Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure and thickness of plasma depletion layer in MHD models and comparisons with themis observations

When the magnetic field piles up against the dayside magnetopause, plasma depletion layer (PDL) is formed with decreasing plasma density and increasing magnetic field in front of the magnetopause boundary layer. Most of the PDL events were observed when the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) direction is northward. In this study, we examined a magnetosheath passage, including two clear PDL intervals, observed by THEMIS spacecrafts (B and D) in June 2, 2007. In order to understand the relationship between the PDL and upstream solar wind conditions, ACE spacecraft is used as Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) and solar wind plasma monitor. Our observational findings verify those of previous studies that these two observed plasma depletion layers occurred during the northward IMF condition as well. We did not see any specific dependence on the solar wind plasma conditions in these plasma depletion layers. In addition to all these, the PDL observations and the results from the MHD models (OpenGGCM and BATSRUS) are compared for studying the characteristics of PDL. The OpenGGCM are seen to depict the variations observed in the THEMIS data better while these are seen to be smoothed out in BATSRUS results. By examining visually the magnetic field and density contours of simulations in XZ and XY planes, we determined the change in thickness of PDL. It is seen that the thickness increases both in magnetic local time and latitude. Plasma depletion layer was found to be thinnest at the subsolar point and increases with latitude. In addition, we see that PDL becomes thicker and weaker towards the flanks. Density contours give better signatures to illustrate the thickness of plasma depletion layer.
Nuclear localization of Cdk5 is a key determinant in the postmitotic state of neurons

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a nontraditional Cdk that is primarily active in postmitotic neurons. Its best known substrates are cytoskeletal proteins. Less appreciated is its role in the maintenance of a postmitotic state. We show here that in cycling cells (NIH 3T3), the localization of Cdk5 changes from predominantly nuclear to cytoplasmic as cells reenter a cell cycle after serum starvation. Similarly, when β-amyloid peptide is used to stimulate cultured primary neurons to reenter a cell cycle, they too show a loss of nuclear Cdk5. Blocking nuclear export pharmacologically abolishes cell cycle reentry in wild-type but not Cdk5−/− neurons, suggesting a Cdk5-specific effect. Cdk5 overexpression targeted to the nucleus of Cdk5−/− neurons effectively blocks the cell cycle, but cytoplasmic targeting is ineffective. Further, in both human Alzheimer's disease as well as in the R1.40 mouse Alzheimer's model and the E2f1−/− mouse, neurons expressing cell cycle markers consistently show reduced nuclear Cdk5. Thus, both in vivo and in vitro, neurons that reenter a cell cycle lose nuclear Cdk5. We propose that the nuclear Cdk5 plays an active role in allowing neurons to remain postmitotic as they mature and that loss of nuclear Cdk5 leads to cell cycle entry.
The role of angiogenin in pT1-T2 tongue carcinoma neo-angiogenesis and cell proliferation: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND Angiogenin (ANG) is a member of the ribonuclease superfamily and of medical interest largely because it supports the growth of primary and metastatic malignancies. This study is the first to investigate the potential role of ANG in tongue carcinoma neo-angiogenesis and cancer cell proliferation. METHODS Angiogenin expression (in carcinoma cells and endothelial intratumor vessel cells), CD105-assessed micro-vessel density (MVD), and MIB-1 expression were correlated with prognostic parameters in 28 primarily consecutively operated pT1-T2 tongue carcinomas (squamous cell carcinoma [SCC]). Whenever feasible, a computer-based image analysis system was used for the immunohistochemical reaction analysis. RESULTS No significant correlations emerged between ANG expression in the tongue carcinoma cells or endothelial intratumor vessel cells and tongue SCC recurrence rate or disease-free survival (DFS). ANG expression was also unrelated to CD105-assessed MVD or MIB-1 expression. Conversely, CD105-assessed MVD correlated directly with recurrence rate (P = 0.02) and DFS was significantly shorter in cases with CD105-assessed MVD >167 micro-vessels/mm(2) than in those with CD105-assessed MVD ≤167 micro-vessels/mm(2) (P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS Our results support the hypothesis that CD105-assessed MVD would be a valuable parameter for predicting which patients with tongue SCC are at greatest risk of disease recurrence. Despite our study results, the role of ANG in tongue carcinoma warrants further investigation in larger series.
Parents’ engagement in the education of lower secondary school students with and without special educational needs – which strategies bring expected results?

This article presents an analysis of approaches to the engagement of parents in the education of lower secondary school students with and without special educational needs (SEN), as well as its effect on school achievement. The analysis of the results from almost 1500 Polish lower secondary school students, including almost 300 students assessed as SEN, showed that parents in both groups varied in their strategies to help their children. Parents of students with SEN more often directly helped their children with homework, although this strategy negatively correlated with school achievement for both groups. The results opposed a widely held claim that students with SEN require alternative types of parental support. These findings may, therefore, have a practical role for shaping parental and teacher’ beliefs about the most effective ways to improve the achievement of lower secondary school students.
Nitric oxide and endothelin-1 in pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND We have shown previously increased expression of the potent vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pulmonary arteries of patients with pulmonary hypertension. We also demonstrated diminished expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme responsible for generating nitric oxide (NO), in patients with the same disease. STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS-I) and endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) in lungs of patients with pulmonary hypertension. METHODS Immunohistochemistry with avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. RESULTS There was little immunostaining for NOS-I in the pulmonary arteries of normal control or diseased lungs. Moderate diffuse staining was seen in the airway epithelium and nerve bundles. Immunoreactivity for ECE-1 was seen in the airway epithelium, smooth muscle cells, and scattered macrophages of both normal and diseased lungs. Strong immunoreactivity for ECE-1 was seen in the endothelium of diseased pulmonary arteries of patients with pulmonary hypertension. CONCLUSION We conclude that expression of NOS-I appears to be similar in normal and diseased lungs, while abundant expression of ECE-1 is present in diseased vessels, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of arteriopathy in pulmonary hypertension.
Role of Cytoplasmic Phospholipase A2 in Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor Dilations of Rat Middle Cerebral Arteries

Very little is known regarding the mechanism of action for the endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) response in cerebral vessels. The authors tested two hypotheses: (1) activation of the cytoplasmic form of phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) is involved with EDHF-mediated dilations in rat middle cerebral arteries; and (2) activation of the cPLA2 involves an increase in endothelial Ca2+ through activation of phospholipase C. Middle cerebral arteries were isolated from the rat, pressurized to 85 mm Hg, and luminally perfused. The EDHF response was elicited by luminal application of uridine triphosphate (UTP) after NO synthase and cyclooxygenase inhibition (10−5 mol/L N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and 10−5 mol/L indomethacin, respectively). AACOCF3 and PACOCF3, inhibitors of cPLA2 (Ca2+-sensitive) and Ca2+-insensitive PLA2 (iPLA2), dose dependently attenuated the EDHF response. A selective inhibitor for iPLA2, haloenol lactone suicide substrate, had no effect on the EDHF response. The EDHF response elicited by UTP was accompanied by an increase in endothelial Ca2+ (144 to 468 nmol/L), and the EDHF dilation was attenuated with U73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor. The authors conclude that the EDHF response elicited by luminal UTP in rat middle cerebral arteries involved activation of phospholipase C, an increase in endothelial Ca2+, and activation of cPLA2.
Knowledge and beliefs about common eye diseases.

PURPOSE To ascertain the level of knowledge of common causes of blindness in an adult Australian population and to relate this to use of eye care services. METHODS A population-based study of common eye diseases in an urban population aged 49 years or older was conducted. The questions were concerned with the awareness and knowledge of and the ability to describe three common eye diseases, namely cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). RESULTS Awareness of cataract (98%) and glaucoma (93%) were high in this population, but awareness of AMD was low (20%). Among people who were aware of the target eye disease, only 29% showed some knowledge of glaucoma, 26% showed some knowledge of AMD and 20% showed some knowledge of cataract; this was also low in people who had previous eye treatment, such as cataract surgery. Knowledge was related to education level, occupational prestige and knowledge of other eye diseases. After excluding people with a previous eye disease diagnosis, those people who were aware and had some knowledge of eye disease accessed eyecare services more frequently. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge of common eye diseases is generally lacking. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Australia, yet only 20% of the present study population had heard of it. As there are often no early symptoms for glaucoma, community awareness of this disease and the need for screening of people at risk may allow timely diagnosis and more effective therapy before advanced visual field loss has occurred. An informed public is more likely to present earlier with visual symptoms before irreversible visual loss has occurred and is more likely to comply better with recommended therapy.
Optionable Stocks and Mutual Fund Performance

We examine whether the stock-level option information drives mutual fund performance. Our paper is motivated by existing studies indicating that option prices or implied volatilities are predictive of future stock returns. We find that stock implied volatility innovations forecast mutual fund performance. Specifically, mutual funds investing in fewer optionable stocks or in optionable stocks with favorable information outperform other mutual funds. In addition, mutual fund managers as a whole do not trade on past option information. However, well-performing fund managers use that information to decrease their holdings in poorly-performing stocks.
Suppression of rat hepatic microsomal cytochromes P450 by cyclophosphamide is correlated with plasma thyroid hormone levels and displays differential strain sensitivity.

Strain differences in cytochrome P450 (P450) expression were investigated in Sprague-Dawley (SDs) compared with Fischer 344s (F344s) rats after administration of cyclophosphamide (CPA). Animals received a single dose of CPA with sacrifice occurring 6 days post-treatment. At 130 mg/kg, male F344s displayed a greater sensitivity to CPA, as evidenced by a 68% loss of total hepatic microsomal P450 compared with only 35% in SDs. The most dramatic change in P450 was the loss of 2C11 (84% in F344s, 52% in SDs). In the SD, individual rat 2C11 activity was correlated (r2 = 0.76), with the level of plasma thyroxine in that animal. In male F344s administered CPA at 50 mg/kg, 43 and 44% losses in 2C11 activity (P < .05) and thyroxine (P < .01), respectively, were observed, whereas activities characteristic of P450s 2C11, 3A2, 2A2, 2C6 and 2E1/1A2 were unaffected in SDs at this dose. CPA also produced suppression of P450 in female SDs, including female-specific 2C12. Correlation was observed between the loss of P450 expression and change in body weight after treatment in both male and female animals, suggesting that CPA downregulates P450 expression secondary to decreased caloric intake. The anorectic effect of CPA is believed to result from potent central nervous system stimulation, accompanied by a state of adaptive hypothyroidism. It has been reported that CPA produces "feminization" of P450 expression in male rats. However, our findings suggest the alternative explanation that the effects of CPA on P450 expression result from decreased caloric intake.
The role of daily hassles and distress tolerance in predicting cigarette craving during a quit attempt.

INTRODUCTION Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has shown that smoking behavior is linked to transient variables in the smoker's immediate context. Such research suggests that daily hassles (e.g., losing one's keys) may be more likely to lead to cigarette craving and eventual lapse than infrequent, large-scale stressors (e.g., death of a loved one) among individuals attempting to quit smoking. However, individual differences in distress tolerance (DT) may moderate the relationship between daily hassles and daily cigarette craving during a quit attempt. METHODS A sample of 56 veterans and community members drawn from a larger smoking-cessation study completed structured interviews and paper-and-pencil questionnaires during an initial laboratory visit and, directly following a quit attempt, were monitored via EMA. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the relationship between daily hassles and daily cigarette craving and to determine whether DT moderated this relationship. RESULTS Daily hassles were positively associated with daily cigarette craving, and this association was moderated by individual differences in DT, such that the lower one's DT, the stronger the relationship between daily hassles and daily cigarette craving. This model explained 13% of the intraindividual variability and 8% of the interindividual variability in daily cigarette craving. CONCLUSIONS Smoking-cessation interventions may be strengthened by targeting smokers' individual responses to contextual factors, such as by helping smokers develop skills to cope more effectively with distress prior to and during the quit phase.
Antibacterial Resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniaeand Haemophilus influenzae from Italy and Spain: Data from the PROTEKT Surveillance Study, 1999–2000

Abstract Antibacterial resistance was evaluated among Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=252) and Haemophilus influenzae (n=202) from two centres in Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) and two centres in Italy (Genoa and Catania) collected during 1999–2000 as part of the ongoing PROTEKT (Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology for the Ketolide Telithromycin) international surveillance program. Pneumococcal nonsusceptibility to penicillin G was found to be considerably higher in Spain (53.4%) than in Italy (15.1%), whereas erythromycin A resistance was higher in Italy (42.9%) than in Spain (28.6%). Among macrolide-resistant isolates investigated for resistance genes, the prevalence of mefA was higher among isolates from Italy (20/51, 39.2%) than among Spanish isolates (2/38, 5.3%). All other macrolide-resistant isolates possessed ermB. Telithromycin possessed good anti-pneumococcal activity against isolates from both countries (MIC90 0.03 mg/L [Spain]; 0.25 mg/L [Italy]), irrespective of resistance to other antibacterials. β-lactamase production among H. influenzae was low: Spain, 10.9%; Italy, 1.8%. With the exception of ampicillin and co-trimoxazole, all H. influenzae isolates were highly susceptible to the antibacterials tested, and all were inhibited by telithromycin at a concentration of ≤2 mg/L. The findings of PROTEKT 1999–2000 highlight the importance of local resistance patterns in guiding the choice of empirical antibacterials for community-acquired respiratory tract infections.
The Confidence Trap: Japan’s Past Bubble and China’s Recent Bubble

ABSTRACT This paper explores the origin of China’s recent credit and asset boom by comparing it with the Japanese bubble economy in the late 1980s by focusing on the asymmetric pattern of financial liberalisation under high savings. It argues that (1) both cases show a ‘confidence trap’ in that policy-makers of the government shared a complacent mindset that they can achieve the optimal mix of market liberalisation and repression, while believing that their political economic system is fundamentally different from others; (2) Such complacent confidence precipitated the supply-side driven financial reforms, in which both governments tried to diversify the credit channels of bank deposits by promoting non-bank financial intermediaries; (3) Exogenous shocks played a pivotal role in enforcing the government to take aggressive monetary easing and fiscal expansionary measures. But the Chinese case is different from the Japanese case in that (1) local politics has promoted a ‘too secure to fail’ situation in which rent-seeking activities are difficult to be detected, thus aggravating the hidden systemic risks; (2) China needs to liberalise its capital account with the more strengthened macroprudential regulatory governance, as the global foreign exchange markets have drastically changed from the period of the 1980s.
Recommendations for the standardization of clinical outcomes used in allergen immunotherapy trials for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: an EAACI Position Paper.

BACKGROUND Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been thoroughly documented in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It is the only immune-modifying and causal treatment available for patients suffering from IgE-mediated diseases such as allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, allergic asthma and insect sting allergy. However, there is a high degree of clinical and methodological heterogeneity among the endpoints in clinical studies on AIT, for both subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy (SCIT and SLIT). At present, there are no commonly accepted standards for defining the optimal outcome parameters to be used for both primary and secondary endpoints. METHODS As elaborated by a Task Force (TF) of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Immunotherapy Interest Group, this Position Paper evaluates the currently used outcome parameters in different RCTs and also aims to provide recommendations for the optimal endpoints in future AIT trials for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. RESULTS Based on a thorough literature review, the TF members have outlined recommendations for nine domains of clinical outcome measures. As the primary outcome, the TF recommends a homogeneous combined symptom and medication score (CSMS) as a simple and standardized method that balances both symptoms and the need for antiallergic medication in an equally weighted manner. All outcomes, grouped into nine domains, are reviewed. CONCLUSION A standardized and globally harmonized method for analysing the clinical efficacy of AIT products in RCTs is required. The EAACI TF highlights the CSMS as the primary endpoint for future RCTs in AIT for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.
An Extremely Halophilic Proteobacterium Combines a Highly Acidic Proteome with a Low Cytoplasmic Potassium Content*

Background: The molecular cause and adaptive advantage of proteome halophilicity and acidity in haloarchaea accumulating KCl for osmoprotection are unresolved. Results: Halorhodospira halophila has an acidic proteome and accumulates molar concentrations of KCl but only when grown in hypersaline medium. Conclusion: KCl accumulation occurs in Proteobacteria and does not necessitate proteome halophilicity. Significance: Proteome acidity is needed for protein surface hydration; obligate proteome halophilicity results from constructive neutral evolution. Halophilic archaea accumulate molar concentrations of KCl in their cytoplasm as an osmoprotectant and have evolved highly acidic proteomes that function only at high salinity. We examined osmoprotection in the photosynthetic Proteobacteria Halorhodospira halophila and Halorhodospira halochloris. Genome sequencing and isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis showed that the proteome of H. halophila is acidic. In line with this finding, H. halophila accumulated molar concentrations of KCl when grown in high salt medium as detected by x-ray microanalysis and plasma emission spectrometry. This result extends the taxonomic range of organisms using KCl as a main osmoprotectant to the Proteobacteria. The closely related organism H. halochloris does not exhibit an acidic proteome, matching its inability to accumulate K+. This observation indicates recent evolutionary changes in the osmoprotection strategy of these organisms. Upon growth of H. halophila in low salt medium, its cytoplasmic K+ content matches that of Escherichia coli, revealing an acidic proteome that can function in the absence of high cytoplasmic salt concentrations. These findings necessitate a reassessment of two central aspects of theories for understanding extreme halophiles. First, we conclude that proteome acidity is not driven by stabilizing interactions between K+ ions and acidic side chains but by the need for maintaining sufficient solvation and hydration of the protein surface at high salinity through strongly hydrated carboxylates. Second, we propose that obligate protein halophilicity is a non-adaptive property resulting from genetic drift in which constructive neutral evolution progressively incorporates weakly stabilizing K+-binding sites on an increasingly acidic protein surface.
Treatment efficacy of intermittent claudication by surgical intervention, supervised physical exercise training compared to no treatment in unselected randomised patients I: one year results of functional and physiological improvements.

OBJECTIVES to compare the effect of surgery, exercise and simple observation on maximum exercise power in claudicants. DESIGN prospective, randomised study. METHODS a total of 264 unselected claudicants were randomised to supervised exercise training, invasive treatment (open surgical or endovascular procedures) or observation. One year treatment outcomes were analysed on an intention to-treat basis. RESULTS invasively treated patients showed a significant improvement in maximum walking power, stopping distance, post-ischaemic blood flow and big toe pressure at one year. Patients randomised to physical exercise training or to the control group did not improve in any outcome measure. CONCLUSION invasive treatment increased walking capacity, leg blood pressure and flow. Supervised physical exercise training offered no therapeutic advantage compared to untreated controls.