Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial correlates of gap time to anabolic–androgenic steroid use

OBJECTIVE Theoretically, legal supplement use precedes and increases the risk for illicit appearance and performance enhancing drug (APED) use-also referred to as the gateway hypothesis. Little is known about associations between the speed of progression, or gap time, from legal to illicit APED use, and psychological risk factors, such as sociocultural influence, eating disorders, body image disturbance, and impulsivity. METHOD The sample taken from two studies included 172 active steroid users (n = 143) and intense-exercising healthy controls (n = 29) between the ages of 18 and 60 (M = 34.16, SD = 10.43), the majority of whom were male (91.9%). Participants, retrospectively, reported APED use and completed measures assessing psychological and behavioral factors, including eating concern, muscle dysmorphia, and impulsivity. Participants had a gap time from initial APED use to anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use that ranged from 0 to 38 years. RESULTS Continuous survival analysis indicated that interactions between self- versus other sociocultural influence on APED onset and both higher eating concern and impulsivity are associated with a shorter gap time from initial legal to illicit APED use. DISCUSSION The results indicate the potential value in developing different strategies for individuals with other sociocultural versus self-influence on illicit APED use, and among more impulsive and eating-concerned APED users. Future research is needed to assess different trajectories of APED use, such that eating-concerned and impulsive individuals who perceive less other sociocultural influence may be at greatest risk for a speedier progression to AAS use.
Conjugated polymer-based electrochromics: materials, device fabrication and application prospects

The research on electrochromic conjugated polymers (ECPs) and their devices has gone a long way. They can now perform with a multitude of color variations, high optical contrasts, rapid switching speeds and low power consumption. This review traces the progress of color control, synthetic methods, and the development of building blocks for ECPs. The advances in the integration and optimization of electrochromic devices (ECDs) in terms of their constituting components are presented. The potential of ECDs in numerous applications through the illustration of several prototypes is then highlighted. Finally, the challenges associated with the prospective commercialization of the said devices are discussed.
On Cournot Equilibria in Electricity Transmission Networks

We consider electricity pool markets in radial transmission networks in which the lines have capacities. At each node there is a strategic generator injecting generation quantities into the pool. Prices are determined by a linear competitive fringe at each node (or equivalently a linear demand function) through a convex dispatch optimization. We derive a set of linear inequalities satisfied by the line capacities that gives necessary and sufficient conditions for the unconstrained one-shot Cournot equilibrium to remain an equilibrium in the constrained network. We discuss the extension of this model to general networks and to lines with transmission losses, and we conclude by discussing the application of this methodology to the New Zealand electricity transmission network.
Stream isotherm shifts from climate change and implications for distributions of ectothermic organisms

Stream ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate warming because most aquatic organisms are ectothermic and live in dendritic networks that are easily fragmented. Many bioclimatic models predict significant range contractions in stream biotas, but subsequent biological assessments have rarely been done to determine the accuracy of these predictions. Assessments are difficult because model predictions are either untestable or so imprecise that definitive answers may not be obtained within timespans relevant for effective conservation. Here, we develop the equations for calculating isotherm shift rates (ISRs) in streams that can be used to represent historic or future warming scenarios and be calibrated to individual streams using local measurements of stream temperature and slope. A set of reference equations and formulas are provided for application to most streams. Example calculations for streams with lapse rates of 0.8 °C/100 m and long‐term warming rates of 0.1–0.2 °C decade−1 indicate that isotherms shift upstream at 0.13–1.3 km decade−1 in steep streams (2–10% slope) and 1.3–25 km decade−1 in flat streams (0.1–1% slope). Used more generally with global scenarios, the equations predict isotherms shifted 1.5–43 km in many streams during the 20th Century as air temperatures increased by 0.6 °C and would shift another 5–143 km in the first half of the 21st Century if midrange projections of a 2 °C air temperature increase occur. Variability analysis suggests that short‐term variation associated with interannual stream temperature changes will mask long‐term isotherm shifts for several decades in most locations, so extended biological monitoring efforts are required to document anticipated distribution shifts. Resampling of historical sites could yield estimates of biological responses in the short term and should be prioritized to validate bioclimatic models and develop a better understanding about the effects of temperature increases on stream biotas.
A Recommendation-Based Parameter Tuning Approach for Hadoop

Nowadays we have entered the big data era. Hadoop, one of the popular big data processing platforms, has many parameters that relate closely to the utilization of resources (e.g. CPU or memory). Tuning these parameters thus becomes one of the important approaches to improve the resource utilization of Hadoop. However, tuning parameters manually is impractical because the time cost fortuning is too high. Hence it is necessary to configure parameters automatically and quickly to optimize resource utilization. The former auto-tuning methods often take a long time before getting the optimal configuration, which would reduce the overall resource efficiency of cluster. In this paper, we propose mrEtalon, an adaptive tuning framework to recommend a near-optimal configuration for the new job in a short time. mrEtalon sets a configuration repository to provide candidate configurations, as well as a collaborative filtering based recommendation engine that can accelerate the optimization for parameters. We have deployed mrEtalon in our experimental cluster, and the results demonstrate that, for a new MapReduce application, compared to the former methods, mrEtalon can reduce the recommend time to 20% to 30% while keeping nearly the same recommendation quality.
Low-Dose Radioactive Iodine Ablation Is Sufficient in Patients With Small Papillary Thyroid Cancer Having Minor Extrathyroidal Extension and Central Lymph Node Metastasis (T3 N1a): Reply.

8. Pacini F, Schlumberger M, Dralle H, et al. European consensus for the management of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma of the follicular epithelium. Eur J Endocrinol. 2006;154:787–803. 9. Hartl DM, Leboulleux S, Al Ghuzlan A, et al. Optimizationof stagingof the neckwith prophylactic central and lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ann Surg. 2012;255:777–783. 10. Popadich A, Levin O, Lee JC, et al. A multicenter cohort study of total thyroidectomy and routine central lymph node dissection for cN0 papillary thyroid cancer. Surgery. 2011;150:1048–1057. 11. Lang BH, Wong KP, Wan KY, et al. Impact of routine unilateral central neck dissection on preablative and postablative stimulated thyroglobulin levels after total thyroidectomy in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012;19:60–67. 12. Randolph GW, Duh QY, Heller KS, et al. The prognostic significance of nodal metastases from papillary thyroid carcinoma can be stratified based on the size and number of metastatic lymph nodes, as well as the presence of extranodal extension. Thyroid. 2012;22:1144–1152.
Processing Mutliple Requests to Construct Skyline Composite Services

The performance of a composite service is determined by the performance of involved component services. When multiple non-functional criteria are considered, users are required to express their preferences over different quality attributes as numeric weights in existing methods. However, this imprecise method may not reflect the natural ordering of services and thus could miss some user-desired services. In this paper, we propose a composition framework to construct multiple skyline composite services for each individual request. We also discuss how a service registry can effectively deal with multiple requests simultaneously by materializing the intermediate composite services. We evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of our methods through extensive experiments.
Surgical Management of Complications with Peritoneal Dialysis

This report reviews the most common surgical interventions and complications of chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Based on the current knowledge as well as our experience we detail the role of these surgical procedures. We supplement the reported knowledge in the field with our own experience in this area. The areas discussed include early complications such as surgical wound hemorrhage, bleeding from the catheter, intestinal perforation and urinary bladder perforation, dialysate leakage through the wound, as well as late complications including catheter kinking or occlusion, retention of fluid in the peritoneal recess, hernias and hydrothorax, and encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis. We also briefly cover the surgical aspects of exit‐site infection and peritonitis. An understanding by nephrologists of the role for surgical intervention in PD patients will improve their care and outcomes.
NT2 Derived Neuronal and Astrocytic Network Signalling

A major focus of stem cell research is the generation of neurons that may then be implanted to treat neurodegenerative diseases. However, a picture is emerging where astrocytes are partners to neurons in sustaining and modulating brain function. We therefore investigated the functional properties of NT2 derived astrocytes and neurons using electrophysiological and calcium imaging approaches. NT2 neurons (NT2Ns) expressed sodium dependent action potentials, as well as responses to depolarisation and the neurotransmitter glutamate. NT2Ns exhibited spontaneous and coordinated calcium elevations in clusters and in extended processes, indicating local and long distance signalling. Tetrodotoxin sensitive network activity could also be evoked by electrical stimulation. Similarly, NT2 astrocytes (NT2As) exhibited morphology and functional properties consistent with this glial cell type. NT2As responded to neuronal activity and to exogenously applied neurotransmitters with calcium elevations, and in contrast to neurons, also exhibited spontaneous rhythmic calcium oscillations. NT2As also generated propagating calcium waves that were gap junction and purinergic signalling dependent. Our results show that NT2 derived astrocytes exhibit appropriate functionality and that NT2N networks interact with NT2A networks in co-culture. These findings underline the utility of such cultures to investigate human brain cell type signalling under controlled conditions. Furthermore, since stem cell derived neuron function and survival is of great importance therapeutically, our findings suggest that the presence of complementary astrocytes may be valuable in supporting stem cell derived neuronal networks. Indeed, this also supports the intriguing possibility of selective therapeutic replacement of astrocytes in diseases where these cells are either lost or lose functionality.
Indole Biodegradation in Acinetobacter sp. Strain O153: Genetic and Biochemical Characterization

ABSTRACT Indole is a molecule of considerable biochemical significance, acting as both an interspecies signal molecule and a building block of biological elements. Bacterial indole degradation has been demonstrated for a number of cases; however, very little is known about genes and proteins involved in this process. This study reports the cloning and initial functional characterization of genes (iif and ant cluster) responsible for indole biodegradation in Acinetobacter sp. strain O153. The catabolic cascade was reconstituted in vitro with recombinant proteins, and each protein was assigned an enzymatic function. Degradation starts with oxidation, mediated by the IifC and IifD flavin-dependent two-component oxygenase system. Formation of indigo is prevented by IifB, and the final product, anthranilic acid, is formed by IifA, an enzyme which is both structurally and functionally comparable to cofactor-independent oxygenases. Moreover, the iif cluster was identified in the genomes of a wide range of bacteria, suggesting the potential of widespread Iif-mediated indole degradation. This work provides novel insights into the genetic background of microbial indole biodegradation. IMPORTANCE The key finding of this research is identification of the genes responsible for microbial biodegradation of indole, a toxic N-heterocyclic compound. A large amount of indole is present in urban wastewater and sewage sludge, creating a demand for an efficient and eco-friendly means to eliminate this pollutant. A common strategy of oxidizing indole to indigo has the major drawback of producing insoluble material. Genes and proteins of Acinetobacter sp. strain O153 (DSM 103907) reported here pave the way for effective and indigo-free indole removal. In addition, this work suggests possible novel means of indole-mediated bacterial interactions and provides the basis for future research on indole metabolism.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Pathways into literacy: The role of early oral language abilities and family risk for dyslexia

The present study investigated the role of early oral language and family risk for dyslexia in the two developmental pathways toward reading comprehension, through word reading and through oral language abilities. The sample contained 237 children (164 at family risk for dyslexia) from the Dutch Dyslexia Program. Longitudinal data were obtained on seven occasions when children were between 4 and 12 years old. The relationship between early oral language ability and reading comprehension at the age of 12 years was mediated by preliteracy skills and word-decoding ability for the first pathway and by later language abilities for the second pathway. Family risk influenced literacy development through its subsequent relations with preliteracy skills, word decoding, and reading comprehension. Although performance on language measures was often lower for the family-risk group than for the no-family-risk group, family risk did not have a specific relation with either early or later oral language abilities.
The Female Perspective of Mating in A. femoralis, a Territorial Frog with Paternal Care – A Spatial and Genetic Analysis

The adaptive significance of sequential polyandry is a challenging question in evolutionary and behavioral biology. Costs and benefits of different mating patterns are shaped by the spatial distribution of individuals and by genetic parameters such as the pairwise relatedness between potential mating partners. Thus, females should become less choosy as costs of mating and searching for mates increase. We used parentage assignments to investigate spatial and genetic patterns of mating across a natural population of the Neotropical frog Allobates femoralis, a species characterized by male territoriality and care and female iteroparity. There was no correlation between genetic and spatial distances between adult individuals across the population. In 72% of cases, females mated with males available within a radius of 20 m. Mean pairwise relatedness coefficients of successful reproducers did not differ from random mating but had a lower variance than expected by chance, suggesting maximal reproductive output at intermediate genetic divergence. We also found evidence for selection in favor of more heterozygous individuals between the embryo and adult stage. The level of sequential polyandry significantly increased with the number of spatially available males. Females that had more candidate males also produced more adult progeny. We hypothesize that the benefits associated with female multiple mating outweigh the costs of in- and outbreeding depression, and consequently precluded the evolution of ‘choosy’ mate selection in this species.
Automatic Detection and Registration of Events by Analyzing Email Content

In this paper we describe a system for automatic event detection and registration. This system monitors the received emails by the user and determines which of them are events based on their content. For analyzing the email content, Natural Language Processing techniques were used. Once an email is classiﬁed as an appointment, the details about this event are extracted and registered in the calendar of the user. Besides a mobile application notiﬁes the user about this event and allows to view the speciﬁcs. 300 emails written in Spanish were collected to evaluate the performance of the system. A Na¨ıve Bayes classiﬁer was used to identify emails containing events and the speciﬁcs were extracted using pattern matching showing an overall system accuracy of 87%.
Bioinformatics analysis of the gene expression profile of hepatocellular carcinoma: preliminary results

Aim of the study To analyse the expression profile of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with normal liver by using bioinformatics methods. Material and methods In this study, we analysed the microarray expression data of HCC and adjacent normal liver samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen for differentially expressed genes. Then, functional analyses were performed using GenCLiP analysis, Gene Ontology categories, and aberrant pathway identification. In addition, we used the CMap database to identify small molecules that can induce HCC. Results Overall, 2721 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. We found 180 metastasis-related genes and constructed co-occurrence networks. Several significant pathways, including the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signalling pathway, were identified as closely related to these DEGs. Some candidate small molecules (such as betahistine) were identified that might provide a basis for developing HCC treatments in the future. Conclusions Although we functionally analysed the differences in the gene expression profiles of HCC and normal liver tissues, our study is essentially preliminary, and it may be premature to apply our results to clinical trials. Further research and experimental testing are required in future studies.
Leukocyte integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18, αMβ2, CR3) acts as a functional receptor for platelet factor 4

Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is one of the most abundant cationic proteins secreted from α-granules of activated platelets. Based on its structure, PF4 was assigned to the CXC family of chemokines and has been shown to have numerous effects on myeloid leukocytes. However, the receptor for PF4 remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that PF4 induces leukocyte responses through the integrin Mac-1 (αMβ2, CD11b/CD18). Human neutrophils, monocytes, U937 monocytic and HEK293 cells expressing Mac-1 strongly adhered to immobilized PF4 in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell adhesion was partially blocked by anti-Mac-1 mAb and inhibition was enhanced when anti-Mac-1 antibodies were combined with glycosaminoglycans, suggesting that cell-surface proteoglycans act cooperatively with Mac-1. PF4 also induced Mac-1-dependent migration of human neutrophils and murine WT, but not Mac-1-deficient macrophages. Coating of Escherichia coli bacteria or latex beads with PF4 enhanced their phagocytosis by macrophages by ∼4-fold, and this process was blocked by different Mac-1 antagonists. Furthermore, PF4 potentiated phagocytosis by WT, but not Mac-1-deficient macrophages. As determined by biolayer interferometry, PF4 directly bound the αMI-domain, the major ligand-binding region of Mac-1, and this interaction was governed by a Kd of 1.3 ± 0.2 μm. Using the PF4-derived peptide library, synthetic peptides duplicating the αMI-domain recognition sequences and recombinant mutant PF4 fragments, the binding sites for αMI-domain were identified in the PF4 segments Cys12–Ser26 and Ala57–Ser70. These results identify PF4 as a ligand for the integrin Mac-1 and suggest that many immune-modulating effects previously ascribed to PF4 are mediated through its interaction with Mac-1.
Sinus Floor Augmentation on at the Time of Maxillary Molar Extraction: Success and Failure Rates of 137 Implants in Function for Up to 3 Years.

BACKGROUND Implant restoration of the posterior maxilla poses significant challenges to the clinician. In an effort to increase the apical occlusal dimension of available bone for implant placement, a number of sinus augmentation approaches have been suggested. This paper describes a simplified technique for predictable sinus augmentation at the time of maxillary molar extraction. METHODS A modified trephine and osteotome technique was utilized to implode the interradicular bone following maxillary molar extraction. Particulate material and a membrane were then placed to maximize regeneration of alveolar bone. RESULTS One hundred sixty-seven (1 67) implants were subsequently placed in regenerated bone following the above technique. One hundred thirty-seven (137) of these implants were restored and in function for up to 3 years at the time of statistical compilation, and 136 of the 137 implants were functioning successfully by the Albrekteson criteria for a cumulative success rate of 97.8%. CONCLUSIONS The technique presented for simultaneous sinus augmentation at the. time of molar extraction, followed by subsequent implant placement after maturation of regenerating tissues, demonstrates a high success rate for up to 3 years in function. Long-term studies may be useful in evaluating the continual efficacy of such an approach. J Periodontol 2002; 73:3944.
Testing for the Cointegrating Rank of a VAR Process With Structural Shifts

Tests for the cointegrating rank of a vector autoregressive process are considered that allow for possible exogenous shifts in the mean of the data-generation process. The break points are assumed to be known a priori. It is proposed to estimate and remove the deterministic terms such as mean, linear-trend term, and a shift in a first step. Then systems cointegration tests are applied to the adjusted series. The resulting tests are shown to have known limiting null distributions that are free of nuisance parameters and do not depend on the break point. The tests are applied for analyzing the number of cointegrating relations in two German money-demand systems.