Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deficiency of IL-12p35 improves cardiac repair after myocardial infarction by promoting angiogenesis.

AIMS IL-12p35 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that participates in a variety of inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to determine whether IL-12 regulates cardiac injury and repair following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and investigate the underlying mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS Mice with AMI showed a marked increase in IL-12p35 expression of ischaemic cardiac tissues. IL-12 was mainly produced by CD11b(+) monocytes. Cardiac functions were significantly improved in IL-12p35 knockout (p35-KO) mice compared with wild-type (WT) littermates in response to AMI. IL-12p35 deficiency attenuated the infarct scar and hypertrophy compared with WT mice. RNA transcriptome sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR analysis of CD11b(+) monocytes isolated from WT and p35-KO ischaemic hearts revealed a distinct transcriptional profile in p35-KO CD11b(+) monocytes, displaying pro-angiogenesis and anti-inflammation properties. Angiogenesis was enhanced in p35-KO mice with AMI and hindlimb ischaemia. Moreover, tube formation assay and Matrigel plug analysis demonstrated that IL-12 inhibition of angiogenesis was dependent on monocytes. IL-12p35 deficiency inhibited inflammation by reducing chemokine production and monocyte infiltration into the heart. Finally, administration of an IL-12p35-neutralizing antibody limited AMI-induced inflammatory cell infiltration into the heart and improved angiogenesis and cardiac function. CONCLUSIONS Deficiency of IL-12p35 limited AMI-induced cardiac injury by promoting pro-angiogenesis and anti-inflammatory functions of monocytes.
Computer-assisted gait analysis of the dog: Comparison of two surgical techniques for the ruptured cranial cruciate ligament

Summary Objectives: To compare the improvement in degree of lameness following surgical repair of cranial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs using computer-assisted gait analysis. Methods: Two groups of 14 dogs were used. One group was treated by a capsular-fascial imbrication method, and the other group by tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO). All dogs underwent gait analysis prior to surgery, as well as at four days, four weeks, and four months after surgery. Symmetry indices of vertical ground reaction forces as well as vertical ground reaction forces in % body weight, joint angles and certain gait cycle parameters were evaluated. Results: Four months after surgery, the degree of lameness expressed as symmetry index for peak vertical force for the TPLO group (5.83%) was not significantly different to the capsular-fascial imbrication group (19.05%). Within the TPLO group, there was a significantly increased ability to extend the stifle joint four months after surgery. The stifle motion pattern of the capsular-fascial imbrication group as well as the range-of-motion in both groups showed very little change at the time of the last gait analysis. The complication rate was greater in the TPLO group than in the capsular-fascial group. Clinical significance: In conclusion the results suggest that the TPLO method leads to a faster recovery and improved limb function in comparison to the capsular-fascial imbrication method four months after surgery. Further analyses are needed to determine if the TPLO method is superior concerning long-term joint stability. Online supplementary material: A video of the three-dimensional kinematic model is available online at: http://www.vcot-online.com
On the efficacy of stop-loss rules in the presence of overnight gaps

A stop-loss rule is a risk management tool whereby the investor predefines some condition that, upon being triggered by market dynamics, implies the liquidation of her outstanding position. Such a tool is widely used by practitioners in financial markets with the hope of improving their investment performance by cutting losses and consolidating gains. We analyze in this work the performance of four popular implementations of stop-loss rules applied to asset prices whose returns are modeled with consideration of overnight gaps, that is, jumps from the closing price of one day to the opening price of the next trading day. In addition, our models include acute momentary price drops (flash crashes), which are often believed to erode the performance gains that might be derived from stop-loss rules. For this analysis we consider different models of asset returns: random walk, autoregressive and regime-switching models. In addition, we test the performance of the considered stop-loss rules in a non-parametric, data-driven framework based on the stationary bootstrap. As a general conclusion we find that, even when including overnight gaps and flash crashes in our price models, in rising markets stop-loss rules improve the expected risk-adjusted return according to most metrics, while improving absolute expected return in falling markets. Furthermore, we find that in general the simple fixed percentage stop-loss rule may be, in risk-adjusted terms, the most powerful among the popular rules that this work considers.
User-Centered Evaluation

Much has been written on graduate medical education and its evaluation. Seldom, however, are mentioned the uses made or the benefits of such evaluations. Drawing on current models for increasing the use of information from external evaluations, the authors offer a usercentered approach for increasing the use of results from internal evaluations, the more typical form of evaluation in graduate medical education. The overriding emphasis of the user-centered approach to evaluation is the utility of the resultant data. Three features characterize user-centered evaluation: an ordered set of steps with usefulness as the primary concern at each step; delineation of evaluator and decision-maker roles; and attention to the general communication aspects of evaluation. This article describes these three characteristics, concluding with two fundamental points: (1) A user-centered approach to evaluation will help evaluation do what it is supposed to do: provide information that gets used to increase the effectiveness of everyday decisions. (2) A user-centered evaluation accomplishes this, first, by having a pervasive attitude of utility and, second, by carefully attending to the three characteristic features of this approach to evaluation.
A Review of Depleted Uranium Biological Effects: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

The use of depleted uranium in armor-penetrating munitions remains a source of controversy because of the numerous unanswered questions about its long-term health effects. Although no conclusive epidemiologic data have correlated DU exposure to specific health effects, studies using cultured cells and laboratory rodents continue to suggest the possibility of leukemogenic, genetic, reproductive, and neurological effects from chronic exposure. Until issues of concern are resolved with further research, the use of depleted uranium by the military will continue to be controversial.
Reproducibility of BI‐RADS Breast Density Measures Among Community Radiologists: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract: Using data from the Vermont Breast Cancer Surveillance System (VBCSS), we studied the reproducibility of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI‐RADS) breast density among community radiologists interpreting mammograms in a cohort of 11,755 postmenopausal women. Radiologists interpreting two or more film‐screen screening or bilateral diagnostic mammograms for the same woman within a 3‐ to 24‐month period during 1996–2006 were eligible. We observed moderate‐to‐substantial overall intra‐rater agreement for use of BI‐RADS breast density in clinical practice, with an overall intra‐radiologist percent agreement of 77.2% (95% confidence interval (CI), 74.5–79.5%), an overall simple kappa of 0.58 (95% CI, 0.55–0.61), and an overall weighted kappa of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.68–0.73). Agreement exhibited by individual radiologists varied widely, with intra‐radiologist percent agreement ranging from 62.1% to 87.4% and simple kappa ranging from 0.19 to 0.69 across individual radiologists. Our findings underscore the need for additional evaluation of the BI‐RADS breast density categorization system in clinical practice.
Room-temperature and temperature-dependent QSRR modelling for predicting the nitrate radical reaction rate constants of organic chemicals using ensemble learning methods

Abstract Experimental determinations of the rate constants of the reaction of NO3 with a large number of organic chemicals are tedious, and time and resource intensive; and the development of computational methods has widely been advocated. In this study, we have developed room-temperature (298 K) and temperature-dependent quantitative structure–reactivity relationship (QSRR) models based on the ensemble learning approaches (decision tree forest (DTF) and decision treeboost (DTB)) for predicting the rate constant of the reaction of NO3 radicals with diverse organic chemicals, under OECD guidelines. Predictive powers of the developed models were established in terms of statistical coefficients. In the test phase, the QSRR models yielded a correlation (r2) of >0.94 between experimental and predicted rate constants. The applicability domains of the constructed models were determined. An attempt has been made to provide the mechanistic interpretation of the selected features for QSRR development. The proposed QSRR models outperformed the previous reports, and the temperature-dependent models offered a much wider applicability domain. This is the first report presenting a temperature-dependent QSRR model for predicting the nitrate radical reaction rate constant at different temperatures. The proposed models can be useful tools in predicting the reactivities of chemicals towards NO3 radicals in the atmosphere, hence, their persistence and exposure risk assessment.
Family Environment in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorders

Objective: This study aims to ascertain whether there were differences in family environment among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Method: The records of 233 patients, selected for high or low scores on a scale that taps ADHD symptoms, were reviewed by three clinicians who made DSM-IV diagnoses and rated the family environment with the Global Family Environment Scale (GFES). Self-report data obtained from the parent and child versions of the Child Behaviour Checklist were also used. The quality of the family environment was then compared between the various diagnostic groups. Results: A poorer family environment was associated with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and predicted a worse outcome (e.g. admission to a non-psychiatric institution, drug and alcohol abuse). Quality of the family environment did not vary according to ADHD diagnosis or gender. Conclusions: There seems to be no association between the quality of the family environment and a diagnosis of ADHD among referred adolescents. However, there is an association with conduct disorder. Interventions that improve family environment in the early years of life may prevent the development of conduct problems.
Single-to-balanced filters for mobile phones using coupled resonator BAW technology

The coupled resonator filter (CRF) is a new type of bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) device in which two piezoresonators are stacked on top of each other in a way that a certain degree of acoustic interaction occurs. Experimental results of single-ended and mode-converting CRF for GSM applications also featuring impedance conversion, operating at 1.8 GHz and manufactured at Infineon Technologies are presented. For the balanced port, those results demonstrate excellent amplitude- and phase-imbalance, obtained by a very symmetrical design. Also, a method for suppression of spurious resonances is demonstrated. Moreover, the latest results confirm that unwanted passbands can be overcome by modification of the acoustic mirror. Furthermore, the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) has been measured. Due to the compensating effect of SiO/sub 2/ in the CRF stack the values obtained are exceptionally small.
Body size across the life course and prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study

Current evidence of an association between body size and prostate cancer is conflicting, possibly due to differential effects of body size across the lifespan and the heterogeneity of the disease. We therefore examined childhood and adult body size in relation to total incident prostate cancer and prognostic subtypes in a prospective cohort of 47,491 US men in the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study. We assessed adult height, body mass index (BMI) in early and middle‐to‐late adulthood, adult waist circumference, and body shape at age 10. With follow‐up from 1986 to 2010, we estimated the relative risk (RR) of prostate cancer using Cox proportional hazards models. We identified 6,183 incident cases. Tallness was associated with increased risk of advanced‐stage tumors, particularly fatal disease (RR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.23–2.23, highest vs. lowest quintile, ptrend < 0.001). High BMI at age 21 was inversely associated with total prostate cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80–0.98, BMI ≥26 vs. 20–21.9, ptrend = 0.01) and with fatal and advanced disease. The association for late adult BMI differed by age (pinteraction < 0.001); high BMI was inversely associated with total prostate cancer (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.51–0.78, BMI ≥30 vs. 21–22.9, ptrend<0.001) and with non‐advanced and less aggressive tumors among men ≤65 years, whereas no association was seen among men >65 years. Adult waist circumference was weakly inversely associated with less aggressive disease. Childhood obesity was unclearly related to risk. Our study confirms tall men to be at increased risk of fatal and advanced prostate cancer. The influence of adiposity varies by prognostic disease subtype and by age. The relationship between body size and prostate cancer is complex. Body size changes progressively throughout life and consequent effects on prostate cancer risk may be associated with related changes in hormonal and metabolic pathways. This large prospective study examined potential associations between the risk of various prostate cancer subtypes and multiple anthropometric measures at different ages in men. Tallness was confirmed to be associated with an elevated risk of advanced prostate cancer, particularly fatal disease. The extent to which body weight influenced risk varied according to factors such as age and disease subtype.
A Lancastrian Mirror for Princes: The Yale Law School New Statutes of England

Preface Introduction: The Margin and the Center--Framing a Reading of a Legal Manuscript 1. The Yale New Statutes Manuscript and Medieval English Statute Books: Similarities and Differences 2. Royal Portraits and Royal Arms: The Iconography of the Yale New Statutes Manuscript 3. The Queen and the Lancastrian Cause: The Yale New Statutes Manuscript and Margaret of Anjou 4. Educating the Prince: The Yale New Statutes Manuscript and Lancastrian Mirrors for Princes 5. "Grace Be Our Guide": The Cultural Significance of a Medieval Law Book Appendix 1: Chronology of Events Appendix 2: Codicological Description of New Haven, Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library MssG +St11 no.1 Notes Bibliography Index Plates appear after page 000.
Controlling the memory during manipulation of word-level decision diagrams

Decision diagrams (DDs) are efficient data structures that are frequently used for formal verification, test or synthesis of circuits and systems. The main drawback of the data structure is the potential memory blow-up caused by certain functions. Therefore streaming has been proposed as a technique to efficiently evaluate operations on binary DDs (BDDs). The maximal memory usage can be controlled and therefore calculations can be carried out with a small amount of memory. In this paper we show how streaming can be extended to word-level decision diagrams (WLDDs) and for which type of diagrams streaming is applicable. A detailed description of streaming for multi-terminal BDDs (MTBDDs) is given. Experiments show the efficiency and the small memory needs for operations on MTBDDs.
Obtaining Large-Scale Funding for Empowerment-Oriented Qualitative Research: A Report From Personal Experience

Obtaining funding for qualitative research remains a challenge despite greater openness to methodological pluralism. Such hurdles are presumably compounded when the proposed study employs empowerment theory, rendering it susceptible to charges of elevating ideology over rigor. This article draws on the authors' experience in securing large-scale funding for an empowerment-oriented qualitative study of homeless mentally ill adults. Lessons learned include the importance of weaving empowerment theory into the proposal's “argument,” and infusing empowerment values into study protocols while simultaneously paying close attention to rigorous and transparent methods. Additional benefits accrue from having prior relationships with study sites and being willing to revise and resubmit proposals whenever possible. Though representing a fraction of all externally funded projects in the United States, qualitative research has tremendous untapped potential for success in this competitive arena—success that need not entail surrendering a commitment to empowerment values.
Expression of genes encoding the transcription factor SRF during early development of Xenopus laevis: identification of a CArG box‐binding activity as SRF.

cDNA clones encoding the sequence‐specific DNA binding protein, serum response factor (SRF), have been isolated from a Xenopus laevis neurula library and their nucleotide sequence determined. The Xenopus SRF (SRFX) gene produces multiple‐sized transcripts, present at 10(5) copies per unfertilized egg. A similar level is detected in the embryo during early cleavage, but SRFX transcripts accumulate rapidly following gastrulation. The protein they encode is similar in sequence to human SRF in its central and carboxy‐terminal regions, but possesses a divergent amino‐terminal portion. We have previously described a Xenopus embryo sequence‐specific binding activity that recognized the CArG motif of the cardiac actin gene promoter. Here we show that the DNA‐binding characteristics of synthetic SRFX are indistinguishable from those of the embryo factor. Moreover, antiserum raised against the synthetic SRFX recognizes this factor. Together, these results establish that the same factor binds to elements required for constitutive transcription in Xenopus oocytes, muscle‐specific gene expression in Xenopus embryos and serum‐responsive transcription in cultured amphibian cells.
The neurofilament antibody RT97 recognises a developmentally regulated phosphorylation epitope on microtubule‐associated protein 1B

Microtubules are important for the growth and maintenance of stable neuronal processes and their organisation is controlled partly by microtubule‐associated proteins (MAPs). MAP 1B is the first MAP to be expressed in neurons and plays an important role in neurite outgrowth. MAP 1B is phosphorylated at multiple sites and it is believed that the function of the protein is regulated by its phosphorylation state. We have shown that the monoclonal antibody (mAb) RT97, which recognises phosphorylated epitopes on neurofilament proteins, fetal tau, and on Alzheimer's paired helical filament‐tau, also recognises a developmentally regulated phosphorylation epitope on MAP 1B. In the rat cerebellum, Western blot analysis shows that mAb RT97 recognises the upper band of the MAP 1B doublet and that the amount of this epitope peaks very early postnatally and decreases with increasing age so that it is absent in the adult, despite the continued expression of MAP 1B in the adult. We confirmed that mAb RT97 binds to MAP 1B by showing that it recognises MAP 1B immunoprecipitated from postnatal rat cerebellum using polyclonal antibodies to recombinant MAP 1B proteins. We established that the RT97 epitope on MAP 1B is phosphorylated by showing that antibody binding was abolished by alkaline phosphatase treatment of immunoblots. Epitope mapping experiments suggest that the mAb RT97 site on MAP 1B is near the N‐terminus of the molecule. Despite our immunoblotting data, immunostaining of sections of postnatal rat cerebellum with mAb RT97 shows a staining pattern typical of neurofilaments with no apparent staining of MAP 1B. For instance, basket cell axons and axons in the granule cell layer and white matter stained, whereas parallel fibres did not. These results suggest that the MAP 1B epitope is masked or lost under the immunocytochemical conditions in which the cerebellar sections are prepared. The upper band of the MAP 1B doublet is believed to be predominantly phosphorylated by proline‐directed protein kinases(PDPKs). PDPKs are also good candidates for phosphorylating neurofilament proteins and tau and therefore we postulate that the sites recognised by RT97 on these neuronal cytoskeletal proteins may be phosphorylated by similar kinases. Important goals are to determine the precise location of the RT97 epitope on MAP 1B and the kinase responsible.
Impact of Smoking during Pregnancy on Peripheral Tissue Oxygenation in Term Neonates

Background: Smoking during pregnancy is associated with higher blood pressure in neonates. Objective: To analyze whether smoking during pregnancy has an influence on peripheral tissue oxygenation in healthy term neonates within the first days after delivery. Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 15 healthy term neonates of mothers who had smoked during pregnancy (smoking group) were matched for gestational age, actual weight and postnatal age to 15 healthy term neonates of mothers who had not smoked during pregnancy (non-smoking group). Peripheral oxygenation was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy in combination with the venous occlusion method on the left forearm. Measurements were performed within the first 2 days after delivery. Tissue oxygenation index (TOI), fractional oxygen extraction (FOE), oxygen delivery (DO2) and oxygen consumption (VO2) were analyzed. Results: In neonates measured within the first day after delivery, TOI was significantly lower and FOE was significantly higher (63.5 ± 5.5; 0.37 ± 0.04) in the smoking group compared to the non-smoking group (69.2 ± 2.9; 0.30 ± 0.04). DO2 tended to be lower and VO2 tended to be higher in the smoking group. In neonates measured on the second day after delivery, no significant differences were observed between the groups. Conclusions: Smoking during pregnancy reduced TOI and increased FOE in otherwise healthy neonates on the first day of life with normalization on the second day of life.