Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid Prenatal Diagnosis of Aneuploidies in Uncultured Amniocytes by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization

Objective: A new method in prenatal diagnostics allows to demonstrate certain numeric chromosomal aneuploidies in amniotic cells within 24 h in contrast to conventional methods which take 1–3 weeks. Materials: The experience with this rapid fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method is compared to standard karyotyping and its clinical relevance is described in a large clinical pilot study. FISH on uncultured amniocytes has been performed from 12 weeks of gestation to the third trimester using commercially available chromosome-specific DNA probes for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y. Results: FISH was performed successfully in 3,150 prenatal cases. All trisomies 13, 18 and 21 and all cases with gonosomal aberrations were detected by FISH analysis. Neither false-positive nor false-negative results were obtained using FISH. For all analyzable disorders the FISH results were in complete agreement with standard cytogenetics. Conclusions: In our experience, FISH is a valuable and reliable method for rapid diagnosis of numeric chromosomal aneuploidies.
Questions and Concerns about the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers

The Miller Assessment for Preschoolers (MAP) is a developmental test, a stated purpose of which is to identify children at risk for future school-related problems. In this article we call attention to ambiguities and omissions in previous reviews of three longitudinal studies that evaluated the MAP's predictive accuracy. A closer look at the original studies reveals that the test displays unacceptably high error rates in predicting members of the target population. We conclude that the MAP has not been validated for its intended purpose. Professional practitioners are urged to evaluate whether claims of test validity meet the standards of scientific evidence.
Internal Partitions of Regular Graphs

An internal partition of an n‐vertex graph G=(V,E) is a partition of V such that every vertex has at least as many neighbors in its own part as in the other part. It has been conjectured that every d‐regular graph with n>N(d) vertices has an internal partition. Here we prove this for d=6 . The case d=n−4 is of particular interest and leads to interesting new open problems on cubic graphs. We also provide new lower bounds on N(d) and find new families of graphs with no internal partitions. Weighted versions of these problems are considered as well.
Electronic Commerce: Definition, Theory, and Context

Electronic commerce is a relatively new concept that crept into the business vocabulary during the 1970s. A picture of electronic commerce is emerging in which the Internet will become the essential dial-tone for conducting business by the year 2000. This contribution addresses definitional, theoretical and contextual issues including the nature, drivers, enablers, and the magnitude of electronic commerce. The author discusses the role of electronic markets, the effects of information technology on electronic commerce, interactivity, and the evolution of disintermediation to reintermediation. A definition and typology of electronic commerce are offered. Theoretical and conceptual approaches to electronic commerce are advanced in terms of (1) transaction cost theory, (2) marketing, (3) diffusion, (4) information retrieval, and (5) strategic networking. Lastly, the author poses the question of how electronic commerce adds value.
A Meta-Analytic Assessment of the Predictive Validity of the Quantitative and Verbal Components of the Graduate Record Examination with Graduate Grade Point Average Representing the Criterion of Graduate Success

A meta-analytic review was conducted on published studies examining the relationship between performance on the quantitative and verbal components of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE-Q and GRE-V, respectively) and graduate grade point average (GGPA). The weighted average effect sizes (d) for GRE-Q and GRE-V were . 445 and . 591, respectively, and their resultant correlation coefficients were . 22 (GRE-Q and GGPA) and . 28 (GRE-V and GGPA), p = n.s. Thus an average of 6.3% of the variance in graduate level academic achievement, as represented by GGPA, was accounted for by performance on the GRE-Q and GRE-V. The utility of this examination in the graduate admissions process is discussed.
The Joint Development of Traditional Bullying and Victimization With Cyber Bullying and Victimization in Adolescence

The present study investigated the stabilities of and interrelationships among traditional (i.e., face-to-face) bullying, traditional victimhood, cyber bullying, and cyber victimhood among adolescents over time. About 1,700 adolescents aged 11–16 years at Time 1 self-reported levels of both bullying and victimization in four contexts (in school, outside of school, texting, and on-line) annually for 2 years. Results indicated that all four dynamics were moderately stable over time. The following variables were found to bidirectionally reinforce and predict each other over time: traditional bullying and traditional victimization; traditional bullying and cyber bullying; and traditional victimization and cyber victimization. These results indicate that bullying and victimhood in both face-to-face and cyber-based interactions are related but not identical interpersonal dynamics.
News sourcing and gender on Twitter

Traditional news sourcing practices that favor official, male voices have been widely documented over time and across media. But do these patterns persist in today’s social media environment, where women outnumber and spend more time than men? This study explores news sourcing and gender on Twitter by analyzing more than 2700 tweets from reporters at 51 US newspapers. Guided by hegemony and set within the framework of social networking technology, the research examines quoting practices and interaction with sources by gender, beat, newspaper size, and live coverage. The analyzed tweets show a severe underrepresentation of women in quotes, indicating perpetuation of the status quo. The data also suggest a conformity mechanism may be at work in larger newspapers, where female reporters quoted fewer women than their counterparts in smaller news organizations. But at the same time, the research offers evidence that both male and female reporters are using the technology to engage with a more diverse community via @mentions and to share conversations by retweeting those messages to their networks.
The Human Prefrontal and Parietal Association Cortices Are Involved in NO-GO Performances: An Event-Related fMRI Study

One of the important roles of the prefrontal cortex is inhibition of movement. We applied an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique to observe changes in fMRI signals of the entire brain during a GO/NO-GO task to identify the functional fields activated in relation to the NO-GO decision. Eleven normal subjects participated in the study, which consisted of a random series of 30 GO and 30 NO-GO trials. The subjects were instructed to press a mouse button immediately after the GO signal was presented. However, they were instructed not to move when the NO-GO signal was presented. We detected significant changes in MR signals in relation to the preparation phases, GO responses, and NO-GO responses. The activation fields related to the NO-GO responses were located in the bilateral middle frontal cortices, left dorsal premotor area, left posterior intraparietal cortices, and right occipitotemporal area. The fields of activation in relation to the GO responses were found in the left primary sensorimotor, right cerebellar anterior lobule, bilateral thalamus, and the area from the anterior cingulate to the supplementary motor area (SMA). Brain activations related to the preparation phases were identified in the left dorsal premotor, left lateral occipital, right ventral premotor, right fusiform, and the area from the anterior cingulate to the SMA. The results indicate that brain networks consisting of the bilateral prefrontal, intraparietal, and occipitotemporal cortices may play an important role in executing a NO-GO response.
Effects of Accentuated Eccentric Resistance Training on Concentric Knee Extensor Strength

This study tested the hypothesis that concentric resistance exercise along with an accentuated eccentric load would elicit greater increases in concentric strength than training with a similar amount of resistance for concentric and nonaccen-tuated eccentric muscle actions. Pre- and posttraining concentric one repetition max (1-RM) of the left knee extensors was used to measure strength in 28 untrained young men and women. Resistance for concentric and eccentric muscle actions was a constant external torque initially set at 80% of the concentric 1-RM for subjects in the Con/Ecc group. Resistance for the eccentric component of the Con/Ecc+ group was 40% greater than their concentric resistance. Both groups trained with one set of 8–12 unilateral repetitions (3 sec concentric, 3 sec eccentric) to muscular fatigue twice a week for 10 weeks on a Cybex 6000 dynamometer. There were significant increases in concentric knee extensor torque in both groups, with no significant difference between groups. The results suggest there is no significant further enhancement of maximal concentric torque from training with an accentuated eccentric resistance in previously untrained persons.
Whom Can You Trust? The Politics of ‘Grassing’ on an Inner City Housing Estate

This paper derives from an ongoing research project concerned to explore how people living in, going to work in, attending school in, high crime areas manage their routine daily lives. It focuses on one of our research areas in which we argue that the question of the ‘fear of crime’ is much better understood through an appreciation of how the question of trust manifests itself in that community. In other words, whom you trust, when, and by how much, mediate the way in which people living in this area manage their routine daily lives and within that their sense of security.
Conscious wants and self-awareness

Voluntary acts are preceded by electrophysiological "readiness potentials" (RPs). With spontaneous acts involving no preplanning, the main negative RP shift begins at about —550 ms. Such RPs were used to indicate the minimum onset times for the cerebral activity that precedes a fully endogenous voluntary act. The time of conscious intention to act was obtained from the subject's recall of the spatial clock position of a revolving spot at the time of his initial awareness of intending or wanting to move (W). W occurred at about -200 ms. Control experiments, in which a skin stimulus was timed (S), helped evaluate each subject's error in reporting the clock times for awareness of any perceived event. For spontaneous voluntary acts, RP onset preceded the uncorrected Ws by about 350 ms and the Ws corrected for S by about 400 ms. The direction of this difference was consistent and significant throughout, regardless of which of several measures of RP onset or W were used. It was concluded that cerebral initiation of a spontaneous voluntary act begins unconsciously. However, it was found that the final decision to act could still be consciously controlled during the 150 ms or so remaining after the specific conscious intention appears. Subjects can in fact "veto" motor performance during a 100-200-ms period before a prearranged time to act. The role of conscious will would be not to initiate a specific voluntary act but rather to select and control volitional outcome. It is proposed that conscious will can function in a permissive fashion, either to permit or to prevent the motor implementation of the intention to act that arises unconsciously. Alternatively, there may be the need for a conscious activation or triggering, without which the final motor output would not follow the unconscious cerebral initiating and preparatory processes.
Central Nervous System Concentrations of Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors in Humans

Background:Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)–selective inhibitors (coxibs) are under investigation for the potential therapy, attenuation, or prevention of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. Coxibs are also a significant advance in pain therapy and are traditionally considered to achieve analgesia via peripheral effects. However, in animals, central nervous system (CNS) COX-2 activity and prostanoid concentrations are increased by peripheral inflammation, central sensitization has been proposed to account for long-term pain-related phenomena, and coxibs achieve significant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations and may cause analgesia via CNS action. Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether or which coxibs reach the CNS in humans. This investigation determined whether coxibs can reach the CNS in humans, based on CSF concentrations. Methods:Ten healthy human volunteers simultaneously received a single oral dose of celecoxib (200 mg), rofecoxib (50 mg), and valdecoxib (40 mg). Blood and CSF were serially sampled for 10 h, and plasma total and unbound and CSF coxib concentrations were quantified by mass spectrometry. Results:Total plasma concentrations and time to maximum plasma concentration were similar among the three coxibs. In contrast, unbound (free) plasma concentrations differed significantly. Maximum unbound plasma concentrations were 1.4 ± 0.5, 42 ± 17, and 6.0 ± 2.9 ng/ml, respectively, for celecoxib, rofecoxib, and valdecoxib. COX-2 inhibitors rapidly penetrated the CNS. Maximum CSF concentrations were 2 ± 2, 57 ± 25, and 10 ± 4 ng/ml, respectively, for celecoxib, rofecoxib, and valdecoxib. CSF concentrations exceeding the median inhibitory concentration for COX-2 were achieved by rofecoxib and valdecoxib but not celecoxib. Conclusions:These results show that coxibs do reach the CNS in humans, with rapid penetration, and in concentrations apparently sufficient to inhibit COX-2 activity. There were significant differences among coxibs in CSF penetration. Unbound (free) plasma coxib concentration was the major determinant of CSF concentration. This supports the hypothesis that coxibs may act, in part, in the human CNS, provide important new information on the mechanism and treatment of pain and may guide coxib selection for therapeutic trials when CNS penetration is desirable.
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenomic modelling of the CYP3A activity marker 4β-hydroxycholesterol during efavirenz treatment and efavirenz/rifampicin co-treatment.

OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of the major efavirenz metabolizing enzyme (CYP2B6) genotype and the effects of rifampicin co-treatment on induction of CYP3A by efavirenz. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two study arms (arm 1, n = 41 and arm 2, n = 21) were recruited into this study. In arm 1, cholesterol and 4β-hydroxycholesterol were measured in HIV treatment-naive patients at baseline and then at 4 and 16 weeks after initiation of efavirenz-based antiretroviral therapy. In arm 2, cholesterol and 4β-hydroxycholesterol were measured among patients taking efavirenz during rifampicin-based tuberculosis (TB) treatment (efavirenz/rifampicin) just before completion of TB treatment and then serially following completion of TB treatment (efavirenz alone). Non-linear mixed-effect modelling was performed. RESULTS A one-compartment, enzyme turnover model described 4β-hydroxycholesterol kinetics adequately. Efavirenz treatment in arm 1 resulted in 1.74 (relative standard error = 15%), 3.3 (relative standard error = 33.1%) and 4.0 (relative standard error = 37.1%) average fold induction of CYP3A for extensive (CYP2B6*1/*1), intermediate (CYP2B6*1/*6) and slow (CYP2B6*6/*6) efavirenz metabolizers, respectively. The rate constant of 4β-hydroxycholesterol formation [mean (95% CI)] just before completion of TB treatment [efavirenz/rifampicin co-treatment, 7.40 × 10(-7) h(-1) (5.5 × 10(-7)-1.0 × 10(-6))] was significantly higher than that calculated 8 weeks after completion [efavirenz alone, 4.50 × 10(-7) h(-1) (4.40 × 10(-7)-4.52 × 10(-7))]. The CYP3A induction dropped to 62% of its maximum by week 8 of completion. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that efavirenz induction of CYP3A is influenced by CYP2B6 genetic polymorphisms and that efavirenz/rifampicin co-treatment results in higher induction than efavirenz alone.
Targeting Inhibition of SmpB by Peptide Aptamer Attenuates the Virulence to Protect Zebrafish against Aeromonas veronii Infection

Aeromonas veronii is an important pathogen of aquatic animals, wherein Small protein B (SmpB) is required for pathogenesis by functioning as both a component in stalled-ribosome rescue and a transcription factor in upregulation of virulence gene bvgS expression. Here a specific peptide aptamer PA-1 was selected from peptide aptamer library by bacterial two-hybrid system employing pBT-SmpB as bait. The binding affinity between SmpB and PA-1 was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The key amino acids of SmpB that interact with PA-1 were identified. After PA-1 was introduced into A. veronii, the engineered strain designated as A. veronii (pN-PA-1) was more sensitive and grew slower under salt stress in comparison with wild type, as the disruption of SmpB by PA-1 resulted in significant transcription reductions of virulence-related genes. Consistent with these observations, A. veronii (pN-PA-1) was severely attenuated in model organism zebrafish, and vaccination of zebrafish with A. veronii (pN-PA-1) induced a strong antibody response. The vaccinated zebrafish were well protected against subsequent lethal challenges with virulent parental strain. Collectively, we propose that targeting inhibition of SmpB by peptide aptamer PA-1 possesses the desired qualities for a live attenuated vaccine against pathogenic A. veronii.
Further Evidence Regarding Weighted Versus Unweighted Scoring of Examinations

Training for citizenship, the participation and growth of the student in the community life of the campus, is an important part of women’s education. The trend has been for the school systems to take charge of the child at an earlier age and for a longer period of time and to absorb more and more of the areas previously covered through family life in the home. Arts and crafts, manners and morals, and the spiritual and emotional life tend to be centered more and more in the schools, with the family serving as a cooperative agency. Indiana University receives its women students almost wholly from the public rather than the private school system and from the upper middle, middle, and even the lower middle classes. These students hope to achieve social ease and prestige; their parents want them to acquire the wholesome attitudes and the old-fashioned discipline which the family life of the current decades no longer gives them. Their cbmmunities need citizens with sophistication and maturity, with understanding of social and civic problems and with high standards for their personal and their public lives.
Role of Wnt/β‐Catenin Signaling in Epithelial Differentiation of Lung Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that stem cells have the ability to repair the lung tissue injuries following either injection of cultured cells or bone marrow transplantation. As a result, increasing attention has focused on the lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (LR‐MSCs) for repairing damaged lung tissues. Meanwhile, some studies have revealed that Wnt/β‐catenin signaling plays an important role in the epithelial differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the current study, our aim was to explore the roles of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling on cell proliferation and epithelial differentiation of LR‐MSCs. We have successfully isolated the stem cell antigen (Sca)‐1+CD45−CD31− cells which were proposed to be LR‐MSCs by magnetic‐activated cell sorting (MACS). Furthermore, we demonstrated the expression of epithelial markers on LR‐MSCs following indirect co‐culture of these cells with alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells, confirming the epithelial phenotype of LR‐MSCs following co‐culture. In order to clarify the regulatory mechanisms of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in epithelial differentiation of LR‐MSCs, we measured the protein levels of several important members involved in Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in the presence or absence of some canonical activators and inhibitors of the β‐catenin pathways. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Wnt/β‐catenin signaling may be an essential mechanism underlying the regulation of epithelial differentiation of LR‐MSCs. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1532–1539, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Service User and Carer Involvement in Role-plays to Assess Readiness for Practice

Service user and carer involvement in social work education is now well established since its inception as a compulsory requirement in the social work curriculum in the United Kingdom in 2003. Since then, there have been many examples of how such involvement has been approached by education providers. Nevertheless, one of the key obstacles and challenges in this field continues to centre on the need to achieve non-tokenistic user involvement which cements the engagement of service users and carers at the heart of social work education. This paper describes one such initiative where service user and carer colleagues in a university in Northern Ireland have been actively involved in the assessment of first year social work students' preparation for their first period of practice learning. The paper presents the background to this initiative explaining how the project unfolded; the detailed preparations that were involved and the evidence gathered from evaluations undertaken with the students, service users and carers, and academic colleagues who were all involved. We believe that the findings from this project can contribute to the advancement of existing knowledge in the field in exploring and recommending creative methodologies for user involvement in social work education.
Anatomical basis of sun compass navigation I: The general layout of the monarch butterfly brain

Each fall, eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) use a time‐compensated sun compass to migrate to their overwintering grounds in central Mexico. The sun compass mechanism involves the neural integration of skylight cues with timing information from circadian clocks to maintain a constant heading. The neuronal substrates for the necessary interactions between compass neurons in the central complex, a prominent structure of the central brain, and circadian clocks are largely unknown. To begin to unravel these neural substrates, we performed 3D reconstructions of all neuropils of the monarch brain based on anti‐synapsin labeling. Our work characterizes 21 well‐defined neuropils (19 paired, 2 unpaired), as well as all synaptic regions between the more classically defined neuropils. We also studied the internal organization of all major neuropils on brain sections, using immunocytochemical stainings against synapsin, serotonin, and γ‐aminobutyric acid. Special emphasis was placed on describing the neuroarchitecture of sun‐compass‐related brain regions and outlining their homologies to other migratory species. In addition to finding many general anatomical similarities to other insects, interspecies comparison also revealed several features that appear unique to the monarch brain. These distinctive features were especially apparent in the visual system and the mushroom body. Overall, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the brain anatomy of the monarch butterfly that will ultimately aid our understanding of the neuronal processes governing animal migration. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:1599–1628, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.