Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Polymorphism of the Human Matrix γ-Carboxyglutamic Acid Protein Promoter Alters Binding of an Activating Protein-1 Complex and Is Associated with Altered Transcription and Serum Levels*

Matrix γ-carboxyglutamic acid protein (MGP) is a mineral-binding extracellular matrix protein synthesized by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and chondrocytes that is thought to be a key regulator of tissue calcification. In this study, we identified four polymorphisms in the promoter region of the human MGP gene. Transfection studies showed that the G−7A and T−138C polymorphisms have an important impact on in vitro promoter activity when transiently transfected into VSMCs. We found that one of these polymorphisms (T−138C) is significantly correlated with serum MGP levels in human subjects. Promoter deletion analysis showed that this polymorphism lies in a region of the promoter critical for transcription in VSMCs. This region contains a potential activating protein-1 (AP-1) binding element located between −142 and −136. We have demonstrated that the T−138C polymorphism results in altered binding of an AP-1 complex to this region. The −138T allelic variant binds AP-1 complexes consisting primarily of c-Jun, JunB and its partners Fra-1 and Fra-2 in rat VSMC. Furthermore, the −138T variant form of the promoter was induced following phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, while the −138C variant was refractive to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, confirming that AP-1 factors preferentially bind to the −138T variant. This study therefore suggests that a common polymorphism of the MGP promoter influences binding of the AP-1 complex, which may lead to altered transcription and serum levels. This could have important implications for diseases such as atherosclerosis and aortic valve stenosis, since it strongly suggests a genetic basis for regulation of tissue calcification.
Interpreting Change Scores for Pain and Functional Status in Low Back Pain: Towards International Consensus Regarding Minimal Important Change

Study Design. Literature review, expert panel, and a workshop during the “VIII International Forum on Primary Care Research on Low Back Pain” (Amsterdam, June 2006). Objective. To develop practical guidance regarding the minimal important change (MIC) on frequently used measures of pain and functional status for low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Empirical studies have tried to determine meaningful changes for back pain, using different methodologies. This has led to confusion about what change is clinically important for commonly used back pain outcome measures. Methods. This study covered the Visual Analogue Scale (0–100) and the Numerical Rating Scale (0–10) for pain and for function, the Roland Disability Questionnaire (0–24), the Oswestry Disability Index (0–100), and the Quebec Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (0–100). The literature was reviewed for empirical evidence. Additionally, experts and participants of the VIII International Forum on Primary Care Research on Low Back Pain were consulted to develop international consensus on clinical interpretation. Results. There was wide variation in study design and the methods used to estimate MICs, and in values found for MIC, where MIC is the improvement in clinical status of an individual patient. However, after discussion among experts and workshop participants a reasonable consensus was achieved. Proposed MIC values are: 15 for the Visual Analogue Scale, 2 for the Numerical Rating Scale, 5 for the Roland Disability Questionnaire, 10 for the Oswestry Disability Index, and 20 for the QBDQ. When the baseline score is taken into account, a 30% improvement was considered a useful threshold for identifying clinically meaningful improvement on each of these measures. Conclusion. For a range of commonly used back pain outcome measures, a 30% change from baseline may be considered clinically meaningful improvement when comparing before and after measures for individual patients. It is hoped that these proposals facilitate the use of these measures in clinical practice and the comparability of future studies. The proposed MIC values are not the final answer but offer a common starting point for future research.
Humanizing NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγnull (NSG) mice using busulfan and retro-orbital injection of umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ cells

Background Humanized mouse models are still under development, and various protocols exist to improve human cell engraftment and function. Methods Fourteen NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγnull (NSG) mice (4‒5 wk old) were conditioned with busulfan and injected with human umbilical cord blood (hUCB)-derived CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) via retro-orbital sinuses. The bone marrow (BM), spleen, and peripheral blood (PB) were analyzed 8 and 12 weeks after HSC transplantation. Results Most of the NSG mice tolerated the regimen well. The percentage of hCD45+ and CD19+ cells rose significantly in a time-dependent manner. The median percentage of hCD45+cells in the BM was 55.5% at week 8, and 67.2% at week 12. The median percentage of hCD45+ cells in the spleen at weeks 8 and 12 was 42% and 51%, respectively. The median percentage of hCD19+ cells in BM at weeks 8 and 12 was 21.5% and 39%, respectively (P=0.04). Similarly, the median percentage of hCD19+ cells in the spleen at weeks 8 and 12 was 10% and 24%, respectively (P=0.04). The percentage of hCD19+ B cells in PB was 23% at week 12. At week 8, hCD3+ T cells were barely detectable, while hCD7+ was detected in the BM and spleen. The percentage of hCD3+ T cells was 2‒3% at week 12 in the BM, spleen, and PB of humanized NSG mice. Conclusion We adopted a simplified protocol for establishing humanized NSG mice. We observed a higher engraftment rate of human CD45+ cells than earlier studies without any significant toxicity. And human CD45+ cell engraftment at week 8 was comparable to that of week 12.
Towards a Theory of Data-Diff: Optimal Synthesis of Succinct Data Modification Scripts

This paper addresses the Data-Diff problem: given a dataset and a subsequent version of the dataset, find the shortest sequence of operations that transforms the dataset to the subsequent version, under a restricted family of operations. We consider operations similar to SQL UPDATE, each with a condition (WHERE) that matches a subset of tuples and a modifier (SET) that makes changes to those matched tuples. We characterize the problem based on different constraints on the attributes and the allowed conditions and modifiers, providing complexity classification and algorithms in each case.
Strategies to enhance biologically active-secondary metabolites in cell cultures of Artemisia – current trends

Abstract The genus Artemisia has been utilized worldwide due to its immense potential for protection against various diseases, especially malaria. Artemisia absinthium, previously renowned for its utilization in the popular beverage absinthe, is gaining resurgence due to its extensive pharmacological activities. Like A. annua, this species exhibits strong biological activities like antimalarial, anticancer and antioxidant. Although artemisinin was found to be the major metabolite for its antimalarial effects, several flavonoids and terpenoids are considered to possess biological activities when used alone and also to synergistically boost the bioavailability of artemisinin. However, due to the limited quantities of these metabolites in wild plants, in vitro cultures were established and strategies have been adopted to enhance medicinally important secondary metabolites in these cultures. This review elaborates on the traditional medicinal uses of Artemisia species and explains current trends to establish cell cultures of A. annua and A. absinthium for enhanced production of medicinally important secondary metabolites.
Hybrid metal-insulator plasmonic slab directional coupler

A new two-dimensional plasmonic directional coupler is proposed based on the hybrid metal-insulator slab waveguide (HMISW). It is analyzed using the super mode theory (SMT) based on solving the symmetrical and antisymmetrical modes with the aim of transfer matrix method (TMM). The hybrid slab waveguide is composed of a metallic layer of silver and two dielectric layers of silica (SiO2) and silicon (Si). Analysis is performed at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. Optimization of the coupling length according to layer thicknesses is mainly considered. Maximum transferred power (Pmax) and the spatial extent of the coupler (Ls) are calculated as two additional performance criteria. It is shown that coupling lengths as low as 0.5 μm could be achieved resulting in a coupler much smaller than conventional directional couplers. In this case, percentage of transferred power is 90, coupler thickness is about 200 nm and the spatial length is 700 nm.
Controlling the fluoride dosage in a patient with compromised salivary function.

BACKGROUND High-concentration topical fluorides are used commonly to with compromised salivary function due to irradiation and chemotherapy. CASE DESCRIPTION The authors describe a 50-year-old man with previously treated cancer who was using tray-applied topical fluoride gel. He complained of gastric symptoms, difficulty in swallowing, leg muscle soreness and knee joint soreness. A computed tomographic scan revealed thickening of the esophageal walls. An upper endoscopy revealed abnormal motility. The motility test indicated high-amplitude peristalsis and hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter, and urine testing indicated high levels of systemic fluoride. The patient's fluoride regimen was altered, and within a short period his urinary fluoride levels returned to normal and his symptoms resolved. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Clinicians prescribing home-applied high-concentration fluorides need to be cognizant of the symptoms of fluoride toxicity, carefully monitor the patient's compliance with the treatment regimen, and adjust the dosage or mode of application to control the total ingested dose of fluoride.
Point prevalence of mental disorder in unconvicted male prisoners in England and Wales

Abstract Objectives: To determine prevalence of mental disorder among male unconvicted prisoners and to assess the treatment needs of this population. Design: Semi-structured interview and case note review of randomly selected cross section of male remand population. Non-attenders were replaced by the next name on prison roll. Setting: Three young offenders' institutions and 13 adult men's prisons. Subjects: 750 prisoners, representing 9.4% cross sectional sample of male unconvicted population. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of ICD-10 diagnoses of mental disorder, and associated treatment needs. Results: Psychiatric disorder was diagnosed in 469 (63%) inmates. The main diagnoses were: substance misuse, 285 (38%); neurotic illness, 192 (26%); personality disorder, 84 (11%); psychosis, 36 (5%); other and uncertain, 36 (0.5%). Subjects could have more than one diagnosis. The average refusal rate was 18%. In total 414 inmates (55%) were judged to have an immediate treatment need: transfer to an NHS bed, 64 (9%); treatment by prison health care services, 131 (17%); motivational interviewing for substance misuse, 115 (15%); and therapeutic community placement, 104 (14%). Conclusions: Mental disorder was common among male unconvicted prisoners. Psychosis was present at four or five times the level found in the general population. Extrapolation of our results suggests that remand population as a whole probably contains about 680 men who need transfer to hospital for psychiatric treatment, including about 380 prisoners with serious mental illness. Key messages We conducted a survey of the point prevalence of psychiatric disorder in men remanded in custody in England and Wales and assessed their treatment needs A diagnosis of psychiatric disorder was made in 63% of those surveyed, including 5% with psychosis Over half of these prisoners were judged to have an immediate treatment need—most could be treated inside prison, but 9% needed transfer to a psychiatric bed outside prison By extrapolation, the remand population probably contains about 680 men who need transfer to hospital for psychiatric treatment, including about 380 with serious mental illness Prison treatment facilities for unconvicted prisoners need substantial expansion
Using donor exchange paradigms with desensitization to enhance transplant rates among highly sensitized patients

Purpose of reviewMany sensitized patients have willing live donors but are unable to use them because of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) incompatibility. The options for these patients include: remaining on the deceased-donor list, entering a kidney-paired donation scheme, or undergoing desensitization with high-dose IVIg or plasmapheresis and low-dose IVIg. Recent findingsMathematical simulations verified by actual data from several national kidney-paired donation (KPD) programs has shed light on which donor/recipient phenotypes are likely to benefit from each transplant modality. Pairs that are easy to match are likely to receive compatible kidneys in a KPD. Those who are hard to match may be better served by desensitization. The phenotype which is both hard to match and hard to desensitize due to board and strong HLA reactivity are most likely to be transplanted by a hybrid modality utilizing desensitization after identifying a more immunologically favorable donor in a KPD. SummaryRecent outcomes from desensitization in which starting donor-specific antibody strength is low have been very good. For broadly sensitized patients with a high-strength cross-match, searching for a better donor in a KPD pool can facilitate a safer, less expensive, and more successful desensitization treatment course.
Has Socialism Failed? An Analysis of Health Indicators Under Capitalism and Socialism*

According to a widely held position in academia and the mainstream press, capitalism has proven superior to socialism in responding to human needs. However, analysis of health conditions of populations continent by continent shows that, contrary to dominant ideology, socialism and socialist forces have, for the most part, been better able than capitalism and capitalist forces to improve health conditions. In the un- derdeveloped world, socialist forces and regimes have, more frequently than not, made greater improvements in health and social indicators than have capitalist forces and regimes. In the developed world, countries with strong socialist forces have been able to improve health conditions better than those coun- tries without, or with weak, socialist forces. The socialist expe- rience has, of course, also included negative developments that have negated important components of the socialist project. Still, the evidence shows that the historical experience of social- ism has not been the failure of which it is accused. Quite to the contrary: it has been, for the most part, more successful than capitalism in improving people's health.
Nighttime eating: a descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE The definition of night eating syndrome (NES) is inconsistent across various studies and literatures. The goal of the current descriptive study was to collect data on participants who were selected using broad criteria for nighttime eating. Researchers have cogently argued for consideration of wide ranges including "subsyndromal" cases before reifying diagnostic constructs prematurely. METHOD One-hundred six participants with broadly defined nighttime eating problems were recruited through newspaper advertisements and were interviewed over the phone. The following instruments were administered: the Night Eating Questionnaire, the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory, the Eating Disorder Questionnaire, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV diagnoses and a Sleep Disorder Questionnaire. RESULTS Thirty-one (29.2%) participants met the original criteria described by Stunkard et al. (Am J Med 1955;19:78) and only 14 (13.2%) participants met all of the most recent proposed criteria for NES (Birketvedt et al., JAMA 1999;282:657). The overlap between binge eating disorder (BED) and nighttime eating problems was modest in our sample with only 9 participants meeting current BED criteria. One half of our sample was obese. Regular nocturnal eating was reported by 57.5% of the participants. Dieting was not a frequent precursor or antecedent of nocturnal eating. However, self-reported current parasomnias were quite frequent in our sample. CONCLUSION Our descriptive study confirms some of the observations made by other researchers. Nevertheless, nighttime eating is still an evolving concept that requires close collaboration between eating and sleep researchers.
The evolution of genetic and conditional alternative reproductive tactics

Frequency-dependent selection may drive adaptive diversification within species. It is yet unclear why the occurrence of alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) is highly divergent between major animal taxa. Here we aim to clarify the environmental and social conditions favouring the evolution of intra-population variance of male reproductive phenotypes. Our results suggest that genetically determined ARTs that are fixed for life evolve when there is strong selection on body size due to size-dependent competitiveness, in combination with environmental factors reducing size benefits. The latter may result from growth costs or, more generally, from age-dependent but size-independent mortality causes. This generates disruptive selection on growth trajectories underlying tactic choice. In many parameter settings, the model also predicts ARTs to evolve that are flexible and responsive to current conditions. Interestingly, the conditions favouring the evolution of flexible tactics diverge considerably from those favouring genetic variability. Nevertheless, in a restricted but relevant parameter space, our model predicts the simultaneous emergence and maintenance of a mixture of multiple tactics, both genetically and conditionally determined. Important conditions for the emergence of ARTs include size variation of competitors, which is inherently greater in species with indeterminate growth than in taxa reproducing only after reaching their terminal body size. This is probably the reason why ARTs are more common in fishes than in other major taxa.
Wouldn't you like to have your own studio in Croquet?

We present the Greenhouse, a new concept for a studio-like metaphor supporting content creation within Croquet (Smith et al. 2003). The Greenhouse is a scalable working environment enabling people to either carry out their work in private or share their progress with a community of users. The metaphor of a greenhouse is ideally suited to build upon since it is known as a shelter for the young and innocent. In the process of creation, new ideas need similar protection, here represented by semi-transparent walls: they serve as an almost invisible barrier between private and public space and can be dynamically adjusted, thereby enabling both active and passive participation in the work process. The greenhouse as a 3D object within the 3D world allows to structure infinite virtual space. By creating a greenhouse the user becomes the "landlord" of this virtual property and may define appropriate "house rules" for this subset of space including what and with whom to share both process and the results of the work
The Prechordal Plate, the Rostral End of the Notochord and Nearby Median Features in Staged Human Embryos

The enigmatic structure known as the prechordal plate and also the precursors of the notochord were reassessed in 101 human embryos of stages 8–14; 36 were controlled by precise graphic reconstructions. Various measurements were made and the appearance of median structures was tabulated. The prechordal plate, which has been unequivocally found first at stage 7, is usually detectable at stage 8 as a highly developed mesendodermal mass in contact with the floor of the neural groove. At stages 9 and 10 the plate is related to neuromere D1. Cellular migration laterad at stages 9–11 gives rise to the bilateral premandibular condensations, which are lateral to the adenohypophysial primordium, and at stages 13 and 14 these condensations are closely related to the future tentorium cerebelli. The notochordal process is first visible at stage 7, and its dorsal part constitutes the notochordal plate at stage 8. At stages 8–10 the notochordal and prechordal plates appear continuous, but they are distinguishable histologically. The notochordal plate becomes intercalated in the endoderm of the foregut and begins to give rise to the notochord at stages 10 and 11. Bifurcation occurs rostrally at stage 12: the dorsal limb disappears, whereas the ventral limb is the definitive continuation. The topographical relationships of the prechordal and notochordal plates, the notochord, the adenohypophysis, and the oropharyngeal membrane are documented. Definitions and pertinent remarks on terminology are included, comparative data are considered, and the origin and derivatives of the prechordal plate are discussed. In addition to giving rise to external ocular muscles, the possibility of contributions to the heart and the tentorium cerebelli is raised. The importance of the plate in the development of the forebrain, as well as in the production of median anomalies such as holoprosencephaly and cyclopia, is stressed.
Children conceived using ICSI do not have an increased risk of delayed mental development at 5 years of age.

BACKGROUND Concerns about possible adverse outcomes for children conceived using ICSI were highlighted in 1998 when 1-year-old ICSI children were found to be at increased risk (relative risk = 9.2) of delayed mental development compared with children conceived naturally or using IVF. As the findings were biologically plausible, it was considered important to reassess child development when a more accurate measure of long-term cognitive ability could be obtained. METHODS The mental development of 97 ICSI, 80 IVF and 110 naturally conceived (NC) children at 5 years of age was assessed using intelligence quotients (IQ) obtained from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence. RESULTS The mean full-scale IQ was 110 +/- 18 for ICSI, 111 +/- 13 for IVF and 114 +/- 13 for NC children (P = 0.21, non-significant). ICSI children were not at increased risk for delayed (full-scale IQ <85) cognitive development (ICSI 5.2%, IVF 2.5%, NC 0.9%; P = 0.18, non-significant). The only significant independent predictor of below-average full-scale IQ on multivariate analysis was lower maternal education level. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the genetic influence of parental cognitive ability is more important than the mode of conception in determining the long-term intellectual ability of children conceived using ICSI.
Online index rebuild

In this paper we present an efficient method to do online rebuild of a B+-tree index. This method has been implemented in Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) Version 12.0. It provides high concurrency, does minimal amount of logging, has good performance and does not deadlock with other index operations. It copies the index rows to newly allocated pages in the key order so that good space utilization and clustering are achieved. The old pages are deallocated during the process. Our algorithm differs from the previously published online index rebuild algorithms in two ways. It rebuilds multiple leaf pages and then propagates the changes to higher levels. Also, while propagating the leaf level changes to higher levels, level 11 pages are reorganized, eliminating the need for a separate pass. Our performance study shows that our approach results in significant reduction in logging and CPU time. Also, our approach uses the same concurrency control mechanism as split and shrink operations, which made it attractive for implementation.