Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by atorvastatin decreases both VLDL and LDL apolipoprotein B production in miniature pigs.

In the present studies, the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor atorvastatin was used to test the hypothesis that inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis in vivo with a consequent reduction in the availability of hepatic cholesterol for lipoprotein synthesis, would (1) reduce very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) apolipoprotein B (apoB) secretion into the plasma, (2) reduce the conversion of VLDL apoB to LDL apoB, and (3) reduce LDL apoB direct synthesis. ApoB kinetic studies were carried out in six control miniature pigs and in six animals after 21 days of administration of atorvastatin (3 mg/kg per day). Pigs were fed a fat- (34% of calories; polyunsaturated to monounsaturated to saturated ratio, 1:1:1) and cholesterol- (400 mg/d cholesterol; 0.1%; 0.2 mg/kcal) containing pig chow-based diet. Atorvastatin treatment significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, total triglyceride, and VLDL triglyceride concentrations by 16%, 31%, 19%, and 28%, respectively (P < .01). Autologous 131I-VLDL, 125I-LDL, and [3H]leucine were injected simultaneously into each pig, and apoB kinetic data were analyzed using multicompartmental analysis (SAAM II). The VLDL apoB pool size decreased by 29% (0.46 versus 0.65 mg/kg; P = .002), which was entirely due to a 34% reduction in the VLDL apoB production rate (PR) (1.43 versus 2.19 mg/kg per hour; P = .027). The fractional catabolic rate (FCR) was unchanged. The LDL apoB pool size decreased by 30% (4.74 versus 6.75 mg/kg; P = .0004), which was due to a 22% reduction in the LDL apoB PR (0.236 versus 0.301 mg/kg per hour; P = .004), since the FCR was unchanged. The reduction in LDL apoB PR was primarily due to a 34% decrease in conversion of VLDL apoB to LDL apoB; however, this reduction was not statistically significant (P = .114). Hepatic apoB mRNA abundance quantitated by RNase protection assay was decreased by 13% in the atorvastatin-treated animals (P = .003). Hepatic and intestinal LDL receptor mRNA abundances were not affected. We conclude that inhibition of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase by atorvastatin reduces both VLDL and LDL apoB concentrations, primarily by decreasing apoB secretion into the plasma and not by an increase in hepatic LDL receptor expression. This decrease in apoB secretion may, in part, be due to a reduction in apoB mRNA abundance.
Cultural Change in Family Firms: Anticipating and Managing Business and Family Transitions

Explains how to recognize, anticipate, and solve the problems created by the cultures of family firms as they grow and mature. Shows how culture can determine the success or failure of the firm based on comparative case studies of a wide range of successful and unsuccessful firmsincluding small businesses, new and well-estalbished firms, and such large corporations as Du Pont and Levi Strauss.
AUTOMATING NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE DIAGNOSIS USING STRUCTURAL MR BRAIN SCAN FEATURES

Nine percent of those aged 65 or older and about one third of those aged 85 or older have Alzheimer’s disease. The incidence of Alzheimer’s is expected to triple from 2010 to 2050. 1.1% of American adults are Schizophrenic. Currently, both of these diseases are diagnosed primarily through a clinical mental health exam. However, Alzheimer’s Disease and more recently Schizophrenia have been shown to have a strong neuroanatomical footprint that appears in a Magnetic Resonance (MR) scan.
Unsupervised Concept Learning and Value Systematicity: A Complex Whole Aids Learning the Parts

Ease of learning new concepts may best be understood by simultaneously considering models of learning and theories of how "good" systems of categories are organized. The authors tested the effects on learning of value systematicity, a proposed organizing principle: If 1 attribute is predictive of another, it should predict still more. This principle derives from focused sampling in the internal feedback model (D. Billman & E. Heit, 1988) of unsupervised, or observational, learning. In 3 experiments, the authors tested how the organization of structure in input (value systematicity) affected unsupervised learning of categories about alien animals. Across all experiments, learning a target rule was easier in conditions with high value systematicity, relative to several low systematicity controls. The authors compare results to predictions of several learning models and consider the links between learning and the resulting category structure.
An assessment of donor-to-recipient transmission patterns of human cytomegalovirus by analysis of viral genomic variants.

BACKGROUND We studied human cytomegalovirus (CMV) donor-to-recipient transmission patterns in organ transplantation by analyzing genomic variants on the basis of CMV glycoprotein B (gB) genotyping. METHODS Organ transplant recipients were included in the study if they had CMV viremia, if they had received an organ from a CMV-seropositive donor, and if there was at least 1 other recipient of an organ from the same donor who developed CMV viremia. Genotypes (gB1-4) were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Forty-seven recipients of organs from 21 donors developed CMV viremia. Twenty-three recipients had a pretransplant donor/recipient (D/R) CMV serostatus of D(+)/R(+), and 24 had a serostatus of D(+)/R(-). The prevalences of genotypes in recipients were as follows: for gB1, 51% (n = 24); for gB2, 19% (n = 9); for gB3, 9% (n = 4); for gB4, 0% (n = 0); and for mixed infection, 21% (n = 10). Recipients of an organ from a common donor had infection with CMV of the same gB genotype in 12 (57%) of 21 instances. Concordance between genotypes was higher among seronegative (i.e., D(+)/R(-)) recipients than among seropositive (D(+)/R(+)) recipients, although discordances resulting from the transmission of multiple strains were seen. In seropositive recipients, transmission of multiple strains from the donor could not be differentiated from reactivation of a recipient's own strains. CONCLUSION Our analysis of strain concordance among recipients of organs from common donors showed that transmission of CMV has complex dynamic patterns. In seropositive recipients, transmission or reactivation of multiple CMV strains is possible.
Lowering the Drawbridge: A Case Study of Analogy and Metaphor in the Social Construction of Home-ownership

This paper makes contributions to long-established debates about the meaning of home-ownership and to the growing interest in discourse and language in urban and housing research. It outlines a theoretical framework in which analogy and metaphor are crucial devices in the social construction of home-ownership knowledge. The paper draws upon some results from qualitative fieldwork undertaken amongst a small group of home-owner households in Bristol, UK, to illustrate metaphorically structured, common-sense aphorisms as rhetorical techniques in the mobilisation of tenure prejudice. The paper concludes by outlining new directions for research exploring the cultural significance of housing tenure, and makes some more general observations regarding the significance of analogy and metaphor in urban studies.
Implicit theories of mental toughness: Relations with cognitive, motivational and behavioral correlates

People differ in their implicit theories about mental toughness, that is, whether they believe this quality is immutable (entity theorists) or changeable (incremental theorists). The aim of this study was to explore whether peoples’ implicit theories of mental toughness are related to cognitive, motivational, and behavioral variables considered as hallmarks of this personal quality. We conducted 3 studies with participants from different achievement contexts: 444 undergraduate students aged 17 to 26 years (M 19.25); 395 employees aged 25 to 79 years (M 48.78); and 230 adolescent athletes aged 11 to 17 years (M 14.98). Students completed a measure of implicit theories of mental toughness, fear of failure, and perceived stress. Employees completed a measure of implicit theories and were rated on performance and creativity by their supervisor. Athletes completed a measure of implicit theories of mental toughness, resilience, and thriving. Across all 3 samples, cluster analyses supported the existence of an incremental theory (high incremental theory, low entity theory) alongside an ambivalent group (moderate scores on both theories). These clusters differed on fear of failure, stress, performance, creativity, resilience, and thriving consistent with theoretical expectations. The current findings suggest that people’s implicit theories of mental toughness may have important implications for understanding cognitive, motivational, and behavioral correlates considered hallmarks of this psychological concept.
Measuring Friendship Quality During Pre- and Early Adolescence: The Development and Psychometric Properties of the Friendship Qualities Scale

The Friendship Qualities Scale is a theoretically grounded, multidimensional measurement instrument to assess the quality of children's and early adolescents' relationships with their best friends according to five conceptually meaningful aspects of the friendship relation. These dimensions are companionship, conflict, help/aid, security and closeness. A confirmatory factor analysis, used to evaluate the factor structure of this instrument, demonstrated that these scales represented distinct, but related, domains of friendship. Assessments of reliability indicated the high level of internal consistency within each dimension. The validity of the scale was indicated by the observation of higher ratings for (a) mutual friends than for non-mutual friends, and (b) for stable friends than for non-stable friends. These findings are discussed according to the theoretical and practical issues related to the measurement of friendship quality.
Resource allocation for secure OFDMA decode-and-forward relay networks

In this paper, we formulate an optimization problem for resource allocation and scheduling in orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) half-duplex decode-and-forward (DF) relay assisted networks. Our problem formulation takes into account artificial noise generation to combat a multiple antenna eavesdropper. The secrecy data rate, power, and sub-carrier allocation policies are optimized to maximize the average secrecy outage capacity (bit/s/Hz securely delivered to the users via relays). The optimization problem is solved by dual decomposition which results in an efficient iterative algorithm. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed iterative algorithm converges in a small number of iterations and guarantees a non-zero secrecy date rate for a given target secrecy outage probability.
Sex differences in HIV-1-mediated immunopathology

Purpose of reviewThe article reviews our current knowledge regarding the role of sex and sex hormones in regulating innate immune responses to viral infections, which may account for the described sex differences in immunity to HIV-1. Recent findingsProminent sex differences exist in various infectious and autoimmune diseases. Biological mechanisms underlying these differences include the modulation of immunological pathways by sex hormones and gene dosage effects of immunomodulatory genes encoded by the X chromosome. During HIV-1 infections, women have been shown to present with lower viral load levels in primary infection, although their progression to AIDS is faster in comparison with men when accounting for viral load levels in chronic infection. HIV-1-infected women furthermore tend to have higher levels of immune activation and interferon-stimulated gene expression in comparison with men for the same viral load, which has been associated to innate sensing of HIV-1 by Toll-like receptor 7 and the consequent interferon-&agr; production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells. SummaryImprovement in understanding the mechanisms associated with sex differences in HIV-1-mediated immunopathology will be critical to take sex differences into consideration when designing experimental and clinical studies in HIV-1-infected populations.
The Everyday Life of Adults with Down Syndrome

Background Aspects of daily life have been considered in a population of people with Down syndrome, followed repeatedly from infancy to 21-years old, and again at 30-, 35- and 40-years old. A control sample of non-disabled babies were seen at the same ages. Method Parents (usually the mothers) and/or carers were interviewed about the people’s health, independence, occupation, leisure activities and social relationships. Results and Conclusions The health of the people with Down syndrome continued to be reasonably good though less good than that of the controls. Engagement in further education increased and attendance at social education centres decreased, while a minority were in employment. Over two-thirds participated in at least one sport, and although participation decreased over time the fall-off was no more than is seen in the general population. Fewer than half the people with Down syndrome were thought capable of being left in the house alone for over an hour or to go out alone beyond the garden, and social relationships for the majority were limited.
Physical Attractiveness and Selection of Marriage Partners

Physical attractiveness is becoming a psychological variable of increasing interest. A number of studies have shown it to be related to general attraction and to desirability as a spouse (Byrne, et al., 1970). If both men and women weight physical attractiveness in marital selection, one might expect a positive correlation between the attractiveness of husbands and of their wives. A positive correlation would also be expected if people aspired to a spouse who was at about their own level of attractiveness (Walster, et al., 1966). The present study was designed to investigate whether such a correlation between the attractiveness of husbands and their wives does exist. A set of 50 negatives of wedding photographs were obtained from a local newspaper, and from these, 36 couples were selected whose pose was approximately full face to the camera. The face of each partner was then printed separately in a 2-in. by 2%-in. vignette, to remove cues from background and dress, thus giving two sets of 36 prints, one comprised of husbands' faces and the other of wives' faces. Twenty male and 20 female first yezr psychology students were then asked to sort each set into 9 categories, with 4 faces in each category, according to how "good-looking" they judged the faces to be, the order in which the two sets were sorted being counterbalanced among Ss. Categories were assigned scale values from 1 to 9, and the mean scale value for each face was computed separately for male and for female Ss. However, since the correlation between the scale values for [he two groups of Ss was +0.94 for women's faces and +0.88 for men's faces, the scale values for the two groups were combined. A product-moment correlation between the scale values for husbands and their wives gave a value of +0.39 ( p < .05) , supporting the hypothesis. The correlation, though not spectacular, is noteworthy in that the sample of couples was small and not selected for attractiveness, while attractiveness was judged by strangers from photographs. Informal evidence from subsequent studies suggests that people do not expect a large disparity in the attractiveness of spouses, though whether this reflects a preference for simihrity or an evaluation of marital opportunity remains to be elucidared.
The Function and Properties of the Azf1 Transcriptional Regulator Change with Growth Conditions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Azf1 activates CLN3 transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells growing in glucose. Paradoxically, other studies have shown Azf1 to be almost undetectable in glucose-grown cells. Microarray experiments showed that Azf1 activates nonoverlapping gene sets in different carbon sources: in glucose, Azf1 activates carbon and energy metabolism genes, and in glycerol-lactate, Azf1 activates genes needed for cell wall maintenance. Consistent with the decreased expression of cell wall maintenance genes observed with azf1Δ mutants, we observed a marked growth defect in the azf1Δ cells at 37°C in nonfermentable medium. Cell wall integrity assays, such as sensitivity to calcofluor white, sodium dodecyl sulfate, or caffeine, confirmed cell wall defects in azf1Δ mutants in nonfermentable medium. Gel shift experiments show that Azf1 binds to DNA elements with the sequence AAAAGAAA (A4GA3), a motif enriched in the promoters of Azf1-sensitive genes and predicted by whole-genome studies. This suggests that many of the Azf1-dependent transcripts may be regulated directly by Azf1 binding. We found that the levels of Azf1 protein in glucose-grown cells were comparable to Azf1 levels in cells grown in glycerol-lactate; however, this could only be demonstrated with a cell extraction procedure that minimizes proteolysis. Glucose produces conditions that destabilize the Azf1 protein, a finding that may reflect a glucose-induced change in Azf1 tertiary or quaternary structure.
The Completion Compulsion in Human Eating

Informal observation of the adult in the eating situation suggests that he eats in "units. " Voluntary intake seems to be governed by a kind of quantum principle. If real, this is of considerable psychological significance for there is little reason to believe that satiation, as the fulfillment of a bodily need, is in any sense a discontinuous process. Formal evidence for a sort of "completion compulsion" is found in striking fashion in a study recently completed by this author under contract with the Quartermaster Corps. In this experiment, male college students were fed nutritionally balanced meals in a small mess hall (lunch and supper only). All food items were served individually and in a particular quantity but Ss were free to eat any quantity and to reorder. The table summarizes the food intake habits of 23 Ss as recorded during
DP2 (CRTh2) Antagonism Reduces Ocular Inflammation Induced by Allergen Challenge and Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Background: Allergic conjunctivitis is characterized by itchy, watery and swollen eyes which occur in response to exposure to seasonal or environmental allergens. The early phase reaction of allergic conjunctivitis is primarily mediated by mast cell degranulation while the late phase reaction is driven by Th2 cells and eosinophils. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), released from mast cells, is present in allergic conjunctival tears and may elicit classical allergic responses via interaction with the high-affinity DP2 receptor (chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells, CRTh2). Furthermore, antagonism of this receptor is well known to inhibit eosinophil chemotaxis, basophil activation and Th2 cytokine production. PGD2, therefore, may be involved in both early and late phase reactions in response to allergen challenge. Methods: Thus, we explored whether our novel and selective DP2 antagonist AM156 would be efficacious in animal models of allergic conjunctivitis. Furthermore, as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic conjunctivitis, we examined the effects of DP2 antagonism in a murine model of RSV ocular infection. Results: Utilizing a guinea pig ovalbumin model and a murine ragweed model we demonstrated that AM156 reduces redness, discharge and swelling in response to allergen challenge. These effects were equal to or greater than those of current clinical treatment options for allergic conjunctivitis including topical corticosteroids and a dual-mechanism antihistamine and decongestant. AM156 significantly reduced RSV-induced ocular inflammation and IL-4 production. Conclusion: These results suggest that a topical DP2 antagonist such as AM156 may represent a novel therapeutic for allergic conjunctivitis.
Sensitivity analysis-based time gate selection procedure for biexponential fluorescence imaging

Fluorescence lifetime imaging is an essential analytical tool in studies of cells and tissues. Recently, translation of the technique from microscopy to in vivo or with augmented data (hyperspectral) is being developed. One major concern for these new implementations reside in the lengthy acquisition times required. Data reduction techniques are one approach to significantly reduce the imaging protocol times. Herein, a sensitivity analysis framework is developed for the multifaceted, high-dimensional problems of current and future applications of fluorescence imaging. This framework is applied to the temporal dimension of lifetime-based Förster resonance energy transfer imaging. Synthetic data is used to show acquisition time can be reduced by an order of magnitude with almost no decrease in parameter estimation accuracy.
Robust Sense-based Sentiment Classification

The new trend in sentiment classification is to use semantic features for representation of documents. We propose a semantic space based on WordNet senses for a supervised document-level sentiment classifier. Not only does this show a better performance for sentiment classification, it also opens opportunities for building a robust sentiment classifier. We examine the possibility of using similarity metrics defined on WordNet to address the problem of not finding a sense in the training corpus. Using three popular similarity metrics, we replace unknown synsets in the test set with a similar synset from the training set. An improvement of 6.2% is seen with respect to baseline using this approach.
The motivations underlying the use of technological innovations: new insights from projective techniques

Based on McClelland's theory of human motivation, we identify five motivations that may be relevant for the use of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Two projective techniques – Thematic Apperception Tests (TATs) and cartoon tests – are used to uncover the conscious and unconscious motivations of young adults to use these technologies and avoid any positivism bias and interviewer bias that may lead to overoptimistic or socially desired responses. Projective techniques allow us to capture the emotional reactions of individuals towards technological innovations, assess the influences of social networks and take into account the negative attitudes and resistances towards new technologies. The results show that WLAN provides a way to satisfy the needs for achievement and freedom, socialise with others and experience enjoyment. Concerning VoIP usage, the motives for affiliation, achievement and enjoyment are the most important acceptance drivers. These findings can be used to enrich the validity of forecasts for the success of new technologies, e.g., by using mixed-method research designs.
Rapid-Cycle PCR for Detection and Typing ofMycoplasma pneumoniae in Clinical Specimens

ABSTRACT We designed several new primers and modified previously described species- and type-specific primers targeting the Mycoplasma pneumoniae P1 adhesin gene. Optimized thermal profiles allowed one-step or nested PCR to be completed in less than 1 h. In 10 patients with pneumonia, M. pneumoniae type 1 was identified in 3 and type 2 in 7.
Apply GM(h, N) to cluster the influence factor in heart rate variability index evaluation using five-minute electrocardiogram

The purpose of this paper is to do the heart rate variability index(HRV) evaluation of human based on GM(h, N) in grey system theory, so as to construct an alarm sign for our health. This paper can be divided into four parts. First, the characteristics of heart rate variability index examination in human are presented, such as, pressure index (PSI), total power (TD), very low frequency (VLF), high frequency (HF), the standard deviation of the N-N interval (SDNN). Second, we present GM(h,N) as our mathematics model. Third, based on the mathematics model that we mentioned, to get the evaluation. Finally, we can provide the analyzed results become an alarm sign for human health.