Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blockade of endogenous interleukin 12 results in suppression of murine streptococcal cell wall arthritis by enhancement of interleukin 10 and interleukin 1Ra

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to investigate the role of endogenous interleukin 12 (IL12) in acute murine streptococcal cell wall (SCW) arthritis. METHODS C57black/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with rat anti-murine IL12 (C17.8), shortly before induction of arthritis by intra-articular injection of 25 μg SCW fragments into the right knee joint. Joint swelling and chondrocyte synthetic function was analysed several days after induction of SCW arthritis. Local cytokine profile was determined, protein by using ELISA and mRNA by RT-PCR technology. To confirm the findings at later time points, tissue chamber model of inflammation was used. Histology was performed to examine cell influx and cartilage damage. RESULTS Suppression of joint swelling was noted at days 2 and 4, whereas no suppressive effect of anti-IL12 was found at day 1. Severe inhibition of chondrocyte proteoglycan synthesis was seen at day 1 in both arthritic control and anti-IL12 treated mice. However, chondrocyte function was restored at day 4 of arthritis in the anti-IL12 injected animals, but not in the arthritic controls. Moreover, cell influx in synovial tissue and joint cavity was reduced by anti-IL12 treatment. Neutralisation of IL12 reduced the local levels of IL1β, IL12 and interferon γ, when examined shortly after induction of SCW arthritis, whereas tumour necrosis factor α levels were not affected. In contrast, IL10 and IL1Ra protein and mRNA levels were strongly up regulated in synovial tissues after IL12 blockade. Enhancement of IL10 and IL1Ra by anti-IL12 was confirmed in a tissue chamber model with SCW induced inflammation. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that IL12 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine during onset of acute SCW arthritis. Balances of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were strongly improved by anti-IL12 treatment.
Relationships between work-family culture and work attitudes at both the individual and the departmental level

There is a need to better understand the nature of work-family culture and its relationships with job-related outcomes. The main objective of this study was to investigate the associations between a supportive work-family culture and work attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, work engagement, turnover intentions) at both the individual and work departmental level. Survey-based data were gathered from 52 Finnish work departments (1219 individuals) in the domains of health care, ICT, and the paper industry. Data were analysed via multilevel structural equation modelling. Work-family culture was assessed via managers’ supportiveness, organizational time demands, and the expected career consequences of taking up work-family-related benefits. The results showed, first, that employees in the same work department shared similar perceptions of the department's work-family culture and work attitudes; second, the perceptions of the work-family culture shared within the work department as well as employees’ individual perceptions of it were associated with work attitudes. Thus, the positive effects of a supportive work-family culture on work attitudes were established at both the individual and work departmental levels.
Predictors and Consequences of Grade Retention

Data from a population-based repository in Manitoba showed that students who are male, young for grade, and in Grades 1, 2, 7, and 8 were the most likely to be retained. After controlling for key student factors including socioeconomic status, school changes, and key school characteristics including stability of the student body, retention was a strong predictor of high school withdrawal rates. The odds of student withdrawal were 3 times higher for students who have been retained once and almost 8 times higher for students who had been retained more than once. Not only do withdrawal rates suggest that retention is potentially harmful, but also Grade 3 standards test results taken in consecutive years by retained students indicate that only one in four retained students improve their score. These results generally replicate the research done in the United States.
Cheese Consumption and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies

The association between cheese consumption and risk for major health endpoints has been investigated in many epidemiologic studies, but findings are inconsistent. As all-cause mortality can be viewed as the final net health effect of dietary intakes, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the long-term association of cheese consumption with all-cause mortality. Relevant studies were identified by a search of the PubMed database through May 2016. Reference lists from retrieved articles were also reviewed. Summary relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Pre-specified stratified and dose-response analyses were also performed. The final analysis included nine prospective cohort studies involving 21,365 deaths. The summary RR of all-cause mortality for the highest compared with the lowest cheese consumption was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.06), and little evidence of heterogeneity was observed. The association between cheese consumption and risk of all-cause mortality did not significantly differ by study location, sex, age, number of events, study quality score or baseline diseases excluded. There was no dose-response relationship between cheese consumption and risk of all-cause mortality (RR per 43 g/day = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.99–1.07). No significant publication bias was observed. Our findings suggest that long-term cheese consumption was not associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in School Discipline: A Preliminary Study

This study assessed the utility of a pilot program in rational behavior therapy (RBT) in the disciplinary processes at a large, urban junior high school. Treatment and control students were contrasted on recidivism rate and teacher behavior assessments after they participated in a condensed RBT treatment program. For two behavior ratings and recidivism rate, students who participated in the intervention differed significantly from those in the control group. Such empirical support demonstrates the potential of cognitive-behavioral interventions in school disciplinary procedures and merits further implementation and research.
Effects of genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450 enzymes on the pharmacokinetics of benzodiazepines

Pharmacogenetic studies have shown that several cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes exhibit genetic polymorphisms. Several benzodiazepines (BZPs) are metabolized predominantly or partly by polymorphic CYP2C19 and CYP3A4/5. The pharmacokinetics of diazepam, etizolam, quazepam and desmethylclobazam have been shown to be affected by CYP2C19 polymorphism. The CYP3A5 polymorphism has been reported to affect the pharmacokinetics of alprazolam, but its effect on midazolam kinetics has been inconclusive. For etizolam and desmethylclobazam, some data suggest that CYP2C19 deficiency leads to side‐effects or toxicity. For the remaining BZPs the clinical significance of the observed pharmacokinetic changes remains unclear. Further studies on the effects of genetic polymorphisms of CYP enzymes on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of BZPs are necessary to guide treatment individualization and optimization.
A Stochastic Approach for Resource Allocation with Backhaul and Energy Harvesting Constraints

We propose a novel stochastic radio-resource-allocation strategy that achieves long-term fairness considering backhaul and air-interface capacity limitations. The base station (BS) is powered only with a finite battery that is recharged by an energy harvester. The energy harvesting is also taken into account in the proposed resource-allocation strategy. The constrained scenario is often found in remote rural areas where the backhaul connection is limited, and the BSs are fed with solar panels of reduced size. Our results show that the proposed scheme achieves higher fairness among the users and provides greater worst user rate and sum rate if an average backhaul constraint is considered.
Asset Bubbles and Global Imbalances

We analyze the relationships between bubbles, capital flows, and economic activities in a rational bubble model with two large open economies. We establish a reinforcing relationship between global imbalances and bubbles. Capital flows from South to North facilitate the emergence and the size of bubbles in the North. Bubbles in the north in turn facilitate South-to-North capital flows. The model can simultaneously explain several stylized features of recent bubble episodes. (JEL E32, E44, F44, G01, G14, O16)
Using tri-axial acceleration data to identify behavioral modes of free-ranging animals: general concepts and tools illustrated for griffon vultures

Summary Integrating biomechanics, behavior and ecology requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes producing the movement of animals. This calls for contemporaneous biomechanical, behavioral and environmental data along movement pathways. A recently formulated unifying movement ecology paradigm facilitates the integration of existing biomechanics, optimality, cognitive and random paradigms for studying movement. We focus on the use of tri-axial acceleration (ACC) data to identify behavioral modes of GPS-tracked free-ranging wild animals and demonstrate its application to study the movements of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus, Hablizl 1783). In particular, we explore a selection of nonlinear and decision tree methods that include support vector machines, classification and regression trees, random forest methods and artificial neural networks and compare them with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) as a baseline for classifying behavioral modes. Using a dataset of 1035 ground-truthed ACC segments, we found that all methods can accurately classify behavior (80–90%) and, as expected, all nonlinear methods outperformed LDA. We also illustrate how ACC-identified behavioral modes provide the means to examine how vulture flight is affected by environmental factors, hence facilitating the integration of behavioral, biomechanical and ecological data. Our analysis of just over three-quarters of a million GPS and ACC measurements obtained from 43 free-ranging vultures across 9783 vulture-days suggests that their annual breeding schedule might be selected primarily in response to seasonal conditions favoring rising-air columns (thermals) and that rare long-range forays of up to 1750 km from the home range are performed despite potentially heavy energetic costs and a low rate of food intake, presumably to explore new breeding, social and long-term resource location opportunities.
Diversity of Human Parechoviruses Isolated from Stool Samples Collected from Thai Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

ABSTRACT A total of 82 fecal specimens which were known to be negative for rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus, sapovirus, and astrovirus and which were collected from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from January to December 2005 were screened for human parechovirus (HPeV). HPeV was detected by reverse transcription-PCR with a primer pair that amplified the 5′ untranslated region of its genome and was genotyped by sequencing of the VP1 region. HPeV was detected in 12 of 82 specimens tested, and the detection rate was found to be 14.6%. The capsid VP1 gene was successfully sequenced from nine of the HPeV strains detected. The HPeV strains studied clustered into four different genotypes, HPeV genotype 1 (HPeV1) to HPeV4, and the majority of the strains studied (five strains) belonged to HPeV1. This is the first finding of HPeV from children with acute gastroenteritis in Thailand. In addition, the diversity of the Thai HPeV strains was also noted.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Is Reduced in Tissues of Obese Subjects After Weight Loss

OBJECTIVE—Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, although the mechanisms linking these pathologies remain undetermined. Recent studies in rodent models revealed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in adipose and liver tissues and demonstrated that ER stress could cause insulin resistance. Therefore, we tested whether these stress pathways were also present in obese human subjects and/or regulated by weight loss. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Eleven obese men and women (BMI 51.3 ± 3.0 kg/m2) were studied before and 1 year after gastric bypass (GBP) surgery. We examined systemic insulin sensitivity using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies before and after surgery and collected subcutaneous adipose and liver tissues to examine ER stress markers. RESULTS—Subjects lost 39 ± 9% body wt at 1 year after GBP surgery (P < 0.001), which was associated with a marked improvement in hepatic, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity. Markers of ER stress in adipose tissue significantly decreased with weight loss. Specifically, glucose-regulated protein 78 (Grp78) and spliced X-box binding protein-1 (sXBP-1) mRNA levels were reduced, as were phosphorylated elongation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and stress kinase c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) (all P values <0.05). Liver sections from a subset of subjects showed intense staining for Grp78 and phosphorylated eIF2α before surgery, which was reduced in post-GBP sections. CONCLUSIONS—This study presents important evidence that ER stress pathways are present in selected tissues of obese humans and that these signals are regulated by marked weight loss and metabolic improvement. Hence, this suggests the possibility of a relationship between obesity-related ER stress and metabolic dysfunction in obese humans.
Examination of the Critical Period Hypothesis and Ultimate Attainment Among Spanish-English Bilinguals and English-Speaking Monolinguals

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to study speech recognition among Spanish-English bilingual and monolingual English-speaking individuals in two, separate yet related, studies. The first study examined phonotactic aspects and age of arrival on speech perception among three groups of bilingual individuals, thereby investigating the effects of age limitations on second language learning. The second study addressed whether fluent and proficient bilingual speakers showed equal perceptual abilities when compared to monolingual English speakers on only English gated words, thus measuring their ultimate attainment in English. Forty-five Spanish/English fluent bilinguals with no reported speech, language, or hearing deficits participated in experiment one, whereas 30 Spanish-English fluent bilinguals and 30 monolingual English speakers with no reported speech, language, or hearing deficits participated in the second study. The Spanish-English bilingual listeners were able to differentiate words when the initial consonant cluster was voiced. In addition, CV-tense words were identified quicker (than CV-lax words) in Spanish than in English. It also appeared that exposure to two languages over a period of six or more years yielded enhanced phonotactic abilities in the second language, that is, positive language transference. Results from this study indicated that ultimate attainment of speech perception in a second language seems to occur from 9 to 15 years of age, that is, in direct contrast to when abilities should decrease according to the critical period or age limitation hypothesis. Results from the second study indicated that the Spanish-English speakers performed overall on par with their monolingual counterparts achieving ultimate attainment in speech perception. Therefore, the two studies reported here have not supported the notion of the critical period hypothesis (Lenneberg, 1967).
Teachers' Knowledge of, Exposure to, and Attitudes Toward Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Wearers

A questionnaire concerned with various aspects of hearing aids and hearing aid wearers was completed by 113 teachers employed in county school systems in West Virginia. Results of their responses indicate some deficiencies in knowledge of, academic and experiential exposure to, as well as attitudes toward hearing aids and hearing aid wearers. Implications and suggestions for preservice and continuing education programs for teachers are discussed.
Gradual Lesion Expansion and Brain Shrinkage Years After Stroke

Background and Purpose— Lesioned brains of patients with stroke may change through the course of recovery; however, little is known about their evolution in the chronic phase. Here, we aimed to quantify the extent of lesion volume change and brain atrophy in the chronic poststroke brain using magnetic resonance imaging. Methods— Optimized T1-weighted scans were collected more than once (time between visits=2 months to 6 years) in 56 patients (age=36–90 years; time poststroke=3 months to 20 years). Volumetric changes attributable to lesion growth and atrophy were quantified with automated procedures. We looked at how volumetric changes related to time between visits, using nonparametric statistics, after controlling for age, time poststroke, and brain and lesion size at the earlier time. Results— Lesions expanded more in patients who had longer time-intervals between their imaging sessions (partial rank correlation &rgr;=0.56; P<0.001). The median rate of lesion growth was 1.59 cm3 per year. Across patients, the whole-brain atrophy rate was 0.95% per year, with accelerated atrophy in the ipsilesional hemisphere. Conclusions— We show gradual lesion expansion many years after stroke, beyond that expected by normal aging and after controlling for other variables. Future studies need to understand how structural reorganization enables long-term recovery even when the brain is shrinking.
Topotecan in Pediatric Patients With Recurrent and Progressive Solid Tumors: A Pediatric Oncology Group Phase II Study

Purpose: A phase II study was designed to determine the efficacy of topotecan, an inhibitor of topoisomerase I, in the treatment of patients with progressive or recurrent pediatric extracranial solid tumors (STs). Patients and Methods: Patients younger than 21 years at the time of initial diagnosis with refractory STs were treated with 2 mg/m2 topotecan given by 30-minute infusions for 5 days repeated every 3 weeks. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was added to the regimen only after occurrence of severe neutropenia or therapy delay due to sustained neutropenia. Results: One hundred forty-one patients were treated with 539 courses of topotecan. Responses were seen in 34 patients (3 had complete responses [CRs], 2 had partial responses [PRs], and 24 had minor responses [MRs] or stable disease [SD]). The number of administered courses in patients with SD varied between 5 and 24, with a median of 10. The median time on the study for patients with SD was approximately 8.5 months. In patients without bone marrow involvement, the most frequent toxicity was myelosuppression: hemoglobin < 8 g/d1 in 83 of 341 courses, absolute granulocyte count < 1,000/μl in 221 of 341 courses, and platelet count < 50,000/μl in 162 of 341 courses. Nausea and vomiting were infrequent; many patients were pretreated with ondansetron or granisetron. A recurrent rash developed in 16 patients and was usually well controlled with diphenhydramine and hydrocortisone. G-CSF was administered in 203 of 539 courses because of neutropenia. Therapy was delayed over 1 week in 33 instances. Conclusion: In previously treated patients, topotecan produced CRs and PRs in patients with neuroblastoma, Ewing's tumor, and retinoblastoma. In hepatoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and a few rare tumors, long-lasting MRs and SDs with excellent symptom control were seen. The toxicity of topotecan, predominantly myelosuppression, was tolerable.
Reclaiming Public Housing: A Half Century of Struggle in Three Public Neighborhoods

Preface Figures and Tables 1. Introduction: Reclaiming Public Housing Public Housing: Critics and Apologists Public Neighborhoods Public Housing as Constructed Communities The Stigma of the Projects Public Housing Transformations: Public and Private Public Housing in Boston Pressures on Public Housing Three Boston Public Neighborhoods 2. West Broadway: Public Housing for "Lower-End" Whites South Boston's Lower End before Public Housing Public Housing and South Boston's Lower End, 1935-1965 The D Street Wars Assaults on the Project Assaults by the Press The Residents Fight Back The Fight for Redevelopment Success and Distress 3. Franklin Field: Public Housing, Neighborhood Abandonment, and Racial Transition Franklin Field's Origins: The Geography of Marginality Housing Veterans on Franklin Field The Long Decline Lurching toward Redevelopment The Limits of Redeveloped Housing Accounting for Failure 4. Commonwealth: Public Housing and Private Opportunities Boston's "Wild West": Brighton before Public Housing Public Housing on Brighton's Last Farm Fidelis Way, Scourge of the Neighborhood Redevelopment Partnership: A Three-Way Street Assessing "Success" 5. Reclaiming Housing, Recovering Communities: A Comparison of Neighborhood Struggles Trajectories of Collapse Trajectories of Redevelopment Seven Kinds of Success Expanding and Applying the Measures of Success Recovering Communities Signs of Life? Note on Literature and Methods Notes Credits Index
Governmentality as a Genealogical Toolbox in Historical Analysis

The aim of this article is to show how governmentality may be used to analyze historical events and discourses, and how this historical analysis can be used as a perspective to problematize contemporary discourses. The example used in this article is from my research on life-extension handbooks published in Sweden 1700-1930, and by this I stress handbooks as a noninstitutional educative arena. I am advocating governmentality as a toolbox to analyze how various forms of power operate and how different levels of power integrate and conflict in this arena. In doing so, I recommend governmentality as a critical and empirical approach to analyze various forms of power relations and governance. I exemplify the flexibility of the toolbox by using genealogy and governmentality in combination with linguistic tools from Critical Discourse Analysis and Norman Fairclough. In this way, I want to stress the critical gaze and the importance of situation in time and space by arguing for greater respect for the variants of the concepts of genealogy and governmentality.
Epidemiology of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), also called Horton or granulomatous arteritis, is a largeand medium-sized blood vessel systemic vasculitis characterized by the granulomatous involvement of the aorta and its major branches (1,2). Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disease characterized by severe bilateral pain and aching involving the neck, shoulder, and pelvic girdles associated with morning stiffness (1). GCA and PMR mainly occur in white individuals age 50 years. Due to the progressive aging of the population in Western countries, both conditions have emerged as relatively common diseases in the elderly (1,2).
Extreme Weather Events, Mortality, and Migration

We estimate the effect of extreme weather on life expectancy in the United States. Using high-frequency data, we find that both extreme heat and cold result in immediate increases in mortality. The increase in mortality following extreme heat appears mostly driven by near-term displacement, while the increase in mortality following extreme cold is long lasting. We estimate that the number of annual deaths attributable to cold temperature is 0.8 of average annual deaths in our sample. The longevity gains associated with mobility from the Northeast to the Southwest account for 4 to 7 of the total gains in life expectancy experienced by the U.S. population over the past thirty years.