Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Repeatedly Measured High-Sensitivity-Assayed Troponin I with Cardiovascular Disease Events in a General Population from the MORGAM/BiomarCaRE Study.

BACKGROUND High-sensitivity troponin I (hs-cTnI) concentrations reflect myocardial stress. The role of hs-cTnI in predicting long-term changes in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general populations is not clearly defined. METHODS We investigated whether the change in 3 repeated measures of hs-cTnI collected 5 years apart in a prospective Danish study (3875 participants, initially aged 30-60 years, 51% female, disease free at baseline) improves 10-year prediction of incident CVD compared to using a single most recent hs-cTnI measurement. The change process was modelled using a joint (longitudinal and survival) model and compared to a Cox model using a single hs-cTnI measure adjusted for classic CVD risk factors, and evaluated using discrimination statistics. RESULTS Median hs-cTnI concentrations changed from 2.6 ng/L to 3.4 ng/L over 10 years. The change in hs-cTnI predicts 10-year risk of CVD (581 events); the joint model gave a hazard ratio of 1.31 per interquartile difference in hs-cTnI (95% CI 1.15-1.48) after adjustment for CVD risk factors. However, the joint model performed only marginally better (c-index improvement 0.0041, P = 0.03) than using a single hs-cTnI measure (c-index improvement 0.0052, P = 0.04) for prediction of CVD, compared to a model incorporating CVD risk factors without hs-cTnI (c-index 0.744). CONCLUSIONS The change in hs-cTnI in 5-year intervals better predicts risk of CVD in the general population, but the most recent measure of hs-cTnI, (at 10 years) is as effective in predicting CVD risk. This simplifies the use of hs-cTnI as a prognostic marker for primary prevention of CVD in the general population.
The Optimal Inflation Rate with Discount Factor Heterogeneity

This paper shows that deviations from long-run price stability are optimal in the presence of price stickiness whenever profit and utility flows are discounted at a different rate. In that case, a monetary authority acting under commitment will choose a path for the inflation rate that ends with a non-zero value. Such a property is relevant in a wide range of macroeconomic environments. I first illustrate this by studying optimal monetary policy in a New Keynesian model with a perpetual youth structure. In this setting, profit flows are discounted more heavily than utility flows and the optimal inflation target is equal to 3.2 percent in a baseline calibration of the model. I also show that this property leads to a positive long-run inflation rate in models with firm entry and exit and in environments with search and matching frictions in the labor market and another form of nominal rigidity, wage stickiness.
The significance of intercultural understanding in modern foreign languages Key Stage 3 curriculum : the perspectives of policy makers, teachers and pupils

This study focuses on the significance of Intercultural Understanding (IU) in the Key Stage 3 Modem Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum. It investigates the perspectives of the three key stakeholders: policy makers, teachers and pupils. The research is situated against the backdrop of the 2008 National Curriculum revision which placed a new emphasis on Intercultural Understanding in MFL. At the macro level, it examines the drivers for this curriculum change and the extent to which the new terminology for the cultural dimension (which was previously called "cultural awareness") overlaps with theoretical research on interculturallanguages education. At the micro level, it investigates teachers' conceptualisations of IU and the factors which affect their intercultural practice. It is equally concerned with pupils' perceptions about the significance ofIU, investigating how these may vary as a function of demographic and social influences. The study adopts a predominantly interpretative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with policy makers (n=2) and secondary MFL teachers (n=18). Pupil perceptions were investigated using a questionnaire survey (n=765) which was followed up with group interviews (n=5). The teacher and pupil samples were drawn from a total of fourteen state schools in the North West of England that comprise of mixed comprehensive, girls' comprehensive, boys' comprehensive, girls' grammar and boys' grammar schools. The study finds that the reference to Intercultural Understanding in curriculum policy was primarily influenced by broader political concerns that overlooked interculturallanguages theory and has resulted in ambiguous curriculum guidelines. This research reveals a new insight into the teacher perspective, showing that attitudes and pedagogical approaches to the cultural dimension are highly individualistic and are closely related to interests, personalities and life experiences. Furthermore, the pupil perspective on IU varies not only from school to school, but also from pupil to pupil. Overall, the findings suggest that effective IU curriculum development in MFL must be flexible enough to respond to and cater for this evident diversity.
Information Sheet: Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Awareness for Classroom and Outreach Education

Jennifer, a junior in high school, did well in her science courses and was one of 35 students selected to attend a summer program focusing on civil engineering. On the first day, Jennifer found that she was one of only five female students in the program and one of only two Hispanic students. Throughout the summer, engineers came to speak about their experiences in the field; however, none of the speakers were Hispanic or women. During most of the hands-on activities, Jennifer was paired with male students and found that she was expected to passively assist her partner by handing him tools needed to complete experiments rather than handle instruments or take a leadership role. When the instructor asked Jennifer’s group about experiments, the instructor tended to direct simple knowledge questions to Jennifer and more critical thinking questions to her partner. Jennifer felt isolated in the program. At the end of the summer, she decided she would not be very good in engineering, and she changed her career aspirations.
Bilingual education : a history of family and community involvement in schools

The demographics in today’s schools are undergoing large transformations and it is imperative for schools to keep up with this change. In the face of accountability, schools with high minority or ELL populations are not faring as well as others thus they are subject to school reforms that intend to transform the school into one that produces comparable results to higher performing schools. In this review of the literature, I highlight key elements that schools can adopt, specifically those with high minority or ELL populations, to better meet the needs of at-risk students. I elaborate on bilingual education and the relationship it has on academic achievement for ELL and monolingual students. I also elaborate briefly on the importance of community schools as a school improvement strategy and more formally on the important role that the development of strong community-school relationships have on at-risk students. In the third section of the review, I focus heavily on parental involvement and engagement and the role that this has on academic achievement and overall school reform. The findings highlighted in the literature review are promising further intensifying the necessity to consider these strategies as a means for promising school reform. Implications for practice are included at the conclusion of this literature review. vii Table of
Lymphotoxin-β Interacts with Methylated EGFR to Mediate Acquired Resistance to Cetuximab in Head and Neck Cancer

Purpose: In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the incidence of RAS mutation, which is the major cause of cetuximab resistance, is relatively rare compared with the other types of cancers, and the mechanism mediating acquired resistance is unclear compared with the driver gene mutation–mediated de novo resistance. Here, we investigated the driver gene mutation–independent mechanism for cetuximab resistance in HNSCC. Experimental Design: We used the in vitro-selected and in vivo-selected cetuximab-resistant sublines of HNSCC cell lines for investigating the mechanism of acquired resistance to cetuximab. Zebrafish model was applied for evaluating the synergistic effect of combinatory drugs for overcoming cetuximab resistance. Results: The cetuximab-resistant HNSCC cells undergo a Snail-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Mechanistically, Snail induces the expression of lymphotoxin-β (LTβ), a TNF superfamily protein that activates NF-κB, and protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), an arginine methyltransferase that methylates EGFR. LTβ interacts with methylated EGFR to promote its ligand-binding ability and dimerization. Furthermore, LTβ activates the NF-κB pathway through a LTβ receptor–independent mechanism. Combination of an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor and a NF-κB inhibitor effectively suppressed cetuximab-resistant HNSCC and interfering with the EGFR–LTβ interaction reverses resistance. Conclusions: Our findings elucidate the mechanism of driver gene mutations–independent mechanism of acquired resistance to cetuximab in HNSCC and also provide potential strategies for combating cetuximab resistance. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4388–401. ©2017 AACR.
Impact of aciclovir on ulcer healing, lesional, genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA among patients with genital ulcer disease in Malawi

Objective By a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aciclovir 800 mg twice daily for 5 days added to the syndromic management of genital ulcer disease (GUD) to determine the impact on ulcer healing and HIV outcomes. Methods Patients presenting with GUD in Malawi were evaluated for HIV and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) serologies, ulcer aetiology, lesional, genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ count. Patients were followed up at days 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28. The primary study outcome was ulcer healing at day 14, with secondary outcomes being lesional and genital HIV-1 shedding at day 14 and HIV-1 plasma viral load at day 28 among HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infected individuals. Results Four hundred and twenty-two patients (74% male) were randomised (208 to aciclovir, 214 to placebo), of whom 61% were HIV-1 seropositive and 72% HSV-2 seropositive; 67% (267/398) had HSV-2 ulcers. 85% of ulcers were healed at day 14 with no difference between treatment arms (risk ratio (RR)=1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.11). Among 244 HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infected individuals, aciclovir reduced lesional HIV-1 RNA (adjusted RR=0.64, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99) and seminal HIV-1 RNA (adjusted RR=0.59, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.88), but not cervical HIV-1 RNA or plasma HIV-1 RNA. Conclusions Episodic HSV treatment with aciclovir added to syndromic management did not produce a significant clinical benefit in this African population.
Prevalence of anogenital warts among participants in private health plans in the United States, 2003-2010: potential impact of human papillomavirus vaccination.

OBJECTIVES We estimated anogenital wart prevalence from 2003 to 2010 by gender and age group in a large US cohort with private insurance to detect potential decreases among people most likely to be affected by human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. METHODS We restricted health care claims to those from individuals aged 10 to 39 years with continuous insurance within a given year. We derived anogenital wart diagnoses from a diagnosis of condyloma acuminata, or either a less specific viral wart diagnosis or genital wart medication combined with either a benign anogenital neoplasm or destruction or excision of a noncervical anogenital lesion. RESULTS Prevalence increased slightly in 2003 to 2006, then significantly declined in 2007 to 2010 among girls aged 15 to 19 years; increased in 2003 to 2007, remained level through 2009, and declined in 2010 among women aged 20 to 24 years; and increased through 2009 but not in 2010 for women aged 25 to 39 years. For males aged 15 to 39 years, prevalence for each 5-year age group increased in 2003 to 2009, but no increases were observed for 2010. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate reductions in anogenital warts among US females aged 15 to 24 years, the age group most likely to be affected by introduction of the HPV vaccine.
Disruption of postsynaptic GABAA receptor clusters leads to decreased GABAergic innervation of pyramidal neurons

We have used RNA interference (RNAi) to knock down the expression of the γ2 subunit of the GABAA receptors (GABAARs) in pyramidal neurons in culture and in the intact brain. Two hairpin small interference RNAs (shRNAs) for the γ2 subunit, one targeting the coding region and the other one the 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) of the γ2 mRNA, when introduced into cultured rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons, efficiently inhibited the synthesis of the GABAA receptor γ2 subunit and the clustering of other GABAAR subunits and gephyrin in these cells. More significantly, this effect was accompanied by a reduction of the GABAergic innervation that these neurons received. In contrast, the γ2 shRNAs had no effect on the clustering of postsynaptic α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors, postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD‐95) or presynaptic glutamatergic innervation. A γ2‐enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) subunit construct, whose mRNA did not contain the 3′‐UTR targeted by γ2 RNAi, rescued both the postsynaptic clustering of GABAARs and the GABAergic innervation. Decreased GABAAR clustering and GABAergic innervation of pyramidal neurons in the post‐natal rat cerebral cortex was also observed after in utero transfection of these neurons with the γ2 shRNAs. The results indicate that the postsynaptic clustering of GABAARs in pyramidal neurons is involved in the stabilization of the presynaptic GABAergic contacts.
An Analysis of the Economic Determinants of Food Security in North Africa

This paper investigates the issue of food security as the basis for stable economic development using the example of North Africa. A statistical analysis of economic and financial factors in relation to the determinants of food security was carried out using a panel cointegrating model based on official international statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank for 1991-2014. According to the results, population growth and the intensification of agricultural production, foreign trade and foreign direct investment play a crucial role in food security. The study revealed the relationship between food security and the development of the banking and financial systems in the region, and their degree of globalization. The strategy of a long-term investment policy pursued by the World Bank and FAO to combat hunger and poverty was justified. The methodology proposed can be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of policies to maintain food security in the regions of Arfica.
Migration and elections

Migration policies and migration flows are partly determined by political economy factors. However, there is little evidence on the precise linkages between migration flows, election outcomes and changes in migration laws. This paper intends to fill this gap by analyzing a large panel data set on migration flows for 15 OECD (destination) countries. In particular, we test whether the identity of the governing parties / the parties in parliament a ects migration patterns.
Catalepsy Induced by Manidipine, a Calcium Channel Blocker, in Mice

Manidipine, a calcium channel blocker, is a piperazine derivative similar to flunarizine or cinnarizine, which are known to induce parkinsonism. Since it has been reported that manidipine can worsen parkinsonian symptoms in a patient with Parkinson's disease, we have evaluated catalepsy in manidipinetreated mice and compared this with flunarizine‐and haloperidol‐induced catalepsy.
Preclinical Evidence for Therapeutic Efficacy of Selective Estrogen receptor Modulators for Uterine Leiomyoma

Objective: Uterine leiomyoma are the most common gynecologic neoplasm and a primary cause of hysterectomy in premenopausal women. Preclinical studies were conducted in the Eker rat model to investigate the potential efficacy of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) as therapeutic agents for this tumor. Methods: Twelve-month-old Eker rats were randomized into five treatment arms including tamoxifen, placebo, LY 326315, vehicle, and no treatment. Additional animals received ovariectomy or sham surgery at 4 months of age to determine the effect of ovarian ablation on tumor development. The study was terminated after 2 to 4 months of treatment, and tumor incidence, size, proliferative and apoptotic indices were determined. Size and incidence data were subjected to chi-square analysis. One-way analysis of variance and Fisher's least significant difference tests were used to compare proliferative and apoptotic indices. Results: Ovariectomy virtually ablated leiomyoma development, indicating that these tumors were dependent on ovarian hormones for growth and development. Treatment with tamoxifen or raloxifene analog LY 326315 reduced leiomyoma incidence by 40-60% and reduced the size of remaining tumors. The effect of SERMs on leiomyomas was mediated by a decrease in cell proliferation without a decrease in apoptotic index. Conclusion: SERMs have been shown to be therapeutically efficacious against breast cancer and to reduce tumor incidence in women at increased risk for this disease. The present data indicate that therapeutic efficacy may also be extended to uterine leiomyoma and demonstrate the utility of this animal model for preclinical studies to identify new therapeutic modalities.
A 0.9V 600MHz 4th-order analog filter with feed-forward compensated OPAMP in CMOS 28nm

In this paper a 600MHz 4th order low-pass analog filter in CMOS-28nm is presented. The transfer function is obtained with the cascade of two Active-RC Rauch biquadratic cells. Each cell is based on a novel OPAMP optimized for very high frequency operation achieving a Unity Gain Bandwidth (UGBW) > 7GHz. The developed three stage folded OPAMP exploits a feed-forward compensation technique to maximize bandwidth and an improved Common Mode Feedback Circuit (CMFB) necessary to reduce parasitic poles and to guarantee acceptable CMFB phase margin. The OPAMP is able to manage the very low VDD/VTH ratio of the 28nm process lowering its input common mode voltage in respect with input and output common mode voltage of the whole filter. The prototype consumes 11.4mW from a single 0.9V supply voltage, achieving 600MHz of bandwidth with an in-band integrated noise of 750μVRMS. The IIP3 calculated at 400 and 450MHz is 12.5dBm.
Recursive risk measures under regime switching applied to portfolio selection

Abstract In this paper, we define the conditional risk measure under regime switching and derive a class of time consistent multi-period risk measures. To do so, we describe the information process with regime switching in a product space associated with the product of two filtrations. Moreover, we show how to establish the corresponding multi-stage portfolio selection models using the time consistent multi-period risk measure for medium-term or long-term investments. Take the conditional value-at-risk measure as an example, we demonstrate the resulting multi-stage portfolio selection problem can be transformed into a second-order cone programming problem. Finally, we carry out a series of empirical tests to illustrate the superior performance of the proposed random framework and the corresponding multi-stage portfolio selection model.
A Fast Track to Hypoalgesia – The Anaerobic Exercise Effect on Pain Sensitivity

Abstract Maximal anaerobic exercise, is a short high intensity effort, involves activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, and may suggest hypoalgesic effects. In addition, this exercise-induced muscle pain may contribute to hypoalgesia via the pain inhibits pain phenomenon, which is related to the diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) mechanism. We aimed to investigate whether: 1) a single bout of 30 s maximal anaerobic exercise has an analgesic effect on experimental pain sensitivity; 2) DNIC is the underlying mechanism of anaerobic exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). Fifty healthy subjects participated. The experimental group performed the ‘Wingate Anaerobic Test’ (WAT) and controls set on the bikes without exercising. Psychophysical tests, performed before and after the intervention, in local and remote areas, included: heat (HPT) and pressure pain thresholds (PPT); suprathreshold heat and cold pain stimulation; the conditioned pain modulation (CPM) paradigm testing the DNIC mechanism. Following WAT, PPT and HPT increased (p<0.001) , pain ratings in response to heat and cold stimuli (p<0.001) and CPM (p=0.029) decreased compared with controls. No correlation was found between muscle pain, blood lactate level and EIH. To conclude WAT induces local and remote analgesic effects. The involvement of central pain modulatory processes with DNIC probably not the underline mechanism of EIH.
Another law of small numbers: patterns of trading prices in experimental markets

Conventional finance models indicate that the magnitude of stock prices should not influence portfolio choices or future returns. This view is contradicted, however, by empirical evidence. In this paper, we report the results of an experiment showing that trading prices, in experimental markets, are processed differently by participants, depending on their magnitude. Our experiment has two consecutive treatments. One where the fundamental value is a small number (the small price market) and a second one where the fundamental value is a large number (the large price market). Small price markets exhibit greater mispricing than large price markets. We obtain this result both between-participants and within-participants. Our findings show that price magnitude influences the way people perceive the distribution of future returns. This result is at odds with standard finance theory but is consistent with: (1) a number of observations in the empirical finance and accounting literature; and (2) evidence in neuropsychology on the use of different mental scales for small and large numbers.
An exploratory study of instructional practice in three Nigerian secondary schools, given student-centred recommendations in curriculum reform

Recent reforms of secondary education in Nigeria advocate for student-centred approaches in instructional practice (IP) (Awofala & Sopekan, 2013) . Student-centred instruction (SCI) is defined as an approach, which reflects a shift from teacher-centred pedagogy, in which the learner becomes the centre of the learning process and creative methods are employed (Collins & O'Brien, 2011; Vavrus, Thomas, & Bartlett, 2011). However, increasing evidence of problematic implementation within developing countries reflects the need to be critical of SCI/learner-centred policy transfer (Schweisfurth, 2011) . This study addresses an exposed lack of detailed research around education reforms in Nigeria by exploring the changes in IP since its implementation and stakeholders’ dispositions towards IP. Qualitative data collection and analysis generated two themes: teachers’ positioning as the expert and activity leader, and positive views of existing IP. These findings suggest that teacher and students’ preferences have more influence on IP than the availability of resources.