Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influences of ABO blood group, age and gender on plasma coagulation factor VIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 levels in a Chinese population

Background ABO blood group is a hereditary factor of plasma levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Age and gender have been shown to influence FVIII, VWF, fibrinogen (Fbg), and ADAMTS13 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). We investigated the effects of ABO type, age, and gender on plasma levels of FVIII, Fbg, VWF, and ADAMTS13 in a Chinese population. Methods A total of 290 healthy volunteers were eligible for this study. ABO blood group was determined by indirect technique. FVIII:C and Fbg were measured by clotting assays. VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), collagen-binding activity (VWF:CBA), and ADAMTS13 antigen were assessed by ELISA, whereas VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:Rcof) was performed by agglutination of platelets with ristocetin. Results Mean FVIII:C and VWF levels (VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof) were significantly higher in non-O than in O type subjects (p < 0.05 for all comparison). ADAMTS13 antigen decreased with increasing age, whereas the other parameters increased. Other than ADAMTS13 (p < 0.01), no gender-related variations were observed in the other parameters. Moreover, FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof showed significant and positive relationships with age (r = 0.421, 0.445, 0.410, 0.401, and 0.589, resp.; all p < 0.001), whereas a negative relationship was observed for ADAMTS13 antigen (r = 0.306; p = 0.006). Furthermore, FVIII:C were strongly correlated with VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof (r = 0.746, r = 0.746, and r = 0.576, resp.; p < 0.0001). VWF parameters were also strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.0.847 for VWF:Ag and VWF:CBA; r = 0.722 for VWF:Ag and VWF:Rcof; p < 0.0001). Conclusions ABO blood group, age, and gender showed different effects on plasma levels of FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, VWF:Rcof, and ADAMTS13 antigen. These new data on a Chinese population are quite helpful to compare with other ethnic groups.
Stressing Rac, Ras, and downstream heat shock protein 70.

Stress proteins (also known as heat shock proteins) regulate fundamental cellular processes, such as protein folding, protein sorting, protein degradation, assembly of proteins into larger complexes, and resolubilization of aggregates.1 2 3 4 Heat shock proteins (hsps) are divided into 6 subfamilies based on molecular mass: large hsps (110 to 100 kDa), hsp90, hsp70, hsp60, hsp40, and small hsps (30 to 18 kDa). 5 Members of the hsp70 group are abundant in eukaryotic cells, and most research to date has focused on stress-inducible hsp70. hsp70 is induced by a number of stress stimuli, and its expression is regulated at the transcriptional level by heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1, which normally exists as a monomer, trimerizes after activation and binds to a specific DNA recognition sequence (heat shock element) in the hsp70 promoter. HSF1 seems to require phosphorylation for full activity; however, the identity of the putative HSF1-activating kinase remains to be elucidated. It has been shown that HSF1 can be phosphorylated by extracellular signal–regulated protein kinases (ERKs) of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family in a Ras-dependent manner; however, this represses rather than stimulates transcriptional activity.6 7 8 It is also possible that HSF1 is activated by mechanisms that do not rely on phosphorylation, or that dephosphorylation of inhibitory phosphorylation sites stimulates the transcriptional activity of HSF1. Although the first evidence of existence of hsps dates back to the early 1960s,9 hsps have recently received substantial attention in the field of cardiovascular research after several important and interesting observations. hsp70 has been shown to protect cells from apoptosis and necrosis induced by various stimuli, induce cross-tolerance of stressed cells exposed to …
Pterygium and genetic polymorphism of DNA double strand break repair gene Ku70.

PURPOSE UV irradiation can produce a wide range of DNA damage, which will lead to gene mutation and uncontrolled cell proliferation. Of the many types of DNA damage, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most serious form, because of the intrinsic difficulty of their repair, inaccurate repair, or a lack of repair of DSBs can lead to mutations and large-scale genomic instability. DSBs are repaired by the DNA double strand break repair system. The DNA double strand break repair system consists of homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). In humans, NHEJ is the predominant repair system and Ku70 protein plays an initial and important role in the NHEJ system. Genetic polymorphisms in NHEJ genes influence their DNA repair capacity and confer predisposition to UV-induced skin cancer. Because pterygium is an UV-related uncontrolled cell proliferation, it is logical to assume polymorphisms of Ku70 is associated with genetic predisposition to pterygium. METHODS One hundred and twenty eight pterygium patients and 114 volunteers without pterygium were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction based analysis was used to resolve the Ku70 promoter G-57C (rs2267437) and T-991C (rs5751129) polymorphisms. RESULTS There were significant differences between pterygium and control groups in the distribution of genotype (p=0.013) and allelic frequency (p=0.005) in the Ku70 promoter T-991C polymorphism. Individuals who carried at least one C allele (T/C and C/C) had a 2.83 fold increased risk of developing pterygium compared to those who carried the T/T wild type genotype (OR=2.83; 95% CI: 1.38-5.82). Moreover, individuals who carried at least one C allele (T/C and C/C) had a higher tendency to develop both sides of pterygium. In the Ku70 promoter C-57G polymorphism, there was no difference between both groups in the distribution of either genotype or allelic frequency. CONCLUSIONS The Ku70 promoter T-991C, but not the Ku70 promoter C-57G polymorphism, is correlated with pterygium. The Ku70 promoter T-991C polymorphism might become a potential marker for the prediction of pterygium susceptibility. It also provides a valuable insight into the pathogenesis of pterygium.
Bilateral gynaecomastia as the sole presenting feature of a Y chromosome abnormality complicated by a gonadal tumour in an otherwise phenotypically normal male

We report the case of a 33-year-old male presenting with bilateral gynaecomastia whose karyotype was mosaic with 60% of the cells showing an isochromosome for the short arm of the Y chromosome and 40% showing 45,X complement. Further investigation revealed evidence of a stage one seminoma of the right testis and complete azoospermia. He was treated with bilateral orchidectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy and made an uneventful recovery. The case highlights the importance of cytogenetic investigation and appropriate testicular imaging in patients who present with
Fundamental capacity limits of cognitive radio in fading environments with imperfect channel information

In this paper, we analyze the capacity gains of opportunistic spectrum-sharing channels in fading environments with imperfect channel information. In particular, we consider that a secondary user may access the spectrum allocated to a primary user as long as the interference power, inflicted at the primar's receiver as an effect of the transmission of the secondary user, remains below predefined power limits, average or peak, and investigate the capacity gains offered by this spectrum-sharing approach when only partial channel information of the link between the secondaryiquests transmitter and primary's receiver is available to the secondary user. Considering average received-power constraint, we derive the ergodic and outage capacities along with their optimum power allocation policies for Rayleigh flat-fading channels, and provide closedform expressions for these capacity metrics. We further assume that the interference power inflicted on the primaryiquests receiver should remain below a peak threshold. Introducing the concept of interference-outage, we derive lower bounds on the ergodic and outage capacities of the channel. In addition, we obtain closedform expressions for the expenditure-power required at the secondary transmitter to achieve the above-mentioned capacity metrics. Numerical simulations are conducted to corroborate our theoretical results.
Parietal Influence on Temporal Encoding Indexed by Simultaneous Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography

Previous studies have suggested that contingent negative variation (CNV), as recorded by electroencaphalography (EEG), may serve as an index of temporal encoding. The interpretation of these studies is complicated by the fact that, in a majority of studies, the CNV signal was obtained at a time when subjects were not only registering stimulus duration but also making decisions and preparing to act. Previously, we demonstrated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG) in humans lengthened the perceived duration of a visual stimulus (Wiener et al., 2010a), suggesting the rSMG is involved in basic encoding processes. Here, we report a replication of this effect with simultaneous EEG recordings during the encoding of stimulus duration. Stimulation of the rSMG led to an increase in perceived duration and the amplitude of N1 and CNV components recorded from frontocentral sites. Furthermore, the size of the CNV amplitude, but not N1, positively correlated with the size of the rTMS effect but negatively correlated with bias (the baseline tendency to report a comparison stimulus as shorter), suggesting that the CNV indexes stimulus duration. These results suggest that a feedforward mechanism from parietal to prefrontal regions mediates temporal encoding and demonstrate a dissociation between early and late phases of encoding processes.
CREG1 enhances p16INK4a-induced cellular senescence

Cellular senescence is an irreversible growth arrest that is activated in normal cells upon shortening of telomere and other cellular stresses. Bypassing cellular senescence is a necessary step for cells to become immortal during oncogenic transformation. During the spontaneous immortalization of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) fibroblasts, we found that CREG1 (Cellular Repressor of E1A-stimulated Genes 1) expression was decreased during immortalization and increased in senescence. Moreover, we found that repression of CREG1 expression occurs via an epigenetic mechanism, promoter DNA methylation. Ectopic expression of CREG1 in the immortal LFS cell lines decreases cell proliferation but does not directly induce senescence. We confirmed this in osteosarcoma and fibrosarcoma cancer cell lines, cancers commonly seen in Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. In addition, we found that p16INK4a is also downregulated in immortal cells and that coexpression of CREG1 and p16INK4a, an inhibitor of CDK4/6 and Rb phosphorylation, has a greater effect than either CREG1 and p16INK4a alone to reduce cell growth, induce cell cycle arrest and cellular senescence in immortal LFS fibroblasts, osteosarcoma and fibrosarcoma cell lines. Moreover, cooperation of CREG1 and p16INK4a inhibits the expression of cyclin A and cyclin B by inhibiting promoter activity thereby decreasing mRNA and protein levels; these proteins are required for S-phase entry and G2/M transition. In conclusion, this is the first evidence to demonstrate that CREG1 enhances p16INK4a–induced senescence by transcriptional repression of cell cycle-regulated genes.
On the action of algebraic correspondences on weight spectral sequences

In a work of T. Saito, the action of algebraic correspondences on the etale cohomology of varieties over local fields with semistable reduction is related to correspondences on smaller strata via weight spectral sequences. We give an intersection theoretic construction of these correspondences. Under a finiteness condition this enables us to compute them without involving the blow-ups of products, and prove their compatibility with compositions. These features are essential for the application to Shimura varieties.
The feasibility and effectiveness of early intervention in psychotic disorders: the Australin experience

In an attempt to provide optimum treatment tor young people with emergent psychosis, we have developed the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC), which is designed to identify young patients in the early stages of first-episode psychosis and provide them with a comprehensive, sustained community-based service intended to minimize primary and secondary morbidity. Key elements of EPPIC are the mobile Early Psychosis Assessment Team, minimal inpatient treatment, continuity of care, a day program for recovering patients, specialist family work, and cognitively oriented psychotherapy for early psychosis. Preliminary evaluation of this model against our previous intensive inpatient program, comparing 51 EPPIC patients treated in March-October 1993 with 51 pre-EPPIC historical controls (1989–1992) matched for key variables, indicates that the EPPIC model is associated with shorter durations of untreated psychosis, reduced inpatient treatment, reduced neuroleptic use without deterioration in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores, improvements in negative symptoms and better psychosocial functioning. The EPPIC program is cheaper and more cost-effective than the pre-EPPIC system, even within a 12-month follow-up period. Early intervention with an approach tailored to the specific needs of young first-episode patients is feasible and effective. Future research should focus on optimizing pharmacotherapy and integrating this with specialist psychological treatments, early identification of treatment-resistant patients and, ultimately, prepsychotic identification and intervention.
Automatic Generation of Compact Programs and Virtual Machines for Scheme

Compact programs are not particularly needed on large workstations, but they become a necessity on small embedded systems. For example, smart cards have on the order of 1K of RAM, 16K of non-volatile memory, and 24K of ROM. This is an extreme situation, but many embedded systems also have memory constraints requiring compact code. Virtual machine can be an e ective approach to obtain compact programs and bytecode is a common technique for encoding virtual instructions. If the instructions are tailored for a particular language, the resulting virtual programs are compact. We use a combination of techniques to automatically generate new instructions and new compact encodings for virtual instructions. The common bytecode encodings align instructions on byte boundaries. Our encoding does not align instructions, operational codes for instructions are Hu man encoded, and argument lengths are not necessarily a multiple of eight bits. New instructions are generated to replace repetitive sequences of instructions in programs. This process is done using a xed basic set of instructions and a sample of programs. The virtual machines are automatically generated in C. The resulting compressed programs are interpreted without decompression. This approach is general enough to be applied to C, Java and many other languages. We demonstrate it on the Scheme language using several benchmarks. The resulting Scheme virtual machines and programs run eÆciently and are compact enough to be ported on small embedded systems.
Technological, Content, and Market Convergence in the Games Industry

Convergence has been touted in recent years as the next big leap in the digital era. Having received considerable attention across a wide range of technologies, markets, and economies, there is comparatively little academic research on convergence in the computer and video games industry. This article investigates this issue by drawing attention to three salient areas of gaming convergence—technological, content, and market. A detailed examination is provided, drawing from a broad selection of literature and practical examples of gaming hardware and software to illustrate the prevalence of convergence in its various forms. The results provide a unique chronological overview of the impact of convergence on the previous and current generations of games and games platforms. The discussion focuses on the new demands placed on the creation of game technology and content, emerging market trends, and the ramifications as a result of the evolving nature of gaming convergence.
L'organisation des enquêtes et l'interprétation de leurs résultats.

La methode d'enquete se prete, par sa complexite et son caractere structure, a l'etude des problemes que pose la coordination des objectifs poursuivis, dans des recherches effectuees dans une situation habituelle, et des moyens mis en œuvre pour les atteindre. Cette etude conduit a poser la question de la valeur des donnees d'observation en matiere d'inference scientifique, ainsi que celle du role et de l'interet d'etudes a champ large en psychologie.
The Readjustment of Our Fundamental Schools

As a people, we do not think in terms of education; we think in terms of schools. We have no educational system; we have an elementary school, a high school, and a college. Since the twentieth century came in, a social revolution has changed the whole aspect of our institutional problem. This revolution has been a change in the attitude of society toward the educational process, which has brought about an unprecedented increase in the enrolment, particularly in the higher schools. By about the year 900oo, there began to appear on the statute books, in considerable numbers, effective compulsory-education laws and soon afterward effective acts prohibiting the employment of children in the industries. Few people realize the forces which were being set in action. Not only were millions of children sent to school, but there was generated in their parents a change of heart which was infinitely more significant. Earlier generations had in large measure counted their children as invested capital, the monetary returns on which would be enjoyed in the interval between the arrival of the working age and legal majority. In the bitter anti-child-labor fights of the early years of the century, the exploiting parent was far more an obstacle than the exploiting corporation. His children once in school, however, with the prospect of remaining there until fourteen years of age, or probably sixteen, the whole horizon of the parent shifted. He came to see the free education of his children as a part of his American franchise which he had previously overlooked. Education up to sixteen usually means the high school, and the high school implies the university. The advocates of educational democracy had succeeded beyond their imaginings and had created for themselves problems which even in their own lifetime they must meet.
Standard and modified statistical mune evaluations in spinal‐bulbar muscular atrophy

Motor unit number estimation (MUNE), a technique used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical trials to quantitatively assess motor neuron loss, should also be valuable in assessing progression in spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), an x‐linked neuronopathy. In ALS, instability of single motor units (SMUP) prompted Shefner et al. 66 to modify the statistical MUNE method to exclude SMUPs ≤ 40 μV. It is unknown if there is similar SMUP instability in the more chronic degenerative disease of SBMA. In this study the standard parameter of excluding SMUP < 10 μV was compared with the exclusion of SMUP < 40 μV in the calculation of the statistical MUNE. The mean statistical MUNE, using the standard method and the Shefner et al. method, was 60 ± 21 to 47 ± 23, respectively. Similar to ALS, SBMA showed an increased proportion (17%) of individual SMUPs ≤ 40 μV compared to normal controls. In conclusion, excluding SMUPs ≤ 40 μV from the statistical MUNE calculations is appropriate for SBMA subjects because their SMUP, characteristics are similar to ALS. Exclusion of the low‐amplitude SMUPs reduces the calculated MUNE. Muscle Nerve, 2009
Psychopharmaka und sexuelle Störungen

Eine Störung liegt vor, wenn die Betroffenen nicht mehr fähig sind, eine sexuelle Beziehung so zu gestal− ten, dass diese als zufriedenstellend erlebt wird (sub− jektives Leiden) und dies in einem Zeitraum von mehr als 6 Monaten häufig der Fall ist (Zeitkriterium). Zur Diagnosestellung nach ICD−10 ist es erforderlich, dass diese Störung nicht auf eine andere psychische oder Verhaltensstörung zurückzuführen ist sowie keine körperliche oder medikamentöse Ursache hat.
Radioiodine treatment of multinodular non-toxic goitre.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the long term effect of radioactive iodine on thyroid function and size in patients with non-toxic multinodular goitre. DESIGN--Consecutive patients with multinodular non-toxic goitre selected for radioactive iodine treatment and followed for a minimum of 12 months (median 48 months) after an intended dose of 3.7 MBq/g thyroid tissue corrected to a 100% uptake of iodine-131 in 24 hours. PATIENTS--69 patients with a growing multinodular non-toxic goitre causing local compression symptoms or cosmetic inconveniences. The treatment was chosen because of a high operative risk, previous thyroidectomy, or refusal to be operated on. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS--Standard thyroid function variables and ultrasonically determined thyroid volume before treatment as well as 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment and then once a year. RESULTS--56 patients were treated with a single dose of 131I, 12 with two doses, and one with four doses. In 45 patients treated with one dose and remaining euthyroid the median thyroid volume was reduced from 73 (interquartile range 50-106) ml to 29 (23-48) ml at 24 months in the 39 patients in whom this was measured during follow up. The median reduction was 40 (22-48) ml (60% reduction, p < 0.0001), half of which occurred within three months. Patients treated with two doses as well as those developing hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism had a significant reduction in thyroid volume. Eleven patients developed hypothyroidism (cumulative five year risk 22%, 95% confidence interval 4.8% to 38.4%). Side effects were few: three cases of hyperthyroidism and two cases of radiation thyroiditis. Only one patient was dissatisfied with the result; she was referred for operation six months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS--A substantial reduction in thyroid volume accompanied by a low incidence of hypothyroidism and few side effects makes the use of radioactive iodine an attractive alternative to surgery in selected cases of non-toxic multinodular goitre.
‘glocal’ movements: place struggles and transnational organizing by informal workers

Abstract. This paper investigates the scalar practices of collectively organized informal workers and the political implications of such practices. It illustrates how the studied group organizes across scales – hence, a ‘glocal movement’– and stresses the importance of an analysis that integrates these multiple scales of collective organizing, as they may have a bearing on each other. In so doing, it contests a common tendency to analytically privilege one or other scale of resistance and agency. In particular, I argue that networking across scales may be of significance for local struggles and thus play a role in local politics. The transnational activities of the studied group assist it in challenging local power relations and dominant place projects that repress informal livelihood activities. This paper comprises a conceptual discussion of notions of scale, of conceptions of the spatialities and scales of resistance as well as of place, followed by an empirical illustration that refers to an association of informal vendors in Maputo, Mozambique, and its international connections. The analysis is based on interviews with vendors, leaders of the association and with the international partners of the association.