Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assortative mating may explain spouses' risk of same disease

Editor—Hippisley-Cox et al observed significant similarities for disease between spouses in a large sample of 8386 couples recruited through general practice.1 They think that shared environmental factors may cause these similarities but reject assortative mating as an explanation. In a sample from the Netherlands twin register we could not replicate their spouse similarities for asthma, depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, possibly because of our smaller sample size of 2152 spouse pairs.2 When we examined health behaviour in a larger sample we found good associations between spouses for smoking, alcohol problems, and exercise behaviour, even after controlling for age and body mass index of both spouses. The duration of the relationship influenced these associations between spouses (figure). Except for alcohol problems, spouse similarities in health behaviour decreased as the duration of the relationship increased. This implies that assortment for these factors is based on similarity at the time dating began3 and highlights the importance of determining similarities in disease status at the time of dating, as suggested by Hippisley-Cox et al. Assortative mating may further be based on social factors and personality traits. In our sample we found significant correlations between spouses for educational attainment, an indicator of socioeconomic status, which is also related to disease development. These correlations increased as the duration of the relationship increased (r=0.292, r=0.356, r=0.587 for 15 years, respectively), possibly owing to convergence of phenotypes of the spouses or to a higher divorce rate in dissimilar pairs.3 Significant correlations between spouses were also found for inhibition, a personality trait associated with increased risk behaviour, but these correlations were unaffected by the duration of the relationship (r=0.386, r=0.334, r=0.373 for 15 years, respectively). These results show that different mechanisms underlie similarities between spouses for health behaviour, social factors, and personality traits. The fact that similarities between spouses were found for this wide range of variables indicates, however, that assortative mating should not be hastily dismissed as a cause for spouse similarities in disease. Any association between spouses does not exclude genetic effects. Hippisley-Cox et al assume that because spouses are unrelated, genes do not influence the association. But the similarity of spouses may be an example of an active genotype-environment correlation which occurs when a particular genotype is associated with the selection or creation of a particular environmental circumstance.4
Periorbital dirofilariasis—Clinical and imaging findings: Live worm on ultrasound

Ocular dirofilariasis is a zoonotic filariasis caused by nematode worm,Dirofilaria. We present a case of dirofilariasis affecting the upper eyelid in a 2-year-old child presenting as an acutely inflammed cyst, from southern Indian state of Kerala. Live adult worm was surgically removed and confirmed to be Dirofilaria repens. Live worm showing continuous movement was seen on the pre-operative high-resolution ultrasound. Ultrasound can be helpful in pre-operative identification of live worm. Imaging findings reported in literature are very few. We describe the clinical, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
Validation of methodology for recording breathing and simulating drug delivery through spacers and valved holding chambers.

BACKGROUND Output from spacers (or valved holding chambers) is sensitive to changes in breathing pattern. Different spacers have unique characteristics that may influence breathing. A method used for breathing simulation, where the simulated breathing can be recorded on subjects while they are using spacers, may allow for more accurate in vitro estimation of drug delivery in specific populations, using specific spacers. METHODS A flow chamber was used to record breathing while salbutamol was administered to two adult subjects through different spacers. Each subject performed a series of breathing patterns over a range of different inhalation volumes and flows. Salbutamol "inhaled" by subjects was captured on inspiratory filters and quantified by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Recorded breathing patterns were simulated and ex vivo drug delivery was compared to in vitro drug delivery. Three equipment configurations were used to validate different aspects of the methodology. Configuration 1: breathing recorded by pneumotachometer placed directly between a human subject and the spacer. Breathing simulation performed with an identical setup. Configuration 2: spacer enclosed within a flow-chamber while breathing was recorded. Breathing simulation performed with an identical setup. Configuration 3: spacer enclosed in flow chamber to record breathing, but not when simulating breathing. In each configuration, the ex vivo and in vitro (simulated) filter doses were compared. RESULTS Configuration 1: the median difference between ex vivo and in vitro filter doses was 0.4% (range: -12.2 to 6.9%). Configuration 2: the median difference was -2.3% (range: -9.0 to 5.0%). Configuration 3: the median difference was 1.7% (range: -11.5 to 3.9%). CONCLUSION Our results indicate that in vitro simulated drug delivery using this method of recording using a flow chamber, closely approximates ex vivo total drug delivery. This technique allows for recording of breathing on patients while they are using spacers, with minimum increase in dead space or resistance, and no physical alteration in the patient-device interface.
Generation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies reactive with human B lymphocytes.

Four novel monoclonal antibodies directed at determinants on human B lymphocytes were produced and characterized by flow cytometry using indirect immunofluorescence analysis. The antibodies, OKB1, OKB2, OKB4, and OKB7, define antigens not previously described on human B lymphocytes using B cell reactive monoclonal antibodies or standard B cell phenotypic markers. OKB4 [immunoglobulin M (IgM)] and OKB7 (IgG2a) were reactive with greater than 95% of all surface membrane immunoglobulin positive (Smlg+) lymphocytes and were restricted to the B cell lineage. OKB2 (IgG1) likewise reacted with greater than 95% of all Smlg+ lymphocytes; however, the antigen was also expressed on all granulocytes. In contrast to OKB2, OKB4, and OKB7, OKB1 reacted with a variable percentage of normal peripheral B cells (approximately 70 to 95%). Functional studies employing polyclonally activated B cells in a pokeweed mitogen (PWM) driven system and the reverse hemolytic plaque assay for the quantitation of Ig secreting plasma cells demonstrated that OKB1 and OKB2 inhibited the generation of plaque-forming cells (PFC) when added to cultures at day 0. OKB4 had a marginal inhibitory effect, whereas OKB7 consistently enhanced the PFC response. Immunoprecipitation studies with OKB1, OKB4, and OKB7 demonstrated that these antibodies precipitated antigens of approximately 168,000, 87,000, and 175,000 m.w. , respectively. The OKB2 antigen is presently under study.
The AMPK Inhibitor Compound C Is a Potent AMPK-Independent Antiglioma Agent

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionarily conserved energy sensor important for cell growth, proliferation, survival, and metabolic regulation. Active AMPK inhibits biosynthetic enzymes like mTOR and acetyl CoA carboxylase (required for protein and lipid synthesis, respectively) to ensure that cells maintain essential nutrients and energy during metabolic crisis. Despite our knowledge about this incredibly important kinase, no specific chemical inhibitors are available to examine its function. However, one small molecule known as compound C (also called dorsomorphin) has been widely used in cell-based, biochemical, and in vivo assays as a selective AMPK inhibitor. In nearly all these reports including a recent study in glioma, the biochemical and cellular effects of compound C have been attributed to its inhibitory action toward AMPK. While examining the status of AMPK activation in human gliomas, we observed that glioblastomas express copious amount of active AMPK. Compound C effectively reduced glioma viability in vitro both by inhibiting proliferation and inducing cell death. As expected, compound C inhibited AMPK; however, all the antiproliferative effects of this compound were AMPK independent. Instead, compound C killed glioma cells by multiple mechanisms, including activation of the calpain/cathepsin pathway, inhibition of AKT, mTORC1/C2, cell-cycle block at G2–M, and induction of necroptosis and autophagy. Importantly, normal astrocytes were significantly less susceptible to compound C. In summary, compound C is an extremely potent antiglioma agent but we suggest that caution should be taken in interpreting results when this compound is used as an AMPK inhibitor. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(3); 596–605. ©2014 AACR.
Digital Color Images Ownership Authentication via Efficient and Robust Watermarking in a Hybrid Domain

We propose an efficient, imperceptible and highly robust digital watermarking scheme applied to color images for ownership authentication purposes. A hybrid domain for embedding the same watermark is used in this algorithm, which is composed by a couple of watermarking techniques based on spread spectrum and frequency domain. The visual quality is measured by three metrics called Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) and Visual Information Fidelity (VIF). The difference color between the original and watermarked image is computed using the Normalized Color Difference (NCD) measure. Experimentation shows that the proposed method provides high robustness against several geometric distortions including large image cropping, removal attacks, image replacement and affine transformation; signal processing operations including several image filtering, JPEG lossy compression, visual watermark added and noisy image, as well as combined distortions between all of them. Also, we present a comparison with some previously published methods which reported outstanding results and have a similar purpose as our proposal, i.e. they are focused in robust watermarking.
Metastatic sites in stage IV and IVS neuroblastoma correlate with age, tumor biology, and survival.

PURPOSE The goal of this study was to determine the incidence of metastatic sites in neuroblastoma and the extent to which metastatic sites correlate with age, tumor biology, and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS All 648 patients with stage IV and IVS neuroblastoma registered on Children's Cancer Group protocols 3881 and 3891 were analyzed. Metastatic site data were provided by treating institutions and reviewed in patients with central nervous system (CNS), intracranial, lung, or "other" metastases. RESULTS The incidence of metastatic sites at diagnosis was 70.5% in bone marrow, 55.7% in bone, 30.9% in lymph nodes, 29.6% in liver, 18.2% in intracranial and orbital sites, 3.3% in lung, and 0.6% in CNS. Event-free survival (EFS) was decreased in patients with bone, bone marrow, CNS, intracranial/ orbital, lung, and pleural metastases, and improved in those with liver and skin metastases. In infants, MYCN amplification and unfavorable Shimada histopathology correlated with increased frequencies of bone and intracranial or orbital metastases. In older patients, MYCN amplification correlated with increased frequencies of intracranial or orbital, liver, and lung metastases. Multivariate analysis revealed that metastatic site is not an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS Metastatic pattern in neuroblastoma differs with age and correlates with tumor biological features and EFS. These correlations could reflect changes in host or tumor biological features with age resulting in differences in metastatic capacity or tumor affinity for specific sites.
The tertiary structure of group II introns: implications for biological function and evolution

Group II introns are some of the largest ribozymes in nature, and they are a major source of information about RNA assembly and tertiary structural organization. These introns are of biological significance because they are self-splicing mobile elements that have migrated into diverse genomes and played a major role in the genomic organization and metabolism of most life forms. The tertiary structure of group II introns has been the subject of many phylogenetic, genetic, biochemical and biophysical investigations, all of which are consistent with the recent crystal structure of an intact group IIC intron from the alkaliphilic eubacterium Oceanobacillus iheyensis. The crystal structure reveals that catalytic intron domain V is enfolded within the other intronic domains through an elaborate network of diverse tertiary interactions. Within the folded core, DV adopts an activated conformation that readily binds catalytic metal ions and positions them in a manner appropriate for reaction with nucleic acid targets. The tertiary structure of the group II intron reveals new information on motifs for RNA architectural organization, mechanisms of group II intron catalysis, and the evolutionary relationships among RNA processing systems. Guided by the structure and the wealth of previous genetic and biochemical work, it is now possible to deduce the probable location of DVI and the site of additional domains that contribute to the function of the highly derived group IIB and IIA introns.
Obsessive-compulsive aspects of craving: development of the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale.

"Craving" for alcohol needs improved definition and measurement. This review provides a rationale for considering at least certain aspects of craving as having obsessive and compulsive features. As such, there may be phenomenological, but not necessarily etiological, overlap with obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are increasing data that suggest a neuroanatomical overlap between addiction/craving and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The self-rated Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS), based on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for heavy drinking interview (YBOCS-hd), was developed to assist in the examination of certain aspects of "craving" in alcoholics. The development, reliability, face validity, congruent validity and predictive validity of the OCDS are presented and discussed in this paper. The utility of the OCDS as a measurement tool in cognitive-behavioral and pharmacological alcoholism treatment research is highlighted. The potential of this instrument as a research and clinical tool for the understanding and evaluation of alcohol dependence needs further evaluation.
Using standardized patients in licensing/certification examinations: comparison of two tests in Canada.

BACKGROUND A new licensing examination for family physicians was introduced in the Province of Quebec, Canada, in 1990. It contains a newly developed, standardized, patient-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) used in complementarity with two other instruments (Short Answers Management Problems [SAMPs] and Simulated Office Orals [SOOs]) that have been used for many years by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) for certification purposes. This research studied the criterion validity of the OSCE using the last instruments as criteria. METHODS The results of the 172 spring 1994 candidates were analyzed. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients were computed. Pearson's correlation coefficients and regression analysis measured the extent to which scores on the new Quebec OSCE correlated with the scores on the CFPC instruments. RESULTS Correlation coefficients were significant between the Quebec OSCE scores and the CFPC examination total scores (.700), the SAMPs scores (.634), and the SOOs scores (.514). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that scores on the Quebec OSCE explained a significant but still limited proportion of the variation in scores of the CFPC examination. DISCUSSION This study supports the criterion validity of the Quebec OSCE used in the licensing examination. However, differences in the skills assessed by each instrument and in the clinical situations presented exist between the Quebec instrument and the two national instruments. These differences, plus the variation in the scores obtained by the candidates on the three instruments, support the decision of the Quebec licensing organization to use them in complementarity.
The character istics (compositions, morphological, and structure) of nanocomposites polyaniline (PANI)/ZnO

In recent years, development of inorganic-organic hybrid materials has been receiving significant attention due to wide range of potential applications and high absorption in visible spectrum. Polyaniline (PANI) and nanocomposite PANI/ZnO were prepared by interfacial polymerization method of two-phase organic/water. The characteristics (composition, morphology and structure) of the nanocomposites characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy-Energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS). The characteristic FT-IR peaks of PANI and nanocomposite (PANI)/ZnO due to formation H-Bonding. UV-Vis characterization showed the presence of electron transitions in PANI compound. The characterization by DRS showed the compound PANI, PANI/ZnO 5% and 10% have an energy value of ∼ 2.0 eV band gap. SEM analysis with image-J software showed a decreasing of the particle size due to the increasing content of ZnO.
Gender differences in 3D morphology and bony impingement of human hips

For the proper diagnosis or treatment of hip joint disorders caused by anatomical abnormalities, the normal hip joint morphology must be studied to understand its influence on the maximum range of motion (ROM) until bony impingement by focusing on gender differences. Acetabular and femoral morphologies were analyzed from 3D CT images of 106 normal hip joints from elderly men (n = 36 joints) and women (n = 70 joints), and measurements of ROM until bony impingement were made in four directions (flexion, extension, and external and internal rotation at 90° flexion) using surface models of the pelvis and femur reconstructed from the CT data. Gender differences were found not only in joint orientation, including anteversion and inclination of the acetabulum and femoral neck anteversion, but also in the shape around the joint, including the acetabular rim and the femoral neck. This ROM study also showed gender differences in all four standard directions. In conclusion, significant gender differences were observed in the acetabular and femoral morphology, which led to significant gender differences in ROM until bony impingement. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:333–339, 2011
Computing the codimension of the singularity at the origin for delay systems in the regular case: A vandermonde-based approach

The analysis of time-delay systems mainly relies on the identification and the understanding of the spectral values bifurcations when crossing the imaginary axis. One of the most important type of such singularities is when the zero spectral value is multiple. The simplest case in such a configuration is characterized by an algebraic multiplicity two and a geometric multiplicity one known as Bogdanov-Takens singularity. Moreover, in some circumstances the codimension of the zero spectral value exceeds the dimension of the delay-free system of differential equations. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the bound of such a multiplicity was not deeply investigated in the literature. This paper provides an answer to this question for time-delay systems with linear part characterized in the Laplace domain by a quasipolynomial function with non sparse polynomials and without coupling delays.
What are Finnish university students' motives for participating in student activism?

Active citizenship is a goal in which universities want to invest: student activism has shown to increase students' skills and support positive study atmosphere. The purpose of this study was to analyse university students' motives for participating in student activism in order to find out ways of enhancing the development of active citizenship in students. This was a narrative study in which 47 student activists of Finnish university student activist organisations wrote their personal narratives about their careers as student activists. According to the data, the students had many motives for participating in student activism, such as making friends, fixing deficits in the study environment and benefitting their future work careers. The study also showed that sometimes students participated in student activism only by a coincidence. Based on the findings, suggestions for practical means to develop active citizenship in university students are discussed from the point of view of students themselves, teachers and universities.
The state of art of terahertz sources: A communication perspective at a glance

Terahertz band lying between infrared and microwave is a very promising part of electromagnetic spectrum for spectroscopy, space applications and different kind of imaging applications such as medical and security. Recently, this special band has attracted the attention of communication society because of its huge bandwidth and therefore ability of very high speed wireless communications. One of the challenges still on the table is to obtain efficient terahertz sources. In this paper, recent studies on the topic of efficient terahertz sources are reviewed comparatively. Especially for the communication concept, taking into account the efficiency, it can be said that the trend goes to the optical photoconductive materials method including plasmonic electrodes.
The Tight Junction-Associated Protein Occludin Is Required for a Postbinding Step in Hepatitis C Virus Entry and Infection

ABSTRACT The precise mechanisms regulating hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry into hepatic cells remain unknown. However, several cell surface proteins have been identified as entry factors for this virus. Of these molecules, claudin-1, a tight junction (TJ) component, is considered a coreceptor required for HCV entry. Recently, we have demonstrated that HCV envelope glycoproteins (HCVgp) promote structural and functional TJ alterations. Additionally, we have shown that the intracellular interaction between viral E2 glycoprotein and occludin, another TJ-associated protein, could be the cause of the mislocalization of TJ proteins. Herein we demonstrated, by using cell culture-derived HCV particles (HCVcc), that interference of occludin expression markedly reduced HCV infection. Furthermore, our results with HCV pseudotyped particles indicated that occludin, but not other TJ-associated proteins, such as junctional adhesion molecule A or zonula occludens protein 1, was required for HCV entry. Using HCVcc, we demonstrated that occludin did not play an essential role in the initial attachment of HCV to target cells. Surface protein labeling experiments showed that both expression levels and cell surface localization of HCV (co)receptors CD81, scavenger receptor class B type I, and claudin-1 were not affected upon occludin knockdown. In addition, immunofluorescence confocal analysis showed that occludin interference did not affect subcellular distribution of the HCV (co)receptors analyzed. However, HCVgp fusion-associated events were altered after occludin silencing. In summary, we propose that occludin plays an essential role in HCV infection and probably affects late entry events. This observation may provide new insights into HCV infection and related pathogenesis.