Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of the cAMP-Phosphodiesterase PDE4D Isoforms and Age-Related Changes in Follicle-Stimulating Hormone-Stimulated PDE4 Activities in Immature Rat Sertoli Cells1

Abstract Major changes in the cAMP-dependent signal transduction pathway triggered by FSH take place during transition of rat Sertoli cells from proliferative to the quiescent/terminally differentiated state. Using Sertoli cell cultures isolated from 10-, 20-, and 30-day-old rats, we recorded a specific increase in PDE4 activity in both the soluble and particulate subcellular fractions of 20-day-old Sertoli cells, which also displayed the highest cAMP response to FSH and the highest FSH-induced increase in PDE4 activity in both subcellular compartments. RT-PCR and immunoblotting experiments showed that almost all the PDE4D isoforms, known as the main cAMP-regulated rolipram-sensitive PDE in Sertoli cells, were expressed throughout the early postpartum period, whereas only the short PDE4D isoforms (PDE4D1 and PDE4D2) were transcriptionally regulated by FSH. Unexpectedly, the immunoblot data also revealed that the soluble PDE4 activities were mainly related to the long PDE4D isoforms and that short PDE4D1 was predominantly particulate. The subcellular distribution and expression of PDE4D proteins were unaffected by the developmental status of the Sertoli cells. Only the expression of short PDE4D1 appeared to be upregulated by FSH and only in 20-day-old Sertoli cells, which suggests phenotype-dependent differential regulation of Pde4d1 mRNA translation. Resensitization of the cAMP response to FSH in 20-day-old Sertoli cells was also associated with the highest FSH-induced transient increase in both soluble and particulate PDE4 activities, which suggests developmental changes in the PKA-mediated upregulation of the catalytic activities of long PDE4D. Such alterations may be involved in the phenotype-dependent alterations in FSH receptor coupling with its associated G proteins in rat Sertoli cells.
Assessment of knowledge management growth: a South Africa perspective

Purpose – Wilson argues that knowledge management (KM) maturity is an extension of information management and effective management of work practices. Gallagher and Hazlett state that there is too much effort addressing technological concerns in KM while offering little practical assistance. Kruger and Snyman believe KM is a strategic resource with ICT and information management as enablers in establishing KM maturity. These three positions of KM growth and maturity reflect the huge spectrum of and diverse views. But, very little is known about the KM growth or maturity that occurs in different industries, or how employees and managers perceive growth in KM maturity. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – From a large urban South African University engaged in numerous collaboration programmes with industry, the authors gain insight into the growth of KM in industry groupings over a five‐year period. The authors apply an inventory developed by Kruger and Snyman to a set of 86 .
Polymorphisms in toll-like receptor 4 and toll-like receptor 9 influence viral load in a seroincident cohort of HIV-1-infected individuals

Objectives:Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are innate immune sensors that are integral to resisting chronic and opportunistic infections. Mounting evidence implicates TLR polymorphisms in susceptibilities to various infectious diseases, including HIV-1. We investigated the impact of TLR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on clinical outcome in a seroincident cohort of HIV-1-infected volunteers. Design:We analyzed TLR SNPs in 201 antiretroviral treatment-naive HIV-1-infected volunteers from a longitudinal seroincident cohort with regular follow-up intervals (median follow-up 4.2 years, interquartile range 4.4). Participants were stratified into two groups according to either disease progression, defined as peripheral blood CD4+ T-cell decline over time, or peak and setpoint viral load. Methods:Haplotype tagging SNPs from TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9 were detected by mass array genotyping, and CD4+ T-cell counts and viral load measurements were determined prior to antiretroviral therapy initiation. The association of TLR haplotypes with viral load and rapid progression was assessed by multivariate regression models using age and sex as covariates. Results:Two TLR4 SNPs in strong linkage disequilibrium [1063 A/G (D299G) and 1363 C/T (T399I)] were more frequent among individuals with high peak viral load compared with low/moderate peak viral load (odds ratio 6.65, 95% confidence interval 2.19–20.46, P < 0.001; adjusted P = 0.002 for 1063 A/G). In addition, a TLR9 SNP previously associated with slow progression was found less frequently among individuals with high viral setpoint compared with low/moderate setpoint (odds ratio 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.13–0.65, P = 0.003, adjusted P = 0.04). Conclusion:This study suggests a potentially new role for TLR4 polymorphisms in HIV-1 peak viral load and confirms a role for TLR9 polymorphisms in disease progression.
Experimental alveolar lipo‐proteinosis following the inhalation of silica

The parenchyma is consolidated over large or small areas which are irregularly distributed and yellow or grey in colour, but sometimes the lesions are restricted to occasional microscopic foci (Steer, 1969). The alveoli are occupied by an amorphous, eosinophilic material with which mononuclear cells may sometimes be associated, although the features do not suggest an inflammatory response. Cellular thickening of alveolar walls is exceptional and when present is generally of minor degree. In uncomplicated cases preservation of the alveolar framework is a striking characteristic, and fibrosis does not appear to be a usual consequence, even though the condition may be of long duration. Fungal infection is, however, a notable complication. Sometimes the lesions have been an unexpected finding in individuals dying from unrelated causes.
Effect of obesity on prognosis after early-stage breast cancer.

PURPOSE This study was performed to characterize the impact of obesity on the risk of breast cancer recurrence and death as a result of breast cancer or other causes in relation to adjuvant treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS Information on body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis was available for 18,967 (35%) of 53,816 women treated for early-stage breast cancer in Denmark between 1977 and 2006 with complete follow-up for first events (locoregional recurrences and distant metastases) up to 10 years and for death up to 30 years. Information was available on prognostic factors and adjuvant treatment for all patients. Univariate analyses were used to compare the associations of known prognostic factors and risks of recurrence or death according to BMI categories. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the influence of BMI after adjusting for other factors. RESULTS Patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m(2) or more were older and had more advanced disease at diagnosis compared with patients with a BMI below 25 kg/m(2) (P < .001). When data were adjusted for disease characteristics, the risk of developing distant metastases after 10 years was significantly increased by 46%, and the risk of dying as a result of breast cancer after 30 years was significantly increased by 38% for patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m(2) or more. BMI had no influence on the risk of locoregional recurrences. Both chemotherapy and endocrine therapy seemed to be less effective after 10 or more years for patients with BMIs greater than 30 kg/m(2). CONCLUSION Obesity is an independent prognostic factor for developing distant metastases and for death as a result of breast cancer; the effects of adjuvant therapy seem to be lost more rapidly in patients with breast cancer and obesity.
Counterfactual thinking and the first instinct fallacy.

Most people believe that they should avoid changing their answer when taking multiple-choice tests. Virtually all research on this topic, however, has suggested that this strategy is ill-founded: Most answer changes are from incorrect to correct, and people who change their answers usually improve their test scores. Why do people believe in this strategy if the data so strongly refute it? The authors argue that the belief is in part a product of counterfactual thinking. Changing an answer when one should have stuck with one's original answer leads to more "if only . " self-recriminations than does sticking with one's first instinct when one should have switched. As a consequence, instances of the former are more memorable than instances of the latter. This differential availability provides individuals with compelling (albeit illusory) personal evidence for the wisdom of always following their 1st instinct, with suboptimal test scores the result.
A Novel Riemannian Metric Based on Riemannian Structure and Scaling Information for Fixed Low-Rank Matrix Completion

Riemannian optimization has been widely used to deal with the fixed low-rank matrix completion problem, and Riemannian metric is a crucial factor of obtaining the search direction in Riemannian optimization. This paper proposes a new Riemannian metric via simultaneously considering the Riemannian geometry structure and the scaling information, which is smoothly varying and invariant along the equivalence class. The proposed metric can make a tradeoff between the Riemannian geometry structure and the scaling information effectively. Essentially, it can be viewed as a generalization of some existing metrics. Based on the proposed Riemanian metric, we also design a Riemannian nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm, which can efficiently solve the fixed low-rank matrix completion problem. By experimenting on the fixed low-rank matrix completion, collaborative filtering, and image and video recovery, it illustrates that the proposed method is superior to the state-of-the-art methods on the convergence efficiency and the numerical performance.
Natural Co‐occurrence of Dinophysis acuminata (Dinoflagellata) and Mesodinium rubrum (Ciliophora) in Thin Layers in a Coastal Inlet

ABSTRACT. The interdependency of Dinophysis spp. , Mesodinium rubrum and Teleaulax spp. has occupied scientists in molecular and ecological domains in recent years. Current knowledge about the predator–prey relationships is based on laboratory investigations. Records on interactions in nature are limited, even though it is known that Dinophysis acuminata and M. rubrum form population maxima in thin layers associated with thermal stratification. We studied the vertical co‐occurrence of these taxa in a stratified coastal inlet in Åland, in the Northern Baltic Sea, SW Finland. Vertical profiles were sampled monthly in the summer of 2008 and observations on diurnal migrational patterns of all species were conducted in September 2008. The population maximum of D. acuminata was almost totally confined to thin layers where the depth maximum of M. rubrum was present. However, this pattern was only observed early in the morning or at noon. The population maxima of M. rubrum and Teleaulax spp. overlapped at noon. Dinophysis acuminata and Teleaulax spp. were restricted to the upper 9 m but M. rubrum was found down to 20 m depth. This study offers circumstantial evidence for the interdependency between the three taxa in nature.
Epigenome‐wide Association of DNA Methylation in Whole Blood With Bone Mineral Density

Genetic and environmental determinants of skeletal phenotypes such as bone mineral density (BMD) may converge through the epigenome, providing a tool to better understand osteoporosis pathophysiology. Because the epigenetics of BMD have been largely unexplored in humans, we performed an epigenome‐wide association study (EWAS) of BMD. We undertook a large‐scale BMD EWAS using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 array to measure site‐specific DNA methylation in up to 5515 European‐descent individuals (NDiscovery = 4614, NValidation = 901). We associated methylation at multiple cytosine‐phosphate‐guanine (CpG) sites with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA)‐derived femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD. We performed sex‐combined and stratified analyses, controlling for age, weight, smoking status, estimated white blood cell proportions, and random effects for relatedness and batch effects. A 5% false‐discovery rate was used to identify CpGs associated with BMD. We identified one CpG site, cg23196985, significantly associated with femoral neck BMD in 3232 females (p = 7.9 × 10−11) and 4614 females and males (p = 3.0 × 10−8). cg23196985 was not associated with femoral neck BMD in an additional sample of 474 females (p = 0.64) and 901 males and females (p = 0.60). Lack of strong consistent association signal indicates that among the tested probes, no large‐effect epigenetic changes in whole blood associated with BMD, suggesting future epigenomic studies of musculoskeletal traits measure DNA methylation in a different tissue with extended genome coverage. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Published by Wiley Periodicals Inc.
Risk, Media, and Stigma at Rocky Flats

Public responses to nuclear technologies are often strongly negative. Events, such as accidents or evidence of unsafe conditions at nuclear facilities, receive extensive and dramatic coverage by the news media. These news stories affect public perceptions of nuclear risks and the geographic areas near nuclear facilities. One result of these perceptions, avoidance behavior, is a form of “technological stigma” that leads to losses in property values near nuclear facilities. The social amplification of risk is a conceptual framework that attempts to explain how stigma is created through media transmission of information about hazardous places and public perceptions and decisions. This paper examines stigma associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats facility, a major production plant in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, located near Denver, Colorado. This study, based upon newspaper analyses and a survey of Denver area residents, finds that the social amplification theory provides a reasonable framework for understanding the events and public responses that took place in regard to Rocky Flats during a 6-year period, beginning with an FBI raid of the facility in 1989.
How Intangible Assets in International Franchising Influence the Choice between Single-Unit and Multi-Unit Franchising

Im Laufe der letzten Jahrzehnte wurde ein Trend innerhalb des sich konstant weiterentwickelnden internationalen Franchisings deutlich erkennbar. Grunde dafur stellen vor allem die Marktsattigung innerhalb der heimischen Markte, der Einfluss auf die Wirtschaft sowie die enormen Wachstumschancen im Ausland dar. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss immaterieller Guter im Bereich des internationalen Franchisings. Hauptsachlich konzentrieren sich die Untersuchungen auf die Wahl zwischen Single-Unit-Franchising und Multi-Unit Franchising als Organisationsformen, mithilfe derer ein Unternehmen in auslandische Markte eintreten kann. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit liegt in der Verknupfung der Wahl der Organisationsform von Franchise-Unternehmen mit dem theoretischen Ansatz der ressourcenorientierten Theorie und der ‚Organizational Capabilties‘ Theorie. Auf Basis dieser theoretischen Ansatze wird die Wirkung systemspezifischer, den lokalen Markt betreffender und finanzieller Ressourcen auf die Wahl der Organisationsform untersucht. Dieser integrative Ansatz bildet die Grundlage fur eine internationale Umfrage, die in Europa und Nordamerika durchgefuhrt wurde und an welcher sich insgesamt 168 internationale Firmen aus Deutschland, Osterreich, Italien, Frankreich, dem Vereinigten Konigreich und den Vereinigten Staaten beteiligten. Aufgrund eines bestehenden Forschungsdefizits auf diesem Gebiet, beabsichtigt die vorliegende Masterarbeit, Ubereinstimmungen zwischen wissenschaftlich belegten, theoretischen Aussagen und den empirischen Ergebnissen der Studie, auf welcher diese Arbeit fust, zu finden.
On the problem of the pathology of spasmodic torticollis in man

Those regions which have been implicated by experimental and clinical neuropathological studies in the pathogenesis of spasmodic torticollis were examined in detail in the present patient and no histological abnormalities found. In the light of marked species differences in the effects of certain brain lesions on posture and the findings reported here, the pathogenesis of spasmodic torticollis in man may well be different from its pathogenesis in experimental animals.
Second virial coefficients as a measure of protein–osmolyte interactions

The cytoplasm contains high concentrations of cosolutes. These cosolutes include macromolecules and small organic molecules called osmolytes. However, most biophysical studies of proteins are conducted in dilute solutions. Two broad classes of models have been used to describe the interaction between osmolytes and proteins. One class focuses on excluded volume effects, while the other focuses on binding between the protein and the osmolyte. To better understand protein–smolyte interactions, we have conducted sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation experiments using ferricytochrome c as a model protein. From these experiments, we determined the second virial coefficients for a series of osmolytes. We have interpreted the second virial coefficient as a measure of both excluded volume and protein–osmolyte binding. We conclude that simple models are not sufficient to understand the interactions between osmolytes and proteins.
Enzymic Activity of the K5-Type Yeast Killer Toxin and Its Characterization

K5-type yeast killer toxin secreted by P. anomala NCYC 434 cells has a broad killing spectrum. Competitive inhibiton of killer activity showed that glucans, mainly the β-1,3 glucan, represent the primary toxin binding site within the cell wall of sensitive cells. Its hydrolytic activity on laminarin in an exo-like fashion revealed that the toxin exerts its killing effect by exo-β-1,3-glucanase activity. Its specific activity on laminarin was 120 U/mg, and the Michaelis constants K m and V max for laminarin hydrolysis were 0.25 mg/ml and 370 μmol/min/mg. The toxin exerted its cytocidal effect after 2 h contact with the target cells. Production of the toxin by the cells was induced only when they were grown in culture media rich in β-glucan sources, and the addition of glucose increased the specific production rate. The enzymic activity of the toxin was fully inhibited by Hg+2, but increased with some other metal ions, most of all by Pb+2.
Improvement of the narrowband linear predictive coder. Part 2: Synthesis improvements

Abstract : The narrowband linear predictive coder (LPC) is widely used in both civilian and military applications. Yet, in spite of the many improvements over the years, it is still not universally acceptable to general users. This report presents improvements to five aspects of the LPC analysis which have drawn little attention in the past. These improvements are frequency spreading of sibilant sound spectra, adaptive placement of the analysis window at onsets, modified LPC analysis for sustained vowels, enhancement of LPC spectra in noise, and an automatic gain control. These improvements may be incorporated in the existing narrowband LPC without interfering with the speech sampling rate, the frame rate, or the parameter coding.
Evaluation of combined 16S rDNA and strb1 gene targeted PCR to identify and detect streptomycin‐producing Streptomyces

In this study, two designed primers were evaluated to identify soil Streptomyces and to detect streptomycin production by strb1 targeted PCR. Potential Streptomyces‐specific signatures were identified in their 16S rDNA sequences in regions located around nucleotide positions 576 and 995. Primer pair RI7/RI8 derived from these regions was investigated for its specificity in detecting and identifying Streptomyces isolates by PCR assays using DNA from pure cultures. The constructed primer pair showed high specificity in detecting and identifying Streptomyces type strains as well as soil isolates. Streptomycin‐producers were detected by PCR assays through the selective amplification of streptomycin biosynthetic gene (strb1). Results suggest that PCR assay facilitates the differential identification of Streptomyces‐specific antibiotic producers and a resident population of Streptomyces in Jordan with the capacity of streptomycin‐production is present.
Skeletal muscle fiber function and rate of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The contractile properties of single muscle fibers reflect the functional status of muscle at the cellular level and have not been described in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Chemically skinned single muscle fibers (n = 173), obtained by needle biopsy from six men with ALS, were activated with Ca2+, allowing maximal force measurements and specific force (SF) estimates. Maximum unloaded shortening velocity (Vo) was determined using the slack test. The results were compared with muscle from healthy controls. Markers of disease progression included rate of change of ALS functional rating scale score, rate of change of forced vital capacity, and disease duration. Compared with controls, ALS patients had decreased whole muscle SF (measured by a combination of computerized tomography and isokinetic testing) but normal single fiber SF. The Vo was greater for type I fibers in ALS. Patients with slower disease progression had increased single fiber size and a high percentage of hybrid fibers (expressing multiple myosin heavy chain isoforms). A needle biopsy obtained at the time of ALS diagnosis may assist with predicting rate of disease progression. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve 26: 636–643, 2002
How self-affirmation reduces defensive processing of threatening health information: evidence at the implicit level.

OBJECTIVE Self-affirmation reduces defensive responses to threatening health information, but little is known about the cognitive processes instigated by self-affirmation. This study tested whether self-affirmation increases responsiveness to threatening health information at the implicit level. DESIGN In an experimental study (N = 84), the authors presented high- (coffee drinkers) and low-relevance (noncoffee drinkers) participants with threatening health information linking caffeine consumption to health problems. Prior to reading this information, the authors manipulated self-affirmation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participants completed an unobtrusive lexical decision task to measure the accessibility of threat-related cognitions and reported their perceptions of message quality and intentions to take precautions. RESULTS Among high-relevance participants, self-affirmation increased the accessibility of threat-related cognitions, increased perceptions of message quality, and promoted adaptive behavioral intentions. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that self-affirmation can increase implicit responsiveness to threatening health information among a target audience, that is, people for whom the health information is highly relevant.