Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of peripheral blood lymphocyte stimulation on zeta chain expression and IL-2 production in Hodgkin's disease

It has been reported that peripheral blood T cells and NK cells express reduced levels of the T-cell receptor signal-transducing zeta chain in Hodgkin's disease (HD). The zeta chain has emerged as a key subunit of the T-cell antigen receptor, which plays a central role in the signal-transducing events leading to T and NK-cell activation. We were interested in determining whether the low zeta chain expression in HD could be corrected by anti-CD3, anti-CD3-rIL-2 ex vivo stimulation. Zeta chain expression was analysed by dual immunofluorescence on permeabilized cells before and after 72 hours of culture. The IL-2 concentration in the culture supernatants was measured by ELISA. Zeta chain was significantly reduced on unstimulated CD4+, CD8+ and CD56+ cells from patients in active disease compared with normal subjects. In patients in complete remission, the values were normal except for CD8+ cells, on which zeta expression remained significantly reduced. Stimulation with anti-CD3 did not change zeta expression. Co-stimulation with rIL-2 increased but did not normalize the proportions of CD4+/zeta+, CD8+/zeta+ and CD56+/zeta+ cells and IL-2 production in active disease. Stimulation of cells from patients in clinical remission with anti-CD3+ rIL-2 increased the proportion of CD8+zeta+ cells and normalized IL-2 production levels. Considering the pivotal role of CD3-zeta in immune response, our data suggest that successful immunotherapy approaches in active HD should consider inclusion of other potent cytokines, as well as genetically engineered tumour vaccines. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign
Smoking behavior in a Swiss urban population: the role of gender and education.

BACKGROUND Smoking has become more prevalent among U.S. men and women and European men in lower socioeducational groups. The relation between socioeducational status and smoking among European women has been studied less. METHODS A survey assessing the smoking behavior and educational level of 943 women and 961 men ages 35 to 74 years from Geneva, Switzerland, was conducted. RESULTS The prevalence of never smokers has declined among younger women but has remained stable among men. More men than women have ever smoked, but the difference has decreased among younger generations. Ever smoking was more prevalent among women with secondary (47.6%, age-adjusted OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.18) or tertiary (46.6%, age-adjusted OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.97) education relative to women with primary education (30.7%). Among males, ever smoking was slightly more prevalent among lower levels of education. There were moderate differences in quit ratio (ex-smokers/ever smokers) across educational levels among women (trend P = 0.08). In contrast, men with tertiary education stopped smoking more often (63.6%) than those with secondary (54.2%) or primary (47.6%) education (trend P = 0.008). For most women, primary education was associated with a later age at start of smoking while the inverse was true for men. CONCLUSION Smoking behavior is evolving across generations of women in Geneva. It is more prevalent among educated women of the older generations, but this is less so among the younger generations. Women from Geneva may be currently experiencing the transition of smoking from upper to lower social classes.
THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF OCBS AND INFLUENCE TACTICS ON LEADER REWARD BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE RATINGS OVER TIME

This study was conducted in response to the limited research jointly examining employee use of influence tactics (ITs) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Using a field study involving 165 employee-supervisor dyads we examined whether influence tactics (ingratiation and self-promotion behaviors) and OCBs (altruism and compliance) have a differential impact on supervisor-subordinate relations (leader reward behavior) and performance rating outcomes. We tested a structural model using longitudinal data. The results demonstrated that influence tactics were completely mediated by leader reward behavior, whereas altruism and compliance had direct effects on performance ratings and these effects endured over time.
Dynamics of a Repulsive Voter Model

In contrast to most conventional social interaction models, in this paper, the dynamics of repulsive interactions between the nodes of a network is investigated. Such a model may be considered to be a first-order approximation of many anticonformal social policies, such as drivers making lane-changing decisions when confronted with other cars in the same lane. Such policies are also demonstrated in any sort of social situation where there is a premium on novelty or choices, which can demonstrate an attitude of indifference or rebellion toward current trends. Various styles of antifashionable dresses, which are explicitly contrary to the fashion of the day, are the examples of such anticonformal social behavior. The model developed in this paper is first formulated and solved over a complete graph both with and without the influence of biased nodes. Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to validate the accuracy of the model formulation. Then, the model is studied on an Erdös Rényi random graph, and finally, the behavior of the model on a regular lattice is investigated. Analytical solutions have been derived for the mentioned combinations. The interesting behavior of the model regarding the dependence of the equilibrium distribution on population size, convergence time, and the effect of biased nodes is presented.
Enhancing MAS Cooperative Search Through Coalition Partitioning

In this paper we present new search strategies for agents with diverse preferences searching cooperatively in complex environments with search costs. The uniqueness of our proposed mechanism is in the integration of the coalition's ability to partition itself into sub-coalitions, which continue the search autonomously, into the search strategy (a capability that was neglected in earlier cooperative search models). As we show throughout the paper, this strategy is always favorable in comparison to currently known cooperative and autonomous search techniques: it has the potential to significantly improve the searchers' performance in various environments and in any case guarantees reaching at least as good a performance as that of other known methods. Furthermore, for many common environments we manage to significantly eliminate the consequential added computational complexity associated with the partitioning option, by introducing innovative efficient algorithms for extracting the coalition's optimal search strategy. We illustrate the advantages of the proposed model over currently known cooperative and individual search techniques, using an environment based on authentic settings.
Rapid and visual loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test for the detection of Brucella spp. and its applicability in epidemiology of bovine brucellosis.

________________________________________________________________________________________ KARTHIK, K. , R. RATHORE, P. THOMAS, K. N. VISWAS, R. K. AGARWAL, V. REKHA, R. V. JAGAPUR, K. DHAMA: Rapid and visual loop mediated isothermal amplifi cation (LAMP) test for the detection of Brucella spp. and its applicability in epidemiology of bovine brucellosis. Vet. arhiv 86, 35-47, 2016. ABSTRACT Brucellosis is a devastating disease, once an abortion storm starts in a herd, and hence early diagnosis is important. Loop mediated isothermal amplifi cation (LAMP) has enlightened the darker part of the diagnostic world by its simplicity and swiftness, and has the advantage of working in isothermal conditions so that it can be applied to the fi eld. LAMP for Brucella spp. , that already exists has not been exploited for visual detection and the time needed for completion of the reaction has not been reduced. In the present study, an attempt was made to seal these cracks by developing a fast and visually detectable LAMP for Brucella spp. , which needs only 30 min detection time, and SYBR green aided easier result visualization. The LAMP test targeting the omp25 gene was found to be highly sensitive and specifi c for detecting Brucella spp. Comparison of the LAMP test with the available PCR assay revealed that the LAMP test was more sensitive than PCR, following testing of 438 fi eld samples of cattle origin, and it showed prevalence of Brucella of 14.7 % in different parts of India. Being highly sensitive, specifi c and speedy, the standardized visual LAMP test can be widely used for epidemiological surveys of this economically important and zoonotic pathogen.
Assessment of Parenting Styles on School Attendance and Academic Performance of Nomadic Children in Selected Settlements in Nigeria

The study examined parenting styles on school attendance and academic performance of nomadic children in selected settlements in Nigeria. The study used 120 (44 male,76 female) pupils between the ages of 10 and 13 from eight government primary schools that are from nomadic homes. The study made use of Baumrind’s thirty items on parenting styles and the pupils’ class attendance register and total examination scores in eight subjects in the previous two terms. Three hypotheses were generated, tested and analyzed using Chi-square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient statistics. The results show that pupils from authoritative parenting home attend school most and they also performed academically best out of the three parenting styles used in the study. It was concluded that all necessary things being put in place, when parents dialogue and carry children along in their decision making and partake in the children’s concerns, they tend to perform better especially in their academics. Therefore, teachers can use parents/teachers’ association forum to encourage parents to be more warm and friendly with their children at home, and government should provide necessary amenities that would make nomadic pupils want to stay more in school and learn.
Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Flow State Scale

The purpose of this research was to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the Flow State Scale (FSS; Jackson & Marsh, 1996). This instrument is used to assess the Flow State in participants of physical activity, although it can be adapted to other contexts (such as work, educational contexts, etc.). This construct can be considered the optimal psychological state to carry out an activity, being closely related to motivation and personal enjoyment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). A sample of 2036 athletes was recruited from diverse sports activities. The results revealed satisfactory validity and internal consistency of the instrument, obtaining a factor model made up of a main factor and nine subscales. The correlations between motivational orientations and the flow state are highlighted. The Spanish translation of this instrument is found to be acceptable, with similar psychometric properties as the original scale, although future research in other contexts is needed to support these outcomes. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar las propiedades psicométricas de una versión adaptada al castellano de la Flow State Scale (FSS; Jackson y Marsh, 1996), instrumento utilizado para valorar el estado de fluidez en practicantes de actividad física, aunque adaptable a otros contextos (trabajo, educación…). Dicho constructo puede ser considerado como el estado psicológico óptimo para realizar una actividad, estando muy relacionado con la motivación y el disfrute personal (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). Se desarrolló un estudio con 2036 participantes en diferentes actividades deportivas. Los resultados han demostrado que el instrumento posee una validez y consistencia interna aceptables, hallándose un modelo factorial compuesto por un factor principal y nueve factores secundarios. Asimismo, destacan las correlaciones entre las dos orientaciones motivacionales y el estado de fluidez. Se concluye que la adaptación al castellano del instrumento para valorar el estado de fluidez es aceptable, encontrándose propiedades psicométricas similares a las obtenidas en la escala original, aunque se necesitan nuevos trabajos en otros contextos que apoyen estos resultados.
Tweeting Social Change

How are nonprofit organizations utilizing social media to engage in advocacy work? We address this question by investigating the social media use of 188 501(c)(3) advocacy organizations. After briefly examining the types of social media technologies employed, we turn to an in-depth examination of the organizations’ use of Twitter. This in-depth message-level analysis is twofold: A content analysis that examines the prevalence of previously identified communicative and advocacy constructs in nonprofits’ social media messages; and an inductive analysis that explores the unique features and dynamics of social media-based advocacy and identifies new organizational practices and forms of communication heretofore unseen in the literature.
Oligarchy and Growth Lessons From Europe ’ s Autonomous Cities

The history of European city development provides an important opportunity to examine the effect of political oligarchy on economic growth. Since at least the time of Max Weber, scholars have claimed that the presence of politically autonomous cities in medieval Europe, which tended to be controlled by merchant oligarchies, helped lead to its economic rise when compared with other regions. But there also exists an alternative, and equally long standing claim —autonomous cities were a hindrance to growth because the merchant oligarchies that governed them created barriers to entry that stifled innovation and trade. I present new evidence and a new interpretation that reconciles these two contrasting views. Using evidence from growth in city populations, I show that politically autonomous cities tended to initially have higher growth rates than non-autonomous cities, but over time this situation reversed itself as politically autonomous cities became stagnant. However, even with stagnant economies, autonomous cities were able to maintain their independence because their institutions and the oligarchies that controlled them provided for abundant access to credit in times of war. My evidence regarding the growth path of autonomous cities is consistent with several recent theoretical models of oligarchy and growth, and most directly Acemoglu (2008). It also suggests more generally that Europe’s particular political institutions, which are so often said to have secured property rights and favored growth, sometimes had more ambiguous effects.
Improving chronic care through continuing education of interprofessional primary healthcare teams: a process evaluation

Abstract Process evaluations assess program structures and implementation processes so that outcomes can be accurately interpreted. This article reports the results of a process evaluation of Partnerships for Health, an initiative targeting interprofessional primary healthcare teams to improve chronic care in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Program documentation, participant observation, and in-depth interviews were used to capture details about the program structure, implementation process, and experience of implementers and participants. Results suggest that the intended program was modified during implementation to better meet the needs of participants and to overcome participation barriers. Elements of program activities perceived as most effective included series of off-site learning/classroom sessions, practice-based/workplace information-technology (IT) support, and practice coaching because they provided: dedicated time to learn how to improve chronic care; team-building/networking within and across teams; hands-on IT training/guidance; and flexibility to meet individual practice needs. This process evaluation highlighted key program activities that were essential to the continuing education (CE) of interprofessional primary healthcare teams as they attempted to transform primary healthcare to improve chronic care.
Neuronal Computation of Disparity in V1 Limits Temporal Resolution for Detecting Disparity Modulation

The human ability to detect modulation of binocular disparity over time is poor compared with detection of luminance modulation. We examined the physiological origin of this limitation by analyzing neuronal responses to temporal modulation of binocular disparity in striate cortex of awake monkeys. When neurons were presented with random-dot stereograms in which disparity varied sinusoidally over time, their responses modulated at the stimulus temporal frequency, with little change in mean firing rate. We calculated modulation amplitude as a function of temporal frequency and compared this with the psychophysical performance of four human observers. Neuronal and psychophysical functions showed similar peak frequencies (2 Hz) and comparable high-cut frequencies (10 and 5.5 Hz, respectively). Thus, V1 (primary visual cortex) neurons appear to limit psychophysical performance. The temporal resolution of the same neurons for contrast modulation was ∼2.5 times greater, which parallels the superior psychophysical performance for contrast. There is a simple mathematical explanation for this difference: it results from calculating cross-correlation between temporally broadband monocular images that are bandpass filtered before measuring correlation. The limit on temporal resolution is a direct consequence of the binocular energy model that adds to the list of properties of human stereoscopic performance that are explained by this simple model of disparity encoding in V1: the same neurons can account for the performance of psychophysical tasks that result in either high (contrast) or low (disparity) temporal resolution. Because this principle holds whenever a broadband input is bandpass filtered before computing correlation, it may limit the resolution of other neuronal systems.
Group psychotherapy reduces illness intrusiveness in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE We investigated whether brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy might reduce illness-induced interference with valued activities and interests (i.e., illness intrusiveness) among women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in relation to 3 life domains: (1) relationships and personal development (family relationships, other social relationships, self-expression), (2) intimacy (relationship with spouse, sex life), and/or (3) instrumental life (work, finances, active recreation). METHODS Women with SLE recruited from 9 rheumatology centers were randomly assigned to receive either usual care (n = 66) or a 12 week brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy followed by 3 monthly booster sessions (n = 58). Standard instruments assessed disease activity and damage, illness intrusiveness, and psychological distress at 4 measurement occasions: (1) pretreatment, (2) posttreatment, (3) 6 month followup, and (4) 12 month followup. RESULTS Analysis of covariance, controlling for disease activity and household income, indicated that women who received brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy experienced significant reductions in illness intrusiveness for 2 of 3 domains: (1) relationships and personal development and (2) intimacy. Benefits were evident at 6 and 12 month followups. CONCLUSION Brief supportive-expressive group psychotherapy facilitates adaptation to SLE by assisting women in reducing illness-induced disruptions into important domains of life experience.
Effects of recombinant human parathyroid hormone on the anabolic window and acceleration of lower extremity stress fracture healing

BACKGROUND: Stress fractures are one of the more severe overuse injuries and occur more frequently in women than men. Location and severity of stress fractures vary according to the sport and intensity of physical activity and most commonly involve the lower extremities. The treatment period may extend beyond 12 weeks based on the severity of the stress fracture and physical activity of the patient. Although data are sparse, there is an evolving interest in using systemic medical interventions to potentially improve or accelerate stress fracture repair. Intermittent administration of human recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH) (1-34) (Teriparatide) is a FDA-approved anabolic treatment used to treat osteoporosis in men and women and reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women. Although there may be potential benefits of systemic v teriparatide therapy to hasten the healing of fractures, there only a few randomized, controlled studies at present. OBJECTIVES: To determine in this randomized, placebo-controlled study whether teriparatide can increase the anabolic window in premenopausal women with lower extremity stress fractures and can hasten the healing process, as assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Specifically, we will evaluate: 1) Whether bone formation markers increases more rapidly than resorption markers in response to daily teriparatide (20 μg) at 4 and 8 weeks and of the anabolic window, using the area under the curve between percent changes in biomarkers of formation over resorption over time, and 2) whether there is acceleration of the stress fracture healing, as assessed by MRI images. METHODS: Among 101 women screened for this study, 13 women were enrolled and randomized to receive teriparatide (20 μg) (n=6) or placebo (n=7) for 8 weeks in a double-blinded trial. Lab evaluations were completed at each visit (i.e. baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks) for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), serum and urinary calcium, PTH, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and alkaline phosphate as well as BTM; amino-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (P1NP) and osteocalcin (OC) for bone formation and serum type I collagen c-telopeptides (CTX) and urinary type I collagen-telopeptides for bone resorption. To assess fracture healing, MRI images were reviewed by a radiologist specializing in MRI imaging and who was blinded to the treatment interventions. MRI images were obtained at baseline and 8 weeks and graded on a 0 to 4 scale. Grade 4
ADP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase from potato tubers. Site-directed mutagenesis studies of the regulatory sites.

Several lysines (Lys) were determined to be involved in the regulation of the ADP-glucose (Glc) pyrophosphorylase from spinach leaf and the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 (K. Ball, J. Preiss [1994] J Biol Chem 269: 24706-24711; Y. Charng, A.A. Iglesias, J. Preiss [1994] J Biol Chem 269: 24107-24113). Site-directed mutagenesis was used to investigate the relative roles of the conserved Lys in the heterotetrameric enzyme from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers. Mutations to alanine of Lys-404 and Lys-441 on the small subunit decreased the apparent affinity for the activator, 3-phosphoglycerate, by 3090- and 54-fold, respectively. The apparent affinity for the inhibitor, phosphate, decreased greater than 400-fold. Mutation of Lys-441 to glutamic acid showed even larger effects. When Lys-417 and Lys-455 on the large subunit were mutated to alanine, the phosphate inhibition was not altered and the apparent affinity for the activator decreased only 9- and 3-fold, respectively. Mutations of these residues to glutamic acid only decreased the affinity for the activator 12- and 5-fold, respectively. No significant changes were observed on other kinetic constants for the substrates ADP-Glc, pyrophosphate, and Mg2+. These data indicate that Lys-404 and Lys-441 on the small subunit are more important for the regulation of the ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase than their homologous residues in the large subunit.