Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevention of cardiac fibrosis and left ventricular dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats by transgenic expression of the human tissue kallikrein gene

Diabetic cardiomyopathy includes fibrosis. Kallikrein (KLK) can inhibit collagen synthesis and promote collagen breakdown. We investigated cardiac fibrosis and left ventricular (LV) function in transgenic rats (TGR) expressing the human kallikrein 1 (hKLK1) gene in streptozotocin (STZ) ‐induced diabetic conditions. Six weeks after STZ injection, LV function was determined in male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats and TGR(hKLK1) (n=10/group) by a Millar tip catheter. Total collagen content (Sirius Red staining) and expression of types I, III, and VI collagen were quantified by digital image analysis. SD‐STZ hearts demonstrated significantly higher total collagen amounts than normoglycemic controls, reflected by the concomitant increment of collagen types I, III, and VI. This correlated with a significant reduction of LV function vs. normoglycemic controls. In contrast, surface‐specific content of the extracellular matrix, including collagen types I, III, and VI expression, was significantly lower in TGR(hKLK1)‐STZ, not exceeding the content of SD and TGR(hKLK1) controls. This was paralleled by a preserved LV function in TGR(hKLK1)‐STZ animals. The kallikrein inhibitor aprotinin and the bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor antagonist icatibant reduced the beneficial effects on LV function and collagen content in TGR(hKLK1)‐STZ animals. Transgenic expression of hKLKl counteracts the progression of LV contractile dysfunction and extracellular matrix remodeling in STZ‐induced diabetic cardiomyopathy via a BK B2 receptor‐dependent pathway. —Tschope, C. , Walther, T. , Königer, J., Spillmann, F. , Westermann, D. , Escher, F. , Pauschinger, M. , Pesquero, J. B. , Bader, M. , Schultheiss, H. ‐P., Noutsias, M. Prevention of cardiac fibrosis and left ventricular dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats by transgenic expression of the human tissue kallikrein gene. FASEB J. 18, 828–835 (2004)
Ryanodine receptor type 2 deficiency changes excitation–contraction coupling and membrane potential in urinary bladder smooth muscle

The possibility that the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) can function as the major Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release (CICR) channel in excitation–contraction (E‐C) coupling was examined in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) isolated from urinary bladder (UB) of RyR2 heterozygous KO mice (RyR2+/−). RyR2 mRNA expression in UB from RyR2+/− was much lower than that in wild‐type (RyR2plus;/plus;). In single UBSMCs from RyR2plus;/+, membrane depolarization under voltage clamp initially induced several local Ca2+ transients (hot spots) in peripheral areas of the cell. Then, Ca2+ waves spread from Ca2+ hot spots to other areas of the myocyte. The number of Ca2+ hot spots elicited by a short depolarization (< 20 ms) in UBSMCs of RyR2+/− was significantly smaller than in those of RyR2+/+. The force development induced either by direct electrical stimulation or by 10 μm acetylcholine in tissue segments of RyR2+/− was smaller than and comparable to those in RyR2+/+, respectively. The frequency of spontaneous transient outward currents in single myocytes and the membrane depolarization by 1 μm paxilline in tissue segments from RyR2+/− were significantly lower and smaller than those in RyR2+/+, respectively. The urination frequency and volume per voiding in RyR2+/− were significantly increased and reduced, respectively, compared with RyR2+/+. In conclusion, RyR2 plays a crucial role in the regulation of CICR during E‐C coupling and also in the regulation of resting membrane potential, presumably via the modulation of Ca2+‐dependent K+ channel activity in UBSMCs and, thereby, has a pivotal role in the control of bladder activity.
Developing SyrinOX total antioxidant capacity assay for measuring antioxidants in humans

Accurate monitoring of the antioxidant status or of oxidative stress in patients is still a big challenge in clinical laboratories. This study investigates the possibility of applying a newly developed total antioxidant capacity assay method based on laccase or peroxidase oxidized syringaldazine [Tetramethoxy azobismethylene quinone (TMAMQ)] which is referred to here as SyrinOX, as a diagnostic tool for monitoring both oxidative stress and antioxidant status in patients. Attempts to adapt the Randox total antioxidant procedure [simultaneous incubation of the radical generating system (metmyoglobin and H2O2) and antioxidant sample] for SyrinOX were abandoned after it was discovered that the H2O2 reacted with enzymatically generated TMAMQ and ABTS radicals at a rate of 6.4 × 10−2/μM/s and 5.7 × 10−3/μM/s respectively. Thus this study for the first time demonstrates the negative effects of H2O2 in the Randox system. This leads to erroneous results because the total antioxidant values obtained are the sum of radicals reduced by antioxidants plus those reacting with the radical generating system. Therefore they should be avoided not only for this particular method but also when using other similar methods. Consequently, SyrinOX is best applied using a three‐step approach involving, production of TMAMQ, recovery and purification (free from enzyme and other impurities) and then using TMAMQ for measuring the total antioxidant capacity of samples. Using this approach, the reaction conditions for application of SyrinOX when measuring the total antioxidant capacity of plasma sample were determined to be 50% (v/v) ethanol/50 mM sodium succinate buffer pH 5.5, between 20 and 25 °C for at least 1 h.
Maternal body composition, HIV infection and other predictors of gestation length and birth size in Zimbabwe

The role of maternal infections, nutritional status and obstetric history in low birth weight is not clear. Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the effects of maternal HIV infection, nutritional status and obstetric history, and season of birth on gestation length and birth size. The study population was 1669 antenatal care attendees in Harare, Zimbabwe. A prospective cohort study was conducted as part of a randomised, controlled trial. Maternal anthropometry, age, gravidity, and HIV status and load were assessed in 22nd–35th weeks gestation. Outcomes were gestation length and birth size. Birth data were available from 1106 (66·3%) women, of which 360 (32·5%) had HIV infection. Mean gestation length was 39·1 weeks with 16·6% <37 weeks, mean birth weight was 3030 g with 10·5% <2500 g. Gestation length increased with age in primigravidae, but not multigravidae (interaction, P=0·005), and birth in the early dry season, low arm fat area, multiple pregnancies and maternal HIV load were negative predictors. Birth weight increased with maternal height, and birth in the late rainy and early dry season; primi-secundigravidity, low arm fat area, HIV load, multiple pregnancies and female sex were negative predictors. In conclusion, gestation length and birth weight decline with increasing maternal HIV load. In addition, season of birth, gravidity, maternal height and body fat mass, and infant sex are predictors of birth weight.
Equity Issues in Collaborative Group Assessment: Group Composition and Performance

This study investigated the effects of group ability composition on group processes and outcomes in science performance assessments. Students in 21 eighth-grade science classes worked on science assessments first individually, then in groups, and finally individually again. Group composition had a major impact on group discussion quality and on student achievement. Groups with above-average students produced more accurate and high-quality answers and explanations about how to solve the test problems than groups without above-average students. As a result, below-average students who worked with above-average students showed higher achievement than did below-average students who worked without above-average students. High-ability students generally performed better when they worked in homogeneous groups than when they worked in heterogeneous groups. The fact that heterogeneous groups provide a greater benefit for below-average students than they impose a detriment on high-ability students is discussed.
The influence of programmatic diversity on the formation of new political parties

Quantitative studies aiming at general explanations for the emergence of new political parties stress the importance of new issues and the programmatic behaviour of other parties. I connect these two aspects by arguing that the programmatic diversity of existing parties is a strong influence on the incentives for new party formation, as it determines the scope for possible programmatic innovations. I use two measures for programmatic diversity in order to capture the programmatic supply by existing parties. It can be shown that the explanatory contribution of programmatic factors is as high as or even higher than that of the factors usually cited in the literature on new political parties, e.g. electoral institutions. Moreover, the results underline the necessity of differentiating between genuinely new parties and splits from existing parties as subtypes of new political parties.
A Disciplinary Perspective

This article investigates the internationalization of public relations education, by examining public relations education in Australia, its relation with the public relations industry, and its growth in response to international student- and market-led demand. The discussion highlights the tensions within what is essentially an education project driven in part by stakeholders seeking to professionalize the industry and in part by university staff seeking academic legitimacy and disciplinary status for public relations within a rapidly changing higher education sector. Tensions between the local, national, and global contexts of higher education, and academic, industry and market factors are evident. In particular, the process of developing an internationalized curriculum exposes the narrow disciplinarity and weak theoretical foundations of a field, which emerged out of industry practice and is strongly influenced by U.S. scholarship. It is concluded that internationalization of the public relations curriculum offers scholars the possibility to address the ethnocentric values and narratives of their discipline and improve learning outcomes for students.
Modulation of hippocampal dopamine metabolism and hippocampal-dependent cognitive function by catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catabolises the catecholamine neurotransmitters and influences cognitive function. COMT modulates dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex and its action in this region is generally invoked to explain its effects on cognition. However, its role in other brain regions important for cognitive function remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated COMT’s impact on dopamine metabolism in the hippocampus and hippocampal-dependent behaviour. We examined the acute effects of a centrally-acting COMT inhibitor, tolcapone (30 mg/kg i.p.), on dopamine metabolism in the rat dorsal hippocampus, assessed both in tissue homogenates and extracellularly, using in vivo microdialysis. Additionally, we investigated the effect of tolcapone on delayed-rewarded alternation and spatial novelty preference, behavioural tasks which are dependent on the dorsal hippocampus. Tolcapone significantly modulated dopamine metabolism in the dorsal hippocampus, as indexed by the depletion of extracellular homovanillic acid (HVA) and the accumulation of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). Tolcapone also improved performance on the delayed-rewarded alternation and spatial novelty preference tasks, compared to vehicle-treated rats. Our findings suggest that COMT regulates dorsal hippocampal neurochemistry and modulates hippocampus-dependent behaviours. These findings support the therapeutic candidacy of COMT inhibition as a cognitive enhancer, and suggest that, in addition to the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus might be a key region for mediating these effects.
Dilution-free analysis from picoliter droplets by nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

The expanding role of microfluidics for chemical and biochemical analysis is due to factors including the favorable scaling of separation performance with reduced channel dimensions,[1] flexibility afforded by computer-aided device design, and the ability to integrate multiple sample handling and analysis steps into a single platform. [2] Such devices enable smaller liquid volumes and sample sizes to be handled than can be achieved on the benchtop, where sub-microliter volumes are difficult to work with and where sample losses to the surfaces of multiple reaction vessels become prohibitive. A particularly attractive microfluidic platform for sample-limited analyses employs aqueous droplets or plugs encapsulated by an immiscible oil. [3,4] Each droplet serves as a discrete compartment or reaction chamber enabling, e.g., high throughput screening[5,6] and kinetic studies[7-9] of femto- to nanoliter samples, as well as the encapsulation[10-12] and lysis[10] of individual cells with limited dilution of the cellular contents
Different incidences of knee arthroplasty in the Nordic countries

Background and purpose — The annual number of total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) has increased worldwide in recent years. To make projections regarding future needs for primaries and revisions, additional knowledge is important. We analyzed and compared the incidences among 4 Nordic countries Patients and methods — Using Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association (NARA) data from 4 countries, we analyzed differences between age and sex groups. We included patients over 30 years of age who were operated with TKA or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) during the period 1997–2012. The negative binomial regression model was used to analyze changes in general trends and in sex and age groups. Results — The average annual increase in the incidence of TKA was statistically significant in all countries. The incidence of TKA was higher in women than in men in all 4 countries. It was highest in Finland in patients aged 65 years or more. At the end of the study period in 2012, Finland’s total incidence was double that of Norway, 1.3 times that of Sweden and 1.4 times that of Denmark. The incidence was lowest in the youngest age groups (< 65 years) in all 4 countries. The proportional increase in incidence was highest in patients who were younger than 65 years. Interpretation — The incidence of knee arthroplasty steadily increased in the 4 countries over the study period. The differences between the countries were considerable, with the highest incidence in Finland. Patients aged 65 years or more contributed to most of the total incidence of knee arthroplasty.
Approximating Algebraic Tomography Methods by Filtered Backprojection: A Local Filter Approach

Filtered Backprojection is the most widely used reconstruction method in transmission tomography. The algorithm is computationally efficient, but requires a large number of low-noise projections acquired over the full angular range to produce accurate reconstructions. Algebraic reconstruction methods on the other hand are in general more robust with respect to noise and can incorporate the available angular range in the underlying projection model. A drawback of these methods is their higher computational cost. In a recent article, we demonstrated that for linear algebraic reconstruction methods, a filter can be computed such that applying Filtered Backprojection using this filter yields reconstructions that approximate the algebraic method. In the present work, we explore a modification of this approach, where we use more than one algebraic filter in the reconstructions, each covering a different region of the reconstruction grid. We report the results of a series of experiments to determine the how well the reconstruction and approximation accuracy of this approach.
Predictors of bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection of gastric tumors.

BACKGROUND Endoscopic mucosal resection has been increasingly used to treat gastric tumors. Bleeding is the major complication of endoscopic mucosal resection. This study evaluated risk factors for bleeding associated with endoscopic mucosal resection. METHODS Four hundred seventy-seven patients who underwent endoscopic mucosal resection of gastric tumors during the past 10 years were studied retrospectively. Bleeding encountered during endoscopic mucosal resection was termed immediate; bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection was termed delayed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used for determination of the factors related to delayed bleeding. One case of perforation was excluded. RESULTS Delayed bleeding occurred in 25 (5.3%) of 476 patients. The only factor found to be significantly different between cases with and without delayed bleeding was the occurrence of immediate bleeding during endoscopic mucosal resection (p < 0.001). Sites where immediate bleeding occurred were not the same as those where delayed bleeding arose. There were no significant differences in other factors. CONCLUSIONS When immediate bleeding occurs during endoscopic mucosal resection, there is an increased risk of delayed bleeding.
10,000 Years in the Tasmanian Highlands

Archaeological evidence from the Warragarra rockshelter in the Upper Mersey River, Tasmania, has shown that Aboriginal occupation took place in this central highland region around 10,000 BP, i.e. following immediately upon its deglaciation. This archaeological evidence therefore helps to define more closely the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary which has until now depended upon environmental (e.g. palynological) analyses.
Internet use in South Korea

This paper provides an insight into how South Koreans access the Internet and use Internet services such as banking and commerce. The paper shows overall Internet use in relation to users and their behaviour, and presents data on Internet services such in banking and e‐commerce. Data are taken from reports issued by the Korean Network Information Centre in 2002
Quantitative description of the morphology and ossification center in the axial skeleton of 20‐week gestation formalin‐fixed human fetuses using magnetic resonance images

Human tissues are usually studied using a series of two‐dimensional visualizations of in vivo or cutout specimens. However, there is no precise anatomical description of some of the processes of human fetal development. The purpose of our study is to develop a quantitative description of the normal axial skeleton by means of high‐resolution three‐dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) images, collected from six normal 20‐week‐old human fetuses fixed in formaldehyde.
The time they are a-changing - Identification and intergroup relations throughout a merger : a longitudinal field study

The objective of the present thesis was to investigate organisational members’ reactions to change as result of a merger. How do people react when their own group’s content and composition changes? How does that affect the extent to which they define themselves as members of the (new) group, and think as well as act in terms of that group membership? The scope of the study was to extend previous intergroup research on mergers (e.g., Haslam, 2001; Terry, 2001) by understanding changing identification processes and intergroup relations as two aspects that play a key role in merger adjustment. Thereby, special emphasis was put on change and the dynamic nature of social psychological processes. I applied a longitudinal design to examine an ongoing higher education merger that involved a university and a polytechnic.
Dynamic load modulation of high power amplifiers with varactor-based matching networks

In this paper, the results of dynamic load modulation on a high power amplifier is shown with experiments. A simple static nonlinear model is used as an inverse model, and by dynamically controlling both the input signal to the power amplifier and the load impedance, high efficiency operation of the power amplifier is achieved. The modulated measurements show the feasibility of dynamic load modulation for practical high power, high frequency applications.
Increased body fat rather than body weight has harmful effects on 4-year changes of renal function in the general elderly population with a normal or mildly impaired renal function

Background With increasing age, body fat increases and muscle mass reduces. Even people with a normal weight may have a higher percentage of body fat. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between increased body fat and renal function decline (RFD) in the general elderly population with normal or mildly impaired renal function. Method We conducted a prospective study of 615 healthy individuals in the general Korean population aged ≥60 years who participated in two health screening check-ups separated by a 4-year period. Obesity was defined as the highest sex-specific tertiles of the percentage body fat (PBF). The main outcome was changes of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) during the 4 years. Significant RFD was defined as a decrease of eGFR over the upper quartile (≤−2.1% per year). Results The mean age was 67.2±6.6 years. The median value of the absolute decline in the eGFR and the percent change was −3.0 mL/minute/1.73 m2 and −0.87%/year in men and −3.1 mL/minute/1.73 m2 and −0.89%/year in women, respectively. When stratified by sex-specific PBF tertiles, pronounced differences were observed in both sexes; those at the highest tertile of PBF showed the greatest decline in eGFR. Even after adjustments for traditional risk factors of RFD, PBF was independently associated with eGFR changes (β=−0.181; P<0.001). In addition, the harmful effect of a high PBF was consistently found in subjects with a normal weight, too (β=−0.141; P=0.006). Cases of significant RFD occurred in 181 participants (29.4%), and the risk was higher in obese participants as compared with the nonobese participants. The odd ratios (95% confidence interval) for significant RFD were 2.76 (1.28–7.74) in men and 2.02 (1.06–4.43) in women in a whole population and 3.15 (1.03–18.52) in men and 1.44 (1.01–3.28) in women with a normal weight, respectively. Conclusion Among the elderly population without comorbidities, increased body fat has a harmful effect on RFD, irrespective of body weight.
Influence of Songs in Primary School Students' Motivation for Learning English in Lima, Peru

Many studies have shown that using music and songs while learning a new language can be of great benefit to students in aspects such as grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. However, the use of songs in class as motivation to learn English is a subject that has not been explored thoroughly. The purpose of this study is to explore how the use of songs in English helps motivating students while learning English as a Second Language (ESL). The participants were primary school students at a private school located in the Lima Metropolitan Area. This study used a mixed-method design that included observations carried out by the research team and questionnaires completed by students. The results show that students are motivated to participate and become more engaged in classroom activities when songs are used in their English classes. This result was more strongly confirmed with the observations than with the questionnaires.