Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pyk2 expression and phosphorylation in neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes.

A. L. Bayer, A. G. Ferguson, P. A. Lucchesi and A. M. Samarel. PYK2 Expression and Phosphorylation in Neonatal and Adult Cardiomyocytes. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2001) 33, 1017-1030. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase (PYK2) is a Ca(2+)-dependent, non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase involved in growth factor signaling. Although PYK2 is expressed in a variety of tissues, it has not yet been identified in cardiac muscle. Therefore, immunocytochemical and Western blotting techniques were used to examine PYK2 expression and phosphorylation in neonatal and adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRVM and ARVM, respectively). PYK2 concentration was much greater in neonatal, than in adult ventricular tissue and cardiomyocytes. In cultured cells, PYK2 expression was highly dependent on [Ca(2+)](i)transients and contractile activity. Non-contracting, low-density NRVM in serum-free culture expressed very low levels of PYK2, while high-density, spontaneously contracting NRVM showed a approximately 12-fold increase in PYK2 expression. Conversely, high-density NRVM treated with nifedipine (10 microM, 48 h) to block spontaneous [Ca(2+)](i)transients and contractile activity resulted in a 2.6-fold decrease in PYK2 levels. Similarly, overnight culture of quiescent ARVM markedly reduced PYK2 levels. Chronic treatment (48 h) of cultured NRVM with the hypertrophic agonist endothelin-1 (ET) (10-300 n M) did not significantly increase PYK2 levels, but strongly shifted the ratio of phosphorylated to total PYK2, indicating that PYK2 phosphorylation accompanies cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Endothelin-1 also acutely activated PYK2 in both cultured NRVM, and in freshly isolated ARVM. These results suggest that PYK2 is involved in the generation of certain aspects of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.
CD209a Expression on Dendritic Cells Is Critical for the Development of Pathogenic Th17 Cell Responses in Murine Schistosomiasis

In murine schistosomiasis, immunopathology and cytokine production in response to parasite eggs are uneven and strain dependent. CBA/J (CBA) mice develop severe hepatic granulomatous inflammation associated with prominent Th17 cell responses driven by dendritic cell (DC)-derived IL-1β and IL-23. Such Th17 cells fail to develop in low-pathology C57BL/6 (BL/6) mice, and the reasons for these strain-specific differences in APC reactivity to eggs remain unclear. We show by gene profiling that CBA DCs display an 18-fold higher expression of the C-type lectin receptor CD209a, a murine homolog of human DC-specific ICAM-3–grabbing nonintegrin, compared with BL/6 DCs. Higher CD209a expression was observed in CBA splenic and granuloma APC subpopulations, but only DCs induced Th17 cell differentiation in response to schistosome eggs. Gene silencing in CBA DCs and overexpression in BL/6 DCs demonstrated that CD209a is essential for egg-elicited IL-1β and IL-23 production and subsequent Th17 cell development, which is associated with SRC, RAF-1, and ERK1/2 activation. These findings reveal a novel mechanism controlling the development of Th17 cell–mediated severe immunopathology in helminthic disease.
Sedation practice in Nordic and non-Nordic ICUs: a European survey.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A trend towards lighter sedation has been evident in many intensive care units (ICUs). The aims of the survey were to describe sedation practice in European ICUs and to compare sedation practice in Nordic and non-Nordic countries. DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey of ICU nurses attending the fourth European federation of Critical Care Nursing associations (EfCCNa) in Denmark, 2011. Data included use of protocols; sedation, pain and delirium assessment tools; collaborative decision-making; sedation and analgesic medications; and educational preparation related to sedation. RESULTS Response rate was 42% (n = 291) from 22 countries where 53% (n = 148) used sedation protocols. Nordic nurses reported greater use of sedation (91% versus 67%, p < 0·01) and pain (91% versus 69%, p < 0·01) assessment tools than non-Nordic nurses. Decision-making on sedation was more inter-professionally collaborative in Nordic ICUs (83% versus 61%, p < 0·01), units were smaller (10 versus 15 beds, p < 0·01) and nurse-patient ratio was higher (1:1, 75% versus 26%, p < 0·01). Nordic nurses reported greater consistency in maintaining circadian rhythm (66% versus 49%, p < 0·01), less use of physical restraints (14% versus 36%, p < 0·01), less use of neuromuscular blocking agents (3% versus 16%, p < 0·01), and received more sedation education (92% versus 76%, p < 0·01). Delirium assessment was not performed systematically in most settings. CONCLUSIONS Organizational and contextual factors, such as ICU size, staffing ratio and inter-professional collaboration, are contributing factors to sedation management in European ICUs. The Nordic context might be more germane to the goal of lighter sedation and better pain management. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Our study raises awareness of current sedation practice, paving the way towards optimized ICU sedation management.
Forecast Pooling for European Macroeconomic Variables

It is rather common to have several competing forecasts for the same variable, and many methods have been suggested to pick up the best, on the basis of their past forecasting performance. As an alternative, the forecasts can be combined to obtain a pooled forecast, and several options are available to select what forecasts should be pooled, and how to determine their relative weights. In this Paper we compare the relative performance of alternative pooling methods, using a very large dataset of about 500 macroeconomic variables for the countries in the European Monetary Union. In this case the forecasting exercise is further complicated by the short time span available, due to the need of collecting a homogeneous dataset. For each variable in the dataset, we consider 58 forecasts produced by a range of linear, time-varying and non-linear models, plus 16 pooled forecasts. Our results indicate that on average combination methods work well. Yet, a more disaggregate analysis reveals that single non-linear models can outperform combination forecasts for several series, even though they perform rather badly for other series so that on average their performance is not as good as that of pooled forecasts. Similar results are obtained for a subset of unstable series, the pooled forecasts behave only slightly better, and for three key macroeconomic variables, namely, industrial production, unemployment and inflation.
(Re)Forming Strategic Cross-Sector Partnerships

This study explores the relational processes that underpin social innovation within strategic cross-sector partnerships. Using four longitudinal narratives to document the duality of success and failure in strategic collaborations between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, the authors explain how partners navigate this duality: deliberate role (re)calibrations help the partners sustain the momentum for success and overcome temporary failure or crossover from failure to success. Our grounded framework models three relational factors that moderate the relationship between role recalibrations and the momentum for success or failure: relational attachment, a personalized reciprocal bond between partners, which provides a stabilizing buffer in the face of unexpected contingencies; partner complacency, an insufficient investment that signals temporary misalignments; and partner disillusionment, an erosion of confidence in the other partner’s commitment that diagnoses premature failure.
Agricultural development in Southern Africa: Theory, lessons and the food crisis in Africa

In this paper a household economics theory of farm‐household production in the Southern African context is presented which (a) places a new interpretation on the causes of low productivity per person and unit of land in the African farming sector, (b) demonstrates that even where improved food crop technology is widely adopted it may have a very limited impact on marketed production, and (c) contributes to an understanding of why Africa's food production per person continues to fall despite per capita aid inflows which have exceeded those for any other continent over the last decade.
Innovation, Competition and Incentives for R&D

This paper analyses the relationship between past innovation output, competition, and future innovation input in a dynamic econometric setting. We distinguish two dimensions of competition that correspond to the concepts of product substitutability and entry barriers due to fixed costs. Based on firm-level panel data for Germany and Switzerland we obtain consistent results for both countries. Innovation output in t-1 as measured by the sales share of innovative products is positively related to the degree of product obsolescence in t, and negatively to the degree of substitutability in t in both countries. Further, we find that rapid product obsolescence provides positive incentives for higher – primarily product-oriented – R&D investments in t+1, while high substitutability exerts negative incentives for future R&D investment.
Humoral immune responses of Brucella-infected cattle, sheep, and goats to eight purified recombinant Brucella proteins in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Brucellosis research is currently focused on the identification of nonlipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens which could potentially be useful for the specific serologic diagnosis of brucellosis as well as for vaccinal prophylaxis. On the basis of previous reports, we selected eight Brucella proteins (OMP36, OMP25, OMP19, OMP16, OMP10, p17, p15, and p39) as candidate antigens to be further evaluated. The genes encoding these proteins were cloned, sequenced, and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant proteins were purified with a polyhistidine tag and metal chelate affinity chromatography and evaluated in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). The specificity of the iELISA was determined with sera from healthy cattle, sheep, and goats and ranged from 95 to 99%, depending on the recombinant antigen and the species tested. Sera from experimentally infected, and from naturally infected, animals were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the iELISA. The antiprotein antibody response was often delayed when compared to the anti-smooth LPS (S-LPS) response and was limited to animals which developed an active brucellosis infection (experimentally infected pregnant animals and sheep and goats from areas where brucellosis is still endemic). Among the recombinant antigens, the three cytoplasmic proteins (p17, p15, and p39) gave the most useful results. More than 80% of the animals positive in S-LPS serology were also positive with one of these cytoplasmic proteins alone or a combination of two of them. None of the recombinant antigens detected experimentally infected nonpregnant cows and sheep or naturally infected cattle. This study is a first step towards the development of a multiprotein diagnostic reagent for brucellosis.
The Impact of Large Container Beer Purchases on Alcohol‐Related Fatal Vehicle Accidents

type="main" xml:id="coep12089-abs-0001"> Using a fixed effect weighted least square model, we examine how changes in the share of beer purchases from large containers (>12 oz.) impact alcohol-related fatal accidents. We find that, after holding beer purchases and overall alcohol-consumption constant, an increase in total beer purchases from containers greater than the standard size of 12 oz. increases alcohol-related fatal accidents. We confirm our results persist across several investigations of robustness, as well as the use of instrument variables methods. Outcomes suggest that policy makers should consider differential excise taxes for the purchase of larger than standard size beer containers. Such a policy would likely reduce the number of alcohol-related fatal vehicle crashes and help to internalize the negative externalities associated with drunk driving. At the very minimum, these results suggest that individuals prone to dangerous levels of drunk driving are the consumers that most prefer large container size consumption. This is consistent with the idea that binge drinkers and beer drinkers are much more likely to drive while legally intoxicated . ( JEL I18, K4)
To Cheat or Not to Cheat

Two different bodies of literature suggest contradictory relations between the likelihood that a firm misreports its financial statement and the use of debt in its capital structure. We test these relations using three different measures of misreporting and find that the results differ depending upon the materiality of misreporting. For relatively less (more) material misreporting, we find the likelihood of misreporting is positively related (unrelated) to bank borrowing. These results suggest that bank monitoring is insufficient to deter or detect misreporting and that bank debt may even provide incentives for managers to misreport, consistent with the “debt covenant hypothesis. ”
Comment on "Real Effects of Bank Competition"

Cetorelli (2004, this issue of JMCB) examines the relationship between bank concentration and (nonfinancial) industrial structure. This paper forms part of an interesting research agenda on a timely and important topic. It sits at the intersection of two literatures, one on changes in the structure of the banking industry and the other one on the effect of financial system design on economic growth. With the substantial changes in banking across many countries and the rapid changes in the financial systems of many emerging economies, discovering the extent of spillovers, if any, from changes in banking on the real economy can be significant. While the focus of this paper is Europe, the results can shed light on other areas as well. There has been a rapid consolidation in banking throughout the world during the past few decades, especially during the 1990s (report of Group of Ten 2001). During the ten-year period 1990-99, there were over 2900 bank mergers in the U.S., with almost one in four banks a target, while in Japan, there were 108 mergers among large banks (49 in 1999 alone), or two mergers for every three banks. In Europe, the focus of this paper, there were over 1200 mergers, which is one for every six banks.
Histomorphometry of the tibia and mandible of healthy female Wistar rats at different stages of growth

Female Wistar rats are frequently used in experimental models to study hormone and bone pathologies and treatments. Most experimental studies involving histomorphometric evaluation assessed long bones, and few reports also studied mandibular bone. The aim of this work was to clarify and distinguish the age-related histomorphometric changes that occur in the tibia (subchondral bone) and in the mandible (interradicular bone), and thus obtain reference histomorphometric data of healthy female Wistar rats at different growth stages. Three groups of 8 healthy female Wistar rats were euthanized at 6 (GI), 10 (GII), and 14 (GIII) weeks. The tibiae and mandible were resected and histologically processed to obtain H&E stained sections of the tibia and the lower first molar to analyze the following histomorphometric parameters: Bone volume, trabecular width, trabecular number (Th.N)(1/mm), growth cartilage width, hypertrophic cartilage width and number of osteoclasts per area in the tibiae, and bone volume and number of osteoclasts per area N.Oc/mm2 in the interradicular bone of the first lower molar. A significant decrease in subchondral bone volume as a result of a decrease in trabecular number and growth cartilage width was observed in 14-week-old rats. Conversely, interradicular bone volume was found to increase with age. The results highlight the importance of analyzing both types of bone to better understand the response of two different trabecular bones, contributing in turn to decision making regarding treatment strategies and disease management.
Reference Ranges for the Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Japanese Children and Adolescents.

AIM The aim of this study was to identify the age and sex-specific reference ranges for the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLC) levels in Japanese children. METHODS The subjects included 441,431 schoolchildren (207,015 boys, 234,416 girls) 9-16 years of age who participated in a screening and care program for lifestyle-related diseases from 2006 to 2011. The serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels were measured, and the non-HDL-C levels were calculated. The serum lipid levels were analyzed according to age and sex. RESULTS The overall mean non-HDL-C level was 105.7±24.0 mg/dL, with a sex difference: boys= 103.0±24.0 mg/dL and girls=108.2±23.8 mg/dL. In boys, the median non-HDL-C level decreased gradually from 104 mg/dL in the 9-year-old age group to 96 mg/dL in the 15-year-old age group. The 75th percentile level was approximately 120 mg/dL in the 9- to 11-year-old groups and decreased at approximately 113 mg/dL in the 12- to 15-year-old groups, whereas the 95th percentile level was approximately 150 mg/dL in the 9- to 11-year-old groups and decreased at approximately 140 mg/dL in the 13- to 15-year-old groups. In girls, the median non-HDL-C level remained unchanged at approximately 105 mg/dL, with 75th and 95th percentile levels of approximately 122 and 150 mg/dL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The non-HDL-C levels vary by age and sex. The age- and sex-specific reference ranges for the non-HDL-C levels may be a valuable tool for management with respect to preventing the development of atherosclerosis in childhood.
Online victimization: A report on the nation’s youth.

Nearly 24 million youth, ages 10 through 17, were online regularly in 1999. Large numbers of young people, when on the Internet, are encountering sexual solicitations they do not want, sexual material they did not seek, and people who threaten and harass them. A national survey described in this paper and administered to 1,501 young people, ages 10 through 17, confirms many of these stories. It represents the first scientifically based window into the risks youth face on the Internet, particularly unwanted sexual solicitations and pornography. It includes information on how families and young people are addressing matters of danger and protection on the Internet, and suggests that although these unpleasant experiences affect a large number of youth, few families do much about it. The report questions how to temper some of the drawbacks of the Internet to protect young people, and highlights the need for public and private initiatives to raise awareness and provide solutions. It suggests that strategies to respond to the problem would aim to reduce offensive behavior, better shield young people from its likely occurrence, increase the level of reporting, and provide more help to youth and families to protect them from any consequences. (Contains 20 figures, 8 tables, and 4 references.) (JDM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. NATIONAL CEN I ER FOR ITIE ,CHILDREN ',CRIMES . f AGAINST (.7.1 RFSFARCH CP kITFT: . 4 11.1.1 IJILbui 11"1Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation's Youth U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office 01 Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating 1. O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this docut meet do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. I. 1.11 t. I a i 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation's Youth BY THE CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN RESEARCH CENTER DAVID FINKELHOR KIMBERLY J. MITCHELL JANIS WOLAK
A multisite examination of sexual violence risk and therapeutic change.

OBJECTIVE We conducted a prospective multisite examination of sexual offender risk and treatment change on a large federal Canadian sample of 676 treated sex offenders followed up for an average of 6.31 years post release. METHOD The present study featured the clinical application of a risk assessment and treatment planning tool, the Violence Risk Scale-Sexual Offender version (VRS-SO; Wong, Olver, Nicholaichuk, & Gordon, 2003). The VRS-SO was rated pre- and posttreatment by sex offender treatment providers on the sample of men who were attending institutionally based sex offender programs across the 5 regions of the Correctional Service of Canada. The Static-99 (Hanson & Thornton, 1999) was also rated as part of routine services, and the Static-99R was used for substantive analyses. RESULTS The VRS-SO dynamic factors and the Static-99R demonstrated significant predictive accuracy for sexual, violent, and general recidivism (area under the curve = .65 to .78). Significant pre-post changes on the VRS-SO dynamic factors were observed, ranging from small to moderate in magnitude (d = 0.22 to 0.62) across low, moderate, and high intensity programs. The change scores, in turn, were associated with decreases in the 3 recidivism outcomes; the majority of relationships examined attained significance after partialing out of pretreatment scores. Cox regression survival analyses, controlling for pretreatment risk, further demonstrated change scores to have associations with postrelease recidivism outcomes to varying degrees. CONCLUSIONS The results are consistent with the dynamic nature of sexual violence risk and suggest that risk-relevant changes associated with participation in sexual offender treatment are linked to reductions in sexual offender recidivism.
Understanding definitions of minimally verbal across instruments: evidence for subgroups within minimally verbal children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND Minimally verbal (MV) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often assumed to be profoundly cognitively impaired and excluded from analyses due to challenges completing standardized testing protocols. A literature aimed at increasing understanding of this subgroup is emerging; however, the many methods used to define MV status make it difficult to compare studies. Understanding how different instruments and definitions used to identify MV children affect sample composition is critical to advance research on this understudied clinical population. METHOD The MV status of 1,470 school-aged children was defined using five instruments commonly used in ASD research. MV sample composition was compared across instruments. Analyses examined the proportion of overlap across MV subgroups and the extent to which child characteristics varied across MV subgroups defined using different definitions or combinations of measures. RESULTS A total of 257 children were classified as MV on at least one instrument. Proportion of overlap between definitions ranged from 3% to 100%. The stringency of definition (i.e. few-to-no vs. some words) was associated with differences in cognitive and adaptive functioning; more stringent definitions yielded greater consistency of MV status across instruments. Cognitive abilities ranged from profoundly impaired to average intelligence; 16% had NVIQ ≥ 70. Approximately half exhibited verbal skills commensurate with nonverbal cognitive ability, whereas half had verbal abilities significantly lower than their estimated NVIQ. CONCLUSIONS Future studies of MV children must carefully consider the methods used to identify their sample, acknowledging that definitions including children with 'some words' may yield larger samples with a wider range of language and cognitive abilities. Broadly defined MV samples may be particularly important to delineate factors interfering with language development in the subgroup of children whose expressive impairments are considerably below their estimated nonverbal cognitive abilities.