Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Persistent Agonist-Induced Vasoconstriction Is Not Required for Angiotensin II to Mediate Inward Remodeling of Isolated Arterioles with Myogenic Tone

Norepinephrine (NE, 10–5.5 M) exposure for 4 h induces tone augmentation and vasodilation impairment after its removal. These changes are believed to represent early stages of inward remodeling. The hypothesis was tested that adrenoceptors causing vasoconstriction are responsible for NE-induced maintenance of augmented tone and vasodilation impairment, and that other vasoconstrictors associated with in vivo inward remodeling, a condition in which the internal passive diameter of arterioles is reduced without changes in medial cross-sectional area, also induce these changes in isolated arterioles. α-Adrenoceptor blockade prevented tone augmentation and vasodilation impairment, while β-adrenoceptor blockade allowed NE to induce those changes plus inward remodeling. Endothelin-1 (10–8 M) induced tone augmentation and vasodilation impairment. Angiotensin II (ANG-II, 10–7 M) and platelet-derived growth factor (10 ng/ml) did not. ANG-II did not cause sustained vasoconstriction, but induced inward remodeling dependent on presence of myogenic tone and tyrosine phosphorylation. Thus, prolonged vasoconstriction is not required during ANG-II-induced inward remodeling, suggesting remodeling processes effected by different agonists vary, with tone augmentation and impaired vasodilation occurring when vasoconstriction is required. This stresses the dynamic structure of arterioles, with rapid remodeling possibly involving functional changes and changes in extracellular matrix, cellular attachments, and/or cytoskeletal structures.
The TSC1-2 tumor suppressor controls insulin–PI3K signaling via regulation of IRS proteins

Insulin-like growth factors elicit many responses through activation of phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K). The tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC1-2) suppresses cell growth by negatively regulating a protein kinase, p70S6K (S6K1), which generally requires PI3K signals for its activation. Here, we show that TSC1-2 is required for insulin signaling to PI3K. TSC1-2 maintains insulin signaling to PI3K by restraining the activity of S6K, which when activated inactivates insulin receptor substrate (IRS) function, via repression of IRS-1 gene expression and via direct phosphorylation of IRS-1. Our results argue that the low malignant potential of tumors arising from TSC1-2 dysfunction may be explained by the failure of TSC mutant cells to activate PI3K and its downstream effectors.
Detecting Events and Patterns in Large-Scale User Generated Textual Streams with Statistical Learning Methods

A vast amount of textual web streams is influenced by events or phenomena emerging in the real world. The social web forms an excellent modern paradigm, where unstructured user generated content is published on a regular basis and in most occasions is freely distributed. The present Ph.D. Thesis deals with the problem of inferring information - or patterns in general - about events emerging in real life based on the contents of this textual stream. We show that it is possible to extract valuable information about social phenomena, such as an epidemic or even rainfall rates, by automatic analysis of the content published in Social Media, and in particular Twitter, using Statistical Machine Learning methods. An important intermediate task regards the formation and identification of features which characterise a target event; we select and use those textual features in several linear, non-linear and hybrid inference approaches achieving a significantly good performance in terms of the applied loss function. By examining further this rich data set, we also propose methods for extracting various types of mood signals revealing how affective norms - at least within the social web's population - evolve during the day and how significant events emerging in the real world are influencing them. Lastly, we present some preliminary findings showing several spatiotemporal characteristics of this textual information as well as the potential of using it to tackle tasks such as the prediction of voting intentions.
Diagnosis of Ovarian Carcinoma Cell Type is Highly Reproducible: A Transcanadian Study

Reproducible diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma cell types is critical for cell type-specific treatment. The purpose of this study was to test the reproducibility of cell type diagnosis across Canada. Analysis of the interobserver reproducibility of histologic tumor type was performed among 6 pathologists after brief training in the use of modified World Health Organization criteria to classify ovarian carcinomas into 1 of 6 categories: high-grade serous, endometrioid, clear cell, mucinous, low-grade serous, and other. These 6 pathologists independently reviewed a test set of 40 ovarian carcinomas. A validation set of 88 consecutive ovarian carcinomas drawn from 5 centers was subject to local review by 1 of the 6 study pathologists, and central review by a single observer. Interobserver agreement was assessed through calculation of concordance and κ values for pair-wise comparison. For the test set, the paired concordance between pathologists in cell type diagnosis ranged from 85.0% to 97.5% (average 92.3%), and the κ values were 0.80 to 0.97 (average 0.89). Inclusion of immunostaining results did not significantly improve reproducibility (P=0.69). For the validation set, the concordance between original diagnosis and local review was 84% and between local review and central review was 94%. The κ values were 0.73 and 0.89, respectively. With a brief training exercise and the use of defined criteria for ovarian carcinoma subtyping, there is excellent interobserver reproducibility in diagnosis of cell type. This has implications for clinical trials of subtype-specific ovarian carcinoma treatments.
Cognitive and linguistic factors in writing development

The present study investigated the contribution of executive functions to narrative writing in fourth grade children, and evaluated to what extent executive functions contribute differentially to different levels of narrative composition. The written skills of 102 Dutch children in fourth grade were assessed using a narrative picture elicitation task. In addition, a large test battery assessing transcription skills, language skills and executive functions, was administered. The results showed that executive functions contributed both directly and indirectly to narrative composition. More specifically, analyses revealed that inhibition and updating, but not planning, contributed directly to the text length of the narrative, and indirectly, through handwriting, to the text length, syntactic complexity, and story content. The findings underscore the need to assess a variety of executive functions and support the idea that in developing writers executive functions also play a role in more complex written composition tasks, such as narrative writing.
High-Throughput Profiling of Alpha Interferon- and Interleukin-28B-Regulated MicroRNAs and Identification of let-7s with Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Activity by Targeting IGF2BP1

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of severe liver disease. Interferon (IFN)/ribavirin treatment remains the standard therapeutic regimen for HCV infection in most countries. IFN-stimulated genes are believed to contribute to antiviral effects. However, emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of noncoding small RNAs, are involved in the control of viral infection. Here, we systematically profiled the hepatocyte expression of a set of 750 miRNAs in response to alpha interferon (IFN-α) and interleukin-28B (IL-28B) treatments. The anti-HCV activity of differentially expressed miRNAs was evaluated using cell culture-derived HCV in vitro. The results demonstrate that let-7b had a significant anti-HCV effect by inhibiting HCV replication and viral protein translation in human hepatoma cells. In particular, we show that the inhibition of let-7b attenuated the anti-HCV effects of IFN-α and IL-28B. Furthermore, we show that the host factor insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) is a target of let-7b. IGF2BP1 was required for HCV replication, and its expression was downregulated by IFN-α and IL-28B. Deletion of the wild-type seed region of let-7b abolished its antiviral activity. Finally, we demonstrate that other let-7 family miRNAs were able to inhibit HCV and to suppress IGF2BP1 expression. In conclusion, we provide an example of a host miRNA regulated by type I and type III IFNs that inhibits HCV replication and infectivity by targeting host targets. These results highlight the important role of miRNAs in the host antiviral immune response and provide a novel candidate for anti-HCV therapy.
Is There a Clinical Association of Vancomycin MIC Creep, agr Group II Locus, and Treatment Failure in MRSA Bacteremia?

BackgroundThe association of vancomycin treatment failure with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) creep is concerning, as most isolates are still considered to be in the susceptible range. Several studies have suggested that the accessory gene regulator (agr) group II polymorphism is predictive of vancomycin treatment failure. We assessed the associations between increased vancomycin MIC, agr group II locus, and vancomycin treatment failure in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremias. MethodsMRSA isolates from 99 inpatient bacteremias were studied. Susceptibility testing was conducted by an automated method (MicroScan) and by the gradient diffusion method (E-test). Vancomycin MICs were stratified into 3 groups for analysis: MIC ⩽1, MIC >1 but ⩽2, and MIC >2 &mgr;g/mL. Strains were typed by repetitive-polymerase chain reaction analysis and the agr locus was identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Failure of vancomycin treatment was defined as persistent bacteremia after 72 hours, death at 30 days, or treatment change due to clinical failure. ResultsAmong 99 bacteremic patients, there were 82 agr group II and 15 agr group I isolates. There was no relationship between higher vancomycin MICs and isolate agr II loci (42 of 82) (P=0.59). Earlier vancomycin exposure was significantly associated with increased MIC (P=0.03). Vancomycin treatment failure was observed in 12 patients: 3 required an alternate regimen, 4 had persistent positive cultures, and 5 whose deaths were attributable to MRSA infection. Survival in agr group II was 57 of 82 (69%) versus agr group I in which it was 14 of 15 (93%), (P=0.06). ConclusionsWe did not identify any significant association between MIC creep and vancomycin failure or between higher vancomycin MICs and agr group II. However, a higher mortality was seen in agr group II than agr group I.
Are the Sole Providers of IADL Care to Their Partners ? Does Gender Moderate Factors Associated With Whether Spouses

The authors explored whether gender moderated the influence of other factors on solo spousal caregiving. The subsample (n = 452) from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old study included elderly care recipients (CRs) receiving assistance with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and their spouses. Logistic regression was used to model the likelihood of solo spousal IADL care. Gender moderation was tested by product terms between CRs’ gender and measures of partners’ health, potential helpers, and sociodemographic characteristics. As numbers of CRs’ IADLs and couples’ proximate daughters increased, wives less often received care solely from their husbands, but husbands’ receipt of care from their wives was unaffected. Age differences between spouses and CRs affected solo spousal caregiving to wives and husbands in opposite ways. Regardless 1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 2University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA Corresponding Author: Sheila Feld, University of Michigan, School of Social Work, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106, USA Email: sfeld@umich.edu at UNIV OF WISCONSIN MADISON on October 7, 2010 roa.sagepub. com Downloaded from 500 Research on Aging 32(4) of gender, CRs’ numbers of limitations in activities of daily living and spouses with limitations in IADLs or activities of daily living reduced the likelihood of solo spouse care. Identifying circumstances influencing solo spouse caregiving differently among couples with frail wives and husbands facilitates gender-sensitive services.
Measuring Media Diet in a High-Choice Environment - Testing the List-Frequency Technique

ABSTRACT How to measure exposure to information in the media is highly disputed, primarily due to the difficulties of obtaining accurate self-reports. The growing supply of outlets and proliferation of information sources have added an additional level of complexity to these problems. Reflecting on old and new approaches for measuring exposure to political information, it is argued that both the specific source and the frequency of exposure must be taken into account. The validity of this so-called “list-frequency technique” is tested using a two-wave panel survey as well as a split sample experiment from the survey pre-test to enable comparison with the “list technique. ” The results support the list-frequency technique in being a good solution, since it provides the same aggregate estimates of media use as the already validated list technique, and may give more detailed effect estimates and increase the explained variance when predicting political knowledge.
Determination of Biological Reference Values for Chlorpyrifos Metabolites in Human Urine Using a Toxicokinetic Approach

Urinary biomarkers of chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure are often measured in field studies, although biological reference values (BRVs) are not yet available to assess health risks. This study aimed at proposing BRVs for CPF metabolites in workers' urine based on a toxicokinetic approach. As a first step, a toxicokinetic model was developed, using published human kinetic data, to link the absorbed dose of CPF under a variety of exposure routes and temporal scenarios to the urinary excretion of its major metabolites, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (3,5,6-TCP) and alkyl phosphates (AP). The model was then used to propose BRVs for CPF metabolites in urine below which workers should not experience adverse health effects. This was achieved by linking (1) a literature-reported, repeated CPF no-observed-effect level (NOEL) daily exposure dose for the inhibition of red-blood-cell acetylcholinesterase activity to a corresponding absorbed daily dose, and (2) this absorbed daily dose to the urinary excretion of CPF metabolites. Model simulations under a variety of exposure scenarios showed that the safest BRVs are obtained from a dermal exposure scenario with the slowest absorption rate compatible with available literature data rather than from respiratory or oral exposure scenarios. Also, model simulations showed that, for a given total absorbed dose, absorption over 8 hours results in smaller 3,5,6-TCP and AP urinary excretion rates than those obtained from the same dose absorbed over shorter durations. From these considerations, BRVs were derived by simulating an 8-hour dermal CPF exposure such that the total absorbed daily dose corresponds to the absorbed NOEL. The reference values are proposed in the form of total amounts of 3,5,6-TCP and AP metabolites excreted in urine over chosen time periods (24 and 48 hours).
Childhood residential mobility and long-term outcomes

To study relations between childhood residential mobility and early adult outcomes, we use detailed longitudinal data on complete cohorts born in Norway between 1965 and 1980 (N = 967 151) and information on all their relocations between municipalities. Results from models with and without sibling-fixed effects show that children with more residential moves are more likely to drop out of high school, to have a lower adult income and to experience early parenthood, although most of these associations are weaker in the sibling fixed effects models. We also find that age at moving matters: the outcomes are similar for children who move or remain in place prior to elementary school, whereas those who move in adolescence are worse off than those who do not.
The Parallel Principle

Von Neumann's psycho-physical parallelism requires the existence of an interaction between subjective experiences and material systems. A hypothesis is proposed that amends physics in a way that connects subjective states with physical states, and a general model of the interaction is provided. A specific example shows how the theory applies to pain consciousness. The implications concerning quantum mechanical state creation and reduction are discussed, and some mechanisms are suggested to seed the process. An experiment that tests the hypothesis is described elsewhere. Key Words: von Neumann, psycho-physical, consciousness, state reduction, state collapse, macroscopic superpositions, conscious observer.
Spatial and temporal change of vegetation in growing seasons in Hebei Province based on SPOTVGT NDVI

SPOT-VGT NDVI datasets were used to analyze spatial and temporal changes of NDVI in vegetation growing seasons from 1998 to 2012 in Hebei Province, China. Vegetation types were come from MODIS product MCD12Q1 in 2004. The slope of liner regression equation was used to analyze the change trend of NDVI. The results showed that NDVIs in vegetation growing seasons showed a trend of fluctuating increase from 1998 to 2012. The lowest annual average NDVI in growing seasons was 0.49 in 1999, and the highest NDVI was 0.59 in 2012. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between annual average NDVI and mean precipitation was 0.893, the average NDVIs were related to precipitation more closely than to air temperature. The spatial distribution of NDVI in Hebei Province presented a trend of decrease from middle area to both sides. There were two areas with high NDVI values and two areas with low NDVI values. The highest average NDVI value 0.77 appeared in the southeast of Yanshan Mountains, especially near Wuling Mountain. The lowest NDVI value 0.01 appeared in the eastern coast of Hebei Province. Broadleaf forest had the highest average NDVI value 0.68 in growing seasons, followed by shrubland with NDVI value 0.64. The lowest NDVI 0.13 was in sparsely vegetated land or wetlands. The area of NDVI decrease in vegetation growing season accounted for 9.16%, while that of NDVI increase accounted for 90.84%, indicating that NDVI showed an increasing trend from 1998 to 2012. The areas with rapid NDVI increase were distributed in farming land of North China Plain, Taihang and Yanshan Mountainous regions. The areas with rapid NDVI decrease were mainly distributed in Bashang Plateau region, Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan cities belt, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Handan cities, indicating that vegetation in these regions presented a trend of deterioration. The reasons were also analyzed.
EDTA: a promoter of proliferation in human corneal endothelium.

PURPOSE To determine whether it is possible to induce proliferation in the endothelium of older donor corneas by treatment of the intact monolayer with EDTA. METHODS Corneas from donors 52 to 75 years of age were obtained from an eye bank and were usually cut in quarters to increase sample size. The effect of EDTA dose (0.02-2.0 mg/ml) and incubation time (6, 30, and 60 minutes) on endothelial cell-cell contacts was evaluated by staining for ZO-1, a cell junction marker. Cell death was tested by a commercial live-dead assay. Corneal pieces were incubated for 0, 24, 48, or 60 hours in culture medium (M-199, 10% fetal bovine serum, 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor, 20 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor) before EDTA treatment. After treatment, pieces were incubated in the same medium for 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours to permit cell cycle entry. Tissue was fixed, stained for Ki67 (a marker for late G1-phase through the M-phase), and mounted in medium containing propidium iodide to visualize all nuclei. Confocal images were evaluated by computer (Image software; NIH, Bethesda, MD) to count Ki67-positive and propidium iodide-stained cells. RESULTS EDTA released corneal endothelial cell-cell contacts in a dose- and time-dependent manner. At doses and incubation times tested, EDTA did not induce significant cell death. Preincubation in culture medium for 24 hours was needed for endothelial cells to efficiently initiate proliferation in response to EDTA. The endothelium of corneas incubated in mitogen-containing medium for up to 108 hours without EDTA treatment did not stain for Ki67. EDTA at 2.0 mg/ml for 60 minutes appeared optimal and stimulated 16% to 18% of the cells to proliferate. Ki67-positive mitotic figures were visible 48 hours after exposure to EDTA. Formation of daughter cells was visible after double-staining for Ki67 and ZO-1. CONCLUSIONS EDTA released cells from contact inhibition and promoted proliferation in corneal endothelium from older donors. The authors hypothesize that corneal endothelium from older individuals divide in situ when exposed to positive growth factors under conditions in which cells have been transiently released from contact inhibition.
Fibrin Formed in Plasma is Composed of Fibers More Massive than those Formed from Purified Fibrinogen

Summary Reports of altered fibrin resulting from interactions with plasma proteins and cellular release products have raised the possibility that plasma fibrin may differ from purified fibrin. To investigate this possibility, the structures of thrombin-induced gels formed from platelet poor plasma and from purified fibrinogen were compared using turbidity and gel perfusion techniques. Plasma gels formed more slowly and were composed of fibers two to four times more massive than gels formed from purified fibrinogen. Increasing calcium concentration, decreasing ionic strength, decreasing thrombin concentration, or increasing fibrinogen concentration resulted in increasing fiber size. Addition of excess thrombin accelerated plasma gel formation and decreased gel fiber size, but did not totally eliminate the structural differences between the two systems. Thus, antithrombin activity, while possibly contributory, is not solely responsible for the altered gel structure. Penetration of plasma gels by fibrinolytic agents, egress to areas of injury by inflammatory cells, and gel removal by plasmin are processes at least partially dependent on gel fiber and pore size.
Facilitative effects of learner-directed codeswitching: evidence from Chinese learners of English

ABSTRACT This study examines the interaction between learner-oriented codeswitching (CS) practices and the degree to which intermediate Chinese L2 learners of English engage in classroom interaction. The guiding questions are whether the teacher's CS use facilitates classroom interaction at moderate L2 proficiency, and if so, at which specific stages of the lesson, and to what extent. A systematic comparison of two classroom types was carried out in the same Chinese secondary school, with English-only instruction versus with English–Chinese CS. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses was based on class observations (two classes per type) and subsequent teacher interviews. CS behaviour was analysed in relation to the particular teaching focus of the task at hand. Interviews included a stimulated recall technique using selected CS extracts to enrich insights from the teachers' perspective. The results showed a higher student response frequency as well as a longer mean utterance length in CS classes. Overall, codeswitches were systematically distributed across lesson stages and were closely related to changes in the teaching focus. These findings call for an optimal use of CS in instructed environments so as to maximise its benefits via a sensitive adjustment to specific pedagogic aims.