Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular and Subcellular Aquaporin-4 Distribution in the Mouse Neurohypophysis and the Effects of Osmotic Stimulation

Water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the most abundant water channel in the rodent brain and is mainly expressed in cerebral areas involved in central osmoreception and osmoregulation. The neurohypophysis is the release site of hypothalamic neurohormones vasopressin and oxytocin, which are involved in the regulation of the water balance. The authors investigated the cellular and subcellular distribution of AQP4 in the mouse neurohypophysis before and after chronic osmotic stimulation, using immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoperoxidase electron microscopy. They showed that AQP4 was abundant in the mouse hypophysis, mainly in the neural lobe. AQP4 was discontinuously distributed along pituicytes plasma membranes, in the dense neurosecretory granules and microvesicles of nerve endings and fibers, and along the luminal and abluminal membranes of fenestrated capillary endothelial cells. After chronic osmotic stimulation, AQP4 immunolabeling was enhanced. Taken together, these results suggest that AQP4 could be involved in the pituicyte sensor effect during osmoregulation, the modification and/or maturation mechanism of neurosecretory granules during neurohormone release, and the blood perfusion of the hypophysis.
New Evidence-Based Treatment Approach in Behçet's Disease

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic, relapsing, and debilitating systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology with the clinical features of mucocutaneous lesions, ocular, vascular, articular, neurologic, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and pulmonary involvement. The disease is much more frequent along the ancient “Silk Route” extending from Eastern Asia to the Mediterranean basin, compared with Western countries. The disease usually starts around the third or fourth decade of life. Male sex and a younger age of onset are associated with more severe disease. Although the treatment has become much more effective in recent years, BD is still associated with severe morbidity and considerable mortality. The main aim of the treatment should be the prevention of irreversible organ damage. Therefore, close monitoring, early, and appropriate treatment is mandatory to reduce morbidity and mortality. The treatment is mainly based on the suppression of inflammatory attacks of the disease using immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive agents. In this paper, current state of knowledge regarding the therapeutic approaches is outlined. To provide a rational framework for selecting the appropriate therapy along the various treatment choices, a stepwise, symptom-based, evidence-based algorithmic approach was developed.
An evaluation of the strategic approach to the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients

Summary Background The objective of our study was to evaluate a goal-driven strategic plan for the step-by-step rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, with effectiveness measured in terms of quality of life, as compared to patients treated according to a standard, progressive rehabilitation program. Material/Methods We studied 40 patients after TBI awakened from a long-term coma. The patients were divided into two equal groups: a control group (n=20) involving patients treated before the introduction of the strategic approach, and an experimental group (n=20) involving patients rehabilitated under the strategic approach. In evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation we used a structured interview with clinical observation and a scale for assessing the quality of life of patients after TBI. Results The deterioration in the quality of life of TBI patients is mainly related to difficulties in satisfying physiological needs, self-care, reduced mobility and disorders of cognitive, regulatory, and social functions. In both groups, the feature most susceptible to rehabilitation related change was movement, while the least susceptible functions were associated with the use of different means of transport. This change is significantly greater in persons in the experimental group, as compared to controls. Conclusions We found that a rehabilitation program controlled by a strategic plan, with the cooperation of the patient, is more effective in improving the quality of life, as the patient is more self-motivated to individually designed objectives.
Preservation of inner retinal responses in the aged Royal College of Surgeons rat. Evidence against glutamate excitotoxicity in photoreceptor degeneration.

PURPOSE The aged Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat with advanced retinal degeneration loses the b-wave and shows a negative-going corneal electroretinogram (ERG) that has been attributed to loss of inner retinal function because of glutamate toxicity. The authors investigated the origin of this negative ERG and evaluated inner retinal function in late-stage RCS degeneration. METHODS The ERG a-wave, b-wave, and scotopic threshold response (STR) were used to follow degeneration in RCS dystrophic animals between 18 and 120 days of age. Glutamate analogs were given by intravitreal injection to suppress transmission from photoreceptors to second- and third-order neurons to identify the origin of the negative ERG observed in older RCS dystrophic rats. RESULTS In RCS dystrophic animals, the ERG developed normally up to day 27, but thereafter a- and b-wave sensitivity deteriorated more rapidly than the STR. By day 60, the STR threshold was elevated only 1 log unit, whereas a- and b-wave thresholds were > 2 log units higher than in controls. The STR range in dystrophic rats extended to brighter intensities previously dominated by the b-wave. Glutamate analogs eliminated the STR as well as the entire negative-going ERG in older dystrophic rats. CONCLUSIONS The negative ERG in older RCS dystrophic rats originates in the inner retina and not from photoreceptors. Inner retinal signaling remains sensitive despite major photoreceptors loss in RCS rats, consistent with previous psychophysical findings. The b-wave may not be as useful as the STR in detecting loss of quantal catch in degenerating retinas. The ERG provides no evidence of glutamate excitotoxic damage to neurons postsynaptic to degenerating RCS photoreceptors.
How Are ‘Barack Obama’ and ‘President Elect’ Differentially Stored in the Brain? An ERP Investigation on the Processing of Proper and Common Noun Pairs

Background One of the most debated issues in the cognitive neuroscience of language is whether distinct semantic domains are differentially represented in the brain. Clinical studies described several anomic dissociations with no clear neuroanatomical correlate. Neuroimaging studies have shown that memory retrieval is more demanding for proper than common nouns in that the former are purely arbitrary referential expressions. In this study a semantic relatedness paradigm was devised to investigate neural processing of proper and common nouns. Methodology/Principal Findings 780 words (arranged in pairs of Italian nouns/adjectives and the first/last names of well known persons) were presented. Half pairs were semantically related (“Woody Allen” or “social security”), while the others were not (“Sigmund Parodi” or “judicial cream”). All items were balanced for length, frequency, familiarity and semantic relatedness. Participants were to decide about the semantic relatedness of the two items in a pair. RTs and N400 data suggest that the task was more demanding for common nouns. The LORETA neural generators for the related-unrelated contrast (for proper names) included the left fusiform gyrus, right medial temporal gyrus, limbic and parahippocampal regions, inferior parietal and inferior frontal areas, which are thought to be involved in the conjoined processing a familiar face with the relevant episodic information. Person name was more emotional and sensory vivid than common noun semantic access. Conclusions/Significance When memory retrieval is not required, proper name access (conspecifics knowledge) is not more demanding. The neural generators of N400 to unrelated items (unknown persons and things) did not differ as a function of lexical class, thus suggesting that proper and common nouns are not treated differently as belonging to different grammatical classes.
Estimating the Relationship between a Rate of Time Preferences and Socio-Economic Factors in Russia

Rate of time preferences reflect an individual’s opinion on how to distribute consumption over time. In this paper we examine various socio-economic factors that are related to rate of time preferences in Russia. The data are obtained from a survey from the Yuri Levada Analytical Center that was conducted in 2011. Our findings suggest that time preferences of men and women should be analyzed separately in Russia. Factors such as age, income, educational level, the size and structure of a household, marital status and place of residence have a significant impact on rate of time preferences. However, these socio-economic factors influence the rate of time preferences in different ways for men and women
Serotonin Activates Overall Feeding by Activating Two Separate Neural Pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans

Food intake in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans requires two distinct feeding motions, pharyngeal pumping and isthmus peristalsis. Bacteria, the natural food of C. elegans, activate both feeding motions (Croll, 1978; Horvitz et al., 1982; Chiang et al., 2006). The mechanisms by which bacteria activate the feeding motions are largely unknown. To understand the process, we studied how serotonin, an endogenous pharyngeal pumping activator whose action is triggered by bacteria, activates feeding motions. Here, we show that serotonin, like bacteria, activates overall feeding by activating isthmus peristalsis as well as pharyngeal pumping. During active feeding, the frequencies and the timing of onset of the two motions were distinct, but each isthmus peristalsis was coupled to the preceding pump. We found that serotonin activates the two feeding motions mainly by activating two separate neural pathways in response to bacteria. For activating pumping, the SER-7 serotonin receptor in the MC motor neurons in the feeding organ activated cholinergic transmission from MC to the pharyngeal muscles by activating the Gsα signaling pathway. For activating isthmus peristalsis, SER-7 in the M4 (and possibly M2) motor neuron in the feeding organ activated the G12α signaling pathway in a cell-autonomous manner, which presumably activates neurotransmission from M4 to the pharyngeal muscles. Based on our results and previous calcium imaging of pharyngeal muscles (Shimozono et al., 2004), we propose a model that explains how the two feeding motions are separately regulated yet coupled. The feeding organ may have evolved this way to support efficient feeding.
DNA Methylation at the Neonatal State and at the Time of Diagnosis: Preliminary Support for an Association with the Estrogen Receptor 1, Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid B Receptor 1, and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein in Female Adolescent Patients with OCD

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder. Non-genetic factors and their interaction with genes have attracted increasing attention. Epigenetics is regarded an important interface between environmental signals and activation/repression of genomic responses. Epigenetic mechanisms have not previously been examined in OCD in children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to examine the DNA methylation profile of selected genes in blood spots from neonates later diagnosed with OCD and in the same children/adolescents at the time of diagnosis compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Furthermore, we wanted to characterize the association of the differential methylation profiles with the severity of OCD and treatment outcome. Dried and new blood spot samples were obtained from 21 female children/adolescents with verified OCD and 12 female controls. The differential methylation was analyzed using a linear model and the correlation with the severity of OCD and treatment outcome was analyzed using the Pearson correlation. We evaluated selected Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip probes within and up to 100,000 bp up- and downstream of 14 genes previously associated with OCD (SLC1A1, SLC25A12, GABBR1, GAD1, DLGAP1, MOG, BDNF, OLIG2, NTRK2 and 3, ESR1, SL6A4, TPH2, and COMT). The study found no significantly differential methylation. However, preliminary support for a difference was found for the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) B receptor 1 (cg10234998, cg17099072) in blood samples at birth and for the estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) (cg10939667), the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) (cg16650906), and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (cg14080521) in blood samples at the time of diagnosis. Preliminary support for an association was observed between the methylation profiles of GABBR1 and MOG and baseline severity, treatment effect, and responder status; and between the methylation profile of ESR1 and baseline severity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the DNA methylation profiles in OCD. The study points towards possible differences in the methylation profiles and suggests a correlation with the severity of OCD. However, the results warrant further studies in larger sample sets.
Channel Coding Techniques with Emphasis on Convolutional and Turbo Codes

In this thesis, a family of low complexity convolutional codes is constructed, by modifying appropriately the trellis diagram of punctured convolutional codes. The goal is to improve performance at the expense of a reasonable low increase of the trellis complexity. Many new convolutional codes of various code rates and values of complexity are provided. In many cases, a small increase in complexity can lead to a great improvement of performance, compared to punctured convolutional codes. Furthermore, a method is presented for designing new flexible convolutional codes, by combining the techniques of path pruning and puncturing. The new codes can vary their rate, as well as the complexity of their trellis diagram, and hence the computational complexity of the decoding algorithm, leading to coding schemes that manage more efficiently the system resources, compared to classical variable rate convolutional codes. The complexity of the trellis diagram affects the computational complexity of every trellis based decoding algorithm, like BCJR and its variations. Thus, the possibility of applying the aforementioned results using recursive convolutional encoders, which are used as constituent encoders in turbo codes, is investigated. The goal is to construct efficient flexible turbo coding schemes. Simulation results indicate that in specific ranges of the signal to noise ratio, a great decrease in the computational complexity of the decoding procedure can even result to a decrease in the bit error rate.
Health, Children, and Elderly Living Arrangements: a Multiperiod-Multinomial Probit Model with Unobserved Heterogeneity and Autocorrelated Errors

This paper develops a general multiperiod-multinomial probit model for panel data to estimate the living arrangements of the elderly. The model has the following features: (a) In each period choices do not necessarily obey the assumption of independence of irrelevant alternatives. (b) Unobserved person-specific attributes are treated as random effects. These random effects may also be correlated across alternatives. (c) In addition, unobserved choice-specific utility components may persist over some time, creating an autoregressive and/or heteroscedastic error structure. The model is estimated by simulating the choice probabilities in the likelihood function. We examine several variants of the specification of the correlation structure and investigate the extent the biases created by ignoring intertemporal correlations.
ASAS / ADSA Ruminant Nutrition : Water Quality and Minerals 349 The effect of water quality on the performance of feedlot cattle

Water is an essential nutrient for feedlot cattle. Drinking water may contain a variety of compounds. The important question is to what degree these substances impact water palatability and cattle health. The NRC in 1974 published limits for some potential problem causing substances in drinking water. Recommended safe upper limits for nitrate, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were 440, 300, and 3000 mg/L, respectively. In 1999, the National Animal Health Monitoring System conducted a study monitoring water quality in feedlots with 1000 hd or more capacity in the 12 leading cattle feeding states. A total of 263 feedlots from 10 states supplied a water sample for analyses. Average nitrate, sulfate, and TDS content was 33.6±3.5, 204.9±23.5, and 800±100 mg/L, respectively. No samples exceeded the recommended limit for nitrate. Approximately 23% of the samples had sulfate concentration greater than 300 mg/L. Less than 3% of the samples had more than the recommended level of TDS. In a study conducted at Continental Beef Research, water sulfate concentrations greater than 1000 mg/L caused increases in ruminal gas cap hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentration and reductions in water intake and feedlot performance. Elevated ruminal H2S was associated with increased incidence of polioencephalomalacia in a Colorado feedlot using well water containing 2500 mg sulfate per liter. Molybdenum appeared to reduce the rate of H2S production in vitro. Molybdenum fed at the rate of 100 mg/kg dry matter intake reduced H2S concentration in the rumen gas cap by 21% (P=0.0337) and reduced the frequency of cattle with greater than 1000 mg/L H2S by 40% (P=0.0019). No effect on feedlot performance was observed. Cattle fed 57g clinoptilolite daily exhibited a 14.5% and a 36.3% reduction in ruminal H2S from d0-10 and from d11-20, respectively. Feeding clinoptilolite reduced performance by feedlot cattle. Efforts to alleviate water quality problems through dietary manipulation have not been successful.
Origins, journeys and returns : social justice in international higher education

Arguing that excluded and marginalized social groups should benefit from the growth of international higher education, Origins, Journeys and Returns reports on the development and impact of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) which is designed to further social justice in some of the world's poorest, most populous, and most unequal countries. Extending opportunities for advanced education to individuals from marginalized communities has a significant impact that transcends individual beneficiaries. In 2001, the Ford Foundation began to dedicate substantial resources toward providing disadvantaged groups with postgraduate education, a process that gave hope to many. Fellows' academic success challenged presumptions about the disadvantaged and their ability to benefit from educational opportunities in prestigious international universities. Alumni have also exhibited a deep dedication to their communities, proving there is a collective return on investing in individuals. In some regions, IFP practices have modified institutional practices in universities and other fellowship programs. Through case studies of seven countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Origins, Journeys and Returns shows how nuanced approaches to defining the disadvantaged, along with flexible, local implementation of global program goals can actually counter "brain drain" and empower individuals to effect social change at home.
Dietary patterns and incident cardiovascular disease in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis 1 – 3

Background: Empirically derived dietary patterns show strong cross-sectional associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Objective: We investigated associations between dietary patterns and risk of incident CVD in 5316 men and women. Design: White, black, Hispanic, and Chinese adults aged 45–84 y and free of CVD and diabetes completed food-frequency questionnaires at baseline. Dietary patterns were derived by using principal components analysis. Incident CVD events (n = 207) identified over a median of 4.6 y were verified by death certificates and medical records. Results: The Fats and Processed Meat dietary pattern was associated with a greater risk (hazard ratio quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: 1.82; 95% CI: 0.99, 3.35), and the Whole Grains and Fruit dietary pattern was associated with a lower risk (0.54; 0.33, 0.91) of CVD after adjustment for demographic and lifestyle confounders. Associations between CVD and the Whole Grains and Fruit dietary pattern remained strong after adjustment for waist circumference, blood pressure, lipids, or inflammatory markers. Conclusions: Data from this multiethnic cohort reinforce findings from predominantly white cohorts, ie, that “healthy” and “unhealthy” dietary patterns empirically exist and that these patterns are important lifestyle predictors of CVD incidence. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;90:647–54.
Valuing Lost Home Production of Dual Earner Couples*

Using a life-cycle model in which women divide their time between home and market work, we establish a link between retirement wealth and the value of forgone home production. We use data from the Health and Retirement Study to estimate the model's parameters and adjust the growth rate of GDP to reflect reductions in non-market output. We find that the value of forgone home production is modest - about 25 percent of women's measured earnings.
Deviant Typicality: Gender Equality Issues in a Trade Union that Should Be Different from Others

A union possesses characteristics research indicates makes gender equality activity likely, yet it acts like most unions in its limited, variable engagement with women's interests. Studies of the union 1997–2010 enable consideration of Dickens's three-pronged approach to equality action and develop Heery's conclusions on influences on union behaviour.
Linkages between the Eurozone and the South-Eastern European Countries: A VECMX Analysis

Abstract Purpose In the present paper we assess the impact of the Eurozone’s economic policies on specific South-Eastern European countries, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, and Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Since the countries under investigation are connected to the European Union (EU) or the Eurozone and the economic interdependence among them is evolving, we carried out our analysis using the VECMX* framework. Findings Our results indicate that the transition economies in our sample react in a similar manner to changes in international macroeconomic policies. Cyprus and Greece react also in a similar way, but these responses are very small in magnitude. Finally, Turkey behaves in a different way, probably due to the inflationary pressures in its economy. In general, there is evidence of linkages and interdependence among the EU or Eurozone members of the region. Research limitations/implications We did not construct a full structural model proposed by economic theory, but instead we estimated a reduced-form model. Data limitation is one reason. The other reason is that our sample countries are extremely heterogeneous. Also, for most of the sample countries there is an acute problem of structural uncertainty of their economies yet. Practical implications The way that the economies under investigation react to changes in international macroeconomic policies, may influence the Eurozone policy makers regarding the implemented monetary policy. Originality/value To our knowledge, the above methodology is implemented for the first time in the sample countries and provides a detailed investigation regarding their economic policies and the effects of the Eurozone policies.