Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to employment, self-regulation, and physical health quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS

Author(s): Lien, Chia-Yu | Advisor(s): Carrico, Adam W | Abstract: Background: Previous studies established that unemployment is associated with poorer self-reported physical health quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). The present cross-sectional study tested a Social Action Theory model in which difficulties with self-regulation mediate the association of perceived barriers to employment with poorer physical health quality of life. Methods: 108 PLHA from a vocational rehabilitation program in San Francisco were enrolled from December of 2011 to January of 2012. Hierarchical linear regression was applied to examine whether difficulties with self-regulation mediated the association between perceived barriers to employment and poorer physical health quality of life. Results: PLHA with income less than $12,000 per year reported greater perceived barriers to employment. Perceived personal, career, and job barriers to employment were associated with self-regulation difficulties (e.g., lower coping self-efficacy). Perceived personal and career barriers were associated with poorer physical health quality of life. Lower coping self-efficacy partially mediated the associations of perceived personal barriers to employment (Sobel test Z = -2.25, p l .05) and perceived career barriers to employment (Sobel test Z = -2.33, p l .05) with poorer physical health quality of life. Conclusion: PLHA with greater perceived barriers to employment report poorer physical health quality of life. Clinical research is needed to examine if vocational rehabilitation and interventions targeting self-regulation processes improve physical health quality of life among PLHA.
Thünen-Baseline 2015-2025: Agrarökonomische Projektionen für Deutschland

Dieser Bericht stellt ausgewahlte Ergebnisse der Thunen-Baseline 2015 - 2025 sowie die zugrun-de liegenden Annahmen dar. Fur die Erstellung der Thunen-Baseline wurden mehrere agraroko-nomische Modellen im Verbund eingesetzt. Die Projektionen beruhen auf den im Juli 2015 vorlie-genden Daten und Informationen zur weltwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung. Die Thunen-Baseline geht von einer Beibehaltung der derzeitigen Agrarpolitik bzw. der Umsetzung bereits beschlossener Politikanderungen aus. Dargestellt werden Projektionsergebnisse fur Agrarhandel, Preise, Nach-frage, Produktion, Einkommen und Umweltwirkungen. Die Darstellung der Ergebnisse kon-zentriert sich hauptsachlich auf die Entwicklungen des deutschen Agrarsektors im Vergleich zur Situation im Basisjahrzeitraum 2009 - 2011. Daruber hinaus widmet sich die Thunen-Baseline 2015 - 2025 in einem eigenstandigen Kapitel den Auswirkungen der Kopplung von Direktzahlun-gen, die in allen EU-Mitgliedstaaten, mit Ausnahme von Deutschland, eingesetzt wird. In der Thunen-Baseline 2015 - 2025 tragen gunstige Aussichten auf dem Weltagrarmarkt in Kombinati-on mit einem schwachen Euro dazu bei, dass sich die Einkommen vieler Betriebe in Deutschland bis 2025 positiv entwickeln. Jedoch zeigt eine Variationsrechnung, die eine Wiederaufwertung des Euro unterstellt, wie stark gerade die exportorientierten Sektoren (wie z. B. Milch) von der Entwicklung gesamtwirtschaftlicher Kennzahlen abhangig sind.
Retinoid signaling competence and RARβ‐mediated gene regulation in the developing mammalian telencephalon

To study retinoid signaling in the developing telencephalon, we transfected a retinoid reporter gene into different regions of developing telencephalon. We found that the ventral telencephalon was more competent to retinoid signaling than the dorsal telencephalon. Moreover, among all retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), RARβ was strongly induced by retinoic acid in the ventral telencephalon, suggesting that RARβ might be involved in retinoid signaling competence. The RT‐PCR analysis indicated that RARβ was selectively expressed in the developing striatum of ventral telencephalon. We then demonstrated that null mutations of RARβ gene resulted in reduction of striatal‐enriched tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) mRNA in the striatum of RARβ−/− mutant mice. Conversely, the gain‐of‐function study showed that ectopic expression of RARβ1 in the cerebral cortex enhanced STEP expression, and the effect was RARβ‐isoform specific. Our study identified RARβ as an important molecule for transducing retinoid signals in developing ventral telencephalon. Developmental Dynamics 232:887–900, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Asymmetry of Investors' Reactions to Consistency of Good and Bad Earnings News

Using consistency of past growth rates in firms’ annual accounting-based performance measures as a proxy for good and bad economic news, I show that the market overreacts to favourable and unfavourable earnings news. However, bad news plays a stronger role in shaping market expectations than good news. Consistently low-performing firms exhibit stronger and more persistent return reversals over the long horizon compared to consistently high-growth firms across all estimation periods and investment horizons. This result is robust to the inclusion of firm beta, earning surprises and short-term financial momentum. Evidence documented in this study provides general support to recent behavioural models but none of the existing models fully captures the asymmetry of investors’ reactions to good and bad earnings news.
Humoral immune response to citrullinated collagen type II determinants in early rheumatoid arthritis

Collagen type II (CII) is a relevant joint‐specific autoantigen in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Whereas the reasons for the breakage of self tolerance to this major cartilage component are still enigmatic, T cell responses to glycosylated CII determinants in RA patients indicate that post‐translational modifications play a role. Since the conversion of arginine into citrulline by peptidylarginine deiminases (PAD) in some non‐joint‐specific antigens such as filaggrin or fibrin has been shown to give rise to RA‐specific humoral immune responses, we investigated whether PAD modification of cartilage‐specific CII might affect its recognition by circulating autoantibodies in early RA. In vitro treatment with purified PAD led to arginine deimination of native CII or of synthetic CII peptides as evidenced by amino acid analysis. The citrullination resulted in modified recognition of the immunodominant CII epitope C1III (amino acid residues 359–369) by murine and human antibodies. In a cohort of early RA patients (n=286), IgG antibodies directed toward a synthetic citrullinated C1III peptide (citC1III‐P) were detectable with a prevalence of 40.4%. The partial autoantibody cross‐reactivity between citC1III‐P and citrullinated peptides mimicking epitopes of the cytoskeletal autoantigen filaggrin suggests that autoimmunity to cartilage‐specific modified self might be a critical intermediate bridging recognition of PAD‐modified extra‐articular autoantigens with the disruption of tolerance to native cartilage constituents.
Predicting Maximal Dynamic Strength From the Load-Velocity Relationship in Squat Exercise

Abstract Bazuelo-Ruiz, B, Padial, P, García-Ramos, A, Morales-Artacho, AJ, Miranda, MT, and Feriche, B. Predicting maximal dynamic strength from the load-velocity relationship in squat exercise. J Strength Cond Res 29(7): 1999–2005, 2015—The aim of this study was to develop a rapid indirect method to determine an individual's maximal strength or 1 repetition maximum (RM) in untrained subjects during half-squat exercise. One hundred and five physically active young subjects (87 men and 18 women) performed a submaximal and a maximal load test during half-squat exercises on a Smith machine. In the submaximal test, subjects completed 3 repetitions with a load equivalent to body weight. The velocity and power of barbell displacement were recorded during the upward movement from 90° of knee flexion. All repetitions were performed at maximum velocity. In a subsequent 1–2RM test, the 1RM for the exercise was calculated. The variables' load and mean velocity (Vmean) were used to construct an adjusted 1RM prediction model, which was capable of estimating the 1RM with an accuracy of 58% (F exp = 72.82; 2; 102 df; p ⩽ 0.001). Our results indicate a good correlation between the mean displacement velocity of a load equivalent to body weight and 1RM. This relationship enables a safe and fast estimation of 1RM values in half-squat exercise (1RM = −61.93 + [121.92·Vmean] + [1.74·load]) and provides valuable information to untrained subjects who are starting resistance training programs.
Visual effects on the subjective visual vertical and subjective postural head vertical during static roll‐tilt

Tilt perception is part of the perception of spatial orientation. It is determined not only by the allocentric gravity axis, but also by a second allocentric axis induced by visual information as well as by the egocentric body (head) axis induced by somatosensory information. The aim of this study was to quantify roll‐tilt perception using the subjective visual vertical (SVV) and the newly developed subjective postural head vertical (SPHV) and to investigate the visual effects on both during static roll‐tilt.
The vestibular nerve of the chinchilla. I. Peripheral innervation patterns in the horizontal and superior semicircular canals.

1. Afferent fibers supplying the horizontal and superior semicircular canals of the chinchilla were labeled by extracellular injections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) into the vestibular nerve. The arborizations of labeled fibers within the sensory epithelium were reconstructed from serial sections of the crista. 2. The sensory epithelium of the crista can be divided into central, intermediate, and peripheral zones of approximately equal areas. The three zones can be distinguished in normal material by the density of hair cells and by the morphology of calyx endings. 3. Labeled fibers supply either the canalicular or the utricular side of the crista. Axons seldom bifurcate below the basement membrane and they begin dividing into their terminal arborizations almost immediately upon entering the sensory epithelium. The arborizations are compact, seldom extending more than 50 micron from the parent axon. 4. Both calyx and bouton endings were labeled. Calyces can be simple or complex. Simple calyces innervate individual hair cells, whereas complex calyces supply two to three adjacent hair cells. Complex calyces are commonly found only in the central zone. Simple calyces and boutons are located in all regions of the epithelium. Calyces emerge from the parent axon or one of its thick branches. Boutons, whether en passant or terminal, are always located on thin processes. 5. Fibers were classified as calyx, bouton, or dimorphic. The first type only has calyx endings, the second only has bouton endings, and the third has both kinds of endings. Dimorphic units make up some 70% of the labeled fibers, bouton units some 20%, and calyx units some 10%. The three fiber types differ in the diameters of their parent axons and in the regions of the crista they supply. Axon diameters are largest for calyx units and smallest for bouton units. Calyx units are concentrated in the central zone of the crista, whereas bouton units are largely confined to the peripheral zone. Dimorphic units are seen throughout the sensory epithelium. 6. Calyx units are almost always unbranched and end as simple calyces or, less often, as complex calyces. The terminal arbors of bouton units consist of fine processes containing 15-80 endings. Dimorphic units vary in complexity from fibers with a single calyx and a few boutons to those with one to four calyces and more than 50 boutons. 7. The results emphasize the importance of dimorphic units, which were the most numerous type of afferent fiber labeled in this study and were the only units found to innervate all regions of the sensory epithelium. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Distinctive selection mechanisms govern the T cell receptor repertoire of peripheral CD4-CD8- alpha/beta T cells

The T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of CD4+ and CD8+ alpha/beta T cells is heavily influenced by positive and negative selection events that occur during T cell development in the thymus. The coreceptors CD4 and CD8 appear to be essential for this selection to occur. To gain insight into whether T cells that express TCR alpha/beta but lack either coreceptor (CD4- CD8- TCR alpha/beta or alpha/beta double- negative [DN] cells) are also subject to positive and negative selection, and whether selection can occur in the absence of coreceptors, we have performed an extensive immunogenetic analysis of the TCR V beta repertoire of alpha/beta DN cells in lymph nodes of normal mice. Our results show that alpha/beta DN cells appear to be unaffected by clonal deletion of V beta 5 and V beta 11 in I-E- expressing mice, and do not undergo deletion of V beta 6- and V beta 8.1-expressing T cells in Mls-1a-positive mice. They are also unaffected by positive selection of V beta 17a+ T cells in the context of I-Aq. The results suggest that most selection events require the participation of CD4 and CD8, while alpha/beta DN cells are unselected. This argues that most alpha/beta DN cells probably have never expressed CD4 or CD8. However, a unique form of repertoire selection occurs: enrichment of V beta 17a+ alpha/beta DN cells in I-E+ mice. This could be an instance of coreceptor-independent selection.
Retirement Provision in Scary Markets

The past few decades have witnessed a global move towards private provision for retirement through individual defined contribution pensions at the expense of publicly provided and employer-sponsored defined benefit pensions. As a consequence, workers and retirees are becoming increasingly exposed to uncertainties in financial, labour and economic markets. The contributors to this book analyse the implications for retirement income policy, workers and retirees in view of the current climate of heightened exposure to scary markets. The implications of a broad range of scary market scenarios are presented, and novel solutions prescribed. Retirement incomes across a number of countries including the US, the UK, Japan and Australia are explored.
Risky behavior among Black Caribbean and Black African adolescents in England: How do they compare?

Objectives. Black Caribbean and Black African adolescents in England face academic and social challenges that might predisposition them to engaging in more risky behavior. This study explored the growth trajectories of risky behavior among adolescents in England over 3 years (14/15, 15/16, and 16/17 years of age) to determine the extent to which ethnic groups differed. Design. Data were taken from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England database (N = 15,770). This database contained eight different ethnic groups. Risky behavior was defined by an 8-item scale that represented three classes of risky behavior. Individual theta scores for risky behavior were calculated for individuals at each time point and modeled over time. Interaction terms between sex, year, ethnicity, and class were also examined. Results. Findings confirmed previous research that showed ethnic group differences in means. They also demonstrated that there are differences in slopes as well, even after controlling for class. In fact, class appeared to have a reverse effect on the risky behavior of black adolescents. Further, Black adolescent groups were not engaging in higher levels of risky behavior as compared to white adolescents (the dominant population). In actuality, Mixed adolescents engaged in the highest levels of risky behavior which was a notable finding given that the Mixed group has recently began to receive a more focused attention by scholars and the government of England. Conclusion. It is important that social workers and policy-makers recognize ethnicity in making general preventative decisions for adolescents. Second, class does not have a common effect on adolescent problem behaviors as often believed. Finally, black adolescents’ communities might contain important protective factors that ought to be extensively explored. Conversely, Mixed adolescents’ communities might contain more risk factors that ought to be addressed.
Effects of 5‐HT drugs in prefrontal cortex during memory formation and the ketamine amnesia‐model

This article describes a series of experiments investigating the effects of systemic or intraprefrontal administration of serotonergic agents on ketamine induced memory deficits in rats. First, rats were trained on an operant autoshaping task. Immediately after training, rats were injected with different doses of drug or saline. Following drug administration, rats were tested after 1.5 h for short‐term memory (STM) and 24 h for long‐term memory (LTM) of conditioned response. An increase or decrease in number of conditioned responses was an index of retention. The major results of this work show that ketamine impaired STM and this effect was reversed, by either systemic or intraprefrontal cortex administration of the agonist 5‐HT1A/7 8‐OH‐DPAT, the 5‐HT receptor antagonists MDL100907 (5‐HT2A), SB‐399885 (5‐HT6), and SB‐269970 (5‐HT7). The ketamine STM‐impairment effect was not altered by the 5‐HT1A antagonist WAY 100635 or the 5‐HT1B antagonist SB‐224289. Notably, prefrontal cortex inhibition of translation or transcription interrupted STM without affecting LTM suggesting different signaling mechanisms. The interacting effect of NMDA and serotonin agents in memory function is an interesting and important area of study;both receptors are considered to be important targets for the development of antipsychotic medication. Particularly, 5‐HT1A/7, 5‐HT2A 5‐HT6, and 5‐HT7 receptors present in prefrontal cortex, represent important targets for development of drugs for the treatment of SMT‐deficits. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Further study of the aberrant optic nerve projection to olfactory cortex

When implanted into the cerebral hemisphere, the regenerating optic nerve of the adult frog (Rana pipiens) forms a well‐defined terminal field in the pars ventralis of the lateral (olfactory) cortex, and sometimes expands medially into the postolfactory eminence. These adjacent areas receive their normal input from the main olfactory bulb. The aberrant projection extends caudally toward the core neuropil of the medial amygdaloid nucleus, which receives its normal input from the accessory olfactory bulb, but does not enter this vomeronasal sector of the amygdala. The present study tests whether: (1) optic fibers would innervate the vomeronasal amygdala after surgical ablation of the accessory olfactory bulb, (2) the projection would transpose into adjacent cortex after olfactory cortex lesions, and (3) the projection would overflow into adjacent areas after being amplified by hemisection at the di‐telencephalic junction (to minimize escape of fibers into the diencephalon). The retinal projection always terminated in the olfactory cortex when this area was intact, or in spared fragments of it after radical cortical lesions, but never entered the vomeronasal amygdala in any specimen, as studied by autoradiographic and horseradish peroxidase tracing techniques. With forebrain hemisection, the cortical terminal field increased in thickness but remained confined to the olfactory area. However, the interruption of the lateral forebrain bundle induced a new projection to the striatum in a region neighboring but separate from the olfactory cortical field. These findings support the hypothesis that retinal fibers have a specific affinity for primary olfactory cortex that is not normally allowed expression in development. Retinal fibers may also have a latent affinity for the striatum that is unmasked after deafferentation.
Labor and the Limits of the Welfare State: The Politics of Intraclass Conflict and Cross-Class Alliances in Sweden and West Germany

Does control of state power by the left always help it strengthen working class organization? Does social democracy's progress, measured by welfare state development, necessarily help reinforce the unity of its organized constituency? ' If not, and if in fact the economics and politics of the growing welfare state were to divide the working class, would the resulting disunity and decentralization of labor organizations always impair allied left-wing political parties? 2 Conflicts within Swedish and West German labor about the costs of the welfare state in the 1980s, analyzed here in historical perspective, suggest some answers. Recent Swedish and German politics show that the large and growing welfare state tends to divide organized labor, its core organizational constituency. But events also show this very division can provide the opportunity for a realignment of political forces enabling the left to regain or maintain political power though it loses forward momentum as a transformative force. The evidence and argument presented here about these events suggest that the organizational pillars of the welfare state, social democratic labor unions and parties, are likely to impose limits on the welfare state. They are likely to do so in conflict with themselves, and in alliance with outside interests. In the tradition of Max Weber, capitalism's anxious intellectuals like Joseph Schumpeter repeatedly ask whether in the long run capitalism can maintain its political, institutional, and ideological defenses in the era of the democratic welfare state.3 Even before coming to fruition, reform movements in the Soviet bloc have stirred worries among conservatives that dissipating fear of communism will weaken right-wing solidarity against state encroachments. However, contrasting analyses of the contradictions of the welfare state, like the following, show capitalism to be more robust and likely to outlive those who see only progressive cultural and political decay.4 Labor's intraclass conflict, a source of capitalism's political vitality (and one of the mechanisms confining the welfare state), is curiously missing in studies of the capitalist political economy. This observation holds especially for the study of "class compromises" between the left and capitalist accommodationists that bring labor into government and policymaking. One school sympathetic to social democracy tends to depict labor, when it is successful, as an undifferentiated and unified bloc. Incentives for compromise with capital are specified as collective or broadly beneficial payoffs (growth, low unemployment, special programs) for the generalized short-run sacrifices of wage restraint.5 Capital, often depicted as comparatively divided and politically disadvantaged, is motivated to release political power in class compromises with labor for similarly undifferentiated and therefore weakly