Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endothelin-1 triggers placental oxidative stress pathways: putative role in preeclampsia.

CONTEXT Preeclampsia (PE) is a disorder that occurs only during pregnancy. The placenta has a controlling role in this condition. Recent literature suggests that the oxidative stress is a component of PE and plays a main role in the link between decreased placental perfusion and the impaired function of maternal endothelium. OBJECTIVE Because the human placenta expresses endothelin-1 (ET-1) and its circulating levels are high in pregnancies complicated with PE, the present study investigated the role of ET-1 on placental oxidative stress pathways. DESIGN Human placental explants, JEG-3, and primary cytotrophoblast cells were cultured with increasing ET-1 concentrations for 6 and 24 h. SETTING The study was conducted at tertiary clinical care centers in Siena and Padova, Italy. INTERVENTIONS Human placental explants, JEG-3, and primary cytotrophoblast cells were used to test ET-1 effect. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The main outcome measure was ET-1 mRNA and its receptor mRNAs, type A and B, detection by RT-PCR. The common markers of oxidative stress [malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), ascorbic acid (AA)] as well as cell proliferation and vitality were measured after stimulation periods. RESULTS ET-1 inhibits cell proliferation and vitality and triggers oxidative stress in the human placenta by altering the balance between oxidant (increased MDA levels) and antioxidant (decreased GSH, GSSG, and AA) forces in favor of oxidation. CONCLUSIONS Because MDA damages endothelial cells, whereas GSH, GSSG, and AA protect them, we postulate that ET-1 may be one of the key links between primary placental disorders and the systemic endothelial dysfunction of PE.
Logic based on inclusion and abstraction

All notions of mathematical logic, as measured e.g. by Principia mathematica, can be constructed from a basis which embraces variables and just two further primitives: the familiar notions of inclusion and abstraction. Inclusion will be expressed by the usual form of notation “(x⊂y)”, which may be read “x is included in y. ” Abstraction will be expressed by the form of notation “x3 …” as with Peano, the blank being filled by any formula (statement or statement form); the whole may be read “the class of all objects x such that …. ” A system of logic based on these primitives will be presented in this paper. The system involves the familiar theory of class types, which, for metamathematical convenience, will be recorded in the system by use of distinctive styles of variables; thus the variables “x”, “y”, and “z”, also with subscripts when further variety is needed, will take individuals as values; the variables “x′”, “y′”, and “z′”, also with subscripts, will take classes of individuals as values; the variables “x″”, “y″”, and “z″”, also with subscripts, will take classes of classes of individuals as values; and so on. The metamathematical notion of term, covering all variables and also all expressions of abstraction, is now describable recursively thus: a variable is a term, and the number of accents which it bears is called its rank; and if terms of equal rank are put for “ζ” and “η” and a variable of rank n is put for “α” in “α3(ζ ⊂ η)”, the result is a term of rank n+1. A formula finally, is any result of putting terms of equal rank for “ζ” and “η” in “(ζ ⊂ η)”.
Imaging artifacts at 3.0T

Clinical MRI at a field strength of 3.0T is finding increasing use. However, along with the advantages of 3.0T, such as increased SNR, there can be drawbacks, including increased levels of imaging artifacts. Although every imaging artifact observed at 3.0T can also be present at 1.5T, the intensity level is often higher at 3.0T and thus the artifact is more objectionable. This review describes some of the imaging artifacts that are commonly observed with 3.0T imaging, and their root causes. When possible, countermeasures that reduce the artifact level are described. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of method‐comparison data

Method‐comparison studies, in which new‘candidate’techniques are compared with an established‘gold standard', feature commonly in optometric research. Investigators often analyse their findings using least squares regression. Pearson's product‐moment correlation coefficient and the paired t‐test. We describe more appropriate methods which include: the‘limits of agreement', the intraclass correlation coefficient, and Deming's method for estimating a straight line fit. Comparisons between methods are made with the aid of a computer simulation. Computer program listings are provided to assist in implementing the analyses.
Towards a re-conceptualization of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs: tackling enduring problems with the quantitative research and moving on

Various commentators have argued for years that the study of teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) beliefs, largely dominated by quantitative research methodologies, has been confused. Contentious issues include the very conceptualization of these beliefs, how they are defined and accessed through research and how the research is used. One of the biggest anomalies is that, despite claiming that these beliefs are task-specific, many quantitative researchers have both assessed them globally and portrayed them as hard to impact. In contrast, some qualitative researchers have emphasized the task-specific nature of these beliefs and their potential for transformation through self-doubt, reflection and learning. This literature review examines these and other contentious issues, focusing on studies published in international peer-reviewed journals in the last few years, looking, through the use of search terms and the surveying of abstracts followed by detailed reading, for evidence of developing understandings and changing research practices. This review highlights continuing misalignment between theory and method in much of the literature, but also identifies promising research directions. Mixed methods and qualitative research designs seem to have the potential to produce insightful findings that can make the study of TSE beliefs of greater use to teacher educators than has previously been the case.
Identifying Channels of Credit Substitution When Bank Capital Requirements are Varied

What kinds of credit substitution, if any, occur when changes to banks’ minimum capital requirements induce banks to change their supply of credit? The question is central to the new ‘macroprudential’ policy regimes that have been constructed in the wake of the global financial crisis, under which minimum capital ratio requirements for banks will be employed to control the supply of bank credit. Regulatory efforts to influence the aggregate supply of credit may be thwarted to some degree by ‘leakages’, as other credit suppliers substitute for the variation induced in the supply of credit by regulated banks. Credit substitution could occur through foreign banks operating domestic branches that are not subject to capital regulation by the domestic supervisor, or through bond and stock markets. The UK experience for the period 1998-2007 is ideally suited to address these questions, given its unique regulatory history (UK bank regulators imposed bank-specific and time-varying capital requirements on regulated banks), the substantial presence of both domestically regulated and foreign regulated banks, and the United Kingdom’s deep capital markets. We show that leakage by foreign branches can occur either as a result of competition between branches and regulated banks that are parts of separate banking groups, or because a foreign banking group shifts loans from its UK-regulated subsidiary to its affiliated branch. The responsiveness of affiliated branches is nearly twice as strong. We do not find any evidence for leakages through capital markets. These findings reinforce the need for the type of international co-ordination, specifically reciprocity in capital requirement regulation, which is embedded in Basel III and the European CRD IV directive, which will be gradually phased in starting January 2014.
Parasitic bipolar effects leading to on-state breakdown in 2D-MESFETs

In this work we have studied and characterized the impact-ionization-induced instabilities in the output characteristics of two-dimensional MESFET s. The instabilities appear as an increase of the output conductance, gD. By performing a complete set of DC measurements at different temperature and electroluminescence measurements, in different bias conditions, we were able to correlate the kinks in the output characteristics with different impact ionization regimes, including the possible onset of a parasitic bipolar effect.
A trial of deferiprone in transfusion-dependent iron overloaded children.

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy and safety of deferiprone. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING 5 paediatric medical units at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRHC), Colombo. PATIENTS Transfusion-dependent iron overloaded children in the age group 2 to 15 years. INTERVENTION Patients were given a total daily dose of 75 mg/kg of deferiprone orally in divided doses. MEASUREMENTS Efficacy of deferiprone therapy was assessed by 4-monthly serum ferritin assays using the ELISA technique. Safety of deferiprone therapy was assessed by 4-weekly white cell counts, platelet counts and serum transaminase levels. The Z-test was used to assess the significance of the difference between the mean initial serum ferritin level and the mean subsequent serum ferritin level. RESULTS 54 patients received deferiprone therapy for a mean duration of 9 +/- 3 months. Initial serum ferritin levels ranged from 1500 to 10,700 ng/ml with a mean of 5743. Subsequent serum ferritin levels, obtained in 48 patients ranged from 740 to 7300 ng/ml with a mean of 3558 (p < 0.001). In 47 of the 48 patients subsequent serum ferritin levels were lower than initial levels. One child developed severe neutropaenia, which reverted to normal on discontinuation of treatment. 11 children developed arthropathy, which responded to ibuprofen therapy combined in some cases with a reduction of the dose of deferiprone to 50 mg/kg/day. Serum transaminase levels were raised in 5 patients but reverted to pretreatment values or lower despite continuation of deferiprone therapy. CONCLUSIONS Deferiprone is a safe and effective oral iron-chelating agent which can be used, under strict supervision, in transfusion-dependent iron overloaded children.
Differential changes in glutamatergic transmission via N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the hippocampus and striatum of rats behaviourally sensitized to methamphetamine.

We searched for changes in glutamatergic transmission via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the hippocampus and striatum of rats behaviourally sensitized to methamphetamine (Meth). Prior to being given a challenge dose of Meth (2 mg/kg, s.c.), the rats were given Meth (4 mg/kg, s.c.) five times a week for 3 wk. Seven days after the challenge test, we examined glutamate (Glu) release from hippocampal and striatal slices evoked by 30 mm KCl, and NMDA-evoked dopamine (DA) release from striatal slices. We further immunoquantified NMDAR1, R2A and R2B receptors as well as the fodrin alpha-subunit, a 240 kDa cytoskeletal protein that is cleaved to form 150 kDa limited proteolytic fragments by NMDA receptor stimulation. In the study of KCl-evoked Glu release, Glu release from the hippocampus was 31% lower in the Meth-sensitized rats than in the control rats, while Glu release from the striatum was 34% higher in the Meth-sensitized rats. NMDAR1, R2A and R2B immunoreactivities in the striatum were significantly lower in the Meth-sensitized rats (by 12, 13 and 12%, respectively) than those in the control rats. However, no differences in the immunoreactivities were found for the hippocampus. Immunoquantification of the fodrin alpha-subunit in the hippocampus revealed that 150 kDa fragments were significantly lower (by 10%) in the Meth-sensitized rats than in the control rats. In contrast to the control rats, NMDA-evoked DA release from the striatum was diminished in the Meth-sensitized rats. These results indicate that the activity of the Glu system is functionally decreased in the hippocampus of Meth-sensitized rats, whereas the Glu system in the striatum of Meth- sensitized rats shows adaptive and functional changes in the receptors in response to the increased Glu release.
Adsorption Studies on the Removal of Hexavalent Chromium-Contaminated Wastewater using Activated Carbon and Bentonite

In this study, the adsorption potential of activate d carbon and bentonite for removal of Cr(VI) ions f rom wastewater has been investigated. The study involves batch type ex periments to investigate the effects of initial con centration, adsorbent dose, agitation speed, contact time, temperature an d pH of solution on adsorption process and the eval uation of optimum conditions. The adsorption process has fit pseudo-second order kinetic models. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models were applied to analyze adsorption data, and both were found to be applicable to this adsorption process. Thermodynamic parameters, e.g., ∆G ◦ , ∆S ◦ and ∆H ◦ of the on-going adsorption process have also been calculated and found the sorption process as endothermic. Finally, it can be seen that bentonite was found to be more effective for the removal of Cr(VI) than activated carbon, under the same experi mental conditions.
Free thyroxine in serum in relation to thyroid function.

The concentration of free thyroxine (FT 4 ) in serum, measured by a direct method, was 1.77 ± 0.25 mμg/100 ml (mean ± SD) in normal euthyroid adults, 8.47 ± 2.87 in hyperthyroid patients, and 0.54 ± 0.29 in hypothyroid patients. Pregnant euthyroid patients and normal women taking estrogens had increased values for proteinbound iodine (PBI) in serum, while values for the resin uptake of liothyronine I 131 (RT 3 ) were decreased; but free thyroxine values were normal or slightly decreased. Euthyroid patients with various chronic diseases had decreased PBI values in association with increased RT 3 values, but free thyroxine values were normal. Acutely or severely ill euthyroid patients had increased free thyroxine values that often exceeded the normal range. The correlation between values for free thyroxine and the PBI•RT 3 product was good in all groups except the sick euthyroid patients. The PBI•RT 3 product closely reflected the state of thyroid function in all of the groups of patients.
The renal response of sheep fed a high protein diet to treatment with vasopressin analogue

BoldiIarova K. , ·. Faix, a. Leng: The Renal Response of Sheep Fed a High Protein Diet to Treatment with Vasopressin Analogue. Acta Vet. Brno 1999, 68: 99-104. This experiment was designed to test whether the long-term formation of highly concentrated urine rises the glomerular filtration rate in sheep like in simple stomach animals. Experiments were carried out on young sheep fed a high protein diet for 3 weeks. In order to produce animals with highly concentrating kidneys, the experimental group was treated with 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (dDAVP, Adiuretin-SD, Ferring, Prague). Subcutaneous injections of 12.5 µg dDAVP given twice daily started one week before the measurements of renal function. The clearance protocol showed a decreased urine flow rate (from 3.19 ± 0.50 to 0.33 ± 0.03 ml.min-1, P < 0.001) without changes in glomerular filtration rate (80.18 ± 6.36 vs. 77.86 ± 6.26 ml.min -1 , NS) due to dDAVP. The plasma level of urea was significantly increased (from 5.76 ± 0.39 to 7.28 ± 0.25 mmol.l-1, P < 0.01) concomitantly with the larger renal urea reabsorption (from 239.72 ± 26.16 to 390.53 ± 33.25 µmol.min -1 , P < 0.01) in dDAVP treated group. Both fractional urea excretion (48.44 ± 3.12 vs. 30.33 ± 1.94 %, P < 0.001) and the amount of urea excreted were significantly reduced (206.22 ± 9.04 vs. 170.41 ± 10.76 µmol.min -1 , P < 0.05). One week-lasting treatment with a vasopressin analogue resulted in the decreased urea clearance (from 36.95 ± 2.07 to 23.76 ± 1.97 ml.min -1 , P < 0.001) but it did not influence the osmotic clearance (1.77 ± 0.10 vs. 1.62 ± 0.08 ml.min -1 , NS). In conclusion, the kidneys of sheep do not respond to a long-term formation of highly concentrated urine per se with a rise in the glomerular filtration rate. A possible explanation is that urea recycling through digestive tract of ruminants is of an order of magnitude larger than that in simple stomach animals. Sheep, kidney, GFR, urinary concentrating ability
Structure and energetics of antiferroelectric PbZrO3.

Structural instabilities and electronic properties of ${\mathrm{PrZrO}}_{3}$ are investigated using local-density calculations. Substantial hybridization is found in the electronic band structure, both between O 2p and Zr 4d states and between O 2p and Pb s and p states. A very strong \ensuremath{\Gamma} point phonon instability is present for the cubic perovskite structure. Relaxation, allowing only zone-center distortions, yields a large energy lowering of 0.253 eV, with bond-length changes in excess of 0.5 \AA{}. Two related R point instabilities are found, both of which involve changes in Pb-O distances. The more unstable of these involves a 12\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} rotation of the O octahedra, with an energy lowering of 0.20 eV per formula unit. Total-energy calculations were performed for 40 atom unit cells with orthorhombic Pba2 and Pbam space groups as reported experimentally. Energies close to but still above the related \ensuremath{\Gamma} structure were obtained with experimentally determined atomic positions. However, after relaxation of the oxygen coordinates, the antiferroelectric structure is favored by 0.02 eV per formula unit. This ordering and the small ferroelectric-antiferroelectric energy difference is in accord with the Pb(Zr,Ti)${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ phase diagram.
The child and adolescent functional assessment scale (CAFAS): a dynamic predictor of juvenile recidivism.

This study tested the degree to which the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS; Hodges & Wong, 1996), a mental health assessment tool, predicted recidivism among juvenile offenders. The CAFAS, which is sensitive to rehabilitation treatment effects, was compared with factors insensitive to rehabilitation (e.g., age, ethnicity, sex, and number of prior offenses). Also addressed was the methodological issue of whether to treat recidivism as a continuous or a dichotomous variable. The CAFAS was found to be significantly related to recidivism. The practical application of the results, as well as the value of emphasizing research on dynamic predictors that enable policy makers to target at-risk juveniles, is discussed.
Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging: a promising technique to characterize and track delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning.

BACKGROUND A delayed neurological syndrome (DNS) consisting of various forms of cognitive and motor impairment may develop within 8 weeks following 10 to 30% of cases of acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (1-2). There is a paucity of generally accepted effective treatment and markers to predict clinical evolution of DNS (3). The regions most commonly involved in imaging abnormalities of DNS include the deep white matter and globus pallidus (4). Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a technique that reflects patterns of molecular motion of water in the brain. In different brain disease states, loss of normal diffusion anisotropy is reported as abnormal values of diffusion coefficient represented by fractional anisotropy maps (5). DWI is thought to provide unique information for early identification of white matter changes and viability of brain tissue and therefore containing potential prognostic value. Diffusion of water in the brain can be defined along a single axis (defined by a single matrix) or along multiple encoding directions (multiple matrix amenable to be integrated mathematically). In the latter case, the image is designed as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) (6). DTI has been proposed as an effective tool for representing, quantifying and evaluating structural integrity of fiber tracks in the brain white matter (7). To our knowledge, there are no published reports of DTI evaluation of DNS. We present a case of DNS with reversible neurological deficit in which sequential DTI demonstrated a closer correlation with initial clinical presentation and subsequent clinical evolution than conventional T2W, FLAIR or DWI sequences in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Men’s Grief, Meaning and Growth: A Phenomenological Investigation into the Experience of Loss

Abstract There is a scarcity of research on men’s experience of bereavement (Reiniche, 2006), particularly in relation to qualitative research that focuses on the meaning of such an experience. This paper seeks to address this scarcity by presenting the findings from a phenomenological study of the lifeworlds of a small number of bereaved men. The study looked specifically at how the loss of a spouse influences men’s experience of meaning, grief and loss. Three men aged between 32 and 54 years old who had all lost their partners to cancer between 3 and 7 years ago were interviewed. The hermeneutic phenomenological method of Van Manen (1990) was used to uncover three key themes, labelled grief and self-reflection, meaning of life and loss, and refiguring the life-world. These themes are discussed in the light of broader existential concerns and the extant literature.
Clinical characteristics of multiple primary colorectal cancers.

PURPOSE Although multiple primary colorectal cancer has been recognized as a significant clinical entity, its clinical and pathological features and its prognosis are still controversial. The purpose of this study was to clarify clinical and pathological features of multiple primary colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Among 1669 patients who underwent surgery for primary colorectal cancer from January 1997 to June 2005, 26 patients (1.6%) with multiple primary colorectal cancer were identified. We reviewed clinical characteristics including diagnostic interval, lesions, operating methods, and TNM stage, and we defined the index lesion as the most advanced lesion among the synchronous lesions. For the purposes of the study, the colon and rectum were classified into three segments. The right-side colon included the appendix, cecum, ascending colon, hepatic flexure, and transverse colon, and the left-side colon included the splenic flexure, descending colon, and sigmoid colon. RESULTS Of the 26 patients with multiple primary colorectal cancers, nineteen patients were male and seven patients were female, with a mean age of 61.5 years. Nineteen patients had synchronous colorectal cancers and seven patients had metachronous colorectal cancers. In the metachronous cases, the mean diagnostic interval was 36.8 months. The site of the first lesion in metachronous colorectal cancers was the right colon in five cases (71.4%) and the left colon in two cases (28.6%), and the site of the second lesion was the rectum in six cases (55.5%), the right colon in three cases (33.3%), and the left colon in one case. The TNM stage of the second lesions in the metachronous colorectal cancers was stage II in four cases (57.1%), stage III in one case (14.3%), and stage IV in one case (14.3%). For the synchronous colorectal cancers, the operation methods were single-segment resection combined with endoscopic mucosal resection in five cases (26.3%), single-segment resection alone in six cases, two-segment resection in six cases, and total colectomy in two cases. CONCLUSION In metachronous colorectal cancers, the secondary lesions were later-stage cancer. Therefore, careful postoperative follow-up is necessary for patients who have undergone surgery for colorectal cancers. Further study of therapeutic modalities is important for synchronous colorectal cancers.