Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
24S‐hydroxycholesterol induces cholesterol release from choroid plexus epithelial cells in an apical‐ and apoE isoform‐dependent manner concomitantly with the induction of ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression

The release of cholesterol from choroid plexus epithelial cells (CPE) plays an important role in cholesterol homeostasis in the CSF. The purpose of this study was to clarify the molecules involved in cholesterol release in CPE and the regulation mechanisms of the cholesterol release by the liver X receptor (LXR) using a conditionally immortalized CPE line (TR‐CSFB3). The mRNA expression of LXRα, LXRβ and their target genes, ATP‐binding cassette transporter (ABC)A1, ABCG1, ABCG4 and ABCG5, were detected in rat choroid plexus. ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein were detected in the plasma membrane of TR‐CSFB3 cells. Following treatment with 24S‐hydroxycholesterol, an endogenous LXR ligand, the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 were induced in TR‐CSFB3 cells. Moreover, apolipoprotein (apo)AI‐ and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐mediated cholesterol release to the apical side of TR‐CSFB3 cells was facilitated by this treatment, whereas that to the basal side was not affected. Following 24S‐hydroxycholesterol treatment, apoE3‐dependent cholesterol release from TR‐CSFB3 cells was enhanced more than the apoE4‐dependent release. These results suggest that LXR activation facilitates cholesterol release into the CSF from CPE through the functional induction of ABCA1 and ABCG1. The difference between apoE3 and apoE4 suggests that the cholesterol release from CPE is related to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Mitochondrial volume in skeletal muscle from young and old physically untrained and trained healthy men and from alcoholics.

1. Using quantitative electron microscopy, the volume fraction of mitochondria has been studied in the fibrillar and the perinuclear zones in leg muscle from young and old healthy men, physically trained and untrained, and from alcoholics with serious muscle weakness. 2. There is a correlation between the volume fractions of mitochondria in the fibrillar and perinuclear zones. 3. In young untrained men, the volume fraction of mitochondria in skeletal muscle is three-quarters of that in old untrained men in both the fibrillar and the perinuclear zone. In the young men, there are few but comparatively large mitochondria, while in old men the mitochondria are small but numerous. 4. Training causes a considerable increase in the volume fraction of mitochondria in young men (approx. 100%) but only a slight increase in old men (approx. 20%). The increase in the young group is caused by an increase in the number of mitochondria without any change of their volume, but in old men it is due to an increase in size. 5. Alcoholics with serious muscle weakness in their legs have a volume fraction of mitochondria which is below that of the healthy untrained controls. The decrease is of the same order as the increase induced by training in the old healthy men.
INTERCALIBRATION OF VEGETATION INDICES – AN UPDATE

In 2003 we addressed the issue of intercalibration of vegetation indices from different satellite-based optical sensor systems with differing spectral response functions in the visible and near-infrared bands (Steven et al., 2003). We used a database of spectroradiometric measurements made over a range of canopy densities, soils and foliage colours to simulate vegetation indices (NDVI, SAVI and OSAVI) to produce a table of intercalibration factors for the specific spectral response functions for 15 satellite instruments. We found that the indices are not identical, but are linearly related, allowing conversion from one system to another to a precision of 1–2%. Our results allow vegetation index data from different systems to be combined reliably. The present study extends the intercalibration of vegetation indices to include systems launched since our previous paper. We propose a standard pair of bands for the definition of vegetation indices and suggest that users apply our conversion coefficients to adjust vegetation index measurements to this standard. The margin of error in applying a two step conversion via the standard is at most 1% compared with a direct conversion from one system to the other. Independent validations of our conversion coefficients from a number of studies in the literature are discussed.
The effects of posthypnotic performance-enhancing instructions on cognitive-motor performance.

Abstract The effects of performance-enhancing instructions on a cognitive-motor task (typing) was assessed using 3 groups: hypnosis and control groups with performance-enhancing instructions, and a control group without instructions. Unlike previous hypnosis research, the performance-enhancing instructions were given after substantial learning had occurred. Results indicated that posthypnotic performance-enhancing instructions, or performance-enhancing instructions alone, did not have a facilitative effect on performance. The results also suggested potential negative performance effects following hypnotic induction, depending on Ss' initial typing ability. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Quantum dynamics of the polarized Gowdy T 3 model

The polarized Gowdy ${\bf T}^3$ vacuum spacetimes are characterized, modulo gauge, by a ``point particle'' degree of freedom and a function $\phi$ that satisfies a linear field equation and a non-linear constraint. The quantum Gowdy model has been defined by using a representation for $\phi$ on a Fock space $\cal F$. Using this quantum model, it has recently been shown that the dynamical evolution determined by the linear field equation for $\phi$ is not unitarily implemented on $\cal F$. In this paper: (1) We derive the classical and quantum model using the ``covariant phase space'' formalism. (2) We show that time evolution is not unitarily implemented even on the physical Hilbert space of states ${\cal H} \subset {\cal F}$ defined by the quantum constraint. (3) We show that the spatially smeared canonical coordinates and momenta as well as the time-dependent Hamiltonian for $\phi$ are well-defined, self-adjoint operators for all time, admitting the usual probability interpretation despite the lack of unitary dynamics.
Morphological Processing of Regular Verbs in Native French Speakers

Over the past decades an extraordinary amount of psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research has been carried out with the aim of understanding the nature of lexical representations and how these representations are accessed as we listen to or read words. The question that drives much of this research is whether the language processing system has access to a morpheme-based route to recognize complex words. The numerous models of lexical access that have been put forward in the literature can be categorized as taking either a morphological approach or a nonmorphological approach. Morphological models posit that the processing system can make recourse to a morpheme level of representation. The various models within the morphological approach, however, differ in hypothesizing how often the morpheme level processing route is used or made available. Whereas some morphological models claim that all complex forms are always processed through a morpheme-based route (e.g., Stockall & Marantz, 2006; Taft, 2004), others hypothesize a dichotomous system where properties such as regularity (e.g., Allen & Badecker, 2002; Clahsen, 1999), surface-form frequency (e.g., Alegre & Gordon, 1999; Baayen et al., 1997), or semantic transparency (e.g., Marslen-Wilson et al., 1994) will influence whether the morphemebased route is available to process a given word. In such dual-route processing accounts where the morpheme-based processing pathway is restricted at times, words with certain lexical properties (e.g., irregular form, high surface frequency) are believed to be accessed via a whole-form representation in lieu of a morphological representation. In contrast to morphological models, nonmorphological models propose that the morpheme as a theoretical construct should be discarded as it is not necessary to account for the ‘morphological’ relationship between words (see Hay & Baayen, 2005). Non-morphological models, such as the Parallel Distributed Processing model (Rumelhart & McClelland, 1986) or Distributed Connectionist Approach (Gonnerman et al., 2007) instead posit that the lexicon constitutes an associative network where surface-forms are recognized through a combination of form (orthographic and phonological) and semantic information. In other words, non-morphological models posit that lexical access is never achieved through a morpheme-based route because it is believed that no such route or representations exist.
Trends in alcohol and tobacco use among Brazilian students: 1989 to 2010

OBJECTIVE To analyze temporal trends of the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among Brazilian students. METHODS We analyzed data published between 1989 and 2010 from five epidemiological surveys on students from the 6th to the 12th grade of public schools from the ten largest state capitals of Brazil. The total sample consisted of 104,104 students and data were collected in classrooms. The same collection tool – a World Health Organization self-reporting questionnaire – and sampling and weighting procedures were used in the five surveys. The Chi-square test for trend was used to compare the prevalence from different years. RESULTS The prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use varied among the years and cities studied. Alcohol consumption decreased in the 10 state capitals (p < 0.001) throughout 21 years. Tobacco use also decreased significantly in eight cities (p < 0.001). The highest prevalence of alcohol use was found in the Southeast region in 1993 (72.8%, in Belo Horizonte) and the lowest one in Belem (30.6%) in 2010. The highest past-year prevalence of tobacco use was found in the South region in 1997 (28.0%, in Curitiba) and the lowest one in the Southeast in 2010 (7.8%, in Sao Paulo). CONCLUSIONS The decreasing trend in the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use among students detected all over the Country can be related to the successful and comprehensive Brazilian antitobacco and antialcohol policies. Despite these results, the past-year prevalence of alcohol consumption in the past year remained high in all Brazilian regions.
Multiple team membership: A demand or resource for employees?

Multiple team membership as a work design feature is becoming more widespread in modern organizations, with expected positive and negative consequences for individual employees. This study explores whether fragmentation of time across multiple teams is a job demand or a job resource for employees. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources framework and role theory, we tested a model that relates multiple team membership to a set of job demands (task load, team process load, and conflict with team members) and job resources (team social support and job autonomy). The findings show that multiple team membership increased demands associated with teamwork but not taskwork, while simultaneously reducing social support from team members. In turn, job demands increased job strain, whereas job resources increased work engagement. We conclude that the fragmentation of time across different roles in multiple teams is perceived as a teamwork-related job demand and leads to role strain. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are further discussed.
Intrinsic Capability of Budding Yeast Cofilin to Promote Turnover of Tropomyosin-Bound Actin Filaments

The ability of actin filaments to function in cell morphogenesis and motility is closely coupled to their dynamic properties. Yeast cells contain two prominent actin structures, cables and patches, both of which are rapidly assembled and disassembled. Although genetic studies have shown that rapid actin turnover in patches and cables depends on cofilin, how cofilin might control cable disassembly remains unclear, because tropomyosin, a component of actin cables, is thought to protect actin filaments against the depolymerizing activity of ADF/cofilin. We have identified cofilin as a yeast tropomyosin (Tpm1) binding protein through Tpm1 affinity column and mass spectrometry. Using a variety of assays, we show that yeast cofilin can efficiently depolymerize and sever yeast actin filaments decorated with either Tpm1 or mouse tropomyosins TM1 and TM4. Our results suggest that yeast cofilin has the intrinsic ability to promote actin cable turnover, and that the severing activity may rely on its ability to bind Tpm1.
Reversion to normal cognition and its correlates among the community-dwelling elderly with mild cognitive impairment: The longitudinal cohort study

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the rate of reversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to normal cognition (NC) among the community-dwelling elderly and to determine if there were differences in cognitive function, leisure activities, and exercises between the group with MCI-maintained and the groupwith reversion to NC.Methods: This study utilized a longitudinal descriptive comparative design. A total of 346 subjects over age 65 was recruited from public health center at baseline. Finally 152 elderly were enrolled at 1 year follow-up. Data were collected throughMoCA-K, K-MMSE, KDSQ-C5 and questionnaires on leisure activities and exercises. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSSStatistics 21.0 using descriptive statistics,x test, and t-test.Results:The rate of reversion from MCI to NC among the subjects was 44.1%. At baseline, the group with MCI-maintained had lower cognitive function than the groupwith reversion to NC. At 1 year follow-up, the group with reversion toNChad higher subjective cognitive function than the group with MCI-maintained. Regarding leisure activities, there were differences between the groups at baseline and 1 year follow-up.Conclusion: It is suggested that age, education year, subjective cognitive function, and leisure activities should be considered at planning a nursing intervention for MCI.
Alcohol consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes: a 20-year follow-up of the Finnish twin cohort study.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate alcohol consumption in relation to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study population consisted of 22778 twins of the Finnish Twin Cohort. This cohort was compiled in 1975 and includes all same-sexed twins born in Finland before 1958. Information on alcohol, smoking, diet, physical activity, medical, and social conditions was obtained by questionnaires administered in 1975, 1981, and 1990. By record linkage to national registers of hospital discharge and prescribed medication, 580 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified during 20 years of follow-up. RESULTS Moderate alcohol consumption (5-29.9 g/day in men and 5-19.9 g/day in women) tended to be associated with a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes compared with low consumption (<5 g/day). The estimates were lower in overweight (BMI >or=25.0 kg/m(2)) subjects (relative risk 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-1.0 [men]; 0.6, 0.3-1.1 [women]). High alcohol consumption (>or=20 g/day) was associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in lean women (2.9, 1.1-7.5) but not in overweight women or in men. In women, binge drinking was associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (2.1, 1.0-4.4). Analyses of alcohol-discordant twin pairs supported a reduced risk in moderate consuming twins compared with their low-consuming cotwins (odds ratio 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-1.5). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, binge drinking and high alcohol consumption may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in women.
Distribution of Nutrients in Edible Banana Pulp

Summary Chemical composition in different parts of banana pulp was determined. Ash and protein mean concentrations in the central part of the pulp were higher than in the medium part, and these were higher than those in the external part. The mean concentrations of the fiber (total and non-soluble) in the central part were higher than those found in the other parts. Ascorbic acid behaved inversely; the mean concentration significantly decreased from the external part to the central part. The central part contained the highest mean concentrations of the analysed minerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn), with statistically significant differences for Cu, Zn and Ca. A tendency to differentiate the pulp samples of banana as a function of the part considered was observed after using factor analysis. The samples from the central part were different from those from the external part. The samples of the medium part overlapped with those of the other two parts.
A population-level analysis of abdominal wall reconstruction by component separation in the morbidly obese patient: Can it be performed safely?

Abstract Morbid obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and a significant portion of patients presenting for complex abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) and component separation fall into this category, creating added medical and surgical challenges to an already difficult operation. The goal of this study was to utilise the Nationwide 2005–2010 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database (ACS-NSQIP) to perform a population level analysis of the role of morbid obesity on 30-day perioperative morbidity with the hope of improving patient care, counselling and risk stratification. Morbidly obese patients (BMI > 40 kg/m2) were compared to non-obese patients (BMI < 30 kg/m2). Outcome variables assessed included major surgical complications, major medical complications, major renal complications, major wound complications, return to OR (ROR), and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Significant variables in a univariate analysis were included in a multivariate logistic regression controlling for patient characteristics (p < 0.05). In total, 1695 patients undergoing AWR were identified in the ACS-NSQIP database. Of these, 614 patients were non-obese (average BMI = 25.7 ± 3.0 kg/m2) and 314 were morbidly obese (average BMI = 45.9 ± 5.8 kg/m2). Multivariate analyses determined that morbid obesity did not significantly contribute to major surgical, medical, renal or wound complications. However, it was significantly associated with ROR (OR = 2.8, p < 0.001) and VTE (OR = 5.2, p = 0.04). Morbid obesity is an independent risk factor for ROR and VTE related complications, in the 30 day post-operative period. Additional perioperative care is warranted to decrease such early re-operations and for preventable complications.
Remission with mirtazapine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a meta-analysis of individual patient data from 15 controlled trials of acute phase treatment of major depression

Antidepressants that enhance both serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission may be more effective than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for acute-phase therapy of major depressive disorder. Mirtazapine in particular has been suggested to have a faster onset of action than reuptake inhibitors. The aim of this study is to compare the remission rates and time to remission in patients with major depression taking either mirtazapine or an SSRI in an all-inclusive set of studies. Data were obtained from all eligible randomized controlled studies contrasting mirtazapine and SSRIs. Meta-analyses of remission rates and time to remission, together with a supportive analysis of mean change from baseline Hamilton Depression Rating Scales-17 were performed, using individual patient data from 15 randomized controlled trials of mirtazapine (N = 1484) versus various SSRIs (N = 1487) across 6 weeks of double-blind therapy. Analyses were repeated for the eight studies that lasted at least 8 weeks. Remission rates for patients treated with mirtazapine were significantly higher when compared with those treated with an SSRI after 1 (3.4 vs. 1.6%, P = 0.0017), 2 (13.0 vs. 7.8%, P<0.0001), 4 (33.1 vs. 25.1%, P<0.0001), and 6 weeks (43.4 vs. 37.5%, P = 0.0006) of treatment. Mirtazapine-treated patients had a 74% higher likelihood of achieving remission during the first 2 weeks of therapy compared with patients treated with SSRIs. In conclusion, the findings indicate that mirtazapine may be a more rapidly effective antidepressant than SSRIs.
Disputed Paraphilia Diagnoses and Legal Decision Making: A Case Law Survey of Paraphilia NOS, Nonconsent

Paraphilia diagnoses applied in forensic settings are an ongoing subject of debate among psycholegal professionals and scholars. Disagreements pertain to both means-related issues having to do with issues of diagnostic reliability and validity, and ends-related issues regarding the consequences inherent to the legal contexts in which the diagnoses arise. To provide a fresh outlook on some of the issues, the present study entailed a systematic survey of U.S. case law to investigate the history, extent, and nature of forensic uses of a controversial paraphilia diagnosis, paraphilia not otherwise specified, nonconsent. Descriptive analyses revealed that use of the diagnosis, which occurred almost exclusively in adult sexually violent predator cases, increased substantially over the past decade, with cases in 3 states accounting for over 2/3 of the total observed prevalence rate. In the majority of cases examined in detail, the support that evaluators relied upon in making the diagnosis was either not clearly described or behaviorally inferential in nature, and the diagnosis was often accompanied by other mental and personality disorder diagnoses. An opposing expert was observed in more than half of the cases, approximately 1/3 of whom noted the debate surrounding the diagnosis and nearly 2/3 of whom opined that there was insufficient evidentiary support for the diagnosis in the case at bar. Finally, all courts that reached the issue of the admissibility of the diagnosis between K I N G E T A L . , P S Y C H O L O G Y , P U B L I C P O L I C Y , A N D L A W 2 0 (2 0 1 4 ) 2 2008 and 2011 admitted it, and most courts also found it sufficient to support classifying an individual as a sexually violent predator.
Facilitating research participation and improving quality of life for African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners

African American men experience worse prostate cancer outcomes compared with those of Caucasian men, not only in incidence and mortality rates, but also in coping with the side effects of treatment. Unfortunately, African American men have been significantly under‐represented in research evaluating the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for improving coping in prostate cancer survivors. This pilot study explored the feasibility and efficacy of coping skills training (CST), an intervention developed to enhance coping with treatment side effects in a sample of African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. The intervention was delivered in a telephone‐based format designed to facilitate research participation. A total of 40 couples were randomized to either 6 sessions of CST or usual care. Survivors completed measures of disease‐specific quality of life (QOL) related to urinary, sexual, bowel, and hormonal symptom domains, as well as measures of global QOL (i.e., physical functioning and mental health). Partners completed measures of caregiver strain, mood, and vigor. Analysis of data from 30 couples (12 couples in CST, 18 couples in usual care) indicated that CST produced moderate to large treatment effects for QOL related to bowel, urinary, sexual, and hormonal symptoms. Partners who underwent CST reported less caregiver strain, depression, and fatigue, and more vigor, with moderate effect sizes observed that approached conventional levels of statistical significance. These preliminary findings suggest that telephone‐based CST is a feasible approach that can successfully enhance coping inAfrican American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. Cancer 2007. © 2006 American Cancer Society.