Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Future of Extension: A Network Emergence Perspective from the Case of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services

Extension, as a socially-based institution, must constantly evolve with society. This case study on the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services uses social network theory to add to the literature on network emergence in the context of extension. The researchers explored how an extension network evolved in response to global agricultural issues. The use of a qualitative content analysis of the eight themes of the annual meeting of the network showed how the Forum changed in response to current events and regional needs. The Forum first built and consolidated a network of global extension members and then moved to an outward focus in terms of relations within and outside of extension. Analysis revealed the network first focused on simple, basic themes of interest to the knowledge network, and slowly expanded to wider and more complex topics that involved a richer network of actors. This case implies that extension institutions, which are on the front line of trends stemming from societal shifts, are thus positioned to play a crucial role in technology transfer and sensitization of global agricultural issues.
Vitamin D, Homocysteine, and Folate in Subcortical Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer Dementia

Dementia is a worldwide health problem which affects millions of patients; Alzheimer's disease (AD) and subcortical vascular dementia (sVAD) are the two most frequent forms of its presentation. As no definite therapeutic options have been discovered, different risk factors for cognitive impairment have been searched for potential therapies. This report focuses on the possible evidence that vitamin D deficiency and hyper-homocysteinemia can be considered as two important factors for the development or the progression of neurodegenerative or vascular pathologies. To this end, we assessed: the difference in vascular risk factors and vitamin D-OH25 levels among groups of sVAD, AD, and healthy age-matched controls; the association of folate, B12, homocysteine, and vitamin D with sVAD/AD and whether a deficiency of vitamin D and an increment in homocysteine levels may be related to neurodegenerative or vessel damages. The commonly-considered vascular risk factors were collected in 543 patients and compared with those obtained from a healthy old volunteer population. ANOVA group comparison showed that vitamin D deficiency was present in demented cases, as well as low levels of folate and high levels of homocysteine, more pronounced in sVAD cases. The statistical models we employed, with regression models built, and adjustments for biochemical, demographic and neuropsychiatric scores, confirmed the association between the three measures (folate decrease, hyperhomocysteinemia and vitamin D decrease) and dementia, more pronounced in sVAD than in AD.
The lives of adults over 30 living with sickle cell disorder.

OBJECTIVES The study investigated the lived experiences of adults over 30 years old living with sickle cell disorder (SCD) and sought to develop a model understanding participants' ability to function. DESIGN Over a period of 10 months, in-depth individual interviews were held with nine participants and three focus groups were held with six further participants. METHODS Grounded theory, a qualitative methodology, was chosen to explore functioning across domains of experience in order to build an explanatory model. RESULTS Physical, psychological, and social functioning were adversely effected by SCD. Access to and quality of resources including friends, family, and finances formed the context in which participants attempted to manage the disorder. Management of SCD improved over time as participants moved to acceptance of the condition. This allowed participants to strengthen their resilience by creating meaning, developing their identity, and actively coping with the effects of SCD, thus improving their ability to function and to appreciate life. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates the considerable resilience of people over 30 with SCD, providing a positive and hopeful model which can be utilized clinically to support the functioning of people with SCD.
Effects of Stress on the Developing Brain

Editor’s note: In a complementary article, Judge Cindy Lederman explains the importance of using science to inform family court decisions. Here, Dr. Bruce S. McEwen looks at that science in depth, discussing how early-life stress can lead to long-lasting behavioral, mental, and physical consequences. Fortunately, preventive measures can improve health outcomes, and while interventions for those who have already experienced debilitating early-life stress require considerable effort, they remain possible, thanks to the brain’s plasticity.
Immunobiochemical characterization of the NMDA-receptor subunit NR1 in the developing and adult rat brain.

To investigate the developmental and regional expression of the NR1-subunit of the NMDA-receptor on the protein level, two polyclonal antisera [NR1(N) and NR1(C)] were raised against fusion proteins derived from the N- and C-terminal domain of the NR1-subunit, respectively. In Western blots of rat brain membranes, both antisera specifically recognized a single protein band with an apparent molecular size of 115 kDa. The regional distribution of the NR1-subunit immunoreactivity was analyzed in the developing and adult rat brain using sections blotted onto nitrocellulose membranes for immunostaining. With the NR1(N)-antiserum, strongest signals were detected in hippocampus, followed by cortex, striatum and thalamus, and weaker staining was observed in tectum, brainstem and cerebellum of adult brain. The NR1(C)-immunoreactivity exhibited a similar distribution, except that the staining in thalamus, tectum, brainstem and cerebellum was faint or virtually absent. The distinct pattern of NR1(N)- and NR1(C)-immunoreactivity arose during postnatal development. At birth, moderate staining with both NR1-subunit antisera was observed throughout the brain increasing strongly in most brain regions until postnatal day 21. In some brain areas, however, the NR1(C)-, in contrast to the NR1(N)-staining, decreased postnatally e.g. in thalamus, tectum and brainstem. The restricted staining intensity of the NR1(C)-antiserum in particular areas of adult and developing brain appears to reflect the emergence of C-terminal splice variants of the NR1-subunit which are not recognized by the NR1(C)-antiserum.
On the Origination and Propagation of Shocks Across International Equity Markets: A Microstructure Perspective

We study the high-frequency propagation of shocks across international equity markets. We identify intraday shocks to stock prices, liquidity, and trading activity for 12 equity markets around the world based on non-parametric jump statistics at the 5-minute frequency from 1996 to 2011. Shocks to prices are prevalent and large, with regular spillovers across markets – even within the same 5-minute interval. We find that price shocks are predominantly driven by information rather than liquidity. Consistent with the information channel, price shocks do not revert and often occur around macroeconomic news announcements. Liquidity shocks tend to be isolated events that are neither associated with price shocks nor with liquidity shocks on other markets. Our results challenge the widespread view that liquidity plays an important role in the origination and propagation of financial market shocks.
ABS, MBS, and CDO Pricing Comparisons

The capital market in which asset-backed securities are issued and traded is composed of three main categories: ABS, MBS and CDOs. The authors examined a total of 3,466 loans (worth €548.51 billion) of which 1,102 (worth €163.90 billion) have been classified as ABS. MBS issues represent 1,782 issues (worth €320.83 billion), and 582 are CDO issues (worth €64.12 billion). The authors investigated how common pricing factors compare for the main classes of securities. Due to the differences in the assets related to these securities, the relevant pricing factors for these securities should differ, too. Taking these three classes as a whole, the authors documented that the assets attached as collateral for the securities differ between security classes, but that there are also important univariate differences to consider. They found that most of the common pricing characteristics between ABS, MBS and CDO differ significantly. Furthermore, applying the same pricing estimation model to each security class revealed that most of the common pricing characteristics associated with these classes have a different impact on the primary market spread exhibited by the value of the coefficients. The regression analyses the authors performed suggest that ABS, MBS and CDOs are in fact different instruments, as implied by the differences in impact of the pricing factors on the loan spread between these security classes.
High-growth entrepreneurship in a developing country: Regional systems or stochastic process?

High-growth entrepreneurship represents a key socioeconomic phenomenon that is expected to spur aggregate levels of innovation and competitiveness. Since its impacts are mainly felt at the regional level, the concept of Regional Systems of Entrepreneurship becomes central to this debate. While several approaches have dealt with this issue in the context of developed economies, assessments of developing nations are still scarce. This research addresses this situation by investigating the determinants of entrepreneurial activity in Brazilian states. Econometric estimations and cluster analysis comprehend data from gazelle firms in Brazilian states throughout the period 2008-2014. Findings allow identifying the existence of relevant agglomeration diseconomies and an overall lack of connection between the knowledge infrastructure and entrepreneurial activity. These conditions suggest that Brazil has incipient Regional Systems of Entrepreneurship and that the geographic dynamics of entrepreneurial activity in this country is remarkably different from what has been observed in developed countries in general.
Contractile properties of bronchial smooth muscle with and without cartilage.

The majority of in vitro studies on airway smooth muscle have used the trachealis (TSM) as a convenient substitute for muscle from airways that constitute the flow-limiting segment. The latter are technically difficult to work with. However, because the site of maximum resistance to airflow is at the third to seventh generations of the bronchial tree, the trachealis preparation is of limited value. Length-tension and force-velocity properties were therefore studied at optimal length (lo) of canine bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) from which cartilage had been carefully removed. Normalized maximum isometric tension or stress (Po x 10(4) N/m2) for BSM was 7.1 +/- 0.19 (SE), which was similar to that of BSM with cartilage (BSM+C, 6.8 +/- 0.21) but lower than for TSM (18.2 +/- 0.81). At length greater than lo, the BSM+C was stiffer than the BSM. The values of maximum shortening capacity (delta Lmax), obtained directly from isotonic shortening at a load equal to the resting tension at lo, were 0.76 lo +/- 0.03, 0.41 lo +/- 0.02, and 0.24 +/- 0.02 lo for TSM, BSM, and BSM+C, respectively. The BSM and BSM+C delta Lmaxs were different (P less than 0.05). Maximal shortening velocities (Vo) for BSM, elicited at 2, 4, and 8 s by quick release in the course of an isometric contraction were significantly higher than for the BSM+C. Vos showed gradual decreases in all three groups in the later phase of contraction, suggesting the operation of latch bridges. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Older Lesbian Sexuality: Identity, Sexual Behavior, and the Impact of Aging

In response to the very limited and mostly outdated literature on older lesbian sexuality, this exploratory study examined older lesbian sexual identity, romantic relationships, the impact of aging, and experiences of discrimination within these contexts. Utilizing an online survey that recruited via numerous online lesbian communities and snowball sampling, 456 lesbians over the age of 50 responded to closed, Likert scale, and open-ended questions that provided a preliminary understanding of older lesbian sexuality. The results indicated that older lesbians have experienced fluidity in past romantic and sexual relationships, as well as in erotic fantasies, despite strong identification with being lesbian. The findings also indicate a decreased focus on sexuality in the context of relationships, with more focus on stability and continuity. Future research is needed that provides greater specificity and detail about older lesbian conceptions of sexual behavior and sexual identity labels, as well as specific sexual behaviors.
Higher education and the Anthropocene - Towards an ecological approach to higher education policy in New Zealand

In this thesis I present an ecological direction for higher education policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This position is developed through an ecological approach to policy, which includes a postfoundational take on ecological theory, especially the work of Gregory Bateson and Felix Guattari. This ecological approach to higher education policy is in contrast to the neoliberal and technicist policy thinking which has informed New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Strategy (Ministry of Education, 2014c). As a contrast, the ecological approach in this thesis draws strength from ecological economics, environmental politics, critical policy analysis, ecological theory and philosophical pragmatism. The methodological core of this approach is described as Critical Eco Pragmatism (CEP). Following a discussion of ecological theory and an exploration of the Global Ecological Crisis (GEC) as an interconnected problem of natural, political, social, psychological, pedagogical and epistemological dimensions, I develop a theoretical framework for being ecological in higher education. This framework draws on a critique of Ron Barnett’s work on the ecological university (Barnett, 2010, 2018) and introduces the notion of ‘Anthropocene Intelligence’. Anthropocene Intelligence provides a way to pragmatically bring together a range of theoretical ideas about education – especially those ideas that have a claim on improving our psychological, social and natural ecologies. This includes educational discourses that have not always had a high level of interaction, such as environmental and sustainability education (ESE), indigenous education, ecopedagogy, engaged scholarship, ecological humanities, human development education, and education for wellbeing (including the healthy university). The potential of an ecological approach is also considered in relation to the many practical possibilities that currently exist in higher education policy and practice both internationally and in New Zealand. Together with the theoretical approach taken in this thesis, these practical possibilities inform the alternative, ecological direction this thesis develops for higher education policy in New Zealand. Included in this ecological direction is the aspiration for New Zealand to develop as an ‘ecological democracy’ (Dryzek, 2013).
Father Migration and Mother Migration: Different Implications for Social, School, and Psychological Adjustment of Left-Behind Children in Rural China

ABSTRACT This study examined the relations between parental migration and the adjustment of left-behind children and the mediating role of parental support in rural China. Data were collected for 4,429 students (2,229 boys, M age = 12 years) in public schools from peer evaluations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The analyses revealed different patterns of relations of mother migration and father migration to children’s adjustment. Whereas mother migration was negatively associated with children’s social competence and academic achievement and positively associated with children’s psychological problems, father migration was positively associated with children’s positive adjustment, mainly through the mediation of maternal support. The results concerning the different implications of father migration and mother migration for children’s adjustment and the critical role of maternal support represent a significant contribution to the understanding of human development in the contemporary rural Chinese context. The results are also useful for policy-makers and professionals to develop programs and strategies to help rural left-behind children in China.
Expanding the utility of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) and initial psychometric support for the Brief-BAES (B-BAES).

BACKGROUND The utility of one of the most widely used subjective alcohol assessment tools, the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES) has been somewhat limited based on lack of psychometric studies in large and diverse samples, a range of alcohol doses, the length of the measure, and the original instructional set which precluded baseline measurement and disclosed to subjects that they received alcohol. METHODS The current study investigated the factor structure of the BAES with a modified instructional set at pre-drink baseline and after consumption of various doses of alcohol, in a sample of 190 men and women, heavy and light social drinkers. This study tested the psychometric properties of a brief version of the BAES (Brief-BAES or B-BAES). RESULTS Results demonstrated robust support of the stimulant and sedative constructs across all conditions, and demonstrated strong psychometric support for the 6-item B-BAES. DISCUSSION This is the first comprehensive study to expand the utility of the BAES by instructional set, baseline measurement, at various alcohol doses, and by drinking history and sex. In addition, the introduction of the B-BAES may further increase the utility of this scale, particularly in paradigms with repeated measurement or time constraints.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Fibrillin-1 Protein in the Cells of Chick Corneal and Conjunctival Epithelia during Pre- and Postnatal Development

Fibrillin-1 protein is a microfibrillar glycoprotein component of the extracellular matrix, widely distributed in ocular connective tissues. In this work, we show for the first time the expression pattern of fibrillin-1 protein in the corneal and conjunctival epithelia and in stromal keratocytes during embryo development. After hatching, protein expression was maintained in the corneal epithelium cells and nonsecreting epithelium cells of the conjunctiva and disappeared in the stromal keratocytes. In the limbus region, the basal cells were negative, while superficial cells were positive for the antibody. The expression in corneal epithelial cells suggests a role for fibrillin in development and disease. Therefore, some basal cells of the limbus region do not show fibrillin-1 immunolocalization, and this may be correlated with stem cell or stem-like properties.
Perfusion Brain SPECT and Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis Indicate That Apathy Is a Cingulate Syndrome: A Study in Alzheimer's Disease and Nondemented Patients

Apathy is the most frequent behavioral symptom in Alzheimer's disease and is also frequently reported in other brain organic disorders occurring in the elderly. Based on the literature, we hypothesized that apathy was related to an anterior cingulate hypofunction. Forty-one subjects were studied. According to ICD 10 diagnostic criteria, 28 patients had Alzheimer dementia (demented: diagnostic group 1), and 13 had organic personality disorders or mild cognitive impairment not attributable to dementia (nondemented: diagnostic group 2). Apathy was evaluated by the Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory. As a result each diagnostic group was divided into two symptomatic subgroups: apathetic or nonapathetic. Brain perfusion was measured by (99m)Tc-labeled bicisate (ECD) brain SPECT and the images were compared using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM96). We began by comparing apathetic vs nonapathetic patients, whatever their diagnostic group (whole population), then analyzed them within each group. Twenty-one subjects were apathetic (14 in group 1 and 7 in group 2) and 20 were not (14 in group 1 and 6 in group 2). For the whole population, the Z map showed a significant decrease in ECD uptake for the apathetic patients in the anterior cingulate (P < 0.002) bilaterally. This area was also identified as hypoactive by SPM analysis in the demented (P < 0.035) and in the nondemented (P < 0.02) apathetic patient groups. Finally, conjunction analysis indicated that the anterior cingulate was the common hypoactive structure of the two apathetic subgroups (Z = 4.35, P < 0.0009). These results point to a close relationship between apathy and the anterior cingulate region.
Neutralization epitopes of the F glycoprotein of respiratory syncytial virus: effect of mutation upon fusion function

Eighteen neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for the fusion glycoprotein of the A2 strain of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were used to construct a detailed topological and operational map of epitopes involved in neutralization and fusion. Competitive binding assays identified three nonoverlapping antigenic sites (A, B, and C) and one bridge site (AB). Thirteen MAb-resistant mutants (MARMs) were selected, and the neutralization patterns of the MAbs with either MARMs or RSV clinical strains identified a minimum of 16 epitopes. MARMs selected with antibodies to six of the site A and AB epitopes displayed a small-plaque phenotype, which is consistent with an alteration in a biologically active region of the F molecule. Analysis of MARMs also indicated that these neutralization epitopes occupy topographically distinct but conformationally interdependent regions with unique biological and immunological properties. Antigenic variation in F epitopes was examined by using 23 clinical isolates (18 subgroup A and 5 subgroup B) in cross-neutralization assays with the 18 anti-F MAbs. This analysis identified constant, variable, and hypervariable regions on the molecule and indicated that antigenic variation in the neutralization epitopes of the RSV F glycoprotein is the result of a noncumulative genetic heterogeneity. Of the 16 eptiopes, 8 were conserved on all or all but 1 of 23 subgroup A or subgroup B clinical isolates.
Fibroblast recruitment as a tool for ovarian cancer detection and targeted therapy

Metastatic ovarian cancer, the most lethal of gynecologic malignancies, is typically managed by debulking surgery, followed by chemotherapy. However, despite significant efforts, survival rate remains low. We have previously demonstrated, in mouse models, a specific systemic homing of labeled fibroblasts to solid ovarian tumors. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing this specific homing of genetically modified fibroblasts for detection and targeted therapy of orthotopic metastatic ovarian carcinoma model in immune‐deficient mice. Using an in vivo metastatic mouse model for ovarian cancer, we demonstrated that fibroblasts expressing fluorescent reporters injected intra‐peritoneally, were specifically recruited to peritoneal tumor nodules (resulting in 93‐100% co‐localization). We further used fibroblasts over expressing the soluble receptor variant of VEGFR1 (s‐Flt1). Mice bearing tumors were injected weekly with either control or s‐Flt1 expressing fibroblasts. Injection of s‐Flt1 expressing fibroblasts resulted in a significant reduction in the ascites volume, reduced vascularization of adherent metastases, and improved overall survival. Using fluorescently labeled fibroblasts for tumor detection with readily available intra‐operative fluorescence imaging tools may be useful for tumor staging and directing biopsies or surgical efforts during exploratory or debulking surgery. Fibroblasts may serve as a beacon pointing to the otherwise invisible metastases in the peritoneal cavity of ovarian cancer patients. Utilizing the recruited fibroblasts also for targeted delivery of anti angiogenic or antitumor molecules may aid in controlling tumor progression. Thus, these results suggest a novel approach for targeting ovarian tumor metastases for both tumor detection and therapy.