Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resveratrol and quercetin down‐regulate tissue factor expression by human stimulated vascular cells

Summary. Background: Epidemiological studies have shown that consumption of wine reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. Resveratrol and quercetin, two polyphenolic compounds found in grapes and red wine, have been shown to contribute to this protection by exerting several biological properties which could be associated with cardioprotection. Tissue factor (TF), the cellular receptor that initiates blood coagulation, plays a primary role both in hemostasis following tissue injury and in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis which predisposes to thrombosis. Objectives: We investigated the role of resveratrol and quercetin on TF expression by endothelial and mononuclear cells (MN). Methods: Confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells and MN collected from healthy donors were stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide, interleukin‐1β or tumor necrosis factor‐α after incubation with increasing concentrations of resveratrol or quercetin. Results: In both cell types, TF activity induced by any agonist was significantly reduced by resveratrol or quercetin in a dose‐dependent fashion. Northern blot analysis indicated that resveratrol and quercetin strongly reduce TF mRNA in both cell types. The inhibition of TF mRNA originated from a reduction in nuclear binding activity of the transacting factor c‐Rel/p65, which was induced by the agonists and measured by electromobility shift assay. Western blot analysis revealed that the diminished c‐Rel/p65 activity was dependent upon inhibition of degradation of the c‐Rel/p65 inhibitory protein IκBα. Conclusions: These results provide a molecular basis which could help explain the protective activity of red wine against cardiovascular disease.
Do Bilinguals Activate Phonological Representations in One or Both of Their Languages When Naming Words

Abstract Four experiments investigated whether bilinguals activate spelling-to-sound correspondences in a nontarget language during word naming by examining whether the existence of word-body neighbors in the nontarget language impairs naming of the target language. Both English–French and French–English bilinguals were tested. In each experiment participants named a block of English experimental words, a block of French filler words, and then a second block of English experimental words. Results indicated that spelling–sound correspondences from both languages could be activated simultaneously, but whether they were depended on whether bilinguals were naming words in their dominant or less dominant language, whether English target words were named before or after the French filler words, and participants' fluency and experience with French.
Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma in an Asian population: 1968‐1992 time trends and ethnic differences in Singapore

Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma has increased in incidence in many countries, particularly in the West. Advances in diagnostic methods and the understanding of the disease over time pose a challenge to the interpretation of these trends. The aim of this study was to determine if the disease has increased in Singapore, a newly industrialized Asian country, and to examine the possible factors that may account for any observed changes.
Ras/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Activates Ets-1 and Ets-2 by CBP/p300 Recruitment

ABSTRACT Cell signaling affects gene expression by regulating the activity of transcription factors. Here, we report that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation of Ets-1 and Ets-2, at a conserved site N terminal to their Pointed (PNT) domains, resulted in enhanced transactivation by preferential recruitment of the coactivators CREB binding protein (CBP) and p300. We discovered this phosphorylation-augmented interaction in an unbiased affinity chromatography screen of HeLa nuclear extracts by using either mock-treated or ERK2-phosphorylated ETS proteins as ligands. Binding between purified proteins demonstrated a direct interaction. Both the phosphoacceptor site, which lies in an unstructured region, and the PNT domain were required for the interaction. Minimal regions that were competent for induced CBP/p300 binding in vitro also supported MAPK-enhanced transcription in vivo. CBP coexpression potentiated MEK1-stimulated Ets-2 transactivation of promoters with Ras-responsive elements. Furthermore, CBP and Ets-2 interacted in a phosphorylation-enhanced manner in vivo. This study describes a distinctive interface for a transcription factor-coactivator complex and demonstrates a functional role for inducible CBP/p300 binding. In addition, our findings decipher the mechanistic link between Ras/MAPK signaling and two specific transcription factors that are relevant to both normal development and tumorigenesis.
Physiological and subjective aspects of positive mood in relation to executive functioning: The potential moderating role of personality

Physiological and Subjective Aspects of Positive Mood in Relation to Executive Functioning: The Potential Moderating Role of Personality By Luz Helena Ospina Advisor: Deborah J. Walder, Ph.D. Positive affect has been demonstrated to improve aspects of cognition. However, recent studies reveal that positive affect may hinder the same cognitive processes, such as executive functioning, memory and creativity. These discrepant findings may be due to differing levels of physiological arousal, a component of the circumplex model of affect, which has been largely ignored in affective research. For example, one recent study suggests that positive valence coupled with varying levels of physiological arousal (i.e., low, moderate, and high) may differentially affect performance on tasks of verbal fluency and memory. Furthermore, one other explanation for these inconsistent findings may relate to individual differences (i.e., personality), which have been demonstrated to be associated with differences in susceptibility to certain affective states as well as cognitive performance. The goal of the proposed study was to assess the effects of a positive-mood induction (using the International Affective Picture Scale [IAPS] and/or a musical excerpt) aimed at inducing varying levels of physiological arousal (low, moderate and high) on performance of cognitive tasks of semantic and phonemic fluency, as a function of personality (specifically, neuroticism and extraversion). 160 adults (80M/80F) were randomly assigned to one of four mood induction conditions that included presentation of IAPS images varying in valence and arousal level, a musical excerpt or a combination of IAPS images with a musical excerpt; specifically: 1) neutral, low-arousal IAPS images, 2) positive, low-
Constructive Criticism: The Role of Student-Faculty Interactions on African American and Hispanic Students' Educational Gains

Using a longitudinal sample of 1,422 African American and Hispanic students, the purpose of the study was to examine the effects of faculty constructive criticism on students' GPA and educational satisfaction. The main premise suggested that student-faculty interactions, interpreted more broadly under the concept of constructive criticism would offer a more useful approach for understanding the complex nature of faculty feedback on students' educational outcomes. While the general premise was supported, it was concluded that constructive criticism within an educational environment of 'wise-schooling' could offer useful opportunities for faculty to enhance minority students' academic success and educational satisfaction.
EFFECT OF GESTATION STAGE ON MILK PRODUCTION IN DAIRY BUFFALO

Dairy buffalo is the major source of milk productio n kept under peri-urban, low input production syste m. There is no practice of feeding animals according to requirements; exposing them to nutritional deficiency with the onset of p regnancy. It leads to a decline in milk yield, which compels the farmers to keep the animals un-bred. The present work was con ducted to document, the post-conception decline in yield. This study compri sed analysis of 30912 weekly milk yield records for 48 weeks of lactation pertaining to 465 pregnant and 179 non-pregnant buf faloes from three locations. Gestation contributed to the reduction in milk yield by 1.4% per month. Post conception reduction in milk yield was effected by location, conception season, lactation week, gestation month and parity. Parity 3 showed the lea st reduction followed by parity 2, 4, 1, 5, and 6, indicating parity 3 as the best phase for milk production in dairy buffaloes. It ma y be concluded that the onset of pregnancy in dairy buffaloes results in drastic decline in yield at an early stage as compared to t hose conceived later. The buffaloes conceiving at a n early stage of lactation were also good milk producer in comparison to their non-pregnant counterparts.
Obesity Is A Modifier of Autonomic Cardiac Responses to Fine Metal Particulates

Background Increasing evidence suggests that obesity may impart greater susceptibility to adverse effects of air pollution. Particulate matter, especially PM2.5 (particulate matter with aero-dynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm), is associated with increased cardiac events and reduction of heart rate variability (HRV). Objectives Our goal was to investigate whether particle-mediated autonomic modulation is aggravated in obese individuals. Methods We examined PM2.5-mediated acute effects on HRV and heart rate (HR) using 10 24-hr and 13 48-hr ambulatory electrocardiogram recordings collected from 18 boilermakers (39.5 ± 9.1 years of age) exposed to high levels of metal particulates. Average HR and 5-min HRV [SDNN: standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (NN); rMSSD: square-root of mean squared-differences of successive NN intervals; HF: high-frequency power 0.15–0.4 Hz] and personal PM2.5 exposures were continuously monitored. Subjects with body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 were classified as obese. Mixed-effect models were used for statistical analyses. Results Half (50%) of the study subjects were obese. After adjustment for confounders, each 1-mg/m3 increase in 4-hr moving average PM2.5 was associated with HR increase of 5.9 bpm [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.2 to 7.7] and with 5-min HRV reduction by 6.5% (95% CI, 1.9 to 11.3%) for SDNN, 1.7% (95% CI, –4.9 to 8.4%) for rMSSD, and 8.8% (95% CI, –3.8 to 21.3%) for HF. Obese individuals had greater PM2.5-mediated HRV reductions (2- to 3-fold differences) than nonobese individuals, and had more PM2.5-mediated HR increases (9-bpm vs. 4-bpm increase in HR for each 1-mg/m3 increase in PM2.5; p < 0.001). Conclusions Our study revealed greater autonomic cardiac responses to metal particulates in obese workers, supporting the hypothesis that obesity may impart greater susceptibility to acute cardiovascular effects of fine particles.
Molecular Evolution of Dna-(cytosine-n4) Methyltransferases: Evidence for Their Polyphyletic Origin Database Searching Support a Scenario, in Which the Majority of N4mc Mtases, except for M.bali and M.bamhi, Arose by Divergence from a Common Ancestor. Interestingly, Mtases M.bali and M.bamhi Apparen

DNA N4-cytosine methyltransferases (N4mC MTases) are a family of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent MTases. Members of this family were previously found to share nine conserved sequence motifs, but the evolutionary basis of these similarities has never been studied in detail. We performed phylo-genetic analysis of 37 known and potential new family members from the multiple sequence alignment using distance matrix, parsimony and maximum likelihood approaches to infer the evolutionary relationship among the N4mC MTases and classify them into groups of orthologs. All the treeing algorithms employed as well as results of exhaustive sequence MTase family. In addition to the previously reported nine sequence motifs, two more conserved sequence patches were detected. Phylogenetic analysis also provided the evidence for massive horizontal transfer of MTase genes, presumably with the whole restriction-modification systems, between Bacteria and Archaea.
Interactive television instructors' perceptions of students' nonverbal responsiveness and their influence on distance teaching

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between interactive television instructors’ perceptions of students’ nonverbal responsiveness and the influence of these perceptions on distance teaching. The study yielded three general conclusions. First, interactive television instructors’ perceptions of students’ nonverbal responsiveness are positively related to their impressions of students, their perceptions of their teaching effectiveness and satisfaction, their perceptions of teacher‐student interpersonal relationships, and their preference for teaching in the interactive television classroom as opposed to the face‐to‐face classroom. The second conclusion is that instructors’ perceptions of students’ nonverbal responsiveness and the various teaching process variables are significantly higher in the traditional face‐to‐face classroom than in the interactive television classroom. The third conclusion is that receiving both visual and audible nonverbal cues via two‐way audio/video versus two‐way audio/one‐way video delivery systems increase positive perceptions of both students and the distance teaching process.
Ghana's New Christianity: Pentecostalism in a Globalising African Economy

In sub-Saharan Africa over the last two decades there has been an explosion of Christianity. This book sets out to identify its particular character, focusing on a particular place: Greater Accra, the capital of Ghana. Paul Gifford examines a wide range of Accra's new churches, giving priority to mega-churches. Every dimension -- discourse, theological vision, worship, rituals, music, media involvement, use of the Bible, conventions, finances, clientele -- is analysed. Gifford argues that this Christianity is not otherworldly: its emphasis is on success, achievement, wealth here and now. Yet within this general orientation there is diversity. At one end of the spectrum are churches that, building on the traditional religious imagination, see demonic forces everywhere blocking personal success. In the churches the key factor is the special 'man of God' who is understood to have the 'anointing' to conquer these forces, to 'reverse the curse' that is holding the believer back. At the other end is a strain of this new Christianity that discounts spiritual forces and sees victory resulting from the believer's own education and skills, and from transforming culture. The book also joins the debate over the role of this Christianity in modernizing economic and political structures. It sets the scene by describing Ghana's political and economic situation in the decades when these churches were proliferating, and outlines the current debate on the reasons for Africa's economic plight. It is argued that although focusing on success and wealth can provide motivation in circumstances where it is so easy to despair, the pervasive emphasis on miracles militates against any natural fostering of a new work ethic. As for their political role, some churches are easily co-opted; others challenge the government, but for 'spiritual' reasons that provide little incentive to grapple with issues of governance; by contrast, Gifford finds one important church encouraging change of the entire political culture. No other book has set forth the complex nature of Africa's new Christianity with such clarity, or offered such a searching analysis of its power to tackle Africa's predicament.
p75NTR Regulates Aβ Deposition by Increasing Aβ Production But Inhibiting Aβ Aggregation with Its Extracellular Domain

Accumulation of toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus is a major pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The neurotrophin receptor p75NTR has been proposed to mediate Aβ-induced neurotoxicity; however, its role in the development of AD remains to be clarified. The p75NTR/ExonIII−/− mice and APPSwe/PS1dE9 mice were crossed to generate transgenic AD mice with deletion of p75NTR gene. In APPSwe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice, p75NTR expression was localized in the basal forebrain neurons and degenerative neurites in neocortex, increased with aging, and further activated by Aβ accumulation. Deletion of the p75NTR gene in APPSwe/PS1dE9 mice reduced soluble Aβ levels in the brain and serum, but increased the accumulation of insoluble Aβ and Aβ plaque formation. There was no change in the levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its proteolytic derivatives, or α-, β-, and γ-secretase activities, or in levels of BACE1, neprilysin (NEP), and insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) proteins. Aβ production by cortical neurons of APPSwe/PS1dE9 mice was reduced by deletion of p75NTR gene in vitro. Recombinant extracellular domain of p75NTR attenuated the oligomerization and fibrillation of synthetic Aβ42 peptide in vitro, and reduced local Aβ plaques after hippocampus injection in vivo. In addition, deletion of p75NTR attenuated microgliosis but increased the microhemorrhage profiles in the brain. The deletion of p75NTR did not significantly change the cognitive function of the mice up to the age of 9 months. Our data suggest that p75NTR plays a critical role in regulating Aβ levels by both increasing Aβ production and attenuating its aggregation, and they caution that a therapeutic intervention simply reducing p75NTR may exacerbate AD pathology.
Effects of Three‐Dimensional Culture and Growth Factors on the Chondrogenic Differentiation of Murine Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the ability to self‐replicate and differentiate into cells from all three germ layers, holding great promise for tissue regeneration applications. However, controlling the differentiation of ES cells and obtaining homogenous cell populations still remains a challenge. We hypothesize that a supportive three‐dimensional (3D) environment provides ES cell‐derived cells an environment that more closely mimics chondrogenesis in vivo. In the present study, the chondrogenic differentiation capability of ES cell‐derived embryoid bodies (EBs) encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol)‐based (PEG) hy‐drogels was examined and compared with the chondrogenic potential of EBs in conventional monolayer culture. PEG hydrogel‐encapsulated EBs and EBs in monolayer were cultured in vitro for up to 17 days in chondrogenic differentiation medium in the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 or bone morphogenic protein‐2. Gene expression and protein analyses indicated that EB‐PEG hydrogel culture upregulated cartilage‐relevant markers compared with a monolayer environment and induction of chondrocytic phenotype was stimulated with TGF‐β1. Histology of EBs in PEG hydrogel culture with TGF‐β1 demonstrated basophilic extracellular matrix deposition characteristic of neocartilage. These findings suggest that EB‐PEG hydrogel culture, with an appropriate growth factor, may provide a suitable environment for chondrogenic differentiation of intact ES cell‐derived EBs.
Intellectual disability in the New South Wales inmate population

Between July and November 2001, a health survey of New South Wales (NSW) inmates was conducted by NSW Justice Health. A cross‐sectional random sample of inmates stratified by age, gender and Aboriginality (Aboriginal people are over‐represented in the NSW inmate population) that included approximately 10% of the male and 34% of the female inmate population participated in the study (n = 914). Of those invited to participate, 83% of males and 84% of females consented. One element of the study was the use of the Hayes Ability Screening Index. Inmates identified to be at risk for intellectual disability on the screening tool were referred to a psychologist who administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (n = 167). This paper discusses the implications of the results in terms of full scale IQ, in which 3% of men and 12.5% of women of those identified as being at risk on the screening index were identified as having an intellectual disability, and the overall cognitive profile of those tested. T.
Core-collapse, GRBs, Type Ia Supernovae, and Cosmology

Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) have been used by many to argue for an accelerated expansion of the universe. However, high velocity and polarized features in many nearby SNe Ia, and their inverse relation to luminosity, particularly for polarization, are consistent with an extreme version of the axisymmetry seen in SN 1987A, which could be the result of double degenerate merger-induced core-collapse. This could be the correct paradigm for many SNe Ia and Ic, where Ia's are both thermonuclear and core-collapsed objects, which leave weakly-magnetized, rapidly spinning (~2 ms) pulsars. In this paradigm Ia/c is produced from the merger of two degenerate cores of common envelope WR stars, or of two CO white dwarfs. Its polar blowouts produce the observed high velocity and polarized spectral features in Ia's, and its equatorial bulge is much brighter in Ia's, due to the greater fraction of 56Ni contained within it. These become classified as Ia's when viewed from the merger equator, and Ic's when viewed from the poles, where a hypernova signature and a gamma-ray burst (GRB) will be observed for lines of sight close to the merger axis. Thus cosmology determined strictly from Ia's alone may be flawed because the local sample is selectively biased. Finally, all GRBs start as the short-duration, hard-spectrum variety (sGRBs), after which some are modified to the long-duration, soft-spectrum variety (lGRBs) by interaction with the merger common envelope and previous polar ejection. Thus the initial photon spectrum of all GRBs is known.
Feeling guilty to remain innocent: the moderating effect of sex on guilt responses to rule-violating behavior in adolescent legal socialization

Legal socialization researchers have ignored the role of emotions such as guilt to explain rule-violating behavior (RVB). The purpose of Study 1 was to determine if anticipated guilt or guilt proneness was a better predictor of RVB. Participants were 325 university students who completed an online questionnaire. Correlations indicated that both measures were related significantly to RVB; however, when both were entered into a multiple regression as predictors, only anticipated guilt was significant. This suggested that anticipated guilt was a stronger predictor of RVB than guilt proneness. The purpose of Study 2 was to investigate the effects of anticipated guilt on future RVB while controlling for the integrated legal socialization variables. Participants were 283 middle school and 187 high school students. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict students' future engagement in RVB. Anticipated guilt predicted RVB for middle school and high school students. However, sex moderated these effects. Male students low in anticipated guilt committed more RVBs than male students high in guilt. Female high school students showed a similar effect but not at the same magnitude as the male students. Guilt had no significant effect on RVB for female middle school students. Implications for the findings are discussed.