Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Friends, Neighbours, Townspeople and Parties: Explaining Canadian Attitudes toward Muslims

Abstract The 2015 Canadian federal election campaign put into focus relations between Muslim communities in Canada and wider Canadian society, featuring debates around banning the niqab, and a “barbaric cultural practices” hotline. At the same time, challenges in relations between Muslims and majority-group Canadians were not a new development in 2015: they had in the past faced periodic strains due to terrorism-related events, and attacks targeting Muslims in Canada. The Canadian case is in fact reflective of a challenge in intergroup relations facing several Western democracies. In light of this, what accounts for majority-group Canadians’ attitudes toward Muslims in Canada? Drawing on data from the 2011 and 2015 Canadian Election Studies and theories linking outgroup perceptions to intergroup contact (friends), local demographic context at both the micro-level (neighbours) and meso-level (townspeople), and political factors (parties), this article seeks to explain why majority-group Canadians hold alternately positive or negative views of Muslims. Résumé La campagne électorale fédérale canadienne de 2015 a attiré l'attention aux relations entre les communautés musulmanes du Canada et la société canadienne au sens large en raison des débats sur l'interdiction du niqab et la ligne d'aide sur les « pratiques culturelles barbares ». En même temps, des défis dans les relations entre les musulmans Canadiens et les Canadiens des groupes majoritaires n’étaient pas nouveaux en 2015. Des événements liés au terrorisme et des attaques visant des musulmans au Canada a autrefois soumis les relations à la pression. En fait, le cas canadien reflète un défi des relations intergroupes auxquelles sont confrontées plusieurs démocraties occidentales. Comment donc s'explique les attitudes des Canadiens des groupes majoritaires envers les musulmans au Canada? Utilisant les données de l’Étude électorale canadienne des années 2011 et 2015 et les théories concernant aux contacts intergroupes, les contextes démographiques locales au niveau micro et méso-urbain, et les facteurs politiques, cet article cherche à expliquer pourquoi les Canadiens tiennent les opinions alternativement positives ou négatives à l’égard des musulmans.
Perioperative complications of posterior lumbar decompression and arthrodesis in older adults.

BACKGROUND Lumbar arthrodesis is commonly done in elderly patients to treat degenerative spine problems. These patients may be at increased risk for complications because of their age and associated medical conditions. In this study, we examined the rates of perioperative complications associated with posterior lumbar decompression and arthrodesis in patients sixty-five years of age or older. METHODS We reviewed the hospital records of ninety-eight patients who were sixty-five years of age or older when they had a posterior decompression and lumbar arthrodesis with instrumentation, between 1993 and 1995, to treat degenerative disease of the spine. The average age was seventy-two years (range, sixty-five to eighty-four years). RESULTS Perioperative complications occurred in seventy-eight patients. Twenty-one patients had at least one major complication, and sixty-nine had at least one minor complication. Forty-nine patients had more than one complication. The most common major complication was wound infection (prevalence, 10%), and the most common minor complication was urinary tract infection (prevalence, 34%). The complication rate increased with older age, increased blood loss, longer operative time, and the number of levels of the arthrodesis. CONCLUSIONS Surgeons should be vigilant about perioperative complications in elderly patients treated with multi-level lumbar decompression and arthrodesis with instrumentation. Elderly patients should be made aware that they are at increased risk for surgical complications because of their age. Attention should be paid to controlling blood loss and limiting operative time.
Exploring the ester-exchange reactions of diester-diterpenoid alkaloids in the aconite decoction process by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

The chemical components in the decoctions of Chinese herbal medicines are not always the same as those in the crude herbs because of the insolubility or instability of some compounds. In this work electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was used to explore the ester-exchange reactions for aconitine-type diester-diterpenoid alkaloids occurring during the process of decocting aconite root. The aconitines were screened in a diverse range of samples, including crude aconite, decoction of crude aconite, residues from decoction of crude aconite, prepared aconite, decoction of prepared aconite, decoction of prepared aconite with added palmitic acid, and decoction of a mixture of mesaconitine and hypaconitine standards with liquorice root. It was found that diester-diterpenoid aconitines were converted into lipo-alkaloids as well as monoester alkaloids by the decoction of aconite.
Ephrins and their Receptors: Binding versus Biology

Ephrins and Eph receptors play important roles in the development of the central nervous system and peripheral tissues by orchestrating cellular movements, resulting in events such as axonal growth cone guidance, tissue segmentation, and angiogenic remodeling. To understand the role of specific ephrin and Eph receptor interactions, it is important to identify the binding specificity between individual ligand‐receptor complexes. To date, a dogma in the field suggests that there may be promiscuous binding within the subclasses of the ephrin family. However, this overlooks and contradicts several binding studies that suggest specificity within each subclass. Although binding studies only provide evidence on the dynamics and strength of protein interactions, they do not indicate whether particular interactions are physiologically relevant. Thus, distribution and gene targeted mutations of ephrins and their receptors can provide critical insights into the relevance of specific ligand‐receptors interactions. This review mainly focuses on the B‐class family and will evaluate the differences between binding affinities and biological functions, importance of oligomeric interactions, and structural differences and similarities between classes. IUBMB Life, 56: 257‐265, 2004
The effects on plasma lipoproteins of a prudent weight-reducing diet, with or without exercise, in overweight men and women.

BACKGROUND The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet, with weight loss if indicated, to correct elevated plasma cholesterol levels. Weight loss accomplished by simple caloric restriction or increased exercise typically increases the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Little is known about the effects on plasma lipoproteins of a hypocaloric NCEP diet with or without exercise in overweight people. METHODS We tested the hypothesis that exercise (walking or jogging) will increase HDL cholesterol levels in moderately overweight, sedentary people who adopt a hypocaloric NCEP diet. We randomly assigned 132 men and 132 women 25 to 49 years old to one of three groups: control, hypocaloric NCEP diet, or hypocaloric NCEP diet with exercise. One hundred nineteen of the men and 112 of the women returned for testing after one year. RESULTS After one year, the subjects in both intervention groups had reached or closely approached NCEP Step 1 dietary goals and reduced their mean body fat significantly (range of reduction in mean fat weight, 4.0 to 7.8 kg). Weight loss on the NCEP diet alone did not significantly change HDL cholesterol levels in either the men or the women as compared with the subjects in the control group. Plasma levels of HDL cholesterol increased significantly more in the men who exercised and dieted (mean [+/- SE] change, +13 +/- 3 percent) than in the men who only dieted (+2 +/- 3 percent, P less than 0.01) or the men who acted as controls (-4 +/- 2 percent, P less than 0.001). HDL cholesterol levels remained about the same in the women who exercised and dieted (+1 +/- 2 percent); they were higher than in the women who only dieted (-10 +/- 3 percent, P less than 0.01), but not higher than in the controls (-3 +/- 3 percent). CONCLUSIONS Regular exercise in overweight men and women enhances the improvement in plasma lipoprotein levels that results from the adoption of a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
Importance of bone attenuation in brain SPECT quantification.

UNLABELLED The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nonuniform attenuation on relative quantification in brain SPECT and to compare the ability of the Chang and Sorenson uniform attenuation corrections (UACs) to achieve volumetric relative quantification. METHODS Three head phantoms (dry human skull, Rando and Radiology Support Devices (RSD) phantoms) were compared with a human head using a gamma camera transmission CT (gammaTCT) SPECT system and x-ray CT. Subsequently, the RSD phantom's brain reservoir was filled with a uniform water solution of 99mTc, and SPECT and gammaTCT data were acquired using fanbeam collimation. The attenuating effects of bone, scalp and head-holder in individual projections were determined by an analytical projection technique using the SPECT and gammaTCT reconstructions. The Chang UAC used brain and head contours that were segmented from the gammaTCT reconstruction to demarcate its attenuation map, whereas the Sorenson UAC fit slice-specific ellipses to the SPECT projection data. For each UAC, volumetric relative quantification was measured with varying attenuation coefficients (mus) of the attenuation map. RESULTS Gamma camera transmission CT and x-ray CT scans showed that the dry skull and Rando phantoms suffered from a dried trabecular bone compartment. The RSD phantom most closely reproduced the attenuation coefficients of the human gammaTCT and x-ray CT scans. The analytical projections showed that the attenuating effects of bone, scalp and head-holder were nonuniform across the projections and accounted for 18%-37% of the total count loss. Volumetric relative quantification was best achieved with the Chang (zero iterations) attenuation correction using the head contour and mu = 0.075 cm(-1); however, cortical activity was found to be 10% higher than cerebellar activity. For all UACs, the optimal choices of mu were experimentally found to be lower than the recommended 0.12 cm(-1) for brain tissue. This result is theoretically supported here. CONCLUSION The magnitude of errors resulting from uniform attenuation corrections can be greater than the magnitudes of regional cerebral blood flow deficits in patients with dementia, as compared with normal controls. This suggests that nonuniform attenuation correction in brain SPECT imaging must be applied to accurately estimate regional cerebral blood flow.
Spectral Graph Forge: Graph Generation Targeting Modularity

Community structure is an important property that captures inhomogeneities common in large networks, and modularity is one of the most widely used metrics for such community structure. In this paper, we introduce a principled methodology, the Spectral Graph Forge, for generating random graphs that preserves community structure from a real network of interest, in terms of modularity. Our approach leverages the fact that the spectral structure of matrix representations of a graph encodes global information about community structure. The Spectral Graph Forge uses a low-rank approximation of the modularity matrix to generate synthetic graphs that match a target modularity within user-selectable degree of accuracy, while allowing other aspects of structure to vary. We show that the Spectral Graph Forge outperforms state-of-the-art techniques in terms of accuracy in targeting the modularity and randomness of the realizations, while also preserving other local structural properties and node attributes. We discuss extensions of the Spectral Graph Forge to target other properties beyond modularity, and its applications to anonymization.
Naturally-occurring neuron death in the ciliary ganglion of the chick embryo following removal of preganglionic input: evidence for the role of afferents in ganglion cell survival

With only a few exceptions, most investigations of the mechanisms involved in naturally-occurring neuron death have focused on interactions between neurons and their targets, with much less attention having been paid to the possible role of the afferent inputs in this phenomenon. This is true of the avian ciliary ganglion (CG), which is composed of a population of peripheral autonomic neurons that project to smooth and striated musculature in the eye and which receive afferents from a single source, the accessory oculomotor nucleus (AON), which is the avian homolog of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. Although several lines of evidence strongly support the important role of targets in regulating the death and survival of CG neurons, the role of afferents has not yet been systematically examined. Following the destruction of the AON on embryonic day (E) 4, which is several days before the onset of normal cell death in the CG, we have found that by the end of the normal cell death period (E14-E15), 85–90% of the CG neurons degenerate and die, compared to 50% in controls. This is comparable to the amount of induced cell loss that occurs following removal of the optic vesicle containing the CG targets. The neurons surviving after deafferentation appear to be sustained by some influence from their targets since combined deafferentation and eye removal results in the loss of virtually all neurons in the CG. Following deafferentation of the CG on E4, the ganglion develops normally up to about E10, after which a precipitous loss of cells occurs. Based on several kinds of evidence (e.g., axon counts, silver stain, retrograde labeling of the CG), we conclude that the deafferented neurons project to and innervate their muscular targets in the eye. Therefore, the increased cell death following deafferentation cannot be due to the failure of deafferented neurons to contact their targets. The deafferented neurons undergo a normal sequence of initial ultrastructural differentiation. When they do begin to degenerate, the type of fine structural changes they exhibit appears indistinguishable from the degenerative changes observed in control embryos. Neurons in deafferented ganglia were occasionally observed to receive synaptic contacts, which we attribute to aberrant intraganglionic connections induced by deafferentation. These contacts probably play little, if any, role in the maintenance of neurons since, as noted above, following combined deafferentation and target deletion virtually all neurons degenerate and die. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Market Size and TFP in the Melitz Model

Trade theory in the Krugman tradition predicts a positive correlation between market size and countries' total factor productivity (TFP). However, in the data, there is no such correlation. Models with heterogeneous firms and selection can reconcile theory and empirics, when the degree of external economies of scale is lower than assumed in the standard CES case. Realistically, larger countries have an over‐proportionate share of firms. With export selection, these countries have more input varieties available, but they also have a lower average productivity of firms. Which of these effects dominates depends on the degree of external economies of scale.
Endothelin‐induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation of cultured astrocytes: Its relationship to cytoskeletal actin organization

Endothelins (ETs) promote cytoskeletal actin reorganization of cultured astrocytes (Koyama and Baba, Neuroscience 61:1007–1016, 1994; Koyama and Baba, Glia 16:342–350, 1996). In this study, we examined the signal transduction involved in that activity of ETs. Immunoblot analysis with an anti‐phosphotyrosine antibody showed that ET‐3 (1 nM) increased tyrosine phosphorylation of 120 Kda and 70 Kda astrocytic proteins. The tyrosine phosphorylations of both proteins reached a maximum at 1 nM ET‐3. In morphological examinations, ET‐3 (1 nM) induced stress fibers, an organized F‐actin structure, and focal adhesions in 0.5 mM dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP)‐treated astrocytes within 30 min. Immunochemical staining of phosphotyrosine revealed that the newly formed focal adhesions possessed phosphotyrosine immunoreactivity. Phorbol 12‐myristate 13 acetate (PMA,100 nM), bradykinin (1 μM), angiotensin II (100 nM), and A23187 (5 μM) did not induce astrocytic stress fibers and had no obvious effects on tyrosine phosphorylation of 120 Kda and 70 Kda proteins. Tyrosine phosphorylation of astrocytic 120 Kda and 70 Kda proteins was stimulated by 1 mM sodium orthovanadate (VO43−), a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. VO43− promoted reorganization of stress fibers and focal adhesions in DBcAMP‐treated astrocytes. Neither chelation of intra‐ and extracellular Ca2+ nor pre‐treatment with pertussis toxin (PTX) affected the ET‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation and stress fiber formation in cultured astrocytes. These results suggest a relationship between cytoskeletal actin reorganization and the tyrosine phosphorylation of astrocytic proteins by ETs. GLIA 26:324–332, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Integrated Analysis and MicroRNA Expression Profiling Identified Seven miRNAs Associated With Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

MicroRNAs have been used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for many cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Several studies have been shown that microRNA (miRNA) play important roles during the progression of OSCC. However, the results vary largely in different studies due to different platforms and sample sizes. In this study, we systematically evaluated a large scale of miRNA profiles from current qualified OSCC samples, and further investigated the functions of genes regulated by these key miRNAs as well as the signaling pathways through which these miRNA effect carcinogenesis. Seven key miRNAs were identified, and of which three were significantly upregulated, including hsa‐miR‐21, hsa‐miR‐31, hsa‐miR‐338, and four were downregulated, namely hsa‐miR‐125b, hsa‐miR‐133a, hsa‐miR‐133b, and hsa‐miR‐139. The function enrichment analysis revealed that target genes of upregulated miRNAs were associated with cellular protein metabolic process, macromolecule metabolic process, and TGF‐beta pathway, while the targets of downregulated were enriched in negative regulation of macromolecule biosynthetic process and gene expression, and p53, long‐term potentiation and adherens junction pathways. Transcription factor analysis revealed that there were 67 (51.1%) transcription factors influenced by both up and downregulated miRNAs. In summary, seven key miRNAs were found to play essential role in progression of OSCC, as well as the target genes and transcription factors of these miRNAs. The potential functions of these target genes identified in our study may be profitable to diagnosis and prognostic prediction of OSCC as biomarkers. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2178–2185, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Production of a Proteolytically Active Protein, Chlamydial Protease/Proteasome-Like Activity Factor, by Five Different Chlamydia Species

ABSTRACT We have previously identified a chlamydial protein, chlamydial protease/proteasome-like activity factor (CPAF), for degrading host transcription factors in cells infected with the human chlamydial species Chlamydia trachomatis or Chlamydia pneumoniae. We now report that functional CPAF was also produced during infection with the species Chlamydia muridarum, Chlamydia psittaci, and Chlamydia caviae, which primarily infect nonhuman hosts.
Patient and parent experiences with health care services in pediatric rheumatology.

The health care received from first admission to a pediatric rheumatology clinic to 9-year follow-up was assessed in 109 patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases or chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain. Ninety-five of the patients had received hospital care after the first admission, of whom 53 patients > or = 18 years, 21 patients < 18 years, and 33 parents of patients < 18 years rated their degree of satisfaction with the health care from 0 to 10. Mean scores of satisfaction with different aspects of care ranged from 6.0 to 9.6. Among patients > or = 18 years, those with idiopathic pain were less satisfied than those with inflammatory rheumatic diseases on the availability of care (mean 6.4 vs. 8.5, p < 0.001), continuity of care (mean 6.5 vs. 8.4, p < 0.001), and empathy of the health care providers (mean 6.7 vs. 7.9, p <0.05). The diagnostic group and the occurrence of remission predicted the level of global satisfaction in patients > or = 18 years. In patients < 18 years, chronic family difficulties predicted patient satisfaction and physical disability and chronic family difficulties predicted parent satisfaction. In conclusion, most parents and patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases were satisfied with the health care. However, some patients with idiopathic pain had unmet needs for care.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of 3D vascular stereoscopic models in anatomy instruction for first year medical students

The head and neck region is one of the most complex areas featured in the medical gross anatomy curriculum. The effectiveness of using three‐dimensional (3D) models to teach anatomy is a topic of much discussion in medical education research. However, the use of 3D stereoscopic models of the head and neck circulation in anatomy education has not been previously studied in detail. This study investigated whether 3D stereoscopic models created from computed tomographic angiography (CTA) data were efficacious teaching tools for the head and neck vascular anatomy. The test subjects were first year medical students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The assessment tools included: anatomy knowledge tests (prelearning session knowledge test and postlearning session knowledge test), mental rotation tests (spatial ability; presession MRT and postsession MRT), and a satisfaction survey. Results were analyzed using a Wilcoxon rank‐sum test and linear regression analysis. A total of 39 first year medical students participated in the study. The results indicated that all students who were exposed to the stereoscopic 3D vascular models in 3D learning sessions increased their ability to correctly identify the head and neck vascular anatomy. Most importantly, for students with low‐spatial ability, 3D learning sessions improved postsession knowledge scores to a level comparable to that demonstrated by students with high‐spatial ability indicating that the use of 3D stereoscopic models may be particularly valuable to these students with low‐spatial ability. Anat Sci Educ 10: 34–45. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.