Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Group X secretory phospholipase A2 negatively regulates adipogenesis in murine models

Studies in vitro indicate that group X secretory phospholipase A2 (GX sPLA2) potently releases arachidonic acid (AA) and lysophosphatidylcholine from mammalian cell membranes. To define the function of GX sPLA2 in vivo, our laboratory recently generated C57BL/6 mice with targeted deletion of GX sPLA2 (GX−/− mice). When fed a normal rodent diet, GX−/− mice gained significantly more weight and had increased adiposity compared to GX+/+ mice, which was not attributable to alterations in food consumption or energy expenditure. When treated with adipogenic stimuli ex vivo, stromal vascular cells isolated from adipose tissue of GX−/− mice accumulated significantly more (20%) triglyceride compared to cells from GX+/+ mice. Conversely, overexpression of GX sPLA2, but not catalytically inactive GX sPLA2, resulted in a significant 50% reduction in triglyceride accumulation in OP9 adipocytes. The induction of genes encoding adipogenic proteins (PPARγ, SREBP‐1c, SCD1, and FAS) was also significantly blunted by 50–80% in OP9 cells overexpressing GX sPLA2. Activation of the liver X receptor (LXR), a nuclear receptor known to up‐regulate adipogenic gene expression, was suppressed in 3T3‐L1 and OP9 cells when GX sPLA2 was overexpressed. Thus, hydrolytic products generated by GX sPLA2 negatively regulate adipogenesis, possibly by suppressing LXR activation. —Li, X. , Shridas, P., Forrest, K. , Bailey, W. , Webb, N. R. Group X secretory phospholipase A2 negatively regulates adipogenesis in murine models. FASEB J. 24, 4313–4324 (2010). www.fasebj. org
Exploring the Combination of Language, Images and Sound in the Metaphors of tv Commercials

Drawing into research on multimodal metaphor, the first objective of this paper is to provide an analysis of the multimodal metaphors in four commercials selling alcoholic drinks, cars and computers to illustrate ways in which metaphor may be instantiated via sound, image and language. The question addressed is whether the metaphorical rendering of these products results from combining several communicative modes or rather relies mainly on one mode on which the others depend. Based on the results of a questionnaire completed by sixty informants after watching the commercials, the second objective is to explore the way viewers react to, and interpret, multimodal metaphors in advertising discourse.
The environment in regional science: An eclectic review

Abstract.The environment, broadly construed, is increasingly a salient topic in regional science research. Theoretical and empirical inquiries by regional scientists have progressively begun to address the manifold environmental ramifications of regional science questions. As such, there now exists a sizeable literature on what we may call the environment in regional science. Given this state of affairs, the purpose of this article is to survey this extensive literature. To provide sufficient focus, we do this by discussing five key issues in the extant literature on the environment in regional science. These issues are: (i) regional economic development, (ii) environmental regulation, (iii) natural resources, (iv) international affairs, and (v) geographic information systems. Our survey is both retrospective and prospective in nature. We are interested not only in what has been accomplished thus far but also in where research on the environment in regional science is headed in the future.
A Hidden Markov Model for Collaborative Filtering

In this paper, we present a method to make personalized recommendations when user preferences change over time. Most of the works in the recommender systems literature have been developed under the assumption that user preference has a static pattern. However, this is a strong assumption especially when the user is observed over a long period of time. With the help of a data set on employees' blog reading behavior, we show that users' product selection behaviors change over time. We propose a hidden Markov model to correctly interpret the users' product selection behaviors and make personalized recommendations. The user preference is modeled as a hidden Markov sequence. A variable number of product selections of different types by each user in each time period requires a novel observation model. We propose a negative binomial mixture of multinomial to model such observations. This allows us to identify stable global preferences of users and to track individual users through these preferences. We evaluate our model using three real-world data sets with different characteristics. They include data on employee blog reading behavior inside a firm, users' movie rating behavior at Netflix, and users' music listening behavior collected through last.fm. We compare the recommendation performance of the proposed model with that of a number of collaborative filtering algorithms and a recently proposed temporal link prediction algorithm. We find that the proposed HMM-based collaborative filter performs as well as the best among the alternative algorithms when the data is sparse or static. However, it outperforms the existing algorithms when the data is less sparse and the user preference is changing. We further examine the performances of the algorithms using simulated data with different characteristics and highlight the scenarios where it is beneficial to use a dynamic model to generate product recommendation.
Salivary cortisol measurement in normal-weight, obese and anorexic women: comparison with plasma cortisol.

OBJECTIVE To compare salivary, plasma and urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurements in patients with anorexia nervosa, in whom an overdrive of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is well established but information on salivary cortisol is lacking, in viscerally obese patients in whom subtle abnormalities of cortisol secretion and metabolism are postulated, and in normal-weight healthy women. PARTICIPANTS AND EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Measurement of salivary cortisol offers a convenient way to assess the concentrations of free, biologically active cortisol in plasma in different physiopathological settings. Forty-seven drug-free, newly diagnosed women with active restrictive anorexia nervosa, 30 restrictive anorexic women undergoing chronic psychopharmacological treatment, 47 women with mild-to-moderate visceral obesity, 103 women with severe central obesity and 63 normal-weight healthy women entered the study. Salivary and blood samples were collected at 0800 h, 1700 h and 2400 h, together with three consecutive 24-h urine specimens for UFC determination. In controls and patients with anorexia nervosa (n=83), salivary and plasma cortisol were also measured after a 1-mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (DST). In patients with anorexia nervosa, mood was rated by the Hamilton scale for anxiety and depression. RESULTS Untreated patients with anorexia nervosa showed increased plasma and salivary cortisol and UFC concentrations (all P<0.001 compared with controls), and decreased cortisol suppression after DST in plasma and saliva (P<0.0001 and P<0.005 respectively compared with controls). These alterations were less pronounced, although still statistically significant, in treated patients with anorexia nervosa. Salivary cortisol was highly correlated with paired plasma cortisol in the whole population and after splitting the participants by group (P<0.0001). However, for plasma cortisol values greater than 500 nmol/l (the corticosteroid-binding globulin saturation point), this parallelism was lost. Taking plasma cortisol as a reference, the level of agreement for post-dexamethasone salivary and plasma cortisol was 58.9% among suppressors and 77.8% among non-suppressors (chi2 test: P<0.01). Decreased 0800 h/2400 h cortisol ratios were observed in plasma and saliva in drug-free patients with anorexia nervosa (P<0.005 and P<0.05 respectively compared with controls), and in saliva in severely obese patients (P<0.05 compared with controls). Depression and anxiety scores were unrelated to cortisol concentrations in any compartment. CONCLUSIONS Salivary cortisol measurement is a valuable and convenient alternative to plasma cortisol measurement. It enables demonstration of the overdrive of the HPA axis in anorexia nervosa and subtle perturbations of the cortisol diurnal rhythm in women with visceral obesity. With the establishment of more specific and widely acceptable cut-off values for dynamic testing, measurement of salivary cortisol could largely replace plasma cortisol measurement.
A Prediction of Mars Seismicity from Surface Faulting

The shallow seismicity of Mars has been estimated by measurement of the total slip on faults visible on the surface of the planet throughout geologic time. Seismicity was calibrated with estimates based on surface structures on the moon and measured lunar seismicity that includes the entire seismogenic lithosphere. Results indicate that Mars is seismically active today, with a sufficient number of detectable marsquakes to allow seismic investigations of its interior.
Splenic Retention of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes To Block the Transmission of Malaria

ABSTRACT Plasmodium falciparum is transmitted from humans to Anopheles mosquito vectors via the sexual erythrocytic forms termed gametocytes. Erythrocyte filtration through microsphere layers (microsphiltration) had shown that circulating gametocytes are deformable. Compounds reducing gametocyte deformability would induce their splenic clearance, thus removing them from the blood circulation and blocking malaria transmission. The hand-made, single-sample prototype for microsphiltration was miniaturized to a 96-well microtiter plate format, and gametocyte retention in the microsphere filters was quantified by high-content imaging. The stiffening activity of 40 pharmacological compounds was assessed in microtiter plates, using a small molecule (calyculin) as a positive control. The stiffening activity of calyculin was assessed in spleen-mimetic microfluidic chips and in macrophage-depleted mice. Marked mechanical retention (80% to 90%) of mature gametocytes was obtained in microplates following exposure to calyculin at concentrations with no effect on parasite viability. Of the 40 compounds tested, including 20 antimalarials, only 5 endoperoxides significantly increased gametocyte retention (1.5- to 2.5-fold; 24 h of exposure at 1 μM). Mature gametocytes exposed to calyculin accumulated in microfluidic chips and were cleared from the circulation of macrophage-depleted mice as rapidly as heat-stiffened erythrocytes, thus confirming results obtained using the microsphiltration assay. An automated miniaturized approach to select compounds for their gametocyte-stiffening effect has been established. Stiffening induces gametocyte clearance both in vitro and in vivo. Based on physiologically validated tools, this screening cascade can identify novel compounds and uncover new targets to block malaria transmission. Innovative applications in hematology are also envisioned.
Visual and spatial modulation of tactile extinction: behavioural and electrophysiological evidence

Crossing the hands over the midline reduces left tactile extinction to double simultaneous stimulation in right-brain-damaged patients, suggesting that spatial attentional biases toward the ipsilesional (right) side of space contribute to the patients' contralesional (left) deficit. We investigated (1) whether the position of the left hand, and its vision, affected processing speed of tactile stimuli, and (2) the electrophysiological underpinnings of the effect of hand position. (1) Four right-brain-damaged patients with spatial neglect and contralesional left tactile extinction or somatosensory deficits, and eight neurologically unimpaired participants, performed a speeded detection task on single taps delivered on their left index finger. In patients, placing the left hand in the right (heteronymous) hemi-space resulted in faster reaction times (RTs) to tactile stimuli, compared to placing that hand in the left (homonymous) hemi-space, particularly when the hand was visible. By contrast, in controls placing the left hand in the heteronymous hemi-space increased RTs. (2) Somatosensory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from one patient and two controls in response to the stimulation of the left hand, placed in the two spatial positions. In the patient, the somatosensory P70, N140, and N250 components were enhanced when the left hand was placed in the heteronymous hemi-space, whereas in controls these components were not modulated by hand position. The novel findings are that in patients placing the left hand in the right, ipsilesional hemi-space yields a temporal advantage in processing tactile stimuli, and this effect may rely on a modulation of stimulus processing taking place as early as in the primary somatosensory cortex, as indexed by evoked potentials. Furthermore, vision enhances tactile processing specifically when the left hand is placed in the hemi-space toward which the patients' attentional biases are pathologically directed, namely rightwards.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism the Haugian Way

On the basis of availabale sources the present paper seeks to map entrepreneural industrial activities the Norwegian puritan revivalist Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824) was involved in and quantify his financial activities. It also tries to map entrepreneural activities by his followers. The paper concludes that these activities must have played a decisive role for the economic development in Norway during the nineteenth century.
Distinct Neuromuscular Patterns from a Single Motor Network

My thesis aimed to elucidate several aspects of motor circuit regulation and its impact on movement. It is well established that a single motor network can produce different output patterns in response to different inputs. However, in most model systems it remains challenging to identify the neurons comprising these networks and determine their role(s) in network operation, including whether each network neuron retains its role(s) when the network generates different output patterns. Also, most work on these circuits has occurred in the isolated nervous system, so little is known about how muscles respond to distinct neural outputs. I therefore aimed to address the cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying these unresolved issues using the decapod crustacean stomatogastric nervous system. My work focused on a rhythmically active, network-driven motor circuit (central pattern generator [CPG] circuit) called the gastric mill (chewing) CPG in the crab stomatogastric ganglion. This circuit generates the gastric mill rhythm when activated by modulatory projection neurons (e.g. MCN1, CPN2) located in the commissural ganglia, and it is regulated by identified sensory feedback. I addressed and confirmed the hypothesis that, in the isolated nervous system, different extrinsic inputs can drive different gastric mill motor patterns. This enabled me to determine, for the first time in a network-driven motor circuit, that different motor patterns generated by the same motor circuit are paced by the same set of rhythm generator neurons. I further hypothesized and confirmed that these distinct motor patterns are retained at the level of at least some target muscles, and hence likely underlie different behavioral patterns. Lastly, I obtained data supporting the hypothesis that different extrinsic inputs distinctly modify the influence of a sensory feedback pathway on the relevant projection neurons (MCN1, CPN2), enabling the same sensory system to have different effects on different gastric mill rhythms. These results provide among the most detailed comparisons of how motor patterns generated by a single sensorimotor system are selected and regulated. The results thereby provide evidence for several novel cellular and synaptic mechanisms that expand our appreciation of the number of degrees of freedom available to even small sensorimotor systems. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Michael P. Nusbaum
Biculturalism and Adjustment

Biculturalism (having two cultures) is a growing social phenomenon that has received considerable attention in psychology in the last decade; however, the issue of what impact (if any) biculturalism has on individuals’ adjustment remains empirically unclear. To answer this question, we conducted a meta-analysis that included 83 studies, 322 rs, and 23,197 participants. Results based on the random-effects approach show a significant, strong, and positive association between biculturalism and adjustment (both psychological and sociocultural). This biculturalism- adjustment link is stronger than the association between having one culture (dominant or heritage) and adjustment. Thus, our results clearly invalidate early sociological accounts of this phenomenon, which portrayed bicultural individuals as “marginal” and stumped between two worlds. Analyses also indicate that the association between biculturalism and adjustment is moderated by how acculturation is measured, the adjustment domain, and sample characteristics.
Model Simulations of Complex Dust Emissions over the Sahara during the West African Monsoon Onset

The existing limitations in ground-based observations in remote areas in West Africa determine the dependence on numerical models to represent the atmospheric mechanisms that contribute to dust outbreaks at different space-time scales. In this work, the ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with the Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model using the GOCART dust scheme is evaluated. The period comprises the West African Monsoon onset phase (the 7th to 12th of June, 2006) coinciding with the AMMA Special Observing Period (SOP). Different features in the horizontal and vertical dynamical structure of the Saharan atmosphere are analyzed with a combination of satellite and ground-based observations and model experimentation at 10 and 30 km model resolution. The main features of key Saharan dust processes during summer are identifiable, and WRF-CHEM replicates these adequately. Observations and model analyses have shown that cold pools (haboobs) contributed a substantial proportion of total dust during the study period. The comparative analysis between observations and WRF-Chem simulations demonstrates the model efficiency to simulate the spatial and 3D structure of dust transport over the Sahara and Sahel. There is, therefore, a strong basis for accurate forecasting of dust events associated with synoptic scale events when model dust emission parameterization is suitably calibrated.
Effect of Fructose on Glycemic Control in Diabetes

OBJECTIVE The effect of fructose on cardiometabolic risk in humans is controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled feeding trials to clarify the effect of fructose on glycemic control in individuals with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (through 22 March 2012) for relevant trials lasting ≥7 days. Data were aggregated by the generic inverse variance method (random-effects models) and expressed as mean difference (MD) for fasting glucose and insulin and standardized MD (SMD) with 95% CI for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glycated albumin. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and quantified by the I2 statistic. Trial quality was assessed by the Heyland methodological quality score (MQS). RESULTS Eighteen trials (n = 209) met the eligibility criteria. Isocaloric exchange of fructose for carbohydrate reduced glycated blood proteins (SMD −0.25 [95% CI −0.46 to −0.04]; P = 0.02) with significant intertrial heterogeneity (I2 = 63%; P = 0.001). This reduction is equivalent to a ∼0.53% reduction in HbA1c. Fructose consumption did not significantly affect fasting glucose or insulin. A priori subgroup analyses showed no evidence of effect modification on any end point. CONCLUSIONS Isocaloric exchange of fructose for other carbohydrate improves long-term glycemic control, as assessed by glycated blood proteins, without affecting insulin in people with diabetes. Generalizability may be limited because most of the trials were <12 weeks and had relatively low MQS (<8). To confirm these findings, larger and longer fructose feeding trials assessing both possible glycemic benefit and adverse metabolic effects are required.
Scaling, Universality, and Renormalization: Three Pillars of Modern Critical Phenomena

Suppose we have a simple bar magnet. We know it is a ferromagnet because it is capable of picking up thumbtacks, the number of which is called the order parameter M. As we heat this system, M decreases and eventually, at a certain critical temperature T c , it reaches zero: no more thumbtacks remain! In fact, the transition is remarkably sharp, since M approaches zero at T c with infinite slope. Such singular behavior is an example of a “critical phenomenon. ”
Socio-economic determinants of severe and moderate stunting among under-five children of rural Bangladesh.

INTRODUCTION Malnutrition among under-five children is a chronic problem in developing countries. This study explores the socio-economic determinants of severe and moderate stunting among under-five children of rural Bangladesh. METHODS The study used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Cross-sectional and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of the socio-demographic variables on moderate and severe stunting over normal among the children. RESULTS Findings revealed that over two-fifths of the children were stunted, of which 26.3% were moderately stunted and 15.1% were severely stunted. The multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis yielded significantly increased risk of severe stunting (OR=2.53, 95% CI=1.34-4.79) and moderate stunting (OR=2.37, 95% CI=1.47-3.83) over normal among children with a thinner mother. Region, father's education, toilet facilities, child's age, birth order of children and wealth index were also important determinants of children's nutritional status. CONCLUSION Development and poverty alleviation programmes should focus on the disadvantaged rural segments of people to improve their nutritional status.