Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Validation of a Noninvasive, Raman Spectroscopic Method to Assess Carotenoid Nutritional Status in Humans

Background: Carotenoids are an important group of phytonutrients that are abundant in fruits and vegetables. Epidemiological and clinical intervention studies have implied the presence of protective qualities of these nutrients against the development of a variety of chronic diseases. Previously, human carotenoid status has been assessed in serum and tissue using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology. Recently, a Raman spectroscopy (RS)–based photonic method has been developed to accurately and noninvasively measure the carotenoid concentration in human skin. Objectives: (1) To validate skin RS methodology against standard serum carotenoid measurements by HPLC and (2) to establish and compare the reliability of the 2 methods. Design: This study included 372 healthy adults who provided 3 blood samples and 3 RS skin carotenoid measurements within an 8-day period; each day-matched blood sample and RS determination was spaced by ≥48 hours. Results: Consistent positive correlations were observed for each of 3 separate same-day correlation plots of total serum versus RS skin carotenoids. Overall estimate of the line of best fit from analysis of covariance, using all 3 samples (n = 1116), yielded a Pearson correlation of R = 0.81 (r2 = 0.66; p < 0.001). Based on analysis of variance, RS skin carotenoid methodology exhibited 0.9% less variance over the 3 tests than serum carotenoids by the HPLC method (p < 0.03). Conclusions: RS accurately measures total carotenoids in human skin with less intra-individual variability than measurement of serum carotenoids by HPLC analysis. RS technology is a valid and reliable noninvasive method to rapidly assess carotenoid nutritional status in humans.
Deregulated Expression of SRC, LYN and CKB Kinases by DNA Methylation and Its Potential Role in Gastric Cancer Invasiveness and Metastasis

Kinases are downstream modulators and effectors of several cellular signaling cascades and play key roles in the development of neoplastic disease. In this study, we aimed to evaluate SRC, LYN and CKB protein and mRNA expression, as well as their promoter methylation, in gastric cancer. We found elevated expression of SRC and LYN kinase mRNA and protein but decreased levels of CKB kinase, alterations that may have a role in the invasiveness and metastasis of gastric tumors. Expression of the three studied kinases was also associated with MYC oncogene expression, a possible biomarker for gastric cancer. To understand the mechanisms that regulate the expression of these genes, we evaluated the DNA promoter methylation of the three kinases. We found that reduced SRC and LYN methylation and increased CKB methylation was associated with gastric cancer. The reduced SRC and LYN methylation was associated with increased levels of mRNA and protein expression, suggesting that DNA methylation is involved in regulating the expression of these kinases. Conversely, reduced CKB methylation was observed in samples with reduced mRNA and protein expression, suggesting CKB expression was found to be only partly regulated by DNA methylation. Additionally, we found that alterations in the DNA methylation pattern of the three studied kinases were also associated with the gastric cancer onset, advanced gastric cancer, deeper tumor invasion and the presence of metastasis. Therefore, SRC, LYN and CKB expression or DNA methylation could be useful markers for predicting tumor progression and targeting in anti-cancer strategies.
Digit Ratio in Birds

The Homeobox (Hox) genes direct the development of tetrapod digits. The expression of Hox genes may be influenced by endogenous sex steroids during development. Manning (Digit ratio. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002) predicted that the ratio between the lengths of digits 2 (2D) and 4 (4D) should be sexually dimorphic because prenatal exposure to estrogens and androgens positively influence the lengths of 2D and 4D, respectively. We measured digits and other morphological traits of birds from three orders (Passeriformes, house sparrow, Passer domesticus; tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor; Pscittaciformes, budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulates; Galliformes, chicken, Gallus domesticus) to test this prediction. None were sexually dimorphic for 2D:4D and there were no associations between 2D:4D and other sexually dimorphic traits. When we pooled data from all four species after we averaged right and left side digits from each individual and z‐transformed the resulting digit ratios, we found that males had significantly larger 2D:4D than did females. Tetrapods appear to be sexually dimorphic for 2D:4D with 2D:4D larger in males as in some birds and reptiles and 2D:4D smaller in males as in some mammals. The differences between the reptile and mammal lineages in the directionality of 2D:4D may be related to the differences between them in chromosomal sex determination. We suggest that (a) natural selection for a perching foot in the first birds may have overridden the effects of hormones on the development of digit ratio in this group of vertebrates and (b) caution be used in making inferences about prenatal exposure to hormones and digit ratio in birds. Anat Rec, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detecting tumor progression in glioma: current standards and new techniques

ABSTRACT Introduction: The post-treatment monitoring of glioma patients remains an area of active research and development. Conventional imaging with MRI is a highly sensitive modality for detecting and monitoring primary and secondary brain tumors and includes multi-parametric sequences to better characterize the disease. Standardized schemes for measuring response to treatment are in wide clinical use; however, the introduction of new therapeutics have introduced new patterns of response that can confound interpretation of conventional MRI and can cause uncertainty in the proper management following therapy. Areas covered: A summary of current and evolving techniques for assessing glioma response in this era of new therapies that address these challenges are presented in this review. While this review focuses more on clinical and early clinical methodologies for MRI and nuclear medicine techniques some promising pre-clinical techniques are also presented. Expert commentary: While successful single institution results have been widely reported in the literature, any new methodologies must be undertaken in multi-center settings. Additionally, the need for standardization of protocols in quantitative measured are an important area that must be addressed for new and promising techniques to be implemented to a wide array of patients.
A framework for the analysis of coordination in global software development

This paper attempts a conceptualization of coordination in Global Software Development (GSD) by arguing that distribution is a significant conditioner of software development that engenders distance-related, socio-cultural and technological conditioners. It is proposed that the core organising dimensions on which coordination analysis in GSD should focus are people, processes, information, technology and the interactions between them. It is also argued that these dimensions are characterized by process interdependencies, interpersonal and interunit conflicts, information uncertainties and equivocalities, technology representations, and their interrelations. The final argument is that the management of the dimensions' characteristics - which defines coordination - will be conditioned by distribution, and that the awareness of this conditioning must be central in coordination analysis. The resultant is an analytical framework that will hopefully proffer a theoretical foundation for research on coordination in GSD.
School-based cognitive-behavioural therapy for academically underachieving Singaporean adolescents with aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour

This study examined the utility of a school-based, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for academically weak adolescents with at-risk levels of aggressive and rule-breaking tendencies. When compared to baseline data, standardized self-report and teacher rating scales revealed that the symptoms of the CBT group significantly reduced to within normal limits at post-treatment. These gains were also evident at 1-month post-treatment. In contrast, the aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour of the wait-list control group was maintained at at-risk levels. Interviews with participants were subsequently used to document factors in the therapy that promoted positive change and user satisfaction. Implications of the study's findings for school mental health-care specialists and teachers were also discussed.
Effect of Lowering Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) on Vascular Pathology in Atherosclerotic ApoE-Deficient Mice with Reduced Renal Mass

The purpose of the work was to study the impact of the endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and its degrading enzyme, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH1), on atherosclerosis in subtotally nephrectomized (SNX) ApoE-deficient mice. Male DDAH1 transgenic mice (TG, n = 39) and C57Bl/6J wild-type littermates (WT, n = 27) with or without the deletion of the ApoE gene underwent SNX at the age of eight weeks. Animals were sacrificed at 12 months of age, and blood chemistry, as well as the extent of atherosclerosis within the entire aorta were analyzed. Sham treated (no renal mass reduction) ApoE-competent DDAH1 transgenic and wild-type littermates (n = 11) served as a control group. Overexpression of DDAH1 was associated with significantly lower ADMA levels in all treatment groups. Surprisingly, SNX mice did not exhibit higher ADMA levels compared to sham treated control mice. Furthermore, the degree of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice with SNX was similar in mice with or without overexpression of DDAH1. Overexpression of the ADMA degrading enzyme, DDAH1, did not ameliorate atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient SNX mice. Furthermore, SNX in mice had no impact on ADMA levels, suggesting a minor role of this molecule in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in this mouse model.
Role of magnesium sulfate in postoperative pain management for patients undergoing thoracotomy.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of magnesium sulfate on pain management for post-thoracotomy patients. DESIGN A prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study. SETTING University hospital. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-four patients undergoing thoracotomy. INTERVENTIONS After thoracotomy operations, patients were assigned to 2 groups. The control group received intravenous morphine (0.5 mg/h infusion, 0.3 mg patient-controlled anesthesia dose, 15-minute lockout time) via patient-controlled analgesia, and the magnesium group received magnesium sulfate (30-mg/kg bolus, 10 mg/kg/h infusion for 48 hours) plus the same patient-controlled analgesia protocol. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Visual analog scale for pain score, sedation score, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and valid and invalid analgesic demand were recorded. Serum magnesium levels were determined at postanesthesia care unit admission, at 24 hours, and at 48 hours. Side effects were also recorded. There were no significant differences between groups with respect to demographics, sedation score, and pain score. Cumulative mean morphine consumption was found to be higher in the control group compared with the magnesium group at 4, 8, and 48 hours (5.6 +/- 1 mg v 3.2 +/- 0.6 mg [p < 0.0001], 10.2 +/- 1.8 mg v 7.2 +/- 1.6 mg [p = 0.0003), and 40.2 +/- 4.5 mg v 34.8 +/- 6.3 mg [p = 0.02], respectively). CONCLUSION Postoperative use of magnesium sulfate reduced opioid consumption for pain after thoracotomy operations.
Connectivity and Metaphor Comprehension

According to this view, (1) encompasses two conceptual domains: the "Human domain" (of which Tom is a member) which is the T-D and the "Tortoise domain" which is the S-D. Assigning an interpretation to the metaphor involves the mapping of properties from the S-D (such as "slowness'') onto their counterparts in the T-D [compare 1-2]. Note, however, that in such a mapping not all the properties of the Source domain get mapped onto the Target domain. For example, in mapping the "Tortoise domain" onto the "Human" domain properties such as "being an animal" do not map. It is thus unlikely to find a reading such as "Tom is an
Recent advances in the genetics and pathogenesis of Parkinson disease

The identification of three genes and several additional loci associated with inherited forms of levodopa-responsive PD has confirmed that this is not a single disorder. Yet, analyses of the structure and function of these gene products point to the critical role of protein aggregation in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra as the common mechanism leading to neurodegeneration in all known forms of this disease. The three specific genes identified to date—α-synuclein, Parkin, and ubiquitin C terminal hydrolase L1—are either closely involved in the proper functioning of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway or are degraded by this protein-clearing machinery of cells. Knowledge gained from genetically transmitted PD also has clear implications for nonfamilial forms of the disease. Lewy bodies, even in sporadic PD, contain these three gene products, particularly abundant amounts of fibrillar α-synuclein. Increased aggregation of α-synuclein by oxidative stress, as well as oxidant-induced proteasomal dysfunction, link genetic and potential environmental factors in the onset and progression of the disease. The biochemical and molecular cascades elucidated from genetic studies in PD can provide novel targets for curative therapies.
Halogenated Indole Alkaloids from Marine Invertebrates

This review discusses the isolation, structural elucidation, and biological activities of halogenated indole alkaloids obtained from marine invertebrates. Meridianins and related compounds (variolins, psammopemmins, and aplicyanins), as well as aplysinopsins and leptoclinidamines, are focused on. A compilation of the 13C-NMR spectral data of these selected natural indole alkaloids is also provided.
A Stochastic Framework for Robust Fuzzy Filtering and Analysis of Signals—Part II

This text provides several applications scenarios of introduced signals' modeling and analysis framework to solve the practical problems. Some of the challenging practical problems related to signal/data processing have been formulated in a manner that the negative free energy maximizing filtering and variational information maximizing analysis algorithms of Kumar et al. could be directly applied to solve the problems. The studied application examples include robust comparison of objects' geometries in images for child ear biometrics, biomedical signals classification, data smoothing for reflection-mode ultrasound imaging, and modeling related applications. The application examples support the mathematical theory of Kumar et al. by providing just the proof-of-concept.
Possible and Necessary Allocations via Sequential Mechanisms

A simple mechanism for allocating indivisible resources is sequential allocation in which agents take turns to pick items. We focus on possible and necessary allocation problems, checking whether allocations of a given form occur in some or all mechanisms for several commonly used classes of sequential allocation mechanisms. In particular, we consider whether a given agent receives a given item, a set of items, or a subset of items for natural classes of sequential allocation mechanisms: balanced, recursively balanced, balanced alternation, and strict alternation. We present characterizations of the allocations that result respectively from the classes, which extend the well-known characterization by Brams and King [2005] for policies without restrictions. In addition, we examine the computational complexity of possible and necessary allocation problems for these classes.
Coding delay analysis of Chunked codes over line networks

In this paper, we analyze the coding delay and the average coding delay of Chunked network Codes (CC) over line networks with Bernoulli losses and deterministic regular or Poisson transmissions. Chunked codes are an attractive alternative to random linear network codes due to their lower complexity. Our results, which include upper bounds on the delay and the average delay, are the first of their kind for CC over networks with such probabilistic traffics. These results demonstrate that a stand-alone CC or a precoded CC provides a better tradeoff between the computational complexity and the convergence speed to the network capacity over the probabilistic traffics compared to arbitrary deterministic traffic. The performance of CC over the latter traffic has already been studied in the literature.
Stress coping stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis in adult monkeys

Coping with intermittent social stress is an essential aspect of living in complex social environments. Coping tends to counteract the deleterious effects of stress and is thought to induce neuroadaptations in corticolimbic brain systems. Here we test this hypothesis in adult squirrel monkey males exposed to intermittent social separations and new pair formations. These manipulations simulate conditions that typically occur in male social associations because of competition for limited access to residency in mixed-sex groups. As evidence of coping, we previously confirmed that cortisol levels initially increase and then are restored to prestress levels within several days of each separation and new pair formation. Follow-up studies with exogenous cortisol further established that feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is not impaired. Now we report that exposure to intermittent social separations and new pair formations increased hippocampal neurogenesis in squirrel monkey males. Hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents contributes to spatial learning performance, and in monkeys we found that spatial learning was enhanced in conditions that increased hippocampal neurogenesis. Corresponding changes were discerned in the expression of genes involved in survival and integration of adult-born granule cells into hippocampal neural circuits. These findings support recent indications that stress coping stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis in adult rodents. Psychotherapies designed to promote stress coping potentially have similar effects in humans with major depression.
Gender Differences in Perception of Attractiveness of Men and Women in Bars

The idea that men and women appear more attractive as the closing time of a bar approaches is suggested by both popular folklore and social science research. In an empirical test of this hypothesis, male and female subjects at a college bar were asked to rate the attractiveness of same -and opposite-gender bar patrons at three times (9:00 PM., 10:30(PM., and 12:00 A.M.) throughout an evening and to record type and amount of alcohol consumed. In addition, subjects rated six opposite-gender photographs that had been previously determined to represent a broad range of facial attractiveness. Ratings of opposite-gender patrons increased over time for both men and women (although female patrons received higher attractiveness ratings than male patrons), but no support was found for the hypothesis that increased ratings were due to alcohol consumption. Further, men rated photographic images of attractive women to be even more attractive as the evening progressed, while scores for less attractive female photographic images declined over time. No such temporal change was found for women subjects who rated male photographic images. These findings are discussed in the general context of dating, desire to meet the opposite sex, and mate selection.
Teaching Close Reading Skills in a Large Lecture Course

This article presents the authors’ innovative approach to the challenges of teaching students in a large lecture survey course to perform effective close readings, and sets forth a rigorous qualitative assessment of students’ learning. It describes a combination of teaching strategies integrated to encourage students’ skills acquisition as well as content mastery, and to make the course writing intensive without also being grading intensive. It demonstrates the effectiveness of these strategies by analyzing evidence of student learning. The authors advocate for an instructional model that gives students ample opportunity for active learning and for practicing close reading skills. The authors conclude with a brief coda calling for more scholarship and reflection on faculty–graduate student collaboration in both scholarship and teaching.
Dual role model for question recommendation in community question answering

Question recommendation that automatically recommends a new question to suitable users to answer is an appealing and challenging problem in the research area of Community Question Answering (CQA). Unlike in general recommender systems where a user has only a single role, each user in CQA can play two different roles (dual roles) simultaneously: as an asker and as an answerer. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to systematically investigate the distinctions between the two roles and their different influences on the performance of question recommendation in CQA. Moreover, we propose a Dual Role Model (DRM) to model the dual roles of users effectively. With different indepen-dence assumptions, two variants of DRM are achieved. Finally, we present the DRM based approach to question recommendation which provides a mechanism for naturally integrating the user relation between the answerer and the asker with the content re-levance between the answerer and the question into a uni-fied probabilistic framework. Experiments using a real-world data crawled from Yahoo! Answers show that: (1) there are evident distinctions between the two roles of users in CQA. Additionally, the answerer role is more effective than the asker role for modeling candidate users in question recommendation; (2) compared with baselines utilizing a single role or blended roles based methods, our DRM based approach consistently and significantly improves the performance of question recommendation, demonstrating that our approach can model the user in CQA more reasonably and precisely.
When Does Ballot Language Influence Voter Choices? Evidence from a Survey Experiment

Under what conditions can political elites influence elections to favor their preferred policy outcomes by strategically crafting the language printed on the ballot? Drawing on psychological and political theories of voter cognition, we design a survey experiment to assess the degree to which ballot text can influence voter behavior in direct democracy elections and identify factors that may moderate such effects. We show that the language used to describe a ballot measure does indeed have the potential to affect election outcomes, including measures dealing with contentious social issues affecting individual rights. We also find, however, that exposing individuals to basic campaign information—in our case, endorsements from prominent interest groups—greatly attenuates the framing effects of ballot text. Our results suggest that the extent to which ballot text matters depends on the vibrancy of the campaign environment and other information available to voters.
Decision‐making in Psychologists’ Professional Interviews

Summary This article considers how decisions are reached in the course of psychologists’ professional interviews. It argues that the interview is far from a simple information gathering process. Based on recent research on the identification of emotional and behavioural difficulties, it examines ways in which psychologists and the people they interview: (a) ‘make sense’ of the information they receive; (b) attempt to influence each other's perception of the nature of the problem.