Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) in diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome – a new insight

Abstract Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder and cause of androgen excess in women. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) could be a new marker of hyperandrogenism in PCOS. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the concentration PSA (total PSA - TPSA and free PSA - fPSA) in 165 patients with PCOS and 40 healthy female controls, the relationship between PSA (TPSA and fPSA) and hormonal parameters and to determine the performance of PSA in diagnosis of PCOS. Results: Total PSA was higher in PCOS group versus controls. The fPSA was below the lower detection levels among all patients. The median value of FAI was 4.31 in PCOS patients versus 1.79 in controls, p < 0.001. There was a correlation of TPSA and tT (r= 0.173, p = 0.027) and TPSA and FAI (r = 0.2603, p = 0.001). AUC for FAI was 82.1%, threshold 2.56 nmol/l, for tT AUC 80.5%, threshold 0.54 ng/ml, for TPSA AUC 66.3%, threshold 0.005 ng/ml. The ROC analysis for A AUC 62.7%, threshold 3.95 ng/ml. Conclusion: PCOS women have higher serum concentration of TPSA than controls. TPSA positively correlate with T and FAI, which is the best marker for hyperandrogenic states and has better accuracy for tT and total PSA serum levels in diagnostic of PCOS.
Cancer across the tree of life: cooperation and cheating in multicellularity

Multicellularity is characterized by cooperation among cells for the development, maintenance and reproduction of the multicellular organism. Cancer can be viewed as cheating within this cooperative multicellular system. Complex multicellularity, and the cooperation underlying it, has evolved independently multiple times. We review the existing literature on cancer and cancer-like phenomena across life, not only focusing on complex multicellularity but also reviewing cancer-like phenomena across the tree of life more broadly. We find that cancer is characterized by a breakdown of the central features of cooperation that characterize multicellularity, including cheating in proliferation inhibition, cell death, division of labour, resource allocation and extracellular environment maintenance (which we term the five foundations of multicellularity). Cheating on division of labour, exhibited by a lack of differentiation and disorganized cell masses, has been observed in all forms of multicellularity. This suggests that deregulation of differentiation is a fundamental and universal aspect of carcinogenesis that may be underappreciated in cancer biology. Understanding cancer as a breakdown of multicellular cooperation provides novel insights into cancer hallmarks and suggests a set of assays and biomarkers that can be applied across species and characterize the fundamental requirements for generating a cancer.
A Collaborative Quiz as an Opportunity for Self- and Other-Correction: Another Look at L2 Errors

Research has found that, during speaking activities, instances of students’ collaborative repair are most often lexicon-focused. Collaborative writing tasks have been credited with the potential to force students to confront broad issues, such as content and register, along with more narrow lexical and morphological choices. The present study explores interactions among 20 learners in an intermediate, university-level Spanish course, as they collaborated on a small group quiz. The study reports the frequency of students’ error correction types, both self- and other-initiated, and analyzes the focus of their negotiations. Moreover, the investigation highlights this type of classroom assessment as an opportunity for learners to determine where linguistic difficulties lie and address them.La recherche a montré que durant les activités orales, les ajustements apportés en collaboration par les étudiants concernent le plus souvent le vocabulaire. Aussi on a vu la tâche d’écriture en équipe comme un moyen de forcer les élèves à confronter des questions générales, comme le contenu et le registre, en même temps que des choix plus précis concernant le lexique et la morphologie. L’étude présentée ici porte sur les interactions de 20 apprenants d’espagnol d’un cours universitaire de niveau intermédiaire tandis qu’ils répondent en petits groupes à un questionnaire. On y rapporte la fréquence des types de corrections apportées par les étudiants à leurs réponses et à celles des autres, et l’on y analyse l’élément central de leurs négociations. L’étude souligne également que ce genre d’évaluation en classe est une bonne occasion pour les apprenants de pointer précisément les difficultés linguistiques et de leur trouver des solutions.
The Polyphenol Chlorogenic Acid Attenuates UVB-mediated Oxidative Stress in Human HaCaT Keratinocytes

We investigated the protective effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA), a polyphenol compound, on oxidative damage induced by UVB exposure on human HaCaT cells. In a cell-free system, CGA scavenged 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals, superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet B (UVB). Furthermore, CGA absorbed electromagnetic radiation in the UVB range (280–320 nm). UVB exposure resulted in damage to cellular DNA, as demonstrated in a comet assay; pre-treatment of cells with CGA prior to UVB irradiation prevented DNA damage and increased cell viability. Furthermore, CGA pre-treatment prevented or ameliorated apoptosis-related changes in UVB-exposed cells, including the formation of apoptotic bodies, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, and alterations in the levels of the apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3. Our findings suggest that CGA protects cells from oxidative stress induced by UVB radiation.
Education Alone is not the Answer: The Specter of Right-Wing Authoritarianism for Criminal Justice Majors at Three Institutions

There have been a number of studies of right-wing authoritarian (RWA) attitudes among criminal justice majors and nonmajors. The prevailing supposition is that the attainment of higher levels of education reduces the negative traits associated with authoritarianism. A major assumption is that such improvements will occur regardless of the type of academic environment where the student is enrolled. This study examines whether educational attainment has the same impact on authoritarianism for criminal justice majors at a military academy, predominantly Caucasian rural teaching college, and a historically black college (HBCU). The results indicate RWA was highest for majors attending the military college. Moreover, unlike the findings for the teaching college and HBCU, RWA scores did not significantly decrease for seniors at the military college. This paper discusses whether differences in the organizational environment across the academic institutions explain the results.
Why Leaders Can't Lead: The Unconscious Conspiracy Continues

Part One: The Unconscious Conspiracy and How to Confound It 1. One Job, One Year, One Life 2. Learning Some Basic Truisms About Leadership 3. The New Metaphysics of Our Age Part Two: A Society Without Dreams 4. The Long Slide from True Leadership 5. Back to the Future 6. The Age of Unreality 7. Where Have All the Leaders Gone? Part Three: Parts of the Problem 8. Bosses as Heroes and Celebrities 9. When There Are Too Many Chiefs 10. Bottom-Line Obsessions 11. Untapped Human Capital 12. The Perils of Accord 13. The Pornography of Leadership 14. When Winning Is Losing 15. The Name of the Game Is Greed Part Four: Parts of the Solution 16. Leading to Make a Difference 17. A Bright Future for Complexity 18. Letting Virtues Shine Through 19. Quitting on Principle 20. Canceling the Doppelgajnger Effect 21. Leader Power That No One Has 22. Avoiding Disaster During Periods of Change 23. Dealing with the Way Things Are.
Exudates as a fallback food for Callimico goeldii

Fallback foods have been defined as resources for which a species has evolved specific masticatory and digestive adaptations, and are consumed principally when preferred foods are scarce. In the present field investigation, we examine fungi, fruit, and exudate consumption in one group of Callimico goeldii in order to determine the importance of exudates as a fallback food for this species. Based on a total of 1,198 hr of quantitative behavioral data collected between mid‐November 2002–August 2003, we found that pod exudates of Parkia velutina accounted for 19% of callimico feeding time in the dry season. This resource was not consumed in the wet season when fruits and fungi were the most common items in the diet. In the dry season of 2005 (July), the same callimico study group did not consume Parkia pod exudates. Instead, the group ate exudates obtained from holes gouged in tree trunks by pygmy marmosets and exudates resulting from natural weathering and insect damage on trunks, roots, and lianas. Pod exudates are reported to contain greater amounts of readily available energy than do trunk and root exudates, and were consumed throughout all periods of the day, particularly in the late afternoon. Trunk and root exudates were consumed principally in the morning. We propose that digestive adaptations of the hindgut, which enable callimicos to exploit fungi (a resource high in structural carbohydrates) year‐round, predispose them to efficiently exploit and process exudates as fallback foods when other resources, such as ripe fruits, are scarce. Am. J. Primatol. 71:120–129, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Engineering the alternative oxidase gene to better understand and counteract mitochondrial defects: state of the art and perspectives

Mitochondrial disorders are nowadays recognized as impinging on most areas of medicine. They include specific and widespread organ involvement, including both tissue degeneration and tumour formation. Despite the spectacular progresses made in the identification of their underlying molecular basis, effective therapy remains a distant goal. Our still rudimentary understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms by which these diseases arise constitutes an obstacle to developing any rational treatments. In this context, the idea of using a heterologous gene, encoding a supplemental oxidase otherwise absent from mammals, potentially bypassing the defective portion of the respiratory chain, was proposed more than 10 years ago. The recent progress made in the expression of the alternative oxidase in a wide range of biological systems and disease conditions reveals great potential benefit, considering the broad impact of mitochondrial diseases. This review addresses the state of the art and the perspectives that can be now envisaged by using this strategy.
Formation of Long-Term Memory Representation in Human Temporal Cortex Related to Pictorial Paired Associates

It is widely held that long-term memory gradually develops in the temporal neocortex after initial memory encoding into the hippocampus. However, little is known as to whether and where long-term memory can be newly created in the human temporal neocortex. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we detected brain activity in the temporal neocortex that was developed ∼8 weeks after study of unfamiliar pictorial paired associates. Two sets of paired Fourier figures were studied, one ∼8 weeks before test and the other immediately before test, keeping the correct performance during the tests balanced across the two sets of stimuli. Significant signal increase was observed in the right hippocampus during retrieval of newly studied pairs relative to initially studied pairs. In contrast, significant signal increase was observed in the anterior temporal cortex during retrieval of initially studied pairs relative to newly studied pairs. The greater activity during retrieval of older memory developed in the temporal neocortex provides direct evidence of formation of temporal neocortical representation for stable long-term memory.
Senses of Selves: Adult Intermediate Readers' Identity, Agency, and Literacy Learning in an Adult Basic Education Setting

The purpose of this interpretive study was to build upon research conducted with other adult learner populations to explore the perceptions of adult intermediate readers participating in an Adult Basic Education program. Of particular interest, and unique to this study, was a focus on how these readers attributed relevance to the reading-related instruction they experienced as part of the adult education and parent education components of a family literacy program. Reading-related instruction was defined as any program activity, whether inside or outside the classroom, that 1) involved reading written text and/or 2) included any communicative act (e.g., discussion, presentation, writing, drawing) about a written text. This exploratory, interpretive study drew from a practice theory of identity transformation (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998) and sociocultural perspectives on literacy (Street, 1984, 2003; Barton & Hamilton, 1998; Gee 1996, 2000, 2005) to investigate how three adult intermediate readers attributed relevance in terms of the identity work guiding their participation in the program and their understandings of reading and the role it played in their lives. Employing a multiple-case study design (Miles & Huberman, 1994), I studied three women in a rural community in the Appalachian foothills. Data was collected over a nine-month period and included individual interviews, group interviews, classroom observations, a Reading Diary, and program information for each learner. Key findings include: 1) pairs of current identities and pursued identities worked together to spur participation in the adult basic education program; 2) these identities were impacted most heavily by positional attributions related to being an Educated Person, which required at a minimum having a high school diploma; 3) participants' past and current out-of-school reading practices influenced greatly their perceptions of themselves as readers prior to entering class, but once in class, their in-school practices led them to refine their self-evaluations; 4) participants' out-of-school reading practices and associated cultural model of reading were substantively different from those related to in-school reading. The study concluded that the participants accessed four key reference points to attribute relevance to reading-related instruction: future senses of selves that had spurred enrollment in the program; "stepping stones" that were required in order to realize their pursued identities; current identities; and self-evaluations of their participation in current reading practices (and thus the felt need to improve their reading). Attributions of relevance were filtered through considerations of time, what counts, connections to specific life contexts, and cross-identity impact. This study complements intervention studies involving adult intermediate readers, offering insights into how reading instruction for adult intermediate readers might be shaped in ways that are valued by and are beneficial to learners.
Using Activity Theory as an Analytic Lens for Examining Technology Professional Development in Schools

In this study, I examined a professional development program for integrating technology into school. The primary purpose of this study was to answer the following question: How did the participation of teachers in a year-long professional development program affect the transformation of newly introduced artifacts into cultural tools in the teachers' activity setting? To address this question, I examined the effects of the professional development program on participant teachers, nonparticipant teachers, and others in the school districts. I went about this by using activity theory (Engeström,1987) as an analytic lens to gain a historical understanding of the developments initiated as a result of interactions that took place between the participant teachers and the professional development.
Developing Chaos on Base of Traveling Waves in a Chain of Coupled oscillators with Period-Doubling: Synchronization and Hierarchy of Multistability Formation

The work is devoted to the analysis of dynamics of traveling waves in a chain of self-oscillators with period-doubling route to chaos. As a model we use a ring of Chua's circuits symmetrically coupled via a resistor. We consider how complicated are temporal regimes with parameters changing influences on spatial structures in the chain. We demonstrate that spatial periodicity exists until transition to chaos through period-doubling and tori birth bifurcations of regular regimes. Temporal quasi-periodicity does not induce spatial quasi-periodicity in the ring. After transition to chaos exact spatial periodicity is changed by the spatial periodicity in the average. The periodic spatial structures in the chain are connected with synchronization of oscillations. For quantity researching of the synchronization we propose a measure of chaotic synchronization based on the coherence function and investigate the dependence of the level of synchronization on the strength of coupling and on the chaos developing in the system. We demonstrate that the spatial periodic structure is completely destroyed as a consequence of loss of coherence of oscillations on base frequencies.
Family literacy in Europe: separate agendas?

Family literacy programmes have become increasingly popular with policy‐makers as a means of addressing low levels of adult literacy. It is believed that such initiatives will help to address social exclusion and aid greater economic participation by those in deprived communities or from disadvantaged sectors of society. The growing interest in such initiatives comes at a time of international concern over general levels of literacy, as highlighted by the United Nations literacy decade 2003–2012 and in Europe by the Lisbon Agenda. In this article, which draws on the findings from a cross‐European study of family literacy programmes in England, Ireland and Malta, we argue that disparate agendas characterizse policy and practice. We conclude by considering the implications for the future of family literacy programmes in promoting social inclusion.
Mcm-2 protein expression predicts prognosis better than Ki-67 antigen in oral cavity squamocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The present study aimed at evaluating the expression intensities of the Mcm-2 protein and Ki-67 antigen in squamocellular carcinomas of the oral cavity and comparing their prognostic value. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-nine patients, operated on and treated with radiotherapy for carcinoma of the oral cavity floor and/or the mobile part of the tongue, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS A significant positive correlation was noted between the expression of Mcm-2 protein and that of the Ki-67 antigen, as well as an absence of such correlations with the remaining examined factors. A significant correlation with worse disease-specific survival period (DSS) in the group of patients demonstrating Mcm-2 protein expression in over 10% of cancer cells was detected (5-year cumulative DSS 50% vs. 76%). CONCLUSION The results suggested that the expression of Mcm-2 protein may be used as a prognostic factor in patients with squamocellular carcinoma of the oral cavity.
How opinions are received by online communities: a case study on amazon.com helpfulness votes

There are many on-line settings in which users publicly express opinions. A number of these offer mechanisms for other users to evaluate these opinions; a canonical example is Amazon.com, where reviews come with annotations like "26 of 32 people found the following review helpful. " Opinion evaluation appears in many off-line settings as well, including market research and political campaigns. Reasoning about the evaluation of an opinion is fundamentally different from reasoning about the opinion itself: rather than asking, "What did Y think of X? ", we are asking, "What did Z think of Y's opinion of X? " Here we develop a framework for analyzing and modeling opinion evaluation, using a large-scale collection of Amazon book reviews as a dataset. We find that the perceived helpfulness of a review depends not just on its content but also but also in subtle ways on how the expressed evaluation relates to other evaluations of the same product. As part of our approach, we develop novel methods that take advantage of the phenomenon of review "plagiarism" to control for the effects of text in opinion evaluation, and we provide a simple and natural mathematical model consistent with our findings. Our analysis also allows us to distinguish among the predictions of competing theories from sociology and social psychology, and to discover unexpected differences in the collective opinion-evaluation behavior of user populations from ifferent countries.
Prediction of business failure: a comparison of discriminant and logistic regression analyses

This paper investigates two predictive models of business failure and important financial variables detecting failure potential using the sample of 122 both publicly opened and closed firms from the period of 1999-2007. Discriminant and Logistic Regression Analyses are performed and their predictive accuracy are compared. The results demonstrate that most of the failed firms show the signs of financial distress long before the failure and no statistically significant difference between the prediction results and variable choice of the discriminant and logistic regression analyses.
Neuronal defects in the hindbrain of Hoxa1, Hoxb1 and Hoxb2 mutants reflect regulatory interactions among these Hox genes

Hox genes are instrumental in assigning segmental identity in the developing hindbrain. Auto-, cross- and para-regulatory interactions help establish and maintain their expression. To understand to what extent such regulatory interactions shape neuronal patterning in the hindbrain, we analysed neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation and motoneuron migration in Hoxa1, Hoxb1 and Hoxb2 mutant mice. This comparison revealed that neurogenesis and differentiation of specific neuronal subpopulations in r4 was impaired in a similar fashion in all three mutants, but with different degrees of severity. In the Hoxb1 mutants, neurons derived from the presumptive r4 territory were re-specified towards an r2-like identity. Motoneurons derived from that territory resembled trigeminal motoneurons in both their migration patterns and the expression of molecular markers. Both migrating motoneurons and the resident territory underwent changes consistent with a switch from an r4 to r2 identity. Abnormally migrating motoneurons initially formed ectopic nuclei that were subsequently cleared. Their survival could be prolonged through the introduction of a block in the apoptotic pathway. The Hoxa1 mutant phenotype is consistent with a partial misspecification of the presumptive r4 territory that results from partial Hoxb1 activation. The Hoxb2 mutant phenotype is a hypomorph of the Hoxb1 mutant phenotype, consistent with the overlapping roles of these genes in facial motoneuron specification. Therefore, we have delineated the functional requirements in hindbrain neuronal patterning that follow the establishment of the genetic regulatory hierarchy between Hoxa1, Hoxb1 and Hoxb2.