Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 1 gene polymorphisms associated with high myopia

Purpose Numerous studies, including those using animal models of myopia development and human clinical trials, have shown that the non-selective muscarinic antagonist atropine is effective in preventing the axial elongation that leads to myopia development. Among all of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), mAChR 1 (M1) was the most effective in preventing myopic eye change. Our specific aim in this study was to examine the association between high myopia and polymorphisms within the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors 1 gene (CHRM1). Methods The participants comprised of a high myopia group (n=194; age range, 17–24 years) having a myopic spherical equivalent greater than 6.5 diopters (D) and a control group (n=109; age range, 17–25 years) having a myopic spherical equivalent less than 0.5 D. Genotyping was performed using an assay-on-demand allelic discrimination assay. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using 96 well plates on a thermal cycler. The polymorphisms detected were S1 (CHRM1 rs11823728), S2 (CHRM1 rs544978), S3 (CHRM1 rs2186410), and S4 (CHRM1 rs542269). Results There was a significant difference in the distribution of S2 and S4 between the high myopia and control groups (p=2.40×10−6 and 2.38×10-8, respectively). The odds ratios of AA genotype of S2 and GG genotype of S4 were both 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02–0.29 and 0.02–0.36, respectively). Logistic regression test revealed S1, S2, and S4 CHRM1 as all being significant in the development of high myopia. Moreover, the distributions of haplotype 4 (Ht4; C/A/A/A) differed significantly between the two groups (p=3.4×10−5, odds ratio: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.03–0.34). Conclusions Our results suggest that the S2 and S4 polymorphisms of CHRM1 are associated with susceptibility for developing high myopia. S1, S2, and S4 CHRM1 had a co-operative association with high myopia.
The Complex Myeloid Network of the Liver with Diverse Functional Capacity at Steady State and in Inflammation

In recent years, it has been an explosion of information regarding the role of various myeloid cells in liver pathology. Macrophages and dendritic cell (DC) play crucial roles in multiple chronic liver diseases such as fibrosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The complexity of myeloid cell populations and the missing exclusive marker combination make the interpretation of the data often extremely difficult. The current review aims to summarize the multiple roles of macrophages and DCs in chronic liver diseases, especially pointing out how these cells influence liver immune and parenchymal cells thereby altering liver function and pathology. Moreover, the review outlines the currently known marker combinations for the identification of these cell populations for the study of their role in liver immunology.
EVALUATING THE TARGETS OF SELECTION DURING CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT

Ecological character displacement occurs when competition imposes divergent selection on interacting species, causing divergence in traits associated with resource use. Generally, divergence is assumed to occur when selection acts on the same, continuously varying trait in both species. However, selection might target multiple traits, and even closely related heterospecifics involved in character displacement might differ in selective targets. We investigated the targets of selection in a species of spadefoot toad, Spea multiplicata, during experimentally imposed competition with a congener, S. bombifrons. When examining traits separately, we found significant selection acting on multiple resource‐acquisition traits. Yet, controlling for the independent effects of these traits in a multiple regression revealed that direct selection on a single trait might have contributed toward indirect selection on other correlated traits. Moreover, although we found evidence for plasticity in most traits, competition with S. bombifrons imposed selection on morphology and not on plasticity. Additional experiments suggest that the selective targets during character displacement might differ between the two species involved in this one instance of character displacement. Identifying the targets of competitively mediated selection is crucial, because whether and how character displacement ultimately unfolds depends on the nature of these targets and correlations among them.
The Spillover Effects of Grade-Retained Classmates: Evidence from Urban Elementary Schools

Numerous studies have examined how grade retention can impede the academic success of those retained students. One uncharted line of research is the spillover effect that retained students may exert on their classmates. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this relationship for students in urban elementary school classrooms. To do so, this study analyzes a longitudinal data set comprising entire populations of five elementary school cohorts within the School District of Philadelphia. Because individual student records can be linked to teacher and classroom data as well as to school, grade, and year identifiers, this study employs a series of multilevel fixed-effects models to address estimation issues regarding omitted variable bias. All results indicate that the effects of having a greater number of grade-retained peers are detrimental to the standardized achievement outcomes of nonretained classmates. Data-driven policy implications are discussed.
Workplace Levels of Psychosocial Factors as Prospective Predictors of Registered Sickness Absence

Objective: We sought to investigate whether workplace levels of psychosocial work environment factors predict individual sickness absence. Methods: Data were collected in a prospective study in 52 Danish workplaces in three organizations: municipal care, technical services, and a pharmaceutical company. Psychosocial factors were aggregated as workplace means. We used multilevel Poisson regression models with psychosocial factors as predictors and individual level sickness absence from absence registries as outcome. Results: High workplace levels of decision authority predicted low sickness absence in the technical services (rate ratio = 0.66, 95% confidence interval = 0.51–0.86) and high workplace levels of skill discretion predicted low sickness absence in the pharmaceutical company (rate ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval = 0.62–0.88) after control for relevant confounders. Workplaces in municipal care did not differ with respect to the psychosocial factors. Conclusions: Psychosocial factors at the workplace level may be important predictors of sickness absence.
Beta Palmitate Improves Bone Length and Quality during Catch-Up Growth in Young Rats

Palmitic acid (PA) is the most abundant saturated fatty acid in human milk, where it is heavily concentrated in the sn-2-position (termed beta palmitate, BPA) and as such is conserved in all women, regardless of their diet or ethnicity, indicating its physiological and metabolic importance. We hypothesized that BPA improves the efficiency of nutrition-induced catch up growth as compared to sn-1,3 PA, which is present in vegetable oil. Pre-pubertal male rats were subjected to a 17 days food restriction followed by re-feeding for nine days with 1,3 PA or BPA-containing diets. We measured bone length, epiphyseal growth plate height (EGP, histology), bone quality (micro-CT and 3-point bending assay), and gene expression (Affymetrix). The BPA-containing diet improved most growth parameters: humeri length and EGP height were greater in the BPA-fed animals. Further analysis of the EGP revealed that the hypertrophic zone was significantly higher in the BPA group. In addition, Affymetrix analysis revealed that the diet affected the expression of several genes in the liver and EGP. Despite the very subtle difference between the diets and the short re-feeding period, we found a small but significant improvement in most growth parameters in the BPA-fed rats. This pre-clinical study may have important implications, especially for children with growth disorders and children with special nutritional needs.
Infrared fibers for radiometer thermometry in hypothermia and hyperthermia treatment

One severe problem with heating in hypothermia and hyperthermia treatment is the accurate measurement and control of temperature in the presence of a strong electromagnetic field. For this purpose, a fiber-optic radiometer system based on a nonmetallic, infrared fiber probe, which can operate either in contact or noncontact mode, has been developed. In preliminary investigations, the radiometer worked well in a strong microwave or radiofrequency field, with an accuracy of +or-0.5 degrees C. This fiber-optic thermometer was used to control the surface temperature of objects within +or-2 degrees C. <<ETX>>
Game theoretic Golog under partial observability

We present the agent programming language POGTGolog, which combines explicit agent programming in Golog with game-theoretic multi-agent planning in a special kind of partially observable stochastic games (POSGs). The approach allows for partially specifying a high-level control program for a system of multiple agents, and for optimally filling in missing details by viewing it as a generalization of a special POSG and computing a Nash equilibrium.
Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling Represses Genes Vamp1 and Vamp2 via PMCA-Dependent Mechanism during Dopamine Secretion by Pheochromocytoma Cells

Background Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases (PMCA) extrude Ca2+ ions out of the cell and contribute to generation of calcium oscillations. Calcium signaling is crucial for transcriptional regulation of dopamine secretion by neuroendocrine PC12 cells. Low resting [Ca2+]c in PC12 cells is maintained mainly by two Ca2+-ATPases, PMCA2 and PMCA3. Recently, we found that Ca2+ dependent phosphatase calcineurin was excessively activated under conditions of experimental downregulation of PMCA2 or PMCA3. Thus, the aim of this study was to explain if, via modulation of the Ca2+/calcineurin-dependent nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway, PMCA2 and PMCA3 affect intracellular signaling in pheochromocytoma/neuronal cells/PC12 cells. Secondly, we tested whether this might influence dopamine secretion by PC12 cells. Results PMCA2- and PMCA3-deficient cells displayed profound decrease in dopamine secretion accompanied by a permanent increase in [Ca2+]c. Reduction in secretion might result from changes in NFAT signaling, following altered PMCA pattern. Consequently, activation of NFAT1 and NFAT3 transcription factors was observed in PMCA2- or PMCA3-deficient cells. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that NFATs could be involved in repression of Vamp genes encoding vesicle associated membrane proteins (VAMP). Conclusions PMCA2 and PMCA3 are crucial for dopamine secretion in PC12 cells. Reduction in PMCA2 or PMCA3 led to calcium-dependent activation of calcineurin/NFAT signaling and, in consequence, to repression of the Vamp gene and deterioration of the SNARE complex formation in PC12 cells.
Quantification of white matter and gray matter volumes from three‐dimensional magnetic resonance volume studies using fuzzy classifiers

We accurately measured white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) from three‐dimensional (3D) volume studies, using a fuzzy classification technique. The new segmentation method is a modification of a recently published method developed for T1 parametric images. 3D MR images were transformed into pseudo forms of T1 parametric images and segmented into WM and GM voxel fraction images with a set of standardized fuzzy classifiers. This segmentation method was validated with synthesized 3D MR images as phantoms. These phantoms were developed from cryosectioned human brain images located in the superior, middle, and inferior regions of the cerebrum. Phantom volume measurements revealed that, generally, the difference between measured and actual volumes was less than 3% for 1.5‐mm simulated brain slices. The average cerebral GM/WM ratio calculated from 3D MR studies in four subjects was 1.77, which compared favorably with the estimate of 1.67 derived from anatomical data. Results indicate that this is an accurate and rapid method for quantifying WM and GM from T1‐weighted 3D volume studies.
Vers une algèbre relationnelle étendue aux services

Querying non-conventional data is recognized as a major issue in new environments and applications such as those occurring in pervasive computing. In this paper, we report our first results to extend the relational algebra to deal with data, stream and services in a unified way. Through the notion of virtual attributes and binding patterns, a data-centric view of pervasive environments is indeed possible. The classical notion of database is extended to come up with a broader notion, defined as relational pervasive environment. Then, the \zzAlgebraName algebra is proposed with new operators to handle homogeneously data and services. The notion of stream can also be integrated in this algebra. This work takes place in the SoCQ project devoted to making the development of pervasive applications easier through database principles.
The Changing Effects of Lone Parent Families on the Educational Attainment of their Children in a European Welfare State

This article1 analyses the effects of different forms of lone parenthood (lone mother, mother and step-father, lone father, or father and step-mother) compared to natural parents families on the educational attainment of their children, using a national data-set on educational attainment in the Netherlands in the late 80s. Children living in lone parent families attain lower educational levels at the start of secondary education compared to children living in natural parents families. This is still the case after controlling for background variables. There are indications that lone mother families function differently from families of a lone father. Compared to the negative effect of lone parent families on educational attainment in the late 70s, the negative effect of the lone mother family has increased in the late 80s.
Lifeblood: oil, freedom, and the forces of capital

perhaps relates heritage matters outside themselves, as it were. As a resume of social and cultural geography’s recent conceptual thrusts it works well, and usefully demonstrates how the conceptual paths can be articulated in concrete terms. That starts with individuals’ lives and feeling(s) and works to reveal a kind of vernacular heritage no less important than that of the grand narratives, heritage very much self-constructed, and emergent across plural sites and space–times of practice, performativity and reflection (Crouch, 2010): heritage’s emergence in the lived commingling of ‘here’, there; doings and memory. In this, the book takes us up to a point. The cases it discusses are lightly handled and could go much further, given the ground of conceptual advance that embeds the text. Alas as too often across many publishers, its monochrome illustrations are disappointingly blurry and faint grey, now a near-habitual problem that makes us wonder their purpose. What must be the apogee of this text for me is its handling of recent work on emotion and affect: the often-ignored complexity of feeling, subjectivity, space, self and others positioned in unravelling heritage and Heritage. This book widely examines heritage in relation to us as human beings, in our experience; it acknowledges the experience in its atmospheres, and criss-crosses these with particular identified ‘heritage’. Kathleen Stewart never gets lost in the syntax of theory, and in a fleshly way in their writing, Waterton and Watson draw upon her ordinary affects and enlighten heritage through density and texture, moving through our bodies, dreams, dramas, in a full range of worlding. The semiotics of heritage, or I suppose of anything, turns out similarly to be fluid, contingent, flexible, open, lived, real. This book is a welcome contribution to talking through how that all works.
Pharmacology of nonpeptide angiotensin II receptor antagonists.

Nonpeptide angiotensin II (All) receptor antagonists are a new class of drugs whose actions as experimental tools and potential therapeutic agents result from a specific blockade of the actions of All (1-3) . All is the primary humoral mediator of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). In this well­ characterized system, angiotensinogen is produced by the liver (4) and con­ verted to the decapeptide angiotensin I by the action of renal renin at both renal and extrarenal sites (5, 6) . Angiotensin I is essentially inactive itself but is converted by the action of converting enzyme in the kidneys, lungs, and other sites to the active effector, All. Angiotensin III and angiotensin 1-7 also have biological activity, but the principal effector of the RAS is All (7). With the new nonpeptide antagonists represented by Losartan (Losartan potassium; DuP#753; MK-954; 2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5-hydroxymethyl-l -[(2'-( lH-tetra­ zol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl)methyl]imidazole, potassium salt) it is possible for the first time to block the RAS at the angiotensin receptor without the confound­ ing partial agonist effect of peptide All receptor antagonists such as saralasin or the nonspecific angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as captopril or enalapril. ACE inhibitors, for example, block the RAS
A small molecule targeting protein translation does not rescue spatial learning and memory deficits in the hAPP-J20 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

A small molecule named ISRIB has recently been described to enhance memory in rodents. In this study we aimed to test whether ISRIB would reverse learning and memory deficits in the J20 mouse model of human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) overexpression, a model that simulates many aspects of Alzheimer’s disease in which memory deficits are a hallmark feature. We did not observe a significant rescue effect with ISRIB treatment on spatial learning and memory as assessed in the Morris water maze in J20 mice. We also did not observe a significant enhancement of spatial learning or memory in nontransgenic mice with ISRIB treatment, although a trend emerged for memory enhancement in one cohort of mice. Future preclinical studies with ISRIB would benefit from additional robust markers of target engagement in the brain.
Integrated harmonic balance and electromagnetic optimization with geometry capture

This paper presents an integrated approach to nonlinear circuit optimization. Electromagnetic simulations are seamlessly integrated into harmonic balance simulation and optimization. For the first time, complicated planar structures can be made fully optimizable through the parameterization process of this geometry capture technique. They are then treated as individual elements in electromagnetic simulations and are embedded into the overall nonlinear circuit to be optimized. A comprehensive class B frequency doubler design demonstrates our approach. <<ETX>>
Effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on diabetic macular edema with hard exudates

Background We evaluated the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab on diabetic macular edema with subfoveal and perifoveal hard exudates. Materials and methods Eleven eyes (11 patients) exhibiting diabetic macular edema with subfoveal and perifoveal hard exudates were included in this prospective, nonrandomized interventional pilot study. All patients were treated with monthly scheduled intravitreal bevacizumab injections for 6 months. Changes in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best corrected visual acuity, amount of hard exudates on fundus photography, and macular edema detected by central subfield thickness on spectral domain optical coherence tomography after six serial injections, were assessed. The amount of hard exudates at each visit was evaluated as pixels in fundus photography, using an Adobe Photoshop program. Results Ten of 11 patients completed follow-up. The mean Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study best corrected visual acuity was 59.9±5.7 letters (Snellen equivalent, 20/63) at baseline evaluation. The best corrected visual acuity exhibited no significant difference at month 6 compared with at baseline (57.9±6.0 letters or 20/70 at month 6; P=0.085). At month 6, mean central subfield thickness decreased from 370.4±56.5 to 334.6±65.0 μm (P=0.009). The mean amount of hard exudates increased from 4467.1±2736.1 to 6592.4±2498.3 pixels at month 6 (P=0.022). No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusion Continuous intravitreal bevacizumab was found to have no benefit in visual acuity and amount of hard exudates, despite the improvement of macular edema at 6 months.
Functional salvage of a hand after unsuccessfull attempt of replantation

Amputation by crush injuries generally represents a contraindication for replantation, and especially when the lesion is caused by the summation of multiple concomitant traumatic mechanisms. We present the case of a 22 year- old female who arrived in our service with a crush/torsion amputation of all long fingers at the metacarpo-phalangeal level of the right hand. After the unsuccessful attempt of replantation, the functional reconstruction of the hand was achieved by using a double free flap transfer: anterolateral thigh perforator flap (ALT) and digital block transfer of second and third toes.
The association between self‐reported lifestyle changes and health-related quality of life in coronary patients: the EUROASPIRE III survey

Background Patients with coronary heart disease often suffer from an impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A healthier lifestyle not only extends individuals’ lengths of life but might also improve their HRQoL. The aim of this study was to explore the relation between self-reported lifestyle changes and HRQoL in European coronary patients. Methods Data on 8745 coronary patients, from 22 countries, participating in the EUROASPIRE III survey (2006–2007) were used. These patients hospitalized for coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, acute myocardial infarction, or myocardial ischaemia were interviewed and examined at least 6 months and no later than 3 years after their hospital admission to gather information on their HRQoL, self-reported lifestyle changes, and risk factors. Results Significantly better HRQoL scores were found in ex-smokers compared to current smokers. Patients who made an attempt to increase their physical activity level had a better HRQoL compared to those who had not made an attempt. Furthermore dietary changes were associated with HRQoL, with better outcomes in patients who tried to reduce fat and salt intake and increase fish, fruit, and vegetable intake. The intention to change behaviour was not associated with HRQoL. Conclusions Better HRQoL scores were found in those coronary patients who adopted a healthier lifestyle. The actual lifestyle changes – smoking cessation, increasing physical activity, and adopting a healthy diet – and not the intention to change are associated with better HRQoL outcomes.
A Family of Autoregressive Conditional Duration Model under Random Environment

This article contains two novelties. First, we propose a new type of augmented ACD model under random environment. It turns out that flexible disturbance of the news impact function are necessary to appropriately model financial durations. The ACD model under random environment proposed in this paper seem to be a valuable alternative to existing approaches and have the best overall performance. Second, we give the transition probability of the process. Moreover by employing the transition probability, we give the probability properties of the ACD model under random environment, and give rigorous proofs of the probability properties.