Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Celecoxib Decreases Fatty Acid Synthase Expression via Down-Regulation of c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase-1

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX). Our previous observations that celecoxib, a COX-2-specific inhibitor, not only inhibits rat mammary carcinogenesis, but also decreases fat deposition in rats fed a high-fat diet, prompted us to determine whether celecoxib affects lipid metabolism. At 57 days of age, two groups of 10 female Sprague Dawley rats were pair-fed a high-fat diet with or without 1500 ppm celecoxib for 15 weeks. Compared with controls, celecoxib-treated rats had 44.4% less hepatic triglycerides and 22.6% less intra-abdominal adipose tissue mass. In the liver and adipose tissue of several genes involved in fat metabolism and mobilization that we measured, only fatty acid synthase (FAS) was significantly down-regulated by celecoxib treatment. There were no differences in the level of prostaglandin E2 in these tissues, indicating that celecoxib decreases fat accumulation by down-regulating FAS through a COX-2–independent mechanism. Among the potential molecular targets by which celecoxib may regulate FAS expression, only c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1) was significantly down-regulated. Furthermore, a known inhibitor of JNK suppressed FAS expression in rat hepatocytes. Our observations suggest that celecoxib suppresses FAS expression and decreases fat accumulation by down-regulating JNK1.
Mediatization and Political Leadership

Mediatization of politics has been observed to occur in many different ways. In the research of mediatization, one central area focuses on political actors and the degree to which they are governed by media logic or political logic. In this area, the political leaders have a key role. In this study, we focus on the relationship between the media and political leaders. Our first aim is to consider how the Finnish press and the political leaders themselves perceive the role of the media in the work of the political leaders. The second aim is to study how they evaluate what has changed in political communication and why. The empirical data consist of two datasets: data from the newspapers and interview data. The data from the newspapers were collected from four of the most widely read newspapers in Finland over a period of six months. The interview data consist of interviews with leaders from each of eight political parties in Parliament. All the data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Most of the results indicate mediatization of politics in Finland, but there are also a few features which do not support the development unequivocally. The political leaders are dependent on the media, but they have not adapted to the media to the extent the journalists suppose.
Simulation of Satellite Passive Microwave Observations in Rainy Atmospheres at Meteorological Service of Canada

In the present study, a research version of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) Global Environmental Multi-Scale (GEM) mesoglobal weather forecast model is evaluated by comparing simulated SSM/I brightness temperatures (Tbs) with observed ones. Several comparisons based on two-15-day periods, one in winter and one in summer, have been done. Results are compared to those obtained by [F. Chevallier, P. Bauer, Mon. Wea. Rev., vol.131, p.1240-55 (2003)] for a study conducted on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) model. The overall performance of the GEM model is similar to that of the ECMWF model. The model appears to simulate with realism the large-scale rainy systems but with frequent mislocations. Moreover, the model has a tendency to produce intense small-scale precipitating areas that are not observed. The frequency of cloud and rain occurrences is overestimated by the model. The model has the best skill at simulating the 22 GHz Tbs indicating that the simulated water vapour is realistic in cloudy areas. Finally these results are encouraging enough to continue investigation on the assimilation of brightness temperatures in cloudy and rainy skies at MSC
Racism and Anti‐Racism in Families: Insights from Performativity Theory

Possibilities for anti-racism within the spaces of family life have not yet been contemplated in any depth in the extant anti-racism literature. To address this, the first section of this paper demonstrates that families are a potentially critical site for anti-racism, reviewing a large body of evidence demonstrating the key role families play in socialisation processes and in the development of racial attitudes. I also look at what can be gleaned from the literature on interethnic intimacy. The second section turns to the possibilities for anti-racism within families, suggesting that too little is known about how members of families negotiate instances of racism, or the strategies used to restage or subvert racist discourses and practices within the family. The potential for anti-racist performances to challenge expressions of racism in families has largely been overlooked in the international literature. I argue that the framework of performativity has utility for analysing responses to racism in families. Performativity theories conceptualise individual acts/utterances of racism and anti-racism as enacting broader cultural values and structures. Viewing racism in families through theories of performativity directs us to consider how racist speech can be disrupted or strategically rejected and, hence, identify possibilities for anti-racism.
Methylselenocysteine Resets the Rhythmic Expression of Circadian and Growth-Regulatory Genes Disrupted by Nitrosomethylurea In vivo

Epidemiologic and animal studies indicate that disruption of circadian rhythm increases breast cancer risk. Previously, we showed that methylselenocysteine reduced the incidence of N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU)–induced mammary carcinomas in Fischer 344 rats by 63%. Methylselenocysteine also increased the expression of Period 2 (Per2) and D-binding protein (DBP), providing evidence for a link between circadian rhythm and chemoprevention. Here, we report that NMU disrupted the expression of core circadian genes (Per1, Per2, Cry1, Cry2, and RevErbAα) and circadian-controlled genes, including melatonin receptor 1α (MTNR1A), estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), and growth-regulatory genes (Trp53, p21, Gadd45α, and c-Myc) in mammary glands of Fischer 344 rats. By contrast, dietary methylselenocysteine (3 ppm selenium) given for 30 days, significantly enhanced the circadian expression of these genes (except for Cry1 and Cry2). The largest effect was on the levels of the Per2, MTNR1A, and ERβ mRNAs, which showed 16.5-fold, 4.7-fold, and 9.5-fold increases in their rhythm-adjusted means, respectively, and 44.5-fold, 6.5-fold, and 9.7-fold increases in amplitude as compared with the control diet, respectively. Methylselenocysteine also shifted the peak expression times of these genes to Zeitgeber time 12 (ZT12; lights off). Methylselenocysteine also induced rhythmic expression of Trp53, p21, and Gadd45α mRNAs with peak levels at ZT12, when c-Myc expression was at its lowest level. However, methylselenocysteine had no significant effect on the circadian expression of these genes in liver. These results suggest that dietary methylselenocysteine counteracted the disruptive effect of NMU on circadian expression of genes essential to normal mammary cell growth and differentiation. Cancer Prev Res; 3(5); 640–52. ©2010 AACR.
POPPIES AND PTSD: OPIOID INFLUENCE ON A PRECLINCAL MODEL OFPOSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

POPPIES AND PTSD: OPIOID INFLUENCE ON A PRECLINCAL MODEL OF POSTTRUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. By Sarah Anne Vunck, M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012. Major Co-Directors: Patrick M. Beardsley, Ph.D. Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Joseph H. Porter, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that affects over 7.7 million adults and carries an estimated societal cost of $3.1 billion every year. People develop PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event. Alone or combined, approved pharmacotherapies or psychotherapy are somewhat effective, but symptoms for many remain refractory. Emerging evidence suggests that opiate systems may modulate the development and expression of PTSD, and their role can be investigated preclinically. Pavlovian fear conditioning is a preclinical model which elicits behaviors mirroring those that occur in humans during and after exposure to trauma. This presents an experimental tool that can help elucidate the opiate mechanisms involved in traumatic memory as well as the resulting fear behavior. Mu opioid receptor (MOR) analgesics, such as morphine, are often given as a response to trauma, and there is emerging evidence that they are, at least partially, protective against PTSD. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system has also been implicated in stress-related processes, with KOR agonists reported to enhance stress in both laboratory animals and in humans, and KOR antagonists reported to attenuate stress-like behaviors preclinically. This project attempted to clarify part of the role of the mu and kappa opiate receptor systems in mediating effects of Pavlovian fear conditioning in mice as a predictor of their involvement in some of the signs and symptoms of PTSD. Kappa agonists increased acute fear responses but surprisingly also facilitated fear extinction learning. This would suggest that the use of kappa agonists might increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this therapy and could improve existing PTSD patient outcomes. MOR agonists, as well as KOR antagonists reduced acute and long-term fear behavior. These results support that the use KOR analgesics like morphine and fentanyl in the treatment of trauma could have an added benefit of reducing the emergence and persistence of PTSD. Selfmedication may help explain the comorbidity of opioid abuse in PTSD patient populations. Understanding the relative effects of these opiate ligands could lead to more informed usage of MOR analgesics which vary in mu and kappa receptor activity under battlefield and other traumatic conditions.
Localization and delocalization of random interfaces

The study of effective interface models has been quite active recently, with a particular emphasis on the effect of various external potentials (wall, pinning potential, .) leading to localization/delocalization transitions. I review some of the results that have been obtained. In particular, I discuss pinning by a local potential, entropic repulsion and the (pre)wetting transition, both for models with continuous and discrete heights. This text is based on lecture notes for a mini-course given during the workshop "Topics in Random Interfaces and Directed Polymers" held in Leipzig, September 12-17 2005.
Antidepressants and suicide risk in the United States, 1985-1999.

BACKGROUND The role of antidepressants in suicide prevention is a major public health question. An association was hypothesized between the increase in the use of non-tricyclic antidepressant medications in the United States and the decline in the suicide rate during the years 1985-1999. METHOD The relationships between the suicide, antidepressant prescription, unemployment, and alcoholic beverage consumption rates were studied using generalized linear models. Suicide rates by antidepressant overdose were compared in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). RESULTS From 1985 to 1999, the suicide rate fell 13.5%, with a greater decline among women, and antidepressant prescription rates increased over 4-fold, with the increase mostly due to SSRIs. Prescription rates for SSRIs and other second-generation antidepressants were both inversely associated with suicide rates (p = .03 and p = .02, respectively). In a multivariable analysis adjusting for unemployment and alcoholic beverage consumption rates, SSRI antidepressant prescription rates remained inversely associated with the national suicide rate (p = .03). Females received twice as many antidepressant prescriptions compared with males. The commonest prescription indication was mood disorders, the condition most often associated with suicide. SSRIs were associated with a lower risk of suicide by antidepressant overdose compared with TCAs. CONCLUSION The decline in the national suicide rate (1985-1999) appears to be associated with greater use of non-tricyclic antidepressants. Treatment of a greater proportion of mood disorders with SSRIs and other second-generation non-tricyclic antidepressants may further reduce the suicide rate. Controlled studies of the antisuicidal properties of antidepressants are needed in high-risk depressed patient populations.
What motivates people to post comments online

Cyberbullying, i.e., posting malicious comments online, has been identified as a critical social issue in the online and social media context. As a way to prevent cyberbullying, it is important to promote online prosocial behavior. This study examines what motivates people to post benevolent comments as online prosocial behavior in the online context. For this purpose, we first adopt an exploratory study to identify decision factors in terms of social exchange decision making. We then undertake a main study by developing a theoretical research model based on the identified decision factors. The testing results explain what and how those explored factors affect the posting of benevolent comments online in the social media context. The study has its theoretical contribution in demonstrating the decision factors leading to the posting of benevolent comments by extending the social exchange theory. It also has its practical implications by providing guidance for promoting online prosocial behavior.
Basolateral secretion of Wnt5a in polarized epithelial cells is required for apical lumen formation

ABSTRACT Wnt5a regulates planar cell polarity in epithelial cells, but it remains to be determined whether Wnt5a and its receptors are sorted apically or basolaterally, and how Wnt5a signaling is involved in apical and basolateral polarization. We found that Wnt5a was secreted basolaterally in polarized kidney epithelial cells. The basolateral secretion of Wnt5a required Wntless (Wls), clathrin and adaptor protein 1 (AP-1). Wnt5a receptors were also localized to the basolateral membranes, but their sorting did not require Wls. Wnt5a-induced signaling was stimulated more efficiently at the basolateral side than the apical side of epithelial cells. Knockdown of Wnt5a delayed apical lumen formation of the epithelial cyst, and these phenotypes were rescued by wild-type Wnt5a, but not by a Wnt5a mutant that is secreted apically. Although apoptosis was not required for apical lumen formation in a wild-type cyst, apoptosis was necessary for eliminating luminal cells in a Wnt5a-depleted cyst. These results suggest that Wnt5a and its receptors are sorted to their correct destination by different mechanisms and that the basolateral secretion of Wnt5a is necessary for apical lumen formation in the epithelial cyst.
Measurements and Analysis of Helium-like Triplet Ratios in the X-Ray Spectra of O-Type Stars

We discuss new methods of measuring and interpreting the forbidden-to-intercombination line ratios of helium-like triplets in the X-ray spectra of O-type stars, including accounting for the spatial distribution of the X-ray-emitting plasma and using the detailed photospheric UV spectrum. Measurements are made for four O stars using archival Chandra HETGS data. We assume an X-ray-emitting plasma spatially distributed in the wind above some minimum radius R0. We find minimum radii of formation typically in the range of 1.25 < R0/R* < 1.67, which is consistent with results obtained independently from line profile fits. We find no evidence for anomalously low f/i ratios, and we do not require the existence of X-ray-emitting plasmas at radii that are too small to generate sufficiently strong shocks.
A Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Differences in ADHD

The present study examined gender differences in ADHD through a meta-analysis. Effect size estimates for the primary symptoms and correlates of ADHD were calculated in an attempt to replicate and extend a previous meta-analysis on gender differences in the disorder. Relatively lenient inclusion criteria were used in order to maximize the number of studies included in the effect sizes. The results indicated that in comparison to ADHD boys, ADHD girls had lower ratings on hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity, and externalizing problems. In addition, ADHD girls had greater intellectual impairments and more internalizing problems than ADHD boys. Overall, the results of the current meta-analysis indicated general agreement with the previous meta-analysis. The clinical implications of these gender differences and future research considerations are discussed.
Unmyelinated afferents constitute a second system coding tactile stimuli of the human hairy skin.

Impulses were recorded from unmyelinated afferents innervating the forearm skin of human subjects using the technique of microneurography. Units responding to innocuous skin deformation were selected. The sample (n = 38) was split into low-threshold units (n = 27) and high-threshold units (n = 11) on the basis of three distinctive features, i.e., thresholds to skin deformation, size of response to innocuous skin deformation, and differential response to sharp and blunt stimuli. The low-threshold units provisionally were denoted tactile afferents on the basis of their response properties, which strongly suggest that they are coding some feature of tactile stimuli. They exhibited, in many respects, similar functional properties as described for low-threshold C-mechanoreceptive units in other mammals. However, a delayed acceleration, not previously demonstrated, was observed in response to long-lasting innocuous indentations. It was concluded that human hairy skin is innervated by a system of highly sensitive mechanoreceptive units with unmyelinated afferents akin to the system previously described in other mammals. The confirmation that the system is present in the forearm skin and not only in the face area where it first was identified suggests a largely general distribution although there are indications that the tactile C afferents may be lacking in the very distal parts of the limbs. The functional role of the system remains to be assessed although physiological properties of the sense organs invite to speculations that the slow tactile system might have closer relations to limbic functions than to cognitive and motor functions.
Capacity Bounds for the Gaussian IM-DD Optical Multiple-Access Channel

Optical wireless communications (OWC) is a promising technology for closing the mismatch between the growing number of connected devices and the limited wireless network capabilities. Similar to downlink, uplink can also benefit from OWC for establishing connectivity between such devices and an optical access point. In this context, the incoherent intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IM-DD) scheme is desirable in practice. Hence, it is important to understand the fundamental limits of communication rates over an OWC uplink employing IM-DD, i.e., the channel capacity. This uplink, modeled as a Gaussian multiple-access channel (MAC) for indoors OWC, is studied in this paper, under the IM-DD constraints, which form the main difference with the standard Gaussian MAC commonly studied in the radio-frequency context. Capacity region outer and inner bounds for this channel are derived. The bounds are fairly close at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), where a truncated-Gaussian input distribution achieves the capacity region within a constant gap. Furthermore, the bounds coincide at low SNR showing the optimality of ON–OFF keying combined with successive cancellation decoding in this regime. At moderate SNR, an optimized uniformly spaced discrete input distribution achieves fairly good performance.
Diabetes-specific or generic measures for health-related quality of life? Evidence from psychometric validation of the D-39 and SF-36.

OBJECTIVE There is a debate regarding the use of disease-specific versus generic instruments for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures. We tested the psychometric properties of HRQOL measures using the Diabetes-39 (D-39) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). METHODS This was a cross-sectional study collecting data from 280 patients in Taiwan. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate construct validity of the two instruments. Known-groups validity was examined using laboratory indicators (fasting, 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose, and hemoglobin A1c), presence of diabetic complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, diabetic foot disorder, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders), and psychosocial variables (sense of well-being and self-reported diabetes severity). Overall discriminative power of the two instruments was evaluated using the C-statistic. RESULTS Three distinct factors were extracted through factor analysis. These factors tapped all subscales of the D-39, fourphysical subscales of the SF-36, and four mental subscales of the SF-36, respectively. Compared with the SF-36, the D-39 demonstrated superior known-groups validity for 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose groups but was inferior for complication groups. Compared with the SF-36, the D-39 discriminated better between self-reported severity known groups, but was inferior between well-being groups. In overall discriminative power, the D-39 discriminated better between laboratory known groups. The SF-36, however, was superior in discriminating between complication known groups. CONCLUSIONS For psychometric properties, the D-39 and the SF-36 were superior to each other in different regards. The combined use of a disease-specific instrument and a generic instrument may be a useful strategy for diabetes HRQOL assessment.
Ethical evaluation of pharmaceutical marketing in Pakistan

Our aim in this study is to give a broad overview of the main ethical and legal challenges of pharmaceutical market- ing. The purpose of this study was also to investigate unethical pharmaceutical marketing, the effect on physicians of receiv- ing gifts, the influences of perceptions regarding the importance of ethics and social responsibility on ethical intentions of marketing professionals. It also investigates the effect of unethical marketing on ultimate consumer (patient). Questionnaire based survey study was conducted from two main categories: (i) physicians/consultants and (ii) pharmaceutical companies. In Pakistan, there is no mechanism to monitor the drug promotional campaign by pharmaceutical industry despite the fact that there is enough evidence that irrational pharmacotherapy is increasingly encountered even in the developed countries due to unethical practices of pharmaceutical promotion. Medical practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry serve inter- ests that sometimes overlap and sometimes conflict. There is strong evidence that associations between industry and physi- cians influence the behaviour of the latter in relation to both clinical decision making and ethical promotion of drugs. The basic principles underlying the conduct of physicians with respect to pharmaceutical companies should be openness and transparency.