Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recommendations for Improving and Standardizing Vascular Research on Arterial Stiffness: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Much has been published in the past 20 years on the use of measurements of arterial stiffness in animal and human research studies. This summary statement was commissioned by the American Heart Association to address issues concerning the nomenclature, methodologies, utility, limitations, and gaps in knowledge in this rapidly evolving field. The following represents an executive version of the larger online-only Data Supplement and is intended to give the reader a sense of why arterial stiffness is important, how it is measured, the situations in which it has been useful, its limitations, and questions that remain to be addressed in this field. Throughout the document, pulse-wave velocity (PWV; measured in meters per second) and variations such as carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV; measured in meters per second) are used. PWV without modification is used in the general sense of arterial stiffness. The addition of lowercase modifiers such as “cf” is used when speaking of specific segments of the arterial circulation. The ability to measure arterial stiffness has been present for many years, but the measurement was invasive in the early times. The improvement in technologies to enable repeated, minimal-risk, reproducible measures of this aspect of circulatory physiology led to its incorporation into longitudinal cohort studies spanning a variety of clinical populations, including those at extreme cardiovascular risk (patients on dialysis), those with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension, healthy elders, and general populations. In the ≈3 decades of clinical use of PWV measures in humans, we have learned much about the importance of this parameter. PWV has proven to have independent predictive utility when evaluated in conjunction with standard risk factors for death and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the field of arterial stiffness investigation, which has exploded over the past 20 years, has proliferated without logistical guidance for clinical and …
Cellular, intracellular, and developmental expression patterns of murine SWAP‐70

SWAP‐70 is part of a protein complex that catalyzes cell‐free DNA recombination between immunoglobulin heavy chain gene switch region substrates. This report studies the expression pattern of SWAP‐70 in mouse tissues, sorted cells, and cultured primary cells. SWAP‐70 RNA is strongly increased upon switch‐induction of spleen cells, and very weakly expressed in thymus and bone marrow. SWAP‐70 protein is specifically expressed in B cells, and levels increase rapidly after stimulation. Tissue staining shows strong expression in germinal center B cells, while macrophages and T lymphocytes do not stain. SWAP‐70 is not detected in early B cells in the bone marrow. Its expression during mouse ontogeny after birth correlates with the appearance of non‐IgM isotypes. While SWAP‐70 localizes to the cell nucleus in activated B cells, it is not tightly associated with the chromatin and is found in the cytoplasm as well. SWAP‐70 expression is not increased by γ or UV irradiation of spleen cells, nor does it depend on p53. These characteristics are consistent with the putative role of SWAP‐70 in immunoglobulin class switching.
Rhetoric, Facts and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Exploring Practitioners Perceptions of Progress in Implementing HRM

Although the virtues of HRM are widely espoused by its proponents, evidence of its widespread uptake by UK companies has invariably been disappointing. Why? A survey using questionnaires completed by 98 personnel and HR practitioners in a sample of 350 major UK companies was used to explore perceptions of progress in implementing HRM, and this was followed-up by interviews of 24 survey respondents. While the survey and interview evidence clearly indicate that progress towards HRM is a profoundly contradictory and unfinished process, it also raises serious questions about the ability of the HR function and role to facilitate, oversee or lead processes of implementation.
Organizational motifs for ground squirrel cone bipolar cells

In daylight vision, parallel processing starts at the cone synapse. Cone signals flow to On and Off bipolar cells, which are further divided into types according to morphology, immunocytochemistry, and function. The axons of the bipolar cell types stratify at different levels in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and can interact with costratifying amacrine and ganglion cells. These interactions endow the ganglion cell types with unique functional properties. The wiring that underlies the interactions among bipolar, amacrine, and ganglion cells is poorly understood. It may be easier to elucidate this wiring if organizational rules can be established. We identify 13 types of cone bipolar cells in the ground squirrel, 11 of which contact contiguous cones, with the possible exception of short‐wavelength‐sensitive cones. Cells were identified by antibody labeling, tracer filling, and Golgi‐like filling following transduction with an adeno‐associated virus encoding for green fluorescent protein. The 11 bipolar cell types displayed two organizational patterns. In the first pattern, eight to 10 of the 11 types came in pairs with partially overlapping axonal stratification. Pairs shared morphological, immunocytochemical, and functional properties. The existence of similar pairs is a new motif that might have implications for how signals first diverge from a cone to bipolar cells and then reconverge onto a costratifying ganglion cell. The second pattern is a mirror symmetric organization about the middle of the IPL involving at least seven bipolar cell types. This anatomical symmetry may be associated with a functional symmetry in On and Off ganglion cell responses. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:2864–2887, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals Inc.
Determinants of neonatal brain-derived neurotrophic factor and association with child development

Abstract Using a population-based birth cohort in upstate New York (2008–2010), we examined the determinants of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) measured in newborn dried blood spots (n = 2,637). We also examined the association between neonatal BDNF and children's development. The cohort was initially designed to examine the influence of infertility treatment on child development but found no impact. Mothers rated children's development in five domains repeatedly through age 3 years. Socioeconomic and maternal lifestyle determinants of BDNF were examined using multivariable linear regression models. Generalized linear mixed models estimated odds ratios for neonatal BDNF in relation to failing a developmental domain. Smoking and drinking in pregnancy, nulliparity, non-White ethnicity/race, and prepregnancy obesity were associated with lower neonatal BDNF. Neonatal BDNF was not associated with failure for developmental domains; however, there was an interaction between BDNF and preterm birth. In preterm infants, a higher BDNF was associated with lower odds of failing any developmental domains, after adjusting for confounders and infertility treatment. This result was particularly significant for failure in communication. Our findings suggest that BDNF levels in neonates may be impacted by maternal lifestyle characteristics. More specifically, lower neonatal BDNF might be an early marker of aberrant neurodevelopment in preterm infants.
Attachment and the Development of Relationship Skills

Mass murder may be, in part, the result of rejections or failed attachments at the three critical periods of development: early childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Trauma and/or rejection by the focus of the attachment the mother, father, caregiver, peer group, partner, or work colleague can interfere with the development of future problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Failure to attach can also result in inappropriate relationships with others. The greater the damage to the necessary attachment bonds, the greater the potential for the detached individual to later harm others.
Measures of Adherence and Challenges in Using Glucometer Data in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes: Rethinking the Value of Self-Report

Purpose The current study compares the relative strength of associations of different adherence measures with glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, while highlighting the challenges in using more objective measures (i.e., glucometer data). Methods Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (n = 149) and their caregivers completed a questionnaire measure assessing adolescents' adherence (Self-Care Inventory (SCI)) to the diabetes regimen. Adolescents' glucometers were downloaded to determine average blood glucose checks per day, as an objective measure of adherence. A measure of glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)) was obtained as part of adolescents' regular clinic visits. Results Adolescents' self-reported adherence to the treatment regimen was more strongly correlated with HbA1c than caregivers' reports of adherence. In multivariate analyses, both adolescents' self-report of adherence and average blood glucose checks per day (obtained via a glucometer) were significant predictors of HbA1c. Challenges to obtaining glucometer data were identified. Conclusions The findings highlight adolescents' self-report of adherence using the SCI as a brief and meaningful measure to understand and improve adolescents' glycemic control, particularly when glucometer data is difficult to obtain.
Mapping Brain Metabolic Connectivity in Awake Rats with μPET and Optogenetic Stimulation

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose was used to measure changes in regional brain glucose metabolism (BGluM) in response to optogenetic stimulation (using the excitatory channelrhodopsin-2) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in awake rats. We demonstrated not only increases in BGluM that correlated with c-Fos expression in the region of stimulation, but also BGluM increases in the ipsilateral striatum, periaqueductal gray, and somatosensory cortex, and in contralateral amygdala, ventral pallidum, globus pallidus, and hippocampus, as well as decreases in BGluM in regions of the default mode network (retrosplenial cortex and cingulate gyrus) and secondary motor cortex. Additional exploration of c-Fos expression in regions found to be activated by PET results found corroborating evidence, with increased c-Fos expression in the ipsilateral somatosensory cortex, contralateral amygdala and globus pallidus, and bilateral periaqueductal gray. These findings are consistent with optogenetic excitation of the area of stimulation (NAc), as well as with stimulatory and inhibitory effects on downstream regions. They also confirm the utility of PET imaging to monitor connectivity in the awake rodent brain.
The Role of Syk/CARD9-Coupled C-Type Lectin Receptors in Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections

There is increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms underlying the interactions that occur between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and host innate immune cells. These cells express pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) which recognise mycobacterial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and which can influence the host immune response to the infection. Although many of the PRRs appear to be redundant in the control of M. tuberculosis infection in vivo, recent discoveries have revealed a key, nonredundant, role of the Syk/CARD9 signalling pathway in antimycobacterial immunity. Here we review these discoveries, as well as recent data investigating the role of the Syk/CARD9-coupled PRRs that have been implicated in mycobacterial recognition, including Dectin-1 and Mincle.
Ido Dagan – Research Statement

The research field of Natural Language Processing (NLP, also known as Computational Linguistics) deals with two fundamental goals. The first is developing generic algorithms and computational models for analyzing the full range of human language behavior. The second goal, which relies largely on the first, is developing the needed algorithms for robust text-based applications, such as machine translation, information extraction, text categorization, question answering and many others. In many areas, achieving high performance in real-world applications drives research motivations and serves as a touchstone for the performance of the field as a whole – what can NLP algorithms actually do? The empirical NLP area, in which I focus my research, aims to make robust language processing feasible based on automated learning of knowledge and inferences from corpora (text collections). This is a great challenge, since language exhibits many unique characteristics, such as ambiguity, large variations and sparse data, that are difficult to represent and analyze in a regular manner, let alone learn them in automated ways. A recurrent theme in my own research has been to advance the " realistic " feasibility of NLP methods, by introducing empirical algorithms for novel tasks and through reducing and simplifying the requirements for manual supervision in learning. Empirical NLP has strong ties to machine learning and related areas, such as information theory and statistical inference, and many algorithms developed for NLP tasks (including some of mine) were published in machine learning journals and conferences. At the same time, researchers are gradually integrating learning with linguistic models, so that empirical analysis refers to deeper language phenomena. The remainder of this document illustrates major lines of my research and its current focus and plans. Semantic Disambiguation and Distributional Similarity Human language is ambiguous, so that many utterances can be interpreted in more than one way. Semantic criteria, which refer to the meaning of words and their combinations, help to select the most likely interpretation in many disambiguation problems. For example, consider the pronoun reference ambiguity (anaphora) in the sentence " The program displays the file on the monitor and prints it ". From a syntactic perspective " it " can refer to both " monitor " and " file " , but from a semantic perspective the word combination <verb-object: print-file> is much more likely than <verb-object: print-monitor>, indicating that interpreting " it " as " file " should be preferred. Early approaches for semantic …
Mutual assessment in the social programmer ecosystem: an empirical investigation of developer profile aggregators

The multitude of social media channels that programmers can use to participate in software development has given rise to online developer profiles that aggregate activity across many services. Studying members of such developer profile aggregators, we found an ecosystem that revolves around the social programmer. Developers are assessing each other to evaluate whether other developers are interesting, worth following, or worth collaborating with. They are self-conscious about being assessed, and thus manage their public images. They value passion for software development, new technologies, and learning. Some recruiters participate in the ecosystem and use it to find candidates for hiring; other recruiters struggle with the interpretation of signals and issues of trust. This mutual assessment is changing how software engineers collaborate and how they advance their skills.
Mechanisms of navigating goals after testicular cancer: meaning and emotion regulation

The navigation of major life goals can be challenging to cancer survivors, particularly during young adulthood. This study examined the relationships of goal navigation skills (e.g., goal identification, goal clarification, and goal adjustment) with having a sense of life meaning, emotion regulation coping processes, and physical and psychological health indicators in young adult survivors of testicular cancer.
Hoteliers’ Perceptions of the Impacts of Green Tourism on Hotel Operating Costs in Zimbabwe: The Case of Selected Harare Hotels

The purpose of the study was to determine the possible relationship of green hospitality and operating costs in Zimbabwe’s hotels. To achieve this, it looked at practices in hotels and their effect on operating costs and also on the awareness levels of the employees on the subject. The study showed that there is both a negative and positive relationship between green hospitality and operating costs as perceived by the hotel employees. The findings also revealed that employee awareness is important in the discussion of green tourism as a measure of controlling costs as they (employees) are the key drivers of the green revolution.
Fragile X Syndrome: The FMR1 CGG Repeat Distribution Among World Populations

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is characterized by moderate to severe intellectual disability, which is accompanied by macroorchidism and distinct facial morphology. FXS is caused by the expansion of the CGG trinucleotide repeat in the 5′ untranslated region of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. The syndrome has been studied in ethnically diverse populations around the world and has been extensively characterized in several populations. Similar to other trinucleotide expansion disorders, the gene‐specific instability of FMR1 is not accompanied by genomic instability. Currently we do not have a comprehensive understanding of the molecular underpinnings of gene‐specific instability associated with tandem repeats. Molecular evidence from in vitro experiments and animal models supports several pathways for gene‐specific trinucleotide repeat expansion. However, whether the mechanisms reported from other systems contribute to trinucleotide repeat expansion in humans is not clear. To understand how repeat instability in humans could occur, the CGG repeat expansion is explored through molecular analysis and population studies which characterized CGG repeat alleles of FMR1. Finally, the review discusses the relevance of these studies in understanding the mechanism of trinucleotide repeat expansion in FXS.
The effect of organizational learning and knowledge management innovation on SMEs’ technological capability

Organizational learning and knowledge management innovation are context- specific and they can influence SME’s technological capability effectively. We defined knowledge management innovation as a two-stage process: adoption and implementation of a managerial practice, process, or tool that is new to the firms and is intended to enhance the firms’ knowledge management efficiency. Then we constructed a conceptual model to discuss the relationship among organizational learning, knowledge management innovation and technological capability. We proposed that the effects of organizational learning were not only curvilinear but also differential across knowledge management innovation adoption and implementation process. The findings supported the hypotheses that (1) exploitative learning and exploratory learning had increasingly positive effects on knowledge management innovation; (2) knowledge management innovation had an inverted U relationship with technological capability; and (3) when exploitative learning was high, more knowledge management innovations were associated with better technological capability, but explorative innovation had insignificant moderating effects in knowledge management innovation implementation process.
On Parity in Diatomic Molecules and Application of a Rigorous Algorithm for the Prediction of Nitric Oxide Spectra

On Parity in Diatomic Molecules and Application of a Rigorous Algorithm for the Prediction of Nitric Oxide Spectra James O Hornkohl1 and Christian G Parigger2* 1Hornkohl Consulting, 344 Turkey Creek Road, Tullahoma, TN, USA 2University of Tennessee, University of Tennessee Space Institute, Center for Laser Applications, Tullahoma, TN, USA International Journal of Molecular and Theoretical Physics Open Access Research Article
Estrogen Deficiency Induces the Differentiation of IL-17 Secreting Th17 Cells: A New Candidate in the Pathogenesis of Osteoporosis

Th17 cells produce IL-17, and the latter promotes bone loss in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Blocking IL-17 action in mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis reduces disease symptoms. These observations suggest that Th17 cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of bone loss. However, the role of Th17 cell in estrogen (E2) deficiency-induced bone loss is still not very clear. We investigated the effect of E2 on Th17 differentiation in vivo and IL-17 mediated regulation of osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation. Additionally, effect of IL-17 functional block under E2 deficiency-induced bone loss was studied. In murine bone marrow cells, E2 suppressed IL-17 mediated osteoclast differentiation. IL-17 inhibited formation of mineralized nodules in osteoblasts and this effect was suppressed by E2. E2 treatment to mouse calvarial osteoblasts inhibited the IL-17-induced production of osteoclastogenic cytokines and NF-kB translocation. In ovariectomized mice, there was increase in the number of Th17 cells, transcription factors promoting Th17 cell differentiation and circulating IL-17 levels. These effects were reversed by E2 supplementation. Treatment of neutralizing IL-17 monoclonal antibody to Ovx mice mitigated the E2 deficiency-induced trabecular bone loss and reversed the decreased osteoprotegerin-to-receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL) transcript levels in long bones, increased osteoclast differentiation from the bone marrow precursor cells and decreased osteoblast differentiation from the bone marrow stromal cells. Our findings indicate that E2 deficiency leads to increased differentiation of Th17 cells with attendant up regulation of STAT3, ROR-γt and ROR-α and downregulation of Foxp3 which antagonizes Th17 cell differentiation. Increased IL-17 production in turn induces bone loss by increasing pro-osteoclastogenic cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6 and RANKL from osteoblasts and functional block of IL-17 prevents bone loss. IL-17 thus plays a critical causal role in Ovx-induced bone loss and may be considered a potential therapeutic target in pathogenesis of post menopausal osteoporosis.
A Review of a Decade of Rugby Union Injury Epidemiology: 2007-2017

Context: Rugby union is the most widely played team collision sport globally. As with other contact sports, there is substantial risk of injury. To date, the majority of studies on injury epidemiology have focused on elite male cohorts, which inherently prevents extrapolation of research findings to other groups within the player continuum. This review aims to describe emerging injury trends across the spectrum of various rugby union subpopulations and to highlight gaps that may influence future injury prevention tactics. Evidence Acquisition: Relevant articles published from 2007 to 2017 were obtained by searching MEDLINE, PubMed, and SPORT Discus. Studies on 15-a-side rugby union, implemented according to the 2007 consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures for injuries in rugby union, were used. Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Results: Match injuries occur more frequently than training injuries. Injury rates increase consistently according to age and level of play. Severity of injury often is greater among lower levels of the game, and sex-specific differences relating to injury patterns and incidence rates exist. Conclusion: To date, a paucity of injury surveillance data exists for women and players of both sexes at all levels of community rugby union. Furthermore, the incidence of injuries and illnesses are poorly reported in epidemiological studies. Despite methodological differences, injury trends remain consistent throughout all levels of play.