Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of illness and variables associated with functional impairment in Chinese patients with psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To assess the impact of disease and functional outcomes in Chinese patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and to identify variables associated with poor functional outcomes. METHODS A cross sectional study performed in 80 consecutive patients with PsA from a single center. Functional outcomes were assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Clinical variables included social-demographic characteristics and clinical features. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify variables associated with functional impairment. RESULTS Thirty-six men and 44 women with mean (+/-SD) age and duration of arthritis of 48.6 (+/-13.0) and 10.2 (+/-6.9) years were studied. One-third reported PsA related unemployment and change in job nature. Another third experienced a reduction of income due to PsA. The median (IQR) HAQ and BASFI were 0.44 (1.09) and 2.1 (4.38). These functional scores correlated highly with each other and with the patient's perception of health, but correlated only moderately or poorly with other disease activity variables. Multivariate analysis identified higher damaged joint count, poorer patients' perception of health, poor socioeconomic factor and higher CRP as factors associated with higher HAQ. Higher back pain score; higher CRP, higher damaged joint count and poor socioeconomic factor were associated with BASFI. CONCLUSION PsA in Chinese subjects has had significant social-economic impact. Joint damage was found to be associated with functional impairment.
Anal Personality Traits and Science A-Levels: A Failure to Replicate

The relationship between anal personality traits and choice of science A-levels was examined in 23 Hindu, 48 Muslim, and 36 Protestant sixth-form students (plus 31 others) to replicate and extend the 1971 findings of Kline. Subjects were administered questionnaire measures of anal personality traits and assigned to either a science or art group depending on A-levels studied. No significant mean differences were found on the obsessional measure between the science and the art students within any of the religious groups, or in the total sample. Kline's findings were not replicated.
Robust IPTV delivery with adaptive rateless coding over a mobile WiMAX channel

As intelligent content management of IPTV moves popular material nearer to the end-user, application-layer channel coding schemes, involving the retransmission of extra redundant data, become attractive as a result of the reduced latency. Applicationlayer, adaptive rateless channel coding is exploited in this paper's scheme to reconstruct streamed video across an IEEE 802.16e (mobile WiMAX) channel. The paper concentrates on the trade-offs in implementing the scheme, showing that exact calculation of the redundant data has the potential to reduce the forward error correction bit-rate overhead. To reduce delay, an appropriate compression rate should also be selected.
Optimized expression and purification of toluene 4-monooxygenase hydroxylase.

Toluene 4-monooxygenase is a four-protein complex that catalyzes the O(2)- and NADH-dependent oxidation of toluene to p-cresol. The influence of various expression systems on the host cell growth characteristics, purified protein yields, and specific activity of the hydroxylase (T4moH) component of the complex was evaluated by considering the cell mass obtained per liter of fermentation culture medium, the purified protein obtained per gram of cell mass, and the specific activity of purified T4moH. The specific activity of purified T4moH was determined to be 1200-1250 nmol of p-cresol formed per minute per milligram of T4moH in air-saturated 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.5, at 25 degrees C in the presence of optimal concentrations of the other protein components of the complex, saturating toluene (5.8 mM at 25 degrees C), and saturating NADH (1 mM). This value was obtained for T4moH purified from several different expression systems and apparently represents the maximal specific activity of the enzyme complex for toluene hydroxylation. By manipulation of vectors and gene inserts to eliminate adventitious catalytic turnover of NADH, up to 60-fold increase in the volumetric yield of T4moH activity was obtained from recombinant fermentations in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).
Collaborative practice: a model of successful working in schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop the notion of collaborative practice from theoretical and empirical bases.Design/methodology/approach – The research analysed the concepts of collaboration, reflective practice and the primary task. It also examined the ways of working of 18 primary schools in Wales where the level of student attainment in national test scores was high, despite the pupils experiencing considerable social and economic disadvantage.Findings – From the conceptual analysis, we contend that established models of joint working accord insufficient significance to the work task and that reflective practice is essentially a social process, which requires a task focus to be successful. In the schools we studied, there was a particular way of working which we have called “collaborative practice”. It contributed substantively to their success. Collaborative practice is highly developed and inclusive joint working on a clearly defined main task, or primary task, in a reflective way. Th.
Field Trials with Wireless Sensor Networks: Issues and Remedies

Extensive field trials are essential to evaluate protocols and algorithms for wireless sensor networks. The high costs of such trials demand for a systematic approach. This paper discusses the issues of setting up afield trial such as packaging, logging, and deployment. Details about a concrete field trial to evaluate a topology discovery algorithm are presented.
Gender effects on risk‐taking of entrepreneurs: evidence from Bulgaria

Purpose – The research objective of the study is to investigate the gender effects on risk propensity, risk perception, and risk behaviour of entrepreneurs distinguishing between direct and indirect gender effects. The study seeks to address the gap in the knowledge of the link between risk taking, risk propensity, and risk perception in the context of women and risk (Brindley). Design/methodology/approach – Based on Sitkin and Pablo's model of risk behaviour and the literature on cognitive factors as determinants of risk perception, the paper provides hypotheses about the link between gender, risk perception, risk propensity, and risk behaviour. The proposed hypotheses are tested on a sample of 382 Bulgarian entrepreneurs.Findings – Although female and male entrepreneurs have similar risk perceptions, female entrepreneurs are likely to have a lower risk propensity than male entrepreneurs. Risk propensity mediates completely the effect of gender on risk behaviour. The effect of gender on risk propensity is.
A novel three-stage ATSC TxID identifier for robust data broadcasting

With the recent development of digital television (DTV) broadcasting, the total number of deployed DTV transmitters is increasing in an unprecedented way. Therefore, transmitter identification (TxID) has been considered as an important feature in the ATSC standard for distributed transmission as it enables the broadcast authorities and operators to identify the source of interference or any illegal transmitter operating in a particular region. However, identification of the TxID sequence is a challenging issue due to the complexity offered by the conventional detection algorithm which is based on exhaustive search method or matched filter detection. In this paper, we propose to use a three-stage identification scheme which offers the same performance as the optimal matched filter but with significantly reduced implementation complexity. Design of this three-stage identifier is presented and corresponding complexity in terms of the computation and hardware implementation is also analyzed. The performance of the proposed three-stage approach are investigated and verified through the simulations in different channel scenarios. It is found from the simulation results that proposed identifier can provide reliable identification of DTV transmitters in large broadcast scenarios with significantly reduced hardware and computational complexity.
Cognitive biases in anxiety and depression: Introduction to the Special Issue

Anxious and depressed people selectively attend to emotionally negative or threatening features of experience. Empirical foundations of that very general truth partly inspired the initiation of the journal Cognition and Emotion, and so it is fitting that this Special Issue be dedicated to reports of recent advances in its development. The contributors to the issue hold somewhat different theoretical perspectives on the specific roles of cognitive biases in establishing, maintaining, or reflecting emotional disorders. What they have in common is the belief that selectivity during initial perception or later use of experience is a central cognitive component of anxiety and depression. These introductory remarks set the stage for the individual contributions by describing a transfer-appropriate-processing framework (Morris, Bransford, & Franks, 1977), adapted to reflect the habits and concerns of people who are anxious, depressed, or both (also see Roediger & McDermott, 1992). Instead of processing, I use the terms attention and transfer-appropriate attention to address a range of cognitive phenomena—including initial perception, subsequent interpretation (attention to specific meanings), and later remembrance (attention to events from the past)—for the purpose of implying that conscious awareness is associated with the phenomena we describe. The framework is merely descriptive, and it borrows heavily from other accounts of disordered cognition (e.g., Williams, Watts, MacLeod, & Mathews, 1997). I intend it to be a heuristic summary of the ways in which anxiety and mood disorders influence and are influenced by mental events. Readers are advised to consult several recent and excellent reviews to obtain fuller accounts of the findings, particuCOGNITION AND EMOTION, 2002, 16 (3), 321–330
Developing an online health literacy curriculum for two German universities: a key stakeholder approach

Health literacy is a significant resource for daily life in society. Global evidence reveals that there are less than ideal levels of health literacy in populations. One potential straproviding them with the skills and tools that will improve their knowledge and practice as our future workforce. The purpose of this study was to articulate the need to develop an online health literacy introductory course for university students in Germany. A total of 16 students from two German universities participated in focus group interviews to collect data on the extent of student health literacy awareness and related health and education needs. Nine international stakeholders participated in an online self-guided review of a comprehensive draft course to obtain detailed feedback from experts in the education and health literacy fields. Results revealed that both focus group and international stakeholders are in support of developing an online health literacy curriculum. To build the draft curriculum, an existing Canadian health literacy online course was adapted as a blueprint for the German context. The proposed course was customized based on the findings from the focus groups and international stakeholder feedback, which is intended to help inform and determine contents, design, and delivery of such a course applicable for universities in Germany and beyond.
Light-induced decomposition of indocyanine green.

PURPOSE To investigate the light-induced decomposition of indocyanine green (ICG) and to test the cytotoxicity of light-induced ICG decomposition products. METHODS ICG in solution was irradiated with laser light, solar light, or surgical endolight. The light-induced decomposition of ICG was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. Porcine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were incubated with the light-induced decomposition products of ICG, and cell viability was measured by trypan blue exclusion assay. RESULTS Independent of the light source used, singlet oxygen (photodynamic type 2 reaction) is generated by ICG leading to dioxetanes by [2+2]-cycloaddition of singlet oxygen. These dioxetanes thermally decompose into several carbonyl compounds. The decomposition products were identified by mass spectrometry. The decomposition of ICG was inhibited by adding sodium azide, a quencher of singlet oxygen. Incubation with ICG decomposition products significantly reduced the viability of RPE cells in contrast to control cells. CONCLUSIONS ICG is decomposed by light within a self-sensitized photo oxidation. The decomposition products reduce the viability of RPE cells in vitro. The toxic effects of decomposed ICG should be further investigated under in vivo conditions.
Is the spell really broken? Bio-psychological explanations of religion and theistic belief

Abstract Recent advances in the evolutionary and cognitive sciences of religion have raised questions about whether the assumptions and findings of these fields as applied to religion conflict with belief in gods. Specifically, three scientific approaches to religion (Neurotheology, Group Selection, and Cognitive Science of Religion) are sketched, and five arguments against theistic belief arising from these approaches are discussed and evaluated. None of the five arguments prove formidable challenges for belief in gods.
Quantification of regional ventilation-perfusion ratios with PET.

UNLABELLED The topographic matching of alveolar ventilation (V(A)) and perfusion (Q) is the main determinant of gas exchange efficiency of the lung. However, no pulmonary functional imaging technique has been shown to predict whole-lung gas exchange in health and disease. This study aims to present a PET-based method to estimate regional alveolar ventilation-to-perfusion ratios (V(A)/Q) predictive of arterial blood gases. METHODS The method is based on the regional tracer kinetics of (13)N-nitrogen ((13)NN) after an intravenous bolus injection during a breath-hold period and subsequent washout from the lungs with resumption of breathing. The method takes into account the presence of inter- and intraregional nonuniformities at length scales smaller than the imaging spatial resolution. An algorithm used regional tracer washout to classify regional V(A)Q/ uniformity. Intraregional V(A)/Q mismatch in nonuniform regions was described with a 2-compartment model. Regional V(A)/Q estimates were combined into a whole-lung distribution of V(A)/Q ratios and were used to compute global arterial blood gases. The method was applied to 3-dimensional PET data from anesthetized and mechanically ventilated sheep before and after methacholine bronchoconstriction (n = 3) and pulmonary embolism (n = 3) and after saline lung lavage (n = 3). RESULTS PET images revealed regional changes in ventilation and perfusion consistent with the different disease models. Quantification of the images using PET-derived V(A)Q/ distributions showed unimodal and narrow distributions in control conditions that became wider and unimodal after pulmonary embolism and saline lung lavage and bimodal after bronchoconstriction. Images of regional gas exchange allowed for visualization of regional gas exchange. Arterial blood gases estimated from the PET-based V(A)/Q distributions closely agreed with measured values (partial pressure of oxygen, arterial [PaO(2)]: r(2) = 0.97, P < 0.001; partial pressure of carbon dioxide, arterial [PaCO(2)]: r(2) = 0.96, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Tracer kinetics analysis of PET images after an intravenous injection of (13)NN provides a quantitative assessment of regional V(A)/Q heterogeneity including that corresponding to length scales smaller than the spatial resolution of the imaging method. Quantification of V(A)/Q mismatch obtained with the presented technique is directly related to severity of gas exchange impairment as determined by arterial blood gases.
Procedural injustice at work, justice sensitivity, job satisfaction and psychosomatic well‐being

In a field study with 295 factory employees, three hypotheses were tested: (1) Procedural injustice at work is correlated negatively with job satisfaction and psychosomatic well-being. (2) The perception of procedural injustice depends on the person's chronic justice sensitivity. (3) Justice sensitivity moderates the correlation of procedural injustice with satisfaction and well-being, the correlation becoming larger with increasing justice sensitivity. Procedural injustice was defined as the discrepancy between desired (ought) and perceived (is) procedures. Justice sensitivity and procedural fairness according to Leventhal's criteria (consistency, nonpartiality, accuracy, correctability, representativeness) and one additional criterion (open information) were measured via questionnaire. Job satisfaction, number of sick days during the last six months and number of days a person felt sick at work during the last six months served as indicators of psychosomatic well-being. The first and second hypotheses were supported by the data. Partial support was also obtained for the third hypothesis: Justice sensitivity moderated the correlation of procedural unfairness with (a) the number of days the person felt sick at work and (b) the sum of this variable with the number of sick days. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Epigenetic modulation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene expression by equol in breast cancer cell lines

S-Equol is a metabolite resulting from the conversion of daidzein, a soya phyto-oestrogen, by the gut microflora. The potential protective effects of equol in breast cancer are still under debate. Consequently, we investigated the effects of equol on DNA methylation of breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) and oncosuppressors in breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and in a dystrophic breast cell line (MCF-10a) following exposure to S-equol (2 μm) for 3 weeks. We demonstrated by quantitative analysis of methylated alleles a significant decrease in the methylation of the cytosine phosphate guanine (CpG) islands in the promoters of BRCA1 and BRCA2 after the S-equol treatment in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and a trend in MCF-10a cells. We also showed that S-equol increases BRCA1 and BRCA2 protein expression in the nuclei and the cytoplasm in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10a cell lines by immunohistochemistry. The increase in BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins was also found after Western blotting in the studied cell lines. In summary, we demonstrated the demethylating effect of S-equol on the CpG islands inside the promoters of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, resulting in an increase in the level of expressed oncosuppressors in breast cancer cell lines.
THE NIH REGISTRY ON USE OF THE WINGSPAN STENT FOR SYMPTOMATIC 70–99% INTRACRANIAL ARTERIAL STENOSIS

THE NIH REGISTRY ON USE OF THE WINGSPAN STENT FOR SYMPTOMATIC 70 – 99% INTRACRANIAL ARTERIAL STENOSIS To the Editor: We read with interest that a relatively high rate of in-stent restenosis (ISR) (25%) was revealed in the NIH Wingspan registry.1 This figure may not be an overestimate. In our cohort of 40 patients with self-expandable stenting for symptomatic intracranial stenosis, 19 had repeat digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in 12 months. ISR ( 50% stenosis) developed in 5 patients (26.3%), which was apparently independent of cardiovascular risk factor control. ISR may be more frequent in daily practice than the rate in the Wingspan phase I study.2 Although most patients with ISR remain asymptomatic, neo-intimal hyperplasia in intracranial vasculature may not be as benign as the authors suggested.1 In a coronary model, ISR may cause branch occlusion and symptom recurrence.3 In cerebral circulation, neo-intimal proliferation may similarly occlude perforators arising from middle cerebral artery (MCA) or basilar artery (BA) and cause infarction in the perforator territory where collateral is minimal. Furthermore, given the small luminal diameter of intracranial vessels, ISR predisposes to perfusion failure apart from thromboembolic risk. ISR could be an important factor governing the longterm outcome after intracranial stenting. A randomized trial is warranted to investigate the efficacy of stenting in symptomatic intracranial stenosis, and it is encouraging to know that one is currently planned in the United States.1 In a country where intracranial stenosis is particularly prevalent, we have been conducting a pilot, randomized study comparing optimal medical treatment vs early adjunctive self-expandable stenting in patients with high risk of recurrence (i.e., recent cerebral ischemic event attributed to a high-grade [ 70%] intracranial stenosis). Some issues encountered during the planning of our study may warrant discussion. First, we randomized patients based on DSA rather than CT angiography (CTA). CTA is invaluable for screening, but is insufficient to accurately quantify the severity of stenosis. In a few patients who had initially consented to the study, subtle vascular anomalies adjacent to the stenosis (like fenestrated MCA or BA) could only be revealed in threedimensional reconstruction of DSA but not in CTA. Catastrophic complications may have occurred if CTA alone was relied upon. Secondly, although double antiplatelet regimen has not been shown to be more effective than single antiplatelet treatment in symptomatic intracranial stenosis, combination therapy has been shown to decrease microembolic signal in symptomatic carotid stenosis.4 To avoid this potential confounder, patients in both stenting and medical groups are offered dual antiplatelets.
Church-Based Social Support and Suicidality Among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

This study explores the relationship between church-based informal social support and lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts within a representative national sample of African American and Black Caribbean adults. Characteristics of church-based social support networks, as well as emotional support and negative interaction with church members were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts. This study used data from the National Survey of American Life (2001–2003). Frequency of interaction with church members was positively associated with suicide attempts, while subjective closeness to church members was negatively associated with suicide ideation. Emotional support, service attendance, and negative interaction with church members were unrelated to both suicide ideation and attempts. Findings are discussed in relation to research on church-based support networks, different models linking church support and suicidality, and the mechanisms by which church-based networks deter suicide ideation and attempts.