Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toll-like Receptor 3-mediated Necrosis via TRIF, RIP3, and MLKL*

Background: RIP3-dependent programmed necrosis is an alternative to apoptosis. Results: When caspase-8 is compromised, TRIF-dependent TLRs directly activate RIP3 kinase through RHIM-dependent interactions. Conclusion: TRIF mediates direct RHIM-dependent signaling, triggering necrosis via RIP3 and MLKL. Significance: Programmed necrosis eliminates cells following stimulation of either MyD88 or TRIF signaling pathways that converge on RIP3. Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling is triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns that mediate well established cytokine-driven pathways, activating NF-κB together with IRF3/IRF7. In addition, TLR3 drives caspase 8-regulated programmed cell death pathways reminiscent of TNF family death receptor signaling. We find that inhibition or elimination of caspase 8 during stimulation of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, or TLR9 results in receptor interacting protein (RIP) 3 kinase-dependent programmed necrosis that occurs through either TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) or MyD88 signal transduction. TLR3 or TLR4 directly activates programmed necrosis through a RIP homotypic interaction motif-dependent association of TRIF with RIP3 kinase (also called RIPK3). In fibroblasts, this pathway proceeds independent of RIP1 or its kinase activity, but it remains dependent on mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) downstream of RIP3 kinase. Here, we describe two small molecule RIP3 kinase inhibitors and employ them to demonstrate the common requirement for RIP3 kinase in programmed necrosis induced by RIP1-RIP3, DAI-RIP3, and TRIF-RIP3 complexes. Cell fate decisions following TLR signaling parallel death receptor signaling and rely on caspase 8 to suppress RIP3-dependent programmed necrosis whether initiated directly by a TRIF-RIP3-MLKL pathway or indirectly via TNF activation and the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL necroptosis pathway.
A New Species of Bark Beetle, Dendroctonus mesoamericanus sp. nov. (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in Southern Mexico and Central America

ABSTRACT The bark beetle Dendroctonus mesoamericanus sp. nov. is described from a population in Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, La Trinitaria, Chiapas, Mexico. This species belongs to the D. frontalis complex, which includes D. adjunctus Blandford 1897, D. approximatus Dietz 1890, D. brevicomis LeConte 1876, D. frontalis Zimmermann 1868, D. mexicanus Hopkins 1905, and D. vitei Wood 1975. The new species can be distinguished from closely related species D. frontalis, D. mexicanus, and D. vitei by four diagnostic morphological characters: the presence of striations on the preepisternal area of the prothorax (anterolateral pronotum) in both sexes, seminal rod with an approximately linear posterior margin of the dorsal process (in lateral view), irregularly sized ornamentations on the distal edge of squamiform plates present on the eighth abdominal tergite in females, and an inconspicuous pronotal callus in females. Furthermore, the karyotype of D. mesoamericanus sp. nov. (5AA+Xyp / XX) differs from that of its sister species D. frontalis (7AA + Xyp/XX). Dendroctonus mesoamericanus sp. nov. is distributed in Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and in the Michoacán, Oaxaca, and Chiapas states in Mexico. In these countries, this species has been collected at elevations above from 311 to 2600 m on six pine species, and it commonly occurs in syntopy with D. frontalis.
The Concept of Feminist Justice in African Philosophy: A Critical Exposition of Dukor’s Propositions on African Cultural Values

Having taken note of, and critically analyzed, Professor Maduabuchi Dukor’s epochal work entitled“Theistic Humanism of African philosophy-the great debate on substance and method of philosophy”(2010), I am much encouraged and rationally convinced that he has succeeded in building the core critical and essential foundational pillars of what can safely pass for professional African philosophy, though much remains to be done by way of further research from other scholars. Based upon that conviction and the great prospects that the African philosophy project breakthrough holds for every African philosopher in the global village, I am also motivated to take a closer look at, and carry out a critical exposition of the concept of justice in the context of African cultural values, using the propositions of what he calls the canons of cultural values that are native to African philosophy. These cultural values define African identity and delineateAfrica’s contributions to the advancement of the global ideas of justice, axiology, gender and globalization. The essence and methodology of this article, therefore, will lift the relevant thematic thrusts and arguments made by the erudite Professor of African philosophy to“properly locate African philosophy in the context of globalism, cosmopolitanism, science and what it could contribute to emerging global culture”(Dukor,2010:p.ix). The central point of this critical exposition is that his theistic inspired cultural humanism has enhanced the global understanding of not only justice but feminist rights and the urgent needs for African philosophy to make its contributions towards the emancipation of and empowerment of women both in the continent and globally. The feminist search for justice, according to Dukor, is“the current global pool where the African is needed urgently to intervene”, since“feminism and women liberation has truncated the equilibrium and balance of relations between man and woman. African contribution to this class struggle between man and woman is a neutral one that absorbs the man and woman to their respective natural places in the nature’s womb”. Women’s search for global justice and the struggle to have their human rights recognized as a part of mankind’s gender balancing process would be philosophically enriched by Professor Dukor’s cultural value propositions and canons of justice.
Bias Reduction and a Solution for Separation of Logistic Regression with Missing Covariates

Summary Logistic regression is an important statistical procedure used in many disciplines. The standard software packages for data analysis are generally equipped with this procedure where the maximum likelihood estimates of the regression coefficients are obtained iteratively. It is well known that the estimates from the analyses of small‐ or medium‐sized samples are biased. Also, in finding such estimates, often a separation is encountered in which the likelihood converges but at least one of the parameter estimates diverges to infinity. Standard approaches of finding such estimates do not take care of these problems. Moreover, the missingness in the covariates adds an extra layer of complexity to the whole process. In this article, we address these three practical issues—bias, separation, and missing covariates by means of simple adjustments. We have applied the proposed technique using real and simulated data. The proposed method always finds a solution and the estimates are less biased. A SAS macro that implements the proposed method can be obtained from the authors.
[Pulsed Doppler evaluation of left ventricular pressure and pressure difference in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy].

To assess the patho-physiological severity of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), the systolic pressure differences caused by the functional stenosis across the outflow tract of the left ventricle must be evaluated. The present study explored and proposed a non-invasive method predicting the pressure difference across the intraventricular obstruction and the pressure proximal to the obstruction by using pulsed Doppler technique, guided by simultaneous two-dimensional echocardiography. The ultrasonic equipment recently developed in our laboratory was used. It consisted of a 3.0 MHz pulsed ultrasonic transducer with a 4.4 KHz repetition rate and a mechanical sector scanner equipped with a single concave transducer 1.3 cm in diameter having a 70 mm radius of curvature. The sample volume was approximately 3 X 3 X 3 mm. Doppler signals obtained were subjected to a real-time analyzer with a fast Fourier transformer, and were simultaneously recorded on a thermal recorder as a spectral display together with an M-mode echocardiogram, lead II ECG, phonocardiogram and mechanocardiogram. Ten adults with HOCM were the subjects in the present study. For six of the 10, good pressure tracings were obtained. The pressure differences estimated by the maximum velocity as measured from the Doppler signals at the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract and the pressure gradients as obtained by cardiac catheterization were subjected to correlative analysis. Prior to investigating the pressure differences, the site and mechanism of the outflow obstruction in HOCM were studied in two cases using two-dimensional echocardiography in the longitudinal- and short-axis views. The obstruction was produced during systole by posteroinferior displacement of the hypertrophied interventricular septum and by abnormal anterosuperior movement of the hypertrophied, and elongated anterior or posterior papillary muscles. Thus, a concentric and centripetal narrowing was formed at the midportion of the outflow tract. In some cases, a bottle-shaped chamber was clearly observed in the apical area. Ultrasonic Doppler examinations were performed by the apical approach. Flow velocity patterns in the apical region or proximal to the obstruction had two peaks with a narrow spectrum in systole. At the distal portion or downstream the obstruction had a pattern with a narrow spectrum and a sharp single peak. To measure the maximum flow velocity, Doppler velocity patterns recorded immediately distal to the obstruction were used. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Medical students' self-reported typical counseling practices are similar to those assessed with standardized patients.

CONTEXT/OBJECTIVES We surveyed fourth-year medical students in the Class of 2003 at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, about various personal and clinical practices. We were especially interested in the frequency that these seniors reported of talking with patients about nutrition, weight, exercise, alcohol, and cigarette smoking. Because the validity of our findings about these counseling practices was limited by our having only self-reported data from seniors' questionnaires, we developed a standardized patient (SP) examination to test the relationship between what students reported on the questionnaires and how they actually performed with SPs. DESIGN/SETTING/MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES As part of a lengthy questionnaire, 88 senior medical students answered these 5 separated questions: "With a typical general medicine patient, how often do you actually talk to patients about: (1) nutrition; (2) exercise/physical activity; (3) weight; (4) smoking cessation (among smokers); and (5) alcohol? (never/rarely, sometimes, usually/always). " As part of their internal medicine subinternship final exam, students clinically assessed 4 SP cases with predetermined risk factors (poor diet, exercise, alcohol, and/or cigarette-smoking habits). RESULTS For every risk factor, the proportion of SPs actually counseled was higher for those students who self-reported discussing that risk factor more frequently with their patients. Additionally, the odds of counseling an SP for any risk factor were significantly higher (odds ratio = 1.76-2.80, P < .05) when students reported more frequent counseling. CONCLUSION Student self-reports regarding patient counseling may be useful when resources are limited, and the purpose is to grossly and anonymously distinguish between higher and lower performers.
On the Psychology of Loss Aversion: Possession, Valence, and Reversals of the Endowment Effect

Loss aversion states that "losses loom larger than gains. " We consider two types of loss aversion defined by two interpretations of loss. A loss can be defined (1) in terms of valence or (2) in terms of possession. Correspondingly, valence loss aversion (VLA) entails greater sensitivity to negative (vs. positive) changes, and possession loss aversion (PLA) entails greater sensitivity to items leaving (vs. entering) one's possession. Both types of loss aversion imply an endowment effect for attractive items, but PLA implies a reversal of the endowment effect for unattractive items. Experimental results show endowment effect reversals consistent with PLA. (c) 2007 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc.
HEMODYNAMIC MONITORING : ARTERIAL AND PULMONARY ARTERY CATHETERS

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Is there any correlation between functional and clinical tests in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed knees after three years

OBJETIVO: Testes ‘‘Hop and Jump sao frequentemente utilizados em situacoes clinicas em pacientes com lesao do ligamento cruzado anterior e de reconstrucao do mesmo. Nao temos conhecimento de nenhum estudo que analisa a correlacao de testes funcionais com testes clinicos apos tres anos de reconstrucao. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar essa relacao. METODO: Doze pacientes do sexo masculino com reconstrucao unilateral do ligamento cruzado anterior foram avaliados. Eles realizaram testes ‘‘hop and jump‘‘ e ‘‘jump and reach’’ com uma perna, para avaliar a funcao do joelho. As avaliacoes clinicas foram: (a) medida instrumental da frouxidao do joelho, (b) ângulo Q, (c) forca flexora do joelho; (d) forca dos musculos extensores. Para determinar a relacao entre os testes clinicos e funcionais, uma analise de correlacao foi realizada por meio do coeficiente de correlacao de Spearman. Um valor de p ≤ 0,05 foi considerado significativo. RESULTADOS: Comparando ligamentos cruzados anteriores reconstruidos vs joelhos saudaveis, o desempenho ‘‘hop and jump’’ correlacionou bem com a forca muscular. A frouxidao do joelho nao afetou o desempenho do ‘‘hop and jump’’. CONCLUSOES: Os resultados dos testes funcionais e de forca nos joelhos reconstruidos e normais foram semelhantes e independente da frouxidao anterior do joelho, tres anos apos a reconstrucao. O teste correlacionou melhor com a forca muscular do joelho e poderia dar informacoes sobre a forca muscular, tres anos apos a reconstruca o. Ângulo Q e forca extensora devem ser consideradas em conjunto para avaliar o desempenho ‘‘hop and jump.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of refugees seeking primary healthcare services in Greece in the period 2015-2016: a descriptive study.

Background In 2015-2016, more than a million refugees entered Greece. Along with other organizations, PRAKSIS, a local non-governmental organization, deployed mobile medical units on three islands and in temporary settlements in Athens. Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study aimed at analysing the demographic and clinical characteristics of the population (n=6688) that received services from PRAKSIS between October 2015 and June 2016 in different locations (islands of Samos, Kos and Leros in the southeastern Aegean Sea and on the mainland at Athens-Piraeus Port Gate E) before and after the closure of European borders in March 2016. Results The majority (88%) of the population came from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Among them, 53% were women and children. Infectious diseases decreased as the population moved from the islands to the Athens-Piraeus Port, while all other disease categories increased in relative frequency, the difference being statistically significant (p<0.05). Among all consultations, dental and oral cavity health complaints also increased in the Athens-Piraeus Port, but failed to reach statistical significance (p=0.11). Referrals from the mobile health units to specialist care rose from 4.2% of all patients clinically examined on the islands to 9.9% in the Athens-Piraeus Port, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions More research and systematic data collection are needed to inform appropriate policies for the humanitarian challenges posed by the recent refugee and migrant waves in Europe.
Needlestick Injuries among Healthcare Workers: Why They Do Not Report their Incidence?

Background: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) among healthcare workers (HCWs) pose an important health challenge and several pieces of evidence show that in many cases HCWs do not report the injury. Materials and Methods: This multicenter descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in eight teaching hospitals of Rasht, Iran. Using consecutive sampling methods, 1010 nurses were enrolled from October 2014 to January 2015. A three-part self-administered questionnaire was used. It included questions on demographic features, NSI-related questions, and questions on the knowledge of hepatitis B and C viruses (HCV, HBV). Results: Among the 1010 participants, 580 (57.42%) showed a positive history of NSI; the total number of occurrences of NSI was 914. The major item causing NSI was the syringe with needle (315; 34.47%). In this way, NSIs occurred most frequently during recapping and injection [339 (37.10%) and 147 (16.10%), respectively]. Only 92 (10.07%) of all NSI positive participations had referred to the infection control units of their hospitals. The others mostly answered the question of “Why did you not report the incident? ” with being too busy at work at the time of injury (140; 27.58%). The results showed that among participants with <5 years elapsed since their vaccination, the risk of NSI reduced to 60% [p < 0.02, odds ratio (OR) = 0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.20–0.80]. Conclusions: It seems that NSI is still a major problem among nurses. Correspondingly, HCWs do not take the reporting system seriously and training them requires an ongoing activity in all hospitals.
Using Comic Strip Conversations to Increase Social Satisfaction and Decrease Loneliness in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Comic Strip Conversations have been used to improve the social skills of students on the autism spectrum. Research on the effectiveness of this strategy was extended to three lower elementary-aged male students diagnosed as exhibiting high-functioning autism. One elementary special education teacher and her 2 paraprofessionals used Comic Strip Conversations for a period of 6 weeks with 3 students who exhibited signs of loneliness. All participants became more involved socially and actively began to seek friendships. The educators working with them noted increased friendships in the classroom and on the playground as well as visible signs of social satisfaction among the participants. Research has demonstrated that children with the friendships of children with autism was autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher poorer, yet some perceived their friendships levels of loneliness and social dissatisfaction as closer than what the typical peers perceived than their typical peers (Bauminger & Kasari, them to be. 2000; Bauminger, Shulman, & Agam, 2003; Because children with autism have been Huang & Wheeler, 2006). This is believed to found to be responsive to a wide variety of be due to impaired communication, social social interventions (Greenway, 2000; Att cognition, and the processing of emotions wood, 2000), Gray (1995a, 1995b) designed that is typical of children with autism (Travis Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations
A Dynamic and Adaptive Approach to Distribution Planning and Monitoring

D istribution planning research is entering its second generation. The first generation of distribution research provided answers to relatively static questions such as “what is an initial safe withdrawal rate” and “what is the best (constant) allocation for a distribution portfolio. ” Recognizing that distribution decisions are not made only once at retirement, an expanding body of research is exploring retirement as a more dynamic period, in which changes can be made as situations warrant. This paper will explore the question, “What is a safe withdrawal rate? ” not only initially, but also currently. It will do so from an adaptive perspective, where the withdrawal rate is revisited annually based on the performance of the underlying portfolio or unforeseen expenditures. It will also be revisited simultaneously with the effects of the dynamic relationships of (1) constantly decreasing distribution periods as the client ages, which in turn allow for (2) an increasing supportable withdrawal rate with a similar probability of failure rate throughout retirement. The study modeled the revisits annually, but the data are displayed as fiveyear slices through the data for simplification of reporting purposes. An adaptive approach to distribution planning, where the withdrawal rate is fluid and not constant, can dramatically improve the probability of success of a distribution strategy. Reviewing the withdrawal rate also allows for the withdrawal amount to be increased as situations warrant, which ensures that a retiree is maximizing his or A Dynamic and Adaptive Approach to Distribution Planning and Monitoring