Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What are the decision-making preferences of patients in vascular surgery? A mixed-methods study

Objectives Shared decision-making (SDM) has been advocated as the preferred method of choosing a suitable treatment option. However, patient involvement in treatment decision-making is not yet common practice in the field of vascular surgery. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to explore patients' decision-making preferences and to investigate which facilitators and barriers patients perceive as important for the application of SDM in vascular surgery. Design and setting Patients were invited to participate after visiting the vascular surgical outpatient clinic of an Academic Medical Center in the Netherlands. A treatment decision was made during the consultation for an abdominal aortic aneurysm or peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Patients filled in a number of questionnaires (quantitative part) and a random subgroup of patients participated in an in-depth interview (qualitative part). Results A total of 67 patients participated in this study. 58 per cent of them (n=39) indicated that they preferred a shared role in decision-making. In more than half of the patients (55%; n=37) their preferred role was in disagreement with what they had experienced. 31 per cent of the patients (n=21) preferred a more active role in the decision-making process than they had experienced. Patients indicated a good patient–doctor relationship as an important facilitator for the application of SDM. Conclusions The vast majority of vascular surgical patients preferred, but did not experience a shared role in the decision-making process, although the concept of SDM was insufficiently clear to some patients. This emphasises the importance of explaining the concept of SDM and implementing it in the clinical encounter.
The VIMOS VLT deep survey - The evolution of galaxy clustering to z 2 from first epoch observations

This paper presents the evolution of the clustering of the main population of galaxies from z=2.1 to z=0.2, from the first epoch VIMOS VLT Deep Survey (VVDS), a magnitude limited sample with 17.5<=I_{AB}<=24. We have computed the correlation functions \\xi(r_p,\\pi) and w_p(r_p), and the correlation length r_0(z), for the VVDS-02h and VVDS-CDFS fields, for a total of 7155 galaxies in a 0.61deg^2 area. We find that the correlation length in this sample stays roughly constant from z=0.5 to z=1.1, with r_0(z)=2.5-2.8 h^{-1} Mpc (comoving), for galaxies comparable in luminosity to the local 2dFGRS and SDSS samples, indicating that the amplitude of the correlation function was ~2.5x lower at z~1 than observed locally. The correlation length in our lowest redshift bin z=[0.2,0.5] is r_0=2.4 h^{-1} Mpc, lower than for any other population at the same redshift, indicating the low clustering of very low luminosity galaxies, 1.5 magnitudes fainter than in the 2dFGRS or SDSS. The correlation length is increasing to r_0~3.0 h^{-1} Mpc at higher redshifts z=[1.3,2.1], as we are observing increasingly brighter galaxies, comparable to galaxies with MB_AB=-20.5 locally. We compare our measurement to the DEEP2 measurements in the range z=[0.7,1.35] \\citep{coil} on the population selected applying the same magnitude and color selection criteria as in their survey, and find comparable results. The slowly varying clustering of VVDS galaxies as redshift increases is markedly different from the predicted evolution of the clustering of dark matter, indicating that bright galaxies are already tracing the large scale structures emerging from the dark matter distribution 9-10 billion years ago, a supporting evidence for a strong evolution of the galaxy vs. dark matter bias.
Observable invariant measures.

For continuous maps on a compact manifold M, particularly for those that do not preserve the Lebesgue measure m, we define the observable invariant probability measures as a generalization of the physical measures. We prove that any continuous map has observable measures, and characterize those that are physical in terms of the observability. We prove that there exist physical measures whose basins cover Lebesgue a.e, if and only if the set of all observable measures is finite or infinite numerable. We define for any continuous map, its generalized attractors using the set of observable invariant measures where there is no physical measure, and prove that any continuous map defines a decomposition of the space in up to infinitely many generalized attractors whose basins cover Lebesgue a.e. We apply the results to the C 1 expanding maps f in the circle, proving that the set of all observable measures (even if f is not C 1+� ) is a subset of the set of all the equilibrium states of −logjf 0 j.
Down-regulation of c-Met and Bcl2 by microRNA-206, activates apoptosis, and inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration and colony formation

Hsa-miRNA-206 (miR-206), highly expressed in skeletal muscle, has recently been discovered to have anticancer properties in different tissues. However, the role of miR-206 on lung cancer is still ambiguous. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-206 on the development of lung cancer. The results indicated that miR-206 expression was suppressed in lung cancer tissues and very low levels were found in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLS) cell liness. Transient transfection of miR-206 into cultured A549 and SK-MES-1 cells led to significant decrease in cell growth, migration, invasion and colony formation, and promoted cell apoptosis. Using bioinformatics, we identified putative miR-206 binding sites within the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of the human c-Met and Bcl2 mRNA. The expression of c-Met and Bcl2 proteins were shown to be down-regulated after treated with miR-206 by subsequent Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis. Conversely, up-regulation of c-Met and Bcl2 were confirmed in tissue samples of human lung cancer, with its level inversely correlated with miR-206 expression. In addition, miR-206 also decreased the gene expression of MMP-9, CCND1 and CCND2 while increased the gene expression of p57 (Kip2) in A549 and SK-MES-1 cells. Taken together, our results demonstrated that miR-206 suppressed c-Met and Bcl2 expression in NSCLS and could function as a potent tumor suppressor in c-Met/Bcl2-over expressing tumors. Inhibition of miR-206 function could contribute to aberrant cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, leading to NSCLS development.
An example of real time QoE IPTV service estimator

This paper will consider an estimator which includes mathematical modelling of physical channel parameters as information carrier and the weakest links in the telecommunication chain of information transfer. It will also identify necessary physical layer parameters which influence the quality of multimedia service delivery or QoE (Quality of Experience). With the modelling of the above mentioned parameters, the relation between degradations will be defined which appear in the channel between the user and the central telecommunication equipment with domination of one media used for information transfer with certain error probability. Degradations in a physical channel can be noticed by observing the change in values of channel transfer function or the appearance of increased noise. Estimation of QoE IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service is especially necessary during delivery of real time service. In that case the mentioned degradations may appear in any moment and cause a packet loss.
Myosin II ATPase Activity Mediates the Long-Term Potentiation-Induced Exodus of Stable F-Actin Bound by Drebrin A from Dendritic Spines

The neuronal actin-binding protein drebrin A forms a stable structure with F-actin in dendritic spines. NMDA receptor activation causes an exodus of F-actin bound by drebrin A (DA-actin) from dendritic spines, suggesting a pivotal role for DA-actin exodus in synaptic plasticity. We quantitatively assessed the extent of DA-actin localization to spines using the spine-dendrite ratio of drebrin A in cultured hippocampal neurons, and found that (1) chemical long-term potentiation (LTP) stimulation induces rapid DA-actin exodus and subsequent DA-actin re-entry in dendritic spines, (2) Ca2+ influx through NMDA receptors regulates the exodus and the basal accumulation of DA-actin, and (3) the DA-actin exodus is blocked by myosin II ATPase inhibitor, but is not blocked by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) or Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitors. These results indicate that myosin II mediates the interaction between NMDA receptor activation and DA-actin exodus in LTP induction. Furthermore, myosin II seems to be activated by a rapid actin-linked mechanism rather than slow MLC phosphorylation. Thus the myosin-II mediated DA-actin exodus might be an initial event in LTP induction, triggering actin polymerization and spine enlargement.
The Effect of Social Interaction on Flow Experience

Background: Positive psychology aims to broaden positive subjective experiences to an interpersonal level. In order to the further studies on the dynamics of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow experience in an interactive situation, we aimed to support a basic assumption through a well-controlled experiment: if flow in an interactive task is more intense than in a solitary activity. Methods: 80 participants (age: M = 24.06, SD = 6.74) were tested in an experiment with a repeatedmeasures design. They were unfamiliar with each other, and took part in a solitary and a social creativity test as flow induction activities. The effect of the context was tested in this experiment on flow experience measured by a self-reported survey. Results: According to the results, significant difference was found in the intensity of flow: the absorption in the task (t(79)= 4.90, p < . 001, d = . 57) and the total flow score as flow intensity (t(79)= 3.51, p = . 001, d = . 38) was higher in the social situation. Conclusion: In this study we supported that flow in a shared, cooperative activity can be more intense than in solitary situations. We assume that partners can provide feedback for the personbecause of the person-environment interaction, therefore they can influence the intensity of absorption to the flow zone.
Proof that Properly Anticipated Prices Fluctuate Randomly

By positing a rather general stochastic model of price change, I shall deduce a fairly sweeping theorem in which next-period's price differences are shown to be uncorrelated with (if not completely independent of) previous period's price differences. This martingale property of zero expected capital gain will then be replaced by the slightly more general case of a constant mean percentage gain per unit time.
The local, the global, and the creole : ethnic identification, acculturation to global consumer culture, and consumptionscapes

The globalization of the marketplace and how this process is shaping the cultural characteristics of people around the world is arguably the most critical issue facing international marketing managers today. Powerful forces such as capitalism, global communications, marketing, and transnational cosmopolitanism are interacting to dissolve the boundaries across national cultures and economies, and in the eyes of many, accelerating the emergence of a homogeneous 'global consumer culture'. Others have countered that globalization serves to reactivate and strengthen national and ethnic identities; in other words, rather than suppressing cultural differences, globalization may actually promote them. Still others have argued that globalization is reducing the homogeneity of consumer behaviors within countries, while increasing communalities across countries. Despite the widespread discourse on this topic, there is a scarcity of studies that have simultaneously considered both global and local cultural influences on consumer behavior, and a complete lacking of a way for measuring how individuals acquire and become a part of this emerging global consumer culture. This absence is all the more glaring, given that culture exerts the broadest and deepest influence on consumer behavior. The extant acculturation studies have generally focused on culture change occurring within the narrow context of minority-culture ethnic groups (usually immigrants) adapting to the alternative host cultures, and not from the broader perspective of how a deterritorialized, global culture shapes local cultures, consumers, and their behaviors, around the world. The first major contribution of this dissertation concerns the development and validation of a multidimensional scale for the measurement of acculturation to global consumer culture, via a series of qualitative and quantitative studies. The second major contribution is the articulation of theoretical framework for assessing the selective, contextual nature of both global and local cultural influences on an array of consumer values and behaviors. Survey data was gathered from respondents in eight countries to test the proposed model and associated hypotheses. The findings demonstrate that both ethnic identification and global-culture acculturation are multidimensional, selective, and contextual processes, in that the acquisition of new cultural characteristics and the maintenance or loss of traditional ones varies from trait to trait and from situation to situation
Use of endogenous, stable lead isotopes to determine release of lead from the skeleton.

The stable lead isotope methodology can be used to study the release of lead from bone into the circulation because of its potential to distinguish circulatory lead from "older" and isotopically different skeletal lead that may have been accumulated years or decades earlier. Here we report the initial results from a larger ongoing study that evaluates the skeleton as a source of lead to the circulation in environmentally exposed human subjects. Lead concentrations and stable lead isotopic compositions were measured in blood and trabecular bone samples obtained from five patients who underwent total hip or knee joint replacement. All subjects contained low blood (1-6 micrograms/dl) and bone (0.6-7 micrograms/g dry weight) lead concentrations typical of environmentally exposed individuals. There were relatively large differences in the lead isotopic compositions between the paired blood and bone samples from each subject. These isotopic differences are attributed to differences in the lead isotopic compositions of past versus current lead exposures and to the long elimination half-life of lead in the skeleton compared to lead in the circulation. Based on these data, we determined that the skeleton contributed 40-70% of the lead in the blood of these subjects. This initial study demonstrates the utility of the stable lead isotope methodology for investigating the release of lead from the skeleton. It also shows that the skeleton can be an important endogenous source of lead exposure in environmentally exposed humans. ImagesFigure 1.Figure 2. AFigure 2. BFigure 3.
Effect of osteopontin on TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA in chondrocytes of human knee osteoarthritis in vitro

Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) regulate the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and enzymes from the a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin motifs family in osteoarthritis (OA). Elevated osteopontin (OPN) levels in plasma, synovial fluid and articular cartilage are associated with progressive OA joint damage; however, the role of OPN in the pathological changes of knee OA remains undetermined. The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of OPN on the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA in chondrocytes from 16 patients with knee OA. In this study, following the stimulation of human chondrocytes with recombinant human OPN (rhOPN; 100 ng/ml and 1 μg/ml, respectively) for 48 h, MTT assay was used to determine cell viability while the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the alterations in TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 levels. The results illustrated that neither 100 ng/ml nor 1 μg/ml rhOPN caused cytotoxicity or apoptosis of chondrocytes and that the relative mRNA expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 was significantly increased in the 1 μg/ml rhOPN group compared with that in the control group (P=0.022 and P=0.003, respectively). However, no significant difference in expression was revealed between the 100 ng/ml rhOPN and control groups (P=0.998 and P=0.209, respectively). In conclusion, OPN may have a protective effect against pathological changes in advanced-stage OA.
Expansion of CD133-positive glioma cells in recurrent de novo glioblastomas after radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

OBJECT Recent evidence suggests that a glioma stem cell subpopulation may determine the biological behavior of tumors, including resistance to therapy. To investigate this hypothesis, the authors examined varying grades of gliomas for stem cell marker expressions and histopathological changes between primary and recurrent tumors. METHODS Tumor samples were collected during surgery from 70 patients with varying grades of gliomas (Grade II in 12 patients, Grade III in 16, and Grade IV in 42) prior to any adjuvant treatment. The samples were subjected to immunohistochemistry for MIB-1, factor VIII, GFAP, and stem cell markers (CD133 and nestin). Histopathological changes were compared between primary and recurrent tumors in 31 patients after radiation treatment and chemotherapy, including high-dose irradiation with additional stereotactic radiosurgery. RESULTS CD133 expression on glioma cells was confined to de novo glioblastomas but was not observed in lower-grade gliomas. In de novo glioblastomas, the mean percentage of CD133-positive glioma cells in sections obtained at recurrence was 12.2% ± 10.3%, which was significantly higher than that obtained at the primary surgery (1.08% ± 1.78%). CD133 and Ki 67 dual-positive glioma cells were significantly increased in recurrent de novo glioblastomas as compared with those in primary tumors (14.5% ± 6.67% vs 2.16% ± 2.60%, respectively). In contrast, secondary glioblastomas rarely expressed CD133 antigen even after malignant progression following radiotherapy and chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The authors' results indicate that CD133-positive glioma stem cells could survive, change to a proliferative cancer stem cell phenotype, and cause recurrence in cases with de novo glioblastomas after radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Determinants of Academic Startups’ Orientation toward International Business Expansion

This study explores the determinants of academic startups’ orientation toward international business expansion, focusing on their technological capabilities, availability of public support, the regional characteristics of their locations, and the research standards of their parent universities. Using unique survey data on 448 academic startups in Japan and by estimating an ordered logit model, we find that academic startups are strongly oriented toward expanding their businesses internationally if they have strong technological capabilities, receive public support, are established in regions with a high ratio of exporting small firms, or are affiliated with a parent university with an excellent research reputation.
Wal-Mart, Oligopsony Power and Entry: an Analysis of Local Labor Markets

Wal-Mart, the largest retailer worldwide, has been suspected of exercising market power over input providers, both merchandise suppliers and workers. However, in spite of a growing body of literature investigating the beneficial economic impact of the company through its price-lowering effect, research analyzing the company’s economic impact over input suppliers is limited. This paper presents a general framework which can be used to investigate Wal-Mart’s market power over input suppliers, vis-a-vis a variation in input productivity, focusing on homogenous intermediate goods supplied locally. The model is general enough to account for incumbents’ reaction to Wal-Mart’s entry resulting in exit, entry and changes in the production technology. A simplified version of the theoretical model is tested using data on local labor markets. Preliminary results show Wal-Mart having a wage lowering effect due mainly to the increased productivity of labor, while the increase in oligopsony power counts only for 15% of such effect.
Early Hierarchical Formation of Massive Galaxies Triggered by Interactions

To address the problem concerning the early formation of stars in massive galaxies, we present the results of a semianalytic model of galaxy formation that includes a physical description of starbursts triggered by galaxy interactions. These originate from the destabilization of cold galactic gas that occurs in galaxy encounters, which in part feeds the accretion onto black holes that powers quasars and in part drives circumnuclear starbursts at redshifts z ≈ 2-4, preferentially in massive objects. This speeds up the formation of stars in massive galaxies at high redshifts without altering it in low-mass galactic halos. Thus, at intermediate z, ≈1.5-2, we find that a considerable fraction of the stellar content of massive galaxies is already in place, at variance with the predictions of previous hierarchical models. The resulting high-z star formation rate and B-band luminosity functions and the luminosity and redshift distribution of galaxies in the K band at z ≲ 2 are all in good agreement with the existing observations concerning the bright galaxy population.
Multiple Spectral Peak Tracking for Heart Rate Monitoring from Photoplethysmography Signal During Intensive Physical Exercise

We propose a multiple initialization based spectral peak tracking (MISPT) technique for heart rate monitoring from photoplethysmography (PPG) signal. MISPT is applied on the PPG signal after removing the motion artifact using an adaptive noise cancellation filter. MISPT yields several estimates of the heart rate trajectory from the spectrogram of the denoised PPG signal which are finally combined using a novel measure called trajectory strength. Multiple initializations help in correcting erroneous heart rate trajectories unlike the typical SPT which uses only single initialization. Experiments on the PPG data from 12 subjects recorded during intensive physical exercise show that the MISPT based heart rate monitoring indeed yields a better heart rate estimate compared to the SPT with single initialization. On the 12 datasets MISPT results in an average absolute error of 1.11 BPM which is lower than 1.28 BPM obtained by the state-of-the-art online heart rate monitoring algorithm.
Activity-Based Protein Profiling Reveals Mitochondrial Oxidative Enzyme Impairment and Restoration in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

High-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity and concomitant development of insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus have been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. However, it is not clear whether mitochondrial dysfunction is a direct effect of a HFD, or if mitochondrial function is reduced with increased HFD duration. We hypothesized that the function of mitochondrial oxidative and lipid metabolism functions in skeletal muscle mitochondria for HFD mice are similar, or elevated, relative to standard diet (SD) mice; thereby, IR is neither cause nor consequence of mitochondrial dysfunction. We applied a chemical probe approach to identify functionally reactive ATPases and nucleotide-binding proteins in mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscle of C57Bl/6J mice fed HFD or SD chow for 2-, 8-, or 16-weeks; feeding time points known to induce IR. A total of 293 probe-labeled proteins were identified by mass spectrometry-based proteomics, of which 54 differed in abundance between HFD and SD mice. We found proteins associated with the TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and lipid metabolism were altered in function when comparing SD to HFD fed mice at 2-weeks, however by 16-weeks HFD mice had TCA cycle, β-oxidation, and respiratory chain function at levels similar to or higher than SD mice.