Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Significance of free to total PSA ratio in men with slightly elevated serum PSA levels: a cooperative study.

BACKGROUND The ratio of free PSA in total PSA (f/t) has been reported to improve the diagnostic accuracy of prostate cancer in the group with slightly elevated serum PSA values. In Japanese cases, the clinical significance of f/t is still controversial. METHODS The diagnostic significance of f/t in serum for prostate cancer was evaluated in a cooperative study. A total of 77 cases with prostate cancer and 224 with non-prostate cancer showing less than 20 ng/ml of total PSA were evaluated. RESULTS Serum total and free PSA values were not affected by storage at 25 degrees C for 2 days. The determination of f/t was useful in the cases with a serum total PSA of 5.1-10 ng/ml; the specificity was 60% with a sensitivity of 90% at an f/t of 0.148. The positive predictive value for diagnosis of prostate cancer also increased to 54% from 34% of that in total PSA alone. In the range of 4.1-10 ng/ml, the cut-off value of f/t was 0.155 for obtaining relatively high specificity; sensitivity was 85% and specificity was 56.5%. CONCLUSIONS Thus, the determination of f/t was considered to be an effective tool for discriminating the non-prostate cancer cases from those of prostate cancer.
Cluster Analysis Of Total Assets Provided By Banks From Four Continents

The paper analyzed the total assets in 2016 achieved by the strongest 96 banks from 4 continents: Europe, America, Asia and Africa. It aims to evaluate the level of total assets provided by banks in 2016 and continental banking markets degree of differentiation to determine the overall conditions of the banks. Methodologies used in this study are based on cluster and descriptive analysis. Data set was built based on information reported by banks on total assets. The results indicate that most of total banking assets are found in Asia and the fewest in Africa. At the end of 2016, the top 16 global banks owned total assets of $ 30.19 trillion according to the data set contains cluster 1 and the centroid was (2.25, 2.11, 3.06, 0.01).
Mapping the Competitive Advantage of SMEs in East Java, Indonesia

This article describes the situation and potential of SMEs in East Java Indonesia. Small and medium enterprises are essential to support the economic progress of a country. By using descriptive analysis and multiple regression then generated mapping. Mapping the characteristics and competitiveness of SMEs is done as a basis for gap analysis. If the current condition of Indonesian SMEs is known, benchmarking can be done by comparing ideal conditions or targets to be achieved in the face of global competition. The mapping generated from this research is expected to provide an overall picture of SMEs in disrict of Jember, Bondosowo, Situbondo and Banyuwangi, East Java Province, Indonesia, so that it can assist government and business actors in determining business strategies and policies. This study found the variables that significantly affect the competitive position are innovation ability, quality focus, customer loyalty, response to change, price advantage and marketing power. While the insignificant membership of the cooperative, it does not have a significant role for the creation of a strong competitive position. This is supported by the fact that most of the SMEs in eastern Java are not members of the cooperative. Similarly, business status with legal status and not and the use of intermediary traders is not a thing that affects the strength of competitive position.
Identification of Novel Import and Export Signals of Human TAP, the Protein That Binds to the Constitutive Transport Element of the Type D Retrovirus mRNAs

ABSTRACT The nuclear export of the unspliced type D retrovirus mRNA depends on the cis-acting constitutive transport RNA element (CTE) that has been shown to interact with the human TAP (hTAP) protein promoting the export of the CTE-containing mRNAs. We report here that hTAP is a 619-amino-acid protein extending the previously identified protein by another 60 residues at the N terminus and that hTAP shares high homology with the predicted rat and mouse TAP proteins. We found that hTAP is a nuclear protein that accumulates in the nuclear rim and the nucleoplasm. We further demonstrated that hTAP is able to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Identification of the signals responsible for nuclear import (NLS) and export (NES) revealed that they are distinct but partially overlapping. NLS and NES of hTAP are active transferable signals that do not share similarities with known elements. The C-terminal portion contributes further to hTAP’s nuclear retention and contains a signal(s) for nuclear rim association. Taken together, our data show that hTAP is a dynamic protein capable of bidirectional trafficking across the nuclear envelope. These data further support hTAP’s role as an export factor of the CTE-containing mRNAs.
Community assembly and diversification in Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes

Theories of species coexistence have played a central role in ecology and evolutionary studies of the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in highly diverse communities. The concept of niche and associated theories predict that competition for available ecological space leads to a ceiling in species richness that influences further diversification patterns. By contrast, the neutral theory supports that speciation is stochastic and diversity independent. We examined the phylogenetic community structure and diversification rates in three families and 14 sites within coral reef fish communities from the Indian and Pacific oceans. Using the phylogenetic relationships among 157 species estimated with 2300 bp of mitochondrial DNA, we tested predictions in terms of species coexistence from the neutral and niche theories. At the regional scale, our findings suggest that phylogenetic community structure shifts during community assembly to a pattern of dispersion as a consequence of allopatric speciation in recent times but overall, variations in diversification rates did not relate with sea level changes. At the local scale, the phylogenetic community structure is consistent with a neutral model of community assembly since no departure from a random sorting of species was observed. The present results support a neutral model of community assembly as a consequence of the stochastic and unpredictable nature of coral reefs favoring generalist and sedentary species competing for living space rather than trophic resources. As a consequence, the observed decrease in diversification rates may be seen as the result of a limited supply of living space as expected in a finite island model.
Effectiveness of motivational interviewing to reduce head start children's secondhand smoke exposure. a randomized clinical trial.

RATIONALE Secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) is a significant modifiable risk for respiratory health in children. Although SHSe is declining overall, it has increased for low-income and minority populations. Implementation of effective SHSe interventions within community organizations has the potential for significant public health impact. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) delivered in the context of a SHS education reduction initiative within Head Start to reduce preschool children's SHSe. METHODS A total of 350 children enrolled in Baltimore City Head Start whose caregivers reported a smoker living in the home were recruited. Caregivers were randomized to MI + education or education alone. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary outcome measure was household air nicotine levels measured by passive dosimeters. Secondary outcomes included child salivary cotinine, self-report of home smoking ban (HSB), and smoking status. Participants in the MI + education group had significantly lower air nicotine levels (0.29 vs. 0.40 mg), 17% increase in prevalence of caregiver-reported HSBs, and a 13% decrease in caregiver smokers compared with education-alone group (all P values < 0.05). Although group differences in salivary cotinine were not significant, among all families who reported having an HSB, salivary cotinine and air nicotine levels declined in both groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS MI may be effective in community settings to reduce child SHSe. More research is needed to identify ways to tailor interventions to directly impact child SHSe and to engage more families to make behavioral change. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT 00927264).
Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene Expression Attenuates Angiotensin II-Mediated DNA Damage in Endothelial Cells

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the conversion of heme to biliverdin with the release of iron and carbon monoxide. HO-1 is inducible by inflammatory conditions, which cause oxidative stress in endothelial cells. Overexpression of human HO-1 in endothelial cells may have the potential to provide protection against a variety of agents that cause oxidative stress. We investigated the physiological significance of human HO-1 overexpression using a retroviral vector on attenuation of angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated oxidative stress. Comet and glutathione (GSH) levels were used as indicators of the levels of oxidative stress. Comet assay was performed to evaluate damage on DNA, whereas GSH levels were measured to determine the unbalance of redox potential. Pretreatments with inducers, such as heme 10 μM, SnCl2 10 μM, and inhibitors, such as tin-mesoporphyrin 10 μM was followed by treatment with Ang II 200 ng/ml. Pretreatment with heme or SnCl2 provoked significant reductions (P < 0.01) of tail moment in the comet assay. Opposite effects were evident by pretreatment for 16 hr with tin-mesoporphyrin. A decrease in tail moment levels was found in human endothelial cells transduced with the human HO-1 gene. The addition of Ang II (200 ng/ml) to human dermal microvessel endothelial cel1-1 for 16 hr resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) reduction of GSH contents control endothelial cells but not in endothelial cells transduced with HO-1 gene. The results presented indicated that stimulation or overexpression of HO-1 attenuated DNA damages caused by exposures of Ang II.
Oncostatin-M Up-Regulates VCAM-1 and Synergizes with IL-4 in Eotaxin Expression: Involvement of STAT61

Oncostatin-M (OSM) is an IL-6/gp130 family member that can stimulate the eosinophil-selective CC chemokine eotaxin-1 in vitro and eosinophil accumulation in mouse lung in vivo. The adhesion molecule VCAM-1 and eotaxin have been implicated in extravasation and accumulation of eosinophils into tissue in animal models of asthma. In this study, we investigated the role of OSM in regulation of VCAM-1 expression, and STAT6 tyrosine 641 phosphorylation in murine fibroblasts. OSM induced VCAM-1 expression in C57BL/6 mouse lung fibroblasts (MLF) and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts at the protein and mRNA level in vitro. OSM also induced STAT6 Y641 phosphorylation in MLF and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, an activity not observed with other IL-6/gp130 cytokine family members (IL-6, leukemia inhibitory factor, cardiotropin-1, and IL-11) nor in cells derived from STAT6−/− mice (STAT6−/− MLF). STAT6 was not essential for OSM-induced VCAM-1 or eotaxin-1 as assessed in STAT6−/− MLF. Combination of IL-4 and OSM synergistically enhanced eotaxin-1 expression in MLF. IL-4 induction and the IL-4/OSM synergistic induction of eotaxin-1 was abrogated in STAT6−/− MLF, however, regulation of IL-6 was similar in −/− or wild-type MLF. Induction of VCAM-1 by OSM was diminished by pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K (LY294002) but not inhibitors of ERK1/2 (PD98059) or p38 MAPK (SB203580). These data support the role of OSM in eosinophil accumulation into lung tissue through eotaxin-1 and VCAM-1 expression and the notion that OSM is able to induce unique signal transduction events through its receptor complex of OSMR β-chain and gp130.
GENERATION : A SURVEY AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE

Natural Language Generation (NLG) is defined as the systematic approach for producing human understandable natural language text based on nontextual data or from meaning representations. This is a significant area which empowers human-computer interaction. It has also given rise to a variety of theoretical as well as empirical approaches. This paper intends to provide a detailed overview and a classification of the state-of-the-art approaches in Natural Language Generation. The paper explores NLG architectures and tasks classed under document planning, micro-planning and surface realization modules. Additionally, this paper also identifies the gaps existing in the NLG research which require further work in order to make NLG a widely usable technology.
Reliable and Efficient Discrimination of Four Internal Fruit-Feeding Cydia and Grapholita Species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism

ABSTRACT The fruit pests Cydia pomonella (L.), Grapholita molesta (Busck), Grapholita funebrana Treitschke, and Grapholita lobarzewskii Nowicki (all Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) are sympatric in Europe, and some of them are expanding their distribution range worldwide by continuous invasion into new areas. Identification of the small larvae by morphological characters and damage symptoms is difficult, and many misidentifications among these tortricids of the tribe Grapholitini are reported. In the current study, the species were separated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses. Samples were obtained from different countries and continents, and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) fragments of one individual per species and geographical site were sequenced. Based on the alignments of the amplified COI sequences, the PCR-RFLP method was established with 42 individuals and successfully validated using a total of 122 individuals of the four species. Results document that this method allows for discrimination of larvae, pupae, and adult specimens of all four species and can be used for a rapid and reliable identification of C. pomonella, G. molesta, G. funebrana, and G. lobarzewskii. Moreover, it can easily be expanded to other internal tortricid fruit feeder species that occur on different continents.
Re-Examining the Nexus between Exchange and Interest Rates in Nigeria

Nigeria has experienced somersault of foreign exchange policies by the Central Bank. One policy concern in recent times is to have an appropriate target of the exchange and interest rates. Therefore, this paper seeks to provide a foundation for the targeting of an appropriate exchange and interest rates for the country. Using the Johansen Cointegration and Vector Error Correction Mechanism approaches, it specifically examines the relationships among Nigeriaâ€™s weak exchange rate, its local rate of interest and world interest rate. Contrary to many studies, a control measure involving inclusion of inflation, money supply and national output in the model is done. The analysis showed an equilibrium association between exchange rate and interest rate-cum-other variables and steady rectification of deviance from long-run stability over a sequence of incomplete short-run modifications. Increase in domestic and world interest rate, inflation, money supply and GDPat equilibrium would strengthen the exchange rate. Besides, further findings showed some bidirectional causal associations among the variables. By long-run implication, the targeting of an appropriate exchange rate in Nigeria requires a tightened monetary policy that is not inflation and growth biased. However, increase in world interest rate, money supply and inflation rate must be moderate in order not to worsen the exchange rate as suggested by the short-run result.
Effect of promethazine on lumbar vertebral bone mass in postmenopausal women

Abstract. Objectives. Work in mice suggests that the age‐related loss of bone mineral noted in that species is caused by an intrinsic defect in a haematopoietic cell population which results directly or indirectly in increased bone resorption. This age‐related loss of bone mineral is prevented or reversed by well‐tolerated doses of promethazine HCL. The present study was undertaken to determine if promethazine would retard or reverse bone loss in postmenopausal women.
Monoclonal antibody capture enzyme immunoassay for detection of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis antibodies in paracoccidioidomycosis

Four murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs 17C, 21A, 21F, and 32B) raised against the 43-kDa glycoprotein of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were tested in a capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the detection of specific human anti-gp43 immunoglobulin G in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). All MAbs reacted similarly in the assay. These MAbs, which detected anti-gp43 at levels of as low as 500 pg/ml, were demonstrated to specifically recognize at least two different epitopes in gp43 binding assays. Specific antibodies in the sera of patients with active PCM were detected at dilutions of as high as 1:819,200, and the reactivities of patient sera, as measured by optical densities, were found to be significantly higher than those of control sera. The comparison between classical ELISA and our capture enzyme immunoassay showed that both sensitivity and specificity were greatly improved by the latter. These MAbs represent the first specific reagents to P. brasiliensis described for use in serological tests for PCM.
Estimating Infrastructure Financing Needs in the Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States

To assist with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, this paper develops a framework to estimate infrastructure financing needs of the Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing States (SIDS) by 2030. The framework takes into account the financing required to close existing infrastructure gaps, keep up with growing demands for new infrastructure, maintain existing infrastructure, and mitigate the vulnerability of infrastructure to climate-related risks. Based on a panel of 71 developing economies from 1990 to 2015 and the application of unit costs to the level of physical infrastructure stock projected to 2030, the required resources are estimated to amount to 8.1% of GDP per annum on weighted average, which exceeds current levels of infrastructure funding of 5–7% of GDP. The paper finds that a large proportion of financing needs in LDCs and SIDS arises from the current infrastructure shortages, particularly in the transport and energy sector, implying that provision of universal access to basic infrastructure services would require large outlays of resources. The results also suggest that LLDCs and some SIDS require over one-third of their spending to be allocated to maintenance and replacement of existing assets, while those in low-lying coastal areas face substantial long-run costs in improving infrastructure to mitigate climate change and protect them against loss and damages caused by extreme weather events. Meeting future infrastructure financing needs will require greater engagement of the private sector and other global and regional initiatives to ensure that sufficient resources can be raised for investment in infrastructure.
Juggling-Exposure Therapy: An Innovation in Trauma Treatment

Three case studies are presented illustrating an innovative treatment approach that integrated a juggling task with exposure therapy for clients who had benefited from trauma therapy but had residual trauma symptoms. All 3 clients reported benefiting considerably from adding the juggling task to the exposure therapy. The effects appeared to be rapid and minimally stressful and generalized to in vivo situations. I suggest that the treatment may have enhanced the response flexibility in brain circuitry involved with preconscious threat detection.
The accrual anomaly: The dampening effect of adjusting entries

One of the most critical aspects in the preparation of financial statements is the potential for manipulation through accrual-based earnings management (AEM), because reported earnings can be managed through the interpretation of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The traditional detection of earnings management (EM) through the use of total accruals leads to confuse the effect of accounting policies choices (AEM) with the consequences of real actions (REM) by managers to achieve a specific reported earnings objective. To properly detect whether earnings are manipulated through GAAP (thus, through AEM), this paper directly isolates the subjective component of accruals attributable to internal estimates in the income statement. It was found that there is a very significant negative correlation between subjective adjusting entry values and unadjusted transactional income. Therefore, the “accrual anomaly” may already be explained in AEM. Similar to a “damper”, adjusting entries appear to absorb earnings in higher unadjusted income companies and release earnings in lower unadjusted income cases. Therefore, lower income seems to be also related to an increase in its subjectivity obtained by estimated values.
Local genetic adaptation generates latitude‐specific effects of warming on predator–prey interactions

Temperature effects on predator–prey interactions are fundamental to better understand the effects of global warming. Previous studies never considered local adaptation of both predators and prey at different latitudes, and ignored the novel population combinations of the same predator–prey species system that may arise because of northward dispersal. We set up a common garden warming experiment to study predator–prey interactions between Ischnura elegans damselfly predators and Daphnia magna zooplankton prey from three source latitudes spanning >1500 km. Damselfly foraging rates showed thermal plasticity and strong latitudinal differences consistent with adaptation to local time constraints. Relative survival was higher at 24 °C than at 20 °C in southern Daphnia and higher at 20 °C than at 24 °C, in northern Daphnia indicating local thermal adaptation of the Daphnia prey. Yet, this thermal advantage disappeared when they were confronted with the damselfly predators of the same latitude, reflecting also a signal of local thermal adaptation in the damselfly predators. Our results further suggest the invasion success of northward moving predators as well as prey to be latitude‐specific. We advocate the novel common garden experimental approach using predators and prey obtained from natural temperature gradients spanning the predicted temperature increase in the northern populations as a powerful approach to gain mechanistic insights into how community modules will be affected by global warming. It can be used as a space‐for‐time substitution to inform how predator–prey interaction may gradually evolve to long‐term warming.