Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Viva bien!: Overcoming recruitment challenges in a multiple-risk-factor diabetes trial.

OBJECTIVES To describe recruitment of Latinas in a randomized clinical trial conducted within 2 health care organizations. METHODS The study relied on project-initiated telephone calls as part of a multifaceted recruitment approach. Chi-square and t tests were conducted to compare participants and nonparticipants on a number of variables. RESULTS From 4045 telephone contacts, 280 Latinas agreed to participate. Most were ineligible due to non-Latino ethnicity (89%). Of eligible candidates, 61% took part. Few significant differences were found on participant vs nonparticipant characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Using appropriate recruitment procedures, a representative sample of Latinas can be obtained.
GKN2 Contributes to the Homeostasis of Gastric Mucosa by Inhibiting GKN1 Activity

Gastrokine 1 (GKN1) plays an important role in maintaining gastric mucosa integrity. Here, we investigated whether gastrokine 2 (GKN2) contributes to the homeostasis of gastric epithelial cells by regulating GKN1 activity. We analyzed cell viability, proliferation, and death in AGS cells transfected with GKN1, GKN2, GKN1 plus GKN2 using MTT, BrdU incorporation, and apoptosis assays, respectively. In addition, the expression levels of the cell cycle‐ and apoptosis‐related proteins, miR‐185, DNMT1, and EZH2 were determined. We also compared the expression of GKN1, GKN2, and CagA in 50 non‐neoplastic gastric mucosae and measured GKN2 expression in 169 gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry. GKN2 inhibited anti‐proliferative and pro‐apoptotic activities, miR‐185 induction, and anti‐epigenetic modifications of GKN1. There was a positive correlation between GKN1 and GKN2 expression (P = 0.0074), and the expression of GKN1, but not GKN2, was significantly lower in Helicobacter pylori CagA‐positive gastric mucosa (P = 0.0013). Interestingly, ectopic GKN1 expression in AGS cells increased GKN2 mRNA and protein expression in a time‐dependent manner (P = 0.01). Loss of GKN2 expression was detected in 126 (74.6%) of 169 gastric cancers by immunohistochemical staining and was closely associated with GKN1 expression and differentiation of gastric cancer cells (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0114, respectively). Overall, our data demonstrate that in the presence of GKN2, GKN1 loses its ability to decrease cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, and inhibit epigenetic alterations in gastric cancer cells. Thus, we conclude that GKN2 may contribute to the homeostasis of gastric epithelial cells by inhibiting GKN1 activity. J. Cell. Physiol. 229: 762–771, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Unloading Induces Osteoblastic Cell Suppression and Osteoclastic Cell Activation to Lead to Bone Loss via Sympathetic Nervous System*

Osteoporosis is one of the major health problems in our modern world. Especially, disuse (unloading) osteoporosis occurs commonly in bedridden patients, a population that is rapidly increasing due to aging-associated diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying such unloading-induced pathological bone loss have not yet been fully understood. Since sympathetic nervous system could control bone mass, we examined whether unloading-induced bone loss is controlled by sympathetic nervous tone. Treatment with β-blocker, propranolol, suppressed the unloading-induced reduction in bone mass. Conversely, β-agonist, isoproterenol, reduced bone mass in loaded mice, and under such conditions, unloading no longer further reduced bone mass. Analyses on the cellular bases indicated that unloading-induced reduction in the levels of osteoblastic cell activities, including mineral apposition rate, mineralizing surface, and bone formation rate, was suppressed by propranolol treatment and that isoproterenol-induced reduction in these levels of bone formation parameters was no longer suppressed by unloading. Unloading-induced reduction in the levels of mineralized nodule formation in bone marrow cell cultures was suppressed by propranolol treatment in vivo. In addition, loss of a half-dosage in the dopamine β-hydroxylase gene suppressed the unloading-induced bone loss and reduction in mineralized nodule formation. Unloading-induced increase in the levels of osteoclastic activities such as osteoclast number and surface as well as urinary deoxypyridinoline was all suppressed by the treatment with propranolol. These observations indicated that sympathetic nervous tone mediates unloading-induced bone loss through suppression of bone formation by osteoblasts and enhancement of resorption by osteoclasts.
Apparent diffusion of water, ions, and small molecules in the Xenopus oocyte is consistent with Brownian displacement

The incoherent displacement of water in living tissues is of considerable interest because of the widespread use of diffusion‐weighted MRI, for which image contrast is based on the water apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). It has been hypothesized that the decrease in water ADC associated with brain injury is primarily due to a reduction in the ADC of water in the intracellular space. Xenopus oocytes permit direct measurement of ADC values for intracellular molecules, thereby providing insight into the nature of intracellular motion. In this study, the measured ADC values of small molecules and ions are shown to be primarily size‐dependent, indicating that intracellular water motion in the oocyte is mainly Brownian displacement with little or no role for cytoplasmic streaming. Further, intracellular water ADC values show no dependence on diffusion time over a broad range (3.4–100 ms), suggesting that barriers to displacement are finely spaced (≤ 2–3 μm). The water diffusion shows some small anisotropy, suggesting that the cell has structure, giving water displacement a directional preference. The calculated intracellular apparent viscosity, which reflects the combined effects of barriers to motion, intermolecular binding, and fluid phase viscosity was 2.07 ± 0.09 cP. Magn Reson Med 48:42–51, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Establishing Health Standards for Indoor Foreign Proteins Related to Asthma: Dust Mite, Cat and Cockroach

There is no doubt that a large number of individuals become allergic to foreign proteins that are predominantly or exclusively present indoors. In each case this immune response can be demonstrated either by immediate skin test responses or by measuring serum IgE antibodies. It has also been obvious for some time that patients presenting with asthma, perennial rhinitis and atopic dermatitis have an increased prevalence of IgE antibodies to these indoor allergens. More recently several epidemiological surveys have suggested that both mite exposure and IgE antibodies are important risk factors for asthma. The present situation is that assays have been developed capable of measuring the presence of mite, cockroach and cat allergens in house dust. Further clinical studies will be necessary to test the proposed standards for mite allergens and to define risk levels for other allergens.
Potent suppression of IL‐12 production from monocytes and dendritic cells during endotoxin tolerance

Endotoxin tolerance, the down‐regulation of a subset of endotoxin‐driven responses after an initial exposure to endotoxin, may provide protection from the uncontrolled immunological activation of acute endotoxic shock. Recent data suggest, however, that the inhibition of monocyte/macrophage function associated with endotoxin tolerance can lead to an inability to respond appropriately to secondary infections in survivors of endotoxic shock. IL‐12 production by antigen‐presenting cells is central to the orchestration of both innate and acquired cell‐mediated immune responses to many pathogens. IL‐12 has also been shown to play an important role in pathological responses to endotoxin. We therefore examined the regulation of IL‐12 during endotoxin tolerance. Priming doses of lipopolysaccharide ablate the IL‐12 productive capacity of primary human monocytes. This suppression of IL‐12 production is primarily transcriptional. Unlike the down‐regulation of TNF‐α under such conditions, the mechanism of IL‐12 suppression during endotoxin tolerance is not dependent upon IL‐10 or transforming growth factor‐β, nor is IL‐12 production rescued by IFN‐γ or granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor. Of note, human dendritic cells also undergo endotoxin tolerance, with potent down‐regulation of IL‐12 production. Endotoxin tolerance‐related suppression of IL‐12 production provides a likely mechanism for the anergy seen during the immunological paralysis which follows septic shock.
Teach robots understanding new object types and attributes through natural language instructions

Robots often have limited knowledge about the environment and need to continuously acquire new knowledge in order to collaborate with the humans. To address this issue, this paper presents a method which allows the human to teach a robot new object types and attributes through natural language (NL) instructions. A simple yet robust vision algorithm is proposed to segment objects and describe the relations between objects. The segmented objects as well as their relations are regarded as the basic knowledge of the robot. The NL instructions are processed to domain-specific representations for the robot to identify the target objects. The target objects as well as the object type or attribute labels referred in the NL instructions are collected as training samples for the robot to learn. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method.
Behavior of a magnetic manipulator of biological objects

Deals with manipulation of biological objects in an extremely confined space with a magnetic microactuator. Objects are pushed with a small magnetic particle (100/spl times/100/spl times/20 /spl mu/m/sup 3/) which is moved thanks to a permanent magnet. This device allows us to push micro-objects located in water between two glass panes. The distance between both glass panes is few hundred microns. The precision (1 /spl mu/m) is limited by the pixel size of the camera. We define the dynamic behavior of the manipulator. We also describe the control strategy used to achieve a good precision despite the "stick slip effect".
Using the Downton index to predict those prone to falls in stroke rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Falls are a major complication in inpatient stroke rehabilitation. An important issue in preventive strategies is the early identification of those at risk. This study aimed at assessing the fall-prediction accuracy of an easily administered fall risk index in stroke rehabilitation. METHODS A consecutive series of 135 patients admitted to a geriatric stroke rehabilitation unit was studied. A score on the Downton fall risk index was obtained from the admission assessment data and used as a predictive indicator of the risk of falls. The patients' falls were prospectively recorded during their rehabilitation stay. The correlation between falls and the predicted risk was assessed by means of survival analysis and a multiple regression analysis, adjusting for the time of observation. RESULTS The risk of falls as a function of the time observed was significantly greater among those predicted to be at high risk (index score > or = 3) than among the others (P = .009, log-rank test; odds ratio, 2.9). Furthermore, the number of falls during rehabilitation stay was moderately correlated (R = .57) with the fall risk index sum when adjusted as for the time of observation. The sensitivity of the fall prediction as to outcome was 91%, whereas the specificity was limited to 27%. CONCLUSIONS A moderately high correlation was found between the predicted and the observed risk of falls in stroke rehabilitation when the Downton fall risk index was used. However, a low specificity rate limits the accuracy of the prediction.
Distribution of substance P‐like immunoreactivity in the goldfish brain

Immunohistochemical methods were used to study the distribution of SP‐like immunoreactivity (SPLI) in the brain of the common goldfish (Carassius auratus). SPLI cell bodies and fibers were seen in distant areas and nuclei throughout the brain. In the telencephalon, SPL1 was found in the area dorsalis telencephali pars centralis and pars lateralis, areas that have been compared to the basal ganglia of land vertebrates. In the diencephalon, SPLI somata were seen in the hypothalamus. Four primary visual centers contained SPLI fibers: the nucleus of the posterior commissure, the area pretectalis, the nucleus dorsolateralis thalami and the optic tectum; the origin of these fibers could not be determined. SPLI cell bodies were seen in the oculomotor nucelus; the possibility that this may be the Edinger‐Westphal nucleus is discussed. A high density of immunoreactive fibers was seen in the tractus retroflexus and the interpeduncular nucleus, though the habenula showed a few SP‐like immunopositive fibers. In the hindbrain, SPLI cell bodies and fibers were seen in the nuclei ambiguus and commissuralis of Cajal and in the dorsal motornucleus of the vagus nuclei; even though these nuclei are known to belong to the visceral and sensory motor columns, the exact role SP plays in processing this information is at present unknown.
Youth football: heat stress and injury risk.

Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM (Co-Chair)Douglas B. McKeag, M.D., FACSM (Co-Chair)Douglas J. Casa, Ph.D., ATC, FACSMPriscilla M. Clarkson, Ph.D., FACSMRandall W. Dick, FACSME. Randy Eichner, M.D., FACSMCraig A. Horswill, Ph.D., FACSMAnthony C. Luke, M.D., MPHFrederick Mueller, Ph.D., FACSMThayne A. Munce, Ph.D.William O. Roberts, M.D., FACSMThomas W. Rowland, M.D., FACSM
Sozial-räumliche Segregation und private Urbanisierungen in Buenos Aires

Urbane Raume durchlaufen standige Veranderungsprozesse. Sie werden gebaut, erneuert, erweitert und wieder abgerissen. Eine der wichtigsten sozialraumlichen Transformationen der letzten Jahrzehnte im Grosraum Buenos Aires war die Ausweitung der stadtischen Nutzflache und der urbanen Wohngebiete, die zu einer verstarkten sozial-raumlicher Seg-regation fuhrten. Die vorliegende Arbeit diskutiert die gesellschaftlichen Veranderungs-prozesse in Argentinien anhand der veranderten Nutzung und Gestaltung des urbanen Raums in Buenos Aires. Das Phanomen der privaten Urbanisierungen bildet hier den Ausgangspunkt fur die Analyse sozial-raumlicher Segregation in der Metropole. Ziel die-ser Arbeit ist es die Grunde fur die enorme Ausbreitung der privaten Urbanisierungen zu erklaren und die Auswirkungen dieser Urbanisierungen auf das urbane Geflecht und die sozialen Beziehungen zu analysieren. Hierzu wird auf die Theorie der Strukturierung von Giddens (Giddens, 1997) und die Erweiterung dieser Theorie durch Low (Low, 2001) zuruckgegriffen. Es wird aufgezeigt, dass Gesellschaft und Raum in einem dialektischen Verhaltnis (Lefebvre, 1978) stehen und eine Interdependenz zwischen globalen und loka-len Strukturen (Harvey, 2001) besteht. Die okonomischen, politischen, sozialen und kul-turellen Strukturen in Buenos Aires der 1990er Jahre trugen zu einem enormen Auf-schwung der privaten Urbanisierungen bei. Die Akteure (Immobilienfirmen, Gemeinden und Bewohner der privaten Urbanisierungen) waren unter diesen Strukturen spezifischen Anreizen ausgesetzt, die zu einer zunehmenden Segregation fuhrten. Diese Segregation brachte eine fortschreitende Fragmentierung des urbanen Raumes, eine Dualisierung der Gesellschaft und den zunehmenden Verlust des offentlichen Raumes mit sich. Durch die sozio-okonomische Segregation wurde somit ein ungleiches urbanes Modell geschaffen, das viele Herausforderungen fur die argentinische Gesellschaft mit sich bringt. Das Pha-nomen der privaten Urbanisierungen fuhrte zu einer kognitiven als auch realen, raumlichen Dualisierung.
Use of computer by secondary school students

This paper reports on the outcomes of a survey implemented in secondary schools. The survey identified the types of access and use of computers by students. It was found that the students had significant access to computers but they were not skilled in many features of computer use. Computers were used for a range of activities, some educational and others recreational by some students. Gender differences in computer use were not seen. The study highlights the changing scenario about uses of computer technology by students.
Diagnostic values of serum TRACP5b, CEA and CA-153 in predicting bone metastasis in lymph node-negative breast cancer patients

Objective: To evaluate the clinical significance of serum levels of Tartrate Resistant Acid Phosphatase 5b (TRACP5b), Carcino-Embryonic Antigen (CEA) and CA-153 in predicting the bone metastasis in patients diagnosed with lymph node-negative breast cancer. Methods: Seventy-seven patients pathologically diagnosed with lymph node-negative breast cancer were recruited in the breast cancer group and 33 healthy counterparts in the control group. The serum level of TRACP5b was quantitatively measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The serum levels of CEA and CA-153 were detected by Electrochemiluminescent Immunoassay (ECLIA) and statistically compared between two groups. Results: In the breast cancer group, the serum levels of TRACP5b, CEA and CA-153 were (3.96 ± 0.87 U/L), (2.67 ± 1.82 ng/ml) and (18.32 ± 7.31 U/ml), significantly up-regulated compared with (2.07 ± 0.83 U/L), (1.36 ± 0.82 ng/ml) and (12.54 ± 7.53 U/ml), respectively (all P 0.05). No statistical significance was noted between CEA and CA-153 in terms of sensitivity and specificity (both P>0.05). Conclusion: Compared with CEA and CA-153, serum TRACP5b yields a higher sensitivity. As one of the serum biomarkers, TRACP5b can be used for the diagnosis of bone metastasis in patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer.
The Influence of Advertisement in Fresh Milk Consumers' Behavior

Since prehistoric times milk has always been a basic element of man’s nutrition. It is the simplest, most complete and natural food because it contains ingredients, like fat and lactose, which give energy, proteins and minerals to the human body and contribute to its construction. Consumers usually ignore the simple truths about the great value of milk as food. This lack of information must be covered by advertisement, due to what is called advertisement, of a product since it is a consumer‘s mass information for all the special features of a product, in order to convince them to buy it. From the results accrued, in the qualitative research in urban Thessaloniki, useful conclusions were drawn, which were used for the questionnaire’s compilation and the conduct of the quantity issue.
Biometric Person Authentication Method Using Camera-Based Online Signature Acquisition

A camera-based online signature verification system is proposed in this paper. One web camera is used for data acquisition, and a sequential Monte Carlo method is used for tracking a pen tip. Several distances are computed from an online signature, and a fusion model trained by using AdaBoost combines the distances and computes a final score. Preliminary experiments were performed by using a private database. The proposed system yielded an equal error rate (EER) of 4.0%.
Sulindac sulfide alters the expression of cyclin proteins in HT‐29 colon adenocarcinoma cells

Sulindac sulfide (SS), the active metabolite of the colon cancer chemopreventive compound sulindac, inhibits the proliferation of HT‐29 colon cancer cells mainly by inducing cell quiescence. We determined by bivariate flow‐cytometric analysis both the DNA and cyclin protein content of individual cells. Thus, we assessed in detail the expression of several cyclins during the cell‐cycle phases and demonstrated that SS (i) decreases the expression of cyclins B1 and E and (ii) increases the expression of cyclins D1, D2 and D3, particularly in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. SS‐induced apoptotic cells expressed both E‐ and D‐type cyclins but not cyclin B1. The changes in cyclin expression combined with reduced catalytic activity of cyclin‐dependent kinases could explain in molecular terms the anti‐proliferative effect of SS on HT‐29 colon cancer cells. These changes may contribute to the chemopreventive effect of sulindac. Int. J. Cancer 76:99–104, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Discovery of English Grain Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Biotypes in China

ABSTRACT The English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important pest insect of wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.), in China. Grain aphid biotypes are necessary to breed aphid-resistant wheat varieties; however, none have currently been identified. Here, we describe a method to identify grain aphid biotypes and survey the aphid biotype variation in the wheat growth area of China. Clones of S. avenae were collected from 11 locations in China and used to establish culture populations. These populations were then used to assess the resistance of 12 wheat varieties. Based on resistance responses, seven differential hosts were selected to identify the biotype of S. avenue: Amigo, ‘Fengchan No. 3’, Zhong 4 wumang, JP1, L1, 885479-2, and ‘Xiaobaidongmai’. S. avenae was ultimately classified into five biotypes: EGA I, EGA II, EGA III, EGA IV, and EGA V. These methods provide a mechanism to detect the variation and evolution of grain aphids in different wheat-growing locations and also allow for selection of appropriate aphid-resistant germplasm for wheat breeding of commercial wheat cultivars.
Growth Hormone and Adipocyte Function in Obesity

In obesity, growth hormone (GH) secretion is impaired which is considered a consequence rather than a cause of obesity. GH regulates the expression of GH receptor and the synthesis of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in adipocytes. Although GH hyposecretion in obesity may decrease the generation of IGF-I in each adipocyte, increased amounts of IGF-I and GH-binding protein could be secreted from the excessively enlarged amounts of adipose tissue. This may contribute to the normal/high serum-IGF-I and high GH-binding protein levels in obesity. Hyperinsulinemia and increased GH receptor activity may also affect the GH-IGF-I axis. Favorable effects of GH treatment have been observed in obese children and adults. GH treatment decreases adiposity, reduces triglyceride accumulation by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase and enhances lipolysis both via increased hormone-sensitive lipase activity and via induction of beta adrenoreceptors. GH treatment also has a favorable effect on obesity-associated dyslipidemia, but the effects on insulin sensitivity have been conflicting.
A Novel High Data Rate Modulation Scheme Based on Chaotic Signal Separation

Based on separation of the sum of chaotic signals, this paper proposes a novel spread spectrum modulation scheme-initial condition modulation (ICM), which is suitable for high data rate communications. The success of signal separation makes it possible to transmit multiple information streams through single channel. This technique significantly improves data transmission rate and implies good information security. Our theoretical analysis shows that this approach can also cleanse the additive white Gaussian noise imposed by communication channel. Computer simulations confirm that the proposed method has a good noise performance.