Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The MAPK/ERK Cascade Targets Both Elk-1 and cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein to Control Long-Term Potentiation-Dependent Gene Expression in the Dentate Gyrus In Vivo

The mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling cascade contributes to synaptic plasticity and to long-term memory formation, yet whether MAPK/ERK controls activity-dependent gene expression critical for long-lasting changes at the synapse and what the events underlying transduction of the signal are remain uncertain. Here we show that induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus in vivo leads to rapid phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of MAPK/ERK. Following a similar time course, the two downstream transcriptional targets of MAPK/ERK, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and the ternary complex factor Elk-1, a key transcriptional-regulator of serum response element (SRE)-driven gene expression, were hyperphosphorylated and the immediate early gene zif268 was upregulated. The mRNA encoding MAP kinase phosphatase MKP-1 was upregulated at the time point when MAPK/ERK phosphorylation had returned to basal levels, suggesting a negative feedback loop to regulate deactivation of MAPK/ERK. We also show that inhibition of the MAPK/ERK cascade by the MAPK kinase MEK inhibitor SL327 prevented CREB and Elk-1 phosphorylation, and LTP-dependent gene induction, resulting in rapidly decaying LTP. In conclusion, we suggest that Elk-1 forms an important link in the MAP kinase pathway to transduce signals from the cell surface to the nucleus to activate the genetic machinery necessary for the maintenance of synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus. Thus, MAPK/ERK activation is required for LTP-dependent transcriptional regulation and we suggest this is regulated by two parallel signaling pathways, the MAPK/ERK-Elk-1 pathway targeting SRE and the MAPK/ERK-CREB pathway targeting CRE.
Welfare States, Social Structure and the Dynamics of Poverty Rates. A comparative study of 16 countries, 1980-2000

The purpose of this paper is twofold. The primary purpose is to try and explain both the temporal and the spatial variation of poverty rates in terms of unemployment insurance indicators and structural/sociodemographic factors. Secondly, the paper aims to test the 'convergence hypothesis' of the poverty rate, i.e. whether or not poverty rates in modern welfare states have converged in recent decades. The analyses tentatively suggest that structural change in terms of the unemployment rate, the proportion of single-earner households, the female labour-force participation rate, and the proportion of families with children primarily explains the temporal variation in poverty rates. The unemployment insurance factors primarily explain the spatial variation, i.e. variation between countries. In part, however, the temporal variation is explained but the cuts in net replacements in unemployment insurance. This factor alone explains a larger share of the overall variance than all the structural factors put together. Where the convergence hypothesis is concerned, a random-effects model is proposed as a statistical tool for testing convergence (and disperson). The results of this analysis suggest that for the 16 countries and the time frame under review the convergence hypothesis must be rejected, an outcome that is in line with some other analyses presented recently.
Integrated Use of Fluridone and a Fungal Pathogen for Control of Hydrilla.

Combinations of the herbicide fluridone {1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-[3-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]-4(1H)-pyridinone} and the microbial pathogen Mycoleptodiscus terrestris (Gerdemann) Ostazeski ( Mt) were tested for efficacy under controlled-environment conditions against dioecious hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle. Fluridone rates of 2, 5, and 12 µ g/L, Mt rates of 25, 50, 100 and 200 colony forming units (CFU) per ml, and integrated treatments of 2, 5, and 12 µ g/L + 100 and 200 CFU/ml, and 12 µ g/L + 25 and 50 CFU/ml were tested. Although a dose response was noted among fluridone rates, all treatments resulted in linear decreases in biomass, photosynthesis (PTS) and chlorophyll from 14 through 94 days posttreatment. In contrast, Mt applications of 25 and 50 CFU/ml were ineffective throughout the study. Mt at 25 and 50 CFU/ml + 12 µ g/L fluridone showed no differences from the 12 µ g/L fluridone treatment alone. As Mt rates were increased to 100 and 200 CFU/ ml, severe initial injury was noted within 5 d; however, PTS and chlorophyll showed strong signs of recovery by 14 d and biomass was fully recovered by 28 d posttreatment. Fluridone at all rates + Mt at 100 and 200 CFU/ml produced rapid injury and biomass reductions of > 90% by 28 d posttreatment. The lack of intact viable tissue prevented sampling of physiological variables past 28 d. No differences were noted between the integrated treatments, indicating a lack of dose response. Mt at rates of 100 and 200 CFU/ml resulted in rapid plant injury; however, only short-term control was achieved. Continuous exposure to fluridone resulted in a steady reduction in biomass over time. Integrating fluridone with Mt at rates of 100 and 200 CFU/ml greatly enhanced control, reduced exposure requirements, and increased susceptibility of hydrilla to fluridone at a rate (2 µ g/L) that was not otherwise lethal.
Is the Confirmation Bias Bubble Larger Online? Pre-Election Confirmation Bias in Selective Exposure to Online versus Print Political Information

The Internet era has often been blamed for a predominant engagement with attitude-consistent information among citizens (labeled confirmation bias), which is thought to hurt political deliberation. This study offers the first rigorous evidence suggesting that online news fosters greater confirmation bias than traditional media. A 2 × 2 within-subjects experiment presented political articles, varying stance (conservative vs. liberal) and medium (online vs. print); selective exposure was logged or taped. Data were collected during the U.S. 2016 presidential primaries. As expected in the preelection context, partisans whose party was anticipated to lose the election (conservatives) did not exhibit confirmation bias. Liberals showed confirmation bias, but only online, suggesting print contexts reduce confirmation bias.
Heritability of Clot Formation, Morphology, and Lysis: The EuroCLOT Study

Objective—The relative balance between clot formation and fibrinolysis is considered to reflect thrombotic potential following vascular injury. The aims of the present study were to (1) to determine the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to variance in measures of clot structure/function in the Leeds Family Study, and (2) to determine the relationship between measures of clot structure/function and cardiovascular risk. Methods and Results—Using high throughput turbidimetric assays, heritabilities of measures of clot formation, clot structure, and clot lysis were ≈0.30. Fibrinogen contributed to variance in all measures and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 to variance in lysis variables. Subjects at increased cardiovascular risk due to the presence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) had increased clot density (MaxAbsC: 0.358 [0.340, 0.375]au) and prolonged lysis times (LysT: 510 [6569, 7939]s) compared with those without MetS (MaxAbsC: 0.319 [0.310, 0.328]au, P=0.003; LysT: 7221 [4884, 5328]s, P<0.001). Furthermore, measures of clot structure/function increased progressively with increasing number of MetS components. Conclusions—This study indicates that genetic factors contribute modestly to variance in clot structure/function and that clot structure/function is related to presence of the MetS and number of MetS components. Identification of the genetic and environmental factors influencing clot structure/function may further our understanding of the underlying factors predisposing to cardiovascular disease.
PISA as a legitimacy tool during China's education reform : case study of Shanghai

In this paper we examine the Chinese domestic discourse centering on Shanghai’s participation in the PISA study and interpretations of the 2009 results. The main focus is to examine why local education authority took part in the PISA project and how actors from the education authority use PISA as a tool to legitimize their reform stance. We adopted discourse and rhetorical analysis techniques and analyzed the data collected from newspapers and official documents. The analysis shows that the local education authority and PISA team used PISA as an external assessment tool to legitimate the preexisting education reform measures, confirm its leadership, and appeal for the collective actions from other social groups in future reform agenda. Different interpretations of the test results by independent educators and overseas professors are demonstrated to contrast officials’ framings and shed light on the rationales behind these framings. This study contributes to the theoretical discussion of how local actors use PISA to respond to domestic and international pressures on education reform and at the same time pursue local political interests.
End-to-end Performance Isolation Through Virtual Datacenters

The lack of performance isolation in multi-tenant datacenters at appliances like middleboxes and storage servers results in volatile application performance. To insulate tenants, we propose giving them the abstraction of a dedicated virtual datacenter (VDC). VDCs encapsulate end-to-end throughput guarantees--specified in a new metric based on virtual request cost--that hold across distributed appliances and the intervening network. We present Pulsar, a system that offers tenants their own VDCs. Pulsar comprises a logically centralized controller that uses new mechanisms to estimate tenants' demands and appliance capacities, and allocates datacenter resources based on flexible policies. These allocations are enforced at end-host hypervisors through multi-resource token buckets that ensure tenants with changing workloads cannot affect others. Pulsar's design does not require changes to applications, guest OSes, or appliances. Through a prototype deployed across 113 VMs, three appliances, and a 40 Gbps network, we show that Pulsar enforces tenants' VDCs while imposing overheads of less than 2% at the data and control plane.
Rural-urban dimensions of inequality change

For developing and transitional countries we explore trends in rural-urban, intrarural and intraurban inequality of income, poverty risk, health and education. In particular, we ask whether behind generally rising inequality post-1980 lie offsetting inter and intrasectoral trends, with narrowing rural-urban gaps - perhaps due to adjustment - being more than offset by rising intrasectoral inequality. Our main finding is that there is no such pattern.
Flow regulation of 72-kD collagenase IV (MMP-2) after experimental arterial injury.

BACKGROUND MMP-2 plays a key role in basement membrane degradation and in the migration of proliferating smooth muscle cells after vascular injury. Because low flow and shear stress have been related to the localization and progression of intimal hyperplasia, we hypothesized that flow conditions modulate in vivo MMP-2 transcription and activity in a model of injury-induced intimal thickening. METHODS AND RESULTS The right common carotid artery (CCA) was balloon-injured in 21 New Zealand White male rabbits. Flow was thereafter preserved (normal flow, n=7), reduced by partial outflow occlusion (low flow, n=7), or increased by ligation of the left CCA (high flow, n=7). In 15 other animals (controls without injury), flow was reduced (n=5), increased (n=5), or preserved (n=5). Mean blood flow and pressure in the right CCA were measured before and after flow modulation (day 0) and before the rabbits were killed (day 7). Northern analysis, gelatin-gel zymography, and fluorometric assays were performed on day 7 to determine MMP-2 mRNA levels and activity in relation to flow and intimal thickening. Mean flow was reduced from 21+/-1 to 7+/-1 mL/min (P<0.05) by outflow occlusion and increased to 31+/-2 mL/min (P<0.05) by ligation of the contralateral CCA. Blood pressure was not different between the flow groups. Hemodynamic parameters were similar for days 0 and 7 after flow modulation. In the injured right CCA, there was a 186% increase in MMP-2 mRNA with normal flow (P<0.05), a 366% increase with low flow (P<0.005), and only a 38% increase with high flow (P>0.05) compared with the uninjured CCA with normal flow. In the uninjured CCA, MMP-2 mRNA levels were increased by only 39% and 26% in the low- and high-flow groups, respectively, compared with normal-flow controls. The zymographic signal and quantitative fluorescent activity of gelatinase were markedly increased in both injured and uninjured CCAs subjected to low flow. Intimal thickening was observed after 1 week only in CCA segments with low flow and injury. CONCLUSIONS Hemodynamic forces such as low flow upregulate injury-induced MMP-2 mRNA and appear to be more important in regulating MMP-2 activity than injury alone. This may facilitate migration of the smooth muscle cells and subsequent development of intimal thickening.
Feature Relevance Network-Based Transfer Learning for Indoor Location Estimation

We present a new machine learning framework for indoor location estimation. In many cases, locations could be easily estimated using various traditional positioning methods and conventional machine learning approaches based on signalling devices, e.g., access points (APs). When there exist environmental changes, however, such traditional methods cannot be employed due to data distribution change. In order to circumvent this difficulty, we introduce feature relevance network-based method, which focuses on interrelatedness among features. Feature relevance networks are connected graphs representing concurrency of the signalling devices such as APs. In the newly created relevance network, a test instance and the prototype of a location are expanded until convergence. The expansion cost corresponds to distance between the test instance and the prototype. Unlike other methods, our model is nonparametric making no assumptions about signal distributions. The proposed method is applied to the 2007 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Data Mining Contest Task #2 (transfer learning), which is a typical example situation where the training and test datasets have been gathered during different periods. Using the proposed method, we accomplish the estimation accuracy of 0.3238, which is better than the best result of the contest.
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Value Relevance of Accounting Information: Evidence from Bahrain and United Arab Emirates Stock Markets

In recent decades national standard setters have recognized the need for effective standards for the regulation of the financial industries. Middle eastern countries have also recognized their need to participate in opportunities offered by globalization and, accordingly, has led the way for adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The aim of the study is to identify the value relevance of accounting information in two selected countries which could describe the effect of adapting to IFRS on value relevancy of accounting information in these countries. The results obtained from a combination of regression and portfolio approaches, show that accounting information is value relevant in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stock market. A comparison of the results for the periods before and after adoption, based on both regression and portfolio approaches, shows a improvement in value relevance of accounting information after the reform in accounting standards in Bahrain stock market, while the results for UAE stock market, shows a decline in value relevance of accounting information after the reform in accounting standards. It could be interpreted to mean that following to IFRS in UAE didn’t improve value relevancy of accounting information.
Suppression of Inflammation with Conditional Deletion of the Prostaglandin E2 EP2 Receptor in Macrophages and Brain Microglia

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a potent lipid signaling molecule, modulates inflammatory responses through activation of downstream G-protein coupled EP1–4 receptors. Here, we investigated the cell-specific in vivo function of PGE2 signaling through its E-prostanoid 2 (EP2) receptor in murine innate immune responses systemically and in the CNS. In vivo, systemic administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in a broad induction of cytokines and chemokines in plasma that was significantly attenuated in EP2-deficient mice. Ex vivo stimulation of peritoneal macrophages with LPS elicited proinflammatory responses that were dependent on EP2 signaling and that overlapped with in vivo plasma findings, suggesting that myeloid-lineage EP2 signaling is a major effector of innate immune responses. Conditional deletion of the EP2 receptor in myeloid lineage cells in Cd11bCre;EP2lox/lox mice attenuated plasma inflammatory responses and transmission of systemic inflammation to the brain was inhibited, with decreased hippocampal inflammatory gene expression and cerebral cortical levels of IL-6. Conditional deletion of EP2 significantly blunted microglial and astrocytic inflammatory responses to the neurotoxin MPTP and reduced striatal dopamine turnover. Suppression of microglial EP2 signaling also increased numbers of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra independent of MPTP treatment, suggesting that microglial EP2 may influence development or survival of DA neurons. Unbiased microarray analysis of microglia isolated from adult Cd11bCre;EP2lox/lox and control mice demonstrated a broad downregulation of inflammatory pathways with ablation of microglial EP2 receptor. Together, these data identify a cell-specific proinflammatory role for macrophage/microglial EP2 signaling in innate immune responses systemically and in brain.
Lack of Allergic Cross-reactivity to Cephalosporins among Patients Allergic to Penicillins

to injectable cephalosporins were selected for study. Reactions had occurred 1 to 48 months before evaluation. All 6 children had reacted to ceftriaxone, and 5/6 had suffered anaphylaxis. The various cephalosporins were tested at 2 mg/mL, a concentration previously shown to be a nonirritant in healthy control subjects. Radioallergosorbent tests (RASTs) were also performed to benzylpenicilloyl-polylysine, amoxicilloyl-poly-lysine, ampicilloyl-polylysine, and to the various cephalo-sporins conjugated to polylysine. Results. All 6 children had positive skin tests (1 prick, 5 intradermal) for the culprit drug, but none had positive RASTs. No child reacted to any of the other cephalosporins or to any penicillin reagents. Among the adults, all but 2 individuals had positive skin tests, and 9 had positive RASTs to the culprit drugs. No one had positive RASTs with negative skin tests. Two adults had a total of 3 completely negative test batteries, including agents that had caused anaphylaxis 24, 40, and 45 months earlier. A total of 10 adults reacted to Ͼ1 cephalosporin, and there was no compelling pattern of cross-reactivity. Similarly, there was no pattern apparent in the 4 patients who reacted to penicillin reagents. Conclusions. Most patients with histories of allergic reactions to cephalosporins are sensitized to determinants specific for the given drug, although some display cross-reactivity to other cephalosporins. A few individuals display reactivity to penicillin determinants, but this is not predicted by culprit drug or nature of reaction. Reviewer's Comments. This study focused on reactions after parenterally administered cephalosporins and clearly highlights the low but unpredictable incidence of cross-reactivity among these agents and the penicillins. Pediatri-cians dealing with the quandary of a child with a history of suspected reaction from an orally administered preparation in the outpatient setting should realize that other cephalosporins might be tolerated just fine. Because there are no reagents for in vivo or in vitro testing for these oral cephalosporins, the only test is administration followed by a couple hours of observation in the office. For the hospitalized child with a history of allergy to an injected ceph-alosporin and in need of such now, it makes sense to skin test first with the agent(s) to be considered. If the history is one of reacting to an orally administered cephalosporin, it is probably even likelier that the parenteral agent would be well-tolerated. However, because most severe reactions follow injected drug at any age, it would be wise to skin test with the desired injectable …
Generic metrics, irreducible rank-one PU(2) monopoles, and transversality

We prove that the moduli space of solutions to the PU(2) monopole equations is a smooth manifold of the expected dimension for simple, generic parameters such as (and including) the Riemannian metric on the given four-manifold. In a previous article, dg-ga/9710032, we proved transversality using an extension of the holonomy-perturbation methods of Donaldson, Floer, and Taubes, together with the existence of an Uhlenbeck compactification for the perturbed moduli space. However, it remained an important and interesting question to see whether there were simpler, more intrinsic alternatives to the holonomy perturbations and this is the issue we settle here. The idea that PU(2) monopoles might lead to a proof of Witten's conjecture (hep-th/9411102, hep-th/9709193) concerning the relation between the two types of four-manifold invariants was first proposed by Pidstrigach and Tyurin in 1994 (dg-ga/9507004): the space of PU(2) monopoles contains the moduli space of anti-self-dual connections together with copies of the various Seiberg-Witten moduli spaces, these forming singular loci in the higher-dimensional space of PU(2) monopoles. Results in this direction, due to the author and Leness, are surveyed in dg-ga/9709022, with a detailed account appearing in dg-ga/9712005. Our transversality theorem ensures that the anti-self-dual and Seiberg-Witten loci are the only singularities and that the PU(2) monopole moduli space forms a smooth - though non-compact, because of bubbling - cobordism between the links of the singularities.
Influence of the Distribution of a Spray Paint on the Efficacy of Anti-Graffiti Coatings on a Highly Porous Natural Stone Material

Graffiti on facades often has a heavy impact in social and economic terms, particularly when historical and artistic artefacts are affected. To limit the damages to the surfaces, preventive plans are implemented and anti-graffiti coatings are used as a protective measure. In this study, the distribution of a spray paint inside a highly porous stone, with and without anti-graffiti protection, was investigated. Two commercial sacrificial anti-graffiti systems were used and an acrylic-based paint was applied as staining agent. Environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis were performed to characterise, from the morphological and chemical point of view, the anti-graffiti coatings and the paint. Maps of the main elements were acquired to locate the different products inside the stone. Chemical removers were used to clean the stained surfaces, then the effectiveness of the cleaning was assessed by visual observations and colour measurements, as well as on the basis of percentage of residual stain. The obtained results highlighted that the anti-graffiti efficacy strongly depended on the characteristics of the applied coating. This latter usually acted as a barrier, but good results were obtained only where the stain did not remain as a separate layer, but penetrated the protective coating. Microcracks in the anti-graffiti coating were able to nullify the protective action.