Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The State of Civil Society in Japan

Introduction Part I. Context: 1. What is civil society? Frank Schwartz 2. From Meiji to Heisei: the state and civil society in Japan Sheldon Garon 3. Capitalism and civil society in postwar Japan: perspectives from intellectual history Andrew Barshay Part II. The Associational Sphere: 4. Japan's civil society organizations in comparative perspective Tsujinaka Yutaka 5. Molding Japanese civil society: state structured incentives and the patterning of civil society Robert Pekkanen 6. After Aum: religion and civil society in Japan Helen Hardacre 7. State-society partnerships in the Japanese welfare state Margarita Estevez-Abe Part III. The Nonmarket Activities of Economic Actors: 8. Redefining the conservative coalition: agriculture and small business in Japan Robert Bullock 9. The death of unions' associational life? Political and cultural aspects of enterprise unions Suzuki Akira 10. The struggle for an independent consumer society: consumer activism and the state's response in postwar Japan Patricia Maclachlan Part IV. State-Civil Society Linkages: 11. Media and the Internet in the development of civil society in Japan Laurie Freeman 12. A tale of two legal systems: prosecuting corruption in Japan and Italy David Johnson Part V. Globalization and Value Change: 13. Trust and social intelligence in Japan Yamagishi Toshio 14. Building global civil society from the outside in? Japan's development NGOs, the state, and international norms Kim Reimann Conclusion: targeting by an activist state: Japan as a civil society model Susan Pharr.
WPP, No. 106: The Distribution and Realization of H Tones in Bengali

UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics No. 106, pp. 34-40 THE DISTRIBUTION AND REALIZATION OF H TONES IN BENGALI Sameer ud Dowla Khan UC Los Angeles sameer@humnet.ucla. edu ABSTRACT The current study examines the realization and distribution of high (H) tones in Bengali across different sentence types and under varying focus domain sizes, to show that Bengali tonally marks three prosodic phrases above the word instead of two – Intonation Phrases (IP), Intermediate Phrases (ip), and Accentual Phrases (AP) – and that focus realization can be derived without the lexically-specified tonal morphemes or the additional stipulations on prosodic boundary placement proposed in previous models. Keywords: Bengali, prosody, focus, intonation. 1. INTRODUCTION Previous studies [5, 6, 8, 14, 16] claim that focus domains in Bengali are marked by a small prosodic unit bounded by a high (H) tone at its right (R) edge. This same unit is also claimed to mark edges of non-phrase-final content words, even under neutral focus. Using Bengali data gathered in a production experiment, the current study examines the realization and distribution of H tones claimed to be associated with various phrase edges and with focus domains, to investigate the prosodic structure and focus realization in the language. Phrasing According to previous studies [5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 16], Bengali assigns tones to stressed syllables of content words and to the R-edges of two prosodic units: the intonation phrase (I-phrase or IP) – roughly, the sentence – and a smaller phrase, slightly larger than a content word. This smaller phrase is given various labels, provided in Table 1. Table 1: Prosodic units in various studies of Bengali. Study Sentence-level prosodic unit pause group intonation phrase intonation phrase intonation phrase intonation phrase Phrasal-level prosodic unit stress group phonological phrase accentual phrase intermediate phrase major phrase
Effects of long-term administration of high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate on hormone receptors and target organs in the female rat.

The changes in oestrogen, progesterone and prolactin receptor levels in target organs, and the macroscopic and microscopic modifications of uterus, ovary, adrenal and pituitary gland induced by long-term administration of high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) were investigated in female rats. Medroxyprogesterone acetate was injected i.m. for 30 days at daily doses of 7.5, 15 and 75 mg/kg. Oestrogen and/or progesterone-binding capacities were remarkably reduced at all doses of MPA used both in the uterus and pituitary gland. Furthermore, MPA caused a very evident reduction in the weight of pituitary glands, ovaries, adrenals and uterus. In all MPA-treated rats corpora lutea were absent from the ovaries, whereas the adrenals showed a significant reduction in the thickness of the cortex. In accordance with this, there was no evidence of ACTH-producing cells in the pituitary glands. Prolactin-producing cells were also absent, while GH-producing cells were present. Serum prolactin levels were significantly reduced at all doses of MPA used. A dramatic reduction of prolactin receptor concentrations was observed in the liver and the ovaries of MPA-treated rats. The results suggest that MPA acts as an antioestrogenic drug both by reducing the number of oestrogen receptors in target tissues and by changing the structure (and perhaps the function) of those organs (pituitary glands, ovaries and adrenals) which are, directly or indirectly, a source of oestrogens. The decreased synthesis of prolactin and the reduction of the number of prolactin receptors (which, on the contrary, are both increased by oestrogens) might be considered as additional antioestrogenic effects of MPA.
Macroinvertebrate responses to insecticide application between sprayed and adjacent nonsprayed ditch sections of different sizes

Under typical agricultural use of an insecticide, it is likely that only part of an edge‐of‐field drainage ditch will be directly contaminated by spray drift. The response, including recovery, of aquatic macroinvertebrates in sprayed ditch sections may be affected by immigration of organisms from adjacent nonsprayed ditch sections, but also the population dynamics in nonsprayed sections (refuges) may be affected by nearby contaminated patches (known as action at a distance). Experimental ditches were used to study the influence of the presence of nearby refuges on the responses of macroinvertebrates in ditch sections directly sprayed with the insecticide lufenuron, and vice versa. The treatment regimes differed in the proportion of the ditch (0, 33, 67, and 100% of surface area) that was sprayed to reach a lufenuron concentration of 3 µg/L in the water column of the sprayed ditch section. In sprayed ditch sections, clear treatment‐related effects were observed for adult midges in the emergence traps and for aquatic arthropods (mainly juveniles) in the artificial substrate/sweep net samples. The extent in magnitude and duration of effects in sprayed ditch sections was overall larger when a larger proportion of the ditch was sprayed and/or the distance to the refuge was larger. In nonsprayed ditch sections of partially treated ditches, treatment‐related effects were absent or minor for macroinvertebrates that predominantly dwell on or in the sediment compartment, particularly at a larger distance from the sprayed ditch sections. More mobile arthropods that predominantly dwell in the water column showed clear treatment‐related effects in the nonsprayed ditch sections as well, but action at a distance was smaller if a smaller proportion of ditch was treated. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1994–2008. © 2010 SETAC
Chronic morphine induces premature mitosis of proliferating cells in the adult mouse subgranular zone

The birth of cells with neurogenic potential in the adult brain is assessed commonly by detection of exogenous S phase markers, such as bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Analysis of other phases of the cell cycle, however, can provide insight into how external factors, such as opiates, influence the cycling of newly born cells. To this end, we examined the expression of two endogenous cell cycle markers in relation to BrdU: proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and phosphorylated histone H3 (pHisH3). Two hours after one intraperitoneal BrdU injection, BrdU‐, PCNA‐, and pHisH3‐immunoreactive (IR) cells exhibited similar distribution in the adult mouse subgranular zone (SGZ). Quantitative analysis within the SGZ revealed a relative abundance of cells labeled for PCNA > BrdU >> pHisH3. Similar to our reports in rat SGZ, chronic morphine treatment decreased BrdU‐ and PCNA‐IR cells in mouse SGZ by 28 and 38%, respectively. We also show that pHisH3‐IR cells are influenced by chronic morphine to a greater extent (58% decrease) than are BrdU‐ or PCNA‐IR cells. Cell cycle phase analysis of SGZ BrdU‐IR cells using triple labeling for BrdU, PCNA, and pHisH3 revealed premature mitosis in chronic morphine‐treated mice. These results suggest that morphine‐treated mice have a shorter Gap2/mitosis (G2/M) phase when compared to sham‐treated mice. These findings demonstrate the power of using a combination of exogenous and endogenous cell cycle markers and nuclear morphology to track proliferating cells through different phases of the cell cycle and to reveal the regulation of cell cycle phase by chronic morphine. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Gene-Specific Promoter Methylation Status in Hormone-Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Associates with Postmenopausal Body Size and Recreational Physical Activity.

INTRODUCTION Breast cancer, the leading cancer diagnosis among American women, is positively associated with postmenopausal obesity and little or no recreational physical activity (RPA). However, the underlying mechanisms of these associations remain unresolved. Aberrant changes in DNA methylation may represent an early event in carcinogenesis, but few studies have investigated associations between obesity/RPA and gene methylation, particularly in postmenopausal breast tumors where these lifestyle factors are most relevant. METHODS We used case-case unconditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between body mass index (BMI=weight [kg]/height [m2]) in the year prior to diagnosis, or RPA (average hours/week), and methylation status (methylated vs. unmethylated) of 13 breast cancer-related genes in 532 postmenopausal breast tumor samples from the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project. We also explored whether the association between BMI/RPA and estrogen/progesterone-receptor status (ER+PR+ vs. all others) was differential with respect to gene methylation status. Methylation-specific PCR and the MethyLight assay were used to assess gene methylation. RESULTS BMI 25-29.9kg/m2, and perhaps BMI≥30kg/m2, was associated with methylated HIN1 in breast tumor tissue. Cases with BMI≥30kg/m2 were more likely to have ER+PR+ breast tumors in the presence of unmethylated ESR1 (OR=2.63, 95% CI 1.32-5.25) and women with high RPA were more likely to have ER+PR+ breast tumors with methylated GSTP1 (OR=2.33, 95% CI 0.79-6.84). DISCUSSION While biologically plausible, our findings that BMI is associated with methylated HIN1 and BMI/RPA are associated with ER+PR+ breast tumors in the presence of unmethylated ESR1 and methylated GSTP1, respectively, warrant further investigation. Future studies would benefit from enrolling greater numbers of postmenopausal women and examining a larger panel of breast cancer-related genes.
Prognostic value of cyclin D1 expression in tumor-free surgical margins in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Abstract Conclusion: It was proved that cyclin D1-positive status in surgical margins was an independent prognostic indicator of local recurrence. The expression of cyclin D1 in tumor-free surgical margins may better predict local recurrence in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after surgical treatment with curative intent. Objective: This retrospective study aimed to determine the prognostic indicators for local recurrence in HNSCC. Methods: A total of 116 HNSCC patients who underwent surgical treatment with curative intent and had histopathologically tumor-free margins were eligible for this study. The expression of p53 and cyclin D1 was assessed by immunohistochemical staining in surgical margins as well as in tumor specimens. Results: In all, 63 patients (54.3%) had p53-positive tumor specimens and 34 patients (29.3%) had p53-positive margins. Seventy-six patients (65.6%) had cyclin D1-positive tumor specimens and 54 patients (46.6%) had cyclin D1-positive margins. A significant difference in local control rates was observed between patients with cyclin D1-positive and -negative margins (77.2% vs 91.5%, log rank test, p = 0.0139). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards testing indicated that the hazard ratio of cyclin D1-positive margins for local recurrence was 4.58 (95% confidence interval 1.14–21.69, p = 0.0304).
A novel anti‐inflammatory peptide inhibits endothelial cell cytoskeletal rearrangement, nitric oxide synthase translocation, and paracellular permeability increases

The endothelial cell (EC) membrane‐cytoskeletal interface in part maintains plasma membrane integrity and promotes cell—cell apposition. Nonmuscle filamin (ABP‐280), an actin crosslinking protein, promotes orthogonal branching of F‐actin and is the major protein that links the peripheral actin network to the plasma membrane through its C‐terminal glycoprotein binding site. In response to bradykinin, filamin translocates from the cell periphery to the cytosol within 1 min. A synthetic peptide, corresponding to filamin's C‐terminal calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II phosphorylation site (CaM peptide), prevents calcium‐activated filamin translocation in permeabilized bovine pulmonary artery EC. The myristoylated permeable form of this peptide inhibits bradykinin‐induced filamin translocation and F‐actin rearrangement in cultured intact ECs. In addition, bradykinin‐induced paracellular gap formation is significantly attenuated by CaM peptide, which suggests that the presence of a filamin‐based peripheral F‐actin network is essential for maintaining EC barrier function. Moreover, CaM peptide reduces wound‐induced EC migration rate by 40%, which indicates that F‐actin rearrangement is required for efficient cell motility. The CaM peptide affects other bradykinin‐induced inflammatory responses. EC nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) translocates from the cell membrane to the nuclear fraction within 1–2 min of bradykinin treatment. Pretreatment with CaM peptide inhibits eNOS translocation. However, the peptide has no effect on bradykinin‐induced von Willebrand Factor release. In summary, the CaM peptide exhibits several anti‐inflammatory properties that include maintaining EC junctional stability and inhibiting eNOS translocation. J. Cell. Physiol. 172:171–182, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison of Clinical and Analytical Performance of the Abbott RealTime High Risk HPV Test to the Performance of Hybrid Capture 2 in Population-Based Cervical Cancer Screening

ABSTRACT The clinical performance of the Abbott RealTime High Risk HPV (human papillomavirus) test (RealTime) and that of the Hybrid Capture 2 HPV DNA test (hc2) were prospectively compared in the population-based cervical cancer screening setting. In women >30 years old (n = 3,129), the clinical sensitivity of RealTime for detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 (CIN2) or worse (38 cases) and its clinical specificity for lesions of less than CIN2 (3,091 controls) were 100% and 93.3%, respectively, and those of hc2 were 97.4% and 91.8%, respectively. A noninferiority score test showed that the clinical specificity (P < 0.0001) and clinical sensitivity (P = 0.011) of RealTime were noninferior to those of hc2 at the recommended thresholds of 98% and 90%. In the total study population (women 20 to 64 years old; n = 4,432; 57 cases, 4,375 controls), the clinical sensitivity and specificity of RealTime were 98.2% and 89.5%, and those of hc2 were 94.7% and 87.7%, respectively. The analytical sensitivity and analytical specificity of RealTime in detecting targeted HPV types evaluated with the largest sample collection to date (4,479 samples) were 94.8% and 99.8%, and those of hc2 were 93.4% and 97.8%, respectively. Excellent analytical agreement between the two assays was obtained (kappa value, 0.84), while the analytical accuracy of RealTime was significantly higher than that of hc2. RealTime demonstrated high intralaboratory reproducibility and interlaboratory agreement with 500 samples retested 61 to 226 days after initial testing in two different laboratories. RealTime can be considered to be a reliable and robust HPV assay clinically comparable to hc2 for the detection of CIN2+ lesions in a population-based cervical cancer screening setting.
NKCC1-mediated traumatic brain injury-induced brain edema and neuron death via Raf/MEK/MAPK cascade

Objective:Brain edema is one of the characteristic features of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter on traumatic brain injury-induced brain edema and neuron damage and to elucidate the relationship between Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. Design:Laboratory investigation. Setting:University research laboratory. Subjects:Male Wistar rats weighing 350–400 g. Interventions:Anesthetized animals were subjected to a weight-drop device (450-g weight, 1.8-m height) to induce traumatic brain injury. Measurements and Main Results:The expression of Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter and phosphorylation of MAPK cascade were determined by Western blot test. We also analyzed the degree of brain edema and neuronal damage in this study. We found that the messenger RNA and protein of Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter were up-regulated mainly in hippocampus neurons from 2 to 24 hrs after traumatic brain injury. After traumatic brain injury, animals displayed severe brain edema and neuron damage. The phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, MAPK kinase, and Raf also was significantly elevated after traumatic brain injury. Bumetanide (15.2 mg/kg), a specific Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter inhibitor, significantly attenuated the neuronal damage and brain edema after traumatic brain injury by decreasing the phosphorylation of Raf/MEK/ERK cascade proteins. Conclusions:The present study suggests that Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter plays an important role in TBI-induced brain edema and neuronal damage via activation of MAPK cascade.
The IC3D classification of the corneal dystrophies.

BACKGROUND The recent availability of genetic analyses has demonstrated the shortcomings of the current phenotypic method of corneal dystrophy classification. Abnormalities in different genes can cause a single phenotype, whereas different defects in a single gene can cause different phenotypes. Some disorders termed corneal dystrophies do not appear to have a genetic basis. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to develop a new classification system for corneal dystrophies, integrating up-to-date information on phenotypic description, pathologic examination, and genetic analysis. METHODS The International Committee for Classification of Corneal Dystrophies (IC3D) was created to devise a current and accurate nomenclature. RESULTS This anatomic classification continues to organize dystrophies according to the level chiefly affected. Each dystrophy has a template summarizing genetic, clinical, and pathologic information. A category number from 1 through 4 is assigned, reflecting the level of evidence supporting the existence of a given dystrophy. The most defined dystrophies belong to category 1 (a well-defined corneal dystrophy in which a gene has been mapped and identified and specific mutations are known) and the least defined belong to category 4 (a suspected dystrophy where the clinical and genetic evidence is not yet convincing). The nomenclature may be updated over time as new information regarding the dystrophies becomes available. CONCLUSIONS The IC3D Classification of Corneal Dystrophies is a new classification system that incorporates many aspects of the traditional definitions of corneal dystrophies with new genetic, clinical, and pathologic information. Standardized templates provide key information that includes a level of evidence for there being a corneal dystrophy. The system is user-friendly and upgradeable and can be retrieved on the website www.corneasociety. org/ic3d.
Retrospective observational study of the management of multiple sclerosis patients with resistant spasticity in Spain: the ‘5E’ study

Background: Multiple sclerosis spasticity (MSS) is a common and disabling symptom for which a number of antispastic agents are available; however, evidence-based guidelines for optimal management are lacking. Objective: This retrospective observational assessment investigated the current management approach for resistant MSS in Spain. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the evolution of MSS and to estimate the social and health-related costs of managing MSS in the Spanish healthcare system. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using case records from 212 MS patients with spasticity that were resistant to ≥1 previous therapy. Data were collected over 1–3 years (mean 2.1 years), including: sociodemographics, medical history, clinical scores and all therapy/other resources consumed (e.g., rehabilitation and carers’ time). Disease progression was estimated from the evolution of recorded clinical scales, and an analysis of costs from a Spanish healthcare and social perspective was performed. Results: The majority of patients were female and most had secondary progressive MS. Baclofen (76–80%), tizanidine and benzodiazepines were the most common antispastic drugs administered. A variety of spasticity rating scales were employed, and they demonstrated the same general trends. MS progressed, with the composite score for spasticity and mobility deteriorating in 46.4% of patients, and there were no marked differences between antispasticity drugs. The annual healthcare-related cost of treating an MSS resistant patient in the Spanish healthcare system was €15,405, largely attributable to the cost of disease-modifying drugs and care provision. Other aspects, such as medical visits and antispastic treatments, formed only a small portion of cost. Conclusions: MSS progresses despite treatment with currently available antispastic agents, and it is associated with a high level of disability. Spasticity treatment represents a minor element of the overall cost of managing MSS patients in Spain. The approach to the assessment of spasticity varies between centers.
Neutrophil-Mediated Mycobacteriocidal Immunity in the Lung during Mycobacterium bovis BCG Infection in C57BL/6 Mice

ABSTRACT Although neutrophils have been identified as sources of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, little is known about their immunologic function during mycobacterial infection in the lungs. In this study, we examined the growth of Mycobacterium bovis BCG in the lungs under experimental conditions that altered neutrophil recruitment to the lungs. Depletion and recruitment of neutrophils was associated with respective increases and decreases in M. bovis BCG growth. Thus, neutrophils may enhance mycobacteriocidal immunity in the lungs.