Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity of function is inherent in matricellular proteins: an appraisal of thrombospondin 1

R current appreciation of the involvement of hrombospondin 1 (TSP1) 1 in diverse biological processes (Fig. 1; 1, 3, 25) extends far beyond the role initially attributed to the protein in platelet aggregation and coagulation. This diversity of function has led to considerable confusion in the literature and skepticism among scientists that a single protein can subserve such protean, sometimes conflicting, functions. In this Commentary I will attempt to show that the ability of matricellular proteins, as defined below, to interact with a wide range of both matrix proteins and cell surface receptors can explain the complex biological functions of TSP1 and resolve many of the controversies regarding its mode of action. A conclusion of this analysis is that, even if allowances are made for some errors in experimentation and interpretation, the majority of the reported functions of TSP1, divergent as they appear to be, are likely to be correct. The term "matricellular" is used in this analysis to refer to a group of modular, extracellular proteins whose functions are achieved by binding to matrix proteins as well as to cell surface receptors, or to other molecules such as cytokines and proteases that interact, in turn, with the cell surface. In addition to TSP1, this group is likely to include members of the tenascin protein family, SPARC/osteonectin and its relatives, and osteopontin. Although matricellular proteins can be associated with structural elements such as collagen fibrils or basement membranes, it is presumed that they do not contribute to the structural integrity of these elements. An association could, nevertheless, serve to sequester matricellular proteins, and provide a source of the proteins for subsequent recruitment to the cell surface. It should be noted that the distinction between structural matrix and matricellular proteins is not complete, since proteins such as fibronectin and laminin, which do serve as integral components of structural elements, also have adhesive functions and play biological roles that partially overlap those of matricellular proteins. Furthermore, matricellular proteins may participate in the formation of structural complexes under some circum-
New Tools in Micromodeling Retirement Decisions: Overview and Applications to the Italian Case

The aging process and the reduction of labor-force participation are matters of much concern in most developed countries, especially for their implication on the sustainability of Social Security systems and for tackling poverty, just to mention few topics. For this reasons the literature on retirement has developed dramatically in the last decades and, thanks to improved computer power and to data availability, the estimation techniques are getting realistic and the fields of application are constantly increasing. In this paper I present an overview of the most recent developments in micromodeling retirement decisions and discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of each approach; in particular, I put an emphasis on the trade-off between the degree of realism of hypotheses,on the one hand, and data tractability and/or estimation performance, on the other hand, affecting the choice of the estimation strategy. I also sketch some of the most relevant topics which deserve more attention in future research. As an example, in the remainder of the article I focus on the Italian case: after presenting some stylized facts and the main results of the applied works assessing the effects of Social Security on agents choices, I carry out a comparison between two alternative dynamic estimation approaches (Duration model and Option Value model) and discuss their main implications.In particular, as for the Duration model, I propose several new measures of the wealth accumulation opportunities provided by the Social Security system and assess their role played in determining the timing of retirement of Italian older male employees.
Synthesis of Constructs for Modeling Consumers’ Understanding and Perception of Eco-Labels

The term “eco-labeling” has become a buzzword in today’s sustainable business world. The use of eco-labeling in various forms has been increasing notably for past many years, sometimes as an environmental “requirement” and sometimes merely as a marketing tool. Questions arise about how well these eco-labels are attended and understood by consumers. However, though mentionable studies are found on various aspects of eco-labels, gaps exist in exploring an inclusive set of parameters for investigating consumer perceptions of eco-labels. This paper aims at preparing a synthesis of all the possible factors to be incorporated for measuring consumer perceptions of eco-labeling of products. For making such synthesis, all major works in the field have been thoroughly reviewed. The paper comes up with a total of 10 parameters that include consumer awareness, consumer knowledge, consumer involvement, consumer trust, design and visibility, credibility of the source, type and level of information, clarity of meaning, persuasiveness, and private benefits. This tentative, yet inclusive, set of parameters is thought to be useful for designing large scale future empirical researches for developing a dependable inclusive set of parameters to test consumer understanding and perceptions of eco-label. A framework is proposed for further empirical research.
Parents’ adverse childhood experiences and current relationships with their young children: the role of executive function

ABSTRACT This study explored whether parents’ ability to regulate their behaviour and attention, assessed as components of everyday executive function (EF), was influenced by their past adverse experiences – such as abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction – and in turn, influenced current relationships with their children. The sample included 73 parent–child dyads from children enrolled in three Midwestern early childhood centres serving low-income children and families. Parents reported on their adverse childhood experiences, EF, and rated their relationship with their child. Findings indicate that more parental adverse childhood experiences were associated with higher ratings of parent–child conflict. This association was indirectly linked through parents’ EF. Interventions aimed at parent–child relationships can benefit from addressing parents’ past experiences and associated influences on parents’ EF.
Factors explaining household payment for potable water in South Africa

Abstract The critical role of clean water for sustaining life is enshrine in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. However, water scarcity currently affects more than 40% of people globally and by 2030, demand for water is expected to grow by 50%. Maintaining current water usage in South Africa is anticipated to result in 17% water deficit in 2030 and this is expected to be exacerbated by climate change. Hence, this study seeks to explain factors influencing household payment for potable water utilizing the recently released South African Living Conditions Survey 2014/2015. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and probit model. Results reveals that 83% of the respondents received water from municipal water supplier while only 35% pay for water usage. The empirical result shows that socioeconomic characteristics of household head like gender, age and income positively influence payment for water while municipal water interruption for more than two days, black South Africans, keeping of livestock and involvement in agriculture negatively influence payment for water. Based on these findings, we recommend that South African water policy should address income inequality, encourage gender sensitive water management education and create awareness for prompt water tariff payment to promote sustainable water supply in South Africa.
Salinity tolerance in plants: attempts to manipulate ion transport

Ion transport is the major determining factor of salinity tolerance in plants. A simple scheme of a plant cell with ion fluxes provides basic understanding of ion transport and the corresponding changes of ion concentrations under salinity. The review describes in detail basic principles of ion transport for a plant cell, introduces set of transporters essential for sodium and potassium uptake and efflux, analyses driving forces of ion transport and compares ion fluxes measured by several techniques. Study of differences in ion transport between salt tolerant halophytes and salt-sensitive plants with an emphasis on transport of potassium and sodium via plasma membranes offers knowledge for increasing salinity tolerance. Effects of salt stress on ion transport properties of membranes show huge opportunities for manipulating ion transport. Several attempts to overexpress or knockout ion transporters for changing salinity tolerance are described. Future perspectives are questioned with more attention given to potential candidate ion channels and transporters for altered expression. The potential direction of increasing salinity tolerance by modifying ion channels and transporters is discussed and questioned. An alternative approach from synthetic biology is to modify the existing membrane transport proteins or create new ones with desired properties for transforming agricultural crops. The approach had not been widely used earlier and leads also to theoretical and pure scientific aspects of protein chemistry, structure-function relations of membrane proteins, systems biology and physiology of stress and ion homeostasis.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMICITY IN MURINE PRE-ADIPOCYTE AND ADIPOCYTE CELLS

Adipose tissue is central to metabolic homeostasis, signaling in part through the secretion of molecules termed adipokines. Circadian rhythms play an important role in adipose physiology, with plasma adipokine concentration and ∼20 % of the murine adipose transcriptome undergoing 24 h variation. However, due to the heterogeneity of adipose tissue and rhythmical input from both neuronal and humoral signals, the cellular basis of adipose rhythms is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that adipocyte cells contain a circadian clock that drives rhythmic mRNA expression and adipokine secretion. From the murine pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cell line, we generated populations of both pre-adipocytes and differentiated adipocytes. Cells were then treated with a 2 h serum pulse and sampled every 4 h over a 48 h period. Expression of clock gene, ‘metabolic’ gene (PPARα, PPARγ, SREBP1), and adipokine mRNA was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, and secretion of the adipokines leptin and adiponectin was measured in culture medium from differentiated adipocytes. In pre-adipocytes, we observed robust rhythms of clock genes Per2, Rev-erbα, and Dbp, but not of Per1, Cry1, Bmal1, or any of the ‘metabolic’ genes. Adipocytes produced similar temporal profiles of mRNA expression, albeit with a markedly reduced amplitude of Per2 and Dbp rhythms. Despite no circadian rhythm of adipokine mRNA expression, leptin accumulation in the culture medium suggested circadian control of leptin secretion from adipocytes. Adiponectin secretion showed temporal variation, but without any apparent circadian rhythmicity. Our data, therefore, suggest that an endogenous adipocyte clock controls the rhythmic expression of only a subset of genes that are reported to exhibit 24 h rhythmicity in murine adipose tissue. Moreover, secretion of leptin may also be regulated by the adipocyte clock. (Author correspondence: j.johnston@surrey.ac.uk).
A trajectorial interpretation of the dissipations of entropy and Fisher information for stochastic differential equations

The dissipation of general convex entropies for continuous time Markov processes can be described in terms of backward martingales with respect to the tail filtration. The relative entropy is the expected value of a backward submartingale. In the case of (non necessarily reversible) Markov diffusion processes, we use Girsanov theory to explicit the Doob-Meyer decomposition of this submartingale. We deduce a stochastic analogue of the well known entropy dissipation formula, which is valid for general convex entropies, including the total variation distance. Under additional regularity assumptions, and using It\^o's calculus and ideas of Arnold, Carlen and Ju \cite{Arnoldcarlenju}, we obtain moreover a new Bakry Emery criterion which ensures exponential convergence of the entropy to $0$. This criterion is non-intrisic since it depends on the square root of the diffusion matrix, and cannot be written only in terms of the diffusion matrix itself. We provide examples where the classic Bakry Emery criterion fails, but our non-intrisic criterion applies without modifying the law of the diffusion process.
Spontaneous Regression of Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma with Improvement in Immune Status with ART in a Patient with HIV: A Case Report and Literature Review

Patient: Male, 55 Final Diagnosis: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma • HIV Symptoms: Fatigue • weight loss Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Renal biopsy Specialty: Oncology Objective: Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma accounts for the large majority of AIDS-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Traditionally, this lymphoma has been treated with CHOP-like regimens with the recent addition of rituximab. We report a unique case where an HIV-infected patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma had complete regression of the lymphoma with continued antiretroviral therapy (ART) after chemotherapy was stopped. Case Report: A 55-year-old man who presented with fatigue and weight loss had initial CT findings of bilateral renal masses during his workup. Biopsy revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and subsequently he was also diagnosed with HIV. He completed 6 cycles of CHOP-like (4 cycles of EPOCH-R and 2 cycles of R-CHOP) first-line therapy with significant dose delays and dose reductions due to severe adverse effects. Chemotherapy was stopped due to physical deconditioning and intolerable adverse effects. He had a FDG-PET/CT showing progression of his disease 8 weeks after completing chemotherapy. He was maintained only on ART after finishing 6 cycles of chemotherapy. With this therapy alone and with improvement in his immune status, his lymphoma regressed completely. Conclusions: There are very few reported cases in which lymphoma has regressed with treatment of HIV alone, as is regression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. This case emphasizes that ART can lead to immune reconstitution of HIV-infected patients and can establish the anti-tumor effect, causing regression of the lymphoma.
Estimating heights using auxiliary functions

Several recent papers construct auxiliary polynomials to bound the Weil height of certain classes of algebraic numbers from below. Following these techniques, the author gave a general method for introducing auxiliary polynomials to problems involving the Weil height. The height appears as a solution to a certain extremal problem involving polynomials. We further generalize the above techniques to acquire both the projective height and the height on subspaces in the same way. We further obtain lower bounds on the heights of points on some subvarieties of $\mathbb P^{N-1}(\overline{\mathbb Q})$.
Gender, Ethnic Identity and Work

The European Union's strategy to raise employment is confronted with very low work participation among many minority ethnic groups, in particular among immigrants. This study examines the potential of immigrants' identification with the home and host country ethnicity to explain that deficit. It introduces a two-dimensional understanding of ethnic identity, as a combination of commitments to the home and host cultures and societies, and links it to the labour market participation of immigrants. Using unique German survey data, the paper identifies marked gender differences in the effects of ethnic identification on the probability to work controlling for a number of other determinants. While ethnically assimilated immigrant men outperform those who are ethnically separated and marginalized, they are not different from those with openness to both cultures. Assimilated immigrant women do better than those separated and marginalized, but those who develop an attachment to both cultures clearly fare the best.
Preoperative Grading of Presumptive Low-Grade Astrocytomas on MR Imaging: Diagnostic Value of Minimum Apparent Diffusion Coefficient

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Histopathologic grade of glial tumors is inversely correlated with the minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We assessed the diagnostic values of minimum ADC for preoperative grading of supratentorial astrocytomas that were diagnosed as low-grade astrocytomas on conventional MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 118 patients with astrocytomas (WHO grades II–IV), 16 who showed typical MR imaging findings of low-grade supratentorial astrocytomas on conventional MR imaging were included. All 16 patients underwent preoperative MR imaging and diffusion-weighted imaging. The minimum ADC value of each tumor was determined from several regions of interest in the tumor on ADC maps. To assess the relationship between the minimum ADC and tumor grade, we performed the Mann-Whitney U test. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cutoff value of the minimum ADC that had the best combination of sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing low- and high-grade astrocytomas. RESULTS: Eight of the 16 patients (50%) were confirmed as having high-grade astrocytomas (WHO grades III and IV), and the other 8 patients were confirmed as having low-grade astrocytomas (WHO grade II). The median minimum ADC of the high-grade astrocytoma (1.035 × 10−3 mm2 · sec−1) group was significantly lower than that of the low-grade astrocytoma group (1.19 × 10−3 mm2 · sec−1) (P = .021). According to the ROC analysis, the cutoff value of 1.055 × 10−3 mm2 · sec−1 for the minimum ADC generated the best combination of sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (79%) (P = .021). CONCLUSION: Measuring minimum ADC can provide valuable diagnostic information for the preoperative grading of presumptive low-grade supratentorial astrocytomas.
Developmental presence and disappearance of postsynaptically silent synapses on dendritic spines of rat layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons

Silent synapses are synapses whose activation evokes NMDA‐type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) but not AMPA‐type glutamate receptor (AMPAR) mediated currents. Silent synapses are prominent early in postnatal development and are thought to play a role in the activity‐ and sensory‐dependent refinement of neuronal circuits. The mechanisms that account for their silent nature have been controversial, and both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms have been proposed. Here, we use two‐photon laser uncaging of glutamate to directly activate glutamate receptors and measure AMPAR‐ and NMDAR‐dependent currents on individual dendritic spines of rat somatosensory cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. We find that dendritic spines lacking functional surface AMPARs are commonly found before postnatal day 12 (P12) but are absent in older animals. Furthermore, AMPAR‐lacking spines are contacted by release‐competent presynaptic terminals. After P12, the AMPAR/NMDAR current ratio at individual spines continues to increase, consistent with continued addition of AMPARs to postsynaptic terminals. Our results confirm the existence of postsynaptically silent synapses and demonstrate that the morphology of the spine is not strongly predictive of its AMPAR content.
Adaptive Markov Random Fields for Example-Based Super-resolution of Faces

Image enhancement of low-resolution images can be done through methods such as interpolation, super-resolution using multiple video frames, and example-based super-resolution. Example-based super-resolution, in particular, is suited to images that have a strong prior (for those frameworks that work on only a single image, it is more like image restoration than traditional, multiframe super-resolution). For example, hallucination and Markov random field (MRF) methods use examples drawn from the same domain as the image being enhanced to determine what the missing high-frequency information is likely to be. We propose to use even stronger prior information by extending MRF-based super-resolution to use adaptive observation and transition functions, that is, to make these functions region-dependent. We show with face images how we can adapt the modeling for each image patch so as to improve the resolution.
Influence of religious organisations’ statements on compliance with a smoke-free law in Bogor, Indonesia: a qualitative study

Objective To explore the Bogor public's perspective on Muslim organisations’ pronouncements against smoking and the effect of these pronouncements on compliance with a new smoke-free law in the context of a prosmoking social norm. Design Semistructured focus group discussions were conducted, transcribed, coded using ATLAS.ti software, and analysed using thematic content analysis. Photo elicitation was also used during the focus groups. Setting Bogor, Indonesia. Participants 11 focus groups (n=89), stratified by age, gender and smoking status, with members of the public (46 male, 43 female, ages 18–50). Results There was limited knowledge of and compliance with both the smoke-free law and the religious pronouncements. In most of the focus groups, smoking was described as a discouraged, but not forbidden, behaviour for Muslims. Participants described the decision of whether to follow the religious pronouncements in the context of individual choice. Some participants felt religious organisations lacked credibility to speak against smoking because many religious leaders themselves smoke. However, some non-smokers said their religion reinforced their non-smoking behaviour and some participants stated it would be useful for religious leaders to speak more about the smoke-free law. Conclusions Religious organisations’ pronouncements appear to have had a small effect, primarily in supporting the position of non-smokers not to smoke. Participants, including smokers, said their religious leaders should be involved in supporting the smoke-free law. These findings suggest there is potential for the tobacco control community to partner with sympathetic local Muslim leaders to promote common goals of reducing smoking and public smoke exposure. Muslim leaders’ views on smoking would be perceived as more credible if they themselves followed the smoke-free law. Additionally, public health messaging that includes religious themes could be piloted and tested for effectiveness. These findings may also inform similar efforts in other Muslim cities implementing smoke-free laws.