Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of in vivo protein binding of homocysteine and its relation to free homocysteine in the liver and other tissues of the rat.

Low concentrations (0.5-6 nmol/g) of homocysteine (Hcy) have recently been demonstrated in acid extracts of various tissues of the mouse and rat (Ueland, P.M., Helland, S., Broch, O.-J., and Schanche, J.-S. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 2360-2364). This is referred to as free Hcy in tissues. This paper describes a method for the determination of protein-bound Hcy, which involves precipitation and washing of tissue protein with ammonium sulfate, release of Hcy from native proteins in the presence of dithioerythritol, and determination of free Hcy by a sensitive radioenzymic assay. Both free and bound Hcy decreased markedly in rat tissues within a few seconds following death of the animal. The amount of protein-bound Hcy was highest in liver, somewhat lower in kidney, brain, heart, lung, and spleen. The ratio between free and bound Hcy was between 1 and 2 in most tissues, except in cerebellum, containing a large excess of free Hcy (free/bound ratio of 18). Free Hcy was almost exclusively localized to the soluble fraction of rat liver, whereas protein-bound Hcy was about equally distributed between this fraction and the microsomes. Isolated rat hepatocytes contained free and protein-bound Hcy in proportions observed in whole liver, but a large amount of Hcy was exported into the extracellular medium. The half-lives, as determined from pulse-chase experiments with [35S] methionine, were 53 s for S-adenosylmethionine, 2 s for S-adenosylhomocysteine and 3 s for Hcy (free and bound regarded as a single pool). Furthermore, isotope equilibrium between these metabolites and between free and bound Hcy throughout the rapid chase period suggests the turnover rates of S-adenosylhomocysteine and Hcy to be production rate limited, and the dissociation rate of the Hcy-protein complex may greatly exceed the turnover rate of Hcy. Thus, the half-lives of Hcy are such that participation of both free and bound Hcy in metabolic regulation is feasible.
Avoidance of Intimacy: An Attachment Perspective

A basic principle of attachment theory is that early attachment relationships with caregivers provide the prototype for later social relations. Working within an attachment framework, a new 4-group model of characteristic attachment styles in adulthood is proposed. In particular, two forms of adult avoidance of intimacy are differentiated: a fearful style that is characterized by a conscious desire for social contact which is inhibited by fears of its consequences, and a dismissing style that is characterized by a defensive denial of the need or desire for greater social contact. This distinction corresponds to two differing models of the self: people who fearfully avoid intimacy view themselves as undeserving of the love and support of others, and people who dismiss intimacy possess a positive model of the self that minimizes the subjective awareness of distress or social needs. The emotional and interpersonal ramifications of the two proposed styles of adult avoidance are discussed.
Mothers’ and Their Adult Daughters’ Perceptions of Their Relationship

This qualitative study explores mother—adult daughter relationships through in-depth, individual interviews with 24 adult daughters and their mothers (N = 48). Using a life-course perspective, the authors examined the kinds of themes that emerged in each woman’s narrative and within each mother— daughter pair. Given the periods of adulthood under study, the authors expected and found themes reflecting complexity and ambivalence within the relationships. Themes related to intimacy and positive relationship qualities included generational continuity, closeness, emotional support, and family norms/values. Themes indicating autonomy and relationship difficulties— generational change, conflict, secrets, and maternal pressures—were also identified. Generational differences, as well as within-dyad divergence, were found most often in narratives about autonomy and relationship difficulties. The majority of mothers and daughters reevaluated their past relationship in light of their present ties. The place of narratives about adult family relationships in understanding the life course is emphasized.
A Vague Improved Markov Model Approach for Web Page Prediction

Today most of the information in all areas is available over the web. It increases the web utilization as well as attracts the interest of researchers to improve the effectiveness of web access and web utilization. As the number of web clients gets increased, the bandwidth sharing is performed that decreases the web access efficiency. Web page prefetching improves the effectiveness of web access by availing the next required web page before the user demand. It is an intelligent predictive mining that analyze the user web access history and predict the next page. In this work, vague improved markov model is presented to perform the prediction. In this work, vague rules are suggested to perform the pruning at different levels of markov model. Once the prediction table is generated, the association mining will be implemented to identify the most effective next page. In this paper, an integrated model is suggested to improve the prediction accuracy and effectiveness.
Release of Catecholamines Is Increased but Does Not Contribute to the Impaired Insulin Secretion in the Perfused Pancreata of Diabetic Rats

Insulin response to glucose is severely impaired in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Also in a rat model of NIDDM, neonatally streptozotocin diabetic rats (STZ), the insulin response to glucose is profoundly suppressed when studied in vivo or in the perfused pancreas. The insulin response was better preserved from isolated islets obtained from patients and STZ rats. Since α2-adrenoceptor stimulation suppresses insulin secretion, catecholamines from intrapancreatic nerve terminals may be involved in the mechanism behind the marked impairment of the glucose-stimulated insulin response in the intact pancreas. We have studied the pancreatic content and release—or overflow—of catecholamines from the isolated, perfused pancreas of STZ rats. The overflow of noradrenaline (NA) in the perfusate was two- to threefold higher in pancreata from STZ than from nondiabetic rats, and perfusion with a high glucose concentration increased the NA overflow in both types of pancreata. Levels of adrenaline (ADR) were always low in perfusates of nondiabetic glands, but increased in five of seven perfusions of STZ glands. The pancreatic contents of NA and ADR were similar in STZ and nondiabetic rats. Pretreatment of rats with reserpine 24 h before perfusions reduced the pancreatic content of NA and ADR by >90% in both STZ and nondiabetic rats. Reserpine also diminished the overflow of NA in the perfusate from STZ rats by >90% and from nondiabetic rats by 58–77%. After reserpine, however, glucose-induced insulin release was not enhanced in either STZ or control pancreata. In conclusion, overflow of catecholamines is higher in the pancreas of STZ than of nondiabetic rats. It is unlikely, however, that these increased levels of pancreatic catecholamines are responsible for the severely impaired glucose-induced insulin release from the isolated, perfused STZ rat pancreas.
Role of academic managers in workload and performance management of academic staff

This small-scale case study focused on academic managers to explore the ways in which they control the workload of academic staff and the extent to which they use the workload model in performance management of academic staff. The links that exist between the workload and performance management were explored to confirm or refute the conceptual dichotomy, identified from the literature, exist in practice. A conceptualization derived from neoliberal ideology is described which uses new public management as the anchor for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the three academic managers in each of the faculties and the transcripts analysed. The analysis of the responses confirmed that workload and performance management are not linked at the operational level, confirming the dichotomy in practice. Further research is suggested that would focus on the perceptions of academic staff directly affected by the workload and performance management processes.
Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 Versus Placebo for Treating Diarrhea of Greater Than 4 Days Duration in Infants and Toddlers

Background: Administering probiotics can prevent or cure some forms of diarrhea. The efficacy of probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) in infants and toddlers with diarrhea >4 days was tested by a double-blind trial. Methods: One hundred fifty-one children aged 1–47 months with nonspecific diarrhea were randomized to receive either EcN suspension (N = 75) or placebo (N = 76). Diarrhea had to meet the following definition: >3 watery or loose nonbloody stools in 24 hours of a diarrheal episode persisting for >4 consecutive days but ≤14 days. All children were well nourished or only moderately malnourished, mildly dehydrated, and received oral rehydration at study commencement. They were treated orally with 1–3 mL EcN suspension (1 mL contains 108 viable cells) or placebo daily for 21 days. Primary objective was to confirm a better response rate (reduction of daily stool frequency to ≤3 watery or loose stools over ≥4 days) with EcN. Results: The 7-day response was higher for the EcN group than placebo (EcN 78.7%, placebo 59.2%). Significant differences were observed on days 14 (EcN 93.3%, placebo 65.8%, P = 0.0017) and 21 (EcN 98.7%, placebo 71.1%, P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis resulted in a significant difference of 3.3 days between the groups (P < 0.0001); median time to response for EcN was 2.4 and 5.7 for placebo. EcN was safe and well tolerated. Conclusions: In the conditions of this trial EcN was a suitable remedy for diarrhea >4 days in young children.
Measuring Leadership Practices of Nurses Using the Leadership Practices Inventory

BackgroundOriginally developed for educational use, the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) is used to measure leadership practices in nursing research. There is limited reporting of LPI psychometric properties when used to measure leadership practices of nurses. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate psychometric properties of the LPI when used to measure the leadership practices of nurses. MethodData from 67 LPI-self and 347 LPI-observer respondents were used to establish LPI psychometric properties. Dimensionality of the LPI was investigated using exploratory principal components analysis, and LPI construct validity was established by exploring correlations with theoretically related concepts and a known-groups approach. The predictive validity of the LPI was investigated using regression analysis to determine whether observer-reported leadership practices of established and aspiring nurse leaders predict observer ratings of the effectiveness of the organization environment. Reliabilities of the new factor solution were explored. ResultsFactor analysis found that the identified three-factor solution has psychometric properties at least as strong as those found with the original five-factor LPI solution. DiscussionThe three-factor solution is advocated for use in nursing research because of the strong psychometric properties, lighter respondent burden, and decrease in research costs, as compared with the traditional five-factor solution. When used as an educational tool, the five-factor LPI may be preferred because it may be more useful for examining a greater number of leadership behaviors.
Domesticidade, trabalho e satisfação pessoal:horas no trabalho doméstico e bem-estar no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

The article presents some data from a study carried out in the state of Rio de Janeiro in 2014, on reconciliation between paid work and family life and gender mediations in that balance. By selecting part of the data, the article suggests that in addition to impacts in public spheres on the opportunities and careers in the labor market and/or on the presence in political spaces often discussed in recent decades, unequal distribution of domestic work has effects on individuals' feelings of wellbeing, considered in subjective rather than material terms. However, that does not occur in an undifferentiated way when it comes to gender relations. Men and women have different responses to sociability activities and practices as well as levels of "satisfaction", showing once again that unequal standards of responsibility and domestic and family involvement are social problems rather than matters of individual choice.
Endogenous Estradiol and Testosterone may Predispose toward Atherogenic Lipid Profile, but Higher Blood Level of Testosterone is Associated with Lower Number of Stenoses in the Coronary Arteries of Men with Coronary Disease

Objectives: To assess the correlations between blood levels of sex steroid hormones and blood lipid profile or the degree of coronary artery stenosis in men with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: 111 men with stable CAD, aged 36-73 yrs, unselected for the coexisting clinical coronary risk factors were prospectively studied. Degree of coronary stenosis was assessed angiographically using different indices. Total cholesterol (T-Ch), high density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL-Ch), low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-Ch), triglicerydes (TG), testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured in the blood. Free testosterone index (FTI) was calculated. Results: A positive, significant correlations were found between blood concentrations of estradiol and T-Ch (r=0.29, p<0.01) or LDL-Ch (r=0.34, p<0.005) as well as between FTI and blood LDL-Ch (r=0.23, p<0.05). Blood level of estradiol negatively correlated with HDL-Ch/T-Ch ratio (r=-0.21, p<0.05). While blood levels of T-Ch correlated positively with 3 out of 5 applied here indices of coronary stenosis, blood LDL-Ch with two of them. In turn, blood level of testosterone negatively correlated with one index of coronary stenosis (r=-0.26, p<0.05). Conclusion: In men with CAD, plasma estradiol concentrations are predictive for T-Ch, LDL-Ch and HDL-Ch/TCh ratio, and FTI for LDL-Ch. Regression analyses indicated that while sex steroid hormones may predispose toward atherogenic lipid profile and are predictive for the number and degree of coronary artery stenosis, higher blood level of total testosterone was associated with the lower number of stenosis in the coronary arteries. Hence, endogenous testosterone may have beneficial effect on coronary arteries.
A Discourse on Complexity of Process Models (Survey Paper)

Complexity has undesirable effects on, among others, the correctness, maintainability, and understandability of business process models. Yet, measuring complexity of business process models is a rather new area of research with only a small number of contributions. In this paper, we survey findings from neighboring disciplines on how complexity can be measured. In particular, we gather insight from software engineer- ing, cognitive science, and graph theory, and discuss in how far analogous metrics can be defined on business process models.
The effect of non-phytate phosphorus and phytase levels on performance, egg and tibia quality, and pH of the digestive tract in hens fed higher-calcium-content diets.

THe effect of three levels of non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) (3.0, 2.1, and 1.7 g/kg) and two levels of 3-phytase (F) (0 and 150 phytase units (FTU)/kg) together with a high dietary calcium concentration (approximately 41.0 g/kg) on the performance characteristics, egg quality, pH of the digestive tract, and tibia bone quality of ISA Brown hens housed in enriched cages was evaluated. THe diets with 3.0 g/kg of NPP with and without F and 2.1 g/kg of NPP with 150 FTU of F significantly increased egg production (P = 0.022) and daily egg mass production (P = 0.030). A low level of NPP decreased (P < 0.001) the body weight of hens at the end of the experiment. THe highest values of albumen height (P < 0.001), albumen index (P = 0.004), Haugh units (P = 0.001), and albumen percentage (P = 0.004) were associated with the diet with the low level of dietary NPP without F addition. THe low level of NPP with 3-phytase increased the calcium and phosphorus contents in eggshells (P = 0.002 and P = 0.050). THe lowest values of dry matter (P < 0.001) and ash content in tibia bone (P = 0.040) were measured for the hens fed the diet with 3.0 g/kg of NPP and 3-phytase supplementation. In addition, the low level of phosphorus without F addition increased (P = 0.031) the pH value in the small intestine to 6.21. In conclusion, 2.1 g of NPP with 150 FTU was found to be sufficient in the diet of hens in the middle of the laying cycle housed in enriched cages. But with respect to egg quality, higher calcium content decreased positive effect of F addition in diets with different levels of phosphorus.
On Some Models for Value-At-Risk

The idea of statistical learning can be applied in financial risk management. In recent years, value-at-risk (VaR) has become the standard tool for market risk measurement and management. For better VaR estimation, Engle and Manganelli (2004) introduced the conditional autoregressive value-at-risk (CAViaR) model to estimate the VaR directly by quantile regression. To entertain the nonlinearity and structural change in the VaR, we extend the CAViaR idea using two approaches: the threshold GARCH (TGARCH) and the mixture-GARCH models. The estimation method of these models are proposed. Our models should possess all the advantages of the CAViaR model and enhance the nonlinear structure. The methods are applied to the S&P500, Hang Seng, Nikkei and Nasdaq indices to illustrate our models.
Adequacy of Current State Setbacks for Directional High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus, Barnett, and Niobrara Shale Plays

Background: There is an increasing awareness of the multiple potential pathways leading to human health risks from hydraulic fracturing. Setback distances are a legislative method to mitigate potential risks. Objectives: We attempted to determine whether legal setback distances between well-pad sites and the public are adequate in three shale plays. Methods: We reviewed geography, current statutes and regulations, evacuations, thermal modeling, air pollution studies, and vapor cloud modeling within the Marcellus, Barnett, and Niobrara Shale Plays. Discussion: The evidence suggests that presently utilized setbacks may leave the public vulnerable to explosions, radiant heat, toxic gas clouds, and air pollution from hydraulic fracturing activities. Conclusions: Our results suggest that setbacks may not be sufficient to reduce potential threats to human health in areas where hydraulic fracturing occurs. It is more likely that a combination of reasonable setbacks with controls for other sources of pollution associated with the process will be required. Citation: Haley M, McCawley M, Epstein AC, Arrington B, Bjerke EF. 2016. Adequacy of current state setbacks for directional high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus, Barnett, and Niobrara Shale Plays. Environ Health Perspect 124:1323–1333; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1510547
Physician Response to a Mailed Survey: An Experiment in Timing of Payment

This article reports the results of an experiment in obtaining physician response to a mailed questionnaire. Each physician was eligible for a payment of $20. A randomly selected half received the payment with their initial questionnaire and cover letter; half were told they would receive their payment after they completed and returned the questionnaire. The same mail and telephone followup procedures were used for both groups. Overall, prepayment had significant positive effects on response rates. This paper examines these effects in terms of response rates for various specialties, field efficiencies, cost, and representativeness of the sample. The ability to make unbiased inferences about populations based on sample survey data depends on having complete information about all selected sample units or establishing that the nonrespondents do not differ from respondents in any important way (Fowler, 1984). Since it is difficult to rule out biased nonresponse, it is desirable to obtain high response rates. This can be especially challenging with some populations. Physicians, for example, are widely believed to be a difficult population from which to collect survey data (Sudman, 1985). Physicians are frequently SANDRA H. BERRY is Director of the Survey Research Group and DAVID E. KANOUSE iS Senior Behavioral Scientist at the Rand Corporation. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Office of Medical Applications of Research, under Contract N01-OD-2-2128. The authors are grateful to Don Dillman, Gus Haggstrom, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the paper, and to Ellyn Bloomfield, Susan Goulet, and Joyce Simmons for assistance with the research. An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the 1985 Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. Public Opinion Quarterly Volume 51:102-114 ? by the American Association for Public Opinion Research Published by The University of Chicago Press / 0033-362X/87/0051-01/$2.50 This content downloaded from 157.55. 39.203 on Thu, 20 Oct 2016 04:13:53 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor. org/terms Timing of Payment in a Mailed Survey 103 approached for surveys, the demands on their time are great, and their office staffs are vigilant in protecting them. As key decisionmakers in the health system, however, physicians are of considerable research interest, and a good deal of effort has been devoted to improving methods of obtaining information from them. Much of this effort has focused on providing physicians with financial incentives to participate in research. In this paper, we report the results of an experiment that tested the timing of payment in a mailed survey of physicians. The results are not only of practical interest, they also raise important questions about how payment "works" in eliciting high response rates.
Phenotypic signatures of genetic frontotemporal dementia.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically, pathologically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Mutations in a number of genes are associated with FTD, although until recently only two [progranulin (GRN) and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT)] were known to be major causes of the disease. This review describes recent progress in identifying clinical and neuroanatomical phenotypes associated with autosomal-dominant FTD. RECENT FINDINGS Around a third to a half of FTD patients have an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Up to 10% of patients have a mutation in GRN and a similar proportion have a mutation in MAPT. Recently a group of patients have been shown to have a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the noncoding region of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72). A further group of patients have an autosomal dominant family history but no mutations in any of the known genes including a group of patients who have the same pathology as GRN mutations (type A TDP-43 pathology) but are negative for GRN mutations. Clinical phenotypes vary across the different mutations. Neuroimaging studies show that GRN and MAPT mutations have distinct patterns of atrophy--asymmetric fronto-temporo-parietal atrophy with GRN versus relatively symmetric medial temporal and orbitofrontal lobe atrophy with MAPT mutations. Neuroimaging of patients with an expansion in C9ORF72 has yet to be studied in detail. SUMMARY Genetic FTD is heterogeneous but certain phenotypic signatures of the major causative genes can be identified.