Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diffusion MRI on lymph node staging of gastric adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preoperative assessment of metastatic lymph nodes of gastric cancer. METHODS A total of 23 gastric cancer patients with a mean age of 59.4±10.9 years were analyzed. Lymph nodes were grouped as perigastric lesser curvature (Group Ia), perigastric greater curvature (Group Ib), D1+/D2 lymph nodes (Group II). Identification of histologically metastatic lymph nodes by diffusion weighted MRI was regarded as the main outcome. RESULTS A total of 1,056 lymph nodes including 180 histologically proven metastatic lymph nodes were dissected. Although diffusion weighted MRI could identify the metastatic lymph nodes in 18 out of 23 patients (77.8%), only 69 of total 1,056 nodes (6.53%), either metastatic or non-metastatic, could be detected. There was no correlation between histopathology and diffusion weighted MRI with regard to lymph node groups (P>0.05 for all). Overall accuracy was calculated as 69.56, 65.21 and 52.17 for Groups II, Ib and Ia lymph nodes, respectively. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values could not be helpful to differentiate metastatic lymph nodes (P=0.673). CONCLUSIONS Diffusion weighted MRI has low accuracy to detect or to differentiate metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes based on their ADC values in gastric cancer.
State transfers at different moments in time: A spatial probit approach

This paper adopts a spatial probit approach to explain interaction effects among geographical units when the dependent variable takes the form of a binary response variable and state transfers occur at different moments in time. The model has two spatially lagged variables, one for units that are still in state 0 and one for units that already transferred to state 1. The parameters are estimated on observations for those units that are still in state 0 at the start of the different time periods, whereas observations on units after they transferred to state 1, just as in the literature on duration modeling, are discarded. Consequently, neighboring units that did not yet transfer may have a different impact than units that already transferred. We illustrate our approach with an empirical study of the adoption of in ation targeting for a sample of 58 countries over the period 1985-2008.
Acid suppressants reduce risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients on antithrombotic or anti-inflammatory therapy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS We investigated the effect of different prevention strategies against upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in the general population and in patients on antithrombotic or anti-inflammatory treatments. METHODS We performed a population-based, nested, case-control study using The Health Improvement Network UK primary care database. From 2000 to 2007, we identified 2049 cases of UGIB and 20,000 controls. The relative risk (RR) of UGIB associated with various gastroprotective agents was estimated by comparing current use (defined as use within 30 days of the index date) with nonuse in the previous year, using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS The adjusted RR of UGIB associated with current use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for more than 1 month was 0.58 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.79) among patients who received low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 0.18 (95% CI, 0.04-0.79) for clopidogrel, 0.17 (95% CI, 0.04-0.76) for dual antiplatelet therapy, 0.48 (95% CI, 0.22-1.04) for warfarin, and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.34-0.78) for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The corresponding estimates for therapy with histamine-2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) were more unstable, but tended to be of a smaller magnitude. In the general population, PPI use was associated with a reduced risk of UGIB compared with nonuse (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.68-0.94); no such reduction was observed for H2RAs or nitrates. CONCLUSIONS PPI use was associated with a lower risk of UGIB in the general population and in patients on antithrombotic or anti-inflammatory therapy compared with nonuse of PPIs. The reduction in risks of UGIB was smaller in H2RA than in PPI users.
Whose Black politics? : cases in post-racial Black leadership

Introduction: 1. Meet the New Class: Theorizing Young Black Leadership in a "Post-Racial" Era (Andra Gillespie) Part I: Creating Opportunity: How Young Black Politicians Break Into the Political Scene 2. Racial Authenticity and Redistricting: A Comparison of Artur Davis' 2000 and 2002 Congressional Campaigns (Andra Gillespie and Emma Tolbert) 3. Losing and Winning: Cory Booker's Ascent to Newark's Mayoralty (Andra Gillespie) Part II: Inheritance and Governance: What Political Scions Do Once They Get Elected 4. Like Father, Like Son? Jesse Jackson Jr.'s Tenure As A US Congressman (Randolph Burnside and Antonio Rodriguez) 5. Hype, Hip Hop and Heartbreak: The Rise and Fall of Kwame Kilpatrick (Todd Shaw, Athena King and Lester Spence) Part III: The Rise of Barack Obama: Its Implications for Black Politics 6. The Burden of Jekyll and Hyde: Barack Obama, Racial Identity, and Black Political Behavior (Lorrie Frasure) 7. Leadership, Legitimacy and Public Perceptions Of Barack Obama (Charlton McIlwain) Part IV: New Perspectives on Deracialization 8. Between Generations: Deval Patrick's Election As Massachusetts' First Black Governor (Angela Lewis) 9. The Declining Significance of Race: Adrian Fenty and the Smooth Electoral Transition (Rachel Yon) 10. Situational Deracialization, Harold Ford, and the 2006 U.S. Senate Race In Tennessee (Sekou Franklin) 11. The 'Steele Problem' and the New Republican Battle for Black Votes: Legacy, Loyalty, and Lexicon in Maryland's 2006 Senate Contest (Tyson King-Meadows) Part V: Intersectionality and African American Politics in the 21st Century 12. Race, Religion and Post-9/11 America: The Election Of Keith Ellison (Andra Gillespie and Amber Perez) 13. Young, Gifted, Black and Female: Why Aren't There More Yvette Clarkes In Congress? (Katrina Gamble) 14. Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here?
Leucoplast Pyruvate Kinase from Developing Castor Oil Seeds : Characterization of the Enzyme's Degradation by a Cysteine Endopeptidase.

Leucoplast pyruvate kinase (PK(p); EC 2.7. 1.40) from endosperm of developing castor oil seeds (Ricinus communis L. cv Baker 296) appears to be highly susceptible to limited degradation by a cysteine endopeptidase during the purification of the enzyme or incubation of clarified homogenates at 4 degrees C. Purified castor seed PK(p) was previously reported to consist of immunologically related 57.5 and 44 kilodalton subunits (Plaxton WC, Dennis DT, Knowles VL [1990] Plant Physiol 94: 1528-1534). By contrast, immunoreactive polypeptides of about 63.5 and 54 kilodaltons were observed when a western blot of an extract prepared under denaturing conditions was probed with affinity purified rabbit anti-(castor seed PK(p)) immunoglobulin G. Proteolytic activity against PK(p) was estimated by the disappearance of the 63.5 and 54 kilodalton subunits and the concomitant appearance of lower molecular mass immunoreactive degradation products during the incubation of clarified homogenates at 4 degrees C. The presence of 2 millimolar dithiothreitol accelerated the degradation of PK(p). The conservation of the 63.5 and 54 kilodalton subunits was observed after extraction of the enzyme in the presence of 1 millimolar p-hydroxymecuribenzoate, or 1 millimolar Nalpha-p-tosyl-l-lysine chloromethyl ketone, or 10 millimolar iodoacetate. These results reveal that a cysteine endopeptidase was responsible for the in vitro proteolysis of PK(p). This endopeptidase is present throughout all stages of endosperm development. Its PK(p)-degrading activity, however, appears to be most pronounced in preparations from older endosperm. When lysates of purified leucoplasts were incubated at 4 degrees C for up to 21 hours, no degradation of PK(p) was observed; this indicated an extra-leucoplastic localization for the cysteine endopeptidase. Although the in vivo subunit structure of PK(p) remains uniform throughout all stages of endosperm development, the large decrease in PK activity that accompanies castor seed maturation coincides with a marked reduction in the concentration of PK(p).
Interaction of the human epididymal protein CD52 (HE5) with epididymal spermatozoa from men and cynomolgus monkeys

A monoclonal antibody (CAMPATH‐1G) against the human lymphocyte surface protein CD52, which is similar to the epididymal secretion HE5, was used to ascertain the presence of this protein on maturing primate spermatozoa by flow cytometry. The percentage of human viable spermatozoa stained specifically with this antibody increased from sperm in spermatocoeles (0.5%), to the efferent ducts (3.8%), corpus (47.2%), and cauda (85.7%) epididymidis. Positive cells revealed staining mainly over the whole tail and postacrosomal region of the sperm head. Spermatozoa (∼10%) from both the efferent ducts and corpus epididymidis took up additional antigen when incubated with human distal cauda epididymidal plasma as a source of CD52, and 12–22% of human testicular sperm (from spermatocoeles) took up CD52 from human seminal plasma. In the cynomolgus monkey, nonspecific binding of control IgG was greater than that in human males and net CD52 staining was measurable only on ∼30% of corpus sperm where it was mainly on the principal piece. Neither caput nor cauda sperm took up human CD52 upon incubation with human seminal plasma, but an additional 27% of corpus sperm expressed CD52. Such uptake of CD52 was drastically reduced, or did not occur, when seminal plasma had been fractionated by filtration through 0.1 μm filters (filtrate II) or 300,000 Da cutoff filters (filtrate III), respectively. Western blots revealed that CD52 contents were much reduced in filtrate II and nondetectable in filtrate III of seminal plasma. Similar reduction of CD52 in the filtrate of cauda epididymidal plasma indicates the association of this epididymal secretion with large molecular factors and suggests their involvement as carriers in the in vivo transfer of the secretion onto the epididymal sperm surface. The in vitro uptake of CD52 by some but not all immature sperm and the detection by Western blotting of much less CD52 in the corpus than the cauda luminal plasma suggest that the acquisition of this epididymal secretion by spermatozoa depends on their maturation status as well as the availability of the protein in the epididymal lumen. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 48:267–275, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Backlash 9/11 : Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans respond

List of Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments 1. Backlash against Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans 2. The Post-9/11 Backlash in Comparative and Historical Perspectives 3. Immigration Patterns, Characteristics, and Identities 4. Organizational Structures and Transformation 5. Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents 6. Government Initiatives and the Impact of the Backlash 7. Mobilization 8. Religious Accommodation, Civic Engagement, and Political Integration Appendix. A Time Line of Government Initiatives and Actions Notes References Index
Second infection with a different hepatitis C virus genotype in a intravenous drug user during interferon therapy

The prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among intravenous drug users (IVDU) has consistently been very high. Cross challenge studies in chimpanzees provide evidence that reinfection with different HCV strains may occur. In humans, reinfection with different HCV strains has been reported in multitransfused haemophiliacs and recently in IVDU but no case has been reported while on interferon (IFN) therapy. We report on a 22 year old woman who was treated with IFN alpha for HCV genotype 3a chronic infection. At six months, HCV RNA was undetectable by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In October 1997, while still on IFN, she developed an acute hepatitis after an intravenous drug injection and HCV genotype 1a infection was identified using genotyping and sequencing methods. IFN therapy was continued until August 1998, and in January 1999 HCV-RNA was not detectable. Our case indicates that the previous HCV infection might have prevented development of chronicity. An alternative explanation is that IFN, while not preventing acute hepatitis C, may prevent chronicity. The risk of multiple infection in IVDU underlines the need for preventive strategies.
Correlations of software code metrics: an empirical study

Background: The increasing up-trend of software size brings about challenges related to release planning and maintainability. Foreseeing the growth of software metrics can assist in taking proactive decisions regarding different areas where software metrics play vital roles. For example, source code metrics are used to automatically calculate technical debt related to code quality which may indicate how maintainable a software is. Thus, predicting such metrics can give us an indication of technical debt in the future releases of software. Objective: Estimation or prediction of software metrics can be performed more meaningfully if the relationships between different domains of metrics and relationships between the metrics and different domains are well understood. To understand such relationships, this empirical study has collected 25 metrics classified into four domains from 9572 software revisions of 20 open source projects from 8 well-known companies. Results: We found software size related metrics are most correlated among themselves and with metrics from other domains. Complexity and documentation related metrics are more correlated with size metrics than themselves. Metrics in the duplications domain are observed to be more correlated to themselves on a domain-level. However, a metric to domain level relationship exploration reveals that metrics with most strong correlations are in fact connected to size metrics. The Overall correlation ranking of duplication metrics are least among all domains and metrics. Contribution: Knowledge earned from this research will help to understand inherent relationships between metrics and domains. This knowledge together with metric-level relationships will allow building better predictive models for software code metrics.
A Longitudinal Evaluation of Maturational Effects on Lower Extremity Strength in Female Adolescent Athletes

Purpose: Recent studies demonstrate that adolescent growth without corresponding strength adaptations may lead to the development of risk factors for patellofemoral pain and anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Our purpose was to investigate the longitudinal trajectories of lower extremity strength across maturational stages for a cohort of female student athletes. Methods: A nested cohort design was used to identify 39 subjects who had complete knee flexion, knee extension, and hip abduction strength data for 3 test sessions spaced approximately 1 year apart and during which they transitioned from prepubertal to a pubertal status. Results: Knee extension strength increased while hip abduction and hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratio strength decreased from prepubertal to pubertal stages (P < .05). No effects of time with respect to knee flexion strength or nondominant/dominant limb differences were found (P > .05). Conclusion: These data provide support that preadolescence is an optimal time to institute strength training programs aimed toward injury prevention.
Molecular Basis for the Potency of IL-10-Deficient Dendritic Cells as a Highly Efficient APC System for Activating Th1 Response1

Identification and targeting of novel immunobiological factors that regulate the induction of Th1 cells are crucial for designing effective vaccines against certain intracellular pathogens, including Chlamydia. IL-10-deficient dendritic cells (DC) are potent APCs and effective cellular vaccines that activate a high frequency of specific Th1 cells. To elucidate the molecular basis for the potency of the IL-10-deficient APC system, we tested the hypothesis that Chlamydia Ag-primed IL-10 knockout (IL-10KO) DC are quantitatively and qualitatively distinct in their metabolic characteristics relating to T cell activation. Using a combination of RT-PCR, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and MALDI-TOF-based proteomics analyses, the transcriptional and translational activities of Chlamydia-pulsed DC from wild-type and IL-10KO mice were assessed. IL-10 deficiency caused early maturation and activation of pulsed DC (i.e., high CD11c, CD40, CD80, CD83, CD86, IL-1, IL-12, and the T cell-attracting chemokine CCL27/CTACK) and consequently an enhanced ability to process and present Ags for a rapid and robust T cell activation. Supporting comparative proteomics revealed further that IL-10 deficient DC possess specific immunobiological properties, e.g., the T cell-attracting chemokine CCL27/CTACK, calcium-dependent protein kinase, and the IL-1/IL-12 inducer, NKR-P1A (CD161), which differentiated them immunologically from wild-type DC that express molecules relating to anti-inflammatory, differentiative, and metabolic processes, e.g., the anti-IL-12 molecule peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and thymidine kinase. Collectively, these results provide a molecular basis for the high Th1-activating capacity of IL-10KO APC and may provide unique immunomodulation targets when designing vaccines against pathogens controlled by T cell immunity.
Breastfeeding support from partners and grandmothers: perceptions of Swedish women.

BACKGROUND Support from the mother's network of relatives, friends, and professional caregivers during childbirth is likely to be important for breastfeeding success. Few studies have been conducted to examine mothers' perceptions of breastfeeding support. The objective of this study was to describe breastfeeding support and feelings of confidence of primiparas and multiparas in relation to duration of breastfeeding. METHODS Mothers who delivered vaginally were eligible for inclusion. After receiving a questionnaire when their children were 9 to 12 months of age, 194 primiparas and 294 multiparas responded to questions on breastfeeding history and on perceived and overall breastfeeding support and feelings of confidence. RESULTS Feelings of overall breastfeeding support were correlated with duration of exclusive breastfeeding in both primiparas (p < 0.001) and multiparas (p < 0.001). Multiparas who knew how long they were breastfed as a child showed a longer duration of exclusive (p = 0.006) and total (p = 0.007) breastfeeding than multiparas who did not know. The time during which the partner was present after labor was correlated with the duration of exclusive (p < 0.001) and total breastfeeding (p = 0.002) in primiparas. Feelings of confidence when the baby was 6 to 12 months old, as retrospectively rated on a visual analog scale, was correlated with feelings of confidence in the partner during childbirth in both primiparas (p < 0.001) and multiparas (p < 0.001) and the experience of overall breastfeeding support (primiparas, p = 0.002; multiparas, p < 0.001). Both groups were more content with breastfeeding information they received from midwives in the maternity wards, compared with that from antenatal midwives and postnatal nurses (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS A helpful support strategy for mothers with respect to breastfeeding outcome is for health professionals to discuss the grandmother's perception of breastfeeding with the mother. It is important for perinatal caregivers to provide an environment that enables the family to stay together after delivery. A helpful support strategy for health professionals might be to mobilize grandmothers with positive breastfeeding perception to provide support for their daughters' breastfeeding.
Trade in Variety and Domestic Production: Evidence from US Manufacturing

Welfare gains from increasing product variety are an important source of the gains from international trade. Previous empirical studies, however, typically focus on measuring gains from imported varieties. This paper introduces a measure to analyze changes in domestically produced varieties to estimate the total variety gains. Our analysis suggests that, for US manufacturing, losses in domestic varieties from 1992 to 2006 seem substantial given the large decline in the number of US establishments. Yet, once we account for the reallocation of resources towards large multi-variety firms, we find considerable domestic variety gains, adding to those from imported varieties.
Incidence of femoral and tibial shaft fractures. Epidemiology 1950-1983 in Malmö, Sweden.

We studied 362 fractures of the femur that had occurred during the years 1950-57 and 1973-83, and 849 fractures of the tibia that occurred during the the years 1950-55 and 1980-83. There was an increase in age-specific incidence over aged 60 years. The risk of low-energy femoral shaft fractures also had increased in elderly women. Both fracture types shifted their age- and sex-specific incidence in the direction of a fragility pattern. There was no increase in the incidence of tibial shaft fractures. Fracture type, site, and degree of displacement of the tibial fractures remained unchanged during the 30 years, i.e, they were predominantly distal, longitudinal fractures with moderate displacement.
Antimicrobial Peptides Keep Insect Endosymbionts Under Control

A beetle species synthesizes an antimicrobial peptide to constrain a bacterial symbiont in specialized organs. Vertically transmitted endosymbionts persist for millions of years in invertebrates and play an important role in animal evolution. However, the functional basis underlying the maintenance of these long-term resident bacteria is unknown. We report that the weevil coleoptericin-A (ColA) antimicrobial peptide selectively targets endosymbionts within the bacteriocytes and regulates their growth through the inhibition of cell division. Silencing the colA gene with RNA interference resulted in a decrease in size of the giant filamentous endosymbionts, which escaped from the bacteriocytes and spread into insect tissues. Although this family of peptides is commonly linked with microbe clearance, this work shows that endosymbiosis benefits from ColA, suggesting that long-term host-symbiont coevolution might have shaped immune effectors for symbiont maintenance.
Mathematical model for determining the effects of intracytoplasmic inclusions on volume and density of microorganisms

Procaryotic microorganisms accumulate several polymers in the form of intracellular inclusions as a strategy to increase survival in a changing environment. Such inclusions avoid osmotic pressure increases by tightly packaging certain macromolecules into the inclusion. In the present paper, a model describing changes in volume and density of the microbial cell as a function of the weight of the macromolecule forming the inclusion is derived from simple theoretical principles. The model is then tested by linear regression with experimental data from glycogen accumulation in Escherichia coli, poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate accumulation in Alcaligenes eutrophus, and sulfur accumulation in Chromatium spp. The model predicts a certain degree of hydration of the polymer in the inclusion and explains both the linear relationship between volume of the cell and weight of the polymer and the hyperbolic relationship between density of the cell and weight of the polymer. Other implications of the model are also discussed.