Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of the thymus size in response to physiological and random events throughout life

During embryogenesis and in the early stages of life, the thymus is a crucial organ for the generation of the T cell repertoire. T cells are generated from hematopoietic stem cells already differentiated to precursor T cells in the bone marrow. These cells enter the thymus guided by chemotactic factors secreted by this organ. The complex maturation process takes place that ensures self‐tolerance and homeostasis. Thymocytes that show autoreactivity do not leave the thymus, but rather die by apoptosis. The final percentage of mature T cells that survive to migrate from the thymus to the periphery is very low: at most 5%, under optimal conditions. The highest migration occurs in childhood and adulthood, at least in mice and humans; however, it declines throughout life and is minimal in the elderly. Under normal circumstances, the thymus commences involution soon after birth, and this involution correlates with the capacity to export mature T cells to the periphery. Hormones, cytokines, and neurotransmitters all play a role in this age‐associated process, but the reasons for and mechanisms of this involution remain unknown. Apart from physiological conditions that change throughout life and govern age‐related thymus evolution, random states and events provoked by intrinsic or extrinsic factors can induce either thymus involution, as in reversible transient thymic hypoplasias, or thymic hyperplasias. The age‐associated involution, unlike transient involutions, follows a regular pattern for all individuals, though there are clear differences between the sexes. Nevertheless, even the age‐associated involution seems to be reversible, raising the possibility of therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing thymus function in the elderly. Microsc. Res. Tech. 62:464–476, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Prospective Study of Psychological Predictors of Lumbar Surgery Outcome

Study Design. Prospective design in which 102 patients were evaluated with a battery of psychological assessment tests 1–2 weeks before surgery, and outcome was assessed 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Objectives. The study examined whether three aspects of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and hostility) predict several surgical outcomes (employment status, subjective pain change ratings, and changes in functional abilities). Summary of Background Data. Surgery for back pain has been shown to yield poor results in 15–45% of patients. Tools are needed to identify those “at risk” for poor outcome. Aspects of emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, and hostility, have been found to be relevant to various illness outcomes (e.g., cancer, heart disease), but their influence has not been prospectively evaluated for back pain surgical outcome. Methods. Study patients completed measures of distress before surgery, including the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory, Zung Depression Scale, Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire, and Cook–Medley Hostility Scale. At 1-year follow-up, patients completed pain change ratings, functional abilities measure (Dallas Pain Questionnaire), and questions about employment status. Results. Multivariate regression analyses, controlling for significant demographic variables, found that failure to return to work was predicted by presurgical anxiety (P < 0.001) and depression (P < 0.01); failure to report improvement in pain was predicted by presurgical somatic anxiety (P < 0.01) and depression (P < 0.058); and failure to report improved functional abilities was predicted by presurgical somatic anxiety (P < 0.01) and depression (P < 0.05). Hostility did not predict any outcome. Regression analyses found a strong predictor to be a combination of the Zung Depression Scale and Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire, known as the Distress and Risk Assessment Method (DRAM). Conclusions. These results indicate that screening for presurgical distress is likely to identify those patients at risk for poor outcome. Studies to evaluate whether presurgical psychological treatment improves outcome are warranted.
White Collar-1, a DNA Binding Transcription Factor and a Light Sensor

Blue light regulates many physiological processes in fungi, but their photoreceptors are not known. In Neurospora crassa, all light responses depend on the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain–containing transcription factor white collar–1 (wc-1). By removing the WC-1 light, oxygen, or voltage domain, a specialized PAS domain that binds flavin mononucleotide in plant phototropins, we show that light responses are abolished, including light entrainment of the circadian clock. However, the WC-1–mediated dark activation of frq remains normal in this mutant, and the circadian clock can be entrained by temperature. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the purified NeurosporaWC-1–WC-2 protein complex is associated with stoichiometric amounts of the chromophore flavin-adenine dinucleotide. Together, these observations suggest that WC-1 is the blue-light photoreceptor for the circadian clock and other light responses in Neurospora.
The Complexity of Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 with Both Pro- and Anti-oncogenic Activities*

After the original identification of thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1 or NKX2-1) biochemical activity as a transcriptional regulator of thyroglobulin in 1989, the bulk of the ensuing research has concentrated on elucidating the roles of NKX2-1 in the development of lung and thyroid tissues. Motivated by its specific expression pattern, pathologists adopted the NKX2-1 immunoreactivity to distinguish pulmonary from nonpulmonary nonthyroid adenocarcinomas. Interestingly, the concept of NKX2-1 as an active participant in lung tumorigenesis did not take hold until 2007. This minireview contrasts the recent advancements of NKX2-1-related observations primarily in the realm of pulmonary malignancies.
The use of "knowledge types" as scripting tool to enhance critical thinking in online discussions

The present study focuses on a particular scripting tool, namely the use of "knowledge types" as a way to structure university students' discourse in asynchronous discussion groups and consequently promote their learning. More specifically, the aim of the study is to determine how requiring students to label their contributions by means of the stages of the progressive inquiry model affects the ongoing critical thinking processes reflected in the discussion. Preliminary results indicate that using this scripting tool can -under certain circumstances-enhance critical thinking in online discussions.
Association of Waking Episodes with Menopausal Hot Flushes

To examine the possible relationship between the occurrence of menopausal hot flushes and waking episodes, a study was conducted of nine postmenopausal women with severe hot flushes and five asymptomatic premenopausal women. Measurement of simultaneous changes of finger temperature and skin resistance over the sternum was used as an objective marker of hot flushes. During cumulative sleep 47 objectively measured hot flushes occurred, and 45 were associated with a waking episode measured by polygraphic techniques. In eight of nine subjects, a significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of hot flushes and waking episodes. A similar association was not observed in premenopausal subjects. Estrogen administered to symptomatic patients resulted in significant reductions of both hot flushes and waking episodes. These data suggest the menopausal flushes are associated with a chronic sleep disturbance, and both can be improved by estrogen therapy.
Toxicology and epidemiology of 1,3-butadiene.

Abstract1,3-Butadiene is a colorless, volatile gas that has high-volume usage in the synthesis of polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene, and other polymers. Due to its volatile nature, uptake of butadiene occurs almost exclusively by inhalation and absorption through the respiratory system. Sources of exposure include production, transport, and end-use processes in industrial settings or environmental exposures through automotive fuel, fossil fuel combustion, and cigarette smoke. Chronic inhalation studies established that butadiene is carcinogenic in B6C3F1 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, and that mice are considerably more sensitive than rats. For the most part, epidemiologic studies for butadiene have been equivocal, although a recent retrospective follow-up study of styrene-butadiene rubber workers provides the first internally consistent evidence of a relationship between butadiene exposure and leukemia. The mechanism(s) of butadiene-induced carcinogenicity are not entirely understood but are thought to inv.
HORMONAL EVALUATIONS AND ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSY IN INFERTILE WOMEN IN KANO, NORTHERN NIGERIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Background/Objectives: To determine the levels of prolactin, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in infertile women in other to assess the contribution of certain endocrinopathies to infertility in the study population, and compared the performance characteristics of histological diagnosis of endometrial biopsies with hormonal evaluations. Methods: Five hundred and fifty consecutive infertile women over a period of five years (1999-2003) were evaluated. The hormones were determined using ELECSYS 1010 auto analyzer supplied by Roche, Germany, while the endometrial biopsy was performed using dating technique. Results: Ninety eight (17.8%) out of the five hundred and fifty subjects had measurable hormonal abnormalities. Of these ninety eight subjects, 26.5% had hypergonadotropic – hypogonadism, 19, 3% had hypogonadotropic – hypogonadism, 6.1% had hypergonadotropic hypergonadism and 48% had hyperprolactinaemia. 68.0% of the endometrial biopsies showed various stages of secretory pattern, 14.2% showed endometritis and 0.7% showed stroma-glandular dissociation. The performance characteristics of histological diagnosis of endometrial biopsies was compared with hormonal study. Conclusion: Endocrine abnormalities was involved in 17.8% of infertile women with 48% of them hyperprolactinaemic. Endometrial biopsy compared favourably well with hormonal evaluations. For effective diagnosis of the cause of infertility in women, endometrial biopsy study will still be complimentary to hormonal evaluations.
Nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver and antiphospholipid antibodies: report of two cases and review of the literature

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver (NRHL) is a rare disorder characterized by diffuse micronodular transformation of the hepatic parenchyma without fibrous septa between the nodules. This condition appears to be associated in many ocasions with systemic autoimmune diseases. We describe two new patients with NRHL in whom antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) were detected in their sera and review the few similar cases reported previously. We also discuss the possible relationship between aPL and NRHL and suggest that these antibodies may play a role in the pathogenesis of some cases of NRHL, specially those with an associated antiphospholipid syndrome.
The Effect of Protective Football Equipment on Alignment of the Injured Cervical Spine

No universally accepted management protocol is avail able for dealing with the protective equipment worn by a neck-injured football player. The purpose of this ca daveric study was to determine the effects of the hel met and shoulder pads on the alignment of 1) the intact lower cervical spine and 2) the partially destabilized C5-6 motion segment. In Group I cadavers (N = 15), the lower cervical spine was tested in an intact condi tion. In Group II (N = 8), the C5-6 motion segment was tested in both an intact and a partially destabilized condition. Each cadaver was placed supine on a back- board and four lateral cervical radiographs were ob tained as follows: no protective equipment, helmet only, helmet and shoulder pads, and shoulder pads only. Results for Group I showed that wearing both helmet and shoulder pads did not result in a significant change in cervical lordosis when compared with the neutral position (i.e., the no-equipment test). Cervical lordosis was significantly decreased in the helmet-only category (mean, 9.6°) and significantly increased in the shoulder pads-only category (mean, 13.6°). In Group II, destabilized specimens under the helmet test situa tion showed a significant mean increase in C5-6 for ward angulation (16.5°), posterior disk space height (3.8 mm), and dorsal element distraction (8.3 mm). Immobilizing the neck-injured football player with only the helmet or only the shoulder pads in place violates the principle of splinting the cervical spine in neutral alignment, according to our findings. We support the concept that removal of the helmet and shoulder pads should be an all-or-none proposition.
Can Learning Theoretical Approaches Illuminate The Ways in which Advertising Games Effect Attitude, Recall, and Purchase Intention

This study demonstrates how learning approaches (classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive learning) can be incorporated in the design of advergames to influence the attitudes, recall of brand, recall of product information, and purchase intention. The results show that cognitive learning results in the best recall of brand name and product information, followed by classical and then operant conditioning. The learning approaches adopted in the games have a significant effect on overall attitude, with the classical conditioning inducing the most positive attitude followed by operant conditioning and then cognitive learning. Finally, hedonic attitude is shown to be a more influential factor underlying purchase intention. Implications of the findings are addressed.
Identifying threshold concepts in first-year statistics

Every discipline has a limited number of fundamental concepts. Discipline experts will identify some of these as threshold concepts. An understanding of threshold concepts is expected to provide an insight into the discipline and enhance learning and understanding. In this paper I will investigate threshold concepts for first-year business statistics, which is a compulsory unit for all business majors in the School of Business at The University of Western Australia. The investigation will be based on analysis of examination scripts. As this is an initial investigation, I will focus on identifying threshold concepts in one topic only.
Stability of the Max-Weight protocol in adversarial wireless networks

In this paper we consider the MAX-WEIGHT protocol for routing and scheduling in wireless networks under an adversarial model. This protocol has received a significant amount of attention dating back to the papers of Tassiulas and Ephremides. In particular, this protocol is known to be throughput-optimal whenever the traffic patterns and propagation conditions are governed by a stationary stochastic process. However, the standard proof of throughput optimality (which is based on the negative drift of a quadratic potential function) does not hold when the traffic patterns and the edge capacity changes over time are governed by an arbitrary adversarial process. Such an environment appears frequently in many practical wireless scenarios when the assumption that channel conditions are governed by a stationary stochastic process does not readily apply. In this paper we prove that even in the above adversarial setting, the MAX-WEIGHT protocol keeps the queues in the network stable (i.e. keeps the queue sizes bounded) whenever this is feasible by some routing and scheduling algorithm. However, the proof is somewhat more complex than the negative potential drift argument that applied in the stationary case. Our proof holds for any arbitrary interference relationships among edges. We also prove the stability of ε-approximate MAX-WEIGHT under the adversarial model. We conclude the paper with a discussion of queue sizes in the adversarial model as well as a set of simulation results.
Thyroid and breast cancer following childhood radiation

A 35‐year‐old man who received radiation for thymic enlargement as a child and subseqently developed both thyroid and breast cancer is reported. This appears to be the first case in which this association has been reported in a male. Cancer 40:2911‐2913, 1977.
Biomechanical testing of a β-tricalcium phosphate wedge for advancement of the tibial tuberosity

Summary Objectives: to evaluate in vitro the strength of different compositions of beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) wedges in comparison with titanium foam and cages. To study the response to cyclic loading of the strongest β-TCP wedge, titanium foam and titanium cage. Methods: Compression test: Twenty-five tibiae were prepared for tibial tuberosity advancement using the modified Maquet technique. Five groups were defined depending on the material used to maintain the tibial tuberosity: Group 1 = titanium cage; Group 2 = wedges of porous titanium foam with 50% porosity (OrthoFoam®); Group 3 = blocks of biphasic synthetic bone (60% hydroxyapatite [HAP] and 40% _-TCP, porosity 80%); Group 4 = blocks of biphasic synthetic bone (60% HAP and 40% _-TCP, porosity 70%) and Group 5 = blocks of biphasic synthetic bone (65% HAP and 35% _-TCP, porosity 60%). Loads to failure were calculated for each implant. Cyclic study: Five additional tibiaes of group 1, 2 and 5 were fatigue tested from 100 to 500 N at a rate of 4 Hz for 200,000 cycles or until failure. Results: Compression test: For the five groups, the mean load at failure was 1895 N, 1917 N, 178 N, 562 N and 1370 N respectively. Cyclical study: All samples in the three groups tested withstood 200,000 cycles without failure. Clinical significance: The ideal implant to maintain tibial tuberosity advancement after the modified Maquet technique would be absorbable and allow osteoconduction and osteoinduction. As such, β-TCP wedges have many advantages and our study shows that they can withstand loads in the patellar tendon up to 500 N over 200,000 cycles in vitro and deserve more investigation.
The relationship between the dissolved inorganic carbon concentration and growth rate in marine phytoplankton

A range of marine phytoplankton was grown in closed systems in order to investigate the kinetics of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) use and the influence of the nitrogen source under conditions of constant pH. The kinetics of DIC use could be described by a rectangular hyperbolic curve, yielding estimations of KG(DIG) (the half saturation constant for carbon–specific growth, i.e. Cμ) and μmax (the theoretical maximum Cμ). All species attained a KG(DIC) within the range of 30–750μM DIC. For most species, NH+4 use enabled growth with a lower KG(DIC) and/or, for two species, an increase in μmax. At DIC concentrations of > 1.6 mM, Cμ was > 90% saturated for all species relative to the rate at the natural seawater DIC concentration of 2.0 mM. The results suggest that neither the rate nor the extent of primary productivity will be significantly limited by the DIC in the quasi–steady–state conditions associated with oligotrophic oceans. The method needs to be applied in the conditions associated with dynamic coastal (eutrophic) systems for clarification of a potential DIC rate limitation where cells may grow to higher densities and under variable pH and nitrogen supply.
Variability of Aerobic Performance in the Laboratory and Its Physiologic Correlates

To study the physiologic basis of variability of physical performance in the laboratory, ten male subjects were studied once a week, during a 9-12 month period. Previously, the reference maximal work load attained (Wref) was determined in each subject. The test protocol of the actual study was based on the individual Wref and started at 70% Wref for 5 min whereupon the work load was increased by 5% Wref every 2.5 min to exhaustion. The maximal work load attained (Wmax) was considered as the test performance. Heart rate, respiratory variables, oxygen uptake (VO2), and blood lactate concentration were determined at each work load. The rate of perceived exertion during submaximal and maximal work was also scored. In all subjects, Wmax and VO2max varied randomly, while the coefficient of variation in VO2max (4.20% - 11.35%) exceeded that in Wmax (2.95%-6.83%). No seasonal influences on VO2 max and Wmax were observed. In all subjects the physiologic variables, when plotted as a function of external work load, were shifted to the right with higher Wmax values and to the left with lower Wmax values. With lower Wmax values, the rate of perceived exertion during submaximal work tended to increase. The results suggest that the magnitude of physiologic responses to exercise is related to relative work load and that variability of physical performance is related to changes in gross mechanical efficiency.
The Impact of Electronic Commerce on Interorganizational Coordination: A Framework from Theory Applied to the Container-Transport Industry

Information and communication technology (ICT) enables organizations to decrease costs and increase capabilities, and thus to change their interorganizational coordination structures. While ICT is the driving force, other factors can also influence interorganizational coordination structures. These are described and are combined with ICT to present a framework indicating the direction in which interorganizational coordination structures will change under the impact of electronic commerce. This framework is applied to the container-transport industry for evaluation. The results suggest areas for further research.
Soluble Selectin Levels in Patients with Lung Cancer

Increased expression of selectins has been found on endothelial cells of venules and capillaries in the tumor stroma of non-small cell lung cancer, suggesting their functional role in the process of chemotaxis for tumor cells. The present study was aimed at analyzing the role of both soluble (s)P-selectin and sE-selectin levels in association with clinico-pathological variables in 116 patients with lung cancer, 38 patients with benign diseases and 59 healthy donors. The results obtained showed that sP-selectin and sE-selectin levels were higher in patients with lung cancer compared to normal donors (p<0.02 and p<0.005, respectively). No differences were observed among patients with various benign diseases for both selectins. Increased levels of sP-selectin and sE-selectin were significantly associated with squamous lung cancer at late stages (p<0.05), but not adenocarcinoma. Both sP- and sE-selectin were independently related to the stage of squamous lung cancer by stepwise regression analysis (p<0.02 and p<0.03, respectively), while only sE-selectin was independently related to the presence of distant metastasis in the same histotype (p<0.02). These results suggest that measurement of plasma soluble selectins might represent a useful laboratory parameter in the management of patients with squamous lung cancer.