Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Peroxynitrite on the Reactivity of Diabetic Rat Aorta

Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) reacts with superoxide to form peroxynitrite, which is capable of either oxidizing or nitrating various biological substrates. We compared the vasodilatory effect of exogenous peroxynitrite with the effects of decomposed peroxynitrite or sodium nitrite in precontracted aorta isolated from streptozotocin-induced diabetic and age-matched control rats. Peroxynitrite (10 nmol/l to 300 µmol/l) produced a concentration-dependent relaxation in aortic rings with or without endothelium. Relaxation was also observed with a higher concentration of its decomposition product or sodium nitrite, although these relaxations were considerably slower and with reduced sensitivity. Endothelium-containing rings were less sensitive to the vasorelaxant effect of peroxynitrite than the endothelium-denuded rings in control (pD2 was 5.19 ± 0.06 in rings with endothelium and 5.86 ± 0.03 in rings without endothelium, p < 0.01) but not in diabetic aorta (pD2 was 5.97 ± 0.05 in rings with endothelium and 6.12 ± 0.06 in rings without endothelium, p > 0.05). The maximum relaxation to peroxynitrite also increased in diabetics, but did not change by removal of the endothelium either in diabetic or control rings. Diabetes did not alter the relaxations elicited by both decomposed peroxynitrite and sodium nitrite. Peroxynitrite-induced relaxation was not inhibited by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, an inhibitor of hydroxyl radical formation. Pretreatment with peroxynitrite (1 µmol/l, 15 min) significantly suppressed the phenylephrine-induced tone and acetylcholine-stimulated endothelium-dependent relaxation, both effects were more pronounced in diabetic than in control aorta. The increased responsiveness of diabetic vessels to exogenous peroxynitrite seems to be related to depressed basal NO bioavailability and may be considered as a compensatory way against activated contractile mechanisms of diabetic vascular smooth muscle.
Postural Instability in Children with ADHD Is Improved by Methylphenidate

HIGHLIGHTS Both spatial and temporal analyses of the Center of Pressure demonstrate that children with ADHD have poorer postural control than typically developing sex-, age-, and IQ-matched children. Poor sensory integration in postural control could partially explained the deficits in postural stability in children with ADHD. MPH treatment improves postural performance in both spatial and temporal domains in children with ADHD. MPH improves postural control specifically when visual and proprioceptive inputs are misleading. Such improvement could be due to MPH effects on neurons, facilitating cerebellar processing of postural control. The aim of this study was to examine postural control in children with ADHD and explore the effect of methylphenidate (MPH), using spatial and temporal analyses of the center of pressure (CoP). Thirty-eight children with ADHD (mean age 9.82 ± 0.37 years) and 38 sex- age- and IQ-matched children with typically development were examined. Postural stability was evaluated using the Multitest Equilibre machine (Framiral®) at inclusion and after 1 month of MPH in children with ADHD. Postural stability was assessed by recording under several conditions: with eyes open and fixed on a target, with eyes closed and with vision perturbed by optokinetic stimulation, on stable and unstable platforms. At inclusion, we observed poor spatial and temporal postural stability in children with ADHD. The spectral power index was higher in children with ADHD than in controls. Canceling time was shorter at low and medium frequencies of oscillation and longer at higher frequencies in children with ADHD. After 1 month of MPH, the surface area and mean velocity of the CoP decreased significantly under the most complex conditions (unstable platform in the absence of proprioceptive and visual inputs). The spectral power index decreased significantly after MPH while the canceling time did not change. Poor postural control in children with ADHD supports the hypothesis of cerebellar dysfunction in this disorder. Postural control could be improved by a more efficient processing of sensory inputs (a high-level process), as suggested by the decrease in spectral power index after MPH without changes in the canceling time (a low-level process).
Family Forms in Historic Europe

1. Introduction Richard Wall 2. Two kinds of pre-industrial household formation system J. Hajnal 3. 'A large family: the peasant's greatest wealth': serf households in Mishino, Russia, 1814-1858 Peter Czap, Jr 4. The peasant family as an economic unit in the Polish feudal economy of the eighteenth century Jacek Kochanowicz 5. The familial contexts of early childhood in Baltic serf society Andrejs Plakans 6. Estonian households in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries H. Palli 7. Family and familia in early-medieval Bavaria Carl I. Hammer, Jr. 8. The property and kin relationships of retired farmers in northern and central Europe David Gaunt 9. Pre-industrial household structure in Hungary Rudolf Andorka and Tamas Farago 10. The reconstruction of the family life course: theoretical problems and empirical results Reinhard Sieder and Michael Mitterauer 11. The changing household: Austrian household structure from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century P. Schmidtbauer 12. Does owning real property influence the form of the household? An example from rural West Flanders Richard Wall 13. The evolving household: the case of Lampernisse, West Flanders Luc Danhieux 14. The composition of households in a population of 6 men to 10 women: south-east Bruges in 1814 Richard Wall 15. The importance of women in an urban environment: the example of the Rheims household at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution Antoinette Fauve-Chamoux 16. The household: demographic and economic change in England, 1650-1970 Richard Wall 17. Family and household as work group and kin group: areas of traditional Europe compared Peter Laslett.
High-Throughput SHAPE Analysis Reveals Structures in HIV-1 Genomic RNA Strongly Conserved across Distinct Biological States

Replication and pathogenesis of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is tightly linked to the structure of its RNA genome, but genome structure in infectious virions is poorly understood. We invent high-throughput SHAPE (selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension) technology, which uses many of the same tools as DNA sequencing, to quantify RNA backbone flexibility at single-nucleotide resolution and from which robust structural information can be immediately derived. We analyze the structure of HIV-1 genomic RNA in four biologically instructive states, including the authentic viral genome inside native particles. Remarkably, given the large number of plausible local structures, the first 10% of the HIV-1 genome exists in a single, predominant conformation in all four states. We also discover that noncoding regions functioning in a regulatory role have significantly lower (p-value < 0.0001) SHAPE reactivities, and hence more structure, than do viral coding regions that function as the template for protein synthesis. By directly monitoring protein binding inside virions, we identify the RNA recognition motif for the viral nucleocapsid protein. Seven structurally homologous binding sites occur in a well-defined domain in the genome, consistent with a role in directing specific packaging of genomic RNA into nascent virions. In addition, we identify two distinct motifs that are targets for the duplex destabilizing activity of this same protein. The nucleocapsid protein destabilizes local HIV-1 RNA structure in ways likely to facilitate initial movement both of the retroviral reverse transcriptase from its tRNA primer and of the ribosome in coding regions. Each of the three nucleocapsid interaction motifs falls in a specific genome domain, indicating that local protein interactions can be organized by the long-range architecture of an RNA. High-throughput SHAPE reveals a comprehensive view of HIV-1 RNA genome structure, and further application of this technology will make possible newly informative analysis of any RNA in a cellular transcriptome.
Hausdorff Dimension of Boundaries of Self-Affine Tiles In R N

We present a new method to calculate the Hausdorff dimension of a certain class of fractals: boundaries of self-affine tiles. Among the interesting aspects are that even if the affine contraction underlying the iterated function system is not conjugated to a similarity we obtain an upper- and lower-bounds for its Hausdorff dimension. In fact, we obtain the exact value for the dimension if the moduli of the eigenvalues of the underlying affine contraction are all equal (this includes Jordan blocks). The tiles we discuss play an important role in the theory of wavelets. We calculate the dimension for a number of examples.
A nurse short message service by cellular phone in type-2 diabetic patients for six months.

AIM To investigate the effectiveness of a nurse short message service (SMS) by cellular phone and wire Internet on plasma glucose levels in people with diabetes for six months. BACKGROUND Blood glucose management system using telemedicine approaches may maintain the appropriate blood glucose levels in type-2 diabetic patients. DESIGN A control group pre-test-post-test design was used to assess the effectiveness of nurse's education. METHODS Twenty-five patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group and 26 to a control group. The intervention was applied for six months. The goal of the intervention was to keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range. Participants were requested to input their blood glucose level, diet and exercise diary everyday in the website by cellular phone or wire Internet. The researcher sends optimal recommendations to each patient using SMS by cellular phone and wire Internet weekly. RESULTS Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1)c) decreased 1.15% points at three months and 1.05% points at six months compared with baseline in the intervention group. Patients in the intervention group had a decrease of two hours post meal glucose (2HPMG) of 85.1 mg/dl at three months and 63.1 mg/dl at six months compared with baseline. CONCLUSION This web-based intervention using SMS of cellular phone improved HbA(1)c and 2HPMG for six months in type-2 diabetic patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE An SMS of cellular phone intervention by a nurse can reduce HbA(1)c and 2HPMG for six months in type-2 diabetic patients.
Concurrent use of traditional medicine and ART: Perspectives of patients, providers and traditional healers in Durban, South Africa

The concurrent use of traditional African medicine (TAM) and allopathic medicine is not well understood for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART). This cross-sectional, qualitative study examines perceptions of the concurrent use of TAM and ART among: (1) patients receiving ART at the Sinikithemba HIV Clinic of McCord Hospital, in Durban, South Africa; (2) allopathic medical providers (doctors, nurses and HIV counsellors) from Sinikithemba; and (3) local traditional healers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 26 participants between July and October, 2011. Patients in this study did not view TAM as an alternative to ART; rather, results show that patients employ TAM and ART for distinctly different needs. More research is needed to further understand the relationship between traditional and allopathic approaches to health care in South Africa, to improve cultural relevance in the provision and delivery of care for PLHIV, and to pragmatically address the concerns of health care providers and public health officials managing this intersection in South Africa and elsewhere.
Sustained Increase in Mucosal IL-12 CD40-CD40 Ligand Interactions for a T Cells Requires + Antigen-Specific CD4 Colitis Induced by Enteric Bacterial

C3H/HeJBir is a mouse substrain that is highly susceptible to colitis. Their CD4 1 T cells react to Ags of the commensal enteric bacteria, and the latter can mediate colitis when activated by these Ags and transferred to histocompatible scid recipients. In this study, multiple long-term C3H/HeJBir CD4 1 T cell (Bir) lines reactive to commensal enteric bacterial Ags have been generated. All these were Ag speciﬁc, pauciclonal, and Th1 predominant; most induced colitis uniformly after transfer to scid recipients. Lesions were focal and marked by increased expression of IL-12p40 and IFN- g mRNA and protein. Pathogenic Bir T cell lines expressed CD40 ligand (CD40L) when cultured with Ag-pulsed APCs in vitro. Production of IL-12 was also increased in such cultures, an effect that was Ag- and T cell-dependent and required costimulation by CD40, but not by B7. The two Bir T cell lines that did not induce lesions after transfer failed to signiﬁcantly express CD40L or increase IL-12 when cultured with Ag-pulsed APCs. Administration of anti-CD40L blocked disease expression induced by pathogenic T cells. We conclude that interactions in the colon mucosa between CD40L-expressing Bir Th1 cells with APCs endogenously loaded with commensal bacterial Ags are critical for sustained increases in local IL-12 production and progression to colitis. The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 165: 2173–2182.
A Qualitative Approach to Studying the Lived Experiences of High School Aged Sexual Minority and Gender Nonconforming Youth Across Relationships and Contexts.

Four youth who identified as sexual or gender minorities were recruited from a high school in Upstate New York for a study designed to investigate the experiences that facilitate or hinder their ability to fully question and explore their identities between and across relationships and contexts. This current investigation utilized Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory as a means with which to structure both the interviews with the informants as well as the findings. I utilized Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis as the means of gathering, interpreting, and presenting the data in a meaningful way. The participants engaged in a range of interpersonal and context dependent strategies in an effort to manage the real, perceived, or anticipated reactions to their identities. Careful disclosure of their identities appears to have minimized rejection, as well as incidents of bullying, and was implemented with the goal of maintaining a sense of connectedness to the relationships and contexts most relevant to their development. A positive experience following the disclosure of their sexual or gender identities was associated with a sense of connectedness and a reduction in incidents of self-harm or social isolation particularly for the informants for whom the latter points were of concern. A Qualitative Approach to Studying the Lived Experiences of High School Aged Sexual Minority and Gender Nonconforming Youth Across Relationships and Contexts. By Michael Calloway B. A in Psychology, Temple University, 2002 M. S. in Community Counseling, Holy Family University, 2007 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counseling and Counselor Education Syracuse University December 2015 Copyright © Michael Calloway 2015 All Rights Reserved
Implementing Changes in Marketing Strategy: The Role of Perceived Outcome-and Process-Oriented Supervisory Actions

This study investigates the role of supervisors in implementing changes in marketing strategy. The authors propose that perceptions of outcome-oriented supervisory actions influence salespeople's primary appraisals of a strategic change (i.e., whether the change will affect them) and that perceptions of process-oriented supervisory actions influence salespeople's secondary appraisals (i.e., whether they can cope with the impact of the change on them). The results from a study of 828 salespeople in 204 branches of a large distributor of industrial goods provide evidence that perceived outcome risk containment and outcome reward emphasis enhance primary appraisals, whereas perceived process risk containment and process reward emphasis enhance secondary appraisals. In turn, the authors find that salespeople's primary and secondary appraisals influence their change implementation behaviors, leading to successful change implementation. Notably, they also find that (outcome and process) risk containment has a greater influence on appraisals of salespeople with a higher performance orientation, but the effects of (outcome and process) reward emphases are invariant across salespeople's performance orientation. The findings suggest that successful implementation of strategic change may depend not merely or even primarily on giving rewards to salespeople for implementing change but also on limiting salespeople's risks and recognizing them for their change-related efforts.
Night work, light exposure and melatonin on work days and days off

ABSTRACT We aimed to examine the effects of night work on salivary melatonin concentration during and subsequent to night work and the mediating role of light. We included 254 day workers and 87 night workers who were followed during 322 work days and 301 days off work. Each day was defined as the 24 hour period starting from the beginning of a night shift or from waking in the mornings with day work and days off. Light levels were recorded and synchronized with diary information (start and end of sleep and work). On average, participants provided four saliva samples per day, and these were analyzed for melatonin concentration by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Differences between day and night workers on work days and days off were assessed with multilevel regression models with melatonin concentration as the primary outcome. All models were stratified or adjusted by time of day. For light exposure, we estimated the total, direct and indirect effects of night work on melatonin concentrations obtaining 95% confidence intervals through bootstrapping. On work days, night workers showed 15% lower salivary melatonin concentrations compared with day workers (−15.0%; 95% CI: −31.4%; 5.2%). During the night, light exposure mediated a melatonin suppression of approximately 6% (−5.9%, 95% CI: −10.2%; −1.5%). No mediating effect of light was seen during the day time. On days off, we observed no difference in melatonin concentrations between day and night workers. These findings are in accordance with a transient and partly light-mediated effect of night work on melatonin production.
Single-trial classification of gait and point movement preparation from human EEG

Neuroimaging studies provide evidence of cortical involvement immediately before and during gait and during gait-related behaviors such as stepping in place or motor imagery of gait. Here we attempt to perform single-trial classification of gait intent from another movement plan (point intent) or from standing in place. Subjects walked naturally from a starting position to a designated ending position, pointed at a designated position from the starting position, or remained standing at the starting position. The 700 ms of recorded electroencephalography (EEG) before movement onset was used for single-trial classification of trials based on action type and direction (left walk, forward walk, right walk, left point, right point, and stand) as well as action type regardless of direction (stand, walk, point). Classification using regularized LDA was performed on a principal components analysis (PCA) reduced feature space composed of coefficients from levels 1 to 9 of a discrete wavelet decomposition using the Daubechies 4 wavelet. We achieved significant classification for all conditions, with errors as low as 17% when averaged across nine subjects. LDA and PCA highly weighted frequency ranges that included movement related potentials (MRPs), with smaller contributions from frequency ranges that included mu and beta idle motor rhythms. Additionally, error patterns suggested a spatial structure to the EEG signal. Future applications of the cortical gait intent signal may include an additional dimension of control for prosthetics, preemptive corrective feedback for gait disturbances, or human computer interfaces (HCI).
The Anatomy of Bank Diversification

We use panel data from nine countries over the period 1996 to 2003 to test how revenue diversi-fication in conjunction with increasing bank size affects bank value. Using a comprehensive framework for bank performance measurement, we find no evidence for a conglomerate discount, unlike studies concerned with industrial firms. Rather, revenue diversification increases bank profitability and is associated with higher market valuation. This performance effect does not depend on whether diversification was achieved through organic growth or through M&A activity.
Surface parameters of ferritic iron-rich Fe–Cr alloy

Using first-principles density functional theory in the implementation of the exact muffin-tin orbitals method and the coherent potential approximation, we studied the surface energy and the surface stress of the thermodynamically most stable surface facet (100) of the homogeneous disordered body-centred cubic iron–chromium system in the concentration interval up to 20 at. % Cr. For the low-index surface facets of Fe and Cr, the surface energy of Cr is slightly larger than that of Fe, while the surface stress of Cr is considerably smaller than that of Fe. We find that Cr addition to Fe generally increases the surface energy of the Fe–Cr alloy; however, an increase of the bulk amount of Cr also increases the surface stress. As a result of this unexpected trend, the (100) surface of Fe–Cr becomes more stable against reconstruction with increasing Cr concentration. We show that the observed trends are of magnetic origin. In addition to the homogeneous alloy case, we also investigated the impact of surface segregation on both surface parameters.
Economic Value of Counseling Services as Perceived by University Studentsin Japan:A Contingent Valuation Survey

Mental health issues in the student population seem to be increasing and have resulted in an increase in the number of counselors. Such increase in student counseling services is observed even in Japan and is an important research topic. However, no study has examined the economic value of these services in the Japanese context. This study aimed to evaluate perceptions of the economic value of student counseling services among university students in Japan. A study using the contingent valuation method was conducted in which 462 university students were included. Data on sex, age, grade, annual household income, and experience of using student counseling services were compiled. The main outcome was based on willingness to pay (WTP) for availing student counseling services. Study participants indicated a median WTP of JPY 2,796 (USD 27.96) per year. Although lifetime experience of using student counseling services had a positive effect on their WTP, factors such as, sex, age, annual household income, and present use of student counseling services had no effect. Previous experience of receiving counseling influences students’ perception of its economic value.This study clarified university students’ perception of the monetary value of student counseling services, and these findings provide information useful to policy makers.