Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing maltreated children's early adjustment in foster care

Internal representations of self and primary attachment figures may be one mechanism by which maltreatment affects children's interpersonal behavior and relationships with others. Research on the continuity and influence of maltreated children's attachment representations, however, has not included youngsters removed from abusive or neglectful home environments. This paper examines the influence of maltreated children's maternal and self-representations on subsequent relationships with foster mothers and behavioral adjustment in foster care. Participants included 32 children, ages 9–13 years, who entered foster placement for the first time after a sustained relationship with a maltreating biological mother. Upon initially entering foster care, children's maternal and self-representations were significantly related to each other and to severity of maltreatment history but not to other factors believed to influence the quality of parent–child relationship (e.g., maternal mental health, partner stability). In addition, these representations significantly predicted children's subsequent views of their relationships with foster mothers. Finally, children's behavior in their foster homes was associated with maltreatment severity, internal representations assessed at entry into foster care, and to concurrent perceptions of their new foster mothers. These findings advance our understanding of foster placement's role in maltreated children's development and provide preliminary insight into the processes associated with the formation of potentially compensatory relationships.
Suppression of KIF2 in PC12 Cells Alters the Distribution of a Growth Cone Nonsynaptic Membrane Receptor and Inhibits Neurite Extension

In the present study, we present evidence about the cellular functions of KIF2, a kinesin-like superfamily member having a unique structure in that its motor domain is localized at the center of the molecule (Noda Y., Y. Sato-Yoshitake, S. Kondo, M. Nangaku, and N. Hirokawa. 1995. J. Cell Biol. 129:157–167.). Using subcellular fractionation techniques, isopicnic sucrose density centrifugation of microsomal fractions from developing rat cerebral cortex, and immunoisolation with KIF2 antibodies, we have now identified a type of nonsynaptic vesicle that associates with KIF2. This type of organelle lacks synaptic vesicle markers (synapsin, synaptophysin), amyloid precursor protein, GAP-43, or N-cadherin. On the other hand, it contains βgc, which is a novel variant of the β subunit of the IGF-1 receptor, which is highly enriched in growth cone membranes. Both βgc and KIF2 are upregulated by NGF in PC12 cells and highly concentrated in growth cones of developing neurons. We have also analyzed the consequences of KIF2 suppression by antisense oligonucleotide treatment on nerve cell morphogenesis and the distribution of synaptic and nonsynaptic vesicle markers. KIF2 suppression results in a dramatic accumulation of βgc within the cell body and in its complete disappearance from growth cones; no alterations in the distribution of synapsin, synaptophysin, GAP-43, or amyloid percursor protein are detected in KIF2-suppressed neurons. Instead, all of them remained highly enriched at nerve terminals. KIF2 suppression also produces a dramatic inhibition of neurite outgrowth; this phenomenon occurs after βgc has disappeared from growth cones. Taken collectively, our results suggest an important role for KIF2 in neurite extension, a phenomenon that may be related with the anterograde transport of a type of nonsynaptic vesicle that contains as one of its components a growth cone membrane receptor for IGF-1, a growth factor implicated in nerve cell development.
AIS Electronic

Transactive Memory Systems (TMS) are important cognitive constructs to share knowledge and control and coordinate interdependent tasks in teams. The construction of Transactive Memory Systems involves a number of key phases that lead up to the actual formation of a team’s TMS. In particular, the development of Task-Expertise-People (TEP) units, form an essential part of the development of a team’s Transactive Memory System. At this stage very little is known of how Task-Expertise-People units are formed in virtual teams. This paper addresses this problem by following an inductive, quantitative method to develop a measurement scale for TEP formation in virtual teams. TEP formation is a crucial step in developing a high-quality TMS and thus team performance. This is important because many organizations achieve contemporary work using virtual teams and we do not have a measurement scale for TEP formation in virtual teams. Findings from this study indicate that the measurement scale for a TEP unit yields 1) reliable constructs and 2) valid construct items to successfully measure TEP formation.
Multi-target tracking by continuous energy minimization

We propose to formulate multi-target tracking as minimization of a continuous energy function. Other than a number of recent approaches we focus on designing an energy function that represents the problem as faithfully as possible, rather than one that is amenable to elegant optimization. We then go on to construct a suitable optimization scheme to find strong local minima of the proposed energy. The scheme extends the conjugate gradient method with periodic trans-dimensional jumps. These moves allow the search to escape weak minima and explore a much larger portion of the variable-dimensional search space, while still always reducing the energy. To demonstrate the validity of this approach we present an extensive quantitative evaluation both on synthetic data and on six different real video sequences. In both cases we achieve a significant performance improvement over an extended Kalman filter baseline as well as an ILP-based state-of-the-art tracker.
Mycobacterium bovis BCG Attenuates Surface Expression of Mature Class II Molecules through IL-10-Dependent Inhibition of Cathepsin S1

We have previously shown that macrophage infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) partially inhibits MHC class II surface expression in response to IFN-γ. The present study examined the nature of class II molecules that do in fact reach the surface of infected cells. Immunostaining with specific Abs that discriminate between mature and immature class II populations showed a predominance of invariant chain (Ii)-associated class II molecules at the surface of BCG-infected cells suggesting that mycobacteria specifically block the surface export of peptide-loaded class II molecules. This phenotype was due to inhibition of IFN-γ-induced cathepsin S (Cat S) expression in infected cells and the subsequent intracellular accumulation of αβ class II dimers associated with the Cat S substrate Ii p10 fragment. In contrast, infection with BCG was shown to induce secretion of IL-10, and addition of blocking anti-IL-10 Abs to cell cultures restored both expression of active Cat S and export of mature class II molecules to the surface of infected cells. Consistent with these findings, expression of mature class II molecules was also restored in cells infected with BCG and transfected with active recombinant Cat S. Thus, M. bovis BCG exploits IL-10 induction to inhibit Cat S-dependent processing of Ii in human macrophages. This effect results in inhibition of peptide loading of class II molecules and in reduced presentation of mycobacterial peptides to CD4+ T cells. This ability may represent an effective mycobacterial strategy for eluding immune surveillance and persisting in the host.
Creb coactivators direct anabolic responses and enhance performance of skeletal muscle

During the stress response to intense exercise, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) induces rapid catabolism of energy reserves through the release of catecholamines and subsequent activation of protein kinase A (PKA). Paradoxically, chronic administration of sympathomimetic drugs (β‐agonists) leads to anabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle, suggesting that sympathetic outflow also regulates myofiber remodeling. Here, we show that β‐agonists or catecholamines released during intense exercise induce Creb‐mediated transcriptional programs through activation of its obligate coactivators Crtc2 and Crtc3. In contrast to the catabolic activity normally associated with SNS function, activation of the Crtc/Creb transcriptional complex by conditional overexpression of Crtc2 in the skeletal muscle of transgenic mice fostered an anabolic state of energy and protein balance. Crtc2‐overexpressing mice have increased myofiber cross‐sectional area, greater intramuscular triglycerides and glycogen content. Moreover, maximal exercise capacity was enhanced after induction of Crtc2 expression in transgenic mice. Collectively these findings demonstrate that the SNS‐adrenergic signaling cascade coordinates a transient catabolic stress response during high‐intensity exercise, which is followed by transcriptional reprogramming that directs anabolic changes for recovery and that augments subsequent exercise performance.
Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Children Based on Data From the 2008-2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Population-based studies of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korean children are lacking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, geographic distribution, and risk factors of AD in the Korean pediatric population. We examined AD prevalence using data from the 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which was a cross-sectional survey of 8,947 children up to age 18 throughout the country. Overall, 13.50% of children reported a diagnosis of AD. The age-standardized prevalence ranged from 9.13% to 17.67% between cities and provinces, with the highest prevalence-observed in many of the larger cities at low latitudes, as well as Jeju-do. After adjusting for confounders, high economic status was found to be a significant factor for predicting increased prevalence of AD, with an odds ratio of 1.35 (95% confidence interval of 1.02-1.79, P=0.0034). Urban living (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval of 1.00-1.53, P=0.0526) was also associated with a higher prevalence of AD. In this first large scale, nationwide study in Korean children, we found that the overall prevalence of AD depends on age, household income, and geographic distribution.
Determination of Wear in Polymers Using Multiple Scratch Test.

Wear is an important phenomenon that occurs in all the polymer applications in one form or the other. However, important links between materials properties and wear remain illusive. Thus optimization of material properties requires proper understanding of polymer properties. Studies to date have typically lacked systematic approach to all polymers and wear test developed are specific to some polymer classes. In this thesis, different classes of polymers are selected and an attempt is made to use multiple scratch test to define wear and to create a universal test procedure that can be employed to most of the polymers. In each of the materials studied, the scratch penetration depth s reaches a constant value after certain number of scratches depending upon the polymer and its properties. Variations in test parameters like load and speed are also studied in detail to understand the behavior of polymers and under different conditions. Apart from polystyrene, all the other polymers studied under multiple scratch test reached asymptotes at different scratch numbers.
The reliability and validity of the Xhosa version of the EQ-5D

Setting: This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Xhosa version of the EQ-5D, a Health Related Quality of Life measure which is often used as an outcome measure in clinical trials, within an urban Xhosa speaking population. Subjects and outcome measures: The test-retest reliability was examined on a community and institutional sample of 88 subjects, who were interviewed twice, one week apart. Forty-nine out- and in-patients participated in the second part of the study, in which the concurrent validity of the EQ-5D against existing Xhosa measures of similar domains as the EQ-5D was examined. Results: The Intraclass correlation (ICC) co-efficients between the first and second interviews ranged from 0.39 to 0.75 in different domains. The ICC for the Visual Analogue Scale of health state was 0.63. In the validity study, those who reported no problems with mobility demonstrated a significantly higher gait velocity. There was a significant difference between the rank ordering of scores on the four domains of self-care, usual activities pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression and the scores obtained on the ‘gold standard’ tests. Results and conclusions: It is concluded that, although some domains might need to be examined further, the Xhosa EQ-5D is a valid and reliable instrument with which to determine HRQoL in an urban Xhosa speaking population. In order to ensure validity of results in multicultural research and drug trials, it is essential that more outcome measures are subjected to rigorous translation and testing of validity and reliability.
The complexity of change

Many combinatorial problems can be formulated as "Can I transform configuration 1 into configuration 2, if certain transformations only are allowed? ". An example of such a question is: given two k-colourings of a graph, can I transform the first k-colouring into the second one, by recolouring one vertex at a time, and always maintaining a proper k-colouring? Another example is: given two solutions of a SAT-instance, can I transform the first solution into the second one, by changing the truth value one variable at a time, and always maintaining a solution of the SAT-instance? Other examples can be found in many classical puzzles, such as the 15-Puzzle and Rubik's Cube. In this survey we shall give an overview of some older and more recent work on this type of problem. The emphasis will be on the computational complexity of the problems: how hard is it to decide if a certain transformation is possible or not?
Agpat6 deficiency causes subdermal lipodystrophy and resistance to obesitys⃞s⃞ The online version of this article (available at http://www.jlr.org) contains additional table and figure. Published, JLR Papers in Press, January 25, 2006.

Triglyceride synthesis in most mammalian tissues involves the sequential addition of fatty acids to a glycerol backbone, with unique enzymes required to catalyze each acylation step. Acylation at the sn-2 position requires 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase (AGPAT) activity. To date, seven Agpat genes have been identified based on activity and/or sequence similarity, but their physiological functions have not been well established. We have generated a mouse model deficient in AGPAT6, which is normally expressed at high levels in brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose tissue (WAT), and liver. Agpat6-deficient mice exhibit a 25% reduction in body weight and resistance to both diet-induced and genetically induced obesity. The reduced body weight is associated with increased energy expenditure, reduced triglyceride accumulation in BAT and WAT, reduced white adipocyte size, and lack of adipose tissue in the subdermal region. In addition, the fatty acid composition of triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and phospholipid is altered, with proportionally greater polyunsaturated fatty acids at the expense of monounsaturated fatty acids. Thus, Agpat6 plays a unique role in determining triglyceride content and composition in adipose tissue and liver that cannot be compensated by other members of the Agpat family.
Effects of the Plane of Nutrition on Physicochemical Characteristics and Sensory Quality Traits of the Muscle in Finishing Pigs

This study was performed to examine the feasibility of using the low plane of nutrition (LPN) as a means of improving the meat quality of crossbred finishing pigs with a medium weight gain potential. Twenty-four barrows and 24 gilts weighing approximately 48 kg were placed on LPN [a finisher (2.86 Mcal ME/kg and 0.67% lysine) for 91 d] or on a high plane of nutrition [HPN; a commercial grower for 38 d and a finisher (3.35 Mcal ME/kg and 0.9% lysine) for 46 d]. Five barrows and five gilts per treatment weighing approximately 125 kg were slaughtered after the indicated days on the respective diets, followed by physicochemical analysis and sensory evaluation on their muscles. Overall average daily gain was 12.6% less in the LPN group vs. the HPN group (p<0.05). The redness (a*) of fresh longissimus muscle (LM) from the loin as well as from Boston butt was greater in the LPN group vs. HPN whereas the shear force for fresh LM from these primals and semimembranosus muscle was lower in the former. In sensory evaluation for cooked LM, no treatment effect was detected in any of the quality traits examined, except for a lower color score in the LPN vs. HPN group. Results suggest that meat quality of the finishing pigs can be improved to some extent by using LPN. However, the present pigs, whose backfat thickness was 24 mm at 125 kg, are thought not to be lean enough to be fattened over 120 kg.
Long term outcome after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt in non-transplant cirrhotics with hepatorenal syndrome: a phase II study

BACKGROUND Recent small studies on hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) indicate some clinical benefit after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt (TIPS) but sufficient long term data are lacking. AIM We studied prospectively feasibility, safety, and long term survival after TIPS in 41 non-transplantable cirrhotics with HRS (phase II study). PATIENTS AND METHODS HRS was diagnosed using current criteria (severe (type I) HRS, n=21; moderate (type II) HRS, n=20). Thirty one patients (14 type I, 17 type II) received TIPS (8–10 mm) while advanced liver failure excluded shunting in 10. During follow up (median 24 months) we analysed renal function and survival (Kaplan-Meier). RESULTS TIPS markedly reduced the portal pressure gradient (21 (5) to 13 (4) mm Hg (mean (SD)); p<0.001) with one procedure related death (3.2%). Renal function deteriorated without TIPS but improved (p<0.001) within two weeks after TIPS (creatinine clearance 18 (15) to 48 (42) ml/min; sodium excretion 9 (16) to 77 (78) mmol/24 hours) and stabilised thereafter. Following TIPS, three, six, 12, and 18 month survival rates were 81%, 71%, 48%, and 35%, respectively. As only 10% of non-shunted patients survived three months, total survival rates were 63%, 56%, 39%, and 29%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed bilirubin (p<0.001) and HRS type (p<0.05) as independent survival predictors after TIPS. CONCLUSIONS TIPS provides long term renal function and probably survival benefits in the majority of non-transplantable cirrhotics with HRS. These data warrant controlled trials evaluating TIPS in the management of HRS.
Rigid versus semi‐rigid thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of pleural disease: A randomized pilot study

Thoracoscopy with a semi‐rigid instrument is a recent technique successfully used for diagnosing pleural diseases. However, there are concerns about the diagnostic adequacy of biopsy samples obtained by semi‐rigid procedures when compared with rigid thoracoscopy. The purpose of this study was to compare the size, quality and diagnostic adequacy of biopsy specimens obtained at semi‐rigid and rigid thoracoscopy in a prospective, randomized fashion.
Proceedings of the Australian Physiological and Pharmacological Society Symposium: Integrative Physiology of Exercise ADAPTATIONS OF SKELETAL MUSCLE TO PROLONGED, INTENSE ENDURANCE TRAINING

1. Endurance exercise induces a variety of metabolic and morphological responses/adaptations in skeletal muscle that function to minimize cellular disturbances during subsequent training sessions. 2. Chronic adaptations in skeletal muscle are likely to be the result of the cumulative effect of repeated bouts of exercise, with the initial signalling responses leading to such adaptations occurring after each training session. 3. Recently, activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling cascade has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in the regulation of many of the exerciseinduced adaptations in skeletal muscle. 4. The protein targets of AMP-activated protein kinase also appear to be involved in both the regulation of acute metabolic responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. 5. Endurance training is associated with an increase in the activities of key enzymes of the mitochondrial electron trans
PREDICATIVE ALGEBRAIC SET THEORY

In this paper the machinery and results developed in (Awodey et al, 2004) are extended to the study of constructive set theories. Specifically, we introduce two constructive set theories BCST and CST and prove that they are sound and complete with respect to models in categories with certain structure. Specifically, basic categories of classes and categories of classes are axiomatized and shown to provide models of the aforementioned set theories. Finally, models of these theories are constructed in the category of ideals. The purpose of this paper is to generalize the machinery and results developed by Awodey, Butz, Simpson and Streicher in (Awodey et al, 2004) to the predicative case. Specifically, in ibid. it was shown that:
Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria in Children

Plasmodium knowlesi can cause severe malaria in adults; however, descriptions of clinical disease in children are lacking. We reviewed case records of children (age <15 years) with a malaria diagnosis at Kudat District Hospital, serving a largely deforested area of Sabah, Malaysia, during January–November 2009. Sixteen children with PCR-confirmed P. knowlesi monoinfection were compared with 14 children with P. falciparum monoinfection diagnosed by microscopy or PCR. Four children with knowlesi malaria had a hemoglobin level at admission of <10.0 g/dL (minimum lowest level 6.4 g/dL). Minimum level platelet counts were lower in knowlesi than in falciparum malaria (median 76,500/µL vs. 156,000/μL; p = 0.01). Most (81%) children with P. knowlesi malaria received chloroquine and primaquine; median parasite clearance time was 2 days (range 1–5 days). P. knowlesi is the most common cause of childhood malaria in Kudat. Although infection is generally uncomplicated, anemia is common and thrombocytopenia universal. Transmission dynamics in this region require additional investigation.
of cGMP formation arterioles : frequency-vs . amplitude-dependent control A theoretical model of nitric oxide transport in

[PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , July 1, 2004; 97 (1): 293-301. J Appl Physiol M. Kavdia and A. S. Popel exposure Contribution of nNOSand eNOS-derived NO to microvascular smooth muscle NO [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , December 1, 2004; 287 (6): F1189-F1203. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol W. Zhang, T. Pibulsonggram and A. Edwards Determinants of basal nitric oxide concentration in the renal medullary microcirculation [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , January 1, 2005; 127 (1): 30-39. Chest M. A. Sackner, E. Gummels and J. A. Adams Nitric Oxide Is Released Into Circulation With Whole-Body, Periodic Acceleration [PDF] [Full Text] , April 1, 2005; 32 (4): 257-261. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. J. M. Robinson and J. R. Lancaster Jr. Physiologic versus Pathophysiologic Relevance Hemoglobin-Mediated, Hypoxia-Induced Vasodilation via Nitric Oxide: Mechanism(s) and