Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α Induction of CXCL10 in Endothelial Cells Requires Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5)-mediated Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB p65 Methylation*

Background: NF-κB post-translational modifications contribute to gene-specific transcriptional activation. Results: Symmetrical dimethylation of NF-κB p65 by PRMT5 enhances CXCL10 induction in response to TNF-α. Conclusion: Arginine methylation of p65 is a novel mechanism regulating inflammatory chemokine induction. Significance: Methylation of specific NF-κB arginine residues contributes to promoter targeting and transcriptional activation. The chemokine CXCL10/IP-10 facilitates recruitment of Th1-type leukocytes to inflammatory sites. In this study, we show that the arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 is critical for CXCL10 transcription in TNF-α-activated human endothelial cells (EC). We found that depletion of PRMT5 results in significantly reduced levels of CXCL10 mRNA, demonstrating a positive role for PRMT5 in CXCL10 induction. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments revealed the presence of the symmetrical dimethylarginine modification catalyzed by PRMT5 associated with the CXCL10 promoter in response to TNF-α. However, symmetrical dimethylarginine-modified proteins were not detected at the promoter in the absence of PRMT5, indicating that PRMT5 is essential for methylation to occur. Furthermore, NF-κB p65, a critical driver of TNF-α-mediated CXCL10 induction, was determined to be methylated at arginine residues. Crucially, RNAi-mediated PRMT5 depletion abrogated p65 methylation and CXCL10 promoter binding. Mass spectrometric analysis in EC identified five dimethylated arginine residues in p65, four of which are uncharacterized in the literature. Expression of Arg-to-Lys point mutants of p65 demonstrated that both Arg-30 and Arg-35 must be dimethylated to achieve full CXCL10 expression. In conclusion, we have identified previously uncharacterized p65 post-translational modifications critical for CXCL10 induction.
Cardiovascular fitness modifies the associations between physical activity and abdominal adiposity in children and adolescents: the European Youth Heart Study

Objective To examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and abdominal adiposity, as measured by waist circumference, in children and adolescents, and to test whether cardiovascular fitness (CVF) modifies these associations. Methods PA components were measured by accelerometry in 1075 individuals aged 9 or 15 years old. CVF was measured by a maximal cycling test. Self-reported maternal educational level, body mass index, children's birth weight and television viewing were used as confounders. Results Linear regression did not show any association between the PA variables and waist circumference, after controlling for sex, age and height. When stratifying by CVF level (low/high), time spent at vigorous PA was inversely associated with waist circumference (p≤0.05) in the low CVF group. Unexpectedly, in the high CVF group, the PA variables were positively associated with waist circumference (p≤0.05). In both groups, the results were unchanged after controlling for the confounders. CVF was inversely associated with waist circumference, after controlling for all PA variables (p≤0.01) and confounders (p≤0.01). Conclusion CVF is inversely associated with abdominal adiposity and seems to modify the associations between PA and abdominal adiposity. In low-fit children and adolescents, time spent in vigorous PA seems to be the key component linked to abdominal adiposity. This finding should be considered in further development of lifestyle intervention strategies. The results found in the high-fit group need to be confirmed.
Virulence of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Genotypes I and III, Taiwan

The virulence of genotype I (GI) Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is under debate. We investigated differences in the virulence of GI and GIII JEV by calculating asymptomatic ratios based on serologic studies during GI- and GIII-JEV endemic periods. The results suggested equal virulence of GI and GIII JEV among humans.
The Relationship Between Degree Type, Certification Status, and Years of Employment and the Amount of Time Spent on Rehabilitation Counseling Tasks in State—Federal Vocational Rehabilitation

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perceived percentage of time spent on particular rehabilitation counseling responsibilities, on one hand, and possession of an educational degree, certification as a rehabilitation counselor (CRC), and years worked for the state—federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency, on the other. Our national study of 483 vocational rehabilitation counselors in state—federal VR agencies provides evidence that there is little difference in the perceived percentage of time spent on specific work activities with respect to degree type, CRC, or years worked for the state—federal agency. Implications for rehabilitation counselors working for a state—federal agency are discussed.
Antitumor and Immunoregulatory Activities of Polysaccharides from Gracilaria Lemaneiformis on S180 Tumor-Bearing Mice

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: GLPs: Gracilaria Lemaneiformis Polysaccharides; FTIR: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy; GC: Gas Chromatography; HPGPC: High Performance Gel Permeation Chromatography; NK: Natural Killer; IL-2: Interleukin-2; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor Necrosis Factor-α; BRM: Biological Response Modifier; ConA: Concanavalin A; LPS: Lipo Poly Saccharide; DMSO: Dimethyl Sulfoxide; FBS: Fetal Bovine Serum; FID: Flame-Ionization Detector; MTT: 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5 Diphenyltetrazolium bromide; 5-FU: 5-Fluorouracil.
Considering Cultural Conflict: Class Politics and Cultural Politics in Western Societies

textabstractDe politiek van Westerse landen is sinds lange tijd georganiseerd langs diverse maatschappelijke conflicten. Een van die conflicten, misschien historisch gezien wel de belangrijkste, is dat tussen de economisch beter gesitueerden en de minderbedeelden. In elke moderne democratie, zo betoogde Lipset eerder al, wordt er een klassenconflict uitgevochten via de stembus. Politieke partijen zijn georganiseerd langs de lijnen van de diverse klassenbelangen en trekken elk een eigen specifieke achterban aan. In deze zin is stemmen niets minder dan een voortzetting van de klassenstrijd waarin het conflict over de verdeling van de middelen wordt vertaald in vaste banden tussen klassenpositie en partijen. Linkse partijen vertegenwoordigen de arbeidersklasse en streven naar economische herverdeling terwijl rechtse partijen de middenklasse vertegenwoordigen en ernaar streven de economisch gunstige positie van de middenklasse te consolideren. Daarom wordt vanouds gevonden dat arbeiders vaker op een linkse partij stemmen en leden van de middenklasse op een rechtse. Echter, dit patroon van een links stemmende arbeidersklasse en een rechts stemmende middenklasse is in veel Westerse landen aan erosie onderhevig, zonder dat duidelijk is waarom. In dit proefschrift is getracht te verklaren waarom arbeiders in de loop der tijd steeds rechtser en leden van de middenklasse steeds linkser zijn gaan stemmen. Omdat, zoals uit onderzoek van Paul Nieuwbeerta blijkt, aan klassenanalyse ontleende hypothesen hiervoor weinig vruchtbaar zijn gebleken, is gekozen voor een alternatieve benadering. Voornamelijk voortbouwend op het werk van Ronald Inglehart, wordt in deze benadering gesteld dat de opkomst van een nieuw politiek conflict, dat niets te maken heeft met het oude klassenconflict, verantwoordelijk is voor de erosie van het klassieke patroon van een links stemmende arbeidersklasse en een rechts stemmende middenklasse. De drie onderzoeksvragen die ik hierbij gebruikt heb, zal ik hieronder kort weergeven en de voornaamste resultaten samenvatten.
Macular pigment and age-related macular degeneration: longitudinal data and better techniques of measurement are needed.

The past decade has witnessed an upsurge in interest in the carotenoid pigments of the macula. These pigments, collectively known as macular pigment (MP), are constituted by the oxycarotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z). MP possesses certain intrinsic properties, which has made it the focus of study by those interested in the aging macula. MP is not synthesized by the human body and is entirely of dietary origin, and L and Z reach their peak tissue concentrations at the macular retina, far higher than in any other tissue compartment. Z predominates in the fovea, whereas L is predominant in the peripheral macula and other body tissues. The oxycarotenoids are free radical scavengers, and L and Z are more resistant to oxidative breakdown than are some of the other carotenoids. Collectively, the spatial distribution and chemical and physiological properties of L and Z, suggests an important role for these pigments in protecting the neural retina from (photo)oxidative damage and the development of a common visually disabling disorder known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Intriguing findings are currently emerging from population-based and large case–control studies supporting the view that higher levels of dietary and serum L and Z are associated with a lower risk of AMD. However, relationships between dietary and serum measures and in vivo estimates of ocular MP concentrations are extremely poor, raising doubts on the validity of such a link. Key questions remain on the methods of measuring MP in vivo, which have inherent and major limitations. In this review, we take a dispassionate look at the evidence so far in MP research and the new developments in this field.
Falsetto voice and observational logic: Motivated meanings

Abstract Examples of falsetto and higher pitched modal voice are presented in which the meanings are linked iconically and/or indexically to the signs, and therefore nonarbitrarily. Nine such meaning types are identified and discussed as inferences about falsetto derivable from observations that are minimally informed by cultural traditions. Observational knowledge and the logic by which it is utilized are seen as central concepts mediating universals and relativist approaches to the social meanings of voice qualities, including falsetto, and it is proposed that most falsetto use can be placed within the nine functional meaning categories identified. (Voice quality, falsetto, iconicity, indexicality, observational logic, universals, relativity)*
Attribute feedback

This work presents a new interactive Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) scheme, termed Attribute Feedback (AF). Unlike traditional relevance feedback purely founded on low-level visual features, the Attribute Feedback system shapes users' information needs more precisely and quickly by collecting feedbacks on intermediate level semantic attributes. At each interactive iteration, AF first determines the most informative binary attributes for feedbacks, preferring the attributes that frequently (rarely) appear in current search results but are unlikely (likely) to be users' interest. The binary attribute feedbacks are then augmented by a new type of attributes, "affinity attributes", each of which is off-line learnt to describe the distance between user's envisioned image(s) and a retrieved image with respect to the corresponding affinity attribute. Based on the feedbacks on binary and affinity attributes, the images in corpus are further re-ranked towards better fitting the users' information needs. Extensive experiments on two real-world image datasets well demonstrate the superiority of the proposed scheme over other state-of-the-art relevance feedback based CBIR solutions.
Combined Compute and Storage: Configurable Memristor Arrays to Accelerate Search

Emerging technologies present opportunities for system designers to meet the challenges presented by competing trends of big data analytics and limitations on CMOS scaling. Specifically, memristors are an emerging high-density technology where the individual memristors can be used as storage or to perform computation. The voltage applied across a memristor determines its behavior (storage vs. compute), which enables a configurable memristor substrate that can embed computation with storage. This paper explores accelerating point and range search queries as instances of the more general configurable combined compute and storage capabilities of memristor arrays. We first present MemCAM, a configurable memristor-based content addressable memory for the cases when fast, infrequent searches over large datasets are required. For frequent searches, memristor lifetime becomes a concern. To increase memristor array lifetime we introduce hybrid data structures that combine trees with MemCAM using conventional CMOS processor/cache hierarchies for the upper levels of the tree and configurable memristor technologies for lower levels. We use SPICE to analyze energy consumption and access time of memristors and use analytic models to evaluate the performance of configurable hybrid data structures. The results show that with acceptable energy consumption our configurable hybrid data structures improve performance of search intensive applications and achieve lifetime in years or decades under continuous queries. Furthermore, the configurability of memristor arrays and the proposed data structures provide opportunities to tune the trade- off between performance and lifetime and the data structures can be easily adapted to future memristors or other technologies with improved endurance.
Best-worst scaling: an alternative to ratings data

The purpose of this chapter is to compare best-worst scaling with rating scales in an organizational research application. Category rating scales are commonly used in organizational research, as they are easy for respondents to answer, allow one to ask questions about more items and have reasonable statistical properties (Gupta and Govindarajan, 1984). However, respondents can use different parts of ratings scales (for example, the middle point or end points) or display “response styles” that affect the items’ means and variances (Craig and Douglas, 2000; Baumgartner and Steenkamp, 2001; Diamantopoulos, Reynolds and Simintiras, 2006; De Jong et al., 2008). Consequently, ratings scales may be poor measures of the relationships of interest. Indeed, social desirability bias, acquiescence bias and extreme response bias can affect results obtained from rating scales (Paulhus, 1991). While social desirability bias has often been ignored in organizational research, it is recognized as a potential source of bias that needs to be considered (Banerjee, 2002; Luo, Rindfleisch and Tse, 2007; Tan and Peng, 2003). Similarly, acquiescence bias may be an issue if people rate most items positively (Paulhus, 1991), as this "heightens the correlations among items that are worded similarly, even when they are not conceptually related" (Winkler, Kanouse and Ware, 1982). This has led some researchers to suggest the use of positive and negative items as a way to reduce acquiescence bias (for example, Baumgartner and Steenkamp, 2001; Saxe and Weitz, 1982; Srinivasan, Rangaswamy and Lilien, 2005). However, others have argued that this approach can confound construct unidimensionality (Herche and Engelland, 1996), especially in cross-cultural research (Wong, Rindfleisch and Burroughs, 2003). Consequently, an approach that reduces acquiescence bias without introducing other measurement problems is needed. In particular, perceptions should be measured in ways that do not affect associations between constructs of interest (for example, job satisfaction and performance). Response biases can distort rating scale values, so they do not represent true scores; hence, it seems desirable to measure these perceptions in ways that avoids such distortion. BWS (Finn and Louviere, 1992; Lee, Soutar and Louviere, 2008; Louviere, Swait and Anderson, 1995) can overcome such problems; specifically, researchers select a list of relevant aspects (such as possible organization culture issues), assign them to sets using a suitable experimental design and ask a target sample of people to choose the best (or most appropriate) and the worst (or least appropriate) aspect in each set.
The testosterone/cortisol ratio moderates the proneness to anger expression in antisocial and borderline intimate partner violence perpetrators

Abstract Several studies have provided evidence that antisocial, borderline and narcissistic personality traits of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators significantly increase proneness to violence. In addition, an imbalance between testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels has been observed in this population, making individuals prone to violence. We aimed to establish whether IPV perpetrators differ in personality traits, T/C ratio and anger expression from controls, and also to examine the moderating role of the T/C ratio in the relationship between personality traits and anger expression. The sample consisted of 16 IPV perpetrators and 20 controls. T/C ratio was obtained as the quotient between salivary T and C levels. Anger expression and personality traits were measured with STAXI-2 and MCMI-III, respectively. Our results indicate that IPV perpetrators have higher antisocial, borderline and narcissistic personality traits and anger expression than controls. Nonetheless, they did not differ in basal T/C ratio. Finally, only in IPV perpetrators there was a positive relationship between these variables, the T/C ratio playing a moderating role in the relationship of antisocial and borderline traits with anger expression. In IPV perpetrators the T/C ratio may explain why certain personality traits are associated with high risk of becoming violent.
Load balancing in DHT based P2P networks

Most basic DHT based peer-to-peer networks distribute objects among nodes in a way that tends to balance loads among the peers if the distribution of objects in the identifier space is uniform. But this doesnpsilat hold in practice. The case is further complicated by the fact that, in a typical scenario, object loads and node capacities vary enormously. Additionally, a nodepsilas load may vary greatly over time since the system can be expected to experience continuous insertions and deletions of objects, and continuous arrival and departure of nodes. This paper presents a scheme that can balance load in any DHT based P2P network even in a dynamic environment.
Investigational drugs for treating anal cancer and future perspectives

Introduction: Anal cancer is a relatively rare malignancy which comprises about 2.5% of all digestive system malignancies in the United States. The majority of cases are squamous cell carcinoma which is closely related to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Despite high cure rates with chemoradiation alone, 10 – 20% of patients do develop metastatic disease with little data to guide their treatment. Areas covered: In this review article, the authors describe the current standard treatment of early and advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal based on published data. The authors then describe the new approaches to the disease, focusing on new radio sensitizing agents, systemic targeted drugs and immunotherapy. Expert opinion: The authors believe that current standard treatment options for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal are well defined with acceptable results. However the major challenge in the treatment of anal cancer is the lack of randomized or even large single arm Phase II trials due to rarity of the disease, especially in the metastatic disease. But we are slowly making progress. Currently, the most promising areas of research are immunotherapy, targeted therapy and even HPV prevention. We are eagerly anticipating the results of these studies in order to expand the treatment armamentarium.
Energy-Aware Server Provisioning and Load Dispatching for Connection-Intensive Internet Services

Energy consumption in hosting Internet services is becoming a pressing issue as these services scale up. Dynamic server provisioning techniques are effective in turning off unnecessary servers to save energy. Such techniques, mostly studied for request-response services, face challenges in the context of connection servers that host a large number of long-lived TCP connections. In this paper, we characterize unique properties, performance, and power models of connection servers, based on a real data trace collected from the deployed Windows Live Messenger. Using the models, we design server provisioning and load dispatching algorithms and study subtle interactions between them. We show that our algorithms can save a significant amount of energy without sacrificing user experiences.
The Personality Disorder Examination: A preliminary report.

There are unanswered questions about the reliability and validity of some of the personality disorders in DSM-III. There has been a need for a structured interview that would facilitate the pursuit of these and other issues of interest to clinicians and research investigators. The Personality Disorder Examination (PDE) was developed to systematically survey the phenomenology and life experiences relevant to the diagnosis of all of the personality disorders in DSM-III. It provides suspected Axis II diagnoses and dimensional scores for every subject on each disorder. The interrater reliability of the PDE proved to be excellent in a preliminary study of 60 patients.
Bioefficacy of Some Egyptian Aromatic Plants on Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) Adults and Larvae

Background: Protecting the environment from chemical hazards of synthetic insecticides along with offering of new breeding areas for vectors by urbanization indicate the trial of natural insecticides. Methods: The acetone extracts of Anethum graveolens, Ocimum basilicum and Thymus vulgaris were tested for their insecticidal effect on Culex pipiens adults and larvae in different concentrations depending on the technique used. Results: The extracts were significantly effective in all models used with basil being the best in all tested three techniques (LC50= 0.064) in larval feeding, (LC50= 0.330) in CDC bottle assay and (LC50= 13.148) in adults feeding (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The results recommend the eco-friendly studied extracts as candidates for controlling Cx. pipiens the lymphatic filariasis vector.
Direct Ultrasound Measurement of Longitudinal, Circumferential, and Radial Strain Using 2‐Dimensional Strain Imaging in Normal Adults

Current noninvasive techniques used to evaluate left ventricular systolic function are limited by dependence on the angle of insonation (tissue Doppler imaging/TDI) or limited by availability (MRI tagging). We utilized 2‐dimensional speckle strain (ε) imaging (1) to establish normal values for all three ε vectors; (2) to compare circumferential ε values with circumferential shortening (midwall fractional shortening (FSmw); (3) to examine the relationship between left ventricular ε and wall stress; and (4) to compare 2D echocardiographic characteristics by gender. Echocardiography was performed in 60 normal subjects (mean 39 ± 15 years). Small, but significant regional heterogeneity was seen in circumferential ε, but not in radial or longitudinal ε. We found an inverse correlation between circumferential ε and stress (r =−0.29, p<0.05) as well as longitudinal ε and stress (r =−0.11, P < 0.05), though the relationships were not close. We also observed a linear relationship between mean circumferential ε and FSmw (r = 0.29, P < 0.05). In conclusion, (1) 2‐dimensional ε imaging permits measurement of regional systolic ε values in the majority of normal individuals; (2) ε values furnished by this method obey expected stress‐shortening relationships; (3) systolic ε displays minor regional heterogeneity in the circumferential direction; (4) for the first time, a close relationship between FSmw and mean circumferential ε was demonstrated; and (5) there are minor gender‐related differences in LV geometry and function.