Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management of patients with hypertensive urgencies and emergencies

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive urgencies and emergencies are common clinical occurrences in hypertensive patients. Treatment practices vary considerably to because of the lack of evidence supporting the use of one therapeutic agent over another. This paper was designed to review the evidence for various pharmacotherapeutic regimens in the management of hypertensive urgencies and emergencies, in terms of the agents’ abilities to reach predetermined “safe” goal blood pressures (BPs), and to prevent adverse events.METHODS:medline was searched from 1966 to 2001, and the reference lists of all the articles were retrieved and searched for relevant references, and experts in the field were contacted to identify other relevant studies. The Cochrane Library was also searched. Studies that were eligible for inclusion in this review were systematic reviews of randomized control trials (RCTs) and individual RCTs, all-or-none studies, systematic reviews of cohort studies and individual cohort studies, and outcomes research. No language restrictions were used.RESULTS: None of the trials included in this review identified an optimal rate of BP lowering in hypertensive emergencies and urgencies. The defintions of hypertensive emergencies and urgencies were not consistent, but emergencies always involved target end-organ damage, and urgencies were without such damage. Measures of outcome were not uniform between studies. The 4 hypertensive emergency and 15 hypertensive urgency studies represented 236 and 1,074 patients, respectively. The evidence indicated a nonsignificant trend toward increased efficacy with urapidil compared to nitroprusside for hypertensive emergencies (number needed to treat [NNT] for urapidil to achieve target BP, 12; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], number of patients needed to harm [NNH], 5 to NNT, 40 compared to nitroprusside). Several medications were efficacious in treating hypertensive urgencies, including: nicardipine (NNT for nicardipine compared to plabebo, 2 in one study [95% CI, 1 to 5] and 1 in another [95% CI, 1 to 1]); lacidipine (NNT, 2; 95% CI, 1 to 8 for lacidipine vs nifedipine) or urapidil (NNT for urapidil compared to enalaprilat and nifedipine, 4; 95% CI, 3 to 6); and nitroprusside and fenoldopam (all patients reached target BP in 2 studies). The studies reported 2 cases of cerebral ischemia secondary to nifedipine.CONCLUSIONS: May effective agents exist for the treatment of hypertensive crises. Because of the lack of large randomized controlled trials, many questions remain unanswered, such as follow-up times and whether any of the studied agents have mortality benefit.
Human Ect2 Is an Exchange Factor for Rho Gtpases, Phosphorylated in G2/M Phases, and Involved in Cytokinesis

Animal cells divide into two daughter cells by the formation of an actomyosin-based contractile ring through a process called cytokinesis. Although many of the structural elements of cytokinesis have been identified, little is known about the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms underlying this process. Here we show that the human ECT2 is involved in the regulation of cytokinesis. ECT2 catalyzes guanine nucleotide exchange on the small GTPases, RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42. ECT2 is phosphorylated during G2 and M phases, and phosphorylation is required for its exchange activity. Unlike other known guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Rho GTPases, ECT2 exhibits nuclear localization in interphase, spreads throughout the cytoplasm in prometaphase, and is condensed in the midbody during cytokinesis. Expression of an ECT2 derivative, containing the NH2-terminal domain required for the midbody localization but lacking the COOH-terminal catalytic domain, strongly inhibits cytokinesis. Moreover, microinjection of affinity-purified anti-ECT2 antibody into interphase cells also inhibits cytokinesis. These results suggest that ECT2 is an important link between the cell cycle machinery and Rho signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell division.
Removal of the conserved disulfide bridges from the scFv fragment of an antibody: effects on folding kinetics and aggregation.

Fluorescence measurements and H/2H exchange experiments monitored by mass spectrometry have been applied to investigate the influence of the conserved disulfide bridges on the folding behavior and in vitro aggregation properties of the scFv fragment of the antibody hu4D5-8. A set of four proteins, carrying none, one, or both of the disulfide bridges have been compared regarding their stabilities, folding kinetics and tendency to aggregate. The results show that refolding of all four scFvs is ultimately limited by a slow proline isomerization in the VLdomain, since the native cis -conformation of proline L95 seems to be a prerequisite for formation of the native interface. Starting from short-term denatured protein, with the proline residues in their native conformation, a kinetically trapped intermediate is populated depending on the conditions, whose rate of conversion is slower than that of the fast-folding molecules. According to deuteron protection patterns determined by mass spectrometry, those domains retaining the disulfide bridge are able to form stable native-like structure, independent of native interface formation. The disulfide-free domains, in contrast, require the native interface for sufficient stabilization. The resistance of the scFvs towards aggregation seems to be critically dependent on the presence of the disulfide bridge in the VHdomain, and thus on the ability of the VHdomain to form stable structure prior to interaction with the VLdomain. The presence of a stable VLdomain in combination with a disulfide-free VHdomain appears to further promote aggregation, indicating the involvement of structured domains in the aggregates.
Autoimmune Hepatitis as a Late Complication of Liver Transplantation

Background The development of de novo autoimmune hepatitis as a long-term complication after liver transplantation has been recently reported. The authors describe five liver allograft recipients who developed chronic hepatitis associated with autoimmune features. Methods Five of 155 liver transplant recipients at risk (2.5%) developed this particular form of graft dysfunction. The authors review the clinical records, liver histology, therapy, and outcome of these five patients. Results Patients included two boys and three girls. Median age at transplantation was 3.5 years (range, 0.5–14 years), median age at presentation was 9 years (range, 2–17 years), and median interval after transplantation was 5.1 years (range, 1.5–9 years). Indications for liver transplant included biliary atresia in four patients and primary sclerosing cholangitis in one patient. At the time of presentation, all patients were receiving cyclosporine as their primary immunosuppressive agent. Only one patient had a history of rejection, which had resolved. All patients presented with increased transaminase levels, and one had a mildly elevated conjugated bilirubin level. Only one patient had constitutional complaints. Acute and chronic rejection, viral hepatitis, vascular insufficiency, and biliary tract obstruction were excluded. Antinuclear antibody levels were elevated in four patients (titer range, 1:160–1:640), one of whom also had positive antismooth muscle antibody (titer 1:80) results. The fifth patient had an elevated serum total protein level. Histologic analysis of liver biopsy samples from the five patients showed findings consistent with chronic autoimmune hepatitis. All patients were treated with standard therapy for autoimmune hepatitis, which included daily steroids and azathioprine. Cyclosporine doses were reduced in three patients and eliminated in two. All patients responded with normalization (n = 2) or improvement (n = 3) of liver transaminases within the first 3 months of therapy. Histologic analysis of the 3-month follow-up liver biopsy was normal (n = 2) or showed improvement in inflammation (n = 2). Two patients developed acute allograft rejection within 6 to 12 months after discontinuation or reduction in cyclosporine. Conclusions Autoimmune hepatitis occurs after liver transplantation in patients without a previous history of autoimmune hepatitis. The risk of developing autoimmune hepatitis appears to be greater in children after liver transplantation than in the general pediatric population. Standard therapy for autoimmune hepatitis is effective.
Testing Expert-Based and Student-Based Cognitive Models: An Application of the Attribute Hierarchy Method and Hierarchy Consistency Index

The objective of the present investigation was to compare the adequacy of two cognitive models for predicting examinee performance on a sample of algebra I and II items from the March 2005 administration of the SAT™. The two models included one generated from verbal reports provided by 21 examinees as they solved the SAT™ items, and the other generated from the judgment of a content expert. Using the attribute hierarchy method (Leighton, Gierl, & Hunka, 2004) and the hierarchy consistency index (Cui, Leighton, Gierl, & Hunka, 2006), the predictive adequacy of the two cognitive models was tested with three samples of varying size. Results indicated that the student-based model predicted the test performance of examinees of moderately high ability with excellent accuracy but not the test performance of examinees of moderate (or average) ability. In contrast, the expert-based model was more consistent, predicting the test performance of both moderately high ability examinees and moderate ability examinees with reasonable accuracy. Expert-based models may be more predictive of the general response processes used by diverse groups of examinees, whereas student-based models may be preferred when making inferences about examinees at specific ability levels.
Multilinear decomposition application into students' evaluation of teaching effectiveness

This paper presents a comparative analysis between a bilinear decomposition (Principal Component Analysis - PCA) and a multilinear decomposition (Parallel Factor - PARAFAC) on the data obtained by the students' evaluation of teaching effectiveness in an engineering course. It is known that the teaching and learning relationship is a nonlinear process related to many fundamental subjects, which are highlighted into students' evaluation of the teaching effectiveness methodology. The comparison was made in order to know which additional knowledge is obtained when the analysis takes into account the multilinear process model of this. The results shown the importance of the latent characteristics in a students' professional formation in accordance with the results presented in the application of PARAFAC decomposition, that has been reveled as a powerful tool for data analysis in the assessment area.
Explaining migrant voting behaviour in the Netherlands. Combining the electoral research and ethnic studies perspective

L'article explique le comportement electoral des migrants aux elections municipales aux Pays-Bas. Pour ce faire, sont combinees les perspectives theoriques issues du champ des etudes electorales et les perspectives developpees dans le champ des etudes ethniques. Une des conclusions de l'article est que les migrants combinent dans leur comportement electoral, soit une « identite ethnique » avec une orientation ideologique, soit une identite « antiraciste » avec une preference ideologique pour un parti.
Trust and leadership in the lifelong learning sector

This research report was funded by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL), Lancaster University, in 2007-08. The research project aimed to collect and analyse data on ‘trust and leadership’ in the lifelong learning sector (LLS). Using the methodology of case study (Yin, 1994; Stake, 1995), the researchers carried out 18 face to face and telephone interviewees with a range of respondents from and/or working with the sector. Interviewee data was supplemented and cross-checked with Ofsted inspection results and data from a small number of on-line survey results. Trust is a complex concept much explored in previous literature. Research interest in trust has grown during 1980-2008 (Kramer and Tyler, 1996). In these years, flatter, more flexible, equitable organisational structures increasingly challenged fixed hierarchical authoritarian leader-focused models. More emphasis on negotiation and consensus have highlighted the importance of achieving trust in social relations. Aware of its growing importance, we drew from the literature defining trust as the willingness of a person to be vulnerable to the actions of another … based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that action (Mayer, Davis and Schoorman, 1995). Trust as a psychological state therefore involves confident expectation that others will behave in benevolent rather than detrimental ways. We invest belief in those we trust, despite facing dependency, risk and vulnerability about their actions. Our estimations of ‘trustworthiness’ are based on cognitive, social and affective estimations of the competence, benevolence and integrity of the people we trust. Trust inevitably involves the possibility of betrayal. As a result, trust tends to be slowly built and quickly lost. Trust cannot be ‘bought’ or forced and its beneficial effects are priceless. It is essential for the achievement of excellent leadership situations in which staff feel valued and fulfilled. The shift from community to commercialism in the sector identified by Collinson and Collinson (2005), was noted by many of our interviewees, who reported that trust in the LLS is increasingly important and ever more fragile. Large-scale government-led initiatives to improve institutional performance in the FE system, notably to deliver its ‘skills-focused’ role, are underway as a result of the FE White Paper (2006), the Leitch Review of Skills (2006) and the government’s response in World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England (2007). Characterised by ‘new managerialist’ cultures, government scrutiny and continuous audit of performance targets, the LLS faces increasingly stressful, target-orientated demands in a continuously changing top-down policy environment. In this challenging situation, high trust collaborative working environments led by excellent leaders are, in our view, essential for survival.
An Eriksonian approach to consumer identity

Rathod, Sandra R. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2013. An Eriksonian Approach to Consumer Identity. Major Professor: Richard A. Feinberg. Ego development is the fifth stage in Erikson’s Lifecycle Development theory (1959) and is a major psychosocial stage beginning in adolescence and lasting into emerging adulthood. Past research based upon Marcia’s Ego Identity Status Paradigm (1996) has investigated a number of ideological and interpersonal domains relevant to one’s ego identity, however in today’s consumer societies, where what you have is at least as important is who you are or what you do, an Eriksonian approach to consumer ego identity (CEI) has never been broached. This study is intended to establish a reliable and valid measure of consumer ego identity based upon Marcia’s Ego Identity Status Paradigm (1966) and to investigate the relationship between one’s consumer ego identity (CEI) status and consumer behavior, specifically consumer decisionmaking. A sample of 320 students took part in the study. Participants completed the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOMEIS-2; Adams, Bennion, & Huh, 1989) with a number of additional
Raising the BAR: Bias Adjustment of Recognition Tests in Advertising

Advertising recognition tests use advertisements as visual retrieval cues; they require consumers to report which advertisements they remember having seen earlier and whether they noticed the advertised brand and read most of the text at the time. Using a heterogeneous randomly stopped sum model, the authors establish the relationship between consumers' actual attention to print advertisements, as measured through eye tracking, and subsequent ad recognition measures. They find that ad recognition measures are systematically biased because consumers infer prior attention from the ad layout and their familiarity with the brands in the advertisements. Such biases undermine the validity of recognition tests for advertising practice and theory development. The authors quantify the positive and negative diagnostic value of ad recognition for prior attention and demonstrate how these diagnostic values can be used to develop bias-adjusted recognition (BAR) scores that more accurately reflect prior attention. Finally, the authors show that differences in the scores from ad recognition tests based on in-home versus lab exposure attenuate when the bias-adjustment procedure is applied.
Ammonium Triggers Lateral Root Branching in Arabidopsis in an AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER1;3-Dependent Manner[W]

This study identifies that local ammonium supply triggers lateral root branching in Arabidopsis preferentially in the presence of AMT1;3. Ammonium thereby shapes lateral root architecture in a complementary manner to nitrate, which preferentially promotes lateral root elongation. Root development is strongly affected by the plant’s nutritional status and the external availability of nutrients. Employing split-root systems, we show here that local ammonium supply to Arabidopsis thaliana plants increases lateral root initiation and higher-order lateral root branching, whereas the elongation of lateral roots is stimulated mainly by nitrate. Ammonium-stimulated lateral root number or density decreased after ammonium or Gln supply to a separate root fraction and did not correlate with cumulative uptake of 15N-labeled ammonium, suggesting that lateral root branching was not purely due to a nutritional effect but most likely is a response to a sensing event. Ammonium-induced lateral root branching was almost absent in a quadruple AMMONIUM TRANSPORTER (qko, the amt1;1 amt1;2 amt1;3 amt2;1 mutant) insertion line and significantly lower in the amt1;3-1 mutant than in the wild type. Reconstitution of AMT1;3 expression in the amt1;3-1 or in the qko background restored higher-order lateral root development. By contrast, AMT1;1, which shares similar transport properties with AMT1;3, did not confer significant higher-order lateral root proliferation. These results show that ammonium is complementary to nitrate in shaping lateral root development and that stimulation of lateral root branching by ammonium occurs in an AMT1;3-dependent manner.
The Policy process: A reader

* POLICY AND POLICY ANALYSIS * Introduction. Perspectives on Policy Analysis - Ian Gordon, Janet Lewis, and Ken Young * Theory and Practice in Public Policy and Administration - Martin Minogue * Policy Analysis: Models and Approaches - Bill Jenkins * THE ROLE OF THE STATE * Introduction * Three Distinctive Views of Power Compared - Steven Lukes * The Evolution of Pluralist Theory - Gregor McLennan * The Evolution of Marxist Approaches to State Organization - Patrick Dunleavy and Brendan O'Leary * Bringing the State Back In - Theda Skocpol * BUREAUCRACY AND THE STATE * Introduction * Rational-Legal Authority and Bureaucracy - Max Weber * The Economic Theory of Bureaucracy - Gordon Tullock * Efficiency Rules, OK? Weber and the Economic Enterprise Alternatives - Stewart Clegg * Explaining the Privatization Boom: Public Choice versus Radical Approaches - Patrick Dunleavy * APPLYING POLICY-MAKING THEORIES * Introduction * Master of Fate or Victim of Circumstance: The Exercise of Corporate Power in Environmental Policy-Making - Andrew Blowers * Power in Health Services - Chris Ham * THE DEBATE ABOUT RATIONALITY AND INCREMENTALISM * Introduction * The Artificial Debate Between Rationalist and Incrementalist Models of Decision Making - Gilbert Smith and David May * Political Rationality or Incrementalism - Robert Gregory * IMPLEMENTATION * Introduction * Why 'Perfect Implementation' is Unattainable - Brian Hogwood and Lewis Gunn * Implementation Structures: A New Unit of Administrative Analysis - Benny Hjern and David O. Porter * Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Implementation Research - Paul A. Sabatier * APPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY OF ORGANISATIONS TO THE STUDY OF THE POLICY PROCESS * Introduction * The Development of Management Thought - Chris Pollitt * Organizational Models of Social Program Implementation - Richard E. Elmore * Structure and Action as Constructs in the Practice of Public Administration - Pieter Degeling and Hal Colebatch * Collaboration in Social Welfare: A Framework for Analysis - Bob Hudson * THE INFLUENCE OF FRONT-LINE STAFF: STREET-LEVEL BUREAUCRACY, PROFESSIONALISM AND DISCRETION * Introduction * Street-Level Bureaucracy: An Introduction - Michael Lipsky * Michael Lipsky and Street Level Bureaucracy: A Neglected Perspective - Bob Hudson * Discretion and Power - Michael Adler and Stewart Asquith * The Exercise of Discretion in the National Assistance Board - Michael Hill
Prevention of psoriasis‐like lesions development in fsn/fsn mice by helminth glycans

Abstract: The helminth glycan LNFPIII is an immunomodulatory molecule, driving CD4+ Th2‐type biasing as well as immune suppression. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease where the immune mechanisms as well as the antigens responsible for development of immune autoreactivity are still not known. In the absence of defined immunological mechanisms, we asked whether LNFPIII would function as novel therapy for psoriasis. We tested the therapeutic efficacy of LNFPIII using the flaky skin (fsn)/fsn mutant mouse model of psoriasis‐like lesion development. We found that treatment of mice with LNFPIII prevented the appearance of psoriatic skin lesions on fsn/fsn mice. Examination of the skin 2 weeks after treatment demonstrated that prevention of skin lesions was associated with maintenance of normal epidermis thickness in LNFPIII‐treated mice as compared with a significantly thickened epidermis in control treated and diseased mice. In addition, cells from skin of LNFPIII‐treated mice produced lower amounts of interferon‐γ as compared with cells from skin of control treated diseased mice. Examination of macrophages and T cells from peripheral lymph nodes of control and LNFPIII‐treated fsn/fsn mice showed that glycan treatment reduced the numbers of Gr1+F4/80+ macrophages and the numbers of CD8+ T cells, restoring the numbers of these two cell populations as well as the CD4 : CD8 ratio to near normal levels. Overall, the results from this study suggest that the helminth immunomodulatory glycan LNFPIII functions to prevent development of psoriatic‐like skin lesions in fsn/fsn mice.