Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the association between bullying and adolescent concerns about teen dating violence.

BACKGROUND The school environment is an important context for understanding risk factors for teen dating violence. This study seeks to add to the growing literature base linking adolescent experiences with bullying and involvement with teen dating violence. METHODS Data were collected from 27,074 adolescents at 58 high schools via a Web-based survey. RESULTS Three-level hierarchical linear models indicated that adolescents who had been bullied were more concerned about both physical and emotional dating violence among students at their school. Schools that were perceived by students as safer were rated as having lower levels of teen dating violence. Older students and male students consistently reported greater concerns about dating violence. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that adolescents who experience bullying may also have concerns about violence in teen dating relationships. Findings also indicate that schools perceived as being unsafe may be an important context for targeting dating violence prevention efforts.
Evidence for the involvement of TNF and NF‐κB in hippocampal synaptic plasticity

The cytokine tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF), well‐known for its roles in cellular responses to tissue injury, has recently been shown to be produced in response to physiological activity in neuronal circuits. TNF stimulates receptors in neurons linked to the activation of the transcription factor NF‐κB, and recent findings suggest that this signaling pathway can modulate neuronal excitability and vulnerability of neurons to excitotoxicity. Because data indicate that TNF is produced, and NF‐κB activated, under conditions associated with learning and memory, we performed experiments in the hippocampal slice preparation aimed at elucidating roles for TNF and NF‐κB in modulating synaptic plasticity. Whereas stimulation of Schaffer collateral axons at a frequency of 1 Hz induced long‐term depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission in region CA1 of wild‐type mice, LTD did not occur in slices from TNF receptor knockout mice. Stimulation at 100 Hz induced long‐term potentiation (LTP) in slices from both wild‐type mice and mice lacking TNF receptors. Basal transmission was unaltered in mice lacking TNF receptors. Pretreatment of slices from wild‐type mice with κB decoy DNA prevented induction of LTD and significantly reduced the magnitude of LTP. Collectively, these data suggest important roles for TNF and signaling pathways that modulate NF‐κB activity in regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Synapse 35:151–159, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Increase in Insulin Antibodies During Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion and Multiple-Injection Therapy in Contrast to Conventional Treatment

Forty-five insulin-dependent diabetics were randomized to 1 yr treatment with either continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), multiple insulin injections (MI), or continued conventional treatment. The CSII group used regular insulin only, the MI group used 4-6 premeal injections of regular insulin and intermediate insulin at night, and the conventional group used two daily injections of combined regular and intermediate insulin. Only highly purified porcine insulin was used. Near normoglycemia was obtained during CSII and MI but not during conventional treatment. Antibodies against insulin were measured in serum samples by measuring the binding of iodinated porcine insulin to serum after removal of free and antibodybound insulin from the samples by acid charcoal. The percent binding of 125I-labeled insulin increased significantly during MI and CSII, in contrast to conventional treatment. Nineteen patients had sufficient binding capacity for Scatchard analysis. In the CSII and MI groups, high- or low-affinity antibodies or both were induced. When insulin was administered subcutaneously during MI or CSII for 1 yr, the insulin antibody production increased, in contrast with conventional treatment.
Follow-up after endoscopic snare resection of duodenal adenomas.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS Premalignant duodenal polyps are considered to be rare. Recurrence after local excision is reported to be frequent, so many authors propose radical surgical treatment of these tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term outcome after endoscopic resection of duodenal adenomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between January 1990 and April 2003 we retrospectively evaluated a group of patients who presented with nonampullary duodenal villous tumors but who did not have a polyposis syndrome. RESULTS Duodenal polyps were diagnosed in 21 patients during routine endoscopy during the study period. Of these, 18 patients (6 men, 12 women; median age 67, range 50 - 81), with a total of 20 duodenal adenomas, were enrolled into the study. The median size +/- SD of the tumors was 27.5 +/- 12 mm (range 8 - 50 mm). Of these 20 tumors, 18 adenomas were tubulovillous, one was tubulous and one was villous. Nineteen polyps were treated by snare excision and one adenoma was treated with argon plasma coagulation alone. Argon plasma coagulation was applied to polyps in six patients after snare excision during this initial treatment phase. The success rate for endoscopic adenoma removal after a 3-month interval was 55 %. After a median follow-up period of 71 months (range 22 - 151 months), 12 patients remained in remission. Local recurrences of the lesion occurred in five patients (25 %) and these were re-treated. None of the patients developed carcinoma during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS Endoscopic snare excision of duodenal adenomas is an effective mode of treatment but an endoscopic surveillance program is mandatory in order to detect and treat recurrence.
Looking Inside the Perpetual-Motion Machine

In the economic literature there is an increasing interest in the process of job creation and destruction as well of hirings and separations. Many studies suggest that idiosyncratic firm-level characteristics shape both job and worker flows in a similar way in all countries. Others argue that cross-country differences in terms of gross job flows are minor. However, these statements are usually based on the comparison of national estimates, typically collected on the basis of different definitions and collection protocols. By contrast, in this paper, we use crosscountry comparable data on both job and worker flows to examine key determinants of these flows and of their cross-country differences. We find that idiosyncratic firm (industry, firm age and size) and worker (age, gender, education) characteristics play an important role for both gross job and worker flows in all countries. Nevertheless, in contrast with part of the literature, we find that, even controlling for these idiosyncratic factors, cross-country differences concerning both gross job and worker flows appear large and of a similar magnitude. Both job and worker flows in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom exceed those in certain continental European countries by a factor of two. Moreover, the variation of worker flows across different dimensions is well explained by the variation of job flows, suggesting that, to a certain extent, the two flows can be used as substitutes in cross-country analysis. Consistently, churning flows, that is flows originating by firms churning workers and employees quitting and being replaced, display much less variation across countries.
Early Drain Removal--The Middle Ground Between the Drain Versus No Drain Debate in Patients Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy: A Prospective Validation Study.

OBJECTIVE To perform an unbiased assessment of first postoperative day (POD 1) drain amylase level and pancreatic fistula (PF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). BACKGROUND Recent evidence demonstrated that drain abandonment in PD is unsafe. Early drain amylase levels have been proposed as predictors of PF after PD, allowing for selection of patients for early drain removal. METHODS Daily drain amylase levels were correlated with the development of PF in 2 independent cohorts of patients undergoing PD: training cohort (n = 126; year 2008) and validation cohort (n = 369; years 2009-2012). RESULTS POD 1 drain amylase level had the highest predictive ability (concordance index: 0.911) for PF in the training cohort. An amylase level of 612 U/L or higher showed the best accuracy (86%), sensitivity (93%), and specificity (79%). Thus, a cutoff value of 600 U/L was utilized. In the validation cohort, 229 (62.1%) patients had a POD 1 drain amylase level of lower than 600 U/L, and PF developed in only 2 (0.9%) cases; whereas in patients with POD 1 drain amylase level of 600 U/L or higher (n = 140) the PF rate was 31.4% (odds ratio [OR] = 52, P < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, POD 1 drain amylase level of lower than 600 U/L (OR = 0.0192, P < 0.0001) was a stronger predictor of the absence of PF than pancreatic gland texture (OR = 0.193, P = 0.002) and duct diameter (OR = 0.861, P = 0.835). CONCLUSIONS After PD, the risk of PF is less than 1% if POD 1 drain amylase level is lower than 600 U/L. We propose that in this group, which comprise more than 60% of patients, drains should be removed on POD 1.
Population based reference intervals for common blood haematological and biochemical parameters in the akuapem north district.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVES To estimate the reference intervals for commonly used blood haematology and biochemical parameters in an adult (18-55yrs) population of residents of Mampong Akuapem. DESIGN This was a population based cross sectional study of a randomly selected sample of the adult population of Mampong. The sample was selected from an updated census list of the Mampong area. RESULTS Median values (95% range) for measured parameters were established as follows: Haemoglobin, (males) 14.2 g/dl (females) 12.0 g/dl Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), (female) 19.6 U/L (males) 26.1 U/L and Creatinine, (males) 108 mmol/L (females) 93 mmol/L. CONCLUSION In comparison to reference values that are commonly used in Ghana, the haemoglobulin levels from this study were lower, and liver function parameters higher. This could be a result of genetic or environmental differences and calls for the need to establish site specific reference values applicable to our population.
A Probabilistic Approach to Large-Scale Association Scans: A Semi-Bayesian Method to Detect Disease-Predisposing Alleles

Recent analytic and technological breakthroughs have set the stage for genome-wide linkage disequilibrium studies to map disease-susceptibility variants. This paper discusses a probabilistic methodology for making disease-mapping inferences in large-scale case-control genetic studies. The semi-Bayesian approach promoted compares the probability of the observed data under disease hypotheses to the probability of the data under a null hypothesis defined by data at all the markers interrogated in a large study. This method automatically adjusts for the effects of diffuse population stratification. It is claimed that this characterization of the evidence for or against disease models may facilitate more appropriate inductions for large-scale genetic studies. Results include (i) an analytic solution for the population stratification-adjusted Bayes factor, (ii) the relationship between sample size and Bayes factors, (iii) an extension to an approximate Bayes factor calculated across closely-linked sites, and (iv) an extension across multiple studies. Although this paper deals exclusively with genetic studies, it is possible to generalize the approach to treat many different large-scale experiments including studies of gene expression and proteomics.
Technology Transfer Services and Performance of Startup Firms Sponsored by University Incubators in Kenya

Technology transfer is the process of transferring skills, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions. This ensures that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users who can then further develop and exploit the technology into new products, processes, applications, materials or services. Business incubation assist startup firms grow with the efficient use of business resources to become sustainable and develop competitive companies. The associated outcomes are jobs creation, technology transfer, commercialize new technologies and create wealth for economies. University business incubators provide a unique opportunity for start-up firms to benefit from the talent and resources located in the university, particularly in development of products that require higher level of technology and sophistication. The research objective was to find out how technology transfer services influence performance of startup firms sponsored by university incubators in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a random sample of university sponsored graduate incubates. A sample size of 189 was drawn from a population of 372. A self- administered questionnaire with closed-ended questions and open spaces for comments was used to collect primary data. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Regression analysis was used to test the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The study concluded that technology transfer services offered by university business incubators were statistically a significant factor in relation to the performance of startup firms. The study recommends that universities adopt and embrace business incubation strategy since they are major sponsors of technology transfer programs hence extend their basic mission of teaching, generating new knowledge and service to the society. Keywords: Business Incubation, Technology transfer, Startup Firms Performance.
Shoulder Motion and Laxity in the Professional Baseball Player

We studied 148 professional baseball players with no history of shoulder problems to assess range of motion and laxity of their dominant and nondominant shoul ders. There were 72 pitchers and 76 position players. Average external rotation with the arm in 90° of abduc tion was statistically greater and average internal rota tion was statistically less in the dominant shoulders than in the nondominant shoulders, both in pitchers and position players. There was no statistical differ ence in forward elevation or external rotation with the arm at the side of the body in either group. Both dom inant and nondominant shoulders of pitchers had greater average range of motion in forward elevation and external rotation (both at the side and at 90° of abduction) and less average internal rotation than those of position players. Regarding laxity testing, 61 % of dominant shoulders in pitchers had a sulcus sign, as compared with 47% in position players. Also, this de gree of inferior laxity was significantly greater in pitch ers than in position players. Differences in range of motion and laxity exist in the throwing shoulder of athletes involved in overhead throwing motions and should be considered in rehabilitation protocols and surgical repair.
Experimental study of large bandwidth three-offset microstripline-fed slot antenna

The proposed novel three-offset shaped microstripline-fed slot antenna has a radiation pattern similar to the conventional microstrip slot antenna and the advantage of more bandwidth. The measured bandwidth is approximately 1.796 octave (VSWR/spl les/2.0), Experimental results for the impedance loci and the radiation patterns are also presented.
Lysophosphatidylcholine stimulates interleukin-6 release from rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a B-cell differentiation-inducing cytokine that affects the secretion of several neuroendocrine hormones. Normal rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells synthesize and release IL-6, suggesting a paracrine role for the stimulation of AP hormone release by this cytokine. We have previously reported that IL-1 beta enhances IL-6 release and phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in AP cells. Because lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) may function as a second messenger for IL-1 beta, we have investigated the effects of exogenous LPC on IL-6 release from AP cells in vitro. AP cells from male Long-Evans rats were dispersed and cultured for 5-6 days in 96-well (100,000 cells/well) culture plates. Cells were rinsed and incubated in the absence or presence of 1.25-40 microM LPC 18:0 (stearoyl) for 6 h, and IL-6 concentrations determined using the 7-TD1 cell bioassay. LPC 18:0 significantly (P < 0.01) stimulated IL-6 release up to 10-fold in a concentration-related manner. In contrast, LPC 18:0 did not affect PRL release. LPC species substituted with progressively shorter saturated 1-acyl chains (16:0-10:0) were less effective for IL-6 induction. Examination of structurally related glycerophospholipid species revealed the specificity of the LPC stimulation of IL-6 release. Thus, 1.25-40 microM lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE; 18:0) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA; 18:0) were without significant effect on AP IL-6 release, demonstrating the specific functional requirement for the phosphorylcholine headgroup. Hydrolysis of the structurally related choline-linked phospholipid sphingomyelin (SM) has been implicated in IL-1 beta action in certain cell types. Similarly, 1.25-20 microM lysosphingomyelin (sphingosylphosphorylcholine; SPC) also significantly (P < or = 0.01) stimulated IL-6 release from AP cells, although SPC exhibited discernibly lower potency and efficacy than LPC. An acyl analog of platelet-activation factor (PAF), i.e. 18:0-2:0 PC (1-stearoyl-2-acetoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine), differs from LPC by an acetyl group in the sn-2 position; PAF was at least as effective as LPC for the stimulation of IL-6 release from AP cells in vitro. Stimulation of IL-6 release by LPC 18:0 was completely suppressed by pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinase C such as H7 (20 microM) and chelerythrine (5 microM). In addition, H7 (20 microM) abolished the stimulation of IL-6 release by IL-1 beta (0.16-100 ng/mL). These findings demonstrate that LPC, acyl PAF, or SPC (but not other lysophospholipids) stimulate IL-6 release from AP cells in vitro. We conclude that LPC-mediated activation of protein kinase C is involved in the stimulatory actions of IL-1 beta in AP cells.
Immunocytochemical Localization of Histatins in Human Salivary Glands

Histatins are a family of salivary proteins with bactericidal and fungicidal activities that contribute to the innate defense of the oral cavity. Histatins are present in the serous granules of the parotid and submandibular glands. The important role of histatins in saliva, and the limited information on their cellular and subcellular distribution, prompted us to further define the localization of histatins in the major salivary glands. Immunogold-silver staining of 1-μm sections of plastic-embedded tissue with anti-histatin antibody revealed histatin immunoreactivity in the serous acinar cells of the parotid and submandibular glands, the serous demilune cells of the submandibular and sublingual glands, and in occasional intercalated duct cells. No reactivity was seen in mucous cells or in striated or excretory duct cells. Electron microscopic observations of thin sections labeled with anti-histatin and gold-labeled secondary antibodies revealed immunoreactivity associated with the rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex and in secretory granules of serous acinar and demilune cells. The granules of parotid acinar cells exhibited relatively uniform labeling of their content, whereas the granules of serous cells in the submandibular and sublingual glands showed variable labeling of the dense and light regions of their content. A few intercalated duct cells adjacent to the acinar cells also exhibited labeled granules. These results suggest that the serous cells of the major glands are the main source of histatins in human saliva. They are also consistent with several previous studies demonstrating the variable distribution of different proteins within the granule content.
Cure of gastric ulcer disease after cure of Helicobacter pylori infection - German gastric ulcer study

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with gastric ulcer disease in about 75% of cases. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether H. pylori eradication reduces gastric ulcer relapse rates. Design: The study was randomized, controlled, multicentric and investigator blinded, and was conducted at three university hospitals, two teaching hospitals, and by six practising gastroenterologists. Methods: During a period of 1 year 152 patients with gastric ulcers were randomly assigned to one of two treatment regimens: omeprazole 20 mg daily in the morning for 8 weeks (74 patients), or bismuth subsalicylate 600 mg three times daily for 8 weeks combined with 500 mg amoxicillin twice daily and 1000 mg tinidazole twice daily for the first 10 days (triple therapy) (78 patients). Foliow-up examinations were performed 6,12 and 18 months after treatment and whenever ulcer symptoms occurred. Results: Of the 152 randomized patients five were excluded because of gastric cancer, 10 missed follow-up examinations and seven receiving triple therapy terminated treatment because of side effects. Of the remaining 130 patients, five of 69 (7.2%) in the omeprazole and six of 61 (9.8%) in the triple group were H. pylori negative. After 8 weeks' therapy, the gastric ulcer was healed in 85.9% (omeprazole) and in 81.8% (triple) in H. pylori-positive patients, and in 80% (omeprazole) and 16.7% (triple) in H. pylori-negatives. H. pylori was eradicated in 8.1% of the patients who received omeprazole monotherapy and in 78.2% recieving triple therapy, and in 8.1% and 69.4% in an intention-to-treat analysis. The subsequent relapse rates during a follow-up period of 12 months were 50% in the omeprazole group and 4% in the triple group. Gastric ulcer relapse was observed in 49% of patients who were H. pylori positive and in 2% who were H. pylori negative after treatment. Conclusion: The data show that the presence of H. pylori is an important predictor of gastric ulcer relapse and that eradication of H. pylori may heal gastric ulcer disease.
Character recognition of Malaysian vehicle license plate with deep convolutional neural networks

This paper presents a vehicle license plate recognition method using deep convolutional neural networks. The focus of this paper is placed on the recognition of segmented characters of vehicle license. The deep convolutional neural network is able to distinguish numbers (0 to 9), alphabets (A to Z) and background image from one another. We show that the neural networks trained on computer fonts and natural images can be used to recognize the characters and non-characters on the vehicle license plates. In our experiments, we compared several models of the deep learning model and measure the performance of each model. We find that deeper models of neural networks yield better recognition results. What also find that the deep convolutional neural network is much more robust at the task of character recognition compared to the deep multilayer perceptron. With approximately equal amount of weights and biases parameters, the deep convolutional neural network outperforms all other models on the same task. Our best model using deep convolutional network, can achieve 95.89% correct classification of real license plate characters when even though the network is only trained on computer fonts (from Chars74K dataset) and natural images (from CIFAR10 dataset). No data augmentation is performed during the training.