition and capillary basement membrane (BM) thickening are characteristic features of diabetic retinal microangiopathy. Recent observations in the authors' laboratories suggest that high glucose in endothelial cells as well as diabetes causes up-regulation of total fibronectin (FN), as well as extradomain-B (EDB) containing the spliced variant of FN, oncofetal FN, in the retina. This splice variant is normally absent in mature adult tissues and is believed to be involved in angiogenesis. In this study, the authors have investigated the role of C-peptide in the production of ECM proteins and capillary BM thickening in the retina of diabetic rats. They investigated retinas from poorly controlled diabetic BB/Wor rats with or without C-peptide treatment as well as those from age-matched nondiabetic control rats after 8 months of diabetes. In addition, the authors investigated retinas from BBDRZ/Wor rats, a model of type 2 diabetes. Following a treatment period of 8 months, retinal tissues were harvested for gene expression and histological analyses. In the retinas of diabetic BB/Wor rats, a significant increase of oncofetal FN was demonstrated compared to control rats. C-peptide treatment of BB/Wor rats completely prevented such increase. Furthermore, retinas from BBDRZ/Wor rats, did not exhibit any such alteration in oncofetal FN expression. The authors further examined retinal capillary BM thickening using ultrastructural morphometry. C-peptide treatment was ineffective in preventing the diabetes-induced increase in capillary BM thickness. The authors' previous studies of cultured endothelial cells demonstrated that oncofetal FN synthesis is, at least in part, mediated via transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and endothelin-1 (ET-1). Hence, they examined these two transcripts in the retina of these animals. Diabetes caused significant increase in mRNA expression of ET-1 and TGF-β, which was not prevented by C-peptide treatment. Hence it appears that C-peptide is effective in preventing diabetes-induced oncofetal FN expression and that these effects are not mediated via ET-1 or TGF-β. In conclusion, these data suggest that C-peptide is involved in regulating ECM protein composition. Furthermore, normalization of diabetes-induced oncofetal FN up-regulation may suggest importance of C-peptide in advanced alterations in diabetic retinopathy such as angiogenesis.
Has the time come for cost-effectiveness analysis in US health care?

Abstract Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a powerful analytic tool for assessing the value of health care interventions but it is a method used sparingly in the US. Despite its growing acceptance internationally and its endorsement in the academic literature, most policy analysts have assumed that US decision makers will resist using CEA to inform coverage decisions. This study sought to clarify the extent to which CEA is understood and accepted by US decision makers, including regulators, private and public insurers, and purchasers, and to identify their points of difficulty with its use. We conducted half-day workshops with a sample of six California-based health care organizations that spanned a range of public and private perspectives regarding coverage of health care services. Each workshop included an overview of CEA methods, a priority-setting exercise that asked participants (acting as ‘social decision makers’) to rank condition treatment pairs prior to and following provision of cost-effectiveness information; and a facilitated discussion of obstacles and opportunities for using CEA in their own organizations. Pre and post-questionnaires inquired as to obstacles toward implementing CEA, attitudes toward rationing, and views on the use of CEA in Medicare and in private insurance coverage decision-making. In post-workshop surveys major obstacles identified included: fears of litigation, concerns about the quality and accuracy of studies that were commercially sponsored, and failure of CEAs to address shorter horizon cost implications. Over 90% of participants felt that CEA should be used as an input to Medicare coverage decisions and 75% supported its use in such decisions by private insurance plans. Despite the wide acceptance of CEA, at the conclusion of the workshop, 40% of the sample remained uncomfortable with support of ‘rationing’ per se. We suggest that how cost-effectiveness analysis is framed will have important implications for its acceptability to US decision makers.
Brain MR perfusion‐weighted imaging with alternate ascending/descending directional navigation

In this study, a new arterial spin labeling technique that requires no separate spin preparation pulse was developed. Sequential two‐dimensional slices were acquired in ascending and descending orders by turns using balanced steady state free precession for pair‐wise subtraction. Simulation studies showed this new technique, alternate ascending/descending directional navigation (ALADDIN), has high sensitivity to both slow‐ (1–10 cm/sec) and fast‐moving (>10 cm/sec) blood because of the presence of multiple labeling planes proximal to imaging planes and sensitivity of balanced steady state free precession to initial magnetization differences. ALADDIN provided high‐resolution multislice perfusion‐weighted images in ∼3 min. About 80–90% of signals in a slice were ascribed to spins saturated in the four prior slices. Three to five edge slices on each side of imaging group were affected by transient magnetization transfer effects and incomplete T1 recovery between successive acquisitions. ALADDIN signals were dependent on many imaging parameters, implying room for improvement. Sagittal and coronal ALADDIN images demonstrated perfusion direction in gray matter regions was mostly from center to lateral, anterior, or posterior, whereas that in some white matter regions was reversed. ALADDIN is likely useful for many studies requiring perfusion‐weighted imaging with short scan time, insensitiveness to arterial transit time, directional information, high resolution, and/or wide coverage. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Carpal tunnel syndrome and its relationship to occupation: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between work place exposure and CTS by meta-analysis, including analyses with respect to exposure to hand force, repetition, vibration and wrist posture. METHODS All relevant peer-reviewed articles published between January 1980 and December 2009 were identified by a systematic search using the MEDLINE, CINAHL and PubMed databases. Papers were critiqued independently by two researchers and the relevant exposure information was extracted. Using the raw data of exposed and unexposed cases, a cumulative effect of specific exposure risks were calculated for hand force, repetition, a combination of force and repetition, vibration and wrist posture using the statistical program, Stata version 11 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). Heterogeneity, meta-regression, publication bias and subgroup sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS Thirty-seven studies from English-language literature met the inclusion criteria. Using National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety criteria for case definition, a significant positive association between CTS and hand force, repetition, use of vibratory tools and wrist posture was observed with approximate doubling of risk for all exposures. Significant heterogeneity among studies was observed for most exposures and metaregression analyses identified CTS case definition, study design, country and risk of bias score to be the significant determinants. When a more conservative definition of CTS was employed to include nerve conduction abnormality with symptoms and/or signs, risk factors significantly associated with an increased risk of CTS among exposed workers were: vibration [odds ratio (OR) 5.40; 95% CI 3.14, 9.31], hand force (OR 4.23; 95% CI 1.53, 11.68) and repetition (OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.73, 2.94). There was a non-significant trend for the association between CTS and combined exposure to both force and repetition (OR 1.85; 95% CI 0.99, 3.45) and wrist posture (OR 4.73; 95% CI 0.42, 53.32). CONCLUSION Occupational exposure to excess vibration, increased hand force and repetition increase the risk of developing CTS. Workplace strategies to avoid overexposure to these risk factors should be implemented.
Multimodal Literacy Narratives: Weaving the Threads of Young Children's Identity Through the Arts

The current study examines how children develop multimodal narratives through the construction of quilt squares and I Am poetry. Creating visual narratives through the use of personal artifacts lays the foundation for this artistic multiple literacy experience. The study focuses on the process and growth that a diverse group of kindergarten children underwent over the course of 9 weeks. How children reveal their identity texts through multimodal engagements reflects the significance of being able to understand, communicate, and think in alternative ways. Such opportunities offer children ways to represent the importance of being in the social world and document their personal narratives in nontraditional forms of literacy. The learning environment must engage children in experiences that empower them to make their thoughts public and to change how they think, view, and situate themselves in the world.
Global, Transnational, Regional, National: The Need for Nuance in Theorizing Global Capitalism

In ‘Global capitalism theory and the emergence of transnational elites’ (in this issue), Bill Robinson has delivered an impressive summary statement of the theory he has been developing with colleagues over the past decade. The formulation takes us some distance toward an interpretation of the con-temporary global capitalist order, or perhaps, disorder. However, despite its many insights, Robinson’s analysis is not without its difficulties. I offer these reflections in a spirit of sympathetic critique.
The Executive Decline Hypothesis of Cognitive Aging: Do Executive Deficits Qualify as Differential Deficits and Do They Mediate Age-Related Memory Decline?

This paper reports the results of two studies which investigated whether aging is associated with a differential deficit in executive function, compared with deficits in general cognitive ability (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised performance). Further, the studies investigated the specificity of the executive decline hypothesis of memory and aging by examining whether declines in executive function mediate age-related memory decline over and above the variance in memory accounted for by general cognitive ability. The results of Study 1 showed no consistent evidence of a differential decline in executive function among a sample of participants aged between 18 and 75 years. The results of Study 2 indicated a differential decline in one indicator of executive function, the Modified Card Sorting Test, among an older sample aged between 60 and 89 years. Both studies demonstrated that measures of executive function accounted for age-related variance in free recall, recognition, and serial recall, even after controlling for general cognitive ability. However, in Study 1, once variance attributed to speed of processing was taken into account, executive function did not contribute further to the age-related variance.
Microevolution of the Chromosomal Region of Acute Disease Antigen A (adaA) in the Query (Q) Fever Agent Coxiella burnetii

The acute disease antigen A (adaA) gene is believed to be associated with Coxiella burnetii strains causing acute Q fever. The detailed analysis of the adaA genomic region of 23 human- and 86 animal-derived C. burnetii isolates presented in this study reveals a much more polymorphic appearance and distribution of the adaA gene, resulting in a classification of C. burnetii strains of better differentiation than previously anticipated. Three different genomic variants of the adaA gene were identified which could be detected in isolates from acute and chronic patients, rendering the association of adaA positive strains with acute Q fever disease disputable. In addition, all adaA positive strains in humans and animals showed the occurrence of the QpH1 plasmid. All adaA positive isolates of acute human patients except one showed a distinct SNP variation at position 431, also predominant in sheep strains, which correlates well with the observation that sheep are a major source of human infection. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis of the adaA gene revealed three deletion events and supported the hypothesis that strain Dugway 5J108-111 might be the ancestor of all known C. burnetii strains. Based on our findings, we could confirm the QpDV group and we were able to define a new genotypic cluster. The adaA gene polymorphisms shown here improve molecular typing of Q fever, and give new insights into microevolutionary adaption processes in C. burnetii.
Effect of Ouabain on the Energy Output of Rabbit Cardiac Muscle

The effect of ouabain, 0.3 μg/ml, on the energy output of rabbit papillary muscles has been examined by a myothermic technique. The experiments were conducted at two temperature ranges, 19.2° to 22.8°C and 29.0° to 32.2°C, and both isometric and afterloaded isotonic contractions were studied. Temperature differences alone caused pronounced physiological changes, the higher temperature being associated with lower tension-independent heat and markedly higher active efficiency, external work /(external work + active heat production). The heat versus tension curve was rectilinear at higher temperatures but showed upward curvature at lower temperatures. At 19.2° to 22.8°C, ouabain increased the tension-independent heat by 23%, maximum tension development by 23%, and mean work output by 39%. Ouabain did not significantly alter the slope of the heat versus tension curve and increased mean efficiency only slightly. At 29° to 32.2°C, ouabain did not cause any significant change in the slope of the heat versus tension curve or in mean muscle efficiency. Ouabain produced significant increases in maximum tension development, mean work output, and the tension-independent heat. The effects of ouabain at the higher temperature were examined at two different calcium levels, 2.5 and 1.25 mM. In the isometric studies the effects of ouabain were independent of the calcium level, and the calcium level itself had no significant effect on the heat-tension relationship. In the isotonic studies, ouabain increased work output but more so at the 2.5 mM calcium level. Ouabain did not affect mechanical efficiency at either calcium level but muscle efficiency was higher at the 2.5 mM calcium level. It is concluded that any effects of the cardiac glycosides on energy expenditure are consequences of their inotropic actions and do not represent changes in the energy cost of contraction.
The effectiveness of a skills‐based program in reducing public speaking anxiety

Research was conducted to test the effectiveness of a skills-based program as a method for reducing anxiety during public speaking. Twenty-five Japanese college sophomores were exposed to a systematic approach for developing a presentation that was theoretically linked to mechanisms to reduce communication apprehension (CA). Students gave four presentations that were graded by both teacher and peer evaluation. Results indicated that the experimental group reported a significantly greater drop in public speaking anxiety than did a control group of 86 students.
The senior authors' response: Factor analysis as a tool for evaluating eating patterns.

SUMMARY On the basis of our results (1), we believe that factoranalysis has applications in epidemiology that willimprove our understanding of many of the inconsis-tencies that exist in the literature. Wade HamptonFrost's characterization of epidemiology in 1936 (6)applies to many of our current attempts to understanddisease, often through the use of relatively new meth-ods. He described epidemiology as "something morethan the total of its established facts": It includes their orderly arrangement into chains ofinference which extend more or less beyond thebounds of direct observation. Such of those chains asare well and truly laid guide investigation to the factsof the future; those that are ill made fetter progress.But it is not easy, when divergent theories are pre-sented, to distinguish immediately between thosewhich are sound and those which are merely plausible(6, p. 120). The soundness of using factor analysis to identifyeating and lifestyle patterns that give us insight intodisease etiology will be better understood when moreepidemiologists have begun to use this method.
Mirrored-self misidentification in the hypnosis laboratory: Recreating the delusion from its component factors

Introduction. Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that one's reflection in the mirror is a stranger. According to Langdon and Coltheart's (2000) “two-factor” theory of monothematic delusions, the delusion can arise from deficits in face processing (Factor 1) and belief evaluation (Factor 2). This study gave participants separate hypnotic suggestions for these two factors to create a hypnotic analogue of the delusion. Method. Forty-six high hypnotisable participants received a hypnotic suggestion for either Factor 1 alone or for Factors 1 and 2, either with hypnosis (hypnosis condition) or without (wake condition). Participants were asked to look into a mirror and to describe what they saw. Participants who reported seeing a stranger in the mirror also received a series of challenges. Results. Overall, 70% of participants in the hypnosis condition passed the delusion; only 22% of participants in the wake condition passed. Importantly, in hypnosis, the Factor 1 alone suggestion was just as effective in creating the delusion as the combined Factor 1 and Factor 2 suggestion. Conclusion. These results suggest that hypnotic suggestion can recreate the mirrored-self misidentification delusion from its component factors. Notably, the hypnotic context, itself known to disrupt belief evaluation, can act as Factor 2.
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Novel Mechanistic Insight into Murine Biological Responses to Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Lungs and Cultured Lung Epithelial Cells

There is great interest in substituting animal work with in vitro experimentation in human health risk assessment; however, there are only few comparisons of in vitro and in vivo biological responses to engineered nanomaterials. We used high-content genomics tools to compare in vivo pulmonary responses of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to those in vitro in cultured lung epithelial cells (FE1) at the global transcriptomic level. Primary size, surface area and other properties of MWCNT- XNRI -7 (Mitsui7) were characterized using DLS, SEM and TEM. Mice were exposed via a single intratracheal instillation to 18, 54, or 162 μg of Mitsui7/mouse. FE1 cells were incubated with 12.5, 25 and 100 μg/ml of Mitsui7. Tissue and cell samples were collected at 24 hours post-exposure. DNA microarrays were employed to establish mechanistic differences and similarities between the two models. Microarray results were confirmed using gene-specific RT-qPCR. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was assessed for indications of inflammation in vivo. A strong dose-dependent activation of acute phase and inflammation response was observed in mouse lungs reflective mainly of an inflammatory response as observed in BAL. In vitro, a wide variety of core cellular functions were affected including transcription, cell cycle, and cellular growth and proliferation. Oxidative stress, fibrosis and inflammation processes were altered in both models. Although there were similarities observed between the two models at the pathway-level, the specific genes altered under these pathways were different, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms of responses are different in cells in culture and the lung tissue. Our results suggest that careful consideration should be given in selecting relevant endpoints when substituting animal with in vitro testing.
Agile for Millennials: A Comparative Study

Context: Comparative study of software development methodologies in millenials high school students. Objective: This paper compares the performance and satisfaction of both students and teachers in using two development strategies in a K-12 Computer Science teaching practice. Method: This study includes an experiment, administered in a laboratory controlled setting to measure students' performances. Results: Scrum produces less usable software with better working features compared to Waterfall, it is also more appreciated by students. Teachers are more experienced with Waterfall, which also offers more control on the development process. Conclusions: From an educational perspective, the two methods are equivalent. Since we noted an overall positive effect on the learning environment, we recommend that at least one method be taught in practice.
The Aortic Isthmus: A Significant yet Underexplored Watershed of the Fetal Circulation

The aortic isthmus (AoI) is a unique fetal watershed with a waveform reflecting its complex haemodynamic physiology. The systolic component represents left and right ventricular systolic ejection, and the diastolic component represents comparative downstream vascular impedance between the brachiocephalic and subdiaphragmatic fetal circulations. Several indices have been devised to quantify different components of the waveform, including the pulsatility index, resistance index, isthmic flow index, and recently the isthmic systolic index. There have been promising preliminary studies applying these indices to both cardiac (congenital) and extracardiac pathologies, including intrauterine growth restriction and twin-twin transfusion syndrome. However, the waveform's multifactorial origin has proven to be challenging, and the difficulty in separating various components of the waveform could explain that AoI evaluation does not have a clear clinical utility. Further research is underway to realise the full potential of this vessel in fetal cardiac and haemodynamically compromised pathological conditions. In this review article we outline the physiological origin of this Doppler waveform, describe in detail the various published indices, summarise the published literature to date, and finally outline potential future research and hopefully clinical applications.
Supporting program comprehension in large preprocessor-based software product lines

Software product line (SPL) engineering provides an effective mechanism to implement variable software. However, using preprocessors to realise variability, which is typical in industry, is heavily criticised, because it often leads to obfuscated code. Using background colours to highlight code annotated with preprocessor statements to support comprehensibility has proved to be effective, however, scalability to large SPLs is questionable. The authors’ aim is to implement and evaluate scalable usage of background colours for industrial-sized SPLs. They designed and implemented scalable concepts in a tool called FeatureCommander. To evaluate its effectiveness, the authors conducted a controlled experiment with a large real-world SPL with over 99 000 lines of code and 340 features. They used a within-subjects design with treatment colours and no colours. They compared correctness and response time of tasks for both treatments. For certain kinds of tasks, background colours improve program comprehension. Furthermore, the subjects generally favour background colours compared with no background colours. In addition, the subjects who worked with background colours had to use the search functions less frequently. The authors show that background colours can improve program comprehension in large SPLs. Based on these encouraging results, they continue their work on improving program comprehension in large SPLs.