Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Multi-Level Factors Influencing Adolescent Sugar Sweetened Beverage Consumption

Background: Sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) comprise the largest source of added sugars in US adolescents’ diets. SSB consumption is pervasive in US culture and is a critical risk factor for weight gain and obesity in adolescents. This thesis evaluates multilevel factors that influence adolescent SSB consumption. Methods: The first two aims of this thesis utilized data from the cross sectional, internet based Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating (FLASHE) study to: 1) examine availability of SSBs in multiple settings (home, school, neighborhood) and adolescent SSB consumption, 2) examine the associations between perceptions of parenting practices and adolescent SSB consumption. The third aim used focus group discussions to understand adolescents’ perceptions about SSBs. Results: We found that SSB availability in the home was an important predictor of adolescent SSB consumption, regardless of SSB availability in other settings. Also, parenting practices that facilitate adolescent SSB consumption are associated with higher adolescent SSB consumption, but discussing/negotiating SSB behaviors is not associated with adolescent SSB consumption. Adolescents’ described their attitudes, reinforcements, knowledge, and sources of influence around SSBs which are multifactorial and complex. Conclusions: This thesis identified potential targets for addressing adolescent SSB consumption through availability of SSBs at home, parenting practices, and adolescent perceptions around SSBs. These are important modifiable factors in the adolescents’ sociocultural environment that should be targeted in future dietary interventions to influence adolescent SBB consumption.
Effects of Hoechst 33342 staining and ultraviolet irradiation on mitochondrial distribution and DNA copy number in porcine oocytes and preimplantation embryos

Hoechst 33342 (H342), in combination with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, is frequently used to aid or confirm the enucleation of porcine oocytes in somatic cell nuclear transfer programs. The exposure of oocytes to H342 and UV irradiation has a deleterious effect on the development of in vitro‐fertilized porcine oocytes, with increasing exposure to UV irradiation (up to 30 sec) having more drastic effects. It has been hypothesized that this decrease in embryonic development could be due to damage to the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). To investigate this hypothesis, we analyzed the mitochondrial distribution and DNA copy number of in vitro‐matured porcine oocytes exposed to H342/UV and the subsequent embryonic development compared with the mitochondrial distribution and DNA copy number of in vivo‐derived oocytes and embryos. Using quantitative, real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocols to analyze mtDNA and confocal laser scanning microscopy with MitoTracker Deep Red to determine mitochondrial distribution, we demonstrated that the simultaneous exposure of in vitro‐matured porcine oocytes to H342 staining and UV irradiation is associated with reduced oocyte developmental competence and abnormal mitochondrial distribution in the resulting cleaved embryos. In addition, 2‐ to 4‐cell embryos derived from oocytes exposed to H342/UV showed a significant decrease in mtDNA copy number. These results should be considered when H342/UV procedure is used during nuclear transfer in recipient porcine oocytes. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 651–663, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparison of three staining methods to identify eosinophils in formalin-fixed canine skin.

BACKGROUND Studies comparing the ability of staining methods to detect eosinophils in formalin-fixed canine skin are lacking. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of eosinophil peroxidase monoclonal antibody (EPXmAb), Luna and haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to detect eosinophils in fixed canine skin by assessing the following parameters: (i) specificity of eosinophil staining; (ii) extracellular eosinophil granule staining; (iii) tissue background staining; (iv) contrast between eosinophil and surrounding tissue staining; and (v) differences in the number of eosinophils detected by each stain. METHODS Three serial sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of predominantly eosinophilic skin diseases (n = 8), noneosinophilic skin diseases (n = 7) and normal canine skin (n = 1) were stained with the three stains. Each parameter was independently assessed and scored by two investigators. RESULTS Luna and EPXmAb were specific in detecting eosinophils. The EPXmAb was significantly more effective than Luna (P < 0.001) and H&E (P < 0.001) in its ability to detect extracellular eosinophil granules (i.e. to detect intact and released eosinophil granules). The EPXmAb showed significantly less background staining compared with Luna (P = 0.0005). Moreover, significantly more stain contrast was noted with EPXmAb compared with Luna (P = 0.003) and H&E (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the mean eosinophil counts among the three stains. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE The three stains were shown to be useful to detect and quantify eosinophils in fixed canine skin. The EPXmAb-based immunohistochemical stain proved to be a novel tool to detect eosinophils in canine skin.
Intrinsic Brain Hub Connectivity Underlies Individual Differences in Spatial Working Memory

Abstract Spatial working memory (SWM) is an important component of working memory and plays an essential role in driving high‐level cognitive abilities. Recent studies have demonstrated that individual SWM is associated with global brain communication. However, whether specific network nodal connectivity, such as brain hub connectivity, is involved in individual SWM performances remains largely unknown. Here, we collected resting‐state fMRI (R‐fMRI) data from a large group of 130 young healthy participants and evaluated their SWM performances. A voxel‐wise whole‐brain network analysis approach was employed to study the relationship between the nodal functional connectivity strength (FCS) and the SWM behavioral scores and to further estimate the participation of brain hubs in individual SWM. We showed significant associations between nodal FCS and SWM performance primarily in the default mode, visual, dorsal attention, and fronto‐parietal systems. Moreover, over 41% of these nodal regions were identified as brain network hubs, and these hubs’ FCS values contributed to 57% of the variance of the individual SWM performances that all SWM‐related regions could explain. Collectively, our findings highlight the cognitive significance of the brain network hubs in SWM, which furthers our understanding of how intrinsic brain network architectures underlie individual differences in SWM processing.
Do Corporate Insiders Use External Signals in Performance Evaluation? Evidence on SEC Comment Letters

Prior research shows that SEC comment letters provide useful information to outsiders of the firm. However, whether insiders such as boards of directors use SEC comment letters for the purpose of internal performance evaluation has not been studied. We find that firms reduce CEO annual bonuses after receiving SEC comment letters related to revenue recognition. We further document that this negative effect is stronger for high-growth firms, firms with less powerful CEOs and firms with higher non-transient institutional investors. The results are robust to using comment letter disclosure returns to measure their materialness and controlling for the endogeneity of receiving these letters. Overall, the evidence indicates that the board of directors incorporates the information provided in SEC comment letters in setting executive pay, suggesting that the board of directors adjusts the performance evaluation system ex post upon observing a negative non-financial signal triggered from the outside.
War Zone Veterans Returning to Treatment: Effects of Social Functioning and Psychopathology

Patients with mental illness often return for further treatment after an initial episode of care. Two processes that may contribute to the return for further treatment are the severity of patients' initial social and clinical status; and/or deterioration in their status over time, regardless of their initial status. This study examined these processes in an administrative database of war zone veterans who had received outpatient treatment from a Veterans Affairs specialized posttraumatic stress disorder program. The results suggest that both initial severity and deterioration of status contribute to return to treatment and involve changes in both social functioning and psychopathology. Determination of the direction of effects between social functioning and psychopathology showed that psychopathology in the form of PTSD, other Axis I disorder or violent behavior generally affected subsequent social functioning, but not vice versa. Psychopathology in the form of alcohol or drug abuse/dependence, however, showed reciprocal effects with social functioning. These results point to the importance of emphasizing interventions that address social dysfunction and that address psychopathology, from the beginning of treatment as a way of maximizing the benefits and minimizing the need for recurrent care.
High concentrations of intrathecal interleukin-6 in human bacterial and nonbacterial meningitis.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is multipotent cytokine that acts in a network of factors directing the inflammatory reaction of purulent bacterial meningitis (PBM). However, little is known about the role of IL-6 in aseptic or "viral" meningitis (AM). IL-6 was assayed by RIA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples obtained from patients with AM (n = 65), PBM (n = 8), and lymphocytic bacterial meningitis (LBM, n = 11). Of patients with AM, 89% had detectable IL-6 in CSF, with high IL-6 titers (median, 2160 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1320-2540 pg/mL) compared with 100% in patients with PBM (median, 6575 pg/mL; 95% CI, 450-32,000 pg/mL) and 90.9% in patients with LBM (median, 875 pg/mL; 95% CI, 150-2180 pg/mL). There was a highly symmetrical correlation between IL-6 and the percentage of polymorphonuclear cells in CSF of patients with PBM (r = .97, P = .01) and AM (r = .49, P = .002). In conclusion, this study shows evidence that IL-6 is released into the meningeal space in aseptic meningitis and is correlated with the local acute inflammatory response.
Big N and Non-Big N Audit Pricing Competitiveness in Japan during Transition from Big 4 to Big 3 Period

The 2006 dissolution of PwC ChuoAoyama significantly changed market share composition of Japanese audit firms which marked the transition from Big 4 period to Big 3 period. This study aims to investigate audit market pricing competitiveness between Big N and non-Big N auditors using a sample of Japanese firms listed in the First Section of Tokyo Stock Exchange during the transition from Big 4 period (2004-2005) to Big 3 period (2006-2011). This paper analyzes audit market pricing competitiveness between Big N and non-Big N auditors by employing panel fixed effects multivariate regression with audit fee as the dependent variable and interaction between audit fee premium and client segment size as variable of interest while controlling for other variables affecting audit fee. The empirical results indicate a non-competitive audit pricing market between Big N and non-Big N auditors where Big N auditors earn increasingly higher audit fee as client segment size becomes larger.
Will Trade Unions Survive in the Platform Economy? Emerging Patterns of Platform Workers’ Collective Voice and Representation in Europe

Via a non-exhaustive mapping of various examples in Western European countries, this Working Paper explores to what extent the collective representation and voice of digital platform workers are being shaped by current dynamics in the platform economy. The argument is developed that currently emerging patterns hint at a possible co-existence or combinations of mainstream trade unions and other unions and union-like organisations defending platform workers’ needs and interests. Patterns in representation forms reveal a demarcation between the logic of membership and the logic of influence. Though not new, this demarcation has become more exposed, prevalent and salient since the platform economy, also in highly institutionalised labour markets. The Working Paper also emphasises that any meaningful analysis of the representation and voice of platform workers should consider the diversity of platforms and the associated variance in the power resources of platform workers.
Prediction of synaptic properties of neural network of Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the most ivestigated model organisms. The connections in its neural network were determined. However, almost all synaptic properties being excitatory or inhibitory are not determined. Synaptic properties of C. elegans were predicted with computer simulation. They were obtained for the combinations of environmental stimuli and responses to stimuli. Most of synaptic properties obtained by simulation are similar to those obtained by laser ablation experiment.
Drug-resistant tuberculosis: inconsistent results of pyrazinamide susceptibility testing.

To the Editor. —Pyrazinamide, in combination with isoniazid and rifampin, often plays a prominent role in the therapy of tuberculosis. 1 Frequently, pyrazinamide susceptibility testing is performed, and the results generally dictate if pyrazinamide will or will not be used as a component of treatment of or prophylaxis for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Recently, our institution had a nosocomial outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis. When identically paired isolates were sent to two reference laboratories, however, discordant pyrazinamide susceptibility results were reported. From 1991 to 1993, a total of 55 patients with tuberculosis resistant to rifampin, isoniazid, streptomycin sulfate, and ethambutol hydrochloride were identified by our institution. 2 Ten identically paired isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from 10 different patients were sent to two reference laboratories for susceptibility testing. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses were performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Public Health Research Institute, and/or the Albert Einstein
Strength, slope and variability of marine latitudinal gradients

Latitudinal declines of species richness from the tropics to the poles represent a general spatial pattern of diversity on land. For the marine realm, the generality of this pattern has frequently been questioned. Here, I use a database with nearly 600 published gradients (198 of which were marine) to assess whether there is a marine latitudinal diversity gradient of similar average strength and slope as that for terrestrial organisms. Using meta-analysis techniques, I also tested which characteristics of organisms or habitats affected gradient strength and slope. The overall strength and slope of the gradient for marine organisms was significantly negative and of similar magnitude compared to gradients for terrestrial organisms. Marine gradients were on average stronger as well as steeper than freshwater gradients. Latitudinal gradients were clearly a regional phenomenon, with stronger gradients and steeper slopes for diversity assessed on regional than on local scales. The gradient parameters differed also between oceans and between different habitats, with steeper gradients related to the pelagial rather than the benthos. There were on the other hand no significant differences between hemispheres and between different gradient ranges, although such differences have often been presumed. The most important organismal characteristic related to gradient structure was body mass, with significant gradients related to large organisms. A significant increase in gradient strength with increasing trophic level was observed. The meta-analysis also revealed strongest gradients for nekton and mobile epifauna, whereas the gradients were weak for sessile epifauna and for infauna. In conclusion, marine biota reveal a similar overall decline in diversity with latitude to that observed in terrestrial realms, but the strength and slope of the gradient are clearly subject to regional, habitat and organismal features.
Interaction of IFNλR1 with TRAF6 regulates NF‐κB activation and IFNλR1 stability

IFNλR1 is a member of the class II cytokine receptor family, and it associates with IL‐10R2 to form a functional receptor complex, IFNλR. This receptor complex transduces signals from IFNλs (IFNλ1, IFNλ2, and IFNλ3), promoting antiviral and antiproliferative activities similar to those of type I IFNs. In an effort to further understand signal transduction through IFNλR1, we used bioinformatics analysis and identified a tumor necrosis factor receptor‐associated factor 6 (TRAF6)‐binding motif in the intracellular domain of IFNλR1. In subsequent immunoprecipitation and GST pull‐down assays, IFNλR1 was shown to immunoprecipitate with TRAF6 and was pulled down by GST‐TRAF6. Endogenous IFNλR1 and TRAF‐6 interaction implies that these proteins really interact in the cells. This interaction was abrogated upon mutation of the TRAF6‐binding motif in IFNλR1. Furthermore, the interaction between IFNλR1 and TRAF6 inhibited TRAF6‐induced NF‐κB activation, likely due to a reduction in TRAF6 autoubiquitination. Moreover, co‐expression of IFNλR1 with TRAF6 significantly increased the stability of IFNλR1, thereby prolonging its half‐life and enhancing its steady‐state level in cultured cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 3371–3379, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer (2000)

The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of prostate cancer is followed by a range of significant disease specific and iatrogenic sequelae. However, the supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer are not well described in the literature. The present study assesses the supportive care needs of men with prostate cancer who are members of prostate cancer self‐help groups in Queensland, Australia. In all, 206 men aged between 48 and 85 years (mean=68) completed the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS) (62% response). The SCNS is a validated measure assessing perceived need in the domains of psychological needs, health system and information needs, physical and daily living needs, patient care and support, and sexuality. Items assessing need for access to services and resources were also included.
Evidence that the Lunar Cyc

Christian Cajochen,1,* Songül Altanay-Ekici,1 Mirjam Münch,2 Sylvia Frey,1 Vera Knoblauch,3 and Anna Wirz-Justice1 1Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, 4012 Basel, Switzerland 2Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland 3Centre for Sleep Medicine, Hirslanden Clinic, 8702 Zollikon, Switzerland
Carbon dioxide laser irradiation stimulates mineralization in rat dental pulp cells.

AIM To examine the effect of carbon dioxide laser irradiation on mineralization in dental pulp cells. METHODOLOGY Rat dental pulp cells were irradiated with a carbon dioxide laser at 2 W output power for 20, 40 and 60 s, and were cultured in ascorbic acid and beta-glycerophosphate containing media. Cell viability was examined 24 h after laser irradiation by a modified MTT assay. Alizarin Red S staining was performed 10 days after laser irradiation. The amounts of secreted collagen from the cells after irradiation were quantified following Sirius Red staining. The expression levels of collagen type I and HSP47, collagen-binding stress protein, were analysed by real-time PCR. HSP47 protein expression was examined by Western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (anova) followed by the Tukey's multiple comparison test. RESULTS The cell viability was not affected by laser irradiation at 2 W for up to 40 s. However, it was significantly decreased by 20% at 60 s (P < 0.05). The amount of mineralization after 10 days of irradiation at 2 W for 40 s was significantly increased in comparison to the other conditions (P < 0.05). The extracellular collagen production was significantly increased by 73% on day 2 and 38% on day 4 after laser irradiation (P < 0.05). Although collagen type I gene expression was not changed by laser irradiation, HSP47 gene and protein expression was induced within 12 and 24 h, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These results suggested that carbon dioxide laser irradiation stimulated mineralization in dental pulp cells. The laser irradiation also increased HSP47 expression but not collagen gene expression.
World Commodity Prices, Job Security and Health: Evidence from the Mining Industry

A lack of job security is an increasingly prevalent characteristic of modern labour markets, and there is evidence that recent financial crises have exacerbated this issue. In this paper, we assess how exogenous changes in the macroeconomic environment affect workers' perceived job security, and the impact of job security on measures of mental and physical health. To identify these effects, we exploit variation in world commodity prices over the period 2001–15, and analyse 15 waves of individual-level panel data that includes unusually detailed classifications of mining workers. We find that commodity price movements drive changes in perceived job security, which in turn significantly and substantively affects the mental health of workers. In contrast, we find no effects on physical health. Our results imply that the estimated welfare costs of recessions are substantially larger when the effects of job insecurity on the health of workers is considered.
NORMAL SALIVARY CORTISOL AND NK CELL FUNCTION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME FOLLOWING INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS

Background: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex condition involving severe fatigue and disabling musculoskeletal and cognitive symptoms. We reported that 6, 12 and 24 months following infectious mononucleosis (IM), 13%, 7% and 4% of adolescents, respectively, met criteria for CFS. Whether endocrinologic or immunologic dysfunction accompanies CFS is unclear. Objectives: To determine if salivary cortisol levels or NK cell percentage and function 6, 12 and 24 months following IM in adolescents who met criteria for CFS and recovered, matched controls differ. Patients and Methods: Nine adolescents with CFS and nine matched, recovered controls had morning and nighttime salivary cortisol as well as NK cell number and function measured blindly 6, 12 and 24 months following IM. Results: Three subjects with CFS had a depressed morning salivary cortisol; one control subject had a single depressed nighttime cortisol. There was no difference in NK cell percentage or decreased function between cases and recovered controls. Conclusions: We found little evidence of depressed salivary cortisol levels and no decreased NK cell function in adolescents with CFS following IM.
Experimental Dendroclimatic Reconstruction of the Southern Oscillation.

Abstract Exactly dated tree-ring chronologies from ENSO-sensitive regions in subtropical North America and Indonesia together register the strongest ENSO signal yet detected in tree-ring data worldwide and have been used to reconstruct the winter Southern Oscillation index (SOI) from 1706 to 1977. This reconstruction explains 53% of the variance in the instrumental winter SOI during the boreal cool season (December-February) and was verified in the time, space, and frequency domains by comparisons with independent instrumental SOI and sea surface temperature (SST) data. The large-scale SST anomaly patterns associated with ENSO in the equatorial and North Pacific during the 1879-1977 calibration period are reproduced in detail by this reconstruction. Cross-spectral analyses indicate that the reconstruction reproduces over 70% of the instrumental winter SOI variance at periods between 3.5 and 5.6 yr, and over 88% in the 4-yr frequency band. Oscillatory modes of variance identified with singular spectrum ana.