Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of attachment in influencing reactions to manipulated feedback from romantic partners

A study of 80 couples (mean age 24) examined the impact of attachment patterns on reactions to manipulated positive or negative feedback, ostensibly from partners. As expected, individuals high in attachment anxiety reported more negative mood and the least indifference to partner feedback. In addition, those high in attachment anxiety reported more negative reactions to negative feedback compared to those low in anxiety. Those high in attachment anxiety reported lower self-competence after receiving negative feedback than those low in anxiety. Further, reactions to manipulated feedback mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and self-competence. Attachment models play a role in determining reactions to partner feedback and moderate how feedback is used to maintain self-views.
Betaseron for multiple sclerosis. Implications for therapeutics.

Following anopen hearing in March 1993, an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended approval of a new therapy for exacerbating-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). Betaseron, it was reported, not only reduced the annual exacerbation rate by about 35% but also significantly slowed increasing plaque burden measured by serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The atmosphere at this extraordinary hearing was a bizarre combination of medicine, politics, and finance. The room was filled with patient advocates, neurologists, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry representatives, and financial analysts armed with cellular telephones. Stock prices for Chiron, the manufacturer of Betaseron, fluctuated during the hearing, along with the hopes and fears of patients; but by the end of the day, the advisory panel had determined that Betaseron was both safe and effective for the treatment of exacerbating-remitting MS. Significantly, approval was heavily supported by an objective test—MRI—that corroborated the clinical findings.
Pressure-induced regulation of IL-6 in retinal glial cells: involvement of the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway and NFkappaB.

PURPOSE To investigate how hydrostatic pressure influences regulation of interleukin (IL)-6 by retinal glia and whether this regulation is associated with the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway (UPP) and activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)kappaB. METHODS Astrocytes and microglia isolated from rat retina were maintained in vitro, and the IL-6 concentration in the media at ambient and elevated pressure were compared, with and without the proteasome inhibitor MG132 (10 microM). Immunocytochemistry was used to correlate translocation of NFkappaB with pressure. RESULTS Exposure to elevated pressure for 24 hours maximally altered the concentration of media IL-6 of glia cultures, where IL-6 concentrations decreased in astrocyte cultures and increased in microglia cultures. These pressure-induced changes in IL-6 were largely insensitive to MG132 in astrocytes, but were largely MG132-sensitive in microglia. Like IL-6 regulation, pressure-induced activation of NFkappaB also differed between the two glial cell types, where nuclear localization of NFkappaB was transient in astrocytes, but sustained in microglia. Elevated pressure also increased MG132-sensitive expression of IL-6 mRNA by microglia. CONCLUSIONS Though pressure-induced regulation of IL-6 by astrocytes is preceded by NFkappaB translocation, it is not altered by MG132 and therefore is not likely to be regulated by NFkappaB or the UPP. In contrast, pressure-induced regulation of IL-6 protein and mRNA by microglia is preceded by NFkappaB translocation and is sensitive to MG132. Together with precedence in the literature, these data suggest that pressure-induced activation of the UPP leads to transcription of IL-6 driven by NFkappaB.
Randomized control trial: Comparison of Triple Therapy plus Probiotic Yogurt vs. Standard Triple Therapy on Helicobacter Pylori Eradication

Background Treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as a major cause of gastric diseases is of utmost concern.We aimed to assess efficacy of triple therapy (amoxicillin, clarithromycin and pantoprazole) plus probiotic yogurt (PY) on eradication of H.pylori. Methods Total 102 H. pylori positive patients were divided to 3 groups equally and randomly. For treatment of each group Amoxicillin, clarithromycin and pantoprazole were used. Group A had additional PY, Group B ordinary low fat yogurt and Group C just had triple therapy in their regimen as well. These groups were compared regarding treatment success. Results Total number of 88 patients finished the treatment course. The most common experienced side effects were dysgeusia in groups A and B (25.8% and 32.3%, respectively), and dysgeusia with diarrhea and abdominal pain (30.8%) in group C. Eradication rate was, respectively, 61.3%, 64.5% and 71.3% in group A, B and C of which difference was not statistically significant (P> 0.05). However, the difference between 3 groups in regard to education level was statistically significant (P=0.005). Conclusion PY enriched triple therapy has decreased side effects of antibiotics consumption; however, this has no impact on eradication of Hpylori. PY and triple therapy can be used concomitantly to increase the patient tolerance.
Traction control for electric vehicles: A novel control scheme

Traction control is critical to avoid loss of control on low-adhesion road surfaces. Electric vehicles have faster torque response derived from the motor, as well as more flexible powertrains with in-wheel motors, which can significantly improve the dynamic control performance. We propose a novel traction control scheme for electric vehicles. A judgment unit of the slip ratio is designed after the error calculation. The driver's handling on the pedal is superimposed on the control output of the slip controller to coordinate the driver's handling. Further, combined feedforward plus feedback control is designed to eliminate the steady error and improve the dynamics. The control performance is evaluated with co-simulation based on ADAMS and MATLAB SIMULINK for high fidelity.
Teachers’ engagement with published research: addressing the knowledge problema

Despite the increased interest in research impact, there is very little empirical evidence that educational research can inform practice directly, and furthermore, a body of literature which suggests that this is, in principle, impossible. This paper reports on a study in which secondary school teachers were given research findings about teaching gifted and talented students, and were supported, over a 12-month period, to incorporate findings into action research projects of their own devising. A theoretical framework from the research literature was used to investigate the process by which knowledge generated from research, was transformed into teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, thereby influencing the curriculum, pedagogy and provision for these students. Evidence suggests that teachers transformed propositional knowledge into practical knowledge by developing their conceptual understandings; they transformed abstract, impersonal knowledge into context-specific, personal knowledge by using cases from their previous experiences, and they transformed narrowly focused knowledge into broadly focused knowledge by imaginatively diffusing it into areas beyond those in the original research. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Integrating Application of Media Effects, Persuasion, and Behavior Change Theories to Communication Campaigns: A Stages-of-Change Framework

A central problem in the planning of communication campaigns to change health behaviors is how to identify and apply appropriate communication, persuasion, and behavior change theories to overcome obstacles to behavior change. The stages-of-change model (Prochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross, 1992) provides a framework for integrating theories of media effects, such as agenda setting and multistep flow; theories of persuasion, such as the elaboration likelihood model and protection motivation theory; and theories of behavior change, such as the theory of reasoned action, social cognitive theory, and attitude accessibility, for communication campaign purposes. Implications for audience segmentation, selection of objectives, campaign strategy, and message design are discussed.
RES FED high gain DC-DC converter with closed loop control for induction motor drive

Renewable energy sources (RES's) is the major source of electrical energy in future, the available renewable energy systems are solar, wind, fuel cell out of these solar system is most popularly used because this source hugely available in nature, this renewable energy source (RES) is most in demand for agricultural, industrial applications. In the agricultural field renewable energy source (RES) is feeding the motor, to have high efficiency for the motor. Motor is design for high voltage, where as to have high efficiency for solar system it is designed for low voltage. SO we need low voltage to high voltage converter. Various high voltage gain dc-dc converters are proposed in the literature out of those hybrid boost converter is chosen because of its simplicity and high voltage gain. This paper mainly proposes the integration of PV system with dc-dc converter and dc-ac inverter feeding an induction motor drive. The converter is controlled on closed loop to maintain output voltage constant. Even inputs sun radiations are varying. A Matlab/ Simulink models are developed for high gain dc-dc converter drive applications.
Biological constraints simplify the recognition of hand shapes

This study sought to identify constraints that might lead to a concise system of recognizing fingerspelling hand shapes. Previous studies of grasping suggested that hand shape is controlled using combinations of a small number of neuromuscular synergies, but fingerspelling shapes appear to be more highly individuated and, therefore, might require a larger number of degrees of freedom. Static hand postures of the American Sign Language manual alphabet were recorded by measuring 17 joint angles. Principal components (PCs) analysis was compared to the use of subsets of individual variables (i.e., joint angles) for reduction in degrees of freedom. The first four PCs were similar across subjects. Classification using weightings from these four components was 86.6% accurate, while classification using four individual variables was 88.5% accurate (thumb abduction, as well as flexion at the index and middle finger proximal interphalangeal joints and the ring finger metacarpalphalangeal joint). When chosen for each subject, particular four-variable subsets yielded correct rates above 95%. This superior performance of variable subsets over PC weighting vectors suggests that the reduction in degrees of freedom is due to biomechanical and neuromuscular constraints rather than synergistic control. Thus, in future application to dynamic fingerspelling, reasonable recognition accuracy might be achieved with a significant reduction in both computational and measured degrees of freedom.
Survival Mechanisms Used by Some Leishmania Species to Escape Neutrophil Killing

Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocytes in human blood. Upon microbial infection, they are massively and rapidly recruited from the circulation to sites of infection where they efficiently kill pathogens. To this end, neutrophils possess a variety of weapons that can be mobilized and become effective within hours following infection. However, several microbes including some Leishmania spp. have evolved a variety of mechanisms to escape neutrophil killing using these cells as a basis to better invade the host. In addition, neutrophils are also present in unhealing cutaneous lesions where their role remains to be defined. Here, we will review recent progress in the field and discuss the different strategies applied by some Leishmania parasites to escape from being killed by neutrophils and as recently described for Leishmania mexicana, even replicate within these cells. Subversion of neutrophil killing functions by Leishmania is a strategy that allows parasite spreading in the host with a consequent deleterious impact, transforming the primary protective role of neutrophils into a deleterious one.
Recessive mutations in the INS gene result in neonatal diabetes through reduced insulin biosynthesis

Heterozygous coding mutations in the INS gene that encodes preproinsulin were recently shown to be an important cause of permanent neonatal diabetes. These dominantly acting mutations prevent normal folding of proinsulin, which leads to beta-cell death through endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis. We now report 10 different recessive INS mutations in 15 probands with neonatal diabetes. Functional studies showed that recessive mutations resulted in diabetes because of decreased insulin biosynthesis through distinct mechanisms, including gene deletion, lack of the translation initiation signal, and altered mRNA stability because of the disruption of a polyadenylation signal. A subset of recessive mutations caused abnormal INS transcription, including the deletion of the C1 and E1 cis regulatory elements, or three different single base-pair substitutions in a CC dinucleotide sequence located between E1 and A1 elements. In keeping with an earlier and more severe beta-cell defect, patients with recessive INS mutations had a lower birth weight (−3.2 SD score vs. −2.0 SD score) and were diagnosed earlier (median 1 week vs. 10 weeks) compared to those with dominant INS mutations. Mutations in the insulin gene can therefore result in neonatal diabetes as a result of two contrasting pathogenic mechanisms. Moreover, the recessively inherited mutations provide a genetic demonstration of the essential role of multiple sequence elements that regulate the biosynthesis of insulin in man.
Factors associated with sexual risk-taking behaviors among adolescents.

The author examines factors which distinguish between sexually active adolescents who are at risk for pregnancy and for sexually transmitted diseases and sexually active teens who are at lower risk for these outcomes. Study findings are based upon a representative survey of 2567 13-19 year-olds in twelve school districts in four rural Midwestern counties. This number accounts for 89% of all students who were present on the day the survey was administered. Only 114 of the students were over age 17. Half of the sample is male and 98% is white. 73% were living with both biological or adoptive parents 13.2% were living with a parent and stepparent 12.3% were living with only one parent and the remaining 1.5% were living with both parents alternately. 9.2% of 10th grade females and 18.6% of 12th grade females reported having had four or more partners while 15.8% of 10th grade males and 22.2% of 12th grade males reported the same number of partners. Many adolescents do not use contraception reliably. Sexual risk takers were found to fare more poorly than abstainers on nearly every variable examined and they also fared less well than more responsible sexually active teens on several measures. Factors associated with sexual risk taking among females included low grade point average (GPA) frequent alcohol consumption low levels of parental monitoring and a lack of communication about birth control with mothers. Among males sexual risk taking was associated with low GPA frequent alcohol consumption suicidal ideations low levels of parental support and a history of sexual abuse.
Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression in Macrophages Plays a Beneficial Role in Atherosclerosis

Heme oxygenase (HO-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of heme, which leads to the generation of biliverdin, iron, and carbon monoxide. It has been shown to have important antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties that result in a vascular antiatherogenic effect. To determine whether HO-1 expression in macrophages constitutes a significant component of the protective role in atherosclerosis, we evaluated the effect of decreased or absent HO-1 expression in peritoneal macrophages on oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro, and the effect of complete deficiency of HO-1 expression in macrophages in atherosclerotic lesion formation in vivo. We found that compared with HO-1+/+ controls, peritoneal macrophages from HO-1−/− and HO-1+/− mice exhibited (1) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, (2) increased proinflammatory cytokines such as monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and (3) increased foam cell formation when treated with oxLDL, attributable in part to increased expression of scavenger receptor A (SR-A). Bone marrow transplantation experiments performed in lethally irradiated LDL-R null female mice, reconstituted with bone marrow from HO-1−/− versus HO-1+/+ mice, revealed that HO-1−/− reconstituted animals exhibited atherosclerotic lesions with a greater macrophage content as evaluated by immunohistochemistry and planimetric assessment. We conclude that HO-1 expression in macrophages constitutes an important component of the antiatherogenic effect by increasing antioxidant protection and decreasing the inflammatory component of atherosclerotic lesions.
Front-end electronics for the RatCAP mobile animal PET scanner

We report on the development of the front-end electronics for rat conscious animal positron emission tomography (RatCAP), a portable and miniature positron emission tomography scanner. The application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is realized in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor 0.18 /spl mu/m technology and is composed of 32 channels of charge sensitive preamplifier, third-order semi-Gaussian bipolar shaper, timing discriminator with independent channel adjustable threshold, and a 32-line address serial encoder to minimize the number of interconnections between the camera and the data acquisition system. Each chip has a maximum power dissipation of 125 mW. A mathematical model of the timing resolution as a function of the noise and slope at the discrimination point as well as the photoelectron statistics was developed and validated. So far, three ASIC prototypes implementing part of the electronics were sent to fabrication. Results from the characterization of the first two prototypes are presented and discussed.
Object Detection by K-Connected Seed Competition

The notion of "strength of connectedness" between pixels has been successfully used in image segmentation. We present an extension to these works, which can considerably increase the efficiency of object definition tasks. A set of pixels is said a ê-connected component with respect to a seed pixel when the strength of connectedness of any pixel in that set with respect to the seed is higher than or equal to a threshold. While the previous approaches either assume no competition with a single threshold for all seeds or eliminate the threshold for seed competition, we found that seed competition with different thresholds can reduce the number of seeds and the need for user interaction during segmentation. We also propose automatic and user-friendly interactive methods for determining the thresholds. The improvements are demonstrated through several segmentation experiments involving medical images.
Protein Phosphatase 2A as a Therapeutic Target in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous malignant disorder of hematopoietic progenitor cells in which several genetic and epigenetic aberrations have been described. Despite progressive advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of this disease, the outcome for most patients is poor. It is, therefore, necessary to develop more effective treatment strategies. Genetic aberrations affecting kinases have been widely studied in AML; however, the role of phosphatases remains underexplored. Inactivation of the tumor-suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is frequent in AML patients, making it a promising target for therapy. There are several PP2A inactivating mechanisms reported in this disease. Deregulation or specific post-translational modifications of PP2A subunits have been identified as a cause of PP2A malfunction, which lead to deregulation of proliferation or apoptosis pathways, depending on the subunit affected. Likewise, overexpression of either SET or cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A, endogenous inhibitors of PP2A, is a recurrent event in AML that impairs PP2A activity, contributing to leukemogenesis progression. Interestingly, the anticancer activity of several PP2A-activating drugs (PADs) depends on interaction/sequestration of SET. Preclinical studies show that pharmacological restoration of PP2A activity by PADs effectively antagonizes leukemogenesis, and that these drugs have synergistic cytotoxic effects with conventional chemotherapy and kinase inhibitors, opening new possibilities for personalized treatment in AML patients, especially in cases with SET-dependent inactivation of PP2A. Here, we review the role of PP2A as a druggable tumor suppressor in AML.
The Use of Spatial Relations in Referring Expression Generation

There is a prevailing assumption in the literature on referring expression generation that relations are used in descriptions only 'as a last resort', typically on the basis that including the second entity in the relation introduces an additional cognitive load for either speaker or hearer. In this paper, we describe an experiemt that attempts to test this assumption; we determine that, even in simple scenes where the use of relations is not strictly required in order to identify an entity, relations are in fact often used. We draw some conclusions as to what this means for the development of algorithms for the generation of referring expressions.
Effect of intravenous prostaglandin E2 on platelet function, coagulation, and fibrinolysis

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was infused intravenously to eight women for the termination of pregnancy and tests of platelet function: coagulation and fibrinolysis were studied before and during the infusion. Platelet adhesiveness, as measured by a cellophane membrane test-cell system, was significantly diminished by PGE2, a change which was not noted by the glass-bead column technique. The administration of PGE2 caused more rapid platelet disaggregation following ADP-induced aggregation but had no effect on the platelet count, collagen-induced aggregation, or platelet factor 3 activity. An increase in plasma antithrombin concentration and euglobulin lysis activity was also noted. These results support the concept that prostaglandin E2 might have a role in the prevention of thrombosis.
DVFS automatic tuning plugin for energy related tuning objectives

Energy consumption will become one of the dominant cost factors that will govern the next generation of large HPC centers. In this paper we present the Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) Plugin to automatically tune several energy related tuning objectives at a region-level of HPC applications. This plugin works with the Periscope Tuning Framework which provides an automatic tuning framework including analysis, experiment creation, and evaluation. The tuning actions are based on changes in the frequency via the DVFS. The tuning objectives include the tuning of energy consumption, total cost of ownership, energy delay product and power capping. The tuning is based on a model that relies on performance data and predicts energy consumption, time, and power consumption at different CPU frequencies.