Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Actin‐Binding protein, drebrin, accumulates in submembranous regions in parallel with neuronal differentiation

Drebrins are developmentally regulated actin‐binding proteins. In this study, we analyzed subcellular distribution of drebrin E in neuroblastoma cells (SHSY5Y) in culture, especially in terms of its relationship to actin filaments. In undifferentiated cells, drebrin E was scattered as flocculus small dots along the stress fibers and also accumulated at adhesion plaques. In parallel with the neuronal differentiation following retinoic acid treatment, drebrin E was accumulated, accompanying filamentous (F) actin, in the submembranous cortical cytoplasm. Similar submembranous localization of drebrins was observed in primary cultured neurons. In the presence of drebrin E F‐actin was more stable against cytochalasin D than F‐actin lacking drebrin E. These results suggest that drebrin E plays a role in neuronal morphological differentiation by changing its subcellular localization with stabilized F‐actin. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
“The Dream Recently Came True”: Globalization and Media Discourse about Kuwaiti Policewomen

The existence of policewomen in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is often painted as evidence of the political and cultural liberalization of the Gulf. It is also seen as representing gender equality, and respect for human rights in the region – important for enticing global economic trade and investment in these countries, as well as maintaining positive relationships with strategic, Western allies. This article draws on a multi-dimensional theoretical framework including globalization, cultural criminological and comparative feminist theories, to unearth the social and political meanings of the introduction of women police in Kuwait in 2009. Like their counterparts in other Gulf countries, their new deployment spawned a media discourse about them as signifiers of political, social, and economic liberalization, modernization, and globalization, designed to influence global perceptions of Kuwait; however, other contested meanings were also palpable. The present research is a discourse analysis of English and Arabic newspaper articles from May 2008 to April 2012 primarily aimed at non-Kuwaiti media consumers. A close reading of these articles uncovers the stated reasons that women should be welcomed into the national police force: as service providers to the nation; pioneering women in a male-dominated field; defenders of traditional gender segregation; and symbols of modernization and development. Meanwhile internal ambiguity and contestation about women’s roles in positions of authority are also confronted, such as their problematic deployment given more conservative notions of female identity in both the cultural and religious senses. Overall, the research shows that the media coverage about Kuwaiti policewomen puts forth a bipolar frame of the debate about their deployment as being one about tradition versus modernization. This framing obscures the nuance in the debate and the notion that policewomen in Kuwait may actually be symbols of both tradition and modernity simultaneously.
Religion and Economic Growth across Countries

Empirical research on the determinants of economic growth typically neglects the influence of religion. To fill this gap, this study uses international survey data on religiosity for a broad panel of countries to investigate the effects of church attendance and religious beliefs on economic growth. To isolate the direction of causation from religiosity to economic performance, the estimation relies on instrumental variables suggested by an analysis in which church attendance and religious beliefs are the dependent variables. The instruments are variables for the presence of state religion and for regulation of the religion market, the composition of religious adherence, and an indicator of religious pluralism. Results show that economic growth responds positively to religious beliefs, notably beliefs in hell and heaven, but negatively to church attendance. That is, growth depends on the extent of believing relative to belonging. These results accord with a model in which religious beliefs influence individual traits that enhance economic performance. The beliefs are an output of the religion sector, and church attendance is an input to this sector. Hence, for given beliefs, higher church attendance signifies more resources used up by the religion sector.
3Si: a computer program for the optimal design of short interfering RNA (siRNA) for gene silencing

siRNA is a powerful technique for gene silencing. However, it is still not clear how to accurately determine an effective gene targeting region for siRNA. It is also controversial if the targeted mRNA secondary structure would have a significant impact on the gene silencing by the siRNA. Understanding the relationship between the secondary structure and gene silencing by siRNA could help in high throughput function-based genetic screens and for development of therapeutic tools. Our hypothesis is that the selection of a single-stranded region as the target region should increase the efficiency of siRNA silencing. For the first time, a formula and a computer program were developed to select the single-stranded regions for siRNA silencing. We statistically analyzed quantitative relationships between gene silencing by the siRNA and ten parameters from published siRNA sequences. The four nonlinear significant parameters for designing siRNA are the RNA single-stranded index (SSi), a new parameter that identifies the target position and its related secondary structures, the GC content, /spl Delta/G free energy of the siRNA, and the 5'GC content of the first four bases of the antisense siRNA. The nonlinear complexity suggested that one should not use simple criteria such as a GC content of around 30 to 50% or the absence of the sequence pattern GGG for designing siRNA. Our results indicate that the targeted mRNA secondary structure is a statistically significant determinant in gene silencing and should be used to optimize RNAi technology.
Immunogenicity of an Inactivated Hepatitis A Vaccine in Infants and Young Children

Background: Infants with passively transferred maternal antibody, born to mothers immune to hepatitis A virus (HAV), have a blunted response to hepatitis A (HA) vaccine. We compared HA vaccine immunogenicity among infants born to immune and susceptible mothers, vaccinated on different schedules. Methods: Infants were randomized into 3 groups, each receiving 2 doses of 720 EL.U. of HA vaccine (HAVRIX; Glaxo SmithKline): group 1 at ages 6 and 12 months, group 2 at ages 12 and 18 months and group 3 at ages 15 and 21 months. We determined mothers’ antibody to HAV (anti-HAV) status and infants’ anti-HAV concentrations at the first vaccine dose (baseline) and at 1, 7 and 12 months thereafter. All were tested at age 13 months for responses to recommended routine vaccinations administered during infancy. Results: Of 248 participants, 140 were born to HA-susceptible mothers and 108 to immune mothers. At baseline, 34 of 36 (94%) group 1, 5 of 34 (15%) group 2 and one of 38 (3%) group 3 infants born to immune mothers were seropositive. By month 7, all participants in all groups were seropositive except group 1 infants born to immune mothers (34 of 36 [94%], seropositive). In group 1, peak geometric mean concentrations between infants born to immune (794 mIU/mL) and susceptible (2083 mIU/mL) mothers were significantly different. Across groups, peak geometric mean concentrations were similar among infants born to susceptible mothers (3166 mIU/mL, group 2; 3153 mIU/mL, group 3). Among infants born to immune mothers, the difference between groups 1 and 3 (2715 mIU/mL) was significant. There were no differences in responses to routine vaccinations. Conclusions: HA vaccine is immunogenic among infants born to HA-susceptible mothers and those born to immune mothers and vaccinated beginning ≥12 months old. Passively transferred maternal antibody persists for at least 6 months and results in a blunted response to HA vaccination.
Low Plasma RANTES Levels Are an Independent Predictor of Cardiac Mortality in Patients Referred for Coronary Angiography

Objective—Our objective was to evaluate the prognostic value of baseline plasma RANTES levels in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. RANTES is a chemokine produced by a variety of cell types including platelets that has been implicated in atherosclerosis. Methods and Results—Baseline plasma RANTES levels were measured in 389 male patients undergoing coronary angiography at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The patients were followed-up prospectively for the occurrence of cardiac mortality and myocardial infarction. Follow-up data at 24 months were available for 97% of patients. In the entire cohort of patients, low baseline RANTES levels were an independent predictor of cardiac mortality. For cardiac death at 24 months, the survival rate was 87.3% in the lowest tertile of RANTES values, compared with 94% in the upper 2 tertiles combined (P=0.0298 by log rank test). Furthermore, when patients were risk-stratified into those with and without an acute coronary syndrome, RANTES was an independent predictor of both cardiac mortality and myocardial infarction in those without an acute coronary syndrome. Finally, RANTES was also an independent predictor of cardiac mortality in the diabetic subset. Conclusions—In a cohort of male patients undergoing coronary angiography, low baseline plasma RANTES levels are an independent predictor of cardiac mortality.
Why and how electoral systems matter in autocracies

ABSTRACT This study uses a nearly comprehensive set of the world’s electoral democracies and authoritarian regimes, comprising 185 country-level observations, in order to examine the effects of electoral institutions upon party system nationalisation. Party system nationalisation is defined as the achievement of substantial electoral support for major political parties on a national basis. I hypothesise that while largely inconsequential from the perspective of alternation in power, authoritarian electoral institutions are highly consequential in that they affect party system properties in consistent, theoretically predictable ways. The empirical test confirms this hypothesis by demonstrating that in democracies and authoritarian regimes, the effects of electoral systems on party system nationalisation are similar in strength and direction. These findings imply that conventional electoral engineering can be used to enable the survival of modern autocracies.
Long‐term quality of life for transplant recipients

1. Liver transplantation is associated with an improvement in overall quality of life (QOL). This improvement is, however, lower than expected. 2. QOL improves significantly early after liver transplantation, but it seems to decrease after the first year after transplantation. 3. The identification of patients or patient categories characterized by poor adherence and unsatisfactory QOL is crucial. 4. Multidisciplinary programs based on information, education, and psychological support are needed in order to improve patient QOL after liver transplantation.
Adapting interpersonal and social rhythm therapy to the developmental needs of adolescents with bipolar disorder

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) is a manual-based adjunctive psychotherapy specific to the treatment of bipolar disorder. This paper reviews the theoretical rationale and empirical evidence for the efficacy of IPSRT in combination with pharmacotherapy for adults with bipolar I disorder. We then provide an overview of the developmental modifications being made to IPSRT to increase its relevance to adolescents with bipolar disorder.To protect confidentiality, case examples are composites of several different adolescents receiving IPSRT. Patients' real names were not used in this report. The authors are grateful to Elizabeth McCauley and Carolyn McCarty for their thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of this article. We also thank Laura Mufson for her sage advice regarding the developmental adaptations being made to IPSRT to be more relevant to adolescents with bipolar disorder. This work was supported by National Institute of Mental Health (Bethesda, MD) Grants MH70570 (S.H.) and MH29618 (E.F.) and General Clinical Research Center Grant M01-RR00037.
The SUGAR-DEPENDENT1 Lipase Limits Triacylglycerol Accumulation in Vegetative Tissues of Arabidopsis1[W]

A triacylglycerol lipase knockout boosts the oil content of wild-type plants and transgenic plants genetically engineered to make more oil. There has been considerable interest recently in the prospect of engineering crops to produce triacylglycerol (TAG) in their vegetative tissues as a means to achieve a step change in oil yield. Here, we show that disruption of TAG hydrolysis in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lipase mutant sugar-dependent1 (sdp1) leads to a substantial accumulation of TAG in roots and stems but comparatively much lower TAG accumulation in leaves. TAG content in sdp1 roots increases with the age of the plant and can reach more than 1% of dry weight at maturity, a 50-fold increase over the wild type. TAG accumulation in sdp1 roots requires both ACYL-COENZYME A:DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE1 (DGAT1) and PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE:DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE1 and can also be strongly stimulated by the provision of exogenous sugar. In transgenic plants constitutively coexpressing WRINKLED1 and DGAT1, sdp1 also doubles the accumulation of TAG in roots, stems, and leaves, with levels ranging from 5% to 8% of dry weight. Finally, provision of 3% (w/v) exogenous Suc can further boost root TAG content in these transgenic plants to 17% of dry weight. This level of TAG is similar to seed tissues in many plant species and establishes the efficacy of an engineering strategy to produce oil in vegetative tissues that involves simultaneous manipulation of carbohydrate supply, fatty acid synthesis, TAG synthesis, and also TAG breakdown.
Cross-generational transmission from drug abuse in parents to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predisposes to drug abuse (DA) and twin studies suggest shared genetic effects. We here seek to determine, using adoption and adoption-like samples, the magnitude of the cross-generational transmission from DA in parents to ADHD in their children and clarify the degree to which this arises from genetic v. rearing effects. Method We ascertained ADHD and DA from multiple Swedish registries. Statistical analysis was performed by Cox and path models. Results Risk for ADHD was significantly and similarly increased in the offspring of biological mothers and fathers with DA who did v. did not rear their offspring. Risk for ADHD was not elevated in the offspring of adoptive or step-parents with DA. Conclusions Cross-generational transmission was observed from DA in parents to ADHD in their children. An analysis of adoptive and adoptive-like parent–offspring relationships suggested that this transmission results from genetic and not from rearing effects.
Distinct Paths for Basic Amino Acid Export in Escherichia coli: YbjE (LysO) Mediates Export of l-Lysine

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, argO encodes an exporter for l-arginine (Arg) and its toxic analogue canavanine (CAN), and its transcriptional activation and repression, by Arg and l-lysine (Lys), respectively, are mediated by the regulator ArgP. Accordingly argO and argP mutants are CAN supersensitive (CANss). We report the identification of ybjE as a gene encoding a predicted inner membrane protein that mediates export of Lys, and our results confirm the previous identification with a different approach of YbjE as a Lys exporter, reported by Ueda and coworkers (T. Ueda, Y. Nakai, Y. Gunji, R. Takikawa, and Y. Joe, U.S. patents 7,629,142 B2 [December 2009] and 8,383,363 B1 [February 2013] and European patent 1,664,318 B1 [September 2009]). ybjE was isolated as a multicopy suppressor of the CANss phenotype of a strain lacking ArgO. The absence of YbjE did not confer a CANss phenotype but instead conferred hypersensitivity to the lysine antimetabolite thialysine and led to growth inhibition by the dipeptide lysylalanine, which is associated with elevated cellular Lys content. YbjE overproduction resulted in Lys excretion and syntrophic cross-feeding of a Lys auxotroph. Constitutive overexpression of argO promoted Lys cross-feeding that is indicative of a latent Lys export potential of ArgO. Arg modestly repressed ybjE transcription in an ArgR-dependent manner, and ArgR displayed Arg-sensitive binding to the ybjE promoter region in vitro. Our studies suggest that the reciprocal repression of argO and ybjE, respectively, by Lys and Arg confers the specificity for basic amino acid export by distinct paths and that such cross-repression contributes to maintenance of cytoplasmic Arg/Lys balance. We propose that YbjE be redesignated LysO. IMPORTANCE This work ascribes a lysine export function to the product of the ybjE gene of Escherichia coli, leading to a physiological scenario wherein two proteins, ArgO and YbjE, perform the task of separately exporting arginine and lysine, respectively, which is distinct from that seen for Corynebacterium glutamicum, where the ortholog of ArgO, LysE, mediates export of both arginine and lysine. Repression of argO transcription by lysine is thought to effect this separation. Accordingly, ArgO mediates lysine export when repression of its transcription by lysine is bypassed. Repression of ybjE transcription by arginine via the ArgR repressor, together with the lysine repression of argO effected by ArgP, is indicative of a mechanism of maintenance of arginine/lysine balance in E. coli.
Nationwide survey of acute juvenile female non-herpetic encephalitis in Japan: relationship to anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.

OBJECTIVE To study the incidence and clinical features of acute juvenile female non-herpetic encephalitis (AJFNHE) in Japan. METHODS A nationwide questionnaire on patients with severe non-herpetic encephalitis of unknown etiology with a prolonged clinical course or death was sent to the departments of Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, and Emergency and Critical Care at all hospitals with 200 beds or more in Japan. RESULTS The recovery rate was 25% (1,279 out of 5,030 departments) and 90 patients were enrolled in this study. The annual incidence was 0.33/10(6) population. 85% of patients were female. The means and standard deviations of age at onset and hospital stay were 26+/-10 years and 180+/-228 days. As first symptoms, fever and psychosis were presented in 90%. Among the neurological symptoms, disturbance of consciousness was presented in 92%, convulsions in 65%, and involuntary movements in 55%. Respiratory failure during hospitalization was observed in 71% and required care with mechanical ventilation. The detection rate of anti-GluR epsilon2 and/or delta1 antibodies was 67% of patients. Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1/NR2 antibody was detected in all four examined patients with anti-GluR epsilon2 antibody, and also detected in both of the two examined patients without anti-GluR epsilon2 antibody. As for outcome, 46% returned to work and 37% returned home, but 7% died. Associated tumors were demonstrated in 39%. All reported patients had ovarian tumors, among which teratoma was the most frequent. CONCLUSION A nationwide survey provided data for the annual incidence and clinical features of AJFNHE in Japan.
Day-to-Day Demands of Parkinson's Disease

This interpretive study explored the experience of having Parkinson's disease in middle life. The researcher examined the day-to-day demands experienced by 16 people (9 men and 7 women), ages 42-59 years, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson 's disease for a range of 1-16 years. Demands directly attributable to the illness included acknowledging symptoms and seeking help, balancing emotional responses, dealing with a changing body, gaining formal and practical knowledge, and dealing with unpredictability. The illness also created demands related to changing roles, sense of identity, and relationships. This study advances understanding of the dijficulties and challenges experienced by those who live with Parkinson's disease and has implications for nursing practice with this population.
Gene expression profiling of human macrophages at late time of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Macrophages play an essential role in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Previous transcriptome surveys, by means of micro‐ and macroarrays, investigated the cellular gene expression profile during the early phases of infection (within 48 hr). However, Mtb remains within the host macrophages for a longer period, continuing to influence the macrophage gene expression and, consequently, the environment in which it persists. Therefore, we studied the transcription patterns of human macrophages for up to 7 days after infection with Mtb. We used a macroarray approach to study 858 human genes involved in immunoregulation, and we confirmed by quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (q‐rt RT‐PCR) and by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay the most relevant modulations. We constantly observed the up‐regulation in infected macrophages versus uninfected, of the following genes: interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐8, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α, growth‐related oncogene‐β, epithelial cell‐derived neutrophil‐activating peptide‐78, macrophage‐derived chemokine, and matrix metalloproteinase‐7; whereas macrophage colony‐stimulating factor‐receptor and CD4 were down‐regulated in infected macrophages. Mtb is able to withstand this intense cytokine microenvironment and to survive inside the human macrophage. Therefore we simultaneously investigated by q‐rt RT‐PCR the modulation of five mycobacterial genes: the alternative sigma factors sigA, sigE and sigG, the α‐crystallin (acr) and the superoxide dismutase C (sodC) involved in survival mechanisms. The identified host and mycobacterial genes that were expressed until 7 days after infection, could have a role in the interplay between the host immune defences and the bacterial escape mechanisms.
The Experience of New Teachers: Results from TALIS 2008.

This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the most important issues facing teachers during the early stages of their careers. The effectiveness of teachers fresh to the profession is an important policy issue, especially knowing the impact that teachers have on student learning. The OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the first and only international survey on the conditions of teaching and learning. This report uses the TALIS 2008 dataset to analyse key aspects of new teachers' work and highlight policy implications. The following chapters are contained in this book: Chapter 1. Why are New Teachers Important? Chapter 2. The School Where New Teachers Work; Chapter 3. Support and Development Initiatives for New Teachers; Chapter 4. The Work of New Teachers; Chapter 5. How Effective are New Teachers? and Chapter 6. Policy Implications.