Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between MDR1 C3435T polymorphism and colorectal cancer risk

Background: The multidrug resistance gene 1(MDR1) C3435T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in Asians, however the results were inconsistent. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to generate large-scale evidence on the association between C3435T polymorphism and CRC risk in Asian populations. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, and Chinese Biomedicine databases were searched up to January 15, 2017. The odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated by a fixed-effects or random-effects model. Sensitivity and cumulative meta-analysis were also performed. Results: A total of 7 studies involving 4818 individuals were included in this pooled-analysis. The results suggested that persons carrying a T allele at the C3435T polymorphism had a significantly decreased risk of CRC in Asian population (T vs C: OR = 0.897, 95%CI = 0.826–0.975, P = .01), and the significant association was also observed in another 2 genetic models (TT vs CC: OR = 0.721, 95%CI = 0.605–0.861, P < .001; TT vs TC+CC: OR = 0.679, 95%CI = 0.579–0.795, P < .001). Moreover, the results of sensitivity and cumulative meta-analysis indicated the stable of our results. Finally, funnel plot and Egger's test showed no evidence of publication bias. Conclusions: In summary, this meta-analysis provided evidence that MDR1 C3435T polymorphism is associated with a decreased risk of CRC in Asian population.
Protein changes in response to progressive water deficit in maize . Quantitative variation and polypeptide identification

Three-week-old plants of two unrelated lines of maize (Zea mays L.) and their hybrid were submitted to progressive water stress for 10 d. Changes induced in leaf proteins were studied by two-dimensional electrophoresis and quantitatively analyzed using image analysis. Seventy-eight proteins out of a total of 413 showed a significant quantitative variation (increase or decrease), with 38 of them exhibiting a different expression in the two genotypes. Eleven proteins that increased by a factor of 1.3 to 5 in stressed plants and 8 proteins detected only in stressed plants were selected for internal amino acid microsequencing, and by similarity search 16 were found to be closely related to previously reported proteins. In addition to proteins already known to be involved in the response to water stress (e.g. RAB17 [Responsive to ABA]), several enzymes involved in basic metabolic cellular pathways such as glycolysis and the Krebs cycle (e.g. enolase and triose phosphate isomerase) were identified, as well as several others, including caffeate O-methyltransferase, the induction of which could be related to lignification.
Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channels on the Flagellum Control Ca2+ Entry into Sperm

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are key elements of cGMP- and cAMP-signaling pathways in vertebrate photoreceptor cells and in olfactory sensory neurons, respectively. These channels form heterooligomeric complexes composed of at least two distinct subunits (α and β). The α subunit of cone photoreceptors is also present in mammalian sperm. Here we identify one short and several long less abundant transcripts of β subunits in testis. The α and β subunits are expressed in a characteristic temporal and spatial pattern in sperm and precursor cells. In mature sperm, the α subunit is observed along the entire flagellum, whereas the short β subunit is restricted to the principal piece of the flagellum. These findings suggest that different forms of CNG channels coexist in the flagellum. Confocal microscopy in conjunction with the Ca2+ indicator Fluo-3 shows that the CNG channels serve as a Ca2+ entry pathway that responds more sensitively to cGMP than to cAMP. Assuming that CNG channel subtypes differ in their Ca2+ permeability, dissimilar localization of α and β subunits may give rise to a pattern of Ca2+ microdomains along the flagellum, thereby providing the structural basis for control of flagellar bending waves.
Transmitted-reference UWB systems using weighted autocorrelation receivers

The application of a fractionally sampled autocorrelation receiver (AcR) is proposed for the demodulation of transmitted-reference (TR) signals, to simplify synchronization and suppress nonlinear intra-symbol-interference and inter-symbol-interference (ISI) by means of linear weighting. A system model is presented for the TR system and its statistical properties are derived, taking into account both noise and ISI. The weighting coefficients are computed in closed form and a method is presented to compute the bit error probability. Multiple ultra-wideband TR systems are compared, which differ with respect to correlation lag, bandwidth, sampling rate, and bit rate. In the absence of ISI, a 250-MHz bandwidth system outperforms the larger bandwidth systems. On the other hand, the larger bandwidth systems are found to be inherently less sensitive to ISI. Furthermore, increasing the fractional sampling ratio is shown to enable the AcR to equalize more (nonlinear) ISI.
Changes in microsomal activity in alcoholism and obesity.

BACKGROUND Liver damage is more prevalent among obese alcoholics, and cytochrome P-4502E1(CYP2E1) induction is involved in its pathogenesis. OBJECTIVES The study was undertaken to assess microsomal function, in alcoholic and nonalcoholic male subjects with different body compositions, through pharmacokinetics of chlorzoxazone (CLZ). We also intended to study the relationship between CLZ hydroxylation and urinary levels of 8-hydroxydiguanosine, and between CLZ levels and liver histology. METHODS Serial measurements of CLZ serum concentration, after a 750 mg dose, were performed in 17 alcoholics (9 normal weight and 8 obese) and 21 nonalcoholic subjects (10 normal weight and 11 obese). Concentration of 6-hydroxy-chlorzoxazone (6-OH-CLZ) was determined at the second hour. Anthropometry, clinical laboratory tests, and urinary 8-hydroxydiguanosine concentrations were measured. Liver biopsies were performed in alcoholics. RESULTS Five biopsies revealed severe lesions, one in normal-weight and four in obese patients (p = NS). Area under the curve (AUC) of CLZ was higher in normal-weight controls compared with the rest of the groups (ANOVA p = 0.001). This parameter correlated negatively with adiposity in nonalcoholic subjects and did not correlate with liver histology. 6-OH-CLZ/CLZ ratio was lower in normal-weight controls, compared with obese subjects and normal-weight alcoholics (p = 0.02). Both alcoholism and obesity were included as predictors of CLZ AUC in a multiple regression analysis. The two-factor ANOVA showed an additive effect of centripetal body fat distribution and alcoholism. Urinary 8-hydroxydiguanosine levels were extremely variable. CONCLUSIONS Centripetal adiposity and alcoholism are associated with induction of CYP2E1. This may explain the higher prevalence of liver damage among obese alcoholics and also nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Fairness and redistribution

Different beliefs about the fairness of social competition and what determines income inequality influence the redistributive policy chosen in a society. But the composition of income in equilibrium depends on tax policies. We show how the interaction between social beliefs and welfare policies may lead to multiple equilibria or multiple steady states. If a society believes that individual effort determines income, and that all have a right to enjoy the fruits of their effort, it will choose low redistribution and low taxes. In equilibrium, effort will be high and the role of luck will be limited, in which case market outcomes will be relatively fair and social beliefs will be self-fulfilled. If, instead, a society believes that luck, birth, connections, and/or corruption determine wealth, it will levy high taxes, thus distorting allocations and making these beliefs self-sustained as well. These insights may help explain the cross-country variation in perceptions about income inequality and choices of redistributive policies.
Do Attempts to Improve Respondent Attention Increase Social Desirability Bias

In response to concerns about survey satisficing, social scientists have started to include “instructional manipulation checks” (IMCs) in lab- and survey-based questionnaires. IMCs are effective at identifying satisficers, but there are disadvantages with discarding data from people who fail an IMC. Warning messages represent an alternative strategy because they are designed to increase respondent attention. Yet there has been little systematic examination of the effect of warnings on responses to other questions in a survey. We argue that warning messages designed to increase respondent attention may also induce people to provide socially desirable answers. Data from two randomized experiments administered in the spring and summer of 2012 provide some support for this claim. We consider the implications for questionnaire design and describe ongoing work that extends our initial findings.
The Enneagram : predicting consistent condom use among female sex workers

Given the lack of effective vaccine or medicine, changing an individual's risk behaviours has been crucial in preventing the spread of HIV. Consistent and correct condom use has been considered as the most effective form of HIV prevention among female sex workers. Despite coordinated national level interventions over the last decade, a consistent decline in condom use among female sex workers has been evidenced in the Ethiopian context, particularly with non-paying partners. Thus far, no study has been produced that has illustrated major determinants of consistent condom use among female sex workers which would help in developing effective intervention strategies for the prevention of HIV spread in the country. In other countries, the Information, Motivation and Behaviour (IMB) model has been used to identify individual level determents of condom use. However, the researcher postulated that behaviour emanating from the personality structure of individuals could be the fundamental individual level determents of adherence to condom use and chose to investigate this using the Enneagram theory of personality, which was acknowledged for its heuristic value in explaining and enhancing self-development of at-risk individuals. This crosssectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa. With the Without Finite Population Correction of the Sample Size Estimation Formula, the sample size of 350 was set and participants were recruited using Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS). Using trained female sex workers, the Essential Enneagram Test (EET) and an InformationMotivation-Behaviour (IMB) questionnaire were administered to collect data. General Linear Modeling (GLM) Multivariate analysis was carried out to assess the correlation between personality style and consistent condom use among participants in the last seven days before the interview. The finding of this study revealed that personality type, measured by the Essential Enneagram Test (EET), is able to predict adherence to condom use among female sex workers and provided a new dimension for policy
A European phylogeography of Rhinanthus minor compared to Rhinanthus angustifolius: unexpected splits and signs of hybridization

Rhinanthus minor and Rhinanthus angustifolius (Orobanchaceae) are annual hemiparasites, which occur sympatrically in Europe and are known to hybridize. We studied chloroplast and nuclear (amplified fragment length polymorphism [AFLP]) diversity in R. minor and compared genetic structuring in this species with R. angustifolius by analyzing the AFLP data for both species simultaneously. The AFLP data revealed that populations in Italy, Greece, and southeast Russia initially identified as R. minor were so distant from the other R. minor populations that they probably belong to another, yet unidentified taxon, and we refer to them as Rhinanthus sp. R. minor s.s. showed a clear geographic genetic structure in both the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and nuclear genome. The simultaneous analysis of both species shed new light on the previously published findings for R. angustifolius, because some populations now turned out to belong to R. minor. The admixture analysis revealed very few individuals of mixed R. minor–R.angustifolius ancestry in the natural populations in the west of Europe, while admixture levels were higher in the east. The combined haplotype network showed that haplotype H1 was shared among all species and is likely to be ancestral. H2 was more abundant in R. angustifolius and H3 in R. minor, and the latter probably arose from H1 in this species in the east of Europe. The occurrence of H3 in R. angustifolius may be explained by introgression from R. minor, but without interspecific admixture, these are likely to have been old hybridization events. Our study underlines the importance of including related species in phylogeographic studies.
A depletion approach to influence techniques : analyzing the psychological effects of social influence techniques

Social influence techniques are characterized by sequential requests: at least one initial request precedes a target request, which is of real interest to the persuader. Explanations for the effectiveness of the techniques point to the heuristically based decision making. But why do we use heuristics to make decisions in these short encounters? In three studies we investigated the role of mindlessness and ego-depletion in the process that leads consumers from initial requests to a target request. Based on Baumeister's statement that multiple decision moments lead to depletion (2002) we assume that the sequential requests of influence techniques result in depletion as well. Depletion, we assume, is a mediating link between influence techniques and compliance. We took personality characteristics into account to test if these moderate the effect of influence technique on compliance. Our studies did not straightforward support our assumptions, but they did confirm that ego-depletion plays a certain role in the process. the exact role is unclear, further research is needed to give more insight into this matter.
Structural Model of Head Start Classroom Quality

The purpose of this research study was to develop, test, and validate a model that attempts to identify the characteristics and beliefs of Head Start teachers and teacher aides, and the classroom structural dimensions that are associated with Head Start classroom quality. In preparation for building this structural model, five components of classroom quality as defined by the Assessment Profile for Early Childhood Programs: Research Version were analyzed to determine whether they hold together as a latent Construct.
So sweet, so sour: A commentary on the Nigerian High Court's decision in Georgina Ahamefule v Imperial Hospital & Another relating to the rights of persons living with HIV

The purpose of this article is to assess the decision of the Nigerian High Court in the Ahamefule case. While the case would seem to be a victory for people living with HIV in the country, it left some important questions unanswered. First, the article gives the facts of the case and the Court's decision. It then questions the reasoning of the Court in this case. The article argues that the decision merely gives people living with HIV false hope in realising their rights. It argues further that, apart from the fact that the decision lacks in-depth analysis, it also misses a great opportunity to address an important issue relating to the right to non-discrimination of people living with HIV. The article concludes by arguing that the supposed 'sweet victory' in the Ahamefule case has left 'a sour taste' in our mouths, since it does not in the true sense advance the rights of people living with HIV in the country.
Researching Admissions: What Can We Learn about Selection of Applicants from Findings about Students in Difficulty on a Social Work Programme?

This paper explores the findings of a small‐scale empirical study of social work admissions data. It is designed to be exploratory in nature and used to illustrate key themes discussed in a previous paper. The study has been designed as a comparator to a Canadian study with the aim of building upon their findings within the current UK/England context. The research examines the relationship between applicants' pre‐admission information and their subsequent performance on the programme. Data relating to a sample of students and available at the pre‐admission stage (from application forms and interviewer report forms) and data relating to students on the programme who had been identified (by faculty) as having difficulties in one or more areas of their learning, are compared to a sample of those not identified as having experienced such problems. The two groups (total sample size = 150) are drawn from one university in southern England and comprise students from both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Methodological issues are critically analysed and findings are explored and compared to that of the Canadian study. Key themes regarding the seemingly complex relationships between performance on the programme and academic background, extent of previous experience and a range of other factors are discussed and examined in relation to other available literature. Implications are explored in relation to current practice and development needs within social work education.
Antiparasitic activity of diallyl trisulfide (Dasuansu) on human and animal pathogenic protozoa (Trypanosoma sp., Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia) in vitro.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) and one of its major components, allicin, have been known to have antibacterial and antifungal activity for a long time. Diallyl trisulfide is a chemically stable final transformation product of allicin which was synthesized in 1981 in China and used for treatment of bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections in man. The activity of diallyl trisulfide was investigated in several important protozoan parasites in vitro. The IC50 (concentration which inhibits metabolism or growth of parasites by 50%) for Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T.b. rhodesiense, T.b. gambiense, T. evansi, T. congolense and T. equiperdum was in the range of 0.8-5.5 micrograms/ml. IC50 values were 59 micrograms/ml for Entamoeba histolytica and 14 micrograms/ml for Giardia lamblia. The cytotoxicity of the compound was evaluated on two fibroblast cell lines (MASEF, Mastomys natalensis embryo fibroblast and HEFL-12, human embryo fibroblast) in vitro. The maximum tolerated concentration for both cell lines was 25 micrograms/ml. The results indicate that the compound has potential to be used for treatment of several human and animal parasitic diseases.
Morphometry of megakaryocytes in the liver of New Zealand white rabbits during intrauterine and postnatal development

The hepatic megakaryocytic cells of New Zealand White rabbit in the intrauterine phase and in the immediate postnatal period were studied. Statistical analysis of the data concerning the cytoplasm and nucleus of those cells, i.e., area, perimeter, maximum diameter, minimum diameter, volume and shape factor, presented significant differences (p<0.01) for F values concerning the life phases studied on15th, 22nd and 29th day of intrauterine life and 10th day of postnatal life, and for F values for animal within each phase. The Tukeys test showed that most of the parameters studied in the cytoplasm and nucleus of these megakaryocytic cells presented the lowest values on the 15th day of intrauterine life and the highest on the 22nd day of the same phase.
Mother's Work History in the Construction of Adult Daughter's Worker-Mother Discursive Strategies

Abstract This study explores how adult daughters perceive their mothers' worker-mother identities and compares these perceptions to their own worker-mother identities. Interviews were conducted with 98 mothers, stratified by employment status, with one or more children under the age of five. Results indicate that adult daughters reflect on their mothers' worker-mother identities when constructing their own maternal identities. Adult daughters' narratives revealed discursive strategies of identification with, reaction against, appropriation, and transcendence of their mothers' mothering ideologies.
Sexism and stereotypes in modern society : the gender science of Janet Taylor Spence

An Overview of Research on Gender - Four Themes From Three Decades The Many Facets of Janet Taylor Spence - a Developmental Perspective on Gender Effects and Gender Stereotypes A Shifting Standards Perspective on the Complexity of Gender Stereotypes and Gender Stereotyping Multidimensionality of Gender Schemas -Implications for the Development of Gender Related Characteristics Psychological Interventions Designed to Counter Sexism Among Children - Empirical Limitations and Theoretical Foundations Linking Gender to Educational, Occupational and Recreational Choices - Applying the Eccles et al Model of Achievement-Related Choices Sexism and Other Isms - Independence, Status and the Ambivalent Content of Stereotypes - Gender and Self Esteem - a Meta-Analysis Thirty Years of Gender Research - a Personal Chronicle.
Control of the width of active Western Antarctic Siple Coast ice streams by internal melting at their margins

We examine, and find evidence to support, the hypothesis that the width of Siple Coast ice streams in West Antarctica is set by the development of significant internal melting (i.e., development of temperate ice conditions) within the ice sheet at the margins. We first illustrate, from published ice sheet deformation data and from simple 1-D thermal modeling based on temperature-dependent flow and conduction properties, that most existing Siple Coast ice stream margins are in a state of partial melt, with temperate ice being present over a substantial fraction of the sheet thickness. We show that, although the margins sustain high lateral strain rates, they can support (and hence transmit to the cold ridges) notably less lateral shear stress than would the somewhat less rapidly deforming ice located inboard, away from the ridge. We then propose, and quantify approximately, a possible related mechanism of margin formation, that is, of locking the sheet to the bed at the margin. Shear heating of the temperate ice continually generates melt, which percolates toward the bed below. If this develops a channelized marginal drainage of Röthlisberger type, the standard theory argues that the high, nearly lithostatic, basal pore pressure elsewhere (i.e., near the bed within the fast moving stream) is somewhat alleviated within the channel. This results in a higher Terzaghi effective normal stress, which we quantify approximately, acting along the bed near the channel, thereby creating high resistance against frictional shear and possibly locking the ice to the bed, naturally forming an ice stream margin. Our estimates are that the effective normal stress acting on the bed just outside such a channel, and hence the till shear strength, can be twenty to sixty times larger than that inferred to be present at the bed within the fast-moving stream. Reduced basal fluid pressure, and hence enhanced strength, over a broad region near the margin is shown sufficient to remove the strong stress concentration at the slipping to locked bed transition, and provides a stabilizing mechanism for the margin.