Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Markers of apoptosis induction and proliferation in the orbitofrontal cortex in alcohol dependence.

BACKGROUND Alcohol-dependent (ALC) subjects exhibit glial and neuronal pathology in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, in many patients, neurophysiological disturbances are not associated with catastrophic cell depletion despite prolonged alcohol abuse. It is still unclear how some relevant markers of a cell's propensity to degenerate or proliferate are changed in the PFC of ALC subjects without major neurological disorders. METHODS Levels of pro-apoptotic caspase 8 (C8), X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), direct IAP binding protein with low pI (DIABLO), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and density of cells immunoreactive for proliferation marker Ki-67 (Ki-67-IR) were measured postmortem in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of 29 subjects with alcohol dependence and 23 nonpsychiatric comparison subjects. RESULTS Alcohol subjects had significantly higher levels of the 14 kDa C8 fragment (C8-14), an indicator of C8 activation. However, there was no change in the levels of DIABLO, XIAP, or in the DIABLO/XIAP ratio. PCNA protein level and density of Ki-67-IR cells were not significantly changed in alcoholics, although PCNA levels were increased in older ALC subjects as compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS Significant increase of a C8 activation indicator was found in alcoholism, but without significant changes in XIAP level, DIABLO/XIAP ratio, or Ki-67 labeling. These results would help to explain the absence of catastrophic cell loss in the PFC of many Brigman subjects, while still being consistent with an alcoholism-related vulnerability to slow decline in glial cells and neurons in the OFC of alcoholics.
A random-effects model for cycle viability in fertility studies.

The authors describe a random-effects fertility model based upon the assumption that the menstrual cycle viability probability varies from couple to couple according to a beta distribution. An EM algorithm is used to fit the model. The proposed estimating procedure is fully expandable to allow covariate effects on the beta variate. The method can be applied generally whenever dependency among Bernoulli trials is induced by a susceptibility state and the outcomes can be observed only in the aggregate. Based upon data from a cohort of 221 couples with no known fertility problems who were attempting pregnancy, cycle viability was found to be heterogeneous among couples. Stratification on the presence or absence of prenatal exposure of the woman to her mother's cigarette smoking revealed a statistically significant difference in the two-cycle viability distributions. Differences are discussed in the interpretation of the beta model compared to the marginal approach based upon generalized estimating equations.
Pengaruh mekanisme good corporate governance terhadap kinerja perbankan dengan manajemen risiko sebagai variabel intervening

This study aimed to examine the effect of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) on risk management and the performance of banks in Indonesia. This study measures the extent of the implementation of corporate governance mechanisms in helping run the important managerial functions so as to reduce the risks faced and improve bank's performance. Samples are banks listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange 2012-2014 period account to 90 sample observations. GCG in this study was measured by a composite score of the elements of governance, risk management is measured by a composite score of some of the bank's risk while the banks' performance is measured by return on assets (ROA). The data were analyzed using simple linear analysis is performed three times to find the direct and indirect influence of variables on corporate governance, risk management, and performance. The results showed that the risk management role as an intervening variable. The analysis showed that the mechanism of GCG has a significant negative effect on bank's risk, in this case low risk showed a good risk management . In addition , GCG also has a significant positive effect on performance while the low risk (good risk management ) has a significant negative effect on performance ( performance improvement )
Host responses to Renibacterium salmoninarum and specific components of the pathogen reveal the mechanisms of immune suppression and activation

During infection, Renibacterium salmoninarum survives within the pronephric macrophages of salmonid fish. Therefore, to study the initial phases of the interaction we infected macrophages with live bacteria and analysed the responses of host and pathogen. It was found that the expression of msa encoding the p57 antigen of R. salmoninarum, was constitutive, while the expression of hly and rsh, encoding haemolysins, and lysB and grp was reduced after infection. Macrophages showed a rapid inflammatory response in which the expression of interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), inducible cyclo‐oxygenase (Cox‐2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was enhanced, but tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) expression was greatly reduced initially and then increased. After 5 days, except for TNF‐α and MHC II, expression returned to levels approaching those of uninfected macrophages. We propose that R. salmoninarum survives initial contact with macrophages by avoiding and/or interfering with TNF‐α‐dependent killing pathways. The effects of specific R. salmoninarum components were studied in vivo by injecting fish with DNA vaccine constructs expressing msa, hly, rsh, lysB, or grp. We found that msa reduced the expression of IL‐1β, Cox‐2, and MHC II but stimulated TNF‐α while hly, rsh and grp stimulated MHC II but down‐regulated TNF‐α. Constructs expressing hly or lysB stimulated iNOS expression and additionally, lysB stimulated TNF‐α. The results show how p57 suppresses the host immune system and suggest that the immune mechanisms for the containment of R. salmoninarum infections rely on MHC II‐ and TNF‐α‐dependent pathways. Moreover, prolonged stimulation of TNF‐α may contribute to the chronic inflammatory pathology of bacterial kidney disease.
Pengaruh Profitabilitas dan Kebijakan Utang terhadap Nilai Perusahaan yang terdaftar di Jakarta Islamic Index (JII)

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menguji pengaruh kebijakan dividen, kebijakan utang dan profitabilitas terhadap nilai perusahaan yang terdaftar di Jakarta Islamic index (JII) selama periode 2013-2015.Populasi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Jakarta Islamic Index (JII). Teknik penentuan sampel menggunakan purposive sampling method. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa profitabilitas dan kebijakan utang berpengaruh signifikan terhadap nilai perusahaan. Dan hasil uji parsial menunjukkan bahwa tingginya profitabilitas akan meningkatkan nilai perusahaan dan dengan bagusnya kebijakan hutang maka juga akan meningkatkan nilai perusahaan.
Marrying in the City in Times of Rapid Urbanization

Economic, social, political, and demographic processes changed Western European cities strongly during the nineteenth century. Especially during this time, the northern part of Belgium (Flanders) became highly urbanized. Investigating the long-term development of the marriage pattern in the cities of Antwerp, Aalst, and Ghent gives a detailed picture of the evolution of the urban marriage pattern. In this article, specific emphasis is on gender, social, and migration distinctions. The results confirm that there is a male—female difference and variation among various social and migrant groups in the age at first marriage during the period 1800—1906. Moreover, regional differences are also visible. In the port city of Antwerp, massive immigration caused a unique evolution in the age at first marriage during the last decades of the nineteenth century, which did not appear in the textile cities of Aalst and Ghent during this time.
Does Protectionist Anti-Takeover Legislation Lead to Managerial Entrenchment?

I study a protectionist anti-takeover law introduced in 2014 that covers a subset of all firms in the economy. The law had a negative impact on shareholder value and substantially reduced affected firms' likelihood of becoming a takeover target. There is no evidence that management of those firms subsequently altered firm policies in its interest. Investment, employment, wages, profitability, financial leverage and distributions to shareholders remain unchanged. The share of annual CEO compensation consisting of equity instruments increased by 9.4 percentage points, suggesting that boards reacted to the loss in monitoring by the takeover market by increasing the pay-for-performance sensitivity.
PDZ domains determine the native oligomeric structure of the DegP (HtrA) protease

DegP (HtrA) is a periplasmic heat shock serine protease of Escherichia coli that degrades misfolded proteins at high temperatures. Biochemical and biophysical experiments have indicated that the purified DegP exists as a hexamer. To examine whether the PDZ domains of DegP were required for oligomerization, we constructed a DegP variant lacking both PDZ domains. This truncated variant, DegPΔ, exhibited no proteolytic activity but exerted a dominant‐negative effect on growth at high temperatures by interfering with the functional assembly of oligomeric DegP. Thus, the PDZ domains contain information necessary for proper assembly of the functional hexameric structure of DegP.
Discordances between Interpretation Algorithms for Genotypic Resistance to Protease and Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Are Subtype Dependent

ABSTRACT The major limitation of drug resistance genotyping for human immunodeficiency virus remains the interpretation of the results. We evaluated the concordance in predicting therapy response between four different interpretation algorithms (Rega 6.3, HIVDB-08/04, ANRS [07/04], and VGI 8.0). Sequences were gathered through a worldwide effort to establish a database of non-B subtype sequences, and demographic and clinical information about the patients was gathered. The most concordant results were found for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (93%), followed by protease inhibitors (84%) and nucleoside RT inhibitor (NRTIs) (76%). For therapy-naive patients, for nelfinavir, especially for subtypes C and G, the discordances were driven mainly by the protease (PRO) mutational pattern 82I/V + 63P + 36I/V for subtype C and 82I + 63P + 36I + 20I for subtype G. Subtype F displayed more discordances for ritonavir in untreated patients due to the combined presence of PRO 20R and 10I/V. In therapy-experienced patients, subtype G displayed a lot of discordances for saquinavir and indinavir due to mutational patterns involving PRO 90 M and 82I. Subtype F had more discordance for nelfinavir attributable to the presence of PRO 88S and 82A + 54V. For the NRTIs lamivudine and emtricitabine, CRF01_AE had more discordances than subtype B due to the presence of RT mutational patterns 65R + 115 M and 118I + 215Y, respectively. Overall, the different algorithms agreed well on the level of resistance scored, but some of the discordances could be attributed to specific (subtype-dependent) combinations of mutations. It is not yet known whether therapy response is subtype dependent, but the advice given to clinicians based on a genotypic interpretation algorithm differs according to the subtype.
Hormone therapy for reproductive depression in women

An email survey of patients attending a PMS and Menopause Centre produced 238 patients whose principal presenting symptom was depression. Seventy-seven percent claimed to have had severe or moderate depression, 17% had had at least one psychotic episode and 14% had attempted suicide. Fifty-eight percent had seen a psychiatrist. Seventy-one percent had received antidepressants and 17% had received mood stabilising drugs. Twelve percent had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and 3.8% had received electroconvulsive therapy. Sixty-eight percent had premenstrual syndrome as a teenager and 145 women (89%) out of 165 women who had been pregnant had no depression during pregnancy but 110 (66%) developed postnatal depression. Ninety-seven women (58%) who had been pregnant had suffered both premenstrual depression and postnatal depression. All were treated with transdermal estrogens and 93% also had transdermal testosterone. One hundred and seventy-one patients had a uterus and received cyclical progestogen to protect the endometrium and 63% of these developed the premenstrual syndrome-type symptoms of progesterone intolerance during the progestogen days. Thirty-five percent of patients claimed to be cured and 55% had a considerable improvement with estrogen therapy. Only 3.7% reported that there was no improvement. For 94%, the hormone therapy was a life-changing event for the better. None were worse. Forty patients had hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy for progesterone intolerance or heavy uterine bleeding and 38 replied that it was life changing for the better with less or no depression. It is concluded that premenstrual and postnatal depressions appear in the same vulnerable women. These women are typically well during pregnancy and are a sub group of reproductive depression which also develops climacteric depression in the transition phase. These types of depression are the product of hormonal changes and respond well to transdermal hormone therapy.
All on Board? New Evidence on Board Gender Diversity from a Large Panel of Firms

Using a unique database of over 20 million firms over two decades, we examine the industry sector and national institution drivers of the prevalence of women directors on supervisory and management boards in both public and private firms across 41 advanced and emerging European economies. We demonstrate that gender board diversity has generally increased, yet women remain rare in both boards of firms in Europe: approximately 70% have no women directors on their supervisory boards, and 60% have no women directors on management boards. We leverage institutional and resource dependency theoretical frameworks to demonstrate that few systematic factors are associated with greater gender diversity for both supervisory and management boards among both private and public firms: the same factor may exhibit a positive correlation to a management board, and a negative correlation to a supervisory board, or vice versa. We interpret these findings as evidence that country-level gender equality and cultural institutions exhibit differentiated correlations with the presence of women directors in management and supervisory boards. We also find little evidence that sector-level competition and innovativeness are systematically associated with the presence of women on either board in either group of firms.
Large Spin‐Valley Polarization in Monolayer MoTe2 on Top of EuO(111)

The electronic properties of monolayer MoTe2 on top of EuO(111) are studied by first-principles calculations. Strong spin polarization is induced in MoTe2 , which results in a large valley polarization. In a longitudinal electric field this will result in a valley and spin-polarized charge Hall effect. The direction of the Hall current as well as the valley and spin polarizations can be tuned by an external magnetic field.
Prediction of outcome in intensive care patients using endocrine parameters.

OBJECTIVE To determine the ability of various endocrine parameters, measured at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, to predict patient outcome. DESIGN Prospective, cohort study of patients requiring intensive care. SETTING The medical/surgical ICU at South Cleveland Hospital, UK and a medical/surgical ICU in a UK district hospital. PATIENTS A total of 260 consecutive patients requiring intensive care over a 2-yr period. INTERVENTIONS Patients were investigated within 1 hr of ICU admission by measuring plasma cortisol, serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine, and thyrotropin concentrations and by obtaining the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score. Individual variables were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There were significant differences for each endocrine parameter between survivors and nonsurvivors (all p < .01). A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that only thyroxine, thyrotropin, and cortisol concentrations were independent predictors of outcome. An equation using these variables predicted outcome with 82% accuracy at the 0.5 cutoff point of the receiver operating curve. APACHE II scores predicted outcome with 72% accuracy at the same point on the receiver operating curve. Correct prediction of death was more frequent with the Endocrine Index than with APACHE II scores. Overall predictive power of the Endocrine Index, as measured by the area under the receiver operating curve, was 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.91 to 0.96) vs. 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.81 to 0.89) for APACHE II scores. Combining APACHE II scores and the endocrine parameters in a single index did not improve prediction (area under receiver operating curve = 0.94). CONCLUSION An endocrine prognostic index based on ICU admission measurements of thyroxine, thyrotropin, and cortisol concentrations is a superior discriminator of patient outcome than the APACHE II score.
The Role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex in Anxiety Disorders

Abstract: Advances in neuroimaging techniques over the past two decades have allowed scientists to investigate the neurocircuitry of anxiety disorders. Such research has implicated the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Characterizing the role of OFC in anxiety disorders, however, is principally complicated by two factors–differences in underlying pathophysiology across the anxiety disorders and heterogeneity in function across different OFC sub‐territories. Contemporary neurocircuitry models of anxiety disorders have primarily focused on amygdalo‐cortical interactions. The amygdala is implicated in generating fear responses, whereas cortical regions, specifically the medial OFC (mOFC) and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), are implicated in fear extinction. In contrast to mOFC, anterolateral OFC (lOFC) has been associated with negative affects and obsessions and thus dysfunctional lOFC may underlie different aspects of certain anxiety disorders. Herein, we aim to review the above‐mentioned theories and provide a heuristic model for conceptualizing the respective roles of mOFC and lOFC in the pathophysiology and treatment of anxiety disorders. We will also review the role of the OFC in fear extinction and the implications of this role to the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders.
Pedobacter pituitosus sp. nov., isolated from a waterfall.

A taxonomic study was carried out on a novel bacterial strain, designated MIC2002(T), which was isolated from Wibong falls in Korea. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rods, 0.3-0.5 µm wide and 4.0-5.0 µm long. The optimum temperature and pH range for growth were 25 °C and pH 6.5-7.0, respectively. Catalase and oxidase activities were positive. Flexirubin pigments were not produced. Comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Pedobacter, with Pedobacter daechungensis as its closest relative, with a similarity of 94.4%. It contained iso-C(15:0), anteiso-C(15:0), C(16:0), summed feature 3 (C(16:1)ω6c and/or C(16:1)ω7c) and iso-C(17:0) 3-OH as the major fatty acids and menaquinone MK-7 as isoprenoid quinone. The polar lipid profile of strain MIC2002(T) revealed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine and an unknown lipid. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 34.7 mol%. On the basis of the evidences presented, it was concluded that strain MIC2002(T) represents a novel species of the genus Pedobacter within the family Sphingobacteriaceae, for which the name Pedobacter pituitosus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is MIC2002(T) ( =KACC 17064(T) =JCM 18729(T)).
Single-clone and mixed-clone infections versus host environment in Crithidia bombi infecting bumblebees

Current theories assume that adaptive parasite evolution explains variation in the level of virulence and parasite success. In particular, mixed-genotype infections by parasites should generally be more virulent, and faster multiplying strains more successful, either because fixed strategies have evolved or because parasites facultatively alter virulence in response to co-infecting competitors. We compared several measures of parasite success and virulence between single-clone and mixed-clone infections of 2 strains of the trypanosome Crithidia bombi in its bumblebee host, Bombus terrestris. Contrary to expectation, we could not find differences between single-clone and mixed-clone infections in parasite prevalence, infection success, duration and clearance rate. However, a clearly significant effect of colony on infection intensity was present, and the colony effect emerged in virtually all other measures. We thus conclude that host environment as defined by the family (colony) genotype and thus host heterogeneity are more important in determining parasite virulence than the parasite characteristics. This does not invalidate modern theories of parasite evolution but suggests that variation in both hosts and parasites must be taken into account in more detail.
Characterizing the harmonic attenuation effect of high-pressure sodium lamps

In this paper, several high power lighting networks based on high pressures sodium (HPS) lamps with rated lamp powers of 70, 150 and 250 W have been set up. They have also been tested with different levels of power using dimming for a 220 V power supply. These have been chosen because of they are used in public lighting. Each luminaire consists of sodium lamp with dimmable electronic ballast, which can dim the lamp output smoothly and uniformly. This paper focuses on the harmonic characterization of modern HPS lamps connected to dimmable electronic ballasts. Harmonics under full and reduced power for several HPS lamps have been measured. It presents an investigation on the attenuation effect and a proposal of an index called the equivalent lamp index to characterize this effect on HPS lamps. Also it is concluded that using a combination of HPS lamps can result in a reduction of the current distortion.
Neuroprotective effects of progesterone and allopregnanolone on long-term cognitive outcome after global cerebral ischemia.

PURPOSE To assess the longterm neuroprotective effects of progesterone (P₄) and allopregnanolone (ALLO) on functional and morphological parameters of the integrity of the hippocampus, after global cerebral ischemia. METHODS Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a transient severe (20 min) forebrain ischemia (Isch) episode and treated with P₄ or ALLO (8 mg/kg i.v.) or its vehicle, at 20 min, 2, 6, 24, 48 and 72 h after ischemia. Rats subjected to Sham procedures, and intact rats were included as nonischemic controls. Three months after ischemia, both the functional (spatial learning and memory, and reference and working memory), and the morphological integrity (dimensions of the hippocampal formation, thickness of the CA1 subfield, and pyramidal neuron population) of the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC) were determined. RESULTS Treatment with P₄ or ALLO significantly reduced the impairment in spatial learning and memory, as well as in reference and working memory, and prevented the narrowing of the hippocampus, otherwise induced by ischemia. This better performance of P₄ and ALLO treated rats than vehicle (Veh) treated rats, occurred in spite of a loss of pyramidal neurons in the CA1, CA2,CA3 and hilus subfields of the Ammon's horn (remaining neurons: Isch+Veh: 21.0, 35.6, 44.1, and 40.3%; Isch+P₄: 19.9, 32.2,41.1, and 32.5%; Isch+ALLO: 25.5, 62.0, 73.7, and 56.7%), and nonsignificant changes in the mPFC, as compared to the Intact group (100%). CONCLUSIONS Performance of P₄ or ALLO treated rats in learning and memory tests suggests that these steroids promoted neural conditions accounting for adequate functioning long after ischemia, in spite of the loss of hippocampal pyramidal neurons.