Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The significance of gender as a social and demographic correlate of sex role attitudes.

Abstract Utilizing a probability sample of college students, the significance of gender as a social and demographic correlate of sex role attitudes is explored to determine: (1) its explanatory power relative to other variables and (2) its ability to condition or specify the effects of other variables. Among 13 social and demographic variables, gender explains more variance in sex role attitudes than any other predictor and also conditions the effects on sex role attitudes of social class, community size, and choice of college major. Contrary to expectations, the effects of religious affiliation are equally strong for males and females. Interpretations focus on the differential significance of family social class influences on the type of sex role conceptions endorsed by offspring.
Pathology and sensitivity of current clinical criteria in corticobasal syndrome

The aim of this study was to investigate corticobasal syndrome with respect to underlying pathologies, the ability of current clinical criteria to detect early stages of disease, and symptoms and signs predicting background pathologies. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological findings from patients with corticobasal syndrome. We also analyzed whether those findings fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Finally, we investigated characteristic clinical features that are specific to each background pathology. Of 10 consecutive autopsied patients who had corticobasal syndrome (mean age ± standard deviation, 67.9 ± 9.3 years; male:female ratio, 6:4), three had corticobasal degeneration pathology, three had progressive supranuclear palsy, three had Alzheimer's disease, and one had atypical four‐repeat tauopathy. Nine patients fulfilled Mayo criteria, and all 10 patients fulfilled modified Cambridge criteria at the later stage, but only two patients fulfilled either clinical criteria within 2 years of disease onset. Five patients fulfilled the clinical criteria for possible CBD (p‐CBD), and one patient fulfilled the clinical research criteria for probable sporadic CBD (cr‐CBD) at the later stage. Only two patients fulfilled the criteria for either p‐CBD or cr‐CBD within 2 years of disease onset. Although we could not find any predictive characteristic clinical features that were specific to CBD pathology, only patients with progressive supranuclear palsy developed apraxia of eyelid opening and cerebellar ataxia. Myoclonus and memory impairment, especially if they appear at an early stage of the disease, may predict Alzheimer's disease pathology. Sensitivity of the available clinical criteria for corticobasal syndrome was poor within 2 years of disease onset. © 2013 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Q-Mon: An adaptive SOA system with data mining

Traditional SOA system frequently fails to execute services after the service composition. We address these shortcomings with Q-Mon, and efficient, reliable SOA system to find the rules between the environment and the executed service. Q-Mon provides real time replacement by choosing another service to execute, which is predicted to have a good performance in the current context. Q-Mon monitors the behavior of the executing service and the environment, and the collected data is used for relationship mining. Our experimental results show that Q-MON reduces the response time drastically and also predicts suitable service to replace the failed one for executing.
Elder Tracking and Fall Detection System Using Smart Tiles

Fall detection for elderly and patient is a very important service that has the potential of increasing autonomy of elders while minimizing the risks of living alone. It has been an active research topic due to the fact that health care industry has a big demand for products and technology of fall detection systems. Owing to the recent rapid advancement in sensing and wireless communication technologies, fall detection systems have become possible. They allow detecting fall events for the elderly, monitoring them, and consequently providing necessary help whenever needed. This paper describes the ongoing work of detecting falls in independent living senior apartments using force sensors and three-axis accelerometers concealed under intelligent tiles. The force sensors permit detecting elders' falls, locating, tracking, and recognizing human activities (walking, standing, sitting, lying down, falling, and the transitions between them). However, the detection accuracy on real data contains false alarms coming from falling and lying postures. To solve this issue, we propose the fusion between the force sensor measurements and the accelerometer sensor decisions. As a consequence, the system accuracy is satisfactory, and the results show that the proposed methods are efficient, and they can be easily used in a real elder tracking and fall detection system.
HIGH RESOLUTION FOURIER-DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY OF RETINAL ANGIOMATOUS PROLIFERATION

Purpose: To study the anatomic details of retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using high-resolution Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (Fd-OCT) and its three-dimensional reconstructions. Methods: A Fd-OCT instrument was used to image five patients clinically diagnosed with RAP. A series of 100 raster-scanned B-scans centered over the macula was registered and rendered as a three-dimensional volume. These retinal structures were analyzed for anatomic details of the RAP lesions. Results: The RAP lesion could be identified within the retina on Fd-OCT in all five cases. Fd-OCT images of the first four cases revealed areas of intraretinal neovascularization (IRN) in the deep retina adjacent to a pigment epithelial detachment (PED). There was neovascular proliferation anteriorly and posteriorly through a break in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In three of the four cases, Bruch membrane remained intact. There was no identifiable choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The fifth case had both subretinal and sub-RPE neovascular membranes without a PED. Conclusion: Fd-OCT provides unprecedented in vivo detail of the anatomy of RAP lesions that nearly resembles histologic specimens. This study suggests that the initial neovascular process in RAP can originate either within the retina or in the sub-RPE space.
Synthesis of Glutathione in Leaves of Transgenic Poplar Overexpressing [gamma]-Glutamylcysteine Synthetase

Internode stem fragments of the poplar hybrid Populus tremula x Populus alba were transformed with a bacterial gene (gshl) for [gamma]-glutamylcysteine synthetase ([gamma]-ECS) targeted to the cytosol. Lines overexpressing [gamma]-ECS were identified by northern analysis, and the transformant with the highest enzyme activity was used to investigate the control of glutathione synthesis. Whereas foliar [gamma]-ECS activity was below the limit of detection in untransformed plants, activities of up to 8.7 nmol mg-1 protein min-1 were found in the transformant, in which the foliar contents of [gamma]-glutamylcysteine ([gamma]-EC) and glutathione were increased approximately 10- and 3-fold, respectively, without affecting either the reduction state of the glutathione pool or the foliar cysteine content. A supply of exogenous cysteine to leaf discs increased the glutathione content from both transformed and untransformed poplars, and caused the [gamma]-EC content of the transformant discs to increase still further. The following conclusions are drawn: (a) the native [gamma]-ECS of untransformed poplars exists in quantities that are limiting for foliar glutathione synthesis; (b) foliar glutathione synthesis in untransformed poplars is limited by cysteine availability; (c) in the transformant interactions between glutathione synthesis and cysteine synthesis operate to sustain the increased formation of [gamma]-EC and glutathione; and (d) the foliar glutathione content of the transformant is restricted by cysteine availability and by the activity of glutathione synthetase.
Clock dithering for electromagnetic compliance using spread spectrum phase modulation

As more electronic systems operate at higher frequencies and bandwidths, they tend to emit more electromagnetic interference (EMI). Due to lack of shielding, portable systems such as notebook computers have come under increasing pressure to comply with strict EMI emission regulations, such as FCC and CISPR. The data bus and the clock are major EMI sources because they conduct high currents and form large loops. This paper focuses on spreading the frequency-spectra of the clock and data signals to reduce their peak EMI emissions for EM compatibility. In a similar work, noise is intentionally injected onto a VCO control voltage in a clock PLL to achieve the effect of frequency modulation. In this case, the phase of the dithered clock varies unpredictably so mixing of both dithered and non-dithered clocks within the same system is avoided. In the proposed scheme, the phase difference between two arbitrary edges is limited within half a period. Hence, it is more practical in real system applications. Since it is implemented with a delay-locked loop (DLL), there are no PLL problems such as accumulated phase error, difficulties in designing stable loop filters, or area costs.
Lipoprotein association studies: taking stock and moving forward

Purpose of review Over the last year, huge progress has been made using SNP arrays to identify genes associated with lipid traits. Recent findings The single genome-wide association studies (GWASs) may have reached a limit in identifying novel genes, but there has been tremendous progress from collaborative consortia examining pooled data from GWASs, often employing SNP imputation. For example, the Global Lipid Consortium reported that 56 of the 95 lipid-associated loci were novel to the pooled analysis from over 100 000 individuals. Complementary to this, a gene-centric approach, such as the 50K IBC HumanCVD chip, which provides deep coverage of approximately 2100 genes, has had success in ascertaining independently acting variants and helped us to move a step closer to identify functional variants. Yet irrespective of the platform used, for each trait, the percentage variance explained by these genes remains in the order of approximately 10–12% and it is still unclear to what extent rare mutations, identified by resequencing or exome sequencing approaches, or gene × gene and gene × environment studies, might boost this. Summary GWAS-identified novel lipid-related loci highlight new pathways in lipid metabolism and may provide innovative drug targets. Furthermore, the use of lipid gene scores, over and above a single lipid measure, may have clinical utility.
Dealing with Socio-Technical Complexity: Torwads a Trandisciplinary Approach to

Research in the IS field has been characterised by the use of a variety of methods and theoretical underpinnings. This fact recently raised concerns about the rigour of the scientific results of IS research and about the legitimacy of the IS academic field. On the other hand, a number of IS researchers has argued for a view of diversity as a strength and necessity of the IS field. This paper supports this viewpoint and analyses the relation between IS research and concepts originating from theoretical debates around transdisciplinarity. We present results from a multidisciplinary group of researchers towards an integrative platform for the orientation of transdisciplinary IS research. The Mikropolis platform is intended to provide researchers with a common language, allowing the integration of different perspectives through exchange of experiences and mutual understanding. We also discuss some practical issues that arise from the transdisciplinary cooperation in IS research.
Characterization of trbC, a new F plasmid tra operon gene that is essential to conjugative transfer

We have characterized a previously unidentified gene, trbC, which is contained in the transfer region of the Escherichia coli K-12 fertility factor, F. Our data show that the trbC gene is located between the F plasmid genes traU and traN. The product of trbC was identified as a polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight (Ma) of 23,500 that is processed to an Ma-21,500 mature protein. When ethanol was present, the Ma-23,500 polypeptide accumulated; the removal of ethanol resulted in the appearance of the processed mature protein. Subcellular fractionation experiments demonstrated that the processed, Ma-21,500 mature protein was located in the periplasm. DNA sequence analysis showed that trbC encodes a 212-amino-acid Mr-23,432 polypeptide that could be processed to a 191-amino-acid Mr-21,225 mature protein through the removal of a typical amino-terminal signal sequence. We also constructed two different Kmr gene insertion mutations in trbC and crossed these onto the transmissible F plasmid derivative pOX38. We found that cells carrying pOX38 trbC mutant plasmids were transfer deficient and resistant to infection by F-pilus-specific phages. Transfer proficiency and bacteriophage sensitivity were restored by complementation when a trbC+ plasmid clone was introduced into these cells. These results showed that trbC function is essential to the F plasmid conjugative transfer system and suggested that the TrbC protein participates in F-pilus assembly.
The Myosin Cardiac Loop Participates Functionally in the Actomyosin Interaction*

The motor protein myosin in association with actin transduces chemical free energy in ATP into work in the form of actin translation against an opposing force. Mediating the actomyosin interaction in myosin is an actin binding site distributed among several peptides on the myosin surface including surface loops contributing to affinity and actin regulation of myosin ATPase. A structured surface loop on β-cardiac myosin, the cardiac or C-loop, was recently demonstrated to affect myosin ATPase and was indirectly implicated in the actomyosin interaction. The C-loop is a conserved feature of all myosin isoforms with crystal structures, suggesting that it is an essential part of the core energy transduction machinery. It is shown here that proteolytic digestion of the C-loop in β-cardiac myosin eliminates actin-activated myosin ATPase and reduces actomyosin affinity in rigor more than 100-fold. Studies of C-loop function in smooth muscle myosin were also undertaken using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutagenesis of a single charged residue in the C-loop of smooth muscle myosin alters actomyosin affinity and doubles myosin in vitro motility and actin-activated ATPase velocities, thereby involving a charged region of the loop in the actomyosin interaction. It appears likely that the C-loop is an essential electrostatic binding site for actin involved in modulation of actomyosin affinity and regulation of actomyosin ATPase velocity.
Structures at Risk Following Anterior Instrumented Spinal Fusion for Thoracic Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Objectives: With the increasing popularity of anterior instrumented spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, there has also been a rising concern over the proximity of the descending aorta to the screw tips and the possibility of vessel wall erosion over time. This computed tomography (CT) study attempts to define the relative position of the thoracic aorta and other vital structures to the spine (preoperatively) and to the projected instrumentation (postoperatively) by level and curve magnitude in deformity patients. Methods: Twenty consecutive patients (17 female, 3 male) with an average age of 14.5 years (range 12.4-18.5 years) and a right main thoracic/Lenke 1 curve (average 55.2°, range 50-66°) underwent preoperative and postoperative CT scanning as part of their planned open anterior spinal fusion with instrumentation. All images were analyzed for proximity (distance from the midvertebral body) and position to (as defined relative to the center of the vertebral body in the axial plane) the spine preoperatively and the projecting screw tip postoperatively. As a control, 10 age-matched nondeformity thoracic CT scans were analyzed to assess the relative position of the thoracic aorta to the vertebral bodies by level. Preoperative and postoperative plain radiographs were also analyzed for curve magnitude, correction, and fusion levels to assess the possible effect of these variables on the various thoracic structures. Results: The postoperative curve magnitude averaged 26.9° (range 17-40°; 51% correction) using 151 screws (7.5 screws/patient) and an average follow-up of 4.1 years (range 3.2-7.0 years). Screw-to-spinal-canal distance averaged 5.3 mm (range 3.5-8.2 mm) at an average of +4.5° (range −11° to +15°) from the coronal axis. Screw tip extrusion (distance beyond the far cortex) averaged 2.8 mm (0-5 mm). The trachea, azygous vein, esophagus, and lungs/pleura were not found to be at risk from screw penetration. The postoperative screw-tip-to-descending-aorta distance varied by vertebra level, with the periapical and distal screws being positioned closer to the aorta (1.6-2.4 mm) (P < 0.05). Additionally, 23 of 151(15%) screws were thought to be adjacent (≤2 mm) to the aorta. This includes 4 of 60 (7%) of the proximal screws but 6 of 40 (15%) of the periapical screws and 13 of 51 (26%) of the distal screws (P < 0.05). There were no screws compressing the aorta and no perioperative or postoperative complications. Conclusions: The course of the thoracic aorta may vary in individuals; however, in deformity patients, it generally moves from a relatively anterolateral position proximally to a posteromedial position at the apex. Distally, it moves more anteriorly. Consequently, the aorta moves closer to the screw tips both at the apex and distally, whereas the distal screws are more frequently juxtaposed to the descending aorta (P < 0.05).
The factors affecting the continuance usage behavior of university students towards mobile online group-buying in China

The purpose of this study was to explore the important factors that influence users’ continuance usage behavior toward mobile online group-buying. Based on the characteristics of the mobile Internet, an extension of the UTAUT model is introduced to verify the proposed hypotheses. The structural equation modeling method is used to analyze the empirical data which come from universities in China. The results show that five factors are verified to influence university students’ continuance usage behavior toward mobile online group-buying. The findings of this study may help the group-buying website and policymaker to better understand the users’ usage behavior toward mobile online group-buying then take some actions or changes to keep the users’ continuance usage behavior.
Toll-Like Receptor Ligands Directly Promote Activated CD4+ T Cell Survival

Toll-like receptor (TLR) engagement by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is an important mechanism for optimal cellular immune responses. APC TLR engagement indirectly enhances activated CD4+ T cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival by promoting the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. However, TLRs are also expressed on CD4+ T cells, suggesting that PAMPs may also act directly on activated CD4+ T cells to mediate functional responses. In this study, we show that activated mouse CD4+ T cells express TLR-3 and TLR-9 but not TLR-2 and TLR-4. Treatment of highly purified activated CD4+ T cells with the dsRNA synthetic analog poly(I:C) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG DNA), respective ligands for TLR-3 and TLR-9, directly enhanced their survival without augmenting proliferation. In contrast, peptidoglycan and LPS, respective ligands for TLR-2 and TLR-4 had no effect. Enhanced survival mediated by either poly(I:C) or CpG DNA required NF-κB activation and was associated with Bcl-xL up-regulation. However, only CpG DNA, but not poly(I:C)-mediated effects on activated CD4+ T cells required the TLR/IL-1R domain containing adaptor molecule myeloid differentiation factor 88. Collectively, our results demonstrate that PAMPs can directly promote activated CD4+ T cell survival, suggesting that TLRs on T cells can directly modulate adaptive immune responses.
A Voxel-Based Method for the Statistical Analysis of Gray and White Matter Density Applied to Schizophrenia

We describe a novel technique for characterizing regional cerebral gray and white matter differences in structural magnetic resonance images by the application of methods derived from functional imaging. The technique involves automatic scalp-editing of images followed by segmentation, smoothing, and spatial normalization to a symmetrical template brain in stereotactic Talairach space. The basic idea is (i) to convert structural magnetic resonance image data into spatially normalized images of gray (or white) matter density, effected by segmenting the images and smoothing, and then (ii) to use Statistical Parametric Mapping to make inferences about the relationship between gray (or white) matter density and symptoms (or other pathophysiological measures) in a regionally specific fashion. Because the whole brain sum of gray (or white) matter indices is treated as a confound, the analysis reduces to a characterization of relative gray (or white) matter density on a voxel by voxel basis. We suggest that this is a powerful approach to voxel-based statistical anatomy. Using the technique, we constructed maps of the regional cerebral gray and white matter density correlates of syndrome scores (distinct psychotic symptoms) in a group of 15 schizophrenic patients. There was a negative correlation between the score for the reality distortion syndrome and regional gray matter density in the left superior temporal lobe (P = 0.01) and regional white matter density in the corpus callosum (P < 0.001). These abnormalities may be associated with functional changes predisposing to auditory hallucinations and delusions. This method permits the detection of structural differences within the entire brain (as opposed to selected regions of interest) and may be of value in the investigation of structural gray and white matter abnormalities in a variety of brain diseases.
A biparatopic anti‐EGFR nanobody efficiently inhibits solid tumour growth

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been shown to be a valid cancer target for antibody‐based therapy. At present, several anti‐EGFR monoclonal antibodies have been successfully used, such as cetuximab and matuzumab. X‐ray crystallography data show that these antibodies bind to different epitopes on the ecto‐domain of EGFR, providing a rationale for the combined use of these two antibody specificities. We have previously reported on the successful isolation of antagonistic anti‐EGFR nanobodies. In our study, we aimed to improve the efficacy of these molecules by combining nanobodies with specificities similar to both cetuximab and matuzumab into a single biparatopic molecule. Carefully designed phage nanobody selections resulted in two sets of nanobodies that specifically blocked the binding of either matuzumab or cetuximab to EGFR and that did not compete for each others' binding. A combination of nanobodies from both epitope groups into the biparatopic nanobody CONAN‐1 was shown to block EGFR activation more efficiently than monovalent or bivalent (monospecific) nanobodies. In addition, this biparatopic nanobody potently inhibited EGF‐dependent cell proliferation. Importantly, in an in vivo model of athymic mice bearing A431 xenografts, CONAN‐1 inhibited tumour outgrowth with an almost similar potency as the whole mAb cetuximab, despite the fact that CONAN‐1 is devoid of an Fc portion that could mediate immune effector functions. Compared to therapy using bivalent, monospecific nanobodies, CONAN‐1 was clearly more potent in tumour growth inhibition. These results show that the rational design of biparatopic nanobody‐based anticancer therapeutics may yield potent lead molecules for further development.