Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin enhances L‐DOPA therapeutic effects, helps to reduce its dose, and protects dopaminergic neurons in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine‐induced parkinsonism in mice

L‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (L‐DOPA) reduces symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but suffers from serious side effects on long‐term use. Melatonin (10–30 mg/kg, 6 doses at 10 hr intervals) was investigated to potentiate L‐DOPA therapeutic effects in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐induced parkinsonism in mice. Striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity, TH, and phosphorylated ser 40 TH (p‐TH) protein levels were assayed on 7th day. Nigral TH‐positive neurons stereology was conducted on serial sections 2.8 mm from bregma rostrally to 3.74 mm caudally. MPTP caused 39% and 58% decrease, respectively, in striatal fibers and TH protein levels, but 2.5‐fold increase in p‐TH levels. About 35% TH neurons were lost between 360 and 600 μm from 940 μm of the entire nigra analyzed, but no neurons were lost between 250 μm rostrally and 220 μm caudally. When L‐DOPA in small doses (5–8 mg/kg) failed to affect MPTP‐induced akinesia or catalepsy, co‐administration of melatonin with L‐DOPA attenuated these behaviors. Melatonin administration significantly attenuated MPTP‐induced loss in striatal TH fibers (82%), TH (62%) and p‐TH protein (100%) levels, and nigral neurons (87–100%). Melatonin failed to attenuate MPTP‐induced striatal dopamine depletion. L‐DOPA administration (5 mg/kg, once 40 min prior to sacrifice, p.o.) in MPTP‐ and melatonin‐treated mice caused significant increase in striatal dopamine (31%), as compared to L‐DOPA and MPTP‐treated mice. This was equivalent to 8 mg/kg L‐DOPA administration in parkinsonian mouse. Therefore, prolonged, effective use of L‐DOPA in PD with lesser side effects could be achieved by treating with 60% lower doses of L‐DOPA along with melatonin.
Young Children'S Participation in Family Therapy Talk

Abstract The lack of empirical knowledge about how young children participate in family therapy talk highlights the question of their participant status in the therapeutic process. The specific question this study addresses is what kind of participant status young children (4-7 years old) acquire in family therapy talk. Time space analyses were compared with word space analyses of children's participation. Participant status was seen partly as the result of ongoing negotiations. The therapist and parents were the subjects acting with respect to the child, who became the object of their actions. From the perspective of the child, this meant that he or she was primarily accorded the status of a nonperson. The findings of this study raise questions about how family therapy theories have been interpreted in clinical work, especially in therapies concerning families whose young children are symptom-bearers.
New Labour and the Trade Unions in Britain

Abstract This article examines the relationship between the British Labour Party and its affiliated trade unions under the Blair government. It shows that the party–union link in Britain, contrary to expectations, was not characterized by further institutional de‐linkage under Blair. The article explains why, using a political exchange model focusing on the unions’ supply of votes and finance in return for policy concessions. It is shown that the capacity to enforce deals is paramount in political exchange, but that the unions’ two major enforcement mechanisms – intra‐party and industrial power – were both diminished. In the absence of enforceable deals, exchange models predict the undersupply of resources, which happened as the unions withdrew funds. Once Labour’s continued reliance on union money became evident, the party offered a comprehensive policy bargain – the Warwick agreement – to guarantee union donations. The agreement, with its institutional innovations, entailed the partial re‐institutionalization of political exchange (‘re‐linkage’), with the possibility of further funding cuts if the party reneged on the deal. At present, only comprehensive state funding for parties could threaten the link.
Pharmacological profiling of zebrafish behavior using chemical and genetic classification of sleep-wake modifiers

Sleep-wake states are impaired in various neurological disorders. Impairment of sleep-wake states can be an early condition that exacerbates these disorders. Therefore, treating sleep-wake dysfunction may prevent or slow the development of these diseases. Although many gene products are likely to be involved in the sleep-wake disturbance, hypnotics and psychostimulants clinically used are limited in terms of their mode of action and are not without side effects. Therefore, there is a growing demand for developing new hypnotics and psychostimulants with high efficacy and few side effects. Toward this end, animal models are indispensable for use in genetic and chemical screens to identify sleep-wake modifiers. As a proof-of-concept study, we performed behavioral profiling of zebrafish treated with chemical and genetic sleep-wake modifiers. We were able to demonstrate that behavioral profiling of zebrafish treated with hypnotics or psychostimulants from 9 to 10 days post-fertilization was sufficient to identify drugs with specific modes of action. We were also able to identify behavioral endpoints distinguishing GABA-A modulators and hypocretin (hcrt) receptor antagonists and between sympathomimetic and non-sympathomimetic psychostimulants. This behavioral profiling can serve to identify genes related to sleep-wake disturbance associated with various neuropsychiatric diseases and novel therapeutic compounds for insomnia and excessive daytime sleep with fewer adverse side effects.
Cell–cell communication enhances the capacity of cell ensembles to sense shallow gradients during morphogenesis

Significance What new properties may result from collective cell behavior, and how may these emerging capabilities influence shaping and function of tissues, in health and disease? Here, we explored these questions in the context of epithelial branching morphogenesis. We show experimentally that, whereas individual mammary epithelial cells are incapable of sensing extremely weak gradients of a growth factor, cellular collectives in organotypic cultures exhibit reliable, gradient-driven, directional growth. This underscores a critical importance of collective cell–cell communication and computation in gradient sensing. We develop and verify a biophysical theory of such communication and identify the mechanisms by which it is implemented in the mammary epithelium, quantitatively analyzing both advantages and limitations of biochemical cellular communication in collective decision making. Collective cell responses to exogenous cues depend on cell–cell interactions. In principle, these can result in enhanced sensitivity to weak and noisy stimuli. However, this has not yet been shown experimentally, and little is known about how multicellular signal processing modulates single-cell sensitivity to extracellular signaling inputs, including those guiding complex changes in the tissue form and function. Here we explored whether cell–cell communication can enhance the ability of cell ensembles to sense and respond to weak gradients of chemotactic cues. Using a combination of experiments with mammary epithelial cells and mathematical modeling, we find that multicellular sensing enables detection of and response to shallow epidermal growth factor (EGF) gradients that are undetectable by single cells. However, the advantage of this type of gradient sensing is limited by the noisiness of the signaling relay, necessary to integrate spatially distributed ligand concentration information. We calculate the fundamental sensory limits imposed by this communication noise and combine them with the experimental data to estimate the effective size of multicellular sensory groups involved in gradient sensing. Functional experiments strongly implicated intercellular communication through gap junctions and calcium release from intracellular stores as mediators of collective gradient sensing. The resulting integrative analysis provides a framework for understanding the advantages and limitations of sensory information processing by relays of chemically coupled cells.
Proficiency and Sequential Organization of L2 Requests

L2 requests in developmental pragmatics research are commonly investigated using non-interactive data collection techniques or sidelining the larger discourse sequence in which the request proper is embedded. This study takes a different approach to the study of L2 requests. In a cross-sectional design, we collected role play data from learners at four proficiency levels, and focused on the sequential organization of the interactions and the impact of participants’ proficiency level. Findings indicate that lower level learners were less likely to project the upcoming request and lay the groundwork for it through ascertaining interlocutor availability and providing accounts. They used fewer first-pair parts and uttered the request early relying on the interlocutor to elicit further information. The interlocutor also adjusted to learners’ proficiency level in keeping complications to a minimum. Effects of the social context variable Power were very limited but discernible at high-proficiency levels. We argue for a more discursive approach to developmental data in interlanguage pragmatics that allows the identification of interactional correlates of proficiency.
Music Hath Charms: The Effects of Valence and Arousal on Recovery Following an Acute Stressor

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the valence and arousal dimensions of music over the time course of physiological (skin conductance level and heart rate) and subjective (Subjective Unit of Discomfort score) recovery from an acute stressor. Participants experienced stress after being told to prepare a speech, and were then exposed to happy, peaceful, sad, or agitated music. Music with a positive valence promoted both subjective and physiological recovery better than music with a negative valence, and low-arousal music was more effective than high-arousal music. Repeated measures analyses found that the emotion conveyed by the music affected skin conductance level recovery immediately following the stressor, whereas it affected heart rate recovery in a more sustained fashion. Follow-up tests found that positively valenced low-arousal (i.e., peaceful) music was more effective across the time course than an emotionally neutral control (white noise). Keywords arousal, emotion, music, stress, valence
TRPV1-expressing primary afferents generate behavioral responses to pruritogens via multiple mechanisms

The mechanisms that generate itch are poorly understood at both the molecular and cellular levels despite its clinical importance. To explore the peripheral neuronal mechanisms underlying itch, we assessed the behavioral responses (scratching) produced by s.c. injection of various pruritogens in PLCβ3- or TRPV1-deficient mice. We provide evidence that at least 3 different molecular pathways contribute to the transduction of itch responses to different pruritogens: 1) histamine requires the function of both PLCβ3 and the TRPV1 channel; 2) serotonin, or a selective agonist, α-methyl-serotonin (α-Me-5-HT), requires the presence of PLCβ3 but not TRPV1, and 3) endothelin-1 (ET-1) does not require either PLCβ3 or TRPV1. To determine whether the activity of these molecules is represented in a particular subpopulation of sensory neurons, we examined the behavioral consequences of selectively eliminating 2 nonoverlapping subsets of nociceptors. The genetic ablation of MrgprD+ neurons that represent ≈90% of cutaneous nonpeptidergic neurons did not affect the scratching responses to a number of pruritogens. In contrast, chemical ablation of the central branch of TRPV1+ nociceptors led to a significant behavioral deficit for pruritogens, including α-Me-5-HT and ET-1, that is, the TRPV1-expressing nociceptor was required, whether or not TRPV1 itself was essential. Thus, TRPV1 neurons are equipped with multiple signaling mechanisms that respond to different pruritogens. Some of these require TRPV1 function; others use alternate signal transduction pathways.
Exploring the Boundaries of Nostalgic Advertising Effects: A Consideration of Childhood Brand Exposure and Attachment on Consumers’ Responses to Nostalgia-Themed Advertisements

This study examines empirically the differential influence of past brand associations (specifically, in-home childhood brand exposure and past personal attachment) on consumers' reactions to nostalgia-themed advertisements. Results support the expectation that the effect of nostalgia on brand-focused outcomes (purchase intentions and brand attitude) will be most pronounced for those who have had some past personal association with the advertised brand. However, this effect was not observed for ad-focused responses (ad involvement and attitude toward the ad); as hypothesized, the nostalgic ad produced more favorable responses than the non-nostalgic ad, irrespective of participants' past association with the brand.
Day hospitals: The case in favour

The day hospital constitutes an integral and valued component of the old age psychiatry service provided by the majority of units in the United Kingdom. Changes in the political climate, vogues for alternative forms of care provision and a lamentable lack of hard evidence that day hospitals present the best use of resources have led to serious questioning of their future by most who have written in recent years on the subject. The issue should not be ‘day hospitals are wonderful; other systemls are not’ (or vice versa), but that the day hospital should be seen as an available option with its own particular benefits alongside other hospital‐based and community components of a good service. Advocates of day hospitals should continually review staffing mix and structure to ensure the best use of professional skills.
Polarization Characterization of Soft X-Ray Radiation at FERMI FEL-2

The control of polarization state in soft and hard X-ray light is of crucial interest to probe structural and symmetry properties of matter. Thanks to their Apple-II type undulators, the FERMI-Free Electron Lasers are able to provide elliptical, circular or linearly polarized light within the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray range. In this paper, we report the characterization of the polarization state of FERMI FEL-2 down to 5 nm. The results show a high degree of polarization of the FEL pulses, typically above 95%. The campaign of measurements was performed at the Low Density Matter beamline using an electron Time-Of-Flight based polarimeter.
Mycophenolate Mofetil in Islet Cell Transplant: Variable Pharmacokinetics but Good Correlation Between Total and Unbound Concentrations

The authors investigated the pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid over 1 year in 8 Caucasian women undergoing islet cell transplantation. Total mycophenolic acid AUC0‐12 mcg•h/mL before day 60 was 62.1–67.8, declining to 33.6–64.7 thereafter (P = .61). Median total trough concentrations were 1.16–2.90 mcg/mL. Unbound AUC0‐12 was 412–673 ng•h/mL and did not change over time (P = .30). Median percent unbound mycophenolic acid was 0.95% of total concentrations. Individual unbound and total mycophenolic acid concentrations were highly correlated (r2 = 0.94). Total mycophenolic acid trough concentration and total AUC0‐12 were modestly correlated (r2 = 0.65). Intra‐ and interpatient variability of systemic mycophenolic acid exposure was high. Six patients required dose reductions prior to day 60 due to adverse effects. All subjects achieved insulin independence; 3 later lost graft function. The trend toward higher exposure in the early periods followed by dose reductions suggests that lower initial doses and therapeutic drug monitoring may be necessary.
Critical pedagogy in ELT classroom: exploring contributions of critical literacy to learners’ critical consciousness

This study is a report on the learning processes and outcomes of a reading course with a critical literacy orientation. Twenty-seven BA freshman English literature students (four males and 23 females) at the age range between 18 and 21 participated in a ‘Reading Comprehension 1’ course at Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran. Throughout the course, they were encouraged to deal with the passages they brought to the class in a problem-posing manner. To this end, they were motivated to critically analyze the passages through group discussions and writing reflective journals. The thematic analysis of the collected 126 journals shed light on the development of the students’ critical consciousness which emerged in five themes. A detailed discussion of the findings and suggestions for further research are presented.
Culture and Ethics Management

This article examines the relation of culture to the propensity for, and potential effectiveness of, both internal reporting and whistle-blowing as ethics management tools within a North American context. Samples from a total of 10 regions in the US, Canada and Mexico increased the accuracy and meaningfulness of the findings. Hofstede's cultural dimensions uncertainty avoidance and power distance had the most consistent and significant relationship to propensity for both whistle-blowing and internal reporting, while collectivism was not found to be significantly related to either ethics management tool. Managers who better understand the cultural links to ethics management are more likely to craft the most effective organizational ethics strategies. Researchers can gain from increased insight, allowing departure from assumptions to an empirically based examination of how cultural dimensions might influence ethics management instruments.
A POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERB MORPHOLOGY IN ENGLISH

Theories about the representation and processing of regular and irregular past tense forms of verbs in English have disagreed as to whether they should be treated as a unified phenomenon (e.g. both rule-governed, or both generated by a connectionist net), or as two distinct types of linguistic entities (e.g. regulars formed by rules of the grammar, irregulars stored in lexical memory). In this article we present data from a positron emission tomographic study in which subjects were asked to produce the past tense forms of regular, irregular, and nonce stems. We find very different amounts and areas of cortical activation in the regular and irregular tasks, as well as significantly different reaction times in producing the past tenses. We interpret our findings as supporting the grammar/lexicon theories, and discuss the implications of our results for general linguistic theory. *
Identity Processes in Adulthood: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges

The study of identity development in adulthood presents a number of fascinating theoretical challenges, including the relationship of identity to physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. Equally challenging is the measurement of identity processes throughout the adult years. In this article, we discuss a theoretical model that relates identity to experiences in adulthood and incorporates the processes of identity assimilation, identity accommodation, and identity balance. We present data examining the relationship between the Identity and Experiences Scale (IES), a 33-item self-report rating scale, and the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (Gleser & Ihilevich, 1969). Relationships of identity processes to hypothesized personality constructs, gender, and age are discussed and examined as a basis for elaborating more fully on the model and its measurement.
Transformational Leadership, Job Characteristics, and Organizational Citizenship Performance

According to transformational leadership theory, one of the fundamental ways in which leaders influence followers is by creating meaningful work. Testing this notion, we conducted a field study in which we linked transformational leadership behaviors to employees’ perceptions of their jobs (e.g., significance, meaningfulness, importance of the work), and job perceptions to employees’ citizenship performance as rated by their manager. Results indicate a positive link between managers’ transformational leadership behaviors and followers’ citizenship performance. Furthermore, the effects of transformational leadership on citizenship performance are mediated through employees’ perceptions of their jobs. Results of a follow-up analysis with employees in 1 organization holding the same job indicate that managers’ transformational leadership behaviors predict employees’ job perceptions, even when objective characteristics of the job are invariant.
Staying the distance: students’ perceptions of enablers of transition to higher education

Students’ perceptions during their first semester at university may be critical in the decision to continue or discontinue studies. In this study we consider students’ perceptions of what factors enable successful transition to university. Using qualitative research, students’ perceptions are obtained by in-depth interviews and focus groups that capture the first- and second-order perspectives of existing students at the end of first-year studies. Interview and focus-group themes are used to develop an 80-item questionnaire that is then used to collect data from first-year students (n = 771) at an Australian university. Key findings from the research are the identification of seven enabling factors that fall into two main groups, student-centred and university-led. Identifying enablers of transition provides universities with the opportunity to assist students in the successful transition to higher education.
Impact of the Two-Handed Rugby Ball Carry on Change of Direction Speed and Reactive Agility: Implications for Sport Specific Testing

The primary aim of this research was to determine if the two-handed ball carry impacted on time to completion of a change of direction speed (CODS) test and a reactive agility test (RAT). Fourteen males, registered in the local rugby league/union or touch football competitions, completed an L-Run (CODS) and a modified RAT while running either with (mean L-Run = 5.69 ±0.14; mean RAT stepping left = 3.50 ±0.18; stepping right = 3.46 ±0.14) or without (mean L-Run = 5.60 ±0.16; mean RAT stepping left = 3.43 ±0.15; stepping right = 3.44 ±0.16) a rugby ball to determine if the two-handed ball carry produced significant (p < 0.05) differences in test time. Statistical analysis showed that the two-handed ball carry produced significantly slower times in both the CODS test (p = < 0.002) and RAT (p = 0.022). It is suggested that sports, such as rugby league, rugby union, and touch football that require participants to run in possession of a ball while displaying different forms of agility, should consider implementing testing methods that incorporate the two-handed ball carry to more specifically reflect what transpires during play.
‘Doing it right?’: working with young researchers in Malawi to investigate children, transport and mobility

This paper explores involving children in Malawi in research about young people, mobility and transport, respecting their rights of participation, education, and protection from exploitation. The Malawi study forms one component of a research project taking place in three sub-Saharan African countries. A foundation of the larger project was the conviction that children are experts on their own lives; therefore seeking children's views was essential, thus respecting the UNCRC. We also embraced an ethical approach, that ‘the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration’. We reflect on challenges in putting ethical principles into practice in the inevitably messy real-world.