Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic predisposition to ischaemic stroke by RAGE and HMGB1 gene variants in Chinese Han population

Emerging evidence suggests that the multiligand receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligand high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) contribute to the pathophysiology of ischaemic stroke (IS). The present study aimed to investigate the association of RAGE and HMGB1 variants with the risk of IS. A total of 1,034 patients and 1,015 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were genotyped to detect five genetic variants of the RAGE gene and four genetic variants of the HMGB1 gene using the Multiplex SNaPshot assay. We found that the rs2070600 variant of RAGE was associated with an increased risk of IS (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02-1.38, P = 0.043), whereas the rs2249825 variant of HMGB1 was associated with a decreased risk of IS (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.71-0.98, P = 0.041). Further stratification by IS subtypes revealed that the presence of the TT genotype of the RAGE rs2070600 variant confers a higher risk of the large artery atherosclerosis subtype of IS (P = 0.036). Moreover, patients with the variant T allele of the RAGE rs2070600 variant presented with reduced serum soluble RAGE production. Patients carrying the variant G allele of the HMGB1 rs2249825 variant exhibited significantly lower infarct volumes than those with the major CC genotype. These clues may help in the development of optimal personalized therapeutic approaches for IS patients.
Bedside monitoring to adjust antiplatelet therapy for coronary stenting.

BACKGROUND Patients' responses to oral antiplatelet therapy are subject to variation. Bedside monitoring offers the opportunity to improve outcomes after coronary stenting by individualizing therapy. METHODS We randomly assigned 2440 patients scheduled for coronary stenting at 38 centers to a strategy of platelet-function monitoring, with drug adjustment in patients who had a poor response to antiplatelet therapy, or to a conventional strategy without monitoring and drug adjustment. The primary end point was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke, or urgent revascularization 1 year after stent implantation. For patients in the monitoring group, the VerifyNow P2Y12 and aspirin point-of-care assays were used in the catheterization laboratory before stent implantation and in the outpatient clinic 2 to 4 weeks later. RESULTS In the monitoring group, high platelet reactivity in patients taking clopidogrel (34.5% of patients) or aspirin (7.6%) led to the administration of an additional bolus of clopidogrel, prasugrel, or aspirin along with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors during the procedure. The primary end point occurred in 34.6% of the patients in the monitoring group, as compared with 31.1% of those in the conventional-treatment group (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.29; P=0.10). The main secondary end point, stent thrombosis or any urgent revascularization, occurred in 4.9% of the patients in the monitoring group and 4.6% of those in the conventional-treatment group (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.52; P=0.77). The rate of major bleeding events did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS This study showed no significant improvements in clinical outcomes with platelet-function monitoring and treatment adjustment for coronary stenting, as compared with standard antiplatelet therapy without monitoring. (Funded by Allies in Cardiovascular Trials Initiatives and Organized Networks and others; ARCTIC ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00827411.).
Social Support and Successful Aging: Investigating the Relationships Between Lifetime Cognitive Change and Life Satisfaction

Abstract. Social networks or support may contribute to successful aging. The Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 had their mental ability assessed at age 11 and 79. Almost 500 participants also rated their life satisfaction, social networks, and support at age 80. After controlling for age-11 IQ, sex, years of education, and social class, loneliness was the only social network/support characteristic adding significantly to the prediction of age-79 IQ, explaining about 2% of the variance; in old age, increased loneliness was associated with lower cognitive ability. Social network/support factors accounted for 23% of the variance in satisfaction with life ratings, with the greatest contributions from reduced loneliness (~12%) and having someone to talk to (~6%). Social network/support characteristics explained a greater proportion of the variance in life satisfaction ratings compared with later life cognition, although an individual's level of loneliness emerged as the largest single social support predictor of both .
Ethnography Unbound: Power and Resistance in the Modern Metropolis

In this powerful volume, ten original ethnographies explore two important issues: the ways in which people confront the threats and disruptions of contemporary life, and the ways in which researchers can most effectively study the modern metropolis. With its twofold agenda, the volume emerges as a multi-layered dialogue between researcher and researched, participant and observer, educator and educated. These essays, produced in a refreshing collaborative effort by a senior scholar and ten graduate students, examine many facets of American urban life, among them new social movements that mobilize and work on behalf of people with AIDS and that fight against nuclear war; the decisive roles South East Asian women play in building new immigrant communities; and school programs for African-American children. Ethnography Unbound also explores the value of participant observation and the extended case method in social research, underlining how these methodological approaches deepen and enrich scholarship in the social sciences. The book poses theoretical and methodological questions in an open and lucid manner, prodding a rethinking of ethnographic research. Scholars and students alike will find it an essential text for the study of methodology and contemporary American life.
High kt2×Q, multi-frequency lithium niobate resonators

This paper presents design and vacuum measurements of lithium niobate (LN) contour-mode resonators (CMR). By carefully positioning the interdigital transducer (IDT), we achieved CMRs with k<sub>t</sub><sup>2</sup>×Q of 7%*2150=148 (IDT @ node) or resonators with very high k<sub>t</sub><sup>2</sup> of 12.3% and spur-attenuated response (IDT @ anti-node). In addition, we demonstrated resonators with frequencies ranging from 400MHz to 800MHz on a single chip.
Clinical Photoacoustic Breast Imaging: The Twente experience.

Globally, breast cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths, with up to half a million women dying of the disease in 2008. Early detection and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial for optimizing survival chances, with imaging technologies playing a major role. X-ray mammography (XRM) and ultrasound (US) imaging, however, suffer from nonoptimal sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, X-ray mammography uses ionizing radiation and painful breast compression and has poor performance in dense breasts. For US imaging, interoperator dependence and poor soft tissue contrast are drawbacks.
Influencia de la televisión violenta en niños de una escuela pública de Bogotá, Colombia

OBJETIVOS: Conocer el impacto en ninos escolares ocasionado por una pelicula violenta y otra no violenta. METODOS: En una escuela publica de Bogota, 125 estudiantes de primaria respondieron una encuesta sobre la violencia de su vida diaria y su actitud ante ella. Con intervalos de quince dias se les presento la pelicula 1, violenta, y la pelicula 2, no violenta. Despues de cada pelicula, los ninos realizaron la prueba del dibujo de familia, escribieron su opinion sobre la pelicula, y respondieron la encuesta. RESULTADOS: En la encuesta inicial, 23,6 % de los ninos refirio respuestas violentas cuando son agredidos, 39,8 % reporto algun tipo de violencia intra-familiar y el 19,5 % se identifico con figuras violentas. Los varones fueron mas propensos a responder violentamente ante la agresion y a identificarse con figuras violentas (p=0,004). Despues de la pelicula violenta, un mayor porcentaje de ninos se excluyo a si mismo en el dibujo de familia, comparado con los que lo hicieron despues de la pelicula no violenta, Razon de Desventaja (RD) 2,55 (Intervalo de Confianza 95 % (IC) 1,22-5,43, p=0,01). El dibujo de familia de la pelicula violenta presento mayores frecuencias de signos emocionales que el dibujo 2, RD 3,13 (IC 1,35-7,52, p=0,0053), y mas signos de agresividad, RD 2,55 (IC 1,22-5,43, p=0,010). CONCLUSIONES: La prueba del dibujo de familia permite evidenciar el impacto inmediato de la television. La violencia televisiva afecta negativamente a los ninos y deberia ser evitada.
K-ras point mutations in routinely processed tissues: non-radioactive screening by single strand conformational polymorphism analysis.

AIMS--To develop a non-radioactive method to screen routinely fixed, paraffin wax embedded specimens for the occurrence of point mutations; to evaluate the single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis technique for the detection of K-ras point mutations as a result of electrophoretic mobility shifts. METHODS--DNA was extracted from archival specimens of colon cancer and from established colon cancer cell lines with known point mutations. A K-ras gene fragment containing codons 12 and 13 of exon 1 was amplified with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Denatured DNA fragments were run on 10% polyacrylamide gels under non-denaturing conditions. After electrophoresis DNA was blotted and the single stranded DNA was detected using a digoxigenin labelled ras probe. The nature of the detected point mutations was identified and confirmed by sequencing and hybridisation with oligonucleotides using 32P labelling. RESULTS--Wild type and aberrant alleles were detected caused by mobility shifts after electrophoresis of the PCR products. Commonly occurring mutations in the K-ras gene--in the first two positions of codon 12--could easily be detected in DNA from archival paraffin wax embedded colon cancer tissue. In all the colon tumour samples studied wild type gene alleles were also found, presumably derived from normal cells in the specimen. CONCLUSIONS--The SSCP method permits rapid non-radioactive screening of adenomas or carcinomas for the occurrence of point mutations in the K-ras gene. But if a mutation is detected by an electrophoretic mobility shift, its identification requires confirmation by sequencing or oligonucleotide hybridisation.
AIEC colonization and pathogenicity: Influence of previous antibiotic treatment and preexisting inflammation

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients are abnormally colonized by adherent‐invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC). NOD2 gene mutations impair intracellular bacterial clearance. We evaluated the impact of antibiotic treatment on AIEC colonization in wildtype (WT) and NOD2 knockout mice (NOD2KO) and the consequences on intestinal inflammation. Methods: After 3 days of antibiotic treatment, mice were infected for 2 days with 109 CFU AIEC and sacrificed 1, 5, and 60 days later. In parallel, mice were challenged with AIEC subsequent to a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) treatment and sacrificed 9 days later. Ileum, colon, and mesenteric tissues were sampled for AIEC quantification and evaluation of inflammation. Results: Without antibiotic treatment, AIEC was not able to colonize WT and NOD2KO mice. Compared with nontreated animals, antibiotic treatment led to a significant increase in ileal and colonic colonization of AIEC in WT and/or NOD2KO mice. Persistent AIEC colonization was observed until day 5 only in NOD2KO mice, disappearing at day 60. Mesenteric translocation of AIEC was observed only in NOD2KO mice. No inflammation was observed in WT and NOD2KO mice treated with antibiotics and infected with AIEC. During DSS‐induced colitis, colonization and persistence of AIEC was observed in the colon. Moreover, a dramatic increase in clinical, histological, and molecular parameters of colitis was observed in mice infected with AIEC but not with a commensal E. coli strain. Conclusions: Antibiotic treatment was necessary for AIEC colonization of the gut and mesenteric tissues and persistence of AIEC was dependent on NOD2. AIEC exacerbated a preexisting DSS‐induced colitis in WT mice. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2012)
Impression management ("lie") scales are associated with interpersonally oriented self-control, not other-deception.

This article explores the status of impression management (IM) scales ("lie scales," notably, BIDR-IM) as measures of response bias, offers theory-driven substantive meaning to them, and compares them with self-deception enhancement (SDE). Study 1 (N = 99) compared self-descriptions of actual self and ideal self given in a non-anonymous setting. High similarity indicates self-enhancement. Study 2 (70 dyads) analyzed self-other agreement about IM and SDE. Agreement indicates substantive basis to the scales' scores. Study 3 (N = 182) explored the centrality of self-control in the self-perception of individuals varying in IM and SDE. Study 4 (95 dyads) corroborated self-reports about self-control using informants' reports. In Study 1, IM was associated with relative humility, whereas SDE was associated with self-enhancement. In Study 2, strong self-other agreement was found only for IM, indicating that high IM (but not SDE) is grounded in real-life behavior. In Study 3, self-control was central in the self-perception of high IM and high SDE individuals. In Study 4, strong relations with self-control were corroborated by informants only for IM. IM scales measure substantive content associated with self-control aimed at social adaptation, whereas the SDE scale depicts individuals with a grandiose self-perception, who fail to impress knowledgeable others.
African American Women’s Self-Determination across the Stages of Change for Exercise

Physical inactivity is a major health risk factor in our society, and older women and minority populations are especially at risk in this regard. Many earlier studies that have addressed physical inactivity, however, focused primarily on European-American males. Although recent research has begun to include more diverse populations, there continues to be a need for further study of specific at-risk populations. This study examined self-determination in the regulation of exercise behavior in a sample of 105 African American women. They completed the Stages of Exercise Scale and the Behavior Regulation Exercise Questionnaire. Consistent with theoretical predictions, individuals who had been active over a period of time were more self-determined in their behavior regulation. Exercising to achieve an outcome emerged as the most influential factor in discriminating active participants from inactive ones. This study supports the use of this theoretical approach in gaining an understanding of the types of motiva.
Knowledge and Skills Development of Accounting Graduates: The Perceptions of Graduates and Employers in Ghana

Accounting education has come under criticism over the past two decades for failing to meet the demands of the changing business environment. This paper presents the results of a survey of accounting graduates and employers from Ghana on the accounting knowledge and skills required by graduates. We examined both the professional and information technology (IT) skill requirements of the graduates. These skills are relevant to preparing the graduates for careers as professional accountants. Analytical/critical thinking was rated as the most important professional skill by both the employers and the graduates. In terms of IT skills, the use of spreadsheet packages was rated by both groups as the most important skill. The only significant differences between the two groups were the IT skills in word-processing and Windows. The findings of the paper have implications for accounting education in Ghana and in other developing countries.
A low-current digitally predistorted 3G-4G transmitter in 40nm CMOS

To create a wide-band transmit path with high current efficiency a single-balanced passive modulator is combined with a class-B single-ended resonant driver. The linearity of such configuration is limited by a strong 3rd harmonic response of the modulator combined with a strong third-order intermodulation in the driver. A novel digital predistortion approach is presented to enable good linearity under these highly non-linear conditions. Implemented in 40nm CMOS, the modulator and driver combined consume only 45mW to deliver a +3dBm Release 99 WCDMA signal with 1.1% EVM, -54dBc ACLR and -160dBc/Hz noise in the RX band. The ACLR remains below -50dBc over temperature, frequency and TX-power without adjustment of the predistortion coefficients. The transmitter delivers +0dBm 10MHz LTE with -51dBc ACLR.
The MHC class I ligand‐generating system: roles of immunoproteasomes and the interferon‐4gMY‐inducible proteasome activator PA28

Summary: Production of antigenic peptides that serve as MHC class I ligands is essential for initiation of cell‐mediated immunity. Accumulating evidence indicates that the proteasome, a large multisubunit protein degradative machine in eukaryotes, functions as a processing enzyme responsible for the generation of MHC class I ligands. This processing system is elaborately regulated by various immunomodulatory cytokines. In particular, incerferon‐γ induces the formation of immunoproteasomes and a recently identified proteasomal regulatory factor, PA28, which in concert contribute co efficient production of MHC class I ligands. Many of the MHC‐encoded genes including LMP appear to have emerged by an ancient chromosomal duplication, suggesting that modifications and renewal of pre‐existing non‐immune genes were instrumental in the emergence of adaptive immunity.
Prevalence of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Oral Bacteria

ABSTRACT Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used in humans, animals, and aquaculture; therefore, many bacteria from different ecosystems are exposed to this antibiotic. In order to determine the genetic basis for resistance to tetracycline in bacteria from the oral cavity, saliva and dental plaque samples were obtained from 20 healthy adults who had not taken antibiotics during the previous 3 months. The samples were screened for the presence of bacteria resistant to tetracycline, and the tetracycline resistance genes in these isolates were identified by multiplex PCR and DNA sequencing. Tetracycline-resistant bacteria constituted an average of 11% of the total cultivable oral microflora. A representative 105 tetracycline-resistant isolates from the 20 samples were investigated; most of the isolates carried tetracycline resistance genes encoding a ribosomal protection protein. The most common tet gene identified was tet(M), which was found in 79% of all the isolates. The second most common gene identified was tet(W), which was found in 21% of all the isolates, followed by tet(O) and tet(Q) (10.5 and 9.5% of the isolates, respectively) and then tet(S) (2.8% of the isolates). Tetracycline resistance genes encoding an efflux protein were detected in 4.8% of all the tetracycline-resistant isolates; 2.8% of the isolates had tet(L) and 1% carried tet(A) and tet(K) each. The results have shown that a variety of tetracycline resistance genes are present in the oral microflora of healthy adults. This is the first report of tet(W) in oral bacteria and the first report to show that tet(O), tet(Q), tet(A), and tet(S) can be found in some oral species.
“Anaphoric Islands” Revisited

This paper reports two experiments in which subjects made timed judgements about the acceptability of a sentence or clause containing a pronoun that followed either an explicit nominal antecedent (e.g. … dreams … them …) or an implicit antecedent suggested by the verb corresponding to the noun. In Experiment 1 the verb was identical to the nominal antecedent (dreams), and in Experiment 2 it was different (dreamed). In both experiments pronouns with implicit antecedents were judged less acceptable than those with explicit antecedents. This tendency was more pronounced in Experiment 2. Furthermore, the times to make the judgements about pronouns with implicit antecedents were longer than for those with explicit antecedents. However, the effect on judgement times was of a similar magnitude in both experiments. These results suggest that when people read about an activity such as dreaming, they do not automatically represent dreams in their mental representation of the passage, but must infer their existence from a subsequent pronominal reference to them.
Analytical Analysis of Ballistic Drift Velocity in Low-dimensional Nano-devices

The analytical analysis of ballistic drift velocity for low-dimensional nanodevices was presented. The ballistic transport is predicted in the presence of high electric field for non-degenerate and degenerate regime. The saturation velocity is found to be ballistic regardless of the device dimensions. The intrinsic velocity limits this saturation velocity. It’s does not sensitively depend on the ballistic or scattering-limited nature of the mobility. In the degenerate realm, the saturation velocity is shown to be the Fermi velocity that is independent of temperature but strongly dependent on carrier concentration. In the non-degenerate realm, the intrinsic velocity is the thermal velocity that depends only on the ambient temperature.
A Cluster of Galaxies Hiding behind M31: XMM-Newton Observations of RX J0046.4+4204

We report on our serendipitous discovery with the XMM-Newton Observatory of a luminous X-ray-emitting cluster of galaxies that is located behind the Andromeda galaxy (M31). X-ray emission from the cluster was detected previously by ROSAT and cataloged as RX J0046.4+4204, but it was not recognized as a galaxy cluster. The much greater sensitivity of our XMM-Newton observations revealed diffuse X-ray emission that extends at least 5' and has a surface brightness profile that is well fit by the α-β model with β = 0.70 ± 0.08, a core radius rc = 56′′ ± 16′′, and α = 1.54 ± 0.25. A joint global spectral fit of the EPIC MOS1, MOS2, and pn observations with the Mewe-Kaastra-Liedahl plasma emission model gives a cluster temperature of 5.5 ± 0.5 keV. The observed spectra also show high significance iron emission lines that yield a measured cluster redshift of z = 0.290 with 2% accuracy. For a cosmological model with H0 = 71 km s-1 Mpc-1, ΩM = 0.3, and ΩΛ = 0.7, we derive a bolometric luminosity of LX = (8.4 ± 0.5) × 1044 ergs s-1. This discovery of a cluster behind M31 demonstrates the utility of X-ray surveys for finding rich clusters of galaxies, even in directions of heavy optical extinction.
Radiative generation of the LMA solution from small solar neutrino mixing at the GUT scale

We show that in see-saw models with small or even vanishing lepton mixing angle µ12, maximal µ23, zero µ13 and zero CP phases at the GUT scale, the currently favored LMA solution of the solar neutrino problem can be obtained in a rather natural way by Renormalization Group efiects. We flnd that most of the running takes place in the energy ranges above and between the see-saw scales, unless the charged lepton Yukawa couplings are large, which would correspond to a large tanfl in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The Renormalization Group evolution of the solar mixing angle µ12 is generically larger than the evolution of µ13 and µ23. A large enhancement occurs for an inverted mass hierarchy and for a regular mass hierarchy withjm2im1j? jm2 +m1j. We present numerical examples of the evolution of the lepton mixing angles in the Standard Model and the MSSM, in which the current best-flt values of the LMA mixing angles are produced with vanishing solar mixing angle µ12 at the GUT scale.