Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of sleep restriction on neurobehavioral functioning of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the cumulative impact of 1 hour of nightly sleep restriction over the course of 6 nights on the neurobehavioral functioning (NBF) of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls. DESIGN Following 6 nights of actigraphic monitoring of sleep to determine baseline sleep duration, children were asked to restrict sleep duration by 1 hour for 6 consecutive nights. NBF was assessed at baseline (Day 6) and following sleep manipulation (Day 12). SETTING A quiet location within their home environments. PARTICIPANTS Forty-three children (11 ADHD, 32 Controls, mean age = 8.7 years, SD = 1.3) between the ages of 7 and 11 years. INTERVENTIONS NA. MEASUREMENTS Sleep was monitored using actigraphy. In addition, parents were asked to complete nightly sleep logs. Sleepiness was evaluated using a questionnaire. The Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was used to assess NBF. RESULTS Restricted sleep led to poorer CPT scores on two-thirds of CPT outcome measures in both healthy controls and children with ADHD. The performance of children with ADHD following sleep restriction deteriorated from subclinical levels to the clinical range of inattention on two-thirds of CPT outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS Moderate sleep restriction leads to a detectable negative impact on the NBF of children with ADHD and healthy controls, leading to a clinical level of impairment in children with ADHD.
Incidence and preventability of adverse drug events among older persons in the ambulatory setting.

CONTEXT Adverse drug events, especially those that may be preventable, are among the most serious concerns about medication use in older persons cared for in the ambulatory clinical setting. OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence and preventability of adverse drug events among older persons in the ambulatory clinical setting. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Cohort study of all Medicare enrollees (30 397 person-years of observation) cared for by a multispecialty group practice during a 12-month study period (July 1, 1999, through June 30, 2000), in which possible drug-related incidents occurring in the ambulatory clinical setting were detected using multiple methods, including reports from health care providers; review of hospital discharge summaries; review of emergency department notes; computer-generated signals; automated free-text review of electronic clinic notes; and review of administrative incident reports concerning medication errors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Number of adverse drug events, severity of the events (classified as significant, serious, life-threatening, or fatal), and whether the events were preventable. RESULTS There were 1523 identified adverse drug events, of which 27.6% (421) were considered preventable. The overall rate of adverse drug events was 50.1 per 1000 person-years, with a rate of 13.8 preventable adverse drug events per 1000 person-years. Of the adverse drug events, 578 (38.0%) were categorized as serious, life-threatening, or fatal; 244 (42.2%) of these more severe events were deemed preventable compared with 177 (18.7%) of the 945 significant adverse drug events. Errors associated with preventable adverse drug events occurred most often at the stages of prescribing (n = 246, 58.4%) and monitoring (n = 256, 60.8%), and errors involving patient adherence (n = 89, 21.1%) also were common. Cardiovascular medications (24.5%), followed by diuretics (22.1%), nonopioid analgesics (15.4%), hypoglycemics (10.9%), and anticoagulants (10.2%) were the most common medication categories associated with preventable adverse drug events. Electrolyte/renal (26.6%), gastrointestinal tract (21.1%), hemorrhagic (15.9%), metabolic/endocrine (13.8%), and neuropsychiatric (8.6%) events were the most common types of preventable adverse drug events. CONCLUSIONS Adverse drug events are common and often preventable among older persons in the ambulatory clinical setting. More serious adverse drug events are more likely to be preventable. Prevention strategies should target the prescribing and monitoring stages of pharmaceutical care. Interventions focused on improving patient adherence with prescribed regimens and monitoring of prescribed medications also may be beneficial.
How Many Mutant p53 Molecules Are Needed To Inactivate a Tetramer?

ABSTRACT The tumor suppressor p53 is transcription factor composed of four identical subunits. The majority of the mutations in p53 are missense mutations that impair DNA binding. On the other hand, the p53-related p63 and p73 genes are rarely mutated, but many cell types express natural variants lacking the N-terminal transactivation domain (NΔ). Compelling evidence indicates that both the DNA binding-defective and NΔ mutants can impair the function of wild-type p53 in a dominant-negative manner. Interestingly, it is uncertain how many mutant subunit(s) a p53 tetramer can tolerate. In this study, we first made theoretical predictions based on the number of mutant p53 monomers needed to inactivate a tetramer and then tested how well the experimental data fit the predicted values. Surprisingly, these experiments reveal that DNA binding-defective p53 mutants (R249S and R273H) are very ineffective in impairing the transcriptional activity of p53: at least three mutants are required to inactivate a tetramer. In marked contrast, p53NΔ is a very potent inhibitor of p53: one NΔ subunit per tetramer is sufficient to abolish the transcriptional activity. DNA binding is not necessary for the NΔ proteins to inactivate p53. Similarly, NΔ variants of p63 and p73 are also powerful inhibitors of members of the p53 family. These results have important implications for our thinking about the mechanism of tumorigenesis involving missense p53 mutants or the N-terminally truncated isoforms.
Three different noggin genes antagonize the activity of bone morphogenetic proteins in the zebrafish embryo.

The dorsoventral polarity of the vertebrate embryo is established through interactions between ventrally expressed bone morphogenetic proteins and their organizer-borne antagonists Noggin, Chordin, and Follistatin. While the opposing interactions between Short Gastrulation/Chordin and Decapentaplegic/BMP4 have been evolutionarily conserved in arthropods and vertebrates, there has been up to now no functional evidence of an implication of Noggin in the early patterning of organisms other than Xenopus. We have studied the contribution of Noggin to the embryonic development of the zebrafish. While single-copy noggin genes have been characterized in several vertebrate species, we report that the zebrafish genome harbors three noggin homologues. Overexpression experiments show that Noggin1, Noggin2, and Noggin3 can antagonize ventralizing BMPs. While all three factors have similar biological activities, their embryonic expression is different. The combined expression of the three genes recapitulates the different aspects of the expression of the single-copy noggin genes of other organisms. This suggests that the three zebrafish noggin genes and the single noggin genes of other vertebrates have evolved from a common ancestor and that subsequent differential loss of tissue-specific elements in the promoters of the different zebrafish genes accounts for their more restricted spatiotemporal expression. Finally we show that noggin1 is expressed in the fish organizer and able to dorsalize the embryo, suggesting its implication in the dorsoventral patterning of the zebrafish.
Phase II trial of the association of a methionine-free diet with cystemustine therapy in melanoma and glioma.

BACKGROUND In a previous phase I clinical trial of dietary methionine (MET) restriction with cystemustine treatment for melanoma or glioma, we determined the optimal MET-free diet duration to be 1 day. On this basis, a phase II clinical trial was initiated to evaluate safety and efficacy of this combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-two patients (20 with metastatic melanoma and 2 with recurrent gloma) received a median of 4 cycles of the association of a 1-day MET-free diet with cystemustine (60 mg/m(2)) every two weeks. RESULTS This association was well tolerated (toxicity and nutritional status). Toxicity remained mainly hematological and consisted of WHO grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia, leucopenia and neutropenia in 36, 27 and 27% of patients respectively. The median disease-free survival was 1.8 months and the median survival was 4.6 months, with 2 long-duration stabilizations. The plasmatic MET depletion obtained was of 40 + or - 31%.
Domain-Specific Image Analysis for Cervical Neoplasia Detection Based on Conditional Random Fields

This paper presents a domain-specific automated image analysis framework for the detection of pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. Our proposed framework departs from previous methods in that we include domain-specific diagnostic features in a probabilistic manner using conditional random fields. Likewise, we provide a novel window-based performance assessment scheme for 2D image analysis which addresses the intrinsic problem of image misalignment. Image regions corresponding to different tissue types are indentified for the extraction of domain-specific anatomical features. The unique optical properties of each tissue type and the diagnostic relationships between neighboring regions are incorporated in the proposed conditional random field model. The validity of our method is examined using clinical data from 48 patients, and its diagnostic potential is demonstrated by a performance comparison with expert colposcopy annotations, using histopathology as the ground truth. The proposed automated diagnostic approach can support or potentially replace conventional colposcopy, allow tissue specimen sampling to be performed in a more objective manner, and lower the number of cervical cancer cases in developing countries by providing a cost effective screening solution in low-resource settings.
Alberta High School Counsellors’ Knowledge of Homosexuality and Their Attitudes Toward Gay Males

In this study we investigated Alberta high school counsellors’ knowledge about homo ‐ sexuality and their attitudes toward gay males. Three questionnaires were mailed to 648 high school counselling centres; 223 individuals returned the completed questionnaires. Most counsellors attained low scores in measured homo ‐ negativity and high scores regard ‐ ing knowledge of homosexuality. Results from a Pearson correlational analysis indicated a negative significant relationship between the level of knowledge about homosexuality and homo ‐ negativity, supporting other researchers’ findings that higher levels of knowledge may be accompanied by more positive attitudes. Key words: homosexual males, beliefs, mental health professionals Les auteurs ont analyse les connaissances de conseillers d’orientation scolaire du second ‐ aire au sujet de l’homosexualite et leurs attitudes vis ‐ a ‐ vis des gais. Trois questionnaires ont ete postes a 648 centres d’orientation ; 223 personnes ont retourne les questionnaires dument remplis. La plupart des conseillers d’orientation ont obtenu des scores faibles pour l’homonegativite et des scores eleves pour les connaissances au sujet de l’homosexualite. Les resultats d’une analyse correlationnelle indiquent un net lien negatif entre le niveau de connaissances sur l’homosexualite et l’homonegativite, ce qui corrobore les conclusions d’autres chercheurs selon lesquelles de meilleures connaissances peuvent s’accompagner d’attitudes plus positives. Mots cles : homosexuels, croyances, professionnels de la sante mentale
Decentralized motion control of multiple holonomic agents under input constraints

The navigation function methodology, established in previous work for centralized multiple robot navigation, is extended for decentralized navigation with input constraints. In contrast to the centralized case, each agent plans its actions without knowing the destinations of the other agents. Asymptotic stability is guaranteed by the existence of a global Lyapunov function for the whole system, which is actually the sum of the separate navigation functions. The collision avoidance and global convergence properties as well as input requirements are verified through simulations.
oxyR-dependent induction of Escherichia coli grx gene expression by peroxide stress

The Escherichia coli OxyR protein is a transcriptional activator for a number of genes induced in response to low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. To identify additional OxyR-regulated genes, I cloned a DNA fragment that shows promoter activity regulated by OxyR by direct selection of OxyR-binding DNA fragments. Analyses of the cloned fragment indicate that the grx gene, encoding glutaredoxin 1, is inducible by hydrogen peroxide in an oxyR-dependent fashion.
A Question Answering System Supported by Information Extraction

This paper discusses an information extraction (IE) system, Textract, in natural language (NL) question answering (QA) and examines the role of IE in QA application. It shows: (i) Named Entity tagging is an important component for QA, (ii) an NL shallow parser provides a structural basis for questions, and (iii) high-level domain independent IE can result in a QA breakthrough.
Influence of Shopping Orientations, Selected Environmental Dimensions with Apparel Shopping Scenarios, and Attitude on Store Patronage for Female Consumers

(ABSTRACT) The decision to patronize a particular store usually starts with a set of characteristics or attributes that consumers consider important. Consumers then use these attributes to make decisions regarding what store or stores can cater to their particular needs. Past retail and marketing studies have identified several consumer-oriented store attributes such as price, quality, variety, discounts, store reputation and their relationship to store patronage, but these studies overlooked how the physical environment affects retail store patronage. In addition, very few studies have addressed the issue of shopping scenarios and how they affect store patronage. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of selected environmental dimensions on store patronage using specific apparel shopping scenarios. Data were collected using a random sample of women age 18 and over throughout the United States. The final sample consisted of 151 women. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested using factor analysis, cluster analysis, MANOVA, and Chi-square. The hypotheses tested for differences in (a) importance of environmental dimensions relative to three shopping scenarios, (b) importance of environmental dimensions relative to shopping orientations, (c) perceptions of first store choice relative to shopping orientations, and (d) attitude toward first store choice. Results revealed no difference in importance ratings of two environmental dimension factors, Sensory/Layout (Factor 1) and Music/Aesthetics (Factor 2), for three shopping scenarios (i.e., a dress for a formal social gathering, family gathering, work or community activity). Significant differences were found in the importance ratings of the Sensory/Layout and Music Aesthetics dimension factors across shopping orientation clusters. The clusters were named Apparel Shoppers had higher mean scores on the environmental factors than the other shopper groups. With regard to first store choice, the department store was chosen most often as first store choice. Furthermore, differences were found in perception of the environment for first store choice across the shopping orientation clusters. No differences were found for the Ventilation/Sensory factor; however, differences were found for the Signs perception factor. Respondents expressed relatively unfavorable attitudes toward their first store choice. However, of those that expressed an unfavorable attitude, several respondents indicated they were likely to visit their first store choice again. iv Acknowledgments I would like to extend sincere thanks to Dr. Doris H. Kincade, my advisor, for her time, encouragement, and especially for assisting me with my research while I was away from the University. Sincere gratitude is extended to the members of my …
Color terms in fashion

The object of this study is an analysis of the lexical means employed in the naming of colors, focusing especially on the form, function, and meaning of these color terms in the German language. Fashion magazines were used as source material for the research. The choice of magazines was determined by the high frequency of color terms. The basic color terms proved to be the most frequently exploited lexical means to describe one color, although it had been hypothetically assumed that there would be a quantitative preponderance of word formation structures, syntactic groups, and transferred designations. The decisive factor in the high frequency of basic color terms is their ability to function in a variety of ways. Not only as they describe a particular color of a garment, they are also increasingly used to express prediction and color trends, which is achieved by nominalization. But the goal has not always been a denotative correctness – rather the conveying of positive connotation.
A general and facile synthesis of substituted furans by palladium-catalyzed cycloisomerization of (Z)-2-En-4-yn-1-ols

A general and facile synthesis of furans, based on Pd(II)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of (Z)-2-en-4-yn-1-ols, is described. Cycloisomerization reactions are carried out at 25−100 °C in the presence of a very simple catalytic system, consisting of K2PdI4, under essentially neutral conditions. This new methodology is very versatile and can be applied to the synthesis of a variety of substituted furans, including particularly fragile, naturally occurring furans such as rosefuran. Efficient synthetic approaches for the regioselective synthesis of suitably substituted (Z)-2-en-4-yn-1-ols have been developed.
Incremental Model Queries over EMF Models ?

Model-driven development tools built on industry standard platforms, such as the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), heavily utilize model queries in various activities, including model transformation, well-formedness constraint validation and domain-specific model execution. As these queries are executed rather frequently in interactive modeling applications, they have a significant impact on the runtime performance of the tool, and also on the end user experience. However, due to their complexity, they can be time consuming to implement and optimize on a case-by-case basis. Consequently, there is a need for a model query framework that combines an easy-to-use and concise declarative query formalism with high runtime performance, so that even complex model queries can be executed instantaneously, even on large models found in industrial applications. In this paper, we propose a declarative EMF model query framework using the graph pattern formalism as the query specification language. These graph patterns describe the arrangement and properties of model elements that correspond to, e.g. a well-formedness constraint, or an application context of a model transformation rule. For improved runtime performance, we employ incremental pattern matching techniques: matches of patterns are stored and incrementally maintained upon model manipulation. As a result, query operations can be executed instantly, independently of the complexity of the constraint and the size of the model. We demonstrate our approach in an industrial (AUTOSAR) model validation context and compare it against other solutions.
Radio frequency power sensor based on MEMS technology with ultra low loss

A wideband 100 kHz-4 GHz power sensor, of which the basic design was presented recently by L. J. Fernandez et al. (2004), was successfully realized. The sensor is based on sensing the electrical force between the RF signal line and a suspended membrane. Optimization of the design with SONNET has resulted in measured reflection losses (S11) less than -30 dB, transmission losses (SI2) better than -0.2 dB, and a sensitivity of 80 aF/mW.
What Makes Science Relevant?: Student Perceptions of Multimedia Case Learning in Ecology and Health

The perception of science as boring is a major issue for teachers at all instructional levels. Tertiary classes especially suffer from a reputation for being dry, instructor-centered, and irrelevant to the lives of students. However, previous research has shown that science can be interesting to students if it is presented in such a manner as to generate personal curiosity and interest. This study explored the efficacy of two multimedia case-based approaches to develop interest and perceptions of relevance in an introductory biology class. One of these approaches enabled students to test hypotheses about wolf ecology using radio telemetry data, while the other enabled them to play the role of a geneticist testing for genetic and infectious disease conditions. After completing both projects, 32 students volunteered to participate in one of four video-recorded focus interview groups to determine what non-majors in an introductory biology course think is relevant science to learn and why? Twelve trends in student views on relevance, the most important of which were potential use, curiosity, global relevance, and human relevance emerged from this study. Students preferred both case-based projects to lecture, and liked the project on human health better than the case project on wolf ecology. This research contributes significantly to understanding how personal curiosity and relevance motivate students in science classrooms.
Alternative splicing of the murine receptor for advanced glycation end‐products (RAGE) gene

The alternative splicing of pre‐mRNAs is a critical mechanism in genomic complexity, disease, and development. Studies of the receptor for advanced glycation end‐products (RAGE) indicate that this gene undergoes a variety of splice events in humans. However, no studies have extensively analyzed the tissue distribution in other species or compared evolutionary differences of RAGE isoforms. Because the majority of studies probing RAGE function have been performed in murine models, we therefore performed studies to identify and characterize the splice variants of the murine RAGE gene, and we compared these to human isoforms. Here, using mouse tissues, we identified numerous splice variants including changes in the extracellular domain or the removal of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, which produce soluble splice isoforms. Comparison of splice variants between humans and mice revealed homologous regions in the RAGE gene that undergo splicing as well as key species‐specific mechanisms of splicing. Further analysis of tissue splice variant distribution in mice revealed major differences between lung, kidney, heart, and brain. To probe the potential impact of disease‐like pathological states, we studied diabetic mice and report that RAGE splice variation changed dramatically, resulting in an increase in production of soluble RAGE (sRAGE) splice variants, which were not associated with detectable levels of sRAGE in murine plasma. In conclusion, we have determined that the murine RAGE gene undergoes extensive splicing with distinct splice isoforms being uniquely distributed in different tissues. These differences in RAGE splicing in both physiological and pathogenic states further expand our understanding of the biological repertoire of this receptor in health and disease. —Kalea, A.Z. , Reiniger, N. , Yang, H. , Arriero,M. , Schmidt, A.M., Hudson, B.I. Alternative splicing of the murine receptor for advanced glycation end‐products (RAGE) gene. FASEBJ. 23, 1766–1774 (2009)