Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lower socioeconomic status among men in relation to the association between job strain and blood pressure.

OBJECTIVES This study attempted to determine whether the association between job strain (high job demands plus low job control) and blood pressure among men varies by socioeconomic status. METHODS The cross-sectional associations between job strain and ambulatory blood pressure, by level of education, occupational status, and income, and the interaction between job strain and these measures of socioeconomic status were assessed by multiple linear regression, adjusted for age, race or ethnicity, body mass index, alcohol use, smoking, standing position, and worksite for 283 men, aged 30-60 years, from eight worksites in New York City. RESULTS A substantial association between job strain and work ambulatory blood pressure was found among men with lower socioeconomic status, ranging from 2.7-11.8 mm Hg systolic to 1.9-6.1 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure, depending upon the measure of socioeconomic status examined. However, in the groups with high socioeconomic status, the association between job strain and ambulatory blood pressure at work was much smaller, the range in blood pressure being 0-5.3 (systolic) and 0.2-2.1 (diastolic) mm Hg. Two of the 10 tests of the interaction between job strain and socioeconomic status had a P-value of <0.05. CONCLUSIONS These data provide evidence that the relationship between job strain and blood pressure is greater among men with lower socioeconomic status.
Periodic and Aperiodic Synchronization in Skilled Action

Synchronized action is considered as a manifestation of shared skill. Most synchronized behaviors in humans and other animals are based on periodic repetition. Aperiodic synchronization of complex action is found in the experimental task of synchronous speaking, in which naive subjects read a common text in lock step. The demonstration of synchronized behavior without a periodic basis is presented as a challenge for theoretical understanding. A unified treatment of periodic and aperiodic synchronization is suggested by replacing the sequential processing model of cognitivist approaches with the more local notion of a task-specific sensorimotor coordination. On this view, skilled action is the imposition of constraints on the co-variation of movement and sensory flux such that the boundary conditions that define the skill are met. This non-cognitivist approach originates in the work of John Dewey. It allows a unification of the treatment of sensorimotor synchronization in simple rhythmic behavior and in complex skilled behavior and it suggests that skill sharing is a uniquely human trait of considerable import.
Improving the physical diagnosis skills of third-year medical students

AbstractOBJECTIVE: To determine if a literature-based physical diagnosis curriculum could improve student knowledge, skill, and self-confidence in physical diagnosis. DESIGN: Prospective controlled trial of an educational intervention. SETTING: Required internal medicine clerkship for third-year medical students at Brown Medical School. PARTICIPANTS: Third-year medical students who completed the internal medicine clerkship during the academic year 1999–2000: 32 students at 1 clerkship site received the intervention; a total of 50 students at 3 other clerkship sites served as controls. INTERVENTION: Physical diagnosis curriculum based on 8 articles from the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Rational Clinical Examination series. Intervention students met weekly for 1 hour with a preceptor to review each article, discuss the sensitivity and specificity of the maneuvers and findings, and practice the techniques with an inpatient who agreed to be visited and examined. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Physical diagnosis knowledge for the 8 topics was evaluated using a 22-item multiple choice question quiz, skill was evaluated using trained evaluators, and self-confidence was assessed using an end-of-clerkship survey. Intervention students scored significantly higher than the control group on the knowledge quiz (mean correct score 70% vs 63%, P=.002), skills assessment (mean correct score 90% vs 54%, P<.001), and self-confidence score (mean total score 40 vs 35, P=.003), and they expressed greater satisfaction with the physical diagnosis teaching they received in the clerkship. CONCLUSION: This physical diagnosis curriculum was successful in improving students’ knowledge, skill, and self-confidence in physical diagnosis.
The puzzling origin of the 6Li plateau

We discuss the 6Li abundance evolution within a hierarchical model of Galaxy formation which correctly reproduces the [Fe/H] distribution of metal-poor halo stars. Contrary to previous findings, we find that neither the level (6Li/H = 6 × 10−12) nor the flatness of the 6Li distribution with [Fe/H] can be reproduced under the most favourable conditions by any model in which 6Li production is tied to a (data-constrained) Galactic star formation rate via cosmic ray spallation. Thus, the origin of the plateau might be due to some other early mechanism unrelated to star formation.
Exploring the Perceptual Causes of Search Set-Size Effects in Complex Scenes

We explored search set-size effects in the context of scenes, where objects are difficult to delineate and define. Observers searched for a tank target in landscape scenes populated by boulder, shrub, and tree distractors, which varied in their color and size similarity to the target. Scenes contained either 75 or 125 distractors. In two experiments we found that adding boulder or shrub distractors that were similar to the target in color and in size produced a consistent set-size effect, but adding distractors that were similar to the target only in size did not. Tree distractors, which were larger than the target, also produced a set-size effect regardless of whether they had a target-similar color (experiment 1) or not (experiment 2). In a third experiment we varied target-tree color similarity and tree color heterogeneity and found no change in search efficiency. We interpret these data as evidence for two independent sources of set-size effects in scenes, one subject to target–distractor similarity relationships (shrubs/boulders) and the other reflecting overall visual clutter (trees), with these latter clutter effects definable by edge content.
Immunopurification and characterization of a neuronal heparan sulfate proteoglycan

We have identified a unique heparan sulfate (HeS) proteoglycan synthesized by the neuronal-like cell line PC12. The proteoglycan, purified with monoclonal antibodies from medium conditioned by PC12 cells, has an apparent molecular weight of 350,000, and it contains a Mr 80,000 core protein and HeS side chains of Mr 15,000 each. The purified molecule has the same apparent size and density as it has in conditioned medium. HeS proteoglycans that are indistinguishable antigenically but very difficult to solubilize are found on the external surface and in the interior of PC12 cells and neurons. Mild proteolysis converts the surface proteoglycan into a molecule closely resembling that found in the medium. The same surface antigens are also present on a subpopulation of T-cells and on a non-neuronal accessory cell found in dorsal root ganglion cultures. The PC12 cell line and the non-neuronal dorsal root ganglion cells secrete a factor into medium that, after adsorption to polylysine-coated surfaces, induces rapid neurite out-growth by primary sympathetic neurons. The monoclonal antibodies used to purify the neuronal HeS proteoglycan from PC12 cells are capable of depleting this conditioned medium of its neurite- promoting activity. These studies suggest that a HeS proteoglycan synthesized and secreted by neurons and certain accessory cells plays a role in regulating neurite outgrowth.
Succesvolle psychotherapie: Praten, maar vooral ook oefenen

Volgens zowel traditionele als moderne opvattingen over psychopathologie bestaan psychische stoornissen uit verstoringen in de beleving. Bij de behandeling van stoornissen gebruikt men tegenwoordig inzichten uit biologisch, genetisch en neurocognitief onderzoek. Verstoringen of adaptaties in automatische cognitieve processen spelen een belangrijke rol bij het ontstaan en aanhouden van psychische stoornissen. De auteurs betogen dat het van het grootste belang is te beseffen dat deze verstoringen slechts beperkt vatbaar zijn voor beinvloeding door praten in psychotherapie. Iemand met logische argumeten ervan overtuigen dat bepaalde opvattingen ongegrond zijn, heeft beperkte therapeutische waarde. Door specifieke, systematische training in combinatie met praten, veranderen cognities.
Work, consumption and the self in the UK retail book trade

This thesis uses the empirical setting of the UK retail book trade to critically assess sociological accounts of work and consumption and their relationship to the self. Drawing on talk with bookshop workers, representations of the book-trade and trade press, it examines the ways in which the book-trade is historically constructed, both as a market for symbolic goods and as a distinctive type of workplace. This distinctiveness is put to use by both firms and workers in the organisation of production and in the construction of occupational identities. Its roots, though, are in the historical construction of the idea of self, drawn from romanticism, and a view of culture as related to notions of self-development. A key element of the romantic self (Campbell 1983, 1987) is its critical distance from the market and from processes of commodity exchance. As such, the creation and distribution of cultural material is rhetorically removed from broader processes of production and consumption. In the context of the book trade this generates tensions between cultural and commercial imperatives which feed into employment relationships. Books and reading are also examined as particular types of objects and activity that have been discursively associated with the development of self. These associations allow for particular orientations to work in the retain book industry which problematise accounts of the self as diminished or colonised in the context of the retail or service environment. Whilst accounts of the contemporary workplace emphasise the extent to which the 'selves' of workers are shaped by managerial initiatives, the example of the retail book trade suggests that worker conceptions of the self allow for critical distance from aspects of the employment relationship and for the aesthetic appreciation of work experiences. Rather than exemplifying the reflexive self of late-modernity, this thesis argues that this bookselling self is also embedded in relationships of cultural capital (Bourdieu 1984, 1996).
Effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on inhibitory and executive control over prepotent responses in Parkinson's disease

Inhibition of inappropriate, habitual or prepotent responses is an essential component of executive control and a cornerstone of self-control. Via the hyperdirect pathway, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) receives inputs from frontal areas involved in inhibition and executive control. Evidence is reviewed from our own work and the literature suggesting that in Parkinson's disease (PD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the STN has an impact on executive control during attention-demanding tasks or in situations of conflict when habitual or prepotent responses have to be inhibited. These results support a role for the STN in an inter-related set of processes: switching from automatic to controlled processing, inhibitory and executive control, adjusting response thresholds and influencing speed-accuracy trade-offs. Such STN DBS-induced deficits in inhibitory and executive control may contribute to some of the psychiatric problems experienced by a proportion of operated cases after STN DBS surgery in PD. However, as no direct evidence for such a link is currently available, there is a need to provide direct evidence for such a link between STN DBS-induced deficits in inhibitory and executive control and post-surgical psychiatric complications experienced by operated patients.
Less Biased Under Threat? Self‐Verificatory Reactions to Social Identity Threat Among Groups With Negative Self‐Stereotypes1

According to social identity theory, when group status is threatened, highly committed group members respond with greater in-group favoritism. However, some of the groups build their identities on negative self-stereotypes. For such groups, status-threatening information should lead their members to confirmation of the group's negative self-image. Study 1 examined the effects of group-directed threat in a group with a long tradition of negative self-perception. The manipulation led participants to higher ratings of the out-group, and reduced adherence to in-group-defending ideologies. Study 2 provided further support to our predictions: Participants holding negative self-stereotypes reacted to group-image threats with more positive feelings about out-groups. Findings are discussed within the theoretical framework of social identity theory and self-verification theory.
Continuity, Choice and Opportunity: University Study in Retirement.

Analyses of human ageing and adjustment to retirement have frequently made use of continuity theory as a conceptual framework. This is especially useful in analysing participation in education in later life. Concepts from this literature were explored in interviews with 21 people aged 60 or over who were registered as students at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. The study is part of the Education in Mid and Later Life' research project, which included all students aged 40-plus at the university. The interviews provided information on the group's initial education and family of origin, subsequent educational experience, and the choices which surrounded the decision to take up university study after retirement. The analysis supports ideas on continuity in the life course. However, it also emphasises the part played by choice and opportunity and suggests that these concepts can also add to our understanding of educational involvement in later life
Proteolytically Inactive Insulin-Degrading Enzyme Inhibits Amyloid Formation Yielding Non-Neurotoxic Aβ Peptide Aggregates

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is a neutral Zn2+ peptidase that degrades short peptides based on substrate conformation, size and charge. Some of these substrates, including amyloid β (Aβ) are capable of self-assembling into cytotoxic oligomers. Based on IDE recognition mechanism and our previous report of the formation of a stable complex between IDE and intact Aβ in vitro and in vivo, we analyzed the possibility of a chaperone-like function of IDE. A proteolytically inactive recombinant IDE with Glu111 replaced by Gln (IDEQ) was used. IDEQ blocked the amyloidogenic pathway of Aβ yielding non-fibrillar structures as assessed by electron microscopy. Measurements of the kinetics of Aβ aggregation by light scattering showed that 1) IDEQ effect was promoted by ATP independent of its hydrolysis, 2) end products of Aβ-IDEQ co-incubation were incapable of “seeding” the assembly of monomeric Aβ and 3) IDEQ was ineffective in reversing Aβ aggregation. Moreover, Aβ aggregates formed in the presence of IDEQ were non-neurotoxic. IDEQ had no conformational effects upon insulin (a non-amyloidogenic protein under physiological conditions) and did not disturb insulin receptor activation in cultured cells. Our results suggest that IDE has a chaperone-like activity upon amyloid-forming peptides. It remains to be explored whether other highly conserved metallopeptidases have a dual protease-chaperone function to prevent the formation of toxic peptide oligomers from bacteria to mammals.
Coenzyme Q Induces Tau Aggregation, Tau Filaments, and Hirano Bodies

Abstract Tau aggregation is a common feature of tauopathies such as Alzheimer disease (AD). In AD, tau assembles into fibrillar polymers; it may also be present in other aberrant aggregates, including Hirano bodies. The mechanisms leading to tau polymerization in vivo are not understood. In this study, we found that coenzyme Q (ubiquinone) facilitates tau aggregation after binding to tau molecules at the region of the tau molecule involved in self-assembly. Consequently, after tau-tau interactions, this region is masked in fibrillar tau polymers. Further in vitro studies showed that ubiquinone facilitates the interaction of tau protein with actin to form structures that are morphologically similar to Hirano bodies. Finally, studies in AD brains show that Hirano bodies react with an antibody raised against ubiquinone, indicating that ubiquinone is a component of Hirano bodies. Taken together, the in vitro models and findings in AD suggest that in the presence of ubiquinone, Hirano bodies may result from the interaction of actin and other proteins, including tau.
Automated detection of session management vulnerabilities in web applications

Many web applications employ session management to keep track of visitors' activities across pages and over periods of time. A session is a period of time linked to a visitor, which is initiated when he/she arrives at a web application and it ends when his/her browser is closed or after a certain time of inactivity. Attackers can hijack a user's session by exploiting session management vulnerabilities by means of session fixation and cross-site request forgery attacks. Even though such session management vulnerabilities can be eliminated in the development phase of web applications, the test operator is required to have detailed knowledge on the attacks and to set up a test environment each time he/she attempts to detect vulnerabilities. We propose a technique that automatically detects session management vulnerabilities in web applications by simulating real attacks. Our technique requires the test operator to only enter a few pieces of basic information about the web application, without requiring a test environment to be set up or detailed knowledge on the web application. Our experiments demonstrated that our technique could detect vulnerabilities in five web applications deployed in the real world.
In Vitro Activities of Voriconazole, Itraconazole, and Terbinafine Alone or in Combination against Pythium insidiosum Isolates from Brazil

ABSTRACT We evaluated the in vitro activities of voriconazole, itraconazole, and terbinafine against 30 clinical isolates of Pythium insidiosum using a checkerboard macrodilution method. The combined activity of terbinafine plus itraconazole or plus voriconazole was synergic against 17% of the strains. Antagonism was not observed.
Comparison of anal cancer outcomes in public and private hospital patients treated at a single radiation oncology center.

OBJECTIVE To compare clinical and treatment characteristics and outcomes in locally advanced anal cancer, a potentially curable disease, in patients referred from a public or private hospital. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 112 anal cancer patients from a public and a private hospital who received definitive chemoradiotherapy at the same cancer center between 2004 and 2013. Tumor stage, radiotherapy delay, radiotherapy duration, and unplanned treatment breaks ≥10 days were compared using t-test and χ(2) test. Overall survival (OS), disease free survival (DFS), and colostomy free survival (CFS) were examined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard models for OS and DFS were developed. RESULTS The follow-up was 14.9 months (range, 0.7-94.8 months). Public hospital patients presented with significantly higher clinical T stage (P<0.05) and clinical stage group (P<0.05), had significantly longer radiotherapy delays (P<0.05) and radiotherapy duration (P<0.05), and had more frequent radiation therapy (RT) breaks ≥10 days (P<0.05). Three-year OS showed a marked trend in favor of private hospital patients for 3-year OS (72.8% vs. 48.9%; P=0.171), 3-year DFS (66.3% vs. 42.7%, P=0.352), and 3-year CFS (86.4% vs. 68.9%, P=0.299). Referral hospital was not predictive of OS or DFS on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Public hospital patients presented at later stage and experienced more delays in initiating and completing radiotherapy, which may contribute to the trend in poorer DFS and OS. These findings emphasize the need for identifying clinical and treatment factors that contribute to decreased survival in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations.
Influence of intestinal bacteria on induction of regulatory T cells: lessons from a transfer model of colitis

Background: The resident flora plays a critical role in initiation and perpetuation of intestinal inflammation, as demonstrated in experimental models of colitis where animals fail to develop disease under germ free conditions. However, the importance of exposure to commensal bacteria before the onset of colitis is unclear. Our aim was to investigate the influence of previous exposure of donor animals to bacterial antigens on colitis development using a transfer model. Methods: Clinical course and histology were evaluated after transfer of CD4+CD62L+ lymphocytes from germ free and conventionally housed donor mice into SCID recipients. Cotransfer of CD4+CD62L+ cells with CD4+CD62L− lymphocytes from both groups of mice was initiated. Lymphocytes were analysed by FACS, polarisation potential of cells determined, and cytokines measured within the supernatant by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Animals that received cells from germ free donors developed an earlier onset of colitis compared with mice reconstituted with lymphocytes from conventionally housed animals. Additionally, CD4+CD62L− cells from germ free mice were not able to abrogate colitis induced by cotransfer with CD4+CD62L+ lymphocytes whereas CD4+CD62L− T cells from normal mice ameliorated disease. The higher percentage of CD4+GITR+ expressing lymphocytes and the production of interleukin 10 after priming by dendritic cells suggests the presence of Treg cells within the CD4+CD62L+ lymphocyte subset derived from conventional housed mice and assumes a lack of Treg cells within germ free mice. Conclusion: The results indicate that bacterial antigens are crucial for the generation and/or expansion of Treg cells in a healthy individual. Therefore, bacterial colonisation is of great importance in maintaining the immunological balance.
Content based Image Retrieval using Wavelet based Multi-resolution Analysis

Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) is an emerging area of engineering application focusing on algorithms and methods to extract image features from a query image and retrieve similar images from large archives. It has found extensive application in medical imaging for both retrieval and automatic archiving. In this paper it is proposed to extract features using wavelet based multiresolution analysis and measure the classification accuracy of Naive Bayes and K Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) algorithm