Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stars from the darkest night: unlocking the neurogenic potential of astrocytes in different brain regions

In a few regions of the adult brain, specialized astrocytes act as neural stem cells capable of sustaining life-long neurogenesis. In other, typically non-neurogenic regions, some astrocytes have an intrinsic capacity to produce neurons when provoked by particular conditions but do not use this ability to replace neurons completely after injury or disease. Why do astrocytes display regional differences and why do they not use their neurogenic capacity for brain repair to a greater extent? In this Review, we discuss the neurogenic potential of astrocytes in different brain regions and ask what stimulates this potential in some regions but not in others. We discuss the transcriptional networks and environmental cues that govern cell identity, and consider how the activation of neurogenic properties in astrocytes can be understood as the de-repression of a latent neurogenic transcriptional program. Summary: This Review discusses the extent to which astrocytes in different brain regions can behave as neural stem cells, and the molecular and environmental factors that either promote or repress such activity.
A comparison of the performance of two penicillin reagent kits in the diagnosis of β‐lactam hypersensitivity

Background: Skin testing with penicilloyl polylysine (PPL) and minor determinant mixture (MDM) represents the first‐line method for diagnosing β‐lactam hypersensitivity. However, in 2004, Allergopharma and Hollister‐Stier announced their decision to stop the production of penicillin reagents (Allergopen® and PrePen®, respectively) within 1 year. Therefore, we decided to compare PPL and MDM from Allergopharma (Allergopen) with those from Diater (DAP®).
Exploring Challenges That Threaten to Impede the Academic Success of Academically Underprepared Black Males at an HBCU

Historically, education has played a central role in the lives of Blacks. Although Blacks continue their penchant for education, Black males have not fared as well in the educational pipeline. Data for this study emerged from a qualitative investigation of factors that promote success for academically underprepared Black males at a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Although all of the participants persisted to graduation, the participants discussed challenges that threatened to impede their academic success. This article discusses those challenges and outlines recommendations for the ways in which colleges and universities can work more effectively toward preventing attrition for Black males in higher education, particularly at HBCUs.
Not by Error, But by Design - Harold Shipman and the Regulatory Crisis for Health Care

The case of Harold Shipman sent shock waves of revulsion and disbelief though UK society and through the NHS. The notion that a doctor could repeatedly, systematically and callously murder patients in his care shattered the assumptions that many held about health care professionals. As terrible as Shipman's actions were, they raised quite fundamental questions about how a doctor could kill patients over such a long period without being detected and stopped. As such, Shipman served to surface a much wider sense of malaise within the health service. To see the actions of Shipman as generating a crisis for health care might be somewhat misleading, although there is little doubt that it was a crisis for the community of Hyde. What the Shipman murders do illustrate, along with a number of other events concerning problem doctors, are the difficulties facing a health service that, until the turn of the millennium, had failed to adequately address the problems of rogue doctors. Shipman proved to be one of a number of trigger events that illustrated the fragility of the regulatory system that was in place to deal with medicine and, more importantly, it illustrated the importance of societal assumptions in the generation and incubation of that ‘crisis’. This paper seeks to examine some of the these issues as part of a wider debate concerning the nature of crisis within government and the manner in which learning after the event can serve to prevent the incubation of further crises.
Chromium induces a persistent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by a redox-sensitive mechanism in H4 rat hepatoma cells.

Chromium is an important industrial metal, an environmental pollutant, and a human carcinogen. To investigate the mechanisms of chromium-induced carcinogenesis, activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases ERK1 and ERK2 was examined in rat hepatoma cells following exposure to hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Cr(VI) was found to activate both forms of MAP kinase in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In contrast to the protein kinase C (PKC) agonist, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, which induced a transient activation of MAP kinases, Cr(VI) caused persistent activation of these enzymes. Furthermore, unlike phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, the ability of chromium to activate MAP kinases was found to be independent of PKC since chromium-induced MAP kinase activation occurred in PKC-depleted cells. Stimulation of ERK1 and ERK2 was associated with the ability of Cr(VI) to increase cellular peroxide levels as determined using the H2O2-sensitive fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the activation of these kinases by chromium was enhanced in cells treated with the glutathione-depleting agent, L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine, and attenuated in cells pretreated with an agent that elevates cellular levels of glutathione (i.e., N-acetyl-L-cysteine). The ability of chromium to modulate MAP kinase activity in this manner suggests a mechanism of chromium-induced carcinogenesis that involves the persistent stimulation of cellular regulatory pathways.
Free Choice and Cognitive Dissonance Revisited: Choosing “Lesser Evils” Versus “Greater Goods”

Traditional dissonance theory predicts a spreading apart of chosen and rejected alternatives following a decision. More recent constraint satisfaction models of this classic free-choice paradigm suggest that these effects may vary with the overall attractiveness of the choice options. This prediction was tested with 13-year-olds choosing among posters. As in prior computer simulations, a difficult choice between generally less desirable alternatives produced a large increase in participants’ evaluations of the chosen alternative, whereas a difficult choice between generally more desirable alternatives produced a large decrease in evaluations of the rejected alternative. The results were discussed in terms of the relative amounts of dissonance created in the various conditions. The utility of the consonance constraint satisfaction model that generated these novel predictions was stressed.
A spectral domain ray tracing method for quasi-optical devices modelling

The spectral theory of diffraction (STD) is well known for its ability to deal with complex fields (creeping waves, shadow limit fields, caustics fields) and their transformations through multiple diffractions. We present a fully numerical and 3-D implementation of this method. This implementation is based on a ray-tracing representation of plane waves propagation and it takes advantage of the simplicity of the plane waves transformation formulas at dielectric or conducting interfaces. The geometrical optics ray-tracing part of the procedure is quite similar to what is done in the shooting and bouncing rays (SBR) method, which has been applied to scattering calculations. However, the final evaluation of the field is performed through a spectral domain integration in our spectral domain ray tracing (SRT) method, instead of a physical optics integration in the SBR method. We give an outline of the principles of the method, and present the application of the method to substrate-lens antenna analysis. Simulated results obtained through this method are compared to results obtained through a more classical physical optics analysis, and to measured far-field radiation patterns of the antenna.
Forkhead box protein p 1 is a transcriptional repressor of immune signaling in the CNS : implications for transcriptional dysregulation in Huntington disease

Forkhead box protein p1 (Foxp1), a transcription factor showing highly enriched expression in the striatum, has been implicated in central nervous system (CNS) development, but its role in the mature brain is unknown. In order to ascertain functional roles for Foxp1 in the CNS, we have identified gene targets for Foxp1 both in vitro and in vivo using genome-wide expression microarrays and chromatin-immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) assays. We found that mouse Foxp1 overexpression in striatal cells elicited expression changes of genes related to immune signaling, transcriptional regulation and a manually curated Huntington’s disease (HD)-signaling pathway. Similar results were found when the gene expression data set was integrated with Foxp1-binding data determined from ChIP-seq analysis. In vivo lentiviral-mediated overexpression of human FOXP1 in the context of mutant huntingtin (Htt) protein resulted in a robust downregulation of glial cell-associated, immune genes, including those encoding a variety of cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, Foxp1-induced expression changes were significantly negatively correlated with those changes elicited by mutant Htt protein in several different HD mouse models, and most significantly in post-mortem caudate from human HD subjects. We finally show that Foxp1 interacts with mutant Htt protein in mouse brain and is present in nuclear Htt aggregates in the striatum of R6/1 transgenic mice. These findings implicate Foxp1 as a key repressor of immune signaling in the CNS and suggest that the loss of Foxp1-mediated gene regulation in HD contributes to the immune dysfunction in this disease. We further suggest that Foxp1-regulated pathways might be important mediators of neuronal-glial cell communication.
Epistemic modals and context: Experimental data

Recently, a number of theorists (MacFarlane (2003, 2011), Egan, Hawthorne & Weatherson (2005), Egan (2007), Stephenson (2007a,b)) have argued that an adequate semantics and pragmatics for epistemic modals calls for some technical notion of relativist truth and/or relativist content. Much of this work has relied on an empirical thesis about speaker judgments, namely that competent speakers tend to judge a present-tense bare epistemic possibility claim true only if the prejacent is compatible with their information. Relativists have in particular appealed to judgments elicited in so-called eavesdropping and retraction cases to support this empirical thesis. But opposing theorists have denied the judgments, and at present there is no consensus in the literature about how the speaker judgments in fact pattern. Consequently there is little agreement on what exactly a semantics and pragmatics for epistemic modals should predict about the pattern of judgments in these cases. Further theorizing requires greater clarity on the data to be explained. To clarify the data, we subjected eavesdropping and retraction cases to experimental evaluation. Our data provide evidence against the claim that competent speakers tend to judge a present-tense bare epistemic possibility claim true only if the prejacent is compatible with their information. Theories designed to predict this result are accordingly undermined. http://dx.doi. org/10.3765/sp.7. 10 BibTeX info
The Effect of Medial Opening Wedge Proximal Tibial Osteotomy on Patellofemoral Contact

Background: It has been suggested that patellofemoral contact pressures and contact forces may be altered secondary to an opening wedge high tibial osteotomy, yet few data are available that quantify the effect of varying degrees of medial opening wedge osteotomy on the patellofemoral joint contact characteristics. Hypothesis: Opening wedge medial proximal tibial osteotomy will increase patellofemoral contact force and pressure. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Nine human cadaver knees were used. Pressure-sensitive film was placed in the suprapatellar pouch, leaving the patellar tendon and medial and lateral retinacula intact. The quadriceps tendon was attached to a materials testing machine along the axis of the femur, whereby a pulley mechanism generated 950 N of force. Patellofemoral contact characteristics were measured with pressure-sensitive film at 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120° of flexion for the native knee and after subsequent 10-mm and 15-mm medial opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomies. The film was analyzed with imaging software. Results: There was a statistically significant increase (P < .05) in mean contact pressure at 30° and 120° between the 10-mm osteotomy and native knee and across all flexion angles between the 15-mm osteotomy and native knee. Furthermore, a significant difference was seen in peak pressures when native knees were compared with 10-mm and 15-mm opening wedge osteotomies at all flexion angles. Conclusion: There was a significant increase in patellofemoral pressures at varying degrees of knee flexion after medial opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomies of only 10 mm; a larger osteotomy resulted in a greater increase. Clinical Relevance: When performing a medial opening wedge proximal tibial osteotomy, the surgeon should consider the negative effects of increased patellofemoral peak pressure.
Social Expectations Bias Decision-Making in Uncertain Inter-Personal Situations

Understanding the role that social cues have on interpersonal choice, and their susceptibility to contextual effects, is of core importance to models of social decision-making. Language, on the other hand, is one of the main means of communication during social interactions in our culture. The present experiments tested whether positive and negative linguistic descriptions of alleged partners in a modified Ultimatum Game biased decisions made to the same set of offers, and whether the contextual uncertainty of the game modulated this biasing effect. The results showed that in an uncertain context, the same offers were accepted with higher probability when they were preceded by positive rather than by negative valenced trait-words. Participants also accepted fair offers with higher probability than unfair offers, but this effect did not interact with the valence of the social descriptive words. In addition, the speed of the decision was affected by valence: acceptance choices were faster when they followed a positive adjective, whereas rejection responses were faster after a negative-valenced word. However, these effects were highly reduced when the uncertainty was eliminated from the game. This suggests that positive and negative relevant social information can bias decisions made to the same pieces of evidence during interpersonal interactions, but that this mainly takes place when the uncertainty associated with the choices is high.
On the Role of Goal Orientation Traits and Self-Efficacy in the Goal-Setting Process: Distinctions That Make a Difference

We conducted a field study to investigate how goal orientation traits and two variants of self-efficacy affect the goal-setting process and, in turn, performance. Participants were 255 college students enrolled in psychology or biochemistry courses at a large east-coast university in the People's Republic of China. Structural equation modeling analyses largely supported the argument that self-efficacy defined as a trait interacts with goal orientation traits, whereas self-efficacy defined as a state mediates the trait effects in the goal-setting process. The specific Trait × Trait interaction form was consistent with Dweck's original goal orientation theory and Brockner's behavior plasticity theory.
Pterostilbene Inhibits Human Multiple Myeloma Cells via ERK1/2 and JNK Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common malignancy in the hematologic system, which is characterized by accumulation of plasma cells in bone marrow. Pterostilbene (PTE) is a natural dimethylated analog of resveratrol, which has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. In the present study, we examined the anti-tumor effect of PTE on MM cell lines both in vitro and in vivo using the cell counting kit (CCK)-8, apoptosis assays, cell cycle analysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay, Western blotting and tumor xenograft models. The results demonstrated that PTE induces apoptosis in the H929 cell line and causes cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase by enhancing ROS generation and reducing mitochondrial membrane potential. The anti-tumor effect of PTE may be caused by the activation of the extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways. Additionally, mice treated with PTE by intraperitoneal injection demonstrated reduced tumor volume. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that the anti-tumor effect of PTE on MM cells may provide a new therapeutic option for MM patients.
Perceived Motivational Climate's Influence on Goal Orientations, Perceived Competence, and Practice Strategies across the Athletic Season

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of middle school student-athletes’ goal orientations, practice strategies, and perceived competence over time as a function of their perceptions of the motivational climate. One hundred twenty-four student-athletes completed a series of surveys three times over the course of their athletic seasons related to goal orientations, practice strategies, perceived athletic competence, and perceived motivational climate. Results indicated that when the perceived motivational climate was incompatible with their goal orientation, there was a significant shift in student-athletes’ goal orientation over time. Findings also indicated that perceptions of a task-involving climate positively predicted perceived competence and practice strategies at the end of the season after controlling for preseason values. These findings provide further evidence for the importance of developing a task-involving climate in the sport setting.
Short‐ or long‐term high‐fat diet feeding plus acute ethanol binge synergistically induce acute liver injury in mice: An important role for CXCL1

Obesity and alcohol consumption often coexist and work synergistically to promote steatohepatitis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that feeding mice a high‐fat diet (HFD) for as little as 3 days markedly exacerbated acute ethanol binge–induced liver neutrophil infiltration and injury. Feeding mice with an HFD for 3 months plus a single binge of ethanol induced much more severe steatohepatitis. Moreover, 3‐day or 3‐month HFD‐plus‐ethanol binge (3d‐HFD+ethanol or 3m‐HFD+ethanol) treatment markedly up‐regulated the hepatic expression of several chemokines, including chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 1 (Cxcl1), which showed the highest fold (approximately 20‐fold and 35‐fold, respectively) induction. Serum CXCL1 protein levels were also markedly elevated after the HFD+ethanol treatment. Blockade of CXCL1 with a CXCL1 neutralizing antibody or genetic deletion of the Cxcl1 gene reduced the HFD+ethanol‐induced hepatic neutrophil infiltration and injury, whereas overexpression of Cxcl1 exacerbated steatohepatitis in HFD‐fed mice. Furthermore, expression of Cxcl1 messenger RNA was up‐regulated in hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells, and endothelial cells isolated from HFD+ethanol‐fed mice compared to mice that were only given the HFD, with the highest fold induction observed in hepatocytes. In vitro stimulation of hepatocytes with palmitic acid up‐regulated the expression of Cxcl1 messenger RNA, and this up‐regulation was attenuated after treatment with an inhibitor of extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase, or nuclear factor κB. In addition, hepatic or serum levels of free fatty acids were higher in HFD+ethanol‐fed mice than in the control groups. Conclusion: An HFD combined with acute ethanol consumption synergistically induces acute liver inflammation and injury through the elevation of hepatic or serum free fatty acids and subsequent up‐regulation of hepatic CXCL1 expression and promotion of hepatic neutrophil infiltration. (Hepatology 2015;62:1070‐1085)
Depression Before and After 9/11: The Interactive Relationship of Internal and Chance Health Locus of Control Beliefs

This study extends the body of scholarship on the stress process by comparing levels of depressive symptomatology before and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 among students enrolled at a university far outside of the areas in which the attacks occurred and by examining the complex interactive relationship between symptoms of depression and the beliefs that one's own actions and chance occurrences can affect health outcomes (health locus of control beliefs). Findings indicate that (a) students who participated in the study after 9/11 reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptomatology and (b) the belief that one's own actions can affect health outcomes was significantly associated with fewer symptoms of depression only among students who also believed that chance can have an impact on health. These findings support Wong and Sroule's model of health locus of control “realism. ”
Decision-theoretic exploration of multiProcessor platforms

In this paper, we present an efficient technique to perform design space exploration of a multi-processor platform that minimizes the number of simulations needed to identify the power-performance approximate Pareto curve. Instead of using semi-random search algorithms (like simulated annealing, tabu search, genetic algorithms, etc.), we use domain knowledge derived from the platform architecture to set-up exploration as a decision problem. Each action in the decision-theoretic framework corresponds to a change in the platform parameters. Simulation is performed only when information about the probability of action outcomes becomes insufficient for a decision. The algorithm has been tested with two multi-media industrial applications, namely an MPEG4 encoder and an Ogg-Vorbis decoder. Results show that the exploration of the number of processors and two-level cache size and policy, can be performed with less than 15 simulations with 95% accuracy, increasing the exploration speed by one order of magnitude when compared to traditional operation research techniques.
College Performance and Retention: A Meta-Analysis of the Predictive Validities of ACT® Scores, High School Grades, and SES

This meta-analysis examines the strength of the relationships of ACT® Composite scores, high school grades, and socioeconomic status (SES) with academic performance and persistence into the 2nd and 3rd years at 4-year colleges and universities. Based upon a sample of 189,612 students at 50 institutions, ACT Composite scores and high school grade point average (GPA) are highly correlated with 1st-year academic performance. First-year academic performance emerges as the best predictor of 2nd- and 3rd-year retention. SES is a weak predictor of both academic performance and retention. Moderator analyses of admission selectivity indicate that although the estimated mean validity coefficients for ACT Composite scores and high school GPA vary slightly, the credibility intervals indicate they are valid predictors across levels of admission selectivity. This longitudinal study demonstrates the importance of precollege academic preparation and how success in the 1st year of college strongly influences persistence toward completing a degree.