Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Negative appearance evaluation is associated with skin cancer risk behaviors among American men and women.

OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to examine links between appearance evaluation and skin cancer risk behaviors in men and women. METHOD Data (N = 1,535; men, n = 873; women, n = 662) were extracted from Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative, longitudinal dataset of U.S. adolescents and young adults. RESULTS Skin cancer risk (i.e., number of hours spent outside for those with a history of severe sunburn and who were unlikely to use sunscreen) was significantly associated with participant gender, appearance evaluation, and their interaction. Both men and women who negatively evaluated their appearance were at significantly increased skin cancer risk, and this was particularly true for men. CONCLUSIONS Negative appearance evaluation appears to be a correlate of engaging in behaviors that place individuals at risk of developing skin cancer. Future research may benefit from skin cancer prevention interventions that directly address appearance-based evaluations.
Heterodimeric integrin complexes containing β1-integrin promote internalization and lethality of anthrax toxin

To kill macrophages, the lethal factor component of Bacillus anthracis toxin binds to a carrier protein (PA), which then interacts with the CMG2 receptor protein on the cell surface and is endocytosed into the cytoplasm. CMG2, as well as TEM8, a second PA receptor not present on macrophages, contain a von Willebrand A domain that is crucial for toxin binding. Here we report that integrin β1, another cell surface von Willebrand A domain protein, can mediate and potentiate anthrax toxin endocytosis. By using microarray-based analysis to globally correlate gene expression profiles with toxin sensitivity, we associated toxin effects with the integrin-activating proteins osteopontin and CD44. Further study showed that PA binds to α4β1– and α5β1–integrin complexes, leading to their conjoint endocytosis, and also interacts—weakly relative to CMG2 but comparably to TEM8—with purified α5β1 complex in vitro. Monoclonal antibody directed against β1-integrin or its α integrin partners reduced PA/integrin endocytosis and anthrax toxin lethality, and hyaluronic acid—which interferes with CD44-mediated integrin activation—had similar effects. Remarkably, whereas deficiency of CMG2 protected macrophages from rapid killing by large toxin doses (>50 ng/mL), by 24 h the toxin-treated cells were dead. Such late killing of CMG2-deficient cells by high dose toxin as well as the late death observed during exposure of CMG2-producing macrophages to low-dose toxin (<1 ng/mL), was dependent on integrin function. Effects of inactivating both CMG2 and integrin were synergistic. Collectively, our findings argue strongly that β1-integrin can both potentiate CMG2-mediated endocytosis and serve independently as a low-affinity PA receptor.
Inhibitory control as a moderator of threat-related interference biases in social anxiety

Prior findings are mixed regarding the presence and direction of threat-related interference biases in social anxiety. The current study examined general inhibitory control (IC), measured by the classic colour-word Stroop, as a moderator of the relationship between both threat interference biases [indexed by the emotional Stroop (e-Stroop)] and several social anxiety indicators. High socially anxious undergraduate students (N = 159) completed the emotional and colour-word Stroop tasks, followed by an anxiety-inducing speech task. Participants completed measures of trait social anxiety, state anxiety before and during the speech, negative task-interfering cognitions during the speech and overall self-evaluation of speech performance. Speech duration was used to measure behavioural avoidance. In line with hypotheses, IC moderated the relationship between e-Stroop bias and every anxiety indicator (with the exception of behavioural avoidance), such that greater social-threat interference was associated with higher anxiety among those with weak IC, whereas lesser social-threat interference was associated with higher anxiety among those with strong IC. Implications for the theory and treatment of threat interference biases in socially anxious individuals are discussed.
Profitability of Virginia's Agritourism Industry: A Regression Analysis

Virginia's growing agritourism industry provides additional income to farms and mitigates risk. This study empirically analyzes the effect of demographic, operational, and financial factors on the profitability of agritourism operations using a primary data set collected from a survey of more than 500 agritourism operations. Results show that greater profitability is associated with operators who are motivated by additional income and have more education, larger operations with a greater percentage of income from agritourism, and visitors who spent more on average. Characteristics having a negative effect on profitability are wineries, locations farther from interstates, and difficulty accessing capital.
Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid Supplementation on Inflammatory Biomarkers and Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Objective: Although many studies have considered alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) as a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory functions in oxidative stress–associated inflammatory diseases, few studies have evaluated its efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we aimed to examine the effects of ALA on serum biomarkers of joint damage and inflammation in women with RA. Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which RA patients (n = 70) aged 20–50 years were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either ALA (1200 mg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were taken before and after the study to analyze inflammatory biomarkers including serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) as a marker of joint erosion. Moreover, 3-day dietary records, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and the Spielberger State–Trait anxiety inventory form Y (STAI-Y) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: Sixty-five RA patients completed the trial. No statistically significant differences were observed in serum levels of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and MMP-3 within and between the ALA and placebo groups (p > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in dietary intakes, physical activity, and anxiety levels between groups at baseline and they remained statistically unchanged during the study period (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Although in theory ALA supplementation could serve as a beneficial nutraceutical in RA patients, in the present study serum inflammatory biomarkers and MMP-3 were not significantly affected by 8 weeks of ALA supplementation.
Accurate modeling of ferrite-core effects in probes for Bulk Current Injection

This paper deals with circuit and electromagnetic modeling of injection probes for Bulk Current Injection in the SPICE and CST Microwave Studio environments. Different modeling strategies are used to accurately model frequency-dependent phenomena associated with the probe ferrite core. To this end, the proposed procedure resorts to a preliminary measurement of the probe input impedance, and to Debye and Lorentian models for representing the intrinsic and effective complex permeability spectra required for electromagnetic and circuit modeling, respectively.
Investigating the utility of the HIV-1 BED capture enzyme immunoassay using cross-sectional and longitudinal seroconverter specimens from Africa

Background:The identification of populations at risk of HIV infection is a priority for trials of preventive technologies, including HIV vaccines. To quantify incidence traditionally requires laborious and expensive prospective studies. Methods:The BED IgG–Capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was developed to estimate HIV-1 incidence using cross-sectional data by measuring increasing levels of HIV-specific IgG as a proportion of total IgG. To evaluate this assay, we tested 189 seroconversion samples taken at 3-monthly intervals from 15 Rwandan and 26 Zambian volunteers with known time of infection and cross-sectional specimens from 617 Kenyan and Ugandan volunteers with prevalent infection. Results:The BED–EIA-estimated incidence in Uganda was unexpectedly high, at 6.1%/year [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.2–8.0] in Masaka and 6.0%/year (95% CI 4.3–7.7) in Kakira. Prospective incidence data in Masaka from the same population was 1.7%/year before and 1.4%/year after the study. Kenyan estimates were 3.5%/year in Kilifi (95% CI 2.1–4.9) and 3.4%/year in Nairobi (95% CI 1.5–5.3). From the Rwandan and Zambian data, the sensitivity of the assay was 81.2% and the specificity was 67.8%. After approximately one year, subjects misclassified as recently infected tended to have lower plasma viral loads compared with those not misclassified as recent (median copies/ml 14 773 versus 93 560; P = 0.02). Clinical presentation, sex and HIV subtype were not significantly associated with BED–EIA misclassification in seroconverter samples. Conclusion:These data suggest that this assay does not perform reliably in all populations. Further research is warranted before using this assay to estimate incidence from prevalent HIV samples.
Dedifferentiated Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 6 Cases

Dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinomas are a recently defined, rare variant of adenoid cystic carcinomas characterized histologically by two components: conventional low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma and high-grade “dedifferentiated” carcinoma. We examined six cases and analyzed their clinicopathologic profiles, including immunohistochemical features and p53 gene alterations. The 6 patients (3 men and 3 women) had a mean age of 46.8 years (range, 34–70 y). The mean size of the tumors was 3.5 cm (range, 1.7–6 cm). The submandibular gland, maxillary sinus, and nasal cavity were involved in 2 cases each. Postoperatively, 5 patients had local recurrence and 5 developed metastatic disease. Five patients died of disease at a mean of 33.7 months after diagnosis (range, 6–69 mo), and one other was alive with disease at 60 months. Histologically, the conventional low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma component of the tumors consisted of a mixture of cribriform and tubular patterns with scant solid areas. The high-grade dedifferentiated carcinoma component was either a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (4 cases) or undifferentiated carcinoma (2 cases). Three tumors were studied immunohistochemically. Myoepithelial markers were expressed in low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma but not in the dedifferentiated component. In 2 cases, diffusely positive p53 immunoreactivity together with HER-2/neu overexpression was restricted to the dedifferentiated component. Loss of pRb expression was demonstrated only in the dedifferentiated component of the 1 other case. The Ki-67–labeling index was higher in the dedifferentiated component than in the low-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma component. Furthermore, molecular analysis of 2 cases demonstrated the loss of heterozygosity at p53 microsatellite loci, accompanied by p53 gene point mutation, only in the dedifferentiated carcinoma component of 1 case, which was positive for p53 immunostaining. These results indicate that dedifferentiated adenoid cystic carcinoma is a highly aggressive tumor. Because of frequent recurrence and metastasis, the clinical course is short, similar to that of adenoid cystic carcinomas with a predominant solid growth pattern. Limited evidence suggests that p53 abnormalities in combination with HER-2/neu overexpression or loss of pRb expression may have a role in dedifferentiation of adenoid cystic carcinoma.
A Novel Automatic Method for the Fusion of ALS and TLS LiDAR Data for Robust Assessment of Tree Crown Structure

Tree crown structural parameters are key inputs to studies spanning forest fire propagation, invasive species dynamics, avian habitat provision, and so on, but these parameters consistently are difficult to measure. While airborne laser scanning (ALS) provides uniform data and a consistent nadir perspective necessary for crown segmentation, the data characteristics of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) make such crown segmentation efforts much more challenging. We present a data fusion approach to extract crown structure from TLS, by exploiting the complementary perspective of ALS. Multiple TLS point clouds are automatically registered to a single ALS point cloud by maximizing the normalized cross correlation between the global ALS canopy height model (CHM) and each of the local TLS CHMs through parameter optimization of a planar Euclidean transform. Per-tree canopy segmentation boundaries, which are reliably obtained from ALS, can then be adapted onto the more irregular TLS data. This is repeated for each TLS scan; the combined segmentation results from each registered TLS scan and the ALS data are fused into a single per-tree point cloud, from which canopy-level structural parameters readily can be extracted.
Adverse reactions to metal debris: histopathological features of periprosthetic soft tissue reactions seen in association with failed metal on metal hip arthroplasties

Aim To describe the histopathology of localised adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD) seen in association with failed metal on metal (MoM) hip arthroplasties. The nature of aseptic lymphocytic vasculitis associated lesion (ALVAL) is investigated. Methods Periprosthetic soft tissues biopsied at time of revision from failed MoM hip arthroplasties from January 2007 to March 2011 were analysed. The inflammatory cell response was categorised into perivascular lymphocytic cuffing (ALVAL), lymphoid aggregate formation with or without germinal centres, metallosis characterised by sheets of macrophages with intracytoplasmic metallic debris and well-defined granulomas. Results 123 patient samples were analysed, 36 males (29.2%) and 87 females (70.8%). Three cases showing complete tissue necrosis were excluded. Patients were reviewed between 3.27 to 69.6 months postarthroplasty, with an average of 30.92 months. 103 cases (85.8%) showed ALVAL, 18 cases also showed well-defined granulomas. Of the 103 cases with ALVAL, 60 cases also showed a diffuse chronic lymphocytic synovitis, and 40 cases showed lymphoid aggregates with germinal centres. 17 cases (14.2%) showed pure metallosis. Small vessels showing ALVAL expressed peripheral node addressin. Conclusions ARMD is a spectrum of changes comprising of pure metallosis, ALVAL and granulomatous inflammation. ALVAL, a distinctive inflammatory response seen in ARMD, is a precursor of lymphoid neogenesis. Lymphoid neogenesis documented in a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions most probably contributes to tissue necrosis and prosthetic failure seen in MoM hip arthroplasties. The role of vascular changes in contributing to necrosis is unclear at this stage.
Comparing the lexical similarity of the triarchic model of psychopathy to contemporary models of psychopathy.

OBJECTIVE The triarchic model of psychopathy (Patrick, Fowles, & Krueger, 2009) posits that psychopathic personality comprises three domains: boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. The present study aimed to clarify conceptual overlap between contemporary definitions of psychopathy, with particular emphasis given to the relevance of boldness (i.e., social dominance, venturesomeness, emotional resiliency)-a topic of recent debate. METHOD Undergraduate students (N = 439) compared the lexical similarity of triarchic domains with two contemporary models of psychopathy: the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP; Cooke, Hart, Logan, & Michie, 2012) and the Five-Factor Model of psychopathy (FFM; Widiger & Lynam, 1998). RESULTS From a content validity perspective, meanness and disinhibition were lexically similar to both the CAPP and FFM psychopathy, whereas boldness was less strongly associated with these models. Meanness showed the strongest lexical similarity in comparison with past prototypicality ratings of the CAPP and FFM psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS These findings bear implications for defining and comparing conceptualizations of psychopathy that underpin its assessment.
Effects of Parathyroidectomy on Iron Homeostasis and Erythropoiesis in Hemodialysis Patients with Severe Hyperparathyroidism

Aims: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) worsens anemia and may cause hyporesponsiveness to recombinant human erythropoietin therapy (r-HuEPO). To investigate the effect of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on iron homeostasis and erythropoiesis, we conducted a prospective study in chronic hemodialysis patients who underwent PTX. Methods: Thirty-two patients were enrolled in this study. Based on the increases in hemoglobin level after PTX, patients were divided into responders and nonresponders. Iron homeostasis and erythropoiesis were assessed before and 1 and 3 months after PTX, hemoglobin and parathyroid hormone levels were monitored until 6 months after PTX. Results: In the responders, increased hemoglobin levels were observed in 15 patients at 1 and 3 months after PTX (8.0 ± 0.8 g/dl vs. 9.2 ± 1.3 and 10.1 ± 0.9 g/dl, p < 0.05). The nonresponders had higher pre-PTX hemoglobin levels than the responders (10.3 ± 1.6 g/dl vs. 8.0 ± 0.8 g/dl, p < 0.05). There was no further increase in hemoglobin at 6 months compared to 3 months after PTX in both groups. In neither group did PTX affect serum ferritin, transferrin saturation and serum erythropoietin level. Serum soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) concentration was found to be higher in responders than in nonresponders (3.32 ± 1.28 mg/l vs. 1.70 ± 0.31 mg/l, p < 0.05). Conclusions: We conclude that PTX can improve anemia in hemodialysis patients with severe hyperparathyroidism and greater resistance to r-HuEPO therapy. The reversing of anemia does not involve altering iron mobilization. Pre-PTX hemoglobin and serum sTfR levels can predict the effect of PTX on correcting anemia.
Breast cancer screening policies in developing countries: a cost-effectiveness analysis for India.

BACKGROUND India, the largest developing country, has a steadily rising incidence of breast cancer. Estimates and comparisons of the cost-effectiveness of feasible breast cancer screening policies in developing countries and identification of the determinants of cost and efficacy are needed. METHODS A Microsimulation Screening Analysis model of breast cancer was calibrated to available data on breast cancer incidence, stage distribution, and mortality in India. The model was used to estimate the costs of screening for breast cancer in India, its effects on mortality, and its cost-effectiveness (ie, costs of screening per life-year gained or life saved). Screening using clinical breast examination (CBE) or mammography among different age groups and at various frequencies was analyzed. Costs were expressed in international dollars (Int.$), the currency used by the World Health Organization, which has the same purchasing power in India as the US dollar has in the United States. To determine which factors influenced cost-effectiveness, sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS The estimated mortality reduction was the greatest for programs targeting women between age 40 and 60 years. Using a 3% discount rate, a single CBE at age 50 had an estimated cost-effectiveness ratio of Int.$793 per life year gained and a breast cancer mortality reduction of 2%. The cost-effectiveness ratio increased to Int.$1135 per life year gained for every-5-year CBE (age 40-60 years) and to Int.$1341 for biennial CBE (age 40-60 years); the corresponding reductions in breast cancer mortality were 8.2% and 16.3%, respectively. CBE performed annually from ages 40 to 60 was predicted to be nearly as efficacious as biennial mammography screening for reducing breast cancer mortality while incurring only half the net costs. The main factors affecting cost-effectiveness were breast cancer incidence, stage distribution, and cost savings on prevented palliative care. CONCLUSION The estimated cost-effectiveness of CBE screening for breast cancer in India compares favorably with that of mammography in developed countries. However, in view of competing priorities and economic conditions, the introduction of screening in India represents a greater challenge than it has been in more developed countries.
Cardiac performance in endurance-trained and moderately active young women.

PURPOSE To compare the cardiac performance of endurance-trained (ET) and moderately active (MA) young women before exercise and throughout incremental work rates to maximum with particular interest in whether their stroke volume (SV) levels off at a submaximal work rate or increases to maximum. METHODS Blood volume (BV), and exercise cardiac performance were examined in seven ET (VO2max = 64.3 +/- 2.0 mL.kg(-1). min(-1)) and seven MA (VO2max = 42.1 +/- 1.0 mL.kg(-1). min(-1)) women, aged 18-30 yr. Cardiac time intervals were measured at matched heart rates (HR). RESULTS ET had a significantly larger BV than MA in both mL (ET = 5053 +/- 139, MA = 4327 +/- 202) and mL.kg(-1) (ET = 83.1 +/- 1.4, MA = 72.9 +/- 2.7). The SV of ET was significantly larger than the SV of MA throughout exercise, and the SV of ET increased progressively throughout incremental work rates to maximum. Although the SV of MA initially leveled off at a submaximal work rate, it underwent a secondary increase at very heavy work rates. Both diastolic filling rate (DFR) and left ventricular emptying rate (LVER) were significantly faster in ET compared with MA at HR of 150 bpm, 170 bpm and HRmax, and in both ET and MA, DFR was significantly faster than LVER at 170 bpm and HRmax. CONCLUSIONS In young women, ET have a larger SV than MA due to an enhanced DFR and LVER, with the primary advantage being DFR (possibly due to their larger BV). In addition, the SV of ET increases progressively throughout incremental work rates to maximum with no plateau, whereas the SV of MA levels off through moderate to heavy work rates then undergoes a secondary increase at very heavy work rates.