Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroid hormone signaling in energy homeostasis and energy metabolism

The thyroid hormone (TH) plays a significant role in diverse processes related to growth, development, differentiation, and metabolism. TH signaling modulates energy expenditure through both central and peripheral pathways. At the cellular level, the TH exerts its effects after concerted mechanisms facilitate binding to the TH receptor. In the hypothalamus, signals from a range of metabolic pathways, including appetite, temperature, afferent stimuli via the autonomic nervous system, availability of energy substrates, hormones, and other biologically active molecules, converge to maintain plasma TH at the appropriate level to preserve energy homeostasis. At the tissue level, TH actions on metabolism are controlled by transmembrane transporters, deiodinases, and TH receptors. In the modern environment, humans are susceptible to an energy surplus, which has resulted in an obesity epidemic and, thus, understanding the contribution of the TH to cellular and organism metabolism is increasingly relevant.
Characterization of CLA-1, a Human Homologue of Rodent Scavenger Receptor BI, as a Receptor for High Density Lipoprotein and Apoptotic Thymocytes*

Recently, a murine scavenger receptor type B class I (SR-BI) was identified that binds high density lipoprotein (HDL) and mediates the selective uptake of cholesterol esters. The human CD36 and LIMPII analogous-1 (CLA-1) receptor shows high sequence homology with SR-BI, but their functional relationship has not been determined. Transfected cells expressing CLA-1 bound HDL with a K d of about 35 μg/ml, similar to the K d for HDL binding to rodent SR-BI. This binding resulted in an intracellular accumulation of HDL-derived [3H]cholesterol esters without internalization or degradation of 125I-apolipoprotein. CLA-1 was strongly expressed in the adrenal gland and was also abundant in liver and testis, suggesting that CLA-1, like SR-BI, could play a role in the metabolism of HDL. However, CLA-1 was also expressed in monocytes and, like SR-BI, recognized modified forms of low density lipoproteins as well as native LDL and anionic phospholipids. These findings suggest that CLA-1 might have additional physiological functions. We found that CLA-1 recognizes apoptotic thymocytes. Our results demonstrate that CLA-1, a close structural homologue of SR-BI, is also functionally related to SR-BI and may play an important role as a “docking receptor” for HDL in connection with selective uptake of cholesterol esters. An additional role in recognition of damaged cells is suggested by these studies.
CLINICAL OUTCOME OF FEBRILE NEUTROPENIA IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER USING CEFTAZIDIME AND AMINOGLYCOSIDES

To determine treatment outcome using ceftazidime–aminoglycosides in febrile neutropenic children with cancer, the authors conducted a prospective cohort study in 216 episodes. Early and complete responses to antibiotics were 108/216 (50.0%) and 133/216 (61.6%) episodes, respectively. Death, a modification of antibiotic(s), and resistance to ceftazidime were 2/118 (1.7%), 73/216 (33.8%), and 4/216 (1.9%) episodes, respectively. Primary bacteremia and emerging bacteremia during treatment were 20/216 (9.3%) and 5/216 (2.3%) episodes. Ceftazidime–aminoglycosides was found to be a reasonable initial treatment of febrile neutropenia in the authors’ institution. Imipenem is considered in patients who have clinical sepsis and who fail to respond to initial treatment.
Towards poverty alleviation: the water sector perspectives.

Water and poverty interface in many different ways. Sustainable management (i.e. development, allocation and utilization) of water resources is therefore a process-element of sustainable human development. This paper looks into water-poverty interfaces as well as into approaches to, and tools of, managing water in such a manner that water sector activities can contribute to alleviation of poverty. It gives a southern perspective and includes a case study of the evolving water management regime in Bangladesh.
Attitudes of Ward Attendants Towards Mental Illness: Comparisons and Predictors

Background: In India few studies exist that explore attitudes of mental health professionals, especially psychiatric ward attendants, towards psychiatric illnesses. This study aimed to explore attitudes of psychiatric ward attendants since they work closely with psychiatric patients in the hospital ward, and which may differ given their cultural and social background. Methods: Five hundred psychiatric ward attendants were targeted and a 100 sample size chosen based on systematic random sampling. A control group from guardians attending the outpatient department of Central Institute of Psychiatry was selected using the same methods. Attitudes of both groups were assessed using Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) after written informed consent. Results: There were no significant differences noted in Authoritarianism and Benevolence domains of CAMI. However, there were significant differences in the domains of Social Restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology with psychiatric ward attendants scoring higher than the general attendants. Among the socio-demographic variables, there was significant correlation between age, duration of contact and educational background and various domains of CAMI. Conclusions: Psychiatric ward attendants had more positive attitudes than general attendants towards psychiatric illnesses. Socio-demographic variables like older age, higher education and longer duration of contact with the psychiatrically ill predicted more favourable attitudes.
No Alteration in Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Periodontitis

Alveolar bone destruction can be magnified in the presence of generalized skeletal disorders. We questioned whether severe generalized periodontitis patients display signs of bone metabolism disturbances. Our objective was to assess skeletal bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical bone parameters in premenopausal women with periodontitis. Forty-five patients and 40 control individuals were included in the study. We measured BMD by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The results showed no difference in BMD values between the periodontitis and control groups (p > 0.05). A positive relationship between the clinical attachment level and Body Mass Index (BMI) scores was observed (p = 0.03). Increased serum creatinine levels were noted in the periodontitis group (p = 0.04). Analysis of the data suggests that there is no evidence for an association between skeletal BMD and severe periodontitis in premenopausal women. There may be a link between elevated creatinine levels and periodontitis. The persons with high BMI scores seemed to be at risk for periodontitis.
REDUCTION IN THE SEVERITY OF GRAFT‐VERSUS-HOST DISEASE AND INCREASED SURVIVAL IN ALLOGENEIC MICE BY TREATMENT WITH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO CELL ADHESION ANTIGENS LFA‐lα AND MALA‐2

Bone marrow transplantation is a therapeutic treatment for many life-threatening hematologic disorders, especially leukemia and certain immune deficiency diseases. However, acute graft-versus-host disease is often associated with bone marrow transplantation. In mice, allogeneic GVHD appears to be mediated by both host natural killer cells and donor T cells. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that treatment with either YN1/1.7 or M17/4.2 mabs is immunomodulatory and inhibits both the mixed lymphocyte reaction and natural killer cell activity. In addition, utilizing an allogeneic model of acute, lethal GVHD with C57B1/6 mice as donors and sublethally irradiated BDFi mice as recipients, treatment of host mice with anti-LFA-lα (Ml7/ 4.2) or anti-MALA-2 (YN1/1.7) mabs at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 10 days significantly reduced GVHD and enhanced survival. Mabs to lymphocyte adhesion molecules such as LFA-lα and MALA-2 may provide a useful therapy for the treatment of GVHD.
Chronic Conductive Hearing Loss Leads

Synapses between cochlear nerve terminals and hair cells are the most vulnerable elements in the inner ear in both noise-induced and age-related hearing loss, and this neuropathy is exacerbated in the absence of efferent feedback from the olivocochlear bundle. If age-related loss is dominated by a lifetime of exposure to environmental sounds, reduction of acoustic drive to the inner ear might improve cochlear preservation throughout life. To test this, we removed the tympanic membrane unilaterally in one group of young adult mice, removed the olivocochlear bundle in another group and compared their cochlear function and innervation to age-matched controls one year later. Results showed that tympanic membrane removal, and the associated threshold elevation, was counterproductive: cochlear efferent innervation was dramatically reduced, especially the lateral olivocochlear terminals to the inner hair cell area, and there was a corresponding reduction in the number of cochlear nerve synapses. This loss led to a decrease in the amplitude of the suprathreshold cochlear neural responses. Similar results were seen in two cases with conductive hearing loss due to chronic otitis media. Outer hair cell death was increased only in ears lacking medial olivocochlear innervation following olivocochlear bundle cuts. Results suggest the novel ideas that 1) the olivocochlear efferent pathway has a dramatic use-dependent plasticity even in the adult ear and 2) a component of the lingering auditory processing disorder seen in humans after persistent middle-ear infections is cochlear in origin.
Understanding the Effects of Nonstraightforward Communication in Organizational Discourse

Two experiments (n = 605) utilize equivocal communication theory to understand the effects of nonstraightforward communication in organizational discourse, specifically in initial spokesperson responses to organizational crises. In a first experiment, young adults rated equivocal and nonequivocal spokesperson responses to corporate crisis situations that either contained or did not contain an avoidance-avoidance goal conflict. As predicted, equivocal messages were both viewed as appropriate messages to use and associated with two measures of corporate reputation in avoidance-avoidance situations. By contrast, nonequivocal messages were viewed as more appropriate to use and associated with corporate reputation in non—avoidance-avoidance situations. Experiment 2 essentially replicated these findings and showed that the effect of nonequivocal and equivocal messages on perceived corporate reputation is partially mediated by how well the messages are perceived to handle goal conflicts in crisis situations.
The importance of the glycerol 3‐phosphate shuttle during aerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Maintenance of a cytoplasmic redox balance is a necessity for sustained cellular metabolism. Glycerol formation is the only way by which Saccharomyces cerevisiae can maintain this balance under anaerobic conditions. Aerobically, on the other hand, several different redox adjustment mechanisms exist, one of these being the glycerol 3‐phosphate (G3P) shuttle. We have studied the importance of this shuttle under aerobic conditions by comparing growth properties and glycerol formation of a wild‐type strain with that of gut2Δ mutants, lacking the FAD‐dependent glycerol 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase, assuming that the consequent blocking of G3P oxidation is forcing the cells to produce glycerol from G3P. To impose different demands on the redox adjustment capability we used various carbon sources having different degrees of reduction.
Investigating a Sexual Network of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men: Implications for Transmission and Prevention of HIV Infection in the United States

Background:HIV infections increased 48% among young Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States between 2006 and 2009. Incomplete understanding of this trend undermines prevention strategy development. We investigated a sexual network to characterize the risk environment in which young Black MSM acquire HIV. Methods:Persons reported to the state after diagnosis of HIV or syphilis were included, along with sexual partners. We used network mapping alongside descriptive and bivariate statistics to characterize network connections. Generalized linear models assessed predictors of having untraceable sex partners. Results:The network included 398 individuals and 419 sexual relationships. Three-quarters were Black (n = 299); 92% were MSM. Median age at first network appearance was 26 years and decreased over time (P < 0.001). HIV prevalence was at least 29% (n = 117); serostatus was unknown for 47% of the network, either because they were untraceable (n = 150) or refused HIV testing (n = 39). One in 5 network members diagnosed with HIV had a subsequent incident sexually transmitted infection. In multivariable models, one-time encounters increased the risk of having an untraceable partner (risk ratio = 4.51, 95% CI: 2.27 to 8.97), whereas being acutely HIV infected at diagnosis reduced it (risk ratio = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.89). Conclusions:HIV prevalence in this sexual network of young Black MSM rivals that of sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting dramatically increased risk of acquiring HIV from the moment one entered the network. Prevention efforts for this population must consider the effect of sexual networks on HIV risk and find ways of leveraging network structure to reduce transmission.
Dictyosteliumhybrid polyketide synthase , SteelyA , produces 4-methyl-5-pentylbenzene-1 , 3-diol and induces sporematuration

Dictyosteliumhybrid polyketide synthase, SteelyA,produces 4-methyl-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol and induces sporematuration Takaaki B. Narita, Kota Koide, Naoki Morita & Tamao Saito Graduate School of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; and Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Japan
Sustainable safety volunteerism in the Strand, Western Cape: Volunteer identity, motivation and socio-organisational experiences

There is a growing recognition of the relevance and even centrality of volunteerism to adequate collective responses to poverty, housing and the promotion of human rights and, more recently, safety. Volunteerism by members of poor global South communities within their own communities has, however, remained relatively neglected and undescribed. This study explored the motivations, benefi ts and socio-organisational experiences that a group of volunteers reported as a result of their participation in a safety-promotion project in two under-resourced communities in the Strand, in the Western Cape, South Africa. The focus of this safety-promotion project was to enhance women’s safety and health and to reduce risks of injury and violence through the implementation of safety-promotion strategies that target the prevention of priority injuries, particularly violence, traffi c injury and burns. The study used a qualitative approach and is based on the completion of questionnaires and focus group discussions with volunteers and project staff. Data analysis involved the thematic analysis of the written responses by 28 volunteers and 4 project staff to a questionnaire comprising open-ended and focused questions that explored their experiences of volunteerism. The study also involved the analysis of the transcriptions of two focus group discussions subsequently held with these volunteers to clarify, further develop and verify emerging themes. The volunteers identifi ed both self-oriented and socially altruistic motivations and benefi ts. These volunteers highlighted a hope and desire to advance social change and promote safety within their communities. Volunteer experiences refl ected their enthusiasm to enhance both the human and social capital of their communities simultaneously. This study highlighted the development of a volunteer identity as a necessary component for the implementation of a sustainable, volunteer-based safety-promotion project.
The Relation between the Strength of Corporate Governance and Auditor-Client Realignments

Prior to the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Improving the Effectiveness of Corporate Audit Committees (BRC 1999) had increased the public‟s focus on the importance of corporate governance. We suggest that if the BRC‟s recommendations lead Big N audit firms to alter their client retention/acceptance decisions, then this earlier focus on corporate governance may have mitigated some of the benefits of proposed changes under SOX. We use a post-BRC/post-SOX design and test for the effects of corporate governance while controlling for multiple audit risk measures (i.e., financial risk, litigation risk, and earnings manipulation risk). Our auditor switching analysis, using a sample of Big N clients that switched to non-Big N audit firms and a matched sample of non-switching Big N clients, reveals that clients with relatively weaker corporate governance were more likely to switch to non-Big N audit firms post-BRC, but we find no association between governance and auditor switching post-SOX. Moreover, our client portfolio analysis reveals that the post-BRC switching activity resulted in an increased gap in the strength of corporate governance between Big N and non-Big N client portfolios. Thus, although SOX likely improved corporate governance generally, our results suggest that the benefits of this general improvement to corporate governance are likely reduced by the observed auditor-client realignment activity. Specifically, our results indicate a shift in clients with relatively weaker corporate governance from Big N audit firms to non-Big N audit firms. We posit that this shift could prove problematic because prior research suggests that Big N audit firms provide higher quality audits and that clients with weak corporate governance are more likely to engage in financial reporting fraud.
Induction and Functional Significance of the Heme Oxygenase System in Pathologic Shear 1 Stress in Vivo 2 3 Running Title : Vasoprotective Effects of the HO System

1 Stress in Vivo 2 3 Running Title: Vasoprotective Effects of the HO System 4 5 Lu Kang, Matthew L. Hillestad, Joseph P. Grande, Anthony J. Croatt, Michael A. Barry, 6 Gianrico Farrugia, Zvonimir S. Katusic, and Karl A. Nath 7 8 Division of Nephrology and Hypertension; Division of Cardiovascular Disease; Department of 9 Laboratory Medicine and Pathology; Division of Infectious Diseases; Division of 10 Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Departments of Anesthesiology and Molecular 11 Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 12 13 Address for Corresponding Author: 14 Karl A. Nath, M.D. 15 Mayo Clinic 16 Guggenheim 542 17 200 First St., SW 18 Rochester, MN 55905 19 Phone (507) 284-1646 20 Fax (507) 284-3757 21 Email: nath.karl@mayo.edu 22 23 24
Extreme sports are good for your health: A phenomenological understanding of fear and anxiety in extreme sport

Extreme sports are traditionally explored from a risk-taking perspective which often assumes that participants do not experience fear. In this article we explore participants’ experience of fear associated with participation in extreme sports. An interpretive phenomenological method was used with 15 participants. Four themes emerged: experience of fear, relationship to fear, management of fear, and fear and self-transformation. Participants’ experience of extreme sports was revealed in terms of intense fear but this fear was integrated and experienced as a potentially meaningful and constructive event in their lives. The findings have implications for understanding fear as a potentially transformative process.
The Relationship Between Glycosylated Haemoglobin and Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Tip 2 Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health problem with long-term micro and macrovascular complications. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a sight-threating chronic complication of diabetes mellitus in adults. In this study, we determined the frequency of DR and the relationship between HbA1c levels, duration of diabetes and BMI with DR in type 2 diabetic patients. Six-hundred eighteen type 2 diabetic patients participated in this study. In the first examination, retinopathy was evaluated by ophthalmoscopy through dilated pupil by experienced ophthalmologist. Based on their optic fundi findings they were classified into three groups; without retinopathy, had non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). In addition, the patients were classified in four groups according to their HbA1c levels; below 6.0 %, between 6.1 and 6.9%; between 7.0 and 9.9%, and; above 10.0%. According to the duration of diabetes the patients were divided into three groups. First group consisted of patients who were diabetic for less than five years, the second group consists of patients who had diabetes for a period 6-10 years and the third group, who were diabetic for more than 10 years. All patients were divided into four groups according BMI; lower 25 kg/m, between 25.1 and 29.9 kg/m, between 30 and 39.9 kg/m and over 40 kg/m. In our study, the frequency of DR was 46.6% [ 28.8% have NPDR and 17.8% have PDR]. There was a stastically significant relationship between HbA1c levels and DR (both NPDR and PDR) (p<0.000). The frequency of retinopathy (both background and proliferative ) was 4.8% in the group of diabetics with a mean HbA1c level <6%, 8.7 % in those between 6.1 and 6.9%, 62.8% in those between 7 and 9.9% and 82.2% in those exceeding a mean HbA1c level of 10%. According to our results, there was a significant relationship between duration of diabetes and DR (both nonproliferative and proliferative) (p<0.001). A similar relationship between PDR and BMI (p<.001), between NPDR and BMI (p<.01) was found. But there was no relationship between gender and DR (p=0.51). These results imply that duration of diabetes, HbA1c level and BMI are important risk factors for onset or progression of DR in type 2 DM. Therefore decrease in HbA1c values and BMI prevent or delay the onset/or progression of DR. Turk Jem 2007; 11: 10-5
Nonlinear optical Galton board

We generalize the concept of optical Galton board (OGB), first proposed by Bouwmeester et al. [Phys. Rev. A 61, 013410 (2000)], by introducing the possibility of nonlinear self-phase modulation on the wave function during the walker evolution. If the original Galton board illustrates classical diffusion, the OGB, which can be understood as a grid of Landau-Zener crossings, illustrates the influence of interference on diffusion, and is closely connected with the quantum walk. Our nonlinear generalization of the OGB shows new phenomena, the most striking of which is the formation of nondispersive pulses in the field distribution (solitonlike structures). These exhibit a variety of dynamical behaviors, including ballistic motion, dynamical localization, nonelastic collisions, and chaotic behavior, in the sense that the dynamics is very sensitive to the nonlinearity strength.