Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ethnic dissimilarity predicts belonging motive frustration and reduced organizational attachment

Some empirical studies show negative consequences of being demographically different from one’s group, but the underlying psychological mechanisms are not well understood. To address this gap, we investigated the role of the belonging and distinctiveness motives in individuals’ experiences of being ethnically dissimilar from their group. We propose that ethnic dissimilarity satisfies group members’ need for distinctiveness whereas it frustrates members’ need for belonging, and this frustration reduces their organizational attachment. An experimental study showed that ethnic dissimilarity led to heightened arousal of the belonging motive, indicating that this motive was frustrated. In a naturalistic study of real-life student groups, ethnic dissimilarity was associated with frustrated belonging, which in turn was associated with reduced organizational attachment. This paper contributes to the literature on demographic dissimilarity in groups by closely examining the effect of demographic dissimilarity on group members’ fundamental motives and reactions to group membership.
The expansion of endoscopic submucosal dissection in France: A prospective nationwide survey

Introduction Early reports of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Europe suggested high complication rates and disappointing outcomes compared to publications from Japan. Since 2008, we have been conducting a nationwide survey to monitor the outcomes and complications of ESD over time. Material and methods All consecutive ESD cases from 14 centers in France were prospectively included in the database. Demographic, procedural, outcome and follow-up data were recorded. The results obtained over three years were compared to previously published data covering the 2008–2010 period. Results Between November 2010 and June 2013, 319 ESD cases performed in 314 patients (62% male, mean (±SD) age 65.4 ± 12) were analyzed and compared to 188 ESD cases in 188 patients (61% male, mean (±SD) age 64.6 ± 13) performed between January 2008 and October 2010. The mean (±SD) lesion size was 39 ± 12 mm in 2010–2013 vs 32.1 ± 21 for 2008–2010 (p = 0.004). En bloc resection improved from 77.1% to 91.7% (p < 0.0001) while R0 en bloc resection remained stable from 72.9% to 71.9% (p = 0.8) over time. Complication rate dropped from 29.2% between 2008 and 2010 to 14.1% between 2010 and 2013 (p < 0.0001), with bleeding decreasing from 11.2% to 4.7% (p = 0.01) and perforations from 18.1% to 8.1% (p = 0.002) over time. No procedure-related mortality was recorded. Conclusions In this multicenter study, ESD achieved high rates of en bloc resection with a significant trend toward better outcomes over time. Improvements in lesion delineation and characterization are still needed to increase R0 resection rates.
Evaluating accreditation.

A global study for the World Health Organization in 2000 identiWed 36 nationwide health care accreditation programmes [1]. Starting with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in the United States in 1951, the number of programmes around the world has doubled every Wve years since 1990. Development has been especially marked in Europe which now accounts for half of all programmes. The traditional model of voluntary, independent accreditation is being rapidly adapted towards a government sponsored or even statutory tool for control and public accountability. Many countries, especially in Eastern Europe, are beginning to use accreditation as an extension of statutory licensing for institutions. In this context of growth and innovation, the National Agency for Healthcare Accreditation and Evaluation (ANAES) in France, described by Daucourt and Michel in their paper ‘Results of the Wrst 100 accreditation procedures in France’ [2] in this issue of the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, should provide useful lessons to accreditors and governments world-wide. It is expansively ambitious and innovative, but also governmentally slow and expensive; in 2001 its accreditation programme accounted for three-quarters of the 16.5 million combined expenditure of ten national programmes in Europe. Other governments, at least those which would contemplate a statutory programme, should watch Paris for signs of value of the investment, in terms of impact on the public/private health system. The problem is that, in an increasingly evidence-based world, we have aggregated very little hard data about:
An Experimental Test of the Persuasive Effect of Source Similarity in Narrative and Nonnarrative Health Blogs

Background Blogs, or websites containing online personal journals, are a form of popular personal communication with immense potential for health promotion. Objective Narratives are stories with a beginning, middle, and end that provide information about the characters and plot. Source similarity refers to the degree to which the message source and each recipient are alike with respect to certain attributes. Narratives and source similarity have seldom been examined in tandem as strategies for health persuasion. Personal health blogs provide a suitable platform for such an investigation. This study examined the persuasive effects of message type and source similarity on participants’ intentions to adopt a specific health behavior (running for exercise). Methods A total of 150 participants were randomly assigned to conditions (n=25 per condition) in a completely crossed, 2 (message type: narrative and nonnarrative) × 3 (source similarity: no similarity, non-health-related similarity, and health-related similarity) between-subjects experiment. First, in an online questionnaire, participants provided personal information in 42 categories and rated the relatedness of each category to running and then completed pretest measures of the dependent variables. Based on their responses, 150 personal health blogs were created. Two weeks later, the initial participants read the blog created with their personal characteristics and completed a questionnaire online. Results The source similarity effect was stronger in nonnarrative than narrative blogs. When the blogs were nonnarrative, those with health-related similarities were more persuasive than those with non-health-related similarities. Narrative blogs generated more positive thoughts and stronger blogger identification than nonnarrative blogs. Conclusions Health-related source similarity is key for persuasive health communication, especially when the messages are nonnarrative.
The planning of Preliminary Sample: methodological aspects and an application to the Italian Monthly Retail Trade Survey

The standard approaches for dealing with provisional estimates essentially focus on the study and the definition of efficient estimator, exploiting the auxiliary information almost exclusively in the estimation phase. In this paper, we propose an extended appliance of the auxiliary information, developing an overall strategy involving both the sample design and the estimator. The work aims to define a preliminary sub-sample of units included in the planned sample for final estimates. Afterwards, the provisional estimates are computed by means of an appropriate estimator applied to the preliminary sub-sample data. In order to design the preliminary sub-sample, the balanced sampling theory is exploited. In the longitudinal survey context, where timeliness is a pressing target, the approach represents an approximately bias-robust sampling strategy. Results of a real survey data simulation study comparing the proposed strategies with strategies ignoring the planning of the preliminary sub-sample are presented.
Osteoprotegerin Is Associated With Aneurysm Diameter and Proteolysis in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Disease

Objective—Serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) concentrations have previously been associated with growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). In vitro experiments showed that OPG promotes matrix metalloprotease (MMP) release from monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells. We hypothesized that OPG expression is increased in human AAAs and is associated with proteolysis. Methods and Results—AAA biopsies were collected from 329 patients. We assessed the concentrations of OPG, cathepsins A, B, and S as well as the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. The AAA wall infiltration by macrophages, lymphocytes, and plasma cells was estimated by immunohistochemistry. The concentration of OPG correlated positively with aortic diameter (<55 mm: 16.1 [5.8–28.7], 55–70 mm: 21.9 [10.2–36.0], >70 mm: 24.0 [13.5–52.9] ng OPG/mg total amount of protein, P=0.020), cathepsin A (r=0.221, P=0.005), B (r=0.384, P<0.001), and S (r=0.467, P<0.001), MMP-2 (r=0.180, P<0.001), MMP-9 (r=0.178, P<0.001), and the number of lymphocytes (P<0.001) and plasma cells (P=0.001). OPG immunostaining was predominantly demonstrated in plasma cells. Conclusion—The concentration of aortic wall OPG is positively associated with established markers of AAA severity and pathogenesis. OPG appeared to be associated with lymphocytes and plasma cells. These human data support previous experimental data suggesting a role for OPG in AAA pathogenesis.
Sensors for glucose monitoring: technical and clinical aspects

The aim of this article is to critically discuss the technical and clinical aspects of glucose sensors and to briefly review current technical developments. This includes sensors for spot glucose measurements as well as those used for continuous glucose monitoring. Continuous glucose monitoring in particular should supply the diabetic patient with all the information required to optimize insulin therapy and metabolic control. Such systems should also allow hypo‐ and hyperglycemic episodes to be avoided.
Interactions of Green Tea Catechins with Organic Anion-Transporting Polypeptides

Organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are multispecific transporters that mediate the uptake of numerous drugs and xenobiotics into cells. Here, we examined the effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins on the function of the four OATPs expressed in human enterocytes and hepatocytes. Uptake of the model substrate estrone-3-sulfate by cells expressing OATP1A2, OATP1B1, OATP1B3, or OATP2B1 was measured in the absence and presence of the four most abundant flavonols found in green tea. Uptake by OATP1A2, OATP1B1, and OATP2B1 was inhibited by epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in a concentration-dependent way. In contrast, OATP1B3-mediated uptake of estrone-3-sulfate was strongly stimulated by EGCG at low substrate concentrations. The effect of EGCG on OATP1B3 was also studied with additional substrates: uptake of estradiol-17β-glucuronide was unchanged, whereas uptake of Fluo-3 was noncompetitively inhibited. Both ECG and EGCG were found to be substrates of OATP1A2 (Km values of 10.4 and 18.8 μM, respectively) and OATP1B3 (34.1 and 13.2 μM, respectively) but not of OATP1B1 or OATP2B1. These results indicate that two of the major flavonols found in green tea have a substantial effect on the function of OATPs expressed in enterocytes and hepatocytes and can potentially alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs and other OATP substrates. In addition, the diverse effects of EGCG on the transport of other OATP1B3 substrates suggest that different transport/binding sites are involved.
Ganglioside Mimicry of Campylobacter jejuni Lipopolysaccharides Determines Antiganglioside Specificity in Rabbits

ABSTRACT The core oligosaccharides of Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides (LPS) display molecular mimicry with gangliosides. Cross-reactive anti-LPS-antiganglioside antibodies have been implicated to show a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the Guillain-Barré and Miller Fisher syndrome. The specificity of the antiganglioside response is thought to depend on the oligosaccharide structure of the ganglioside mimic. To test this hypothesis and to investigate the potential of LPS from Campylobacter strains from enteritis patients to induce an antiganglioside response, we immunized rabbits with purified LPS from eight Campylobacter jejuni reference strains with biochemically well-defined distinct ganglioside mimics and determined the presence of antiganglioside antibodies. All rabbits produced immunoglobulin G (IgM) and IgG anti-LPS antibodies, and the specificity of the cross-reactive antiganglioside response indeed corresponded with the biochemically defined mimic. Most rabbits also had antibody reactivity against additional gangliosides, and there were slight differences in the fine specificity of the antibody response between rabbits that had been immunized with LPS from the same Campylobacter strain. High anti-LPS and antiganglioside titers persisted over a 10-month period. In conclusion, the structure of the LPS only partly determines the antiganglioside specificity. Other strain-specific as well as host-related factors influence the induction and fine-specificity of the cross-reactive anti-LPS-antiganglioside response.
JAMES CAREY, THE DEVIL AND HIS MASKS, JOURNALISM AND THE SHEPHERD'S PLAY IN MICHOACAN, MEXICO

In Tocuaro the old mask-maker invited me inside, and he gladly showed me the masks that he had carved and mounted on the wall. Fifteen sinister, wooden, hand-painted snouts gazed back at me. All of them depicted Lucifer. It was a devout Catholic home, and so the plain wooden crucifix and the icon of the Virgin de Guadalupe were also affixed to that wall, next to the demonic faces. Of course, in rural Mexico and elsewhere images of the Devil are rarely displayed in devout Catholic households. But in Tocuaro, and in other rural pueblos in Michoacan and throughout Mexico the image of Lucifer, and five, or fifteen, or fifty such diabolic icons hang in some very observant Catholic homes. The mask-maker, Enemorio, pointed at the fiendish snouts that glared at me, and he told me that each year dancers wear these devil masks that he carves. These masked dancers are the diablos who tempt and torment and try to trick the shepherds the local children who also star in the pastorela the shepherds’ play which is performed again and again and again during the annual fiesta in Tocuaro. Pueblos all over Michoacan and throughout rural Mexico have their own particular fiesta days, and during these special, holy days, many members of the village community will celebrate communion together, and feast together, and also attend the pastorela plays, or perhaps some other morality/mystery plays, which are performed during the fiesta each year. Accordingly, in Tocuaro and in many other pueblos throughout Mexico skilled artisans such as Enemorio carve some diabolic masks and some saintly masks each year, and these artisans gift, and lend, and rent, and sell these masks to local dancers and to others as well. The artisans and the dancers and their families hang some of these diabolic (and beatific) masks on their walls. And from the standpoint of local knowledge it is not sinister or sinful to display the demonic masks because all of the masks the fiendish and the saintly ones
Immersive mobile gaming with scanned laser pico projection systems

A scanned laser pico projector's advantages, in the space of motion sensed and/or mobile gaming, is explored in this paper. In order to better appreciate the applications, we first briefly delve into the operation of a MicroVision MEMS-based scanned laser pico projection engine. From there we described how we accomplish immersive gaming by citing as an example a novel prototype system that we have constructed. We further go on to present the key findings on user experience of this system in a survey conducted at the CeBIT, 2011 in Hannover, Germany.
From ion currents to genomic analysis: Recent advances in GABAA receptor research

The γ‐aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor represents an elementary switching mechanism integral to the functioning of the central nervous system and a locus for the action of many mood‐and emotion‐altering agents such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, steroids, and alcohol. Anxiety, sleep disorders, and convulsive disorders have been effectively treated with therapeutic agents that enhance the action of GABA at the GABAA receptor or increase the concentration of GABA in nervous tissue. The GABAA receptor is a multimeric membrane‐spanning ligand‐gated ion channel that admits chloride upon binding of the neurotransmitter GABA and is modulated by many endogenous and therapeutically important agents. Since GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS, modulation of its response has profound implications for brain functioning. The GABAA receptor is virtually the only site of action for the centrally acting benzodiazepines, the most widely prescribed of the anti‐anxiety medications. Increasing evidence points to an important role for GABA in epilepsy and various neuropsychiatric disorders. Recent advances in molecular biology and complementary information derived from pharmacology, biochemistry, electrophysiology, anatomy and cell biology, and behavior have led to a phenomenal growth in our understanding of the structure, function, regulation, and evolution of the GABAA receptor. Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, steroids, polyvalent cations, and ethanol act as positive or negative modulators of receptor function. The description of a receptor gene superfamily comprising the subunits of the GABAA, nicotinic acetylcholine, and glycine receptors has led to a new way of thinking about gene expression and receptor assembly in the nervous system. Seventeen genetically distinct subunit subtypes (αl‐α6, βl‐β4, γl‐γ4,δ, pl‐p2) and alternatively spliced variants contribute to the molecular architecture of the GABAA receptor. Mysteriously, certain preferred combinations of subunits, most notably the αlβ2γ2 arrangement, are widely codistributed, while the expression of other subunits, such as βl or α6, is severely restricted to specific neurons in the hippocampal formation or cerebellar cortex. Nervous tissue has the capacity to exert control over receptor number, allosteric uncoupling, subunit mRNA levels, and posttranslational modifications.
Determining the systemic redshift of Lyman α emitters with neural networks and improving the measured large-scale clustering

We explore how to mitigate the clustering distortions in Lyman-$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) samples caused by the miss-identification of the Lyman-$\alpha$ (Ly$\alpha$) wavelength in their Ly$\alpha$ line profiles. We use the Ly$\alpha$ line profiles from our previous LAE theoretical model that includes radiative transfer in the interstellar and intergalactic mediums. We introduce a novel approach to measure the systemic redshift of LAEs from their Ly$\alpha$ line using neural networks. In detail, we assume that, for a fraction of the whole LAE population their systemic redshift is determined precisely through other spectral features. We then use this subset to train a neural network that predicts the Ly$\alpha$ wavelength given a Ly$\alpha$ line profile. We test two different training sets: i) the LAEs are selected homogeneously and ii) only the brightest LAEs are selected. In comparison with previous approaches in the literature, our methodology improves significantly both accuracy and precision in determining the Ly$\alpha$ wavelength. In fact, after applying our algorithm in ideal Ly$\alpha$ line profiles, we recover the clustering unperturbed down to 1cMpc/h. Then, we test the performance of our methodology in realistic Ly$\alpha$ line profiles by downgrading their quality. The machine learning techniques work well even if the Ly$\alpha$ line profile quality is decreased considerably. We conclude that LAE surveys such as HETDEX would benefit from determining with high accuracy the systemic redshift of a subpopulation and applying our methodology to estimate the systemic redshift of the rest of the galaxy sample.
Measuring health‐related quality of life in adolescence

Until now, adolescents' health‐related quality of life (HRQL) has primarily been examined together with children or adults. Specific aspects of adolescents' HRQL have often been neglected. However, this period in life has its own specific characteristics that must be considered in order to understand more about adolescents' HRQL. This review addresses the following issues: Which domains of HRQL are particularly important to adolescents? How are these important features of adolescent functioning related to overall HRQL?
Unsupervised Dual Paraphrasing for Two-stage Semantic Parsing

One daunting problem for semantic parsing is the scarcity of annotation. Aiming to reduce nontrivial human labor, we propose a two-stage semantic parsing framework, where the first stage utilizes an unsupervised paraphrase model to convert an unlabeled natural language utterance into the canonical utterance. The downstream naive semantic parser accepts the intermediate output and returns the target logical form. Furthermore, the entire training process is split into two phases: pre-training and cycle learning. Three tailored self-supervised tasks are introduced throughout training to activate the unsupervised paraphrase model. Experimental results on benchmarks Overnight and GeoGranno demonstrate that our framework is effective and compatible with supervised training.
Coupling between DNA replication and cell division mediated by the FtsA protein in Escherichia coli: a pathway independent of the SOS response, the "TER" pathway

Inhibition of DNA synthesis prevented the recovery of cell division in filaments of D-3R [ftsA3(Ts) recA56] returned to the permissive temperature. The FtsA protein may be a signal involved in the "TER" pathway, a series of events that coordinate cell division with DNA replication, that is independent of the SOS pathway.
Differential activation of the death receptor pathway in human target cells induced by cytotoxic T lymphocytes showing different kinetics of killing

Background and Objectives Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) may use two effector mechanisms to kill their target cells: perforin (PFN) and granzyme B (GrB)-dependent granule-mediated cell death and death receptor-mediated cell death. Controversy exists whether, in addition to PFN/GrB-mediated apoptosis, death receptor-induced apoptosis contributes to the elimination of human tumor cells by CTL. Design and Methods Since the two CTL-mediated effector mechanisms differ in time required to eliminate target cells, lysis of target cells was analyzed using CTL clones with slow and rapid kinetics of killing derived from a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia. To determine the involvement of the death receptor pathway, a retroviral construct encoding the antiapoptotic gene FLICE inhibitory protein (FLIP) was introduced into these target cells. Results A CTL clone capable of killing 50% of the target cells within 2 hours of incubation primarily acted by release of PFN and GrB. In contrast, two CTL clones showing slower target cell killing kinetics partially used the death receptor pathway (~30% inhibition by FLIP). Interpretation and Conclusions We demonstrated that the death receptor pathway contributes to T-cell-mediated cell death if not all target cells are destroyed by release of PFN and GrB.
Incomplete Hypercubes

Since a k-dimensional hypercube has 2/sup k/ vertices, these systems are restricted to having exactly 2/sup k/ computing nodes. Because system sizes must be a power of two, there are large gaps in the sizes of systems that can be built with hypercubes. Routing and broadcast algorithms are presented for hypercubes that are missing certain of their nodes, called incomplete hypercubes. Unlike hypercubes, incomplete hypercubes can be used to interconnect systems with any number of processors. The routing and broadcast algorithms for incomplete hypercubes are shown also to be simple and deadlock-free. >