Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Telomere length is a prognostic biomarker in elderly advanced ovarian cancer patients: a multicenter GINECO study

Purpose Age induces a progressive decline in functional reserve and impacts cancer treatments. Telomere attrition leads to tissue senescence. We tested the hypothesis that telomere length (TL) could predict patient vulnerability and outcome with cancer treatment. Patients and methods An ancillary study in the Elderly Women GINECO Trial 3 was performed to evaluate the impact of geriatric covariates on survival in elderly advanced ovarian cancer patients receiving six cycles of carboplatin. TL was estimated from peripheral blood at inclusion using standard procedures. Results TL (in base pairs) was estimated for 109/111 patients (median 6.1 kb; range [4.5-8.3 kb]). With a cut-off of 5.77 kb, TL discriminated two patient groups, long telomere (LT) and short telomeres (ST), with significantly different treatment completion rates of 0.80 (95%CI [0.71-0.89]) and 0.59 (95%CI [0.41-0.76]), respectively (odds ratio [OR]=2.8, p=0.02). ST patients were at higher risk of serious adverse events (SAE, OR=2.7; p=0.02) and had more unplanned hospital admissions (OR=2.1; p=0.08). After adjustment on FIGO stage, TL shorter than 6 kb was a risk factor of premature death (HR=1.57; p=0.06). Conclusion This exploratory study identifies TL as predictive factor of decreased treatment completion, SAE risk, unplanned hospital admissions and OS after adjustment on FIGO stage.
Measuring the Unmeasurable? Differences in Reflexive Thinking among Polish Students

The paper contains advanced statistical analysis, original methods and a significant contribution to the claim that measurement of reflexivity is possible. It is based on original empirical research using a sample of 334 students from different faculties and educational levels. It utilises a qualitative questionnaire containing a 4-level reflexivity scale, designed by Kember et al. (2000), translated into the Polish language and context. The aim of the study was to identify whether students’ reflexivity levels can be associated with the level of their study, taking into account possible masking effects of their age. Differences were tested for faculty and system of training (full time or part-time). Analysis confirms the strongest relation between reflexive thinking, system of tuition and level of studies. There was no connection found between reflexive thinking and the faculty of study or the respondents’ gender.
Prevalence of theileriosis in cross-bred cattle: its detection through blood smear examination and polymerase chain reaction in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India

Aim: Theileriosis is a major threat to dairy and related industries. Theileria is a protozoan parasite that causes theileriosis, a fatal disease. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of theileriosis in crossbred cattle belonging to Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. Materials and Methods: We screened 301 blood samples each month from apparently normal/healthy crossbred cattle from various locations of Dehradun district. Samples were tested using Giemsa's staining technique and specific PCR test. Result: Microscopic examination of blood smears revealed 27.2% (82) overall prevalence of theileriosis. The highest prevalence was found in rainy season with a prevalence rate 45.4%. By Theileria genus specific PCR test, 98 samples (32.5 %) were found to be positive for theileriosis. Conclusion: Our study suggests that theileriosis is spreading to even the temperate region in Uttarakhand and immediate screening norms/policies are needed to reduce the extent of spread. There is a need for further investigation using molecular technique.
a-Stratified Multistage Computerized Adaptive Testing with b Blocking

Chang & Ying’s (1999) computerized adaptive testing item-selection procedure stratifies the item bank according to a parameter values and requires b parameter values to be evenly distributed across all strata. Thus, a and b parameter values must be incorporated into how strata are formed. A refinement is proposed, based on Weiss’ (1973) stratification of items according to b values. Simulation studies using a retired item bank of a Graduate Record Examination test indicate that the new approach improved control of item exposure rates and reduced mean squared errors.
Cops, robbers, and threatening skeletons: padded decomposition for minor-free graphs

We prove that any graph excluding Kr as a minor has can be partitioned into clusters of diameter at most Δ while removing at most O(r/Δ) fraction of the edges. This improves over the results of Fakcharoenphol and Talwar, who building on the work of Klein, Plotkin and Rao gave a partitioning that required to remove O(r2/Δ) fraction of the edges. Our result is obtained by a new approach that relates the topological properties (excluding a minor) of a graph to its geometric properties (the induced shortest path metric). Specifically, we show that techniques used by Andreae in his investigation of the cops and robbers game on graphs excluding a fixed minor, can be used to construct padded decompositions of the metrics induced by such graphs. In particular, we get probabilistic partitions with padding parameter O(r) and strong-diameter partitions with padding parameter O(r2) for Kr-free graphs, O(k) for treewidth-k graphs, and O(log g) for graphs with genus g.
Roles of the Primate Motor Thalamus in the Generation of Antisaccades

In response to changes in our environment, we select from possible actions depending on the given situation. The underlying neural mechanisms for this flexible behavioral control have been examined using the antisaccade paradigm. In this task, subjects suppress saccades to the sudden appearance of visual stimuli (prosaccade) and make a saccade in the opposite direction. Because recent imaging studies showed enhanced activity in the thalamus and basal ganglia during antisaccades, we hypothesized that the corticobasal ganglia loop may be involved. To test this, we recorded from neurons in the paralaminar part of the ventroanterior (VA), ventrolateral (VL) and mediodorsal (MD) nuclei of the thalamus when 3 monkeys performed pro/antisaccade tasks. For many VL and some VA neurons, the firing rate was greater during anti- than prosaccades. In contrast, neurons in the MD thalamus showed much variety of responses. For the population as a whole, neuronal activity in the VA/VL thalamus was strongly enhanced during antisaccades compared with prosaccades, while activity in the MD nucleus was not. Inactivation of the VA/VL thalamus resulted in an increase in the number of error trials in the antisaccade tasks, indicating that signals in the motor thalamus play roles in the generation of antisaccades. Enhancement of firing modulation during antisaccades found in the thalamus and those reported previously in the supplementary eye field and the basal ganglia suggest a strong functional linkage between these structures. The neuronal processes through the thalamocortical pathways might be essential for the volitional control of saccades.
Isolating the Modulatory Effect of Expectation on Pain Transmission: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

We use a novel balanced experimental design to specifically investigate brain mechanisms underlying the modulating effect of expected pain intensity on afferent nociceptive processing and pain perception. We used two visual cues, each conditioned to one of two noxious thermal stimuli [∼48°C (high) or 47°C (low)]. The visual cues were presented just before and during application of the noxious thermal stimulus. Subjects reported significantly higher pain when the noxious stimulus was preceded by the high-intensity visual cue. To control for expectancy effects, for one-half of the runs, the noxious thermal stimuli were accompanied by the cue conditioned to the other stimulus. Comparing functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygenation level-dependent activations produced by the high and low thermal stimulus intensities presented with the high-intensity visual cue showed significant activations in nociceptive regions of the thalamus, second somatosensory cortex, and insular cortex. To isolate the effect of expectancy, we compared activations produced by the two visual cues presented with the high-intensity noxious thermal stimulus; this showed significant differences in the ipsilateral caudal anterior cingulate cortex, the head of the caudate, cerebellum, and the contralateral nucleus cuneiformis (nCF). We propose that pain intensity expectancy modulates activations produced by noxious stimuli through a distinct modulatory network that converges with afferent nociceptive input in the nCF.
Reality versus rhetoric: Assessing the efficacy of third-party hate crime reporting centres

The underreporting of hate crime is recognised as problematic for jurisdictions across Europe and beyond. Within the UK, the landmark inquiry report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence 25 years ago has seen governments faithfully adhering to a policy of promoting the increased reporting of hate crime. An enduring legacy of the inquiry, third-party reporting centres (TPRCs) have been equally faithfully promoted as the primary vehicle for achieving such increases. While the nations of the United Kingdom have pioneered the development of TPRCs, their function and form have been adopted in other jurisdictions, including Victoria, Australia. Nevertheless, despite their reliance on TPRCs, policymakers have given limited attention to their efficacy. The evidence from a plethora of small scale studies has consistently found that TPRCs have been limited by public awareness, capability, capacity and poor oversight difficulties. Responding to these long-standing problems, the authors have developed the first ‘TPRC assessment tool’ which offers a diagnostic facility to improve effectiveness. This paper describes the development and piloting of this tool and highlights its potential to inform policy and practice both in the UK and internationally, providing an original contribution to the limited evidence base around third-party reporting.
Discovery of Glucocorticoid Receptor-β in Mice with a Role in Metabolism

Glucocorticoid hormones control diverse physiological processes, including metabolism and immunity, by activating the major glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoform, GRα. However, humans express an alternative isoform, human (h)GRβ, that acts as an inhibitor of hGRα to produce a state of glucocorticoid resistance. Indeed, evidence exists that hGRβ contributes to many diseases and resistance to glucocorticoid hormone therapy. However, rigorous testing of the GRβ contribution has not been possible, because rodents, especially mice, are not thought to express the β-isoform. Here, we report expression of GRβ mRNA and protein in the mouse. The mGRβ isoform arises from a distinct alternative splicing mechanism utilizing intron 8, rather than exon 9 as in humans. The splicing event produces a form of β that is similar in structure and functionality to hGRβ. Mouse (m)GRβ has a degenerate C-terminal region that is the same size as hGRβ. Using a variety of newly developed tools, such as a mGRβ-specific antibody and constructs for overexpression and short hairpin RNA knockdown, we demonstrate that mGRβ cannot bind dexamethasone agonist, is inhibitory of mGRα, and is upregulated by inflammatory signals. These properties are the same as reported for hGRβ. Additionally, novel data is presented that mGRβ is involved in metabolism. When murine tissue culture cells are treated with insulin, no effect on mGRα expression was observed, but GRβ was elevated. In mice subjected to fastingrefeeding, a large increase of GRβ was seen in the liver, whereas mGRα was unchanged. This work uncovers the much-needed rodent model of GRβ for investigations of physiology and disease. Human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) is expressed as two major isoforms: hGRα and hGRβ (1,2). Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) control diverse physiological processes (3,4), such as metabolism, immunity/inflammation, development, and behavior. These responses are a direct result of GRα activity as a hormoneactivated transcription factor (5,6). In contrast, the role of GRβ in GC control of physiology is still poorly understood. Most recent studies suggest that GRβ acts PubMed related articles » See reviews. | » See all. PubMed articles by these authors
Postsynaptic Mechanisms Render Syn I/II/III Mice Highly Responsive to Psychostimulants

Abstract Background Synapsins are encoded by SYN I, SYN II, and SYN III, and they regulate neurotransmitter release by maintaining a reserve pool of synaptic vesicles. Methods Presynaptic dopamine responses to cocaine were examined by microdialysis, and postsynaptic responses were evaluated to various dopamine receptor agonists in the open field with SynI/SynII/SynIII triple knockout mice. Results Triple knockout mice showed enhanced spontaneous locomotion in a novel environment and were hyper-responsive to indirect and direct D1 and D2 dopamine agonists. Triple knockout animals appeared sensitized to cocaine upon first open field exposure; sensitization developed across days in wild-type controls. When mutants were preexposed to a novel environment before injection, cocaine-stimulated locomotion was reduced and behavioral sensitization retarded. Baseline dopamine turnover was enhanced in mutants and novel open field exposure increased their striatal dopamine synthesis rates. As KCl-depolarization stimulated comparable dopamine release in both genotypes, their readily releasable pools appeared indistinguishable. Similarly, cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion was indifferent to blockade of newly synthesized dopamine and depletion of releasable dopamine pools. Extracellular dopamine release was similar in wild-type and triple knockout mice preexposed to the open field and given cocaine or placed immediately into the arena following injection. Since motor effects to novelty and psychostimulants depend upon frontocortical-striatal inputs, we inhibited triple knockout medial frontal cortex with GABA agonists. Locomotion was transiently increased in cocaine-injected mutants, while their supersensitive cocaine response to novelty was lost. Conclusions These results reveal presynaptic dopamine release is not indicative of agonist-induced triple knockout hyperlocomotion. Instead, their novelty response occurs primarily through postsynaptic mechanisms and network effects.
Learning helicopter control through "teaching by showing"

A model-free "teaching by showing" methodology is developed to train a fuzzy-neural controller for an autonomous robot helicopter. The controller is generated and tuned using training data gathered while a teacher operates the helicopter. A hierarchical behavior-based control architecture is used, with each behavior implemented as a hybrid fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and general regression neural network controller (GRNNC). The FLCs and GRNNCs are generated through "teaching by showing". The FLCs are built during initial controller generation, remain static once created, and provide coarse control of the helicopter. The GRNNCs are incrementally built and modified whenever the controller does not meet performance criteria, are dynamic, and provide fine control, enhancing the control of the FLCs. The methodology has been successfully applied in simulation and, in the future, will be applied on a radio control model helicopter for real world validation.
The Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal Regulates rhl Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses intercellular signals to control the density-dependent expression of many virulence factors. The las and rhlquorum-sensing systems function, respectively, through the autoinducersN-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone andN-butyryl-l-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), which are known to positively regulate the transcription of the elastase-encoding gene, lasB. Recently, we reported that a second type of intercellular signal is involved in lasB induction. This signal was identified as 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone and designated thePseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). PQS was determined to be part of the quorum-sensing hierarchy since its production and bioactivity depended on the las and rhlquorum-sensing systems, respectively. In order to define the role of PQS in the P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing cascade,lacZ gene fusions were used to determine the effect of PQS on the transcription of the quorum-sensing system geneslasR, lasI, rhlR, andrhlI. We found that in P. aeruginosa, PQS caused a major induction of rhlI′-lacZ and had lesser effects on the transcription of lasR′-lacZ andrhlR′-lacZ. We also observed that the transcription of bothrhlI′-lacZ and lasB′-lacZ was cooperatively effected by C4-HSL and PQS. Additionally, we present data indicating that PQS was not produced maximally until cultures reached the late stationary phase of growth. Taken together, our results imply that PQS acts as a link between the las and rhlquorum-sensing systems and that this signal is not involved in sensing cell density.
Does living in urban or rural settings affect aspects of physical fitness in children? An allometric approach

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate physical fitness in relation to fatness in urban and rural Greek children by means of allometric scaling. Methods: The sample consisted of 360 (189 urban and 171 rural; age 12.3±0.42 years) boys and 247 (125 urban and 122 rural; age 12.3±0.43 years) girls. The sample was highly representative (32–64%) of all 12 year old children registered in the prefecture of Trikala, Greece. All volunteers were assessed for BMI and % body fat, as well as sit and reach, basketball throw (BT), vertical jump (VJ), handgrip strength (HG), 40 m sprint, agility run, and 20 m shuttle run. To correct for possible associations between fatness and fitness, a single cause allometric scaling was employed using the natural logarithms (ln) of fitness parameters that were significantly correlated with the ln body fat. Results: Independent-samples t tests revealed that VJ (p<0.05) was significantly higher in boys living in urban settings compared to their rural counterparts. Similarly, BT was found to be significantly better (p<0.05) in urban girls, whereas HG was significantly higher (p<0.05) in rural girls. Conclusion: Considering that (a) only three out of the 14 possible cases (seven fitness parameters for boys and seven for girls) were significantly different between urban and rural children, and (b) these differences were not uniformly distributed in children living in either urban or rural environments, it is concluded that the place of residence has no clear impact on physical fitness as studied herein.
Mental retardation and cardiovascular malformations in NF1 microdeleted patients point to candidate genes in 17q11.2

Neurofibromatosis type 1 ( NF1 [MIM 162200]) is a common autosomal dominant disorder that affects 1/3500 individuals and is caused by deletion or point mutations of NF1 , a tumour suppressor gene mapping to 17q11.2. Its main features include cafe au lait spots, axillary and inguinal freckling, iris Lisch nodules, neurofibromas, and an increased risk of benign and malignant tumours, particularly optic glioma, neurofibrosarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs),1 and childhood myeloid leukaemia.2 Over 70% of NF1 germline mutations cause truncation or loss of the encoded protein. Approximately 5–20% of all NF1 patients carry a heterozygous deletion of usually 1.5 Mb involving the NF1 gene and contiguous genes lying in its flanking regions,3,4 which is caused by unequal homologous recombination of NF1 repeats (REPs). 5 Known as the “ NF1 microdeletion syndrome,” this condition is often characterised by a more severe phenotype than is observed in the general NF1 group. In particular, NF1 microdeleted patients often show variable facial dysmorphisms, mental retardation, developmental delay, and an excessive number of neurofibromas for age.3,6–12 The severe phenotype of microdeleted patients may be explained by variations in the expression of the genes involved in the rearrangement, which may be caused by different mechanisms, such as gene interruptions, position effects, and decreased gene dosages. Although NF1 microdeleted patients generally have different characteristics from those of classic NF1 patients, it remains difficult to foresee the presence of the deletion at an individual level on the basis of clinical observations. Various studies have reported the clinical characterisation of NF1 deleted patients and the precise extent of the deletion has been characterised in a subset.3–5,13,14 However, no study comparing the incidence of specific clinical signs in NF1 deleted and classical NF1 patients has yet been published. …
A model of investor sentiment 1

Recent empirical research in finance has uncovered two families of pervasive regularities: underreaction of stock prices to news such as earnings announcements, and overreaction of stock prices to a series of good or bad news. In this paper, we present a parsimonious model of investor sentiment, or of how investors form beliefs, which is consistent with the empirical findings. The model is based on psychological evidence and produces both underreaction and overreaction for a wide range of parameter values. ( 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. JEL classification: G12; G14
Expression of CD44 variant proteins in human colorectal cancer is related to tumor progression.

Specific CD44 variant glycoproteins are overexpressed at particular stages of colorectal tumor progression. Some variants of the CD44 glycoprotein without exon v6 sequences appear at the earliest stage of tumorigenesis, i.e., in early adenomas. Expression of variants containing exon v6 sequences is largely restricted to the advanced stages of tumor development and in addition is more prevalent and intense in metastatic (Dukes C/D) than in nonmetastatic (Dukes A/B) carcinomas. The observation that CD44 variants containing a protein domain of CD44 that confers full metastatic potential to rat carcinoma and sarcoma cell lines is increasingly expressed during colorectal tumor progression indicates that this domain may have an important role in tumor progression and metastasis in humans. Information on v6 expression, which can be obtained by routine immunohistochemistry, may prove of important prognostic value, particularly in carcinomas (Dukes A and B) that have not yet given rise to detectable metastases.
Old age allowance program in Nepal.

The Kingdom of Nepal is located between the latitude 26 22” N to 30 27” North and longitude 80 4” E to 88 12” East and elevation ranges from 90 to 8848 kilometres. The country is bordering between the two most populous giants in the world, India in the east, south, west and China in the north. The northern range (Himalaya) is covered with snow throughout the year where the highest peak in the world, the Mount Everest, stands. It accommodates more than 60 caste/ethnic groups. The system of governance consists of a constitutional monarchy where people exercise rights of adult franchise. The executive, legislative and judiciary bodies function and exe rcise their rights independently. There is a two-tier system of legislation; the upper house, called the Rastriya Sabha, consists of 60 members and the lower house, called the Pratinidhi Sabha, is the house of representatives; its members are elected from 205 electoral constituencies which cut across 75 districts of the country and headed by an elected Prime Minister.