Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lapse-induced surges in craving influence relapse in adult smokers: an experimental investigation.

OBJECTIVES Nearly all smokers who lapse experience a full-blown relapse, but the mediating mechanisms that contribute to this relationship are not well understood. A better understanding of these mechanisms would help to advance more effective relapse prevention treatments for smokers. The purpose of this study is to experimentally evaluate the effects of a programmed smoking lapse on smoking relapse and the effects of postlapse changes in craving on relapse. METHOD Adult smokers (n = 63) who quit smoking with a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention and self-help materials were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions after 48 h of abstinence: No lapse (a no-smoking control/30-min waiting period) or lapse (smoking two cigarettes of their favored brand during a 30-min period). All participants were then followed daily for 14 days. Craving and biochemically verified self-reported abstinence were assessed on each follow-up day. Time (days) to relapse (7 consecutive days of smoking) was the main dependent measure. RESULTS Results of Cox regression analysis revealed that participants in the lapse condition relapsed more quickly than participants in the no-lapse condition (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 4.35]). These effects were attributable, in part, to episodic increases in craving among participants in the lapse condition only (HR = 12.42, 95% CI = [2.00, 77.1]). CONCLUSIONS Previously abstinent smokers who lapse are at risk for increased cigarette cravings and consequently, full-blown relapse. These results have implications for both cognitive-behavioral treatments for relapse prevention and for medications designed to help smokers manage cravings.
Liver transplantation in patients with HIV infection

Key Points 1 Liver transplantation for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐positive patients with end‐stage liver disease in the era of highly active retroviral therapy has proven to be an effective treatment. The concerns of HIV progression have not been borne out by the growing worldwide experience. 2 CD4 counts are stable and HIV viral load is controllable with medication following liver transplantation. 3 Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection in HIV‐positive recipients is universal, but the severity of recurrence does not appear to be different from that in HIV‐negative patients with HCV liver disease. 4 Complex pharmacokinetic interactions between the calcineurin inhibitors used for immunosuppression along with protease inhibitors are present, but management directed at recognizing the need for monitoring levels does not appear to increase the risk of toxicity. 5 The degree of immunosuppression from iatrogenic drug therapy and HIV does not lead to increased risk of infectious complications. (Liver Transpl 2004;10:S39–S53.)
Multicast Resource Allocation Enhanced by Channel State Feedbacks for Multiple Scalable Video Coding Streams in LTE Networks

The growing demand for mobile multicast services, such as Internet Protocol television (IPTV) and video streaming, requires effective radio resource management (RRM) to handle traffic with strict quality-of-service constraints over Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and beyond systems. Special care is needed to limit system performance degradation when multiple multicast streams are simultaneously transmitted. To this aim, this paper proposes an RRM policy based on a subgrouping technique for the delivery of scalable multicast video flows in a cell. Our proposal enhances the legacy multicast transmission over LTE systems by exploiting multiuser diversity and the users' channel quality feedbacks. Moreover, it is designed to take advantage of the frequency selectivity in the subgroup formation. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, which outperforms existing approaches from the literature. It succeeds in achieving higher spectral efficiency and guaranteeing adequate video quality to all multicast receivers and improved quality to those with good channel conditions.
A comparison of multivessel and culprit vessel percutaneous coronary intervention in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients with multivessel disease: a meta-analysis.

AIMS Percutaneous revascularisation triage has not been evaluated in randomised controlled trials of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and multivessel disease. As a result, current guidelines are not available. The objective of our meta-analysis was to investigate the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in culprit and non-culprit vessels. METHODS AND RESULTS We undertook a meta-analysis of controlled studies where patients were assigned to multivessel PCI or culprit vessel PCI. Summary odds ratios (OR) for all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularisation and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were calculated using random- or fixed-effect models. Six registry studies (n=5,414) were included in this meta-analysis. There was no difference in the rate of mortality (OR, 0.85; 95% CI: 0.70 to 1.04; p=0.114) or myocardial infarction (OR, 0.75; 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.32; p=0.319) between the two treatment groups. Multivessel PCI may decrease long-term MACE (OR, 0.69; 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.93; p=0.015) and unplanned revascularisation (OR, 0.64; 95% CI: 0.45 to 93; p=0.018) compared with culprit vessel PCI. CONCLUSIONS No significant difference was demonstrated in the long-term risk of myocardial infarction and mortality between multivessel PCI and culprit vessel PCI. Therefore, multivessel PCI may be a safe and reasonable option for NSTE-ACS patients with multivessel disease.
Effects of a Classroom Intervention With Spatial Play Materials on Children’s Object and Viewer Transformation Abilities

Children practice their spatial skills when playing with spatial toys, such as construction materials, board games, and puzzles. Sex and SES differences are observed in the engagement in such spatial play activities at home, which relate to individual differences in spatial performance. The current study investigated the effects of explicitly providing spatial play activities in the school setting on different types of spatial ability. We presented 8- to 10-year-old children with a short and easy-to-adopt classroom intervention comprising a set of different spatial play materials. The design involved a pretest-posttest comparison between the intervention group (n = 70) and a control group without intervention (n = 70). Effects were examined on object transformation ability (i.e., a paper-and-pencil mental rotation and paper folding task) and viewer transformation ability (i.e., a hands-on 3D spatial perspective-taking task). Results showed specific effects: there were no differences between the intervention and control group in progress on the two object transformation tasks. Substantial improvements were found for the intervention group compared to the control group on the viewer transformation task. Training progress was not related to sex and socioeconomic background of the child. These findings support the value of spatial play in the classroom for the spatial development of children between 8 and 10 years of age.
The effects of high-load strength training with protein- or nonprotein-containing nutritional supplementation in patients undergoing dialysis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-load strength training and protein intake in patients undergoing dialysis with a focus on muscle strength, physical performance, and muscle morphology. DESIGN This was a randomized controlled study conducted in three dialysis centers. SUBJECTS Subjects for the study included 29 patients undergoing dialysis. INTERVENTION The participants went through a control period of 16 weeks before completing 16 weeks of strength training. Before the training period, the participants were randomly assigned to receive a protein or a nonprotein drink after every training session. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Muscle strength and power were tested using the good strength equipment and the leg extensor power rig. Physical performance and function were assessed using a chair stand test and the Short Form 36 questionnaire. Muscle fiber type size and composition were analyzed in biopsies obtained from the m. vastus lateralis. RESULTS All variables remained unchanged during the control period. After training, muscle strength and power, physical performance, and physical function increased significantly. Muscle fiber composition was changed by a relative decrease in type 2x muscle fiber number whereas muscle size at the fiber level was unchanged. There were no effects of combining the training with protein intake. CONCLUSIONS High-load strength training is associated with improvements in muscle strength and power, physical performance, and quality of life. The effects were surprisingly not associated with muscle hypertrophy, and the results did not reveal any additional benefit of combining the training with protein intake. The positive results in muscle strength and physical performance have clinically relevant implications in the treatment of patients undergoing dialysis.
Key determinants of education quality of secondary schools in Bangkok

Title of Dissertation Key Determinants of the Education Quality of Secondary Schools in Bangkok Author Miss Pimsiri Pootrakul Degree Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) Year 2014 ____________________________________________________________________ This study aims to investigate the key determinants of the quality of education of upper-secondary schools in Thailand focusing on the Bangkok Metropolitan area. Among the 219 the upper-secondary schools located in the studied territory, 149 schools under the supervision of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Office of the Higher Education Commission, and the Office of the Private Education Commission were randomly selected. This sample size provided a 95 percent confidence level for all statistical tests when expanded to estimate the behaviors of the entire population. The dependent variable was education quality, while the examined independent variables, which were expected to have significant influence on education quality, included the transformational leadership of the school principal, teacher quality, and school facilities. A self-administered survey was conducted using the questionnaire, which was comprised of a demographic profile and information regarding all three independent variables. To accurately evaluate the education quality of the students in the selected schools, the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-NET) and the General Aptitude Test (GAT) scores were employed. Both examinations are organized by the National Testing Service (Public Organization) and are considered as the most reliable and standardized assessments in the nation to measure student academic proficiency. According to the respondents’ demographic profile, 59.7 percent were female and the age groups were fairly distributed from 25 to 60 years. All of the respondents
Eradication of Mycoplasma Contaminations from Cell Cultures

Mycoplasma contaminations have a multitude of effects on cultured cell lines that may influence the results of experiments or pollute bioactive substances isolated from the eukaryotic cells. The elimination of mycoplasma contaminations from cell cultures with antibiotics has been proven to be a practical alternative to discarding and re‐establishing important or irreplaceable cell lines. Different fluoroquinolones, tetracyclins, pleuromutilins, and macrolides shown to have strong anti‐mycoplasma properties are employed for the decontamination. These antibiotics are applied as single treatments, as combination treatment of two antibiotics in parallel or successively, or in combination with a surface‐active peptide to enhance the action of the antibiotic. The protocols in this unit allow eradication of mycoplasmas, prevention of the development of resistant mycoplasma strains, and potential cure of heavily contaminated and damaged cells. Consistent and permanent alterations to eukaryotic cells attributable to the treatment have not been demonstrated. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 106:28.5. 1‐28.5. 12. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Interest rate pass-through in Uganda

This study examines the interest rate pass-through using biavariate cointegration regression method following Engel and Granger, 1987. The paper finds that the pass-through coefficient of the 7-day interbank rate to the lending rate is 0.43 in the entire sample, statistically not different from zero in the period before the adoption of the ITL framework and 0.30 in the period after the adoption of the ITL framework. The pass-through of the 7-day interbank rates to time deposit rates are higher than those of the lending rates, ranging from 0.56 – 0.60. that is, the interest rate transmission process is existent but incomplete. The paper also finds that after the implementation of the ITL framework, the 7-day interbank rate becomes more effective across all rates save for 91-day Treasury bill rates. It is also apparent that the 7-day interbank money market rate has outperformed the overnight interbank rates in terms of their influence on other rates.
A novel planar structure of double negative material

Based on the composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL) theory, a novel unit of planar distributed structure with double negative material (DNM) is proposed. The present unit cell implemented with microstrip structure has composite structure on single-layer but not two layers as did before. By using interdigital capacitor instead of the former mushroom structure with caps, the structure has descended the left-handed transmission frequency band than the former one. And the equivalent circuit parameters have been extracted from full-wave simulation. A 15x5 unit-cell DNM lens structure interfaced with two parallel-plate waveguides is designed. The focusing /refocusing effect of the lens is observed by full-wave simulation.
International Migrants and Refugees in Cape Towns Informal Economy

This is report is the most comprehensive study yet of the contribution of migrant and refugee entrepreneurs to Cape Town? s local economy. The survey of over 500 entrepreneurs engaged in trade, services and manufacturing in different areas of the city dispels some of the more prevalent myths that o#en attach to the activities of migrants. The vast majority are not ? illegal foreigners? , but have a legal right to be in South Africa and to run a business. Most are highly motivated individuals who enter the informal economy to earn revenue to support themselves, their families, and because they have a strong entrepreneurial motivation. Contrary to the claims of South African competitors, the vast majority are not successful because they are engaged in shadowy business practices. What emerges from the survey is that while migrant entrepreneurs undoubtedly have strong social networks, their businesses are highly individualistic in terms of organization, ownership and activity in a competitive business environment. This report demonstrates their positive economic contributions to Cape Town and examines the challenges they face in running a successful business operation in the city. It goes beyond the rhetoric of inclusion to demonstrate with hard evidence exactly why migrant and refugee entrepreneurs should be accepted as an integral and valuable part of the local economy.
Defective P2Y purinergic receptor function: A possible novel mechanism for impaired glucose transport

Extracellular ATP is an ubiquitous mediator that regulates several cellular functions via specific P2 plasma membrane receptors (P2Rs), for which a role in modulating intracellular glucose metabolism has been recently suggested. We have investigated glucose uptake in response to P2Rs stimulation in fibroblasts from type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients and control subjects. P2Rs expression was evaluated by RT‐PCR; intracellular calcium release by fluorometry; glucose transporter (GLUT1) translocation by immunoblotting and chemiluminescence; glucose uptake was measured with 2‐deoxy‐D‐[1‐3H]glucose (2‐DOG) and ATP by luminometry. Cells from T2D patients, in contrast to those from healthy controls, showed no increase in glucose uptake after ATP stimulation; extracellular ATP caused, however, a similar GLUT1 recruitment to the plasma membrane in both groups. P2Rs expression did not differ between fibroblasts from diabetic and healthy subjects, but while plasma membrane depolarization, a P2X‐mediated response was similar in both groups, no evident intracellular calcium increase was detectable in the cells from the former group. The calcium response in fibroblasts from diabetics was restored by co‐incubation with apyrase or hexokinase, suggesting that P2YRs in those cells were normally expressed but chronically desensitised. In support to this finding, fibroblasts from T2D subjects secreted a two‐fold larger amount of ATP compared to controls. Pre‐treatment with apyrase or hexokinase also restored ATP stimulated glucose uptake in fibroblasts from diabetic subjects. These results suggest that extracellular ATP plays a role in the modulation of glucose transport via GLUT1, and that the P2Y‐dependent GLUT1 activation is deficient in fibroblasts from T2D individuals. Our observations may point to additional therapeutic targets for improving glucose utilization in diabetes. J. Cell. Physiol. 197: 435–444, 2003© 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CT image artifacts from brachytherapy seed implants: a postprocessing 3D adaptive median filter.

PURPOSE To design a postprocessing 3D adaptive median filter that minimizes streak artifacts and improves soft-tissue contrast in postoperative CT images of brachytherapy seed implantations. METHODS The filter works by identifying voxels that are likely streaks and estimating more reflective voxel intensity by using voxel intensities in adjacent CT slices and applying a median filter over voxels not identified as seeds. Median values are computed over a 5 x 5 x 5 mm region of interest (ROI) within the CT volume. An acrylic phantom simulating a clinical seed implant arrangement and containing nonradioactive seeds was created. Low contrast subvolumes of tissuelike material were also embedded in the phantom. Pre- and postprocessed image quality metrics were compared using the standard deviation of ROIs between the seeds, the CT numbers of low contrast ROIs embedded within the phantom, the signal to noise ratio (SNR), and the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of the low contrast ROIs. The method was demonstrated with a clinical postimplant CT dataset. RESULTS After the filter was applied, the standard deviation of CT values in streak artifact regions was significantly reduced from 76.5 to 7.2 HU. Within the observable low contrast plugs, the mean of all ROI standard deviations was significantly reduced from 60.5 to 3.9 HU, SNR significantly increased from 2.3 to 22.4, and CNR significantly increased from 0.2 to 4.1 (all P < 0.01). The mean CT in the low contrast plugs remained within 5 HU of the original values. CONCLUSION An efficient postprocessing filter that does not require access to projection data, which can be applied irrespective of CT scan parameters has been developed, provided the slice thickness and spacing is 3 mm or less.
Basolateral Junctions Utilize Warts Signaling to Control Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Proliferation Crucial For Migration and Invasion of Drosophila Ovarian Epithelial Cells

Fasciclin2 (Fas2) and Discslarge (Dlg) localize to the basolateral junction (BLJ) of Drosophila follicle epithelial cells and inhibit their proliferation and invasion. To identify a BLJ signaling pathway we completed a genomewide screen for mutants that enhance dlg tumorigenesis. We identified two genes that encode known BLJ scaffolding proteins, lethal giant larvae (lgl) and scribble (scrib), and several not previously associated with BLJ function, including warts (wts) and roughened eye (roe), which encode a serine–threonine kinase and a transcription factor, respectively. Like scrib, wts and roe also enhance Fas2 and lgl tumorigenesis. Further, scrib, wts, and roe block border cell migration, and cause noninvasive tumors that resemble dlg partial loss of function, suggesting that the BLJ utilizes Wts signaling to repress EMT and proliferation, but not motility. Apicolateral junction proteins Fat (Ft), Expanded (Ex), and Merlin (Mer) either are not involved in these processes, or have highly spatio-temporally restricted roles, diminishing their significance as upstream inputs to Wts in follicle cells. This is further indicated in that Wts targets, CyclinE and DIAP1, are elevated in Fas2, dlg, lgl, wts, and roe cells, but not Fat, ex, or mer cells. Thus, the BLJ appears to regulate epithelial polarity and dynamics not only as a localized scaffold, but also by communicating signals to the nucleus. Wts may be regulated by distinct junction inputs depending on developmental context.
Ultrafast Response p‐Si/n‐ZnO Heterojunction Ultraviolet Detector Based on Pyro‐Phototronic Effect

A light-self-induced pyro-phototronic effect in wurtzite ZnO nanowires is proposed as an effective approach to achieve ultrafast response ultraviolet sensing in p-Si/n-ZnO heterostructures. The relatively long response/recovery time of zinc-oxide-based ultraviolet sensors in air/vacuum has long been an obstacle to developing such detectors for practical applications. The response/recovery time and photoresponsivity are greatly improved by the pyro-phototronic effect.
Evaluating LINE-1 methylation in cleft lip tissues and its association with early pregnancy exposures.

AIM To pilot investigation of methylation of long interspersed nucleotide element-1 in lip tissues from infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip, and its association with maternal periconceptional exposures. METHODS The lateral and medial sides of the cleft lips of 23 affected infants were analyzed for long interspersed nucleotide element-1 methylation by bisulfite conversion and pyrosequencing. RESULTS The medial side showed 1.8% higher methylation compared with the lateral side; p = 0.031, particularly in male infants (2.7% difference; p = 0.011) or when the mothers did not take folic acid during periconceptional period (2.4% difference; p = 0.011). These results were not statistically significant when Bonferroni adjustment was used. CONCLUSION The observed differences in DNA methylation, although nonsignificant after correction for multiple comparisons, suggest that differential regulation of the two sides may impact lip fusion and warrant larger-scale replication.