Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Partisan Joiners: Associational Membership and Political Polarization in the United States (1974-2004)*

OBJECTIVES Associational life may foster political integration or amplify division, depending on how individuals partition themselves into groups and whether their multiple affiliations embed them into concentric or cross-cutting social circles. Starting from this premise, I relate trends in associational membership to political partisanship, and ask if there is any evidence of increased political polarization in the associative patterns of Americans. METHODS Using GSS data (1974-2004) on affiliations to 16 types of groups, I plot trends and run multilevel models to examine changes over time in the partisan allegiances of group members and patterns of overlapping memberships. RESULTS The often-lamented decline in group membership affects primarily the category of single-group members and is limited to a few types of groups. The density of the network of overlapping memberships has remained stable over time and there are no real changes in the patterns of shared memberships between group types, nor do Republicans and Democrats differ in their patterns of preferential affiliation. Although political partisanship does not drive patterns of group affiliation, group members, especially those affiliated with multiple groups, are more radical in their partisan identification than nonmembers, and most types of groups have become politically more heterogeneous over time. CONCLUSION The puzzling finding that group types are not becoming more partisan, while group members are, leads to the hypothesis (to be tested in future research) that civil society polarization is occurring at the level of actual groups, and not group types.
Candida glabrata Biofilms: How Far Have We Come?

Infections caused by Candida species have been increasing in the last decades and can result in local or systemic infections, with high morbidity and mortality. After Candida albicans, Candida glabrata is one of the most prevalent pathogenic fungi in humans. In addition to the high antifungal drugs resistance and inability to form hyphae or secret hydrolases, C. glabrata retain many virulence factors that contribute to its extreme aggressiveness and result in a low therapeutic response and serious recurrent candidiasis, particularly biofilm formation ability. For their extraordinary organization, especially regarding the complex structure of the matrix, biofilms are very resistant to antifungal treatments. Thus, new approaches to the treatment of C. glabrata’s biofilms are emerging. In this article, the knowledge available on C. glabrata’s resistance will be highlighted, with a special focus on biofilms, as well as new therapeutic alternatives to control them.
Orthotopic liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease: A retrospective analysis of survival, recidivism, and risk factors predisposing to recidivism

The aim of this study performed at the Liver Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK, is to assess posttransplantation alcohol consumption and identify risk factors associated with recidivism. This retrospective case‐control study used a self‐report questionnaire to assess pretransplantation and posttransplantation drinking, and a retrospective cohort study used patient notes to analyze risk factors for recidivism. Of 64 patients who underwent transplantation for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) between May 1996 and November 1999, a total of 49 surviving patients (40 men, 9 women) were available for study. The comparison group consisted of 49 patients matched for age, sex, and date of transplantation who underwent transplantation for non‐alcohol‐induced chronic liver disease. Two‐year patient survival rates were 82% in both study groups. The questionnaire response rate was 69.3% and 75.5% in patients with and without ALD, respectively. Data on recidivism (defined as any alcohol consumption after transplantation) were available in 46 of the 49 patients with ALD. Of these, 45.6% were drinking; 21.7% reported only occasionally drinking; 17.3%, moderate drinking; and 6.5%, heavy drinking. Information on alcohol consumption was available from 41 of the 49 controls. Of these, 52.5% consumed alcohol; 22.0% reported drinking only on special occasions; 24.4%, moderate drinking; and 4.9%, a return to heavy drinking. However, these differences were not statistically significant, and log‐rank analysis found no significant difference in time to resumption of drinking. In the ALD cohort, no significant risk factors were identified to predict recidivism. No pretransplantation risk factors (including period of abstinence before transplantation) correlated with recidivism. Survival after transplantation for ALD is similar to that in other forms of chronic liver disease. Recidivism rates for patients with ALD are high, but patients with ALD do not drink more than their control counterparts posttransplantation. In most instances, alcohol consumption posttransplantation is minimal to moderate (<20 units/wk) and seems to be controlled.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC): case report and review of literature

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is an inherited condition characterised by fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricle. It causes sudden death in 30% of young adults and in 5% of those less than 65 years of age. As the presentation is non-specific, ARVD can be a diagnostic challenge leading to delayed treatment. We report a case along with the review of literature, of a 63-year-old man who presented (atypical) with a history of palpitations, dizziness and raised cardiac enzymes associated with ECG changes in the inferior and anterior leads. Further investigation helped in confirming this rare and potentially fatal cardiac condition.
A Connected‐cluster of hydration around myoglobin: Correlation between molecular dynamics simulations and experiment

An analysis of a molecular dynamics simulation of metmyoglobin in an explicit solvent environment of 3,128 water molecules has been performed. Both statics and dynamics of the protein‐solvent interface are addressed in a comparison with experiment. Three‐dimensional density distributions, temperature factors, and occupancy weights are computed for the solvent by using the trajectory coordinates. Analysis of the hydration leads to the localization of more than 500 hydration sites distributed into multiple layers of solvation located between 2.6 and 6.8 Å from the atomic protein surface. After locating the local solvent density maxima or hydration sites we conclude that water molecules of hydration positions and hydration sites are distinct concepts. Both global and detailed properties of the hydration cluster around myoglobin are compared with recent neutron and X‐ray data on myoglobin. Questions arising from differences between X‐ray and neutron data concerning the locations of the protein‐bound water are investigated. Analysis of water site differences found from X‐ray and neutron experiments compared with our simulation shows that the simulation gives a way to unify the hydration picture given by the two experiments. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Renal involvement in leprosy: retrospective analysis of 461 cases in Brazil.

BACKGROUND Renal lesions in leprosy have been extensively described, including amyloidosis, glomerulonephritis, nephrosclerosis, tubulointerstitial nephritis and granulomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective study was designed to detect renal function abnormalities in 461 leprosy patients, without any co-morbidity, seen in a university hospital in northeast Brazil. The laboratory test results concerning renal function were examined in the patients' medical records. RESULTS The mean age was 39 +/- 18 years and 217 (47%) were male. The mean duration of disease was 21 +/- 38 months. Levels of creatinine above 1.4 mg/dL had been detected in 40 patients (8.6%). The levels of creatinine and urea were higher in lepromatous leprosy patients. Proteinuria, hematuria and hemoglobinuria were significantly more frequent in this presentation of leprosy. Nephrotic levels of proteinuria (>3.5 mg/dL) were found in three (2.1%) of 138 lepromatous leprosy patients. A positive association was found between duration of disease and high levels of creatinine in the general sample and in the lepromatous leprosy patients. There was no association between time of treatment and high levels of creatinine. CONCLUSION Renal involvement in leprosy seems to be related to the quantity of bacilli present in the body. It is important to evaluate the renal function in all leprosy patients in order to detect any abnormality and prevent renal failure, which is still a potential cause of death in this disease.
8DSS-Promoted Remineralization of Initial Enamel Caries In Vitro

Peptides containing 8 repeats of aspartate-serine-serine (8DSS) have been shown to promote the nucleation of calcium phosphate from solution into human enamel. Here we tested the ability of 8DSS to promote the remineralization of demineralized enamel in an in vitro model of artificial early enamel caries. Initial caries lesions were created in bovine enamel blocks, which were then subjected to 12 d of pH cycling in the presence of 25 µM 8DSS, 1 g/L NaF (positive control) or buffer alone (negative control). Absorption of 8DSS was verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Mineral loss, lesion depth, and mineral content at the surface layer and at different depths of the lesion body were analyzed before and after pH cycling by polarized light microscopy and transverse microradiography. Mineral loss after pH cycling was significantly lower in the 8DSS samples than in the buffer-only samples, and lesions in the 8DSS samples were significantly less deep. Samples treated with 8DSS showed significantly higher mineral content than buffer-only samples in the region extending from the surface layer (30 µm) to the average lesion depth (110 µm). No significant differences were found between the samples treated with 8DSS and those treated with NaF. These findings suggest that 8DSS has the potential to promote remineralization of demineralized enamel.
Soda Wars: The Effect of a Soda Tax Election on University Beverage Sales

We examine how soda sales changed due to the campaign attention and election outcome of a local excise tax on sugar‐sweetened beverages. Using panel data of beverage sales from university retailers in Berkeley, California, we estimate that soda purchases relative to control beverages significantly dropped immediately after the election, months before the tax was implemented in the city of Berkeley or on campus. Supplemental scanner data from off‐campus retailers reveal this result is not unique to the university setting. Our findings suggest soda tax media coverage and election outcomes can have larger effects on purchasing behavior than the tax itself. (JEL D12, H20, C23, I38, Q18)
Influence of long contact times on sediment sorption kinetics of spiked chlorinated compounds

The desorption kinetics of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and 2,4,4′‐trichlororbiphenyl (PCB 28) spiked to a field sediment were studied using a gas‐purge technique. A contact time of up to 1,461 d was used to assess long‐term changes in desorption kinetics. Purge‐induced desorption experiments lasted from 300 to more than 4,000 h. Fast‐, slow‐, and very‐slow‐desorbing fractions could be distinguished. The desorption patterns changed with contact time from mainly fast‐ and slow‐desorbing fractions toward the domination of slow‐ and very‐slow‐desorbing fractions. The desorption pattern for HCB after a contact time of 1,461 d became comparable to previously reported desorption patterns observed for in situ contaminants. An additional spike of HCB, PCB 28, 2,4,6‐trichlorobiphenyl, and 2,2′,4,5′‐tetrachlorobiphenyl applied to the sediment purged for more than 4,000 h showed that very slow sites were accessible for these compounds within a few hours. Only very small fast‐desorbing fractions could be detected after a contact time of just 48 h. These results indicate that domination of very slow desorption is caused not only by long contact times but, perhaps, also by the accessibility of specific sites within the sediment matrix.
Impairment of photosynthesis by chilling-temperatures in tomato.

Chilling of attached tomato leaves (cv. Rutgers) in the dark for 16 hours at 1 C decreased both photosynthesis and transpiration. To separate the effects of chilling on stomatal CO(2) conductance from more direct effects of chilling on the chloroplasts' activities, measurements of photosynthesis and transpiration were made at atmospheric and saturating CO(2) levels. At atmospheric CO(2), the inhibition of photosynthesis was approximately 60%, of which about 35% was attributable to the impairment of chloroplast function and about 25% was attributable to decreased stomatal conductance. However, the affinity of the photosynthetic apparatus for CO(2) was not changed by chilling, since the dependence of the relative rate of photosynthesis on the intercellular CO(2) concentration was unaltered. The apparent quantum requirement for CO(2) reduction also was identical in chilled and unchilled plants. This observation contradicts the widely held notion that the chilling-induced inhibition of photosynthesis is caused by an impairment of the water oxidation mechanism. The impairment of chloroplast activity was not a consequence of an unfavorable water status within the leaf, since chilling caused only a small drop (1 bar) in water potential. A small loss of chlorophyll resulted as a secondary effect of chilling, but this loss of chlorophyll was eliminated as a cause of the inhibition of photosynthesis.No recovery of chloroplast activity occurred during the subsequent light period after chilling. The recovery seemed to be inhibited by light or to require both a light period and a dark period or to occur after a considerable lag period. After a period of both light and dark, restoration of stomatal conductance occurred more slowly than did the recovery of chloroplast activity.
Can agonistic striving lead to unexplained illness? Implicit goals, pain tolerance, and somatic symptoms in adolescents and adults.

OBJECTIVES We tested the social action theory hypotheses that (a) psychological stress induced by struggling to control others (agonistic striving) is associated with higher levels of subjective somatic symptoms than stress induced by struggling to control the self (transcendence striving); (b) the association between agonistic striving and symptoms is moderated by the ability to tolerate pain; and (c) associations among agonistic goals, pain tolerance, and subjective symptoms are not explained by personality and affective traits or negative emotional responses to personal stressors. METHODS Implicit motives and negative emotional reactivity to recurring personal stressors were assessed by Social Competence Interview in 333 adolescents and adults who participated in longitudinal research on functional abdominal pain at a university medical center. Pain tolerance was assessed by graduated thermal pain protocol; subjective somatic symptoms, and personality/affective traits assessed by questionnaires. The primary outcome measure was the self-reported severity of 35 somatic symptoms often experienced in the absence of diagnosable disease. RESULTS All hypotheses were supported. CONCLUSIONS Nonconscious agonistic strivings may increase the perceived frequency and severity of subjective somatic symptoms; this tendency is greatly magnified by difficulty in self-regulating responses to painful stimuli. Implicit agonistic motives and their associations with symptoms are not explained by individual differences in trait neuroticism, anxiety, depression, anger, or low self-esteem or by negative emotional reactivity to a personal stressor. These findings may afford fruitful insights into mechanisms by which stressful social environments undermine health and suggest promising directions for clinical intervention.
High muscle blood flow in man: is maximal O2 extraction compromised?

During conventional cycle ergometry, as work rate (WR) is increased toward maximum, O2 extraction increases hyperbolically, typically achieving values of 80-90% at peak O2 uptake (VO2). In contrast, studies using isolated knee-extensor exercise report much higher mass-specific blood flows (Q) and lower maximal O2 extractions (approximately 70%), which have been interpreted as transit time limitation to O2 movement out of the muscle capillary. However, maximal achievable WR levels during conventional cycle ergometry are generally reached (over 10-15 min) after rapid increases in WR, whereas the reported knee-extensor studies have used only more lengthy protocols (45 min). The duration of these protocols may have prevented the attainment of high WR levels and thus high O2 extraction ratios. Accordingly, this investigation examined leg Q and O2 extraction responses during single-leg knee-extensor exercise incremented rapidly (steps of 15-25 W per 2- to 3-min interval), which produced fatigue in 13-15 min. Q and muscle VO2 increased linearly with WR to fatigue with Q-WR and VO2-WR slopes similar to those reported in previous knee-extensor studies. However, with the use of this protocol, very high maximal achievable WR [99 +/- 6 (SE) W] and muscle Q (385 +/- 26 ml.min-1 x 100 g-1) levels were attained, some 80% greater than previously reported. An O2 extraction of 84.6 +/- 2.1% was reached, giving a maximal VO2 of 60.2 +/- 5.8 ml.min-1 x 100 g-1. We conclude that, even under the high Q conditions of single-leg knee-extensor exercise, O2 extraction does not reach a plateau on the basis of short transit times and that previous conclusions to the contrary reflect failure to attain sufficiently high WR levels. Maximal VO2, Q, and O2 extraction in this model have yet to be defined.
Positioning technologies for implementation of the always best located algorithm

New services in wireless communications are enforcing needs for accurate indoor and outdoor location technologies. Existing technologies are offering different coverage and accuracy, but none a pervasive location service. This paper first assesses the coverage and accuracy of the fundamental positioning technologies - GPS, WLAN-based, and GSM-based (Cell-ID and Trilateration) - by systematic measurements in various environments both indoor and outdoor. Then, an Always Best Located (ABL) algorithm is introduced and experimental performance results obtained in real situations are presented.
Novel imine antioxidants at low nanomolar concentrations protect dopaminergic cells from oxidative neurotoxicity

Strong evidence indicates that oxidative stress may be causally involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. We have employed human dopaminergic neuroblastoma cells and rat primary mesencephalic neurons to assess the protective potential of three novel bisarylimine antioxidants on dopaminergic cell death induced by complex I inhibition or glutathione depletion. We have found that exceptionally low concentrations (EC50 values ∼20 nM) of these compounds (iminostilbene, phenothiazine, and phenoxazine) exhibited strong protective effects against the toxicities of MPP+, rotenone, and l‐buthionine sulfoximine. Investigating intracellular glutathione levels, it was found that MPP+, l‐buthionine sulfoximine, and rotenone disrupted different aspects of the native glutathione equilibrium, while the aromatic imines did not further influence glutathione levels or redox state on any baseline. However, the imines independently reduced protein oxidation and total oxidant flux, saved the mitochondrial membrane potential, and provided full cytoprotection under conditions of complete glutathione depletion. The unusually potent antioxidant effects of the bisarylimines could be reproduced in isolated mitochondria, which were instantly protected from lipid peroxidation and pathological swelling. Aromatic imines may be interesting lead structures for a potential antioxidant therapy of Parkinson’s disease and other disorders accompanied by glutathione dysregulation.
The aged microenvironment contributes to the age‐related functional defects of CD4 T cells in mice

CD4 T cells, and especially T follicular helper cells, are critical for the generation of a robust humoral response to an infection or vaccination. Importantly, immunosenescence affects CD4 T‐cell function, and the accumulation of intrinsic defects decreases the cognate helper functions of these cells. However, much less is known about the contribution of the aged microenvironment to this impaired CD4 T‐cell response. In this study, we have employed a preclinical model to determine whether the aged environment contributes to the defects in CD4 T‐cell functions with aging. Using an adoptive transfer model in mice, we demonstrate for the first time that the aged microenvironment negatively impacts at least three steps of the CD4 T‐cell response to antigenic stimulation. First, the recruitment of CD4 T cells to the spleen is reduced in aged compared to young hosts, which correlates with dysregulated chemokine expression in the aged organ. Second, the priming of CD4 T cells by DCs is reduced in aged compared to young mice. Finally, naïve CD4 T cells show a reduced transition to a T follicular helper cell phenotype in the aged environment, which impairs the subsequent generation of germinal centers. These studies have provided new insights into how aging impacts the immune system and how these changes influence the development of immunity to infections or vaccinations.
The Term Structure of Equity Risk Premia

We use traded equity dividend strips from U.S., Europe, and Japan from 2004-2017 to study the slope of the term structure of equity dividend risk premia. In the data, a robust finding is that the term structure of dividend risk premia (growth rates) is positively (negatively) sloped in expansions and negatively (positively) sloped in recessions. We develop a consumption-based regime switching model which matches these robust data-features and the historical probabilities of recession and expansion regimes. The unconditional population term structure of dividend-risk premia in the regime-switching model, as in standard asset pricing models (habits and long-run risks), is increasing with maturity. The regime-switching model also features a declining average term structure of dividend risk-premia if recessions are over-represented in a short sample, as is the case in the data sample from Europe and Japan. In sum, our analysis shows that the empirical evidence in dividend strips is entirely consistent with a positively sloped term structure of dividend risk-premia as implied by standard asset pricing models.