Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin: An Independent Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in Acute Kidney Injury

Background: Several recent studies have shown that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) may be a promising biomarker for the early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI), but the role of NGAL in predicting adverse clinical outcomes has not been well addressed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of urine NGAL as outcome predictor in patients with AKI. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study enrolling hospitalized AKI patients. Patients were divided into four groups according to initial urine NGAL excretion quartiles. The primary clinical outcome variables were in-hospital mortality and renal function at 4 weeks. Results: Initial urine NGAL was identified as an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality and persistent loss of renal function. In the analysis of predictive performance of urine NGAL, the AUC was 0.882 and a cutoff value of 298.28 ng/ml predicted loss of renal function with 88.2% sensitivity and 81.0% specificity. Conclusion: This study could suggest that urine NGAL, a new early biomarker might also be served as a reliable clinical outcome predictor in AKI patients.
Prospective Surveillance of Streptococcal Sore Throat in a Tropical Country

Background: Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease cause a high burden of disease in Fiji and surrounding Pacific Island countries, but little is known about the epidemiology of group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis in the region. We designed a study to estimate the prevalence of carriage of beta-hemolytic streptococci (BHS) and the incidence of BHS culture-positive sore throat in school aged children in Fiji. Methods: We conducted twice-weekly prospective surveillance of school children aged 5 to 14 years in 4 schools in Fiji during a 9-month period in 2006, after an initial phase of pharyngeal swabbing to determine the prevalence of BHS carriage. Results: We enrolled 685 children. The prevalence of GAS carriage was 6.0%, while the prevalence of group C streptococcal (GCS) and group G streptococcal (GGS) carriage was 6.9% and 12%, respectively. There were 61 episodes of GAS culture-positive sore throat during the study period equating to an incidence of 14.7 cases per 100 child-years (95% CI, 11.2–18.8). The incidence of GCS/GGS culture-positive sore throat was 28.8 cases per 100 child-years (95% CI, 23.9–34.5). The clinical nature of GAS culture-positive sore throat was more severe than culture-negative sore throat, but overall was mild compared with that found in previous studies. Of the 101 GAS isolates that emm sequence typed there were 45 emm types with no dominant types. There were very few emm types commonly encountered in industrialized nations and only 9 of the 45 emm types found in this study are emm types included in the 26-valent GAS vaccine undergoing clinical trials. Conclusions: GAS culture-positive sore throat was more common than expected. Group C and group G streptococci were frequently isolated in throat cultures, although their contribution to pharyngeal infection is not clear. The molecular epidemiology of pharyngeal GAS in our study differed greatly from that in industrialized nations and this has implications for GAS vaccine clinical research in Fiji and other tropical developing countries.
The issue of statutory minimum wages: Views among Nordic trade unions

Nordic trade unions are known to be sceptical of statutory minimum wages. The peak level organizations are generally against legislation, as they believe that their model of bargaining is preferable. In contrast, trade unions in many other parts of Europe find it necessary with statutory minimum wages to protect all workers and not just the unionized. Legislation can also be considered a way of preventing wage dumping and avoiding poverty. This article explores the attitudes among Nordic trade unions below the central/confederate level. The empirical basis is a survey of a large number of organizations in the five countries. The data show a great deal of scepticism towards statutory minimum wages, but some responding organizations recognize certain benefits. It is concluded that Swedish unions are most sceptical of the possible advantages of legislation, whereas in regard to attributed disadvantages Norwegian but also Danish unions are most inclined to agree. Type of industry and size of the organization are other factors with some impact on attitudes towards statutory minimum wages.
Stability, security, democracy: explaining shifts in the narrative of the European Neighbourhood Policy

Abstract Stability, security and democracy are typically perceived as objectives of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). As a result, scholars usually reflect on their rival or complementary character, debating EU pursuit of interests (stability and security) or values (democracy). This article argues that objectives should also be seen as components of a narrative, which is a product of strategic agency of EU institutions seeking internal legitimacy. While examining key ENP strategy documents, the article identifies two major shifts in the ENP narrative. Whereas literature usually focuses on how narratives are reproduced and sustained when confronted with contestation, this article seeks to explain why actors opt for narrative reconstruction instead of narrative reproduction. The argument stipulates that narrative shifts are related to actors’ legitimacy concerns enhanced by uncertainty and insecurity resulting from internal and external crises.
Clonal divergence in lung cancer development is associated with allelic loss on chromosome 4

Patients who receive curative treatment for lung cancer can develop additional lung tumors that may or may not be related to the original tumor and thus require different clinical management. If a subsequent tumor has a pattern of allele loss, revealed by allelotype analysis, overlapping that of the first tumor, it is believed to be a local recurrence or metastasis. In this case history, we present loss of heterozygosity analyses of the original primary tumor, and two second primary tumors occurring in the ipsilateral and the contra‐lateral lungs. The allelotyping suggests that these tumors are all clonally related but concordance is not complete. Our interpretation is that the original primary tumor and the two new primary tumors have developed to full malignancy independently, but are clonally related, possibly via a clone of motile progenitor cells. Deletion mapping of DNA from biopsies of this patient delineated a region in 4p16 that we had previously shown to be lost in the transition from carcinoma in situ to invasive tumor. We identified a minimally deleted region encompassing six genes including two candidate tumor supprressor genes, CRMP1 a lung cancer metastasis‐suppressing gene and PPP2R2C a gene for a regulatory subunit of the PP2 complex known to suppress tumorigenesis, particularly viral induced transformation. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Learn Locally, Think Globally

Research suggests that variability of exemplars supports successful object categorization; however, the scope of variability’s support at the level of higher-order generalization remains unexplored. Using a longitudinal study, we examined the role of exemplar variability in first- and second-order generalization in the context of nominal-category learning at an early age. Sixteen 18-month-old children were taught 12 categories. Half of the children were taught with sets of highly similar exemplars; the other half were taught with sets of dissimilar, variable exemplars. Participants’ learning and generalization of trained labels and their development of more general word-learning biases were tested. All children were found to have learned labels for trained exemplars, but children trained with variable exemplars generalized to novel exemplars of these categories, developed a discriminating word-learning bias generalizing labels of novel solid objects by shape and labels of nonsolid objects by material, and accelerated in vocabulary acquisition. These findings demonstrate that object variability leads to better abstraction of individual and global category organization, which increases learning outside the laboratory.
Model based analysis of the variation in Korotkoff sound onset time during exercise

In this study, a minimal mathematical model of the cardiovascular system is used to study the effects of changes in arterial compliance and cardiac contractility on the onset time of Korotkoff sounds during an auscultatory procedure. The model provides blood pressure waveforms in the ventricle, the aorta and the brachial artery. From these waveforms, pre-ejection time, pulse propagation time and rise time of the blood pressure at the brachial artery can be computed. The time delay between onset time of ECG Q wave and onset time of Korotkoff sound is the sum of these three times. Rise time is zero and the time delay is minimal when the cuff pressure is slightly above the diastolic pressure. This minimum time delay is represented by QKD. Simulation results suggest that during the Bruce exercise protocol QKD decreases to one-third of its pre-exercise value if the cardiac contractility increases threefold. The effect of arterial compliance is not as significant as that of the cardiac contractility. From data recorded during an exercise test, it is observed that QKD decreases considerably as the test load is increased. We show in this study that the amount of decrease in QKD can be used as an index of the amount of increase in cardiac contractility during an exercise ECG test. Use of signal averaging for reducing the effect of motion artifacts during an exercise test is also shown to be very instrumental for making accurate QKD measurements.
Is the Internet Causing Political Polarization? Evidence from Demographics

We combine nine previously proposed measures to construct an index of political polarization among US adults. We find that the growth in polarization in recent years is largest for the demographic groups least likely to use the internet and social media. For example, our overall index and eight of the nine individual measures show greater increases for those older than 75 than for those aged 18–39. These facts argue against the hypothesis that the internet is a primary driver of rising political polarization.
Animal model of mucosally transmitted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 disease: intravaginal and oral deposition of simian/human immunodeficiency virus in macaques results in systemic infection, elimination of CD4+ T cells, and AIDS

Chimeric simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) consists of the env, vpu, tat, and rev genes of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) on a background of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). We derived a SHIV that caused CD4+ cell loss and AIDS in pig-tailed macaques (S. V. Joag, Z. Li, L. Foresman, E. B. Stephens, L. J. Zhao, I. Adany, D. M. Pinson, H. M. McClure, and O. Narayan, J. Virol. 70:3189-3197, 1996) and used a cell-free stock of this virus (SHIV(KU-1)) to inoculate macaques by the intravaginal route. Macaques developed high virus burdens and severe loss of CD4+ cells within 1 month, even when inoculated with only a single animal infectious dose of the virus by the intravaginal route. The infection was characterized by a burst of virus replication that peaked during the first week following intravenous inoculation and a week later in the intravaginally inoculated animals. Intravaginally inoculated animals died within 6 months, with CD4+ counts of <30/microl in peripheral blood, anemia, weight loss, and opportunistic infections (malaria, toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia). To evaluate the kinetics of virus spread, we inoculated macaques intravaginally and euthanized them after 2, 4, 7, and 15 days postinoculation. In situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry revealed cells expressing viral RNA and protein in the vagina, uterus, and pelvic and mesenteric lymph nodes in the macaque euthanized on day 2. By day 4, virus-infected cells had disseminated to the spleen and thymus, and by day 15, global elimination of CD4+ T cells was in full progress. Kinetics of viral replication and CD4+ loss were similar in an animal inoculated with pathogenic SHIV orally. This provides a sexual-transmission model of human AIDS that can be used to study the pathogenesis of mucosal infection and to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines and drugs directed against HIV-1.
Music via motion: transdomain mapping of motion and sound for interactive performances

This paper presents a framework called Music via Motion (MvM) designed for the transdomain mapping between physical movements of the performer(s) and multimedia events, translating activities from one creative domain to another-for example, from physical gesture to audio output. With a brief background of this domain and prototype designs, the paper describes a number of inter- and multidisciplinary collaborative works for interactive multimedia performances. These include a virtual musical instrument interface, exploring video-based tracking technology to provide an intuitive and nonintrusive musical interface, and sensor-based augmented instrument designs. The paper also describes a distributed multimedia-mapping server which allows multiplatform and multisensory integrations and presents a sample application which integrates a real-time face tracking system. Ongoing developments and plausible future explorations on stage augmentation with virtual and augmented realities as well as gesture analysis on the correlations of musical gesture and physical gesture are also discussed.
Platelet-derived Growth Factor-induced Stabilization of Cyclooxygenase 2 mRNA in Rat Smooth Muscle Cells Requires the c-Src Family of Protein-tyrosine Kinases*

Cyclooxygenases (COXs) are crucial rate-limiting enzymes required for the biosynthesis of prostaglandins. COX-2 is an inducible isoform of this enzyme, which is believed to play important roles in the development of atherosclerotic vascular disease. We found that COX-2 expression rapidly increases in response to various signaling events, including activation of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) pathway. Activation of PDGF receptor (PDGFR) in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells leads to c-Src-dependent stabilization of COX-2 mRNA requiring an AU-rich region within the 3′-untranslated region of this transcript. This regulation correlates with tyrosine phosphorylation of the RNA-associated protein, CUG-binding protein 2 (CUGBP2), which appears to enhance its interaction with COX-2 mRNA. Site-directed mutagenesis of putative tyrosine phosphorylation sites in CUGBP2 identified tyrosine 39 as a c-Src target, and a CUGBP2 with a mutated tyrosine 39 displayed an attenuated ability to bind COX-2 mRNA. We further show that silencing of CUGBP2 with specific small interference RNAs significantly reduces PDGF-dependent induction of COX-2 at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, forced expression of CUGBP2 or constitutively active c-Src leads to stabilization of co-expressed COX-2 mRNA. Finally, in vitro RNA decay assay demonstrates that CUGBP2 is functionally required for the stabilization of COX-2 mRNA. Therefore, our data suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of CUGBP2 is an important underlying mechanism for the ability of PDGFR/c-Src signaling to control the stability of COX-2 mRNA.
Pentadactyl pattern of the avian wing autopodium and pyramid reduction hypothesis.

We report herein that a pentadactyl developmental pattern is evident in early wing morphogenesis of Gallus (chicken) and Struthio (ostrich). Five avascular zones (spatially predestined locations of contiguous metacarpal and phalangeal aggregation) and four interdigital vascular spaces are established by the regression patterns of autopodial vasculature. Transient vestiges of the first and fifth metacarpals are confirmed histologically and histochemically. They lie within the preaxial-most and postaxial-most avascular zones, respectively. These observations reveal conservative patterning of the avian hand and corroborate a II-III-IV metacarpal interpretation, argue for II-III-IV identity of ossified digits in birds, and favour a simple reduction rather than a homeotic shift in terms of the phenotype expressed by Hox genes in the phylogeny of the avian manus. We suggest that gradual, bilateral reduction of phalanges and metacarpals, via apoptosis mediated by BMP, occurred during the evolution of birds (Pyramid Reduction Hypothesis). This is congruent with the establishment of a central wing axis that became co-opted for coordinated movements. On the basis of evidence presented here, the direct avian ancestor is predicted to have been five-fingered with dominant digits (+ metacarpals) as follow: II, III, IV.
Reduction of platelet glycoprotein Ib in uraemia

Patients with uraemia have abnormal platelet function that may be partially corrected by haemodialysis, cryoprecipitate or 1‐desamino‐8‐d‐arginine vasopressin (DDAVP). We studied the platelet von Willebrand factor receptor. glycoprotein Ib (GPIb). and plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) in uraemic patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis. Using the slope of agglutination of formalin‐fixed platelets as an index of response to ristocetin (with a constant amount of normal plasma as a source of vWF), we found the response of platelets from uraemic patients, both before (2·7± 1·5. n= 40) and after dialysis (1·2 ± 1·2, n= 40) to be significantly less than that for normal controls (14·1 ± 10·2. n= 20: P < 0·001). In addition, the agglutination response of platelets obtained after dialysis was less than that of platelets obtained before dialysis (P < 0·001). Immunoblotting demonstrated decreased or absent staining of glycocalicin, a subunit of GPIb, in platelet lysates from 25 patients. All platelet samples with reduced glycocalicin also had decreased responses to ristocetin. Tritium‐labelled platelets from seven patients showed decreased labelling of a protein with an electrophoretic mobility equivalent to that of GPIb (140000 daltons). In addition, platelets with the lowest levels of surface GPIb, as demonstrated by flow cytometry. also had decreased ristocetin agglutination and decreased staining on immunoblot. Levels of von Willebrand factor antigen and ristocetin cofactor in plasma from 10 patients were generally within the normal range, although post‐dialysis levels tended to be higher than pre‐dialysis levels. The pre‐ and post‐dialysis plasma vWF multimeric patterns were normal.
Semiparametric Applications in Economic Growth

SEMIPARAMETRIC APPLICATIONS IN ECONOMIC GROWTH Mustafa Koroglu Advisor: University of Guelph, 2017 Professor Thanasis Stengos This dissertation consists of three essays that deals with estimation of semiparametric regression methods in macroeconomic context. Chapter 1 introduces the building-blocks of the non-/semiparametric regression methods. A literature review is provided to support the estimation methodologies employed in the subsequent chapters. I survey some nonparametric estimation techniques, including (i) the local least squares kernel estimator; (ii) nonparametric series estimator; (iii) estimation of nonparametric models with endogeneity; and (iv) nonparametric estimation of panel data models. I also survey different bootstrapping methods for nonparametric regression methods. In Chapter 2 we consider a spatial Durbin model with unknown functional-coefficients and nonparametric spatial weights. We apply series approximation method to estimate the unknown functional coefficients and spatial weighting functions via a nonparametric two-stage least squares (or 2SLS) estimation method. We illustrate proposed estimation method to re-examine national economic growth by augmenting the conventional Solow economic growth convergence model with unknown spatial interactive structures of the national economy, as well as country-specific Solow parameters, where the spatial weighting
Changing Chinese Masculinities: From Imperial Pillars of State to Global Real Men

My published work on Chinese masculinity ideals used the wenwu 文武 paradigm to determine the attributes of a desirable man. Traditionally, wenwu accomplishments were publicly recognized by way of passing the keju 科舉 examinations. However, it is also true that once a man achieves public o ce as a consequence of passing the civil service examinations, he is meant to be an upright gentleman. Even though he is desirable, he himself is meant to have self-discipline and not indulge in matters of sex and emotions. While I have examined the repercussions of having wenwu on men, I did not look at what the literature said about young men’s human relationships before they attain the wenwu credentials.
Toll‐Like Receptor and Heme Oxygenase‐1 Signaling in Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents the major problem in clinical liver transplantation. We have shown that toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling is specifically required in initiating antigen‐independent IRI leading to liver inflammation, whereas local induction of anti‐oxidant heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) is cytoprotective. This study analyzes in vivo interactions between HO‐1 and sentinel TLR system in the pathophysiology of liver IRI. Using a 90‐min lobar warm ischemia model, wild type (WT), TLR4 KO/mutant and TLR2 KO mice were first assessed for the severity of hepatocellular damage at 6 h postreperfusion. Unlike in WT or TLR2‐deficient mice, disruption/absence of TLR4 pathway reduced IRI, as manifested by liver function (serum alanine aminotransferase levels), histology (Suzuki's scores), neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase activity) and local/systemic TNF‐α production (mRNA/protein levels). Moreover, defective TLR4 but not TLR2 signaling increased mRNA/protein HO‐1 expression. In contrast, tin protoporphyrin‐mediated HO‐1 inhibition restored hepatic damage in otherwise IRI‐resistant TLR4 mutant/KO mice. CoPP‐induced HO‐1 overexpression ameliorated hepatic damage in IRI‐susceptible TLR2 KO mice, comparable with WT controls, and concomitantly diminished TLR4 levels. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of cross talk between HO‐1 and TLR system in the mechanism of hepatic IRI. Hepatic IRI represents a case for innate immunity in which HO‐1 modulates proinflammatory responses that are triggered via TLR4 signaling, a putative HO‐1 repressor.
An evaluation of poor LMA CTrach views with a fibreoptic laryngoscope and the effectiveness of corrective measures.

BACKGROUND The LMA CTrach++ system has integrated fibreoptics to enable viewing of the glottis to aid tracheal intubation via a laryngeal mask conduit. Earlier evaluations of this system had shown high success rates of insertion, ventilation and tracheal intubation, but frequent difficulty or failure to view the glottis. METHOD We evaluated CTrach views in 100 patients. In 69 patients with partial or no views of the glottis, we evaluated the causes with the aid of an Olympus LF-DP fibreoptic laryngoscope passed through the CTrach. In those with poor views, we tested the effectiveness of simple corrective measures to improve the views and optimize CTrach placement. These included pushing the CTrach deeper in, partial withdrawal by 6 cm and reinsertion to correct epiglottic downfolding, withdrawal by 1 cm and applying forward lift to correct obstruction by the arytenoids, and complete removal to clean the fibreoptic ports followed by reinsertion when secretions were the problem. RESULTS Downfolding of the epiglottis caused poor views in 57 patients, which was correctable in 51. Obstruction of the view by the arytenoids occurred in seven patients and by secretions in five, all of which were correctable. With the Ctrach, we were able to ventilate the lungs in all patients, view the glottis in 94 and intubate the trachea in 97 patients. CONCLUSION Despite the ability to ventilate the lungs in all patients with the CTrach, poor initial views were very frequent, indicating suboptimal placement, although most poor views can be improved, leading to a high intubation success rate.