Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depletion of β‐arrestin2 in hepatic stellate cells reduces cell proliferation via ERK pathway

β‐Arrestins are multifunctional adaptor proteins. Recently, some new roles of β‐arrestins in regulating intracellular signaling networks have been discovered, which regulate cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis. Though, the role of β‐arrestins expression in the pathology of hepatic fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, the possible relationship between the expression of β‐arrestins with the experimental hepatic fibrosis and the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were investigated. Porcine serum induced liver fibrosis was established in this study. At five time points, the dynamic expression of β‐arrestin1, β‐arrestin2, and α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) in rat liver tissues, was measured by immunohistochemical staining, double immunofluorescent staining, and Western blotting. This study showed that aggravation of hepatic fibrosis with gradually increasing expression of β‐arrestin2 in the hepatic tissues, but not β‐arrestin1. Further, as hepatic fibrosis worsens, β‐arrestin2‐expressing activated HSCs accounts for an increasingly larger percentage of all activated HSCs. And the expression of β‐arrestin2 had a significant positive correlation with the expression of α‐SMA, an activated HSCs marker. In vitro studies, the dynamic expression of β‐arrestin1 and β‐arrestin2 in platelet derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB) stimulated HSCs was assessed by Western blotting. The expression of β‐arrestin2 was remarkably increased in PDGF‐BB stimulated HSCs. Furthermore, the small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique was used to explore the effect of β‐arrestins on the proliferation of HSCs and the activation of ERK1/2. Transfection of siRNA targeting β‐arrestin2 mRNA (siβ‐arrestin2) into HSCs led to a 68% and 70% reduction of β‐arrestin2 mRNA and protein expression, respectively. siβ‐arrestin2 abolished the effect of PDGF‐BB on the proliferation of HSCs. In addition, siβ‐arrestin2 exerted the inhibition of the activation of ERK1/2 in HSCs. The present study provided strong evidence for the participation of the β‐arrestin2 in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. The β‐arrestin2 depletion diminishes HSCs ERK1/2 signaling and proliferation stimulated by PDGF‐BB. Selective targeting of β‐arrestin2 inhibitors to HSCs might present as a novel strategy for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1153–1162, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Standardisation of Acceleration Zones in Professional Field Sport Athletes

Running acceleration data provides important information about the physical demands placed on field sport athletes. However, the absence of clearly defined acceleration zones has contributed to the minimal examination of this variable. This study aimed to develop a standardised set of acceleration zones and determine any differences in accelerations between elite and sub-elite Australian footballers. Thirty-nine professional male Australian footballers performed a 30 m sprint from a standing start. Timing lights were placed at 0, 10, 20 and 30 m to calculate accelerations over 0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 m splits. The accelerations over these splits were 3.27 m·s−2, 1.81 m·s−2 and 0.33 m·s−2. The differences between the elite and sub-elite groups for time, velocity and acceleration over the splits were examined using independent t-tests and effect sizes. Acceleration zones were determined by using maximal acceleration to establish the subsequent acceleration zones. In this case 20%, 45% and 85% of maximum acceleration were used to develop low (0.65–1.46 m·s−2), moderate (1.47–2.77 m·s−2) and high (>2.78 m·s−2) zones. No differences between the elite and sub-elite athletes for each acceleration category were found. The development of standardised acceleration zones will assist with the assessment and understanding of accelerations in field sport athletes. This has the potential to improve the implementation of training programs and recovery sessions. Further, these accelerations zones are seemingly applicable for both elite and sub-elite field sport athletes.
Inferring Causality from Noisy Time Series Data - A Test of Convergent Cross-Mapping

Convergent Cross-Mapping (CCM) has shown high potential to perform causal inference in the absence of models. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of the method by varying coupling strength and noise levels in coupled logistic maps. We find that CCM fails to infer accurate coupling strength and even causality direction in synchronized time-series and in the presence of intermediate coupling. We find that the presence of noise deterministically reduces the level of cross-mapping fidelity, while the convergence rate exhibits higher levels of robustness. Finally, we propose that controlled noise injections in intermediate-to-strongly coupled systems could enable more accurate causal inferences. Given the inherent noisy nature of real-world systems, our findings enable a more accurate evaluation of CCM applicability and advance suggestions on how to overcome its weaknesses.
Surgical Management of Tumors Involving Meckel's Cave and Cavernous Sinus: Role of an Extended Middle Fossa and Lateral Sphenoidectomy Approach.

OBJECTIVE To study the indications and outcomes of lateral sphenoidectomy as part of a combined skull base approach in the treatment of tumors involving Meckel's cave (MC) and cavernous sinus (CS). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective patient series. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Twenty-two consecutive patients (mean age: 45 yr, range: 16-76) who underwent transzygomatic, extended middle fossa approaches for tumors involving MC and CS. INTERVENTIONS Surgical access to MC and CS was achieved via extended middle fossa, trans-clinoid approach. Lateral sphenoidectomy was defined as drill-out of the greater sphenoid wing lateral to foramen rotundum and ovale, decompression of superior orbital fissure, and removal of anterior clinoid process. Reconstruction was achieved using combination of autologous and synthetic materials. Eleven patients (50%) received adjuvant radiation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS Tumor pathologies included meningioma (16 patients), epidermoid cyst (2), trigeminal schwannoma (2), invasive pituitary adenoma (1), and chondrosarcoma (1). Mean (range) preoperative tumor size was 4.0 cm (1.3-9). Mean (range) length of follow-up was 4 years (range 0.1-10). Overall tumor control and gross total resection were achieved in 95 and 23% of patients, respectively. Lateral sphenoidectomy was performed in 16 patients (73%) for enhanced surgical access and/or tumor extension to the infratemporal fossa (6 patients). Postoperatively, cranial nerve deficits occurred in 12 (55%) patients (V-9 patients; III, IV, or VI-4; VII-2; VIII-2). Cerebrospinal fluid leak and hydrocephalus occurred in two and four patients, respectively. CONCLUSION In combination with middle fossa-based approaches to tumors involving MC and CS, lateral sphenoidectomy may play a viable role in tumor access and control.
Experiences of alcohol and other drugs in individuals with severe mental illness and concomitant substance use disorders

Background: It is well known that severe mental illness (SMI) with concurrent substance use disorders (SUD) commonly occurs. This comorbidity has distressing social, psychological, psychiatric and somatic consequences. Aim: To gain greater understanding of how individuals with SMI and SUD experience the roles of alcohol and other drugs for their health and life situation. Method: Eight individuals were interviewed on two occasions. The semi-structured interviews, which were based on an interview guide, were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Alcohol and drug use influenced the individuals' own experiences of their health and life situation both in a positive and negative way. Substance use had meaning for their: ‘experience of themselves’ – well-being and discomfort, energy and lack of energy, meaningfulness and disorientation, identity and personality change; ‘experiences of relationships’ – affiliation and alienation; ‘experiences of mental health’ – decreased and increased symptom.
Contribution of Bronchial Fibroblasts to the Antiviral Response in Asthma1

Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are a major cause of asthma exacerbations and hospitalization. Studies using primary cultures suggest that this may be due to impaired production of type I and type III IFNs by asthmatic bronchial epithelial cells. Although epithelial cells are the main target for HRV infection, HRV can be detected in the subepithelial layer of bronchial mucosa from infected subjects by in situ hybridization. Therefore, we postulated that submucosal fibroblasts are also involved in the innate antiviral response to HRV infection in asthma. We found that regardless of subject group, bronchial fibroblasts were highly susceptible to RV1b infection. IL-8 and IL-6 were rapidly induced by either HRV or UV-irradiated virus, suggesting that these responses did not require viral replication. In contrast, RANTES expression was dependent on viral replication. Regardless of disease status, fibroblasts did not respond to HRV infection with significant induction of IFN-β, even though both groups responded to synthetic dsRNA with similar levels of IFN-β expression. Exogenous IFN-β was highly protective against viral replication. Our data suggest that fibroblasts respond to HRV with a vigorous proinflammatory response but minimal IFN-β expression. Their susceptibility to infection may cause them to be a reservoir for HRV replication in the lower airways, especially in asthmatic subjects where there is reduced protection offered by epithelial-derived IFNs. Their ability to support viral replication coupled with their vigorous proinflammatory response following infection may contribute to asthma exacerbations.
The Structure of Patient Satisfaction with Outpatient Medical Care.

Patient satisfaction data for 2,226 patients in the Medical Outcomes Study were used to determine the dimensions of satisfaction with medical care, the relation between direct and indirect methods of assessing global satisfaction with care, and the extent to which visit-specific and global satisfaction with one's medical care covary. Results supported the multidimensionality of satisfaction ratings but showed substantial covariation among some dimensions. Direct and indirect methods of assessing global satisfaction with care also covaried markedly. Global satisfaction was significantly, albeit modestly, correlated with visit-specific satisfaction
Quintessence arising from exponential potentials

We demonstrate how the properties of the attractor solutions of exponential potentials can lead to models of quintessence with the currently observationally favored equation of state. Moreover, we show that these properties hold for a wide range of initial conditions and for natural values of model parameters. PACS number~s! : 98.80. Cq
Does the grammatical count/mass distinction affect semantic representations? Evidence from experiments in English and Japanese

We investigate linguistic relativity effects by examining whether the grammatical count/mass distinction in English affects English speakers' semantic representations of noun referents, as compared with those of Japanese speakers, whose language does not grammatically distinguish nouns for countability. We used two tasks which are sensitive to semantic similarity, error induction in picture naming and similarity judgements, upon nouns referring to food items (English words and their translation equivalents in Japanese), and contrasted English speakers' performance to that of Japanese speakers. Results reveal that speakers of both languages are highly sensitive to semantic correlates of the English count/mass distinction, suggesting that the grammatical count/mass distinction in English does not affect English speakers' semantic representations in a language-specific manner, contrary to predictions of linguistic relativity theories, in which this grammatical property should exert language-specific effects on English speakers' semantic representations while they are engaged in language tasks.
Deconstructing Religious Identity, Difference, and Belonging: Implications for Anti-Racist Pedagogy

Increasing numbers of Australians identify with a multiplicity of religion groups or have no religious affiliation. Despite this, the representation of religious groups other than Christian—and the implications of this for anti-racist pedagogy in Australian schools—is seldom explored. This article interrogates the ways in which the most prominent of these minority religious groups (Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish) were spoken about in two Melbourne newspapers and considers the implications of this interrogation for multicultural pedagogy in globally integrated local school contexts, such as those in Australia. Methodologies of social cultural theory and critical discourse analysis (CDA) are used to investigate newspaper discussions from the different viewpoints of their experiential, systemic, and normative focus. I find that notions of religious identity described in the media are stylized in form and an almost-silent normative self-identity is defined against clichéd typologies made within a crucible of race, identity, and belonging.
Regional Variation in Family Support for the Elderly in China: A Geodevelopmental Perspective

The author examines the impact of rapid social change and economic development on family support for older parents in contemporary urban China. Based on the 1992 Survey on China's Support Systems for the Elderly, the author uses three levels of economic development as proxies for developmental stages in a study carried out from a geodevelopmental perspective. It is found that intergenerational support in urban China is persistent as far as instrumental support is concerned, and that the level of support follows a U-shaped pattern along the axis of economic development. It is in the mid-developed urban areas that intergenerational support seems the weakest. If the pattern from the less-developed to the developed urban areas reflects a time path, then the suggested trajectory will not lead to a convergence with the old-age support system found in the West. The author concludes that, although some aspects of economic support for the elderly will likely be consistent with modernization theory, the old-age support system in China is, on the whole, likely to diverge from the path seen in the West.
Effect of Acid Adaptation on the Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in THP-1 Human Macrophages Activated by Gamma Interferon

ABSTRACT In Listeria monocytogenes the acid tolerance response (ATR) takes place through a programmed molecular response which ensures cell survival under unfavorable conditions. Much evidence links ATR with virulence, but the molecular determinants involved in the reactivity to low pHs and the behavior of acid-exposed bacteria within host cells are still poorly understood. We have investigated the effect of acid adaptation on the fate of L. monocytogenes in human macrophages. Expression of genes encoding determinants for cell invasion and intracellular survival was tested for acid-exposed bacteria, and invasive behavior in the human myelomonocytic cell line THP-1 activated with gamma interferon was assessed. Functional approaches demonstrated that preexposure to an acidic pH enhances the survival of L. monocytogenes in activated human macrophages and that this effect is associated with an altered pattern of expression of genes involved in acid resistance and cell invasion. Significantly decreased transcription of the plcA gene, encoding a phospholipase C involved in vacuolar escape and cell-to-cell spread, was observed in acid-adapted bacteria. This effect was due to a reduction in the quantity of the bicistronic plcA-prfA transcript, concomitant with an increase in the level(s) of the monocistronic prfA mRNA(s). The transcriptional shift from distal to proximal prfA promoters resulted in equal levels of the prfA transcript (and, as a consequence, of the inlA, hly, and actA transcripts) under neutral and acidic conditions. In contrast, the sodC and gad genes, encoding a cytoplasmic superoxide dismutase and the glutamate-based acid resistance system, respectively, were positively regulated at a low pH. Morphological approaches confirmed the increased intracellular survival and growth of acid-adapted L. monocytogenes cells both in vacuoles and in the cytoplasm of interferon gamma-activated THP-1 macrophages. Our data indicate that preexposure to a low pH has a positive impact on subsequent challenge of L. monocytogenes with macrophagic cells.
Peripheral immune system and neuroimmune communication impairment in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be understood in the context of the aging of neuroimmune communication. Although the contribution to AD of the immune cells present in the brain is accepted, the role of the peripheral immune system is less well known. The present review examines the behavior and the function and redox state of peripheral immune cells in a triple‐transgenic mouse model (3×Tg‐AD). These animals develop both beta‐amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles with a temporal‐ and regional‐specific profile that closely mimics their development in the human AD brain. We have observed age and sex‐related changes in several aspects of behavior and immune cell functions, which demonstrate premature aging. Lifestyle strategies such as physical exercise and environmental enrichment can improve these aspects. We propose that the analysis of the function and redox state of peripheral immune cells can be a useful tool for measuring the progression of AD.
Characterization of Errors in a Coupled Snow Hydrology–Microwave Emission Model

Abstract Traditional approaches to the direct estimation of snow properties from passive microwave remote sensing have been plagued by limitations such as the tendency of estimates to saturate for moderately deep snowpacks and the effects of mixed land cover within remotely sensed pixels. An alternative approach is to assimilate satellite microwave emission observations directly, which requires embedding an accurate microwave emissions model into a hydrologic prediction scheme, as well as quantitative information of model and observation errors. In this study a coupled snow hydrology [Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC)] and microwave emission [Dense Media Radiative Transfer (DMRT)] model are evaluated using multiscale brightness temperature (TB) measurements from the Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX). The ability of VIC to reproduce snowpack properties is shown with the use of snow pit measurements, while TB model predictions are evaluated through comparison with Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer (G.
Spatial Variation of Hydrochemical Characteristics in and Around Port Blair Bay Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Spatial distributions of hydrochemical characteristics were studied during three seasons of 2007 in Port Blair Bay andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Nutrients (NO -N, NO -N, NH -N, PO -P, SiO -Si) in relation 2 3 4 4 4 to some physicochemical features (pH, DO, BOD, Salinity, SSC) and biological parameters like pigment concentration, zooplankton biomass and net primary productivity was studied in seven selected locations along the bay to understand the relative importance of external nutrient inputs and the internal biogeochemical processes. Variation in nutrients and biological status of polluted stations were reflected through higher values with regional anthropogenic activity from adjacent residential areas. From the results nutrients did not show any obvious tidal effect with flood tide and ebb tide. Further, Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were applied to evaluate the relationships between the various physico-chemical and biological features with existing environmental conditions. The statistical analysis revealed that the Flat Bay and Junglighat Bay were more vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. Hence, the present study is essential to safe guard the interest of local fisher folk community in and around Port Blair waters.
Organ-Protective Effects of Red Wine Extract, Resveratrol, in Oxidative Stress-Mediated Reperfusion Injury

Resveratrol, a polyphenol extracted from red wine, possesses potential antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, including the reduction of free radicals and proinflammatory mediators overproduction, the alteration of the expression of adhesion molecules, and the inhibition of neutrophil function. A growing body of evidence indicates that resveratrol plays an important role in reducing organ damage following ischemia- and hemorrhage-induced reperfusion injury. Such protective phenomenon is reported to be implicated in decreasing the formation and reaction of reactive oxygen species and pro-nflammatory cytokines, as well as the mediation of a variety of intracellular signaling pathways, including the nitric oxide synthase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, deacetylase sirtuin 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha, hemeoxygenase-1, and estrogen receptor-related pathways. Reperfusion injury is a complex pathophysiological process that involves multiple factors and pathways. The resveratrol is an effective reactive oxygen species scavenger that exhibits an antioxidative property. In this review, the organ-protective effects of resveratrol in oxidative stress-related reperfusion injury will be discussed.
Glutamate and depression: clinical and preclinical studies.

The past decade has seen a steady accumulation of evidence supporting a role for the excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmitter, glutamate, and its receptors in depression and antidepressant activity. To date, evidence has emerged indicating that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1 and mGluR5) antagonists, as well as positive modulators of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors have antidepressant-like activity in a variety of preclinical models. Moreover, antidepressant-like activity can be produced not only by drugs modulating the glutamatergic synapse, but also by agents that affect subcellular signaling systems linked to EAA receptors (e.g., nitric oxide synthase). In view of the extensive colocalization of EAA and monoamine markers in nuclei such as the locus coeruleus and dorsal raphe, it is likely that an intimate relationship exists between regulation of monoaminergic and EAA neurotransmission and antidepressant effects. Further, there is also evidence implicating disturbances in glutamate metabolism, NMDA, and mGluR1,5 receptors in depression and suicidality. Finally, recent data indicate that a single intravenous dose of an NMDA receptor antagonist is sufficient to produce sustained relief from depressive symptoms. Taken together with the proposed role of neurotrophic factors in the neuroplastic responses to stressors and antidepressant treatments, these findings represent exciting and novel avenues to both understand depressive symptomatology and develop more effective antidepressants.