Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prenatal Exposure to the Pesticide DDT and Hypertension Diagnosed in Women before Age 50: A Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study

Background: Elevated levels of the pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) have been positively associated with blood pressure and hypertension in studies among adults. Accumulating epidemiologic and toxicologic evidence suggests that hypertension during adulthood may also be affected by earlier life and possibly the prenatal environment. Objectives: We assessed whether prenatal exposure to the pesticide DDT increases risk of adult hypertension. Methods: We examined concentrations of DDT (p,p´- and o,p´-) and its metabolite p,p´-DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) in prenatal serum samples from a subset of women (n = 527) who had participated in the prospective Child Health and Development Studies birth cohort in the San Francisco Bay area while they were pregnant between 1959 and 1967. We surveyed daughters 39–47 years of age by telephone interview from 2005 to 2008 to obtain information on self-reported physician-diagnosed hypertension and use of hypertensive medication. We used multivariable regression analysis of time to hypertension based on the Cox proportional hazards model to estimate relative rates for the association between prenatal DDT exposures and hypertension treated with medication in adulthood, with adjustment for potential confounding by maternal, early-life, and adult exposures. Results: Prenatal p,p´-DDT exposure was associated with hypertension [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.8, 7.2 and aHR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.2, 5.3 for middle and high tertiles of p,p´-DDT relative to the lowest tertile, respectively]. These associations between p,p´-DDT and hypertension were robust to adjustment for independent hypertension risk factors as well as sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the association between DDT exposure and hypertension may have its origins early in development.
Impact of oral zinc therapy on the level of sex hormones in male patients on hemodialysis

Background: Sexual dysfunction in chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis is common. It is demonstrated that the zinc level is significantly lower in the hemodialysis patients. Objective: In this clinical trial, we investigate the effect of zinc supplement therapy on the serum levels of sexual hormones in hemodialysis male patients. Patients and methods: We carried out a clinical trial study including 100 of our male patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, and zinc plasma level were measured in all of the patients. The patients received zinc supplement (zinc sulfate, 250 mg/day) for 6 weeks, and sex hormones and zinc plasma level were checked again. Results: Serum level of FSH and prolactin did not have any significant changes before and after intervention, but serum level of testosterone, LH, and zinc increased significantly. Discussion: These results suggest that although zinc administration did not have a definite effect on hemodialysis patients with sexual dysfunction, it can cause increase in the serum level of sex hormones which may improve the sexual function of the patients in some aspects.
Mitochondrial porin of Neurospora crassa: cDNA cloning, in vitro expression and import into mitochondria.

cDNA encoding porin of Neurospora crassa, the major protein component of the outer mitochondrial membrane, was isolated and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The deduced protein sequence consists of 283 amino acids (29,979 daltons) and shows sequence homology of around 43% to yeast porin; however, no significant homology to bacterial porins was apparent. According to secondary structure predictions, mitochondrial porin consists mainly of membrane‐spanning sided beta‐sheets. Porin was efficiently synthesized in vitro from the cDNA; this allowed us to study in detail its import into mitochondria. Thereby, three characteristics of import were defined: (i) import depended on the presence of nucleoside triphosphates; (ii) involvement of a proteinaceous receptor‐like component on the surface of the mitochondria was demonstrated; (iii) insertion into the outer membrane was resolved into at least two distinct steps: specific binding to high‐affinity sites and subsequent assembly to the mature form.
The importance of locally commanded design for the consolidation of local supply chain: the concept of design headquarters

This paper discusses the extent of the adoption of some operations best practices in the Brazilian automobile industry. A survey and extensive case studies were conducted. Adoption of operations best practices is more widely spread among first and second tier suppliers than in lower levels. There is a strong relation between local product development and the integration of local autoparts producers. In new condominiums, suppliers' facilities add low value, most of the value is added in mother plants. The level of innovation activities and its influence in the incorporation of local firms in the productive chain is discussed.
Cultures of Cosmopolitanism

This paper is concerned with whether a ‘culture of cosmopolitanism’ is currently emerging out of massively wide-ranging ‘global’ processes. The authors develop certain theoretical components of such a culture, they consider ongoing research concerned with belongingness to different geographical entities including the ‘world as a whole’, and they present their own empirical research findings. From their media research they show that there is something that could be called a ‘banal globalism’, from focus group research they show that there is a wide awareness of the ‘global’ but that this is combined in complex ways with notions of the local and grounded, and from media interviews they demonstrate that there is a reflexive awareness of a culture of the cosmopolitan. On the basis of their data from the UK, they conclude that a ‘publicly screened’ cosmopolitan culture is emergent and likely to orchestrate much of social and political life in future decades. The need for a constantly changing market chases the bourgeoisie over the whole surface of the globe. It must settle everywhere, establish connexions everywhere … the bourgeoisie has through its exploitation of the world market give a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country … The individual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible (Marx and Engels, [1848] 1952: 46–7; emphasis added)
The influence of soil heterogeneity on exploratory tunnelling by the subterranean termite Coptotermes frenchi (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract The exploration of sand-filled arenas by workers of an entire colony of the Australian, subterranean foraging, tree-nesting termite, Coptotermes frenchi Hill was investigated under laboratory conditions. The first experiment tested whether termite exploration of sand was influenced by the presence of gaps or objects in the sand. Gaps and objects were chosen to represent soil heterogeneity in the urban environment: gaps to represent tunnels dug by other animals, perspex strips to represent cables and pipes, and wood strips to represent roots. Termites always chose to explore gaps thoroughly before they began tunnelling in the sand. Significantly more and longer tunnels were excavated from the end of gaps at the far end of the arenas, and relatively little tunnelling occurred around and along objects. Termite density was significantly greater around and along wood compared with perspex blocks. The second experiment tested whether termite exploratory tunnelling was influenced by soil moisture. The termites tunnelled slowly in dry sand, but after discovering a patch of wet sand, increased tunnelling five-fold until it was completely explored, after which activity declined. Energy and water conservation may be behind these patterns of exploratory tunnelling as well as those seen in large field studies, but caution is urged when interpreting small scale laboratory experiments to explain large scale field data.
Gender differences in German consumer decision‐making styles

Males and females want different products and they are likely to have different ways of thinking about obtaining these. This study furthers an understanding of how gender affects consumers' approaches to decision making. The research used Sproles and Kendall's (1986) consumer styles inventory (CSI) on a sample of 358 German males and females. Although all seven German decision-making characteristics found in a previous German study could be confirmed for females, only four could be confirmed for males, raising the question of whether the CSI is equally valid for both genders. Tentative support was found for five new male factors, namely satisfying, enjoyment-variety seeking, fashion-sale seeking, time restricted and economy seeking. The results imply that the CSI has construct validity for females, but appears to be less valid for males. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications.
A Longitudinal Study of Mother-Child Relationships and Theory of Mind in the Preschool Period

To investigate individual differences in theory of mind acquisition, this study examined whether different aspects of early mother-child relationships contributed to the development of false belief understanding at the close of the preschool period. Forty-six mother and child pairs were seen when children were two and again at five years of age. At age two, home-based Q-sort observations of attachment security and maternal sensitivity were made, and mothers completed a number of self-report measures to create an aggregate of maternal emotional distress. At age five, attachment security and maternal distress were reassessed, and false belief tasks were administered that were based on unexpected identities and locations of objects. In addition, attachment-relevant false belief tasks involving separation from caregivers were also used, which children found significantly more difficult than tasks involving objects. Age five security predicted object location task performance. Maternal sensitivity and emotional distress at age two predicted later caregiver location task performance, even controlling for age five measures. These results support a growing literature on the importance of relationship processes and parenting context to theory of mind acquisition.
Modeling, Impedance Design, and Efficiency Analysis of Quasi-  $Z$ Source Module in Cascaded Multilevel Photovoltaic Power System

The quasi-Z source (qZS) cascaded multilevel inverter (CMI) (qZS-CMI) presents attractive advantages in application to photovoltaic (PV) power system. Each PV panel connects to an H-bridge qZS inverter (qZSI) to form a power generation module. The distributed maximum power point tracking and all modules' dc-link peak voltage balance can be achieved. However, it is the same with the conventional CMI that the second-harmonic (2ω) voltage and current ripples exist in each qZSI module. It is crucial for a qZS-CMI to design the reasonable qZS network parameters to limit the ripples within a desired range. This paper proposes an analytic model to accurately calculate the 2ω voltage and current ripples of each qZSI module. A qZS impedance design method based on the built model is proposed to limit the 2ω ripples of dc-link voltage and inductor current. Simulated and experimental results through using the designed 1.5-kW prototype validate the proposed analytic model and the design method. Furthermore, this paper analyzes all of the operating states for a qZSI module and calculates the power loss. The measured efficiency from the prototype verifies the theoretical calculation, and the qZS-CMI-based grid-tie PV power system is tested in practical.
Mütter als Entwicklungsdiagnostikerinnen

Zusammenfassung. Die Frage, ob Eltern als Diagnostiker uber ausreichende Fahigkeiten verfugen, um den Entwicklungsstand ihrer Kinder einschatzen zu konnen, wird in der angewandten entwicklungspsychologischen Forschung immer wieder aufgeworfen und kontrovers diskutiert. Einerseits werden Eltern als Experten gesehen und ihre Informationen uber das Kind als relevanter beurteilt als Testinformationen, die beim Kind selbst erhoben wurden, andererseits zeigen eine Reihe von empirischen Befunden, dass Eltern ihre Kinder in der Regel uberschatzen. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es zu untersuchen, ob die Einschatzung von Muttern bezuglich der Entwicklung ihres Kindes unterschiedlich ausfallt, wenn Mutter von normal entwickelten Kindern und Mutter von Kindern mit Verhaltensauffalligkeiten befragt werden. Dazu wurde der Entwicklungsstand von Kindergartenkindern (3 bis 6 Jahre) mit sozialen Auffalligkeiten (n = 40) sowie von altersgleichen Kindern mit unauffalligem Sozialverhalten (n = 40) mit dem Wiener Entwicklun.
Prosocial behavior and job performance: Does the need for control and the need for achievement make a difference?

This study examined the relationship between job performance and prosocial behavior at work using several variables that to date have received little or no attention in the literature. It focuses on employees’ need for control, need for achievement, and the more commonly studied variable of organizational commitment as direct predictors of prosocial behavior and ultimately as indirect antecedents of job performance. Eight hundred and forty-six employees from 41 organizations participated in the study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) supported a direct relationship between need for achievement and job performance. However, no relationship was found between need for control and job performance. Moreover, when both personality variables were controlled for, the effect of prosocial behavior and commitment on job performance disappeared. This finding suggests that further work on the mediating effects of prosocial behavior and commitment on job performance is needed. Additional suggestions are given about the relationships among, and implications of, prosocial behavior, job performance, attitudinal, and personality variables.
De novo diabetes in dialysis patients: when diabetes is not diabetic nephropathy.

non diabetic renal pathology in type II diabetes mellitus. Nephrol Dial Transplant 1992; 7: 1258-1259 6. Richards NT, Greaves I, Lee SL, Howie AJ, Adu D, Michaell J. Increased prevalence of renal biopsy findings other than diabetic glomerulopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nephrol Dial Transplant 1992; 7: 397-399 7. Osterby R, Gall MA, Schmitz A, Nielsen FS, Nyberg G, Parving HH. Glomerular structure and function in proteinuric type 2 (non insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. Diabetologia 1993; 36: 1064-1070 8. Gambara V, Remuzzi G, Bertani T. Heterogeneous nature of renal lesions in type II diabetes. J Am Soc Nephrol 1993; 3: 1458-1466 9. John GT, Date A, ICorula A, Jeyaseelan L, Shastry JCM, Jacob CK. Non diabetic renal disease in non insulin-dependent diabetics in a South Indian Hospital. Nephron 1994; 47: 441-443 10. Hironaka K. , Makino H, Ikeda S, Zensuke Ota TH. Nondiabetic renal disease complicating diabetic nephropathy. J Diab Complications 1992; 7: 1258-1259 11. Suzuki Y, Ueno M, Hayashi H, Nishi S, Satou H, Karasawa R, Inn H, Suzuki S, Maruyama Y, Arakawa M. A light microscopic study of glomerulosclerosis in Japanese patients with non insulindependent diabetes mellitus: the relationship between clinical and histological features. Clin Nephrol 1994; 42: 155-162 12. Gall MA, Nielsen FS, Smidt UM, Parving HH. The course of Nephrol Dial Transplant (1996) 11: Editorial Comments
The development of denosumab for the treatment of diseases of bone loss and cancer‐induced bone destruction

Denosumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody against RANK ligand (RANKL), an essential cytokine for the formation, function, and survival of osteoclasts. The role of excessive RANKL as a contributor to conditions characterized by bone loss or bone destruction has been well studied. With its novel mechanism of action, denosumab offers a significant advance in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; bone loss associated with hormone ablation therapy in women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer; and the prevention of skeletal‐related events in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors by offering clinical benefit to these patients in need.
Cognitive and Psychomotor Effects of Antidepressants with Emphasis on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and the Depressed Elderly Patient

Cognitive and psychomotor impairment are important considerations in the treatment of depression in the elderly due to both the underlying slowing of cognitive and psychomotor processes as a normal function of aging and the superimposed deficits associated with the disease itself. Only the latter are reversible with effective antidepressant therapy. Yet certain antidepressant drugs possess sedating and otherwise impairing side effects that can further degrade the patients’ functional abilities. Several studies have demonstrated that tricyclic antidepressants (produce impairment in cognitive and psychomotor function that is not just due to sedation. Antidepressants with relatively non-sedating, nonimpairing profiles, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be preferred in depressed patients. However, differences are emerging amongst the group with respect to their effects on cognitive and psychomotor function. Differential SSRI effects are being noted on both the degree of cognitive impairment in healthy volunteers and rates of cognitive and psychomotor improvement in depressed patients. Furthermore, SSRIs vary in their potential to inhibit the cytochrome P450 enzyme mediated metabolism of many centrally acting medications. This may be an indirect mechanism whereby SSRIs induce cognitive and psychomotor problems. The differences amongst the cognitive profiles of SSRIs and other newer antidepressant drugs are more subtle than the differences between these agents and TCAs. There is a need for well designed comparative studies to characterize the differential cognitive profiles of SSRIs and other newer antidepressants, and more importantly to show the clinical relevance, if any, of these differences (German Journal of Psychiatry; 1999;2:1-28).
A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Foot-in-the-Door Compliance Induction Procedure

The present study reports on three separate field experiments that investigated, respectively, the foot-in-the-door (FITD) compliance induction procedure in three cultures (Paris, France; Frankfurt, West Germany; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands). A three-group design was employed in all three settings: a small request only, a large request only (control), and a small request followed by a large request. Ratings of the size of the request, normative expectations of what others would be likely to do in response to a similar request, and actual compliance behavior were obtained. Across all three experiments, the small request was rated as small and the large request was rated as large. Compliance behavior and normative expectations varied systematically as a function of request condition. An FlTD effect, however, emerged only in the Amsterdam sample. The findings were discussed in relation to request norms, self-perception theory, a probabilistic model of social psychology, and the ideological underpinnings of FITD.
Expression and secretion of the heterodimeric protein interleukin-12 in plant cell suspension culture.

It has been suggested that plant cell culture is the most suitable system for producing small-to-medium quantities of specialized, expensive, and high-purity proteins. Here, we report that a heterodimeric protein, human interleukin-12 (hIL-12), was expressed and secreted into culture medium in a biologically active form. A transgenic plant expressing hIL-12 was constructed by sexual crossing of plants that expressed each subunit of the protein. From a piece of transgenic plant, callus was induced and cell suspension culture was established. The biological activity and amount of hIL-12 secreted into culture medium were analyzed using bioassays and ELISA. Analysis of cellular localization demonstrated that the protein was secreted into the culture medium together with its intrinsic signal peptide.
Molecular characterization of guinea pig-adapted variants of Ebola virus.

Serial passage of initially nonlethal Ebola virus (EBOV) in outbred guinea pigs resulted in the selection of variants with high pathogenicity. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the complete genome of the guinea pig-adapted variant 8mc revealed that it differed from wild-type virus by eight mutations. No mutations were identified in nontranscribed regions, including leader, trailer, and intragenic sequences. Among noncoding regions the only base change was found in the VP30 gene. Two silent base changes were found in the open reading frame (ORF) encoding NP protein. Nucleotide changes resulting in single-amino-acid exchanges were identified in both NP and L genes. Three other mutations found in VP24 caused amino acid substitutions, which are responsible for larger structural changes of this protein, as indicated by an alteration in electrophoretic mobility. A highly pathogenic EBOV variant K5 from another passaging series showed an amino acid substitution at nearly the same location in the VP24 gene, suggesting the importance of this protein in the adaptation process. In addition, sequence variability of the GP gene was found when plaque-purified clones of EBOV-8mc were analyzed. Three of five viral clones showed insertion of one uridine residue at the GP gene-editing site, which led to a significant change in the expression of virus glycoproteins. This observation suggests that the editing site is a hot spot for insertion and deletion of nucleotides, not only at the level of transcription but also of genome replication. Irrespective of the number of uridine residues at the editing site, all plaque-purified clones of EBOV variant 8mc resembled each other in their pathogenicity for guinea pigs, indicating either the absence or only supportive role of mutations in the GP gene on the adaptation process.
Making Space: Valuing Our Talk in Organizations

This paper argues for a re-consideration of the value of process, here represented by the talk of organizational actors. It argues that the talk between organizational actors is an under-valued organization resource that presently in most organizations is allowed to slip way into obscurity because of its evanescent qualities. It argues this represents an unacceptable loss of a vital layer of organizational knowing, and illustrates this through the utilization of two contrasting case incidents. Accordingly, the paper discusses the potential of re-presenting talk as a means to prise open the space-between-words, and despite the limitations of contextual relevance, suggests these reflexive opportunities will develop deeper, richer and more novel interpretations of knowing.