Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in the assessment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

CONTEXT The role of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) in assessing the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with suspected insufficiency is uncertain. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic value of DHEA-S on HPA function in consecutive patients with suspected HPA insufficiency with and without pituitary lesions at a tertiary referral center. DESIGN AND PATIENTS In 70 consecutive patients, insulin tolerance test was accompanied by measurement of basal DHEA-S. Assessment of HPA axis was based on peak cortisol response in insulin tolerance test (normal > or = 550 nmol/liter). To account for the age and gender dependency of DHEA-S, a z-score was calculated using age- and gender-specific reference values of the assay. RESULTS Individuals with HPA insufficiency had significantly lower z-scores than those with normal HPA function (-1.66 vs. -0.62, P < 0.0001). In individuals up to 30 yr of age, a z-score of -2.0 had 100% sensitivity and specificity regarding HPA function [area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve 1.00], whereas z-scores proved less useful in older individuals. In individuals with pituitary macroadenoma, a z-score below -2.0 had 100% specificity to predict HPA insufficiency (area under ROC curve 0.82). In the absence of a pituitary adenoma, the diagnostic value of the z-score was reduced (area under ROC curve 0.71). CONCLUSIONS Individuals with HPA insufficiency have lower z-scores for DHEA-S than those with normal HPA function. There is evidence that a z-score could be of diagnostic value in assessing HPA integrity, especially in younger patients and patients with pituitary macroadenoma, but further studies are needed to consolidate these findings.
Calcium Influx through L-type Channels Is Required for Selective Activation of Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase by Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone*

The hypothalamic decapeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulates mobilization of two discrete pools of calcium in clonal (αT3-1) and primary pituitary gonadotropes. A multidisciplinary approach was implemented to investigate the effects of discrete calcium fluctuations on the signaling pathways linking the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and immediate early genes. Blockade of calcium influx through nifedipine-sensitive voltage-gated calcium channels reduced buserelin-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Fos while activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and c-Jun was unaffected. Inhibition of buserelin-stimulated ERK activity by nifedipine was also observed in rat pituitary cells in primary culture. Direct activation of αT3-1 cell L-type calcium channels with the agonist Bay-K 8644 resulted in phosphorylation of ERK and induction of c-Fos. However, simple voltage-induced channel activation did not produce a sufficient calcium signal, since depolarization with 35 mm KCl failed to induce activation of ERK. Depletion of intracellular calcium stores with thapsigargin did not affect buserelin-induced ERK activation. An inhibitor of protein kinase C decreased calcium influx through nifedipine-sensitive calcium channels and phosphorylation of ERK induced by buserelin. Pharmacological inhibition of protein kinase C did not block Bay-K 8644-induced ERK activation. These observations suggest that calcium influx through L-type channels is required for GnRH-induced activation of ERK and c-Fos and that the influence of calcium lies downstream of protein kinase C.
Development of a simple and rapid method for producing non‐fucosylated oligomannose containing antibodies with increased effector function

Glycosylation in the Fc region of antibodies has been shown to play an important role in antibody function. In the current study, glycosylation of human monoclonal antibodies was metabolically modulated using a potent α‐mannosidase I inhibitor, kifunensine, resulting in the production of antibodies with oligomannose‐type N‐glycans. Growing Chinese hamster ovary cells for 11 days in batch culture with a single treatment of kifunensine was sufficient to elicit this effect without any significant impact on cell viability or antibody production. Antibodies expressed in the presence of kifunensine at a concentration as low as 60 ng/mL contained mainly oligomannose‐type glycans and demonstrated increased ADCC activity and affinity for FcγRIIIA, but reduced C1q binding. Although the kifunensine‐mediated shift to oligomannose‐type glycans could, in theory, result in rapid clearance of the antibody through increased mannose receptor binding, the serum levels of antibody in mice were not significantly altered up to 168 h following injection. The use of kifunensine provides a simple and rapid method for the production of antibodies with increased ADCC without the time‐consuming need to re‐engineer either the antibody molecule or the host cell line. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;99: 652–665. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Early massive follicle loss and apoptosis in heterotopically grafted newborn mouse ovaries.

BACKGROUND Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation can be used to restore fertility to sterile females. A question that warrants further investigation is whether the follicular content is affected by the freeze-thawing and grafting procedure, and if so, to what extent and by what mechanism. METHODS AND RESULTS Intact newborn mouse ovaries were allografted under the kidney capsule or were cryopreserved by slow freezing with dimethylsulphoxide as the cryoprotectant prior to grafting. Estrogenic activity of ovariectomized recipient mice, as revealed by vaginal cytology, resumed after 11 days of transplantation. At 14 days after transplantation, ovarian grafts were recovered and processed histologically for follicle number counting. The follicular content of grafts of fresh ovaries was 58% of that from ovaries of age-matched 14 day old mice. In frozen-thawed ovarian grafts, the follicular content was only 9% lower than that of fresh grafted ovaries. Apoptosis of follicular cells was investigated by DNA nick end labelling. We observed a marked increase in the staining of fragmentation of DNA shortly after transplantation (2-12 h) of fresh newborn mouse ovaries. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study indicate that transplantation rather than cryopreservation accounts for the major and early loss of primordial follicles in grafted newborn mouse ovaries.
Experimental infections with Trichostrongylus colubriformis (Giles, 1892) Loos, 1905 in lambs: worm burden, growth rate and host resistance resulting from prolonged escalating infections

Lambs were infected at daily intervals from 3 weeks of age with increasing doses of infective larvae of Trichostrongylus colubriformis, according to an exponential infection schedule designed to simulate the pattern of infection experienced by grazing lambs during the spring and early summer in Britain. The faecal egg counts and the worm burdens in the lambs followed a similar exponential trend for 12 weeks after initial infection. The T. colubriformis burdens in these lambs appeared to be cumulative during the first 12 weeks, after which the animals developed a resistance to further reinfection, which was very strong by 16 weeks after initial infection. However, even lambs which were refractory to new infection continued to harbour large numbers of adult worms, which caused clinical disease in most of the lambs. There was no evidence to suggest that either a turnover of the worm burden, inhibition of larval development or the sudden loss of established parasites played any major role in the regulation of the burdens of T. colubriformis in these young lambs. The removal of the established burden 16 weeks after initial infection in one lamb appeared to result in a partial loss of resistance to a challenge infection given 10 days later.
Long-lived mega fault-scarps and related breccias at distal rifted margins: insights from present-day and fossil analogues

Thinning of the continental crust during rifting is accommodated by a number of major faults, only a few of which produce long-lived mega fault-scarps. In this paper, we investigate mega fault-scarps and the sedimentary system located at their toe across magma-poor rifted margins. Our approach combines observations from subsurface examples along present-day margins and field analysis of fossil examples exposed in the Alpine Tethys margins. Whereas present-day examples of rifted margins imaged by seismic techniques provide details about the architecture of the top basement and the relationship between faults and sediments, outcrops give access to the sedimentary features of rocks related to mega fault-scarps. Our study shows that (1) mega fault-scarps are preferentially located at rift domain boundaries, implying a topographic escarpment that juxtaposes rift domains of different crustal thickness, and (2) mega fault-scarps are long-lived local sources for syn- and post-tectonic breccia, respectively produced during and after fault activity.
Relationship between Viscosity and Determined Injection Pressure in Angiography Catheters for Common Roentgen Contrast Media

The viscosity of 8 commercially available contrast media (CM) at 2 or 3 concentrations were measured as a function of concentration and temperature, using a rotational viscosimeter. Further on, by use of an automated injector, injection pressures were measured for 3 of the CM at various concentrations, temperatures, catheter lengths, catheter diameters and flow rates. The experiments were performed as fractional factorial designs. The correlation between the injection pressure and the viscosity was found to be log-linear, and an empiric equation was established for this relationship. The relative reduction of viscosity – and thereby injection pressure – with increasing injection temperature, was largest for the most concentrated CM. Iodixanol and iotrolan, the 2 nonionic dimers investigated, demonstrated an increased viscosity compared to the nonionic monomers at equal concentrations. However, all CM investigated could be used with an acceptable injection pressure either by relatively small changes in catheter conditions or by adjustment of injection temperature closer to body temperature.
EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL INTOXICATION, STRESS RESPONSE AND TENSION REDUCTION ALCOHOL EXPECTANCIES

ii Acknowledgements . iv Chapter 1 . 1 Stress . 1 Stress and Alcohol Abuse . 3 Alcohol Expectancies. 5 Current Study . 10 Chapter 2 Methods . 13 Participants . 13 Self Report Measures . 14 College Drinking Influences Survey . 14 State-Trait Anxiety Inventory . 16 Perceived Intoxication Questionnaire . 16 Behavioural Measures . 17 Continuous Performance Test . 17 Hopkins Verbal Learning Test . 19 Alcohol Administration . 20 Stressor . 21 Procedure . 22 Statistical Analyses . 25 Self Report Measures . 25 Alcohol Effects . 25 Manipulation Check . 25 Subjective Effects . 25 Cognitive Effects . 26 Stress Effects . 26 Subjective Effects . 26 Cognitive Performance . 27 Cognitive Moderator of Stress Response . 27 Chapter 3 Results . 28
The Impact of Unified Communications on Perceived Productivity Through Relationship Building in a Large Enterprise

Unified Communications (UC) is a combination of communication tools used to enhance the user experience and facilitate communications over several different mediums. UC is a collaborative technology that allows users to send instant messages, provide live video footage, and switch from instant messaging to live talk and conference real time with multiple users regardless of location. The ease of use of the tool provides support for collaboration and exhibits the potential to increase productivity for those working in teams that may cross various geographical regions. Through case study research at Hewlett Packard Company (HP) this research explores how the use of UC helps individuals create and build relationships with team members, and how such relationship building impacts perceived productivity. Interview data was analyzed from 30 participants within two organizational segments of HP. To validate findings from the interviews, email documents from within HP were also reviewed to determine if the impact expected and noted in the documents was consistent with the results of the case study. These results suggest that the use of UC tools has a direct impact on relationship building in both virtual and co-located teams where employees work in the same physical office space. UC provides an ease of communication therefore motivating more communication, and because of their enhanced relationships, users feel more productive. The contributions of this study will allow organizations to make better decisions regarding their investments in efficient communication technologies and gain a better understanding of the importance of interpersonal relationships within a global environment.
Memory, Knowledge and Delusions

In schizophrenia, where they find their fullest expression, delusions are an extraordinary phenomenon. They can take a bewildering variety of forms, persecutory, grandiose, hypochondriacal, referential, and so on. They can be fixed and immutable, or alternatively may shift and change to the point of what Bleuler termed a delusional chaos. Finally, their degree of implausibility starts from the inherently unlikely, ranges through the patently absurd and bizarre, and not infrequently comes to violate common sense at its most elementary in fantastic delusions.
Fibrinogen mediates bladder cancer cell migration in an ICAM-1-dependent pathway

Summary Fibrinogen (fg), present in tumor matrices, has been demonstrated to be determinant in metastatic potential. We have recently shown that fg/ICAM-1 interactions are involved in leukocyte migration across endothelial cell monolayers. Using bladder transitional cell carcinoma as a model, we will show in this study that bladder high grade tumor cell lines express ICAM-1, and that this expression induces an fg-mediated migration. This phenomenon was dependent on ICAM-1/fg interaction as well as RhoA activity. ICAM-1 was concentrated in focal adhesion plaques when tumor cells were allowed to adhere on immobilized fg, suggesting a role in cell migration. The addition of fg induced a 3- to 6-fold enhancement of bladder tumor cell migration through HUVEC monolayers. This process was inhibited by an anti-ICAM-1 antibody blocking fg binding, demonstrating that ICAM-1/fg interaction was involved in the extravasation process. Finally, immunohistological studies revealed that the expression of ICAM-1 was closely associated with an infiltrative histological phenotype. Part of this paper was originally presented as part of the joint meetings of the 16th International Congress of the International Society of Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis (ISFP) and the 17th International Fibrinogen Workshop of the International Fibrinogen Research Society (IFRS) held in Munich, Germany, September, 2002.
The Normative Power of Secularism. Tunisian Ennahda's Discourse on Religion, Politics, and the State (2011–2016)

Abstract By critically engaging the literature on the inclusion-moderation hypothesis, this paper seeks to show how the normative structure of secularism constitutes, enables, and restricts the discursive space in which Islamists can justify political action. It analyzes changes in Tunisian Ennahda's discourse (2011–2016) as an attempt to navigate between standards of recognition imposed on them by the normative power of secularism on the one hand, and what they can convincingly integrate into their own platform on the other hand.
Micropropagation of Leptadenia reticulata—A medicinal plant

SummaryLeptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight. & Arn. , an important herbal medicinal plant, belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. This plant has been known for its medicinal uses since 4500 BC. Presently this is an endangered species. There is a need for applying non-conventional methods of propagation for conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity of Leptadenia reticulata. We developed a micropropagation method for mass multiplication of L. reticulata. Explants harvested from greenhouse-maintained and field-grown plants were used to establish cultures of L. reticulata. The nodal shoot segments were surface-sterilized and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium along with additives (25 mg l−1 each of adenine sulfate, arginine, and citric acid, and 50 mg l−1 ascorbic acid) containing 0.6 μM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 9 μM N6-benzyladenine (BA). Three to four shoots differentiated from each node within 25–30 d at 26±2°C and 36 μmol m−2 s−1 spectral flux photon (SFP) for 12 hd−1. Shoots were further multiplied by (1) repeated transfer of mother explant on fresh medium containing 0.6 μM IAA and 2.2 μM BA, and (2) subculture of in vitro-differentiated shoots on MS medium with 6.6 μM BA and 0.6 μM IAA. After three or four subcultures, the basal clump with shoot bases was divided into three or four subclumps and multiplied on the fresh medium. From each clump 15–20 shoots regenerated within 25 d. Ninety percent of the in vitro-produced shoots rooted ex vitro if these were pulse-treated with 123 μM each of indole-3-butyric acid and β-naphthoxyacefic acid. The plantlets were transferred to bottles containing sterile ‘soilrite’ (soilless compost and soil conditioner) moistened with half-strength MS macrosalts. Ninety-five percent of the plantlets were hardened in the bottles within 15 d. The hardened plants were then transferred to black polybags in the nursery. Field transferred plants are growing normally and have flowered. The protocol developed is reproducible. From a single nodal segment about 1700 hardened plants could be regenerated within 174 d.
Phytochromes and shade-avoidance responses in plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ability to detect and respond to the impending threat of shade can confer significant selective advantage to plants growing in natural communities. This Botanical Briefing highlights (a) the regulation of shade-avoidance responses by endogenous and exogenous factors and (b) current understanding of the molecular components involved in red to far-red ratio signal transduction. SCOPE The Briefing covers: (a) the shade-avoidance syndrome in higher plants; (b) the adaptive significance of shade avoidance in natural light environments; (c) phytochrome regulation of shade-avoidance responses; (d) the role of blue light signals in shade avoidance; (e) gating of rapid shade-avoidance responses by the circadian clock; (f) potential signalling components and future perspectives.
Making the news: environmental NGOs and their media visibility in China

This study was conducted to examine the factors that affect the media visibility of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGO) in China. Specifically, we examine the ways in which environmental advocacy and media use behaviors are related to the level of attention an ENGO receives from news media. Using data derived from a content analysis of 2158 media reports by 171 ENGOs across China and other sources, the results showed that ENGOs that have an official website and use Weibo garner more media attention than those who do not have a website or use Weibo. Most importantly, the results indicate differences between environmental activism and environmental consumerism in facilitating the media visibility of different types of ENGOs. Compared to government-organized ENGOs, grassroots ENGOs benefit more from participating in environmental consumerist advocacy and having an official website. The findings demonstrate the importance of using various strategies to increase organizational visibility in news media and highlighting the differences between using websites, Weibo, and WeChat in facilitating the media visibility of ENGOs in China.
Temperature Response of Mesophyll Conductance. Implications for the Determination of Rubisco Enzyme Kinetics and for Limitations to Photosynthesis in Vivo

CO2 transfer conductance from the intercellular airspaces of the leaf into the chloroplast, defined as mesophyll conductance (g m ), is finite. Therefore, it will limit photosynthesis when CO2 is not saturating, as in C3 leaves in the present atmosphere. Little is known about the processes that determine the magnitude ofg m . The process dominatingg m is uncertain, though carbonic anhydrase, aquaporins, and the diffusivity of CO2 in water have all been suggested. The response ofg m to temperature (10°C–40°C) in mature leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv W38) was determined using measurements of leaf carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange, coupled with modulated chlorophyll fluorescence. These measurements revealed a temperature coefficient (Q10) of approximately 2.2 for g m , suggesting control by a protein-facilitated process because the Q10for diffusion of CO2 in water is about 1.25. Further,g m values are maximal at 35°C to 37.5°C, again suggesting a protein-facilitated process, but with a lower energy of deactivation than Rubisco. Using the temperature response of g m to calculate CO2 at Rubisco, the kinetic parameters of Rubisco were calculated in vivo from 10°C to 40°C. Using these parameters, we determined the limitation imposed on photosynthesis byg m . Despite an exponential rise with temperature, g m does not keep pace with increased capacity for CO2 uptake at the site of Rubisco. The fraction of the total limitations to CO2uptake within the leaf attributable tog m rose from 0.10 at 10°C to 0.22 at 40°C. This shows that transfer of CO2 from the intercellular air space to Rubisco is a very substantial limitation on photosynthesis, especially at high temperature.
Adesão e satisfação de professores participantes do Programa Integral de Reabilitação Vocal

Objetivo: analisar a adesao e a satisfacao de professores participantes de um Programa Integral de Reabilitacao Vocal – PIRV. Metodo: estudo realizado com prontuarios de 31 professores da rede municipal de ensino de Belo Horizonte - MG, atendidos em um projeto de extensao universitaria. Foram analisadas as variaveis: idade, sexo, tempo de profissao, ciclo de ensino, turnos de trabalho, numero de vezes em que os exercicios foram realizados em casa, frequencia de participacao dos professores e opiniao/satisfacao sobre o PIRV. Foi realizada a analise descritiva dos dados e medidas de associacao entre as variaveis utilizando o teste Qui-Quadrado de Pearson ou Exato de Fisher. Resultados: observou-se um numero reduzido de media de faltas (0,37) durante o periodo de execucao do PIRV. Quanto a opiniao dada pelos participantes, a maioria foi excelente (74,19%). Nenhum professor executou em casa a quantidade de exercicios recomendados pelo treinamento (84 repeticoes). 48,4% dos participantes realizaram os exercicios entre 41 a 69 repeticoes no total. Nao houve significância estatistica na analise da associacao entre as variaveis utilizadas no estudo e o numero de exercicios realizados em casa. Conclusao: os professores apresentaram boa adesao ao PIRV quanto a presenca nas sessoes e dificuldade na realizacao dos exercicios em casa conforme a recomendacao. Quanto a opiniao dos participantes, observou-se satisfacao em relacao ao programa.