Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunochemical detection of protein dityrosine in atherosclerotic lesion of apo-E-deficient mice using a novel monoclonal antibody.

Dityrosine is one of the specific biomarkers for proteinoxidation. We prepared an antibody specific for proteindityrosine using a dimer of 3-p-(hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid (di-HP) as a hapten. Three clones (A8, G6, and 1C3) were obtained, and the antibody from the A8 clone reacted with the di-HP-conjugated protein but not with a dityrosine conjugate. The others (G6 and 1C3 clones) recognized both the di-HP and dityrosine conjugates. The antibodies reacted with peptidyl dityrosine, derived from Thr-Tyr-Ser, rather than the free dityrosine. The reactivity of the latter two antibodies with lens proteins oxidized by incubation with H(2)O(2)/Cu was in good accordance with the formation of the dityrosine-like fluorescence. Using the obtained monoclonal antibody, the immunopositive staining of atherosclerotic lesions in Apo E-deficient mice was confirmed by an immunohistochemical technique.
Compulsive buying: An examination of the consumption motive

Recently, attempts to define the scope of compulsive consumption, a form of aberrant consumer behavior, have resulted in a proliferation of consumption behaviors identified as manifestations of compulsive consumption. However, Nataraajan and Goff (1992) indicated that this proliferation of studies has been marred by definition and measurement inconsistencies and proposed a typology that more appropriately distinguished various forms of compulsive consumption. There has also been a concomitant increase in research into the characteristics that distinguish compulsive from noncompulsive consumers (e.g., d'Astous, 1990; Faber & O'Guinn, 1988; Scherhorn, 1990). The current study adopts the definition framework presented by Nataraajan and Goff (1992) to generate and test hypotheses concerning one particular form of compulsive consumption: compulsive buying. Specifically, the study examined consumption behaviors, hypothesized to be exhibitive of consumers' consumption motives, as a method of differentiating compulsive from noncompulsive buyers. Consistent with the hypotheses, it was found that compulsive buyers were more likely to return products, to exhibit greater concern for store return policies, and to report higher return volumes than noncompulsive buyers. In addition, the compulsive buyer was not found to have significantly higher levels of nonstore purchases (i.e., teleshopping, direct mail, and direct sales) than noncompulsives. These findings were supportive of the Nataraajan and Goff (1992) assertion that various manifestations of compulsive consumption can be distinguished on the basis of the consumption motive. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Health-Related Quality of Life of Parents of Children With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

The physical and mental health-related quality of life (QOL) of 89 parents of children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs) was compared to the health-related QOL of 46 parents of children without disabilities. Parents completed a packet of surveys measuring demographics, parenting stress, coping, resources, and QOL. Results of t tests showed significant differences between the two groups for all variables. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that for parents of children with HFASDs, demographics and psychosocial variables accounted for a significant amount of variance for physical health-related QOL, with income, number of children, and stress being significant variables. Demographics and psychosocial variables also accounted for a significant amount of variance for parents’ mental health-related QOL, with income and stress being significant variables.
Team Diagnostic Survey

This article describes the development of the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS), an instrument intended for use both for the diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of work teams and for research on team behavior and performance. The TDS is based explicitly on existing research and theory about the conditions that foster team effectiveness. It provides an assessment of how well a team is structured, supported, and led as well as several indicators of members’ work processes and their affective reactions to the team and its work. The psychometric properties of the TDS are satisfactory, based on analyses of data from 2,474 members of 321 teams in a diversity of organizations. Appropriate uses of the instrument are discussed.
Vivid Imagers Are Better at Detecting Salient Changes

This study examined whether individual differences in the vividness of visual imagery influenced performance on a novel long-term change detection task. Participants were presented with a sequence of pictures, with each picture and its title displayed for 17 s, and then presented with changed or unchanged versions of those pictures and asked to detect whether the picture had been changed. Cuing the retrieval of the picture's image, by presenting the picture's title before the arrival of the changed picture, facilitated change detection accuracy. This suggests that the retrieval of the picture's representation immunizes it against overwriting by the arrival of the changed picture. The high and low vividness participants did not differ in overall levels of change detection accuracy. However, in replication of Gur and Hilgard (1975), high vividness participants were significantly more accurate at detecting salient changes to pictures compared to low vividness participants. The results suggest that vivid ima.
A controlled trial of extended radical versus radical mastectomy. Ten‐year results

In view of increasing debate over possible benefit of more complete surgery compared to conservative procedures, a randomized controlled trial contrasting the then standard Halsted radical (RDL) operation with the more complete extended radical (EXT) mastectomy was initiated in 1973. Between November 1973 and July 1982, 123 women younger than 70 years of age and at clinical Stages I and II were enrolled. Of the total series, 112 were treated by the same surgeon and confirmed pathologically as having invasive mammary carcinoma. In this more homogeneous subgroup, the 10‐year survival rates (and standard errors) were for RDL, 60% (±7%) and for EXT, 74% (±6%) (P value for comparison of survival curves = 0.13). In patients from this subgroup with central‐medial tumors, comprising 62% of the total, survival after RDL at 10 years was 60% (±8%), and after EXT 86% (±6%) (P = 0.025). In the remaining patients with lateral tumors, survival rates were unaffected by treatment: 58% (±13%) and 56% (±11%), respectively (P = 0.62). Comparison of a nonrandomized series of 266 RDL and 124 EXT patients treated between 1960 and 1978 found differences consistent with those of the randomized study, although not statistically significant.
Remifentanil and cyclooxygenase inhibitors interactions in the minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane in the rat.

BACKGROUND Intraoperative opioids reduce anaesthetic requirements and thus limit the side-effects derived from high doses of the latter. Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors can also be given but it remains unclear whether they further reduce the anaesthetic requirements. Our aim was to determine whether COX inhibitors potentiate the effect of remifentanil on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane anaesthetized rats. METHODS Male Wistar rats received remifentanil under sevoflurane anaesthesia, and the MAC was determined before and at two time intervals after, separated by 1.5 h. Rats were randomly allocated to receive paracetamol, metamizole, ketoprofen, or parecoxib just before one of the two studied time intervals. The MAC was determined from alveolar gas samples at the time of tail clamp. Data were analysed with an analysis of variance for repeated measures. RESULTS Paracetamol potentiated the MAC reduction produced by remifentanil in rats (P=0.002), whereas metamizole, ketoprofen, and parecoxib failed to produce such an effect. Furthermore, paracetamol and remifentanil produced a maximum degree of MAC reduction [35 (10)%] even when a tolerance effect to remifentanil was observed in animals given remifentanil alone (P<0.001). A tolerance to remifentanil was not observed when metamizole, ketoprofen, or parecoxib was given once the opioid infusion has been started (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS COX inhibitors differentially potentiate the analgesic effect produced by remifentanil on the sevoflurane MAC, and paracetamol was the most effective drug. However, since all COX inhibitors prevented a tolerance effect to opioids once it was established, intraoperative rather than preoperative administration of these drugs is suggested.
Efficient and Correct Programs that Share DENNIS SHASHA Execution of Parallel Memory

In this paper we consider an optimization problem that arises in the execution of parallel programs on shared-memory multiple-instruction-stream, multiple-data-stream (MIMD) computers. A program on such machines consists of many sequential program segments, each executed by a single processor. These segments interact as they access shared variables. Access to memory is asynchronous, and memory accesses are not necessarily executed in the order they were issued. An execution is correct if it is sequentially consistent: It should seem as if all the instructions were executed sequentially, in an order obtained by interleaving the instruction streams of the processors. Sequential consistency can be enforced by delaying each access to shared memory until the previous access of the same processor has terminated. For performance reasons, however, we want to allow several accesses by the same processor to proceed concurrently. Our analysis finds a minimal set of delays that enforces sequential consistency. The analysis extends to interprocessor synchronization constraints and to code where blocks of operations have to execute atomically. We use a conflict graph similar to that used to schedule transactions in distributed databases. Our graph incorporates the order on operations given by the program text, enabling us to do without locks even when database conflict graphs would suggest that locks are necessary. Our work has implications for the design of multiprocessors; it offers new compiler optimization techniques for parallel languages that support shared variables.
Extracting Arabic Causal Relations Using Linguistic Patterns

Identifying semantic relations is a crucial step in discourse analysis and is useful for many applications in both language and speech technology. Automatic detection of Causal relations therefore has gained popularity in the literature within different frameworks. The aim of this article is the automatic detection and extraction of Causal relations that are explicitly expressed in Arabic texts. To fulfill this goal, a Pattern Recognizer model was developed to signal the presence of cause--effect information within sentences from nonspecific domain texts. This model incorporates approximately 700 linguistic patterns so that parts of the sentence representing the cause and those representing the effect can be distinguished. The patterns were constructed based on different sets of syntactic features by analyzing a large untagged Arabic corpus. In addition, the model was boosted with three independent algorithms to deal with certain types of grammatical particles that indicate causation. With this approach, the proposed model achieved an overall recall of 81% and a precision of 78%. Evaluation results revealed that the justification particles play a key role in detecting Causal relations. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have been dedicated to dealing with this type of relation in the Arabic language.
Fisheye state routing: a routing scheme for ad hoc wireless networks

This paper presents a novel routing protocol for wireless ad hoc networks-fisheye state routing (FSR). FSR introduces the notion of multi-level fisheye scope to reduce routing update overhead in large networks. Nodes exchange link state entries with their neighbors with a frequency which depends on distance to destination. From link state entries, nodes construct the topology map of the entire network and compute optimal routes. Simulation experiments show that FSR is a simple, efficient and scalable routing solution in a mobile, ad hoc environment.
Variability of parvovirus B19 to inactivation by liquid heating in plasma products

Background and Objectives Previously, we reported that although human parvovirus B19 in albumin and intravenous immunoglobulin preparations was rapidly inactivated during liquid heating, in contrast to other parvoviruses such as canine parvovirus, sensitivity to heat was highly dependent on the composition of the solution. In this study, we aimed to further elucidate the sensitivity to heat of B19 in haptoglobin and antithrombin (previously named antithrombin III) preparations during liquid heating.
Overview of results of randomized clinical trials in heart disease. II. Unstable angina, heart failure, primary prevention with aspirin, and risk factor modification.

THIS is the second of a two-part article on the results of randomized trials of treatments designed to reduce mortality or major morbidity in heart disease. Our goal is to summarize the results of trials of common treatments on major outcomes in unstable angina, congestive heart failure, primary prevention with aspirin, and risk factor modification. This summary should provide useful background information against which clinicians must consider other information (eg, patient prognosis, risk of side effects, drug interactions, and specific clinical picture) in making decisions about individual patients. We do not deal in either article with trials of coronary artery bypass graft surgery for stable angina, trials of valve replacement, or congenital heart disease. The risk reductions are based on the odds ratio calculated by the Mantel-Haenszel method as applied to combining data from several trials. When event rates are low, the odds ratio and the relative risk are numerically
Vaginal Microbiome Characterization of Nellore Cattle Using Metagenomic Analysis

Understanding of microbial communities inhabiting cattle vaginal tract may lead to a better comprehension of bovine physiology and reproductive health being of great economic interest. Up to date, studies involving cattle microbiota are focused on the gastrointestinal tract, and little is known about the vaginal microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the vaginal microbiome in Nellore cattle, heifers and cows, pregnant and non-pregnant, using a culture independent approach. The main bacterial phyla found were Firmicutes (~40–50%), Bacteroidetes (~15–25%) and Proteobacteria (~5–25%), in addition to ~10–20% of non-classified bacteria. 45–55% of the samples were represented by only ten OTUs: Aeribacillus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Rikenella, Alistipes, Bacillus, Eubacterium, Prevotella and non-classified bacteria. Interestingly, microbiota from all 20 animals could be grouped according to the respiratory metabolism of the main OTUs found, creating three groups of vaginal microbiota in cattle. Archaeal samples were dominated by the Methanobrevibacter genus (Euryarchaeota, ~55–70%). Ascomycota was the main fungal phylum (~80–95%) and Mycosphaerella the most abundant genus (~70–85%). Hormonal influence was not clear, but a tendency for the reduction of bacterial and increase of archaeal populations in pregnant animals was observed. Eukaryotes did not vary significantly between pregnant and non-pregnant animals, but tended to be more abundant on cows than on heifers. The present work describes a great microbial variability in the vaginal community among the evaluated animals and groups (heifers and cows, pregnant and non-pregnant), which is significantly different from the findings previously reported using culture dependent methods, pointing out the need for further studies on this issue. The microbiome found also indicates that the vaginal colonization appears to be influenced by the gastrointestinal community.
Actin-Mediated Gene Expression Depends on RhoA and Rac1 Signaling in Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells

Morphological alterations of cells can lead to modulation of gene expression. An essential link is the MKL1-dependent activation of serum response factor (SRF), which translates changes in the ratio of G- and F-actin into mRNA transcription. SRF activation is only partially characterized in non-transformed epithelial cells. Therefore, the impact of GTPases of the Rho family and changes in F-actin structures were analyzed in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Activation of SRF signaling was compared to the regulation of a known MKL1/SRF target gene, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). In the human proximal tubular cell line HKC-8 overexpression of two actin mutants either favoring or preventing the formation of F-actin fibers regulated SRF-mediated transcription as well as CTGF expression. Only overexpression of constitutively active RhoA activated SRF-dependent gene expression whereas no effect was detected upon overexpression of Rac1 mutants. To elucidate the functional role of Rho kinases as downstream mediators of RhoA, pharmacological inhibition and genetic inhibition by transient siRNA knock down were compared. Upon stimulation with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) Rho kinase inhibitors partially suppressed SRF-mediated transcription, whereas interference with Rho kinase expression by siRNA reduced activation of SRF, but barely affected CTGF expression. Together with the partial inhibition of CTGF expression by the pharmacological inhibitors Y27432 and H1154, Rho kinases seem to be less important in mediating RhoA signaling related to CTGF expression in HKC-8 epithelial cells. Short term pharmacological inhibition of Rac1 activity by EHT1864 reduced SRF-dependent CTGF expression in HKC-8 cells, but was overcome by a stimulatory effect after prolonged incubation after 4-6 h. Similarly, human primary cells of proximal but not of distal tubular origin showed inhibitory as well as stimulatory effects of Rac1 inhibition. Thus, RhoA signaling activates MKL1-SRF-mediated CTGF expression in proximal tubular cells, whereas Rac1 signaling is more complex with adaptive cellular responses.
Regulation of intracellular calcium and calcium buffering properties of rat isolated neurohypophysial nerve endings.

1. Electrophysiological measurements of Ca2+ influx using patch clamp methodology were combined with fluorescent monitoring of the free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) to determine mechanisms of Ca2+ regulation in isolated nerve endings from the rat neurohypophysis. 2. Application of step depolarizations under voltage clamp resulted in voltage‐dependent calcium influx (ICa) and increase in the [Ca2+]i. The increase in [Ca2+]i was proportional to the time‐integrated ICa for low calcium loads but approached an asymptote of [Ca2+]i at large Ca2+ loads. These data indicate the presence of two distinct rapid Ca2+ buffering mechanisms. 3. Dialysis of fura‐2, which competes for Ca2+ binding with the endogenous Ca2+ buffers, reduced the amplitude and increased the duration of the step depolarization‐evoked Ca2+ transients. More than 99% of Ca2+ influx at low Ca2+ loads is immediately buffered by this endogenous buffer component, which probably consists of intracellular Ca2+ binding proteins. 4. The capacity of the endogenous buffer for binding Ca2+ remained stable during 300 s of dialysis of the nerve endings. These properties indicated that this Ca2+ buffer component was either immobile or of high molecular weight and slowly diffusible. 5. In the presence of large Ca2+ loads a second distinct Ca2+ buffer mechanism was resolved which limited increases in [Ca2+]i to approximately 600 nM. This Ca2+ buffer exhibited high capacity but low affinity for Ca2+ and its presence resulted in a loss of proportionality between the integrated ICa and the increase in [Ca2+]i. This buffering mechanism was sensitive to the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake inhibitor Ruthenium Red. 6. Basal [Ca2+]i, depolarization‐induced changes in [Ca2+]i and recovery of [Ca2+]i to resting levels following an induced increase in [Ca2+]i were unaffected by thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid, specific inhibitors of intracellular Ca(2+)‐ATPases. Caffeine and ryanodine were also without effect on Ca2+ regulation. 7. Evoked increases in [Ca2+]i, as well as rates of recovery from a Ca2+ load, were unaffected by the extracellular [Na+], suggesting a minimal role for Na(+)‐Ca2+ exchange in Ca2+ regulation in these nerve endings. 8. Application of repetitive step depolarizations for a constant period of stimulation resulted in a proportional frequency (up to 40 Hz)‐dependent increase in [Ca2+]i. On the other hand, for a constant number of stimuli a reduction in the [Ca2+]i. On the other hand, for a constant number of stimuli a reduction in the [Ca2+]i increase per impulse was observed at higher frequencies. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Compatible triangulations of spatial decompositions

We describe a general algorithm to produce compatible 3D triangulations from spatial decompositions. Such triangulations match edges and faces across spatial cell boundaries, solving several problems in graphics and visualization including the crack problem found in adaptive isosurface generation, triangulation of arbitrary grids (including unstructured grids), clipping, and the interval tetrahedrization problem. The algorithm produces compatible triangulations on a cell-by-cell basis, using a modified Delaunay triangulation with a simple point ordering rule to resolve degenerate cases and produce unique triangulations across cell boundaries. The algorithm is naturally parallel since it requires no neighborhood cell information, only a unique, global point numbering. We show application of this algorithm to adaptive contour generation; tetrahedrization of unstructured meshes; clipping and interval volume mesh generation.
Two Parameter Estimation Methods for Quantile-GARCH Models

In this article, we consider the parameter estimation problems in Quantile-GARCH model, a new GARCH type model proposed by Deng and Jiang (2004), which have been applied successfully in the empirical analysis in stock market, foreign exchange rate market and electricity market. In practice study, we found that only parameter estimation problem is effectively solved, the Quantile-GARCH model can be widely applied to other financial markets. The first parameter estimation method named two steps estimation is based on Hull and Yao (2003), while the second one named Quantile-Quantile estimation just explores a nice property of Quantile type GARCH models. By comparison, the two step method is more effective for Quantile-GARCH model.
Filtering Data for Detecting Differential Development

The amount of data available in the context of educational measurement has vastly increased in recent years. Such data are often incomplete, involve tests administered at different time points and during the course of many years, and can therefore be quite challenging to model. In addition, intermediate results like grades or report cards being available to pupils, teachers, parents, and policy makers might influence future performance, which adds to the modeling difficulties. We propose the use of simple data filters to obtain a reduced set of relevant data, which allows for simple checks on the relative development of persons, items, or both.