Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Corticotropin‐releasing factor‐1 receptor antagonists decrease heroin self‐administration in long‐ but not short‐access rats

Dysregulation of the stress‐related corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) system has been implicated in the development of drug dependence. The present study examined the effects of administering CRF type 1 (CRF1) receptor antagonists on heroin self‐administration in animals allowed short (1 hour) or long (8–12 hours) access to intravenous heroin self‐administration sessions. The nonpeptide CRF1 antagonists MJL‐1‐109‐2 (1 hour versus 8 hours access) or R121919 (1 hour versus 12 hours access) were systemically injected in both short‐ and long‐access rats. MJL‐1‐109‐2 (10 mg/kg) and R121919 (10 and 20 mg/kg) reduced heroin self‐administration in long‐access animals without altering heroin intake in short‐access animals. Both MJL‐1‐109‐2 and R121919 decreased first‐hour intravenous heroin self‐administration selectively in long‐access rats, with R121919 decreasing cumulative heroin intake across the 12‐hour session. The results demonstrate that blockade of the CRF–CRF1 receptor system attenuates the increased heroin intake of rats with extended access to the drug.
Superior discrimination for hue than for saturation and an explanation in terms of correlated neural noise

The precision of human colour discrimination depends on the region of colour space in which measurements are made and on the direction in which the compared colours—the discriminanda—differ. Working in a MacLeod–Boynton chromaticity diagram scaled so that thresholds at the white point were equal for the two axes, we made measurements at reference points lying on lines that passed at 45° or −45° through the white point. At a given reference chromaticity, we measured thresholds either for saturation (i.e. for discriminanda lying radially along the line passing through the white point) or for hue (i.e. for discriminanda lying on a tangent of a circle passing through the reference point and centred on the white point). The discriminanda always straddled the reference point in chromaticity. The attraction of this arrangement is that the two thresholds can be expressed in common units. All that differs between saturation and hue measurements is the phase with which the short-wave signal is combined with the long-/middle-wave signal. Except for chromaticities very close to the white point, saturation thresholds were systematically higher than hue thresholds. We offer a possible explanation in terms of correlated neural noise.
LIGHT (TNFSF14/CD258) Is a Decisive Factor for Recovery from Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

The TNF superfamily ligand LIGHT (lymphotoxin-like, exhibits inducible expression and competes with HSV glycoprotein D for herpesvirus entry mediator [HVEM], a receptor expressed by T lymphocytes) has been shown to play a role in T cell costimulation and be involved in apoptosis of mononuclear cells. As both T cells and monocytes are key components in the development and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), we studied the role of LIGHT in EAE. Following immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (35–55), LIGHT-deficient mice developed severe EAE that resulted in an atypically high mortality rate. Histological examinations revealed intensive activation of microglia/macrophages in the CNS and higher numbers of apoptotic cells within the CNS parenchyma of LIGHT-deficient mice. However, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide–specific CD4+ T cells from LIGHT-deficient mice showed reduced IFN-γ and IL-17 production and migration. Serum levels of reactive nitrogen intermediates and CNS transcripts of several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were also substantially decreased in the absence of LIGHT. EAE adoptive transfer experiments and bone marrow chimeras indicated that expression of LIGHT on donor cells is not required for disease induction. However, its expression on CNS host cells is a decisive factor to limit disease progression and tissue damage. Together, these data show that LIGHT expression is crucially involved in controlling activated macrophages/microglia during autoimmune CNS inflammation.
Examining the Impact of E-privacy Risk Concerns on Citizens’ Intentions to Use E-government Services: An Oman Perspective

Abstract The risks associated with online transactions influencing the use of e-services and e-government services include e-privacy concerns. This study has examined the impact of e-privacy risk concerns on the acceptance of e-government services in Oman using an integrated model. The model is based on Liu, Marchewka, Lu, and Yu’s (2005) privacy-trust-behavioral intention model, the broader technology acceptance literature, and recent work on e-privacy awareness and protection. Data was collected by questionnaire from Omani citizens. The model was then tested using PLS. The study found that e-privacy risk concerns and perceptions of the protection available against risks influence citizens’ intentions to use e-government services via their influence on the perceived trustworthiness of these services. Thus trustworthiness is a factor that could be an obstacle to successful e-government services project implementation.
Early Lesions of Proliferative Enteritis in Pigs and Hamsters

Gnotobiotic pigs and conventional hamsters were given suspensions of intestinal mucosa from a pig with proliferative hemorrhagic enteropathy and killed 10 or 21 days later. Affected animals had evidence of marked proliferation of immature enterocytes in the intestinal crypts. Numerous Campylobacter-like organisms were in the cytoplasm of enterocytes, and in some instances, bacteria were closely associated with enter-ocytes. Some intracellular bacteria lying below the microvillous border were within membrane-bound structures. Immunofluorescence and electron immunogold staining with specific antibodies indicated that these organisms were antigenically different from curved bacteria in the crypt lumen of early lesions. This study indicates that the life cycle of the intracellular organisms may involve entry into crypt enterocytes from the intestinal lumen with subsequent intracellular multiplication.
On the Nature of Self‐Assessed House Prices

In models of optimal household behavior, the value of housing affects consumption, savings and other variables. But homeowners do not know the value of their house for certain until they sell, so while they live in their home they must rely on local house price data to estimate its value. This paper uses data from the recent housing boom and bust to demonstrate that changes in households’ self-assessed home values are strongly consistent with the predictions of a model in which households optimally filter available house price data. Specifically, we show that self-assessed house prices did not increase as rapidly as house price indexes during the boom and did not decline as severely during the bust. A Kalman Filter model nearly perfectly replicates these data. These findings have direct implications for economists studying asking prices during booms and busts, optimal default decisions and other key housing-related phenomena.
H2A.Z-Dependent Regulation of Cohesin Dynamics on Chromosome Arms

ABSTRACT Structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) complexes and DNA topoisomerases are major determinants of chromosome structure and dynamics. The cohesin complex embraces sister chromatids throughout interphase, but during mitosis most cohesin is stripped from chromosome arms by early prophase, while the remaining cohesin at kinetochores is cleaved at anaphase. This two-step removal of cohesin is required for sister chromatids to separate. The cohesin-related Smc5/6 complex has been studied mostly as a determinant of DNA repair via homologous recombination. However, chromosome segregation fails in Smc5/6 null mutants or cells treated with small interfering RNAs. This also occurs in Smc5/6 hypomorphs in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe following genotoxic and replication stress, or topoisomerase II dysfunction, and these mitotic defects are due to the postanaphase retention of cohesin on chromosome arms. Here we show that mitotic and repair roles for Smc5/6 are genetically separable in S. pombe. Further, we identified the histone variant H2A.Z as a critical factor to modulate cohesin dynamics, and cells lacking H2A.Z suppress the mitotic defects conferred by Smc5/6 dysfunction. Together, H2A.Z and the SMC complexes ensure genome integrity through accurate chromosome segregation.
CDM 20 years after

ABSTRACT In year 1998, the seminal paper Research Innovation and Productivity: An Econometric Analysis at the Firm Level was published in this journal. The empirical framework, following on ideas in the research of Zvi Griliches at the NBER and commonly labeled CDM (the acronym of the three authors’ names, Crépon, Duguet and Mairesse) is one of the most influential contributions in recent literature on economics of innovation. The original CDM paper and papers inspired by its framework have received hundreds of citations in the empirical innovation literature. Whether directly linked or not to the CDM framework, the flow of studies improving on and enlarging the scope and methods of the empirical literature on R&D, innovation and productivity is continuing. Some of them, for example, focus on financing innovation, innovation and employment, innovation and trade, competition, or intellectual property; some adopt a managerial perspective, while others prefer an innovation system approach in a Schumpeterian tradition, etc. This introduction to the special issue of EINT surveys a collection of 12 papers on the CDM model by 25 authors from eight countries. The papers take stock of the evolution of research based on the original CDM model launched 20 years ago, linking it to the previous literature, and proposing developments and generalizations of it in various dimensions.
Driving with distraction in Parkinson disease

Objective: To assess the effects of auditory–verbal distraction on driving performance in Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: We tested licensed, currently active drivers with mild-to-moderate PD (n = 71) and elderly controls with no neurologic disease (n = 147) on a battery of cognitive, visual, and motor tests. While they drove on a four-lane interstate freeway in an instrumented vehicle, we determined at-fault safety errors and vehicle control measures during a distracter task (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task [PASAT]) and on an uneventful baseline segment. Results: Compared with controls, drivers with PD committed more errors during both baseline and distraction, and drove slower with higher speed variability during distraction. Although the average effect of distraction on driving performance compared with baseline was not different between the groups, the drivers with PD showed a more heterogeneous response to distraction (p < 0.001): the error count increased in 28.2% of drivers with PD (vs 15.8% in controls), decreased in 16.9% (vs 3.4%), and remained stable in 54.9% (vs 80.8%). The odds of increase in safety errors due to distraction was higher in the PD group even after adjusting for baseline errors, level of engagement in PASAT, sex, and education (odds ratio [95% CI] = 2.62 [1.19 to 5.74], p = 0.016). Decreased performance on tests of cognitive flexibility, verbal memory, postural control, and increased daytime sleepiness predicted worsening of driving performance due to distraction within the PD group. Conclusion: The quantitative effect of an auditory–verbal distracter task on driving performance was not significantly different between Parkinson disease (PD) and control groups. However, a significantly larger subset of drivers with PD had worsening of their driving safety errors during distraction. Measures of cognition, motor function, and sleepiness predicted effects of distraction on driving performance within the PD group.
Prevalence and change of malocclusions from primary to early permanent dentition: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE To follow a group of children from primary to early permanent dentition and determine the prevalence, self-correction, and new development of malocclusions; the need for orthodontic treatment; and the possible influences of habits, breathing disturbances, and allergies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred and seventy-seven children were followed at 3, 7, and 11.5 years of age. Malocclusions and orthodontic treatment need were determined by clinical examinations. Data on sucking habits, breathing disturbances, allergies, dental trauma, and orthodontic treatments were collected from a questionnaire and dental records. RESULTS Malocclusions were found in 71% of participants at 3 years of age, 56% at 7 years of age, and 71% at 11.5 years of age. Self-correction was noted for anterior open bite, sagittal malocclusions, and posterior crossbite, while deep bite developed. A high number of contact point displacements and spacings contributed to the prevalence of malocclusion rate of 71% at 11.5 years. Severe or extreme orthodontic treatment need was apparent in 22%. Habits, allergies, or breathing disturbances found at 3 years of age had no associations with malocclusions at 11.5 years of age. CONCLUSIONS This sample revealed a significant percentage of malocclusions and orthodontic treatment need. A substantial number of self-corrections and establishment of new malocclusions occurred during the transition from primary to early permanent dentition.
The influence of locus of control on employee commitment and labour turnover: a case study of Jubilee insurance company limited

x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. Background of the study . 1 1.1.1. Locus of Control. 2 1.1.2. Employee commitment . 4 1.1.3. Labour turnover . 5 1.1.4. Jubilee Insurance Company Limited . 8 1.2. Research Problem . 9 1.3. Research Objectives . 12 1.4. Value of the Study . 12 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 14 2.
Estimating Single-Event Logic Cross Sections in Advanced Technologies

Reliable estimation of logic single-event upset (SEU) cross section is becoming increasingly important for predicting the overall soft error rate. As technology scales and single-event transient (SET) pulse widths shrink to widths on the order of the setup-and-hold time of flip-flops, the probability of latching an SET as an SEU must be reevaluated. In this paper, previous assumptions about the relationship of SET pulsewidth to the probability of latching an SET are reconsidered and a model for transient latching probability has been developed for advanced technologies. A method using the improved transient latching probability and SET data is used to predict logic SEU cross section. The presented model has been used to estimate combinational logic SEU cross sections in 32-nm partially depleted silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology given experimental heavy-ion SET data. Experimental SEU data show good agreement with the model presented in this paper.
[Clinicopathological features and prognosis of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence].

OBJECTIVE To compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence. METHODS We reviewed the records of recurrent breast cancer patients who previously underwent surgery at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between 2003 and 2009. A total of 390 cases were identified as eligible recurrent patients with HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer. Among them, 279 cases had early recurrence (DFS<5 years) and 111 cases had late recurrence (DFS≥5 years). The clinicopathological features, sites of initial metastasis and survival after recurrence in the two groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS Patients with vascular invasion or and ≥4 lymph node metastases were found more common in the early recurrence group (P<0.05), while positive status of both hormone receptors and non-standardized hormone therapy were more frequently seen in the late recurrence group (P<0.05). In the late recurrence group, initial lung metastasis was seen in 47.7% of patients, significantly higher than that (25.1%) in the early recurrence group (P<0.001). Although initial multiple organ metastases were more common in the late recurrence group (P<0.05), its median overall survival (OS) after recurrence was 66 months, significantly longer than that of the early recurrence group (39 months) (HR=1.6, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS The two groups of HER2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients with early and late recurrence show some differences in clinicopathological features and prognosis. Both vascular invasion and ≥4 lymph node metastases are important factors affecting the DFS in HER-2-negative luminal-type breast cancer patients, and early recurrence is more frequently seen in this group. Late recurrence is the more frequent recurrence pattern in the HER-2 negative luminal type breast cancer patients, especially, in the double hormone receptor-positive patients who received non-standardized hormone therapy. The prognosis for patients with late recurrence is better than that in the patients with early recurrence.
Genome‐wide expression analysis of cells expressing gain of function mutant D374Y‐PCSK9

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of serum cholesterol. The possibility that PCSK9 also functions in other pathways needs to be addressed. We have transfected HepG2 cells with mutant D374Y‐PCSK9 or control vector. Gene expression signatures were determined using the Affymetrix GeneChip technology, and the expression pattern of selected genes was confirmed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Data was normalized and analyzed using a model‐based background adjustment for oligonucleotide expression arrays, then filtered based upon expression within treatments group, and subjected to moderated t‐statistics. Five hundred twenty transcripts had altered expression levels between D374Y‐PCSK9 and control vector. Among the 520 probes on our top list, 312 were found to have an assigned Gene Ontology (GO) term, and 96 were found in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Genome‐wide expression profiling revealed that “steroid biosynthesis,” “sterol metabolism,” and “cholesterol biosynthsis” were affected by D374Y‐PCSK9. Also, the GO biological process terms “response to stresss,” “response to virus,” “response to unfolded protein,” and “immune response” were influenced by D374Y‐PCSK9. Our results suggest that D374Y‐PCSK9 results in up‐regulation of genes involved in sterol biosynthesis and down‐regulation of stress‐response genes and specific inflammation pathways. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 459–467, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
CMB polarization systematics due to beam asymmetry: Impact on inflationary science

Cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization provides a unique window into cosmological inflation; the amplitude of the B-mode polarization from last scattering is uniquely sensitive to the energetics of inflation. However, numerous systematic effects arising from optical imperfections can contaminate the observed B-mode power spectrum. In particular, systematic effects due to the coupling of the underlying temperature and polarization fields with elliptical or otherwise asymmetric beams yield spurious systematic signals. This paper presents a nonperturbative analytic calculation of some of these signals. We show that results previously derived in real space can be generalized, formally, by including infinitely many higher-order corrections to the leading order effects. These corrections can be summed and represented as analytic functions when a fully Fourier-space approach is adopted from the outset. The formalism and results presented in this paper were created to determine the susceptibility of CMB polarization probes of the primary gravitational wave signal but can be easily extended to the analysis of gravitational lensing of the CMB.
Is Metformin-Induced Vitamin B12 Deficiency Responsible for Cognitive Decline in Type 2 Diabetes?

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus has its deleterious effects on various aspects of cognition such as memory function, executive function, and information-processing speed. The present study aims to assess cognition in diabetes patients and also tries to find its association with Vitamin B12 deficiency induced by metformin. Materials and Methods: Thirty diabetics taking metformin and thirty nondiabetic controls were enrolled. Event-related potentials (ERPs) and serum Vitamin B12 levels were evaluated in them. Results: Vitamin B12 levels were found to be deficient, and latencies of waves P200 and P300 were prolonged in the diabetics as compared to the controls. The dose and duration of metformin had no association with the ERPs. Conclusions: Although the Vitamin B12 levels were deficient in diabetics on metformin, this is not the reason behind the cognitive impairment found in them.
Physicians' knowledge of inhaler devices and inhalation techniques remains poor in Spain.

BACKGROUND Studies in many countries in the 1990s revealed deficiencies in physicians' knowledge about inhalation therapy. In an attempt to remedy this situation, Spanish scientific societies implemented a variety of educational strategies. The objective of the present study was to assess changes in attitudes and knowledge about inhalers and inhalation techniques in a sizable sample of physicians. METHODS An 11-question multiple choice test was developed and administered throughout Spain to practicing physicians from specialties that frequently prescribe inhaler devices. The survey collected demographic characteristics (four items), preferences (two items), and issues related to knowledge (three items) and education (two items) about devices and inhalation techniques. Completion of the questionnaire was voluntary, individual, and anonymous. RESULTS A total of 1514 respondents completed the questionnaire. Dry powder inhalers (DPI) were preferred by 61.2% physicians, but only 46.1% identified "inhale deeply and forcefully" as the most significant step in the inhalation maneuver using these devices. Only 27.7% stated that they always checked the patient's inhalation technique when prescribing a new inhaler. A composite variable, general inhaled therapy knowledge, which pooled the correct answers related to knowledge, revealed that only 14.2% physicians had an adequate knowledge of inhaled therapy. Multivariate analysis showed that this knowledge was lowest among internal medicine and primary care physicians. CONCLUSIONS Prescribers' knowledge of inhalers and inhalation techniques remains poor in Spain. The causes should be identified in further research to allow effective educational strategies to be developed. Specific educational policies should be addressed to general practitioners.
The multifaceted subunit interfaces of ionotropic glutamate receptors

The past fifteen years has seen a revolution in our understanding of ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) structure, starting with the first view of the ligand binding domain (LBD) published in 1998, and in many ways culminating in the publication of the full‐length structure of GluA2 in 2009. These reports have revealed not only the central role played by subunit interfaces in iGluR function, but also myriad binding sites within interfaces for endogenous and exogenous factors. Changes in the conformation of inter‐subunit interfaces are central to transmission of ligand gating into pore opening (itself a rearrangement of interfaces), and subsequent closure through desensitization. With the exception of the agonist binding site, which is located entirely within individual subunits, almost all modulatory factors affecting iGluRs appear to bind to sites in subunit interfaces. This review seeks to summarize what we currently understand about the diverse roles interfaces play in iGluR function, and to highlight questions for future research.