Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MnSOD deficiency has a differential effect on disease progression in two different ALS mutant mouse models

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are thought to participate in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of reduced mitochondrial antioxidant defense on lifespan and disease progression in two mouse models of familial ALS (G93A and H46R/H48Q mutant lines) that represent pseudo‐wildtype and metal‐deficient ALS mutants, respectively. The metal‐deficient H46R/H48Q mutant differs from the G93A mutant in that it cannot bind copper in the active site and thus lacks SOD activity. We crossed each of these mutant lines with mice deficient in the mitochondrial matrix antioxidant enzyme MnSOD (Sod2+/− mice). In both high (G93A1Gur) and low (G93ADL) copy G93A strains, MnSOD deficiency caused a decrease in lifespan that was associated with a reduced disease duration rather than earlier disease onset. In contrast, MnSOD deficiency had no effect on lifespan or disease parameters of H46R/H48Q mutant mice. MnSOD deficiency thus has a differential effect on disease progression in different mutant SOD1 ALS mouse models, suggesting that different ALS‐causing mutations in SOD1 result in disease progression by at least proximally different mechanisms/pathways. Muscle Nerve 38: 1173–1183, 2008
Modulation of the ASK1–MKK3/6–p38/MAPK signalling pathway mediates sildenafil protection against chemical hypoxia caused by malonate

PD5 inhibitors have recently been reported to exert beneficial effects against ischaemia–reperfusion injury in several organs. However, there are few studies regarding their neuroprotective effects in brain ischaemia. The present study was designed to assess the effects of sildenafil against chemical hypoxia induced by malonate. Intrastriatal injection of malonate produces energy depletion and striatal lesions similar to that seen in cerebral ischaemia through mechanisms that involve generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Media Partisanship and Fundamental Corporate Decisions

Abstract Using the introduction of Fox News as a natural experiment, we investigate whether partisanship in television news coverage influences fundamental corporate decisions. We find that during the George W. Bush presidency, firms led by Republican-leaning managers headquartered in regions into which Fox was introduced shift upward their total investment expenditures and financial leverage. Our findings imply that in making fundamental corporate decisions, Republican-leaning managers are swayed by the Republican slant of Fox that presents an optimistic macroeconomic outlook. The results highlight the importance of heterogeneity in media slant in understanding the role of the media in corporate decision making.
Identity of Escherichia coli D-1-amino-2-propanol:NAD+ oxidoreductase with E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase but not with Neisseria gonorrhoeae 1,2-propanediol:NAD+ oxidoreductase

The properties of D-1-amino-2-propanol oxidoreductase from wild-type Escherichia coli have been compared with those of a glycerol dehydrogenase from mutant E. coli 424 and of a 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Several independent lines of evidence indicate that the former two enzymes are identical. (i) Both enzymatic activities purified to virtual homogeneity in an identical manner, and the ratio of specific activities (glycerol/aminopropanol) remained constant at all stages. (ii) When electrophoresed, both purified enzymes showed a major as well as a minor band of protein coincident with activity, and these two bands from each enzyme had the same mobility. (iii) The subunit molecular weights and isoelectric points were identical for each enzyme, and (iv) kinetic constants (Km and Vmax values) determined with three different substrates were the same. The somewhat greater stability of the glycerol dehydrogenase to controlled heat denaturation at 74 degrees C was the only difference observed between these two enzymes. In contrast, D-1-amino-2-propanol oxidoreductase was found to be immunochemically and kinetically distinct from the 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase from N. gonorrhoeae.
Obesity, Underweight, and Smoking Are Associated with Worse Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Finnish Healthy Young Men: A Population-Based Study

Background Obesity and smoking are strongly associated with worse cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Most previous studies that have examined the association of body composition with CRF have neither assessed non-linearity nor separately examined the effects of underweight. Thus, very little is known on how underweight affects CRF. Possible joint effects of obesity and smoking on CRF have not been adequately explored. Aims We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and smoking with CRF in 1,629 Finnish army conscripts. We focused on non-linear effects of BMI in order to assess the importance of underweight. We also examined whether the cooccurrence of obesity and smoking potentiates their deleterious effects on CRF. Methods We used the Cooper’s 12-minute run test (12MR) to measure CRF. The 12MR score was analyzed as continuous (linear, polynomial, and restricted cubic spline regression) and categorical. In categorical analyses, we used binary logistic regression with the 12MR score in two groups (low = lowest quintile vs. intermediate/high = quintiles 2–5) and multinomial logistic regression with the 12MR score in three groups (low = lowest quintile, intermediate = quintiles 2 and 3, and high = quintiles 4 and 5). Results Non-linearity in the spline model was statistically significant (p < 0.001). In addition, the non-linear models had a clearly better fit than the linear one in terms of Akaike Information Criterion and R-squared values. There was a statistically significant interaction between smoking and BMI (p < 0.01). In the categorical analysis, overweight/obese regular smokers were at a particularly high risk of not achieving high CRF. Conclusion In healthy young men, not only overweight/obesity but also underweight may be associated with worse CRF. This provides a potential mechanism for the previously reported association between underweight and increased mortality. The cooccurrence of overweight/obesity and regular smoking may have a deleterious effect on CRF.
Wage returns to interregional mobility among Ph.D graduates: Do occupations matter?

This paper addresses the wage returns to interregional mobility among Italian Ph.D workers. We control for selection bias in both migration and occupation choice by estimating a double sample selection model. While OLS estimates indicate a positive wage premium of mobility across all types of occupations examined, wage equations estimated by correcting for double sample selection evidence a wage penalty for movers within academia, no effects for movers carrying out R&D activities but positive returns if they work within the industry sector. The selection process appears to be stronger when mobility choice is considered in comparison to choice of occupation.
Conformations of DNA in the presence of nanomole concentrations of Co+2 ions and mezo-tetra(4-N-oxyethylpiridil) porphyrin

Conformation changes of calf thymus DNA induced by nanomole concentrations of Co+2 and TOEPyP4 and influence of this ion on porphyrin binding mode with DNA duplex were studied at two NaCl concentrations (10 and 100 mM) using circular dichroism spectroscopy and absorption data. It was shown that addition of 85 nM Co+2 into TOEPyP4/DNAb.p. = . 015 solution caused an immediate change of the intercalative binding mode of porphyrin to external binding modes at low ionic strengths (10 mM NaCl). Increase of Co+2 concentration from 165 to 650 nM caused a cooperative transition of DNA from B form to C-like conformation. Similar changes in binding mode and DNA conformation were observed at 100 mM NaCl, but they took place at higher concentrations of Co+2 ions. Incubation of TOEPyP4/DNAb.p. = . 015 in the presence of nanomole concentrations of Co+2 ions at 36.6 °C showed a transition of DNA-B form into Z-like conformation. Maximal percent of Z-like DNA was observed when the incubation time was from 6 to 8 h. Longer incubation times of [DNA-TOEPyP4]+Co+2 complexes caused a considerable recovery of CD spectra in UV region and a strong decrease in absorption at 260 nm. Here, we discuss some mechanisms of transition from B-DNA to C- and Z-like conformations.
The role of Toll-like receptors and related receptors of the innate immune system in asthma

Purpose of reviewThe biology of the innate immunity receptors is of central importance in the host response to the environment. Identifying genetic variants that alter the innate immune response is highly relevant to understanding asthma pathogenesis. This review summarizes recent studies of the role of innate immunity receptors, including Toll-like receptors and CD14, in the pathogenesis of asthma. Recent findingsThe majority of studies published since 2004 have been genetic association studies in various clinical settings, which have found positive associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms in TLR2, TLR4, TLR6 and TLR10 with asthma or atopy, although the number of studies is small and the results not yet replicated. The designs for CD14 genetic studies have been more sophisticated and have included gene–environment interaction. The results of CD14 gene associations with asthma and atopy are suggestive but have not been fully replicated. Potential reasons for non-replication of TLR and CD14 association studies include insufficient power, type I error, population heterogeneity and different phenotypes studied. In addition, there may be differences in CD14 genetic effects between childhood and adulthood, and between levels of endotoxin exposure. SummaryThe evidence is still being accumulated for the role of Toll-like receptor polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of asthma. There is emerging evidence for the role of CD14 polymorphisms in the development of asthma and atopy. Further studies of innate immunity in asthma and allergy are required, using rigorous study design, measurement of environmental exposure and intermediate phenotypes to demonstrate single nucleotide polymorphism functionality.
Young age does not protect against the adverse effects of reduced ovarian reserve--an eight year study.

BACKGROUND Ovarian reserve significantly influences IVF outcome. Low response to ovarian stimulation due to reduction of ovarian reserve is occasionally encountered in young women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of IVF treatment in young patients with reduced ovarian reserve. METHODS AND RESULTS Between January 1993-2001, 762 consecutive patients satisfied the definition of reduced ovarian reserve (raised early follicular phase FSH or gonadotrophin stimulation cycles where three or fewer oocytes were retrieved after routine FSH stimulation) and were included in the study. They were classified into three age groups: young (< or = 30 years), intermediate (31-38 years) and older (>38 years). The three age groups were similar with respect to basal (day 3) serum FSH and estradiol concentrations, cause of infertility and number of previous treatment cycles. Implantation (13, 9.6 and 9.8%), clinical pregnancy (11.8, 10.2 and 10%) and live birth (7.4, 7.3 and 6.8%) rates were not significantly different in the three age groups respectively (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION This study shows that younger patients with reduced ovarian reserve have a poor outcome of IVF treatment similar to their older counterparts. Such information may be helpful in counselling these patients who otherwise might anticipate an outcome related to their chronological age.
Interleukin-18 gene promoter – 607 A/C polymorphism and the risk of immune thrombocytopenia

Abstract Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a T helper 1 cytokine, which is postulated to play a role in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The aim of this study was to determine whether IL-18 promoter gene −607 A/C polymorphism was associated with ITP. Three-hundred and fifty-four Chinese ITP patients and 300 Chinese healthy individuals were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to genotype the DNA samples for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-607. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were compared between the case-control groups by the chi-square test. The results showed that the frequencies of the CC, CA and AA genotypes and C and A allele were 32.4, 47.8, 19.8, 56.4 and 43.6% in ITP patients and 32.3, 50.4, 17.3, 57.5 and 42.5% in the controls, respectively. There was no significant difference in either genotypes or allelic distribution between ITP patients and the controls. Furthermore, stratified analysis by the platelet count, age and disease course including ITP with severe thrombocytopenia (sITP), non-sITP, acute adult, chronic adult, acute childhood and chronic childhood revealed no significant difference in genotype and alleles distribution. In conclusion, this polymorphism was almost equally distributed between ITP patients and the controls. These data showed that this SNP may not be used as a stratification marker to predict the susceptibility to Chinese ITP.
Regional Integration: Do Intra-African Trade and Migration Improve Income in Africa?

Regional integration in Africa is a subject of great interest, but its impact on income has not been studied sufficiently. Using cross-sectional and panel estimations, this article examines the impact of African integration on real per capita income in Africa. Accordingly, we consider intra-African trade and migration flows as quantitative measures reflecting the intensity of regional integration. To address the endogeneity concerns, we use a gravity-based, two-stage least-squares strategy. Our results show that, from a long-term perspective, African integration has not been strong enough to generate a positive, significant, and robust impact on real per capita income in Africa. However, it does appear to be significantly income-enhancing in the short and medium terms but only through intercountry migration. These results are robust to a wide range of specifications.
Essays on Corporate Investment Dynamics

This dissertation contains two paper. The first, "Volatility and Venture Capital,'" demonstrates that the performance of venture capital (VC) investments load positively on shocks to aggregate return volatility. I document this novel source of risk at the asset-class, fund, and portfolio-company levels. The positive relation between VC performance and volatility is driven by the option-like structure of VC investments, especially by VCs' contractual option to reinvest. At the asset-class level, shocks to aggregate volatility explain a substantial fraction of VC returns. At the fund level, consistent with the reinvestment channel, this exposure is concentrated in years two through four of fund life and in early-stage VC funds, which have more embedded reinvestment options. For VC-backed portfolio companies, volatility shocks correlate with faster and more frequent reinvestment. The level of volatility at the time of investment has no relation with future performance, consistent with competitive markets. Overall, my results imply that the option-like features of VC investments are first-order determinants of risk in VC. The second paper, "Intangible Capital and the Investment-$q$ Relation," shows that the neoclassical theory of investment, which has mainly been tested with physical investment, also helps explain intangible investment. At the firm level, Tobin's q explains physical and intangible investment roughly equally well, and it explains total investment even better. Compared with physical capital, intangible capital adjusts more slowly to changes in investment opportunities. The classic q theory performs better in firms and years with more intangible capital: Total and even physical investment are better explained by Tobin's q and are less sensitive to cash flow. At the macro level, Tobin's q explains intangible investment many times better than physical investment. We propose a simple, new Tobin's q proxy that accounts for intangible capital, and we show that it is a superior proxy for both physical and intangible investment opportunities. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Finance First Advisor Lucian A. Taylor
Time‐dependent lethal body residues for the toxicity of pentachlorobenzene to Hyalella azteca

The study examined the temporal response of Hyalella azteca to pentachlorobenzene (PCBZ) in water‐only exposures. Toxicity was evaluated by calculating the body residue of PCBZ associated with survival. The concentration of PCBZ in the tissues of H. azteca associated with 50% mortality decreased from 3 to 0.5 μmol/g over the temporal range of 1 to 28 d, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the body residue calculated for 50% mortality when the value was determined using live or dead organisms. Metabolism of PCBZ was not responsible for the temporal response because no detectable PCBZ biotransformation occurred over an exposure period of 10 d. A damage assessment model was used to evaluate the impact and repair of damage by PCBZ on H. azteca. The toxicokinetics were determined so that the temporal toxicity data could be fit to a damage assessment model. The half‐life calculated for the elimination of PCBZ averaged approximately 49 h, while the value determined for the half‐life of damage repair from the damage assessment model was 33 h.
Lack of association between Toll-like receptor 4 gene polymorphisms and giant cell arteritis.

OBJECTIVE Coding variants in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) have been reported to be associated with inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether two of these polymorphisms (+896 A/G and +1196 C/T) are associated with susceptibility and clinical features of GCA. We also attempted to correlate the functional consequences of these polymorphisms. METHODS A total of 72 patients with GCA and 126 age-matched controls were genotyped using allele-specific PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. TLR4 expression was studied on peripheral blood mononuclear cells by flow cytometry and TLR4 function was assessed by stimulating monocytes in vitro with a specific ligand. RESULTS There was no significant difference in allele frequency or genotype of TLR4 (+896 A/G and +1196 C/T) between GCA patients and controls. The clinical characteristics of these patients were unrelated to the presence of these polymorphisms. Furthermore, we did not observe an association with TLR4 expression or a distinct phenotype of TLR4 response with the +896 A/G and +1196 C/T genotypes. CONCLUSION Our results do not support the association of these TLR4 variants with GCA. Studies including a larger number of patients and patient populations from different geographical origin are needed.
The Influence of Future Income on Present Spending: Self-Continuity Facilitates Consumption Smoothing

According to economic theory, consumers should boost present consumption when anticipating an income increase and reduce consumption when anticipating a decrease. Yet, many studies have observed a lack of such consumption smoothing. We investigate a psychological factor that can predict when consumers will adjust their current consumption to future income changes: self-continuity, or a sense of identification with and connection to the circumstances of the future self. We propose that consumers tend to perceive lower self-continuity when anticipating an income increase compared to a decrease. Consistent with this notion, we show that consumers are less likely to adjust present discretionary spending upward when anticipating an income increase than to adjust spending downward when anticipating an income decrease. Further, manipulations of self-continuity mitigate the asymmetry: when we induced high self-continuity, consumers adjusted spending to both future income increases and decreases, and when we induced low self-continuity, consumers adjusted present spending neither to future income increases nor to decreases. This demonstrates the role of self-continuity above and beyond other factors potentially contributing to the asymmetry, such as loss aversion and diminishing marginal utility. Six studies involving scenarios as well as real income expectations and behavior support the notion that consumers are more likely to smooth consumption when they perceive a higher sense of self-continuity.
The influence of advertising appeals on consumer perceptions of athlete endorser brand image

ABSTRACT Research question: Analogous to traditional brands, athlete (i.e. personal) brands require management and maintenance. While the use of athlete endorsers is an effective marketing strategy for companies wanting to increase visibility, research has failed to indicate how advertising influences perceptions of the athlete endorser (i.e. spill-over effects). This research addresses this gap by examining the influence of four advertising appeals on perceptions of an athlete endorser expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness and likeability. Research method: Experimental between-subjects study design. MANOVAs with post hoc analyses were used to examine differences between advertisement appeals. Regression was used to examine the influence of respondent attitudes towards the advertisement on perceptions of the athlete endorser. Results: Results revealed that perceptions of the athlete endorser were influenced by the type of advertising appeal. In opposition to existing research, emotional appeals did not outperform informational appeals. However, results demonstrated that spill-over effects existed from the advertisement appeal to the athlete endorser. Implications: The results indicate that advertising influences consumer perceptions of athlete endorsers. Consequently, athletes must consider how advertising appeals are applied and consider the residual effects that are generated from product advertisements.
Unimpaired function of human phagocytes in the presence of phagocytosis-resistant group A streptococci

The resistance to phagocytosis of the group A streptococci has been attributed mainly to the presence of the surface antigen, M protein. In the present study, we addressed the question of whether the phagocytosis resistance of the group A streptococci is due to their ability to impair the function of the phagocytic cells. The results of these studies demonstrate that the presence of a large excess of a phagocytosis-resistant strain of streptococci does not significantly interfere with either the antibody-independent or the antibody-dependent phagocytosis of streptococci. Apparently, a phagocytosis-resistant strain of streptococci does not bring about a generalized deactivation of the phagocytic plasma membrane. This suggests that if the resistance of the group A streptococci is due to any deactivating influence at all on the phagocytic plasma membrane, it is likely to be confined to the contact area of the cocci with the phagocyte.