Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strong inbreeding depression in male mating behaviour in a poeciliid fish

The magnitude of inbreeding depression is often larger in traits closely related to fitness, such as survival and fecundity, compared to morphological traits. Reproductive behaviour is also closely associated with fitness, and therefore expected to show strong inbreeding depression. Despite this, little is known about how reproductive behaviour is affected by inbreeding. Here we show that one generation of full‐sib mating results in a decrease in male reproductive performance in the least killifish (Heterandria formosa). Inbred males performed less gonopodial thrusts and thrust attempts than outbred males (δ = 0.38). We show that this behaviour is closely linked with fitness as gonopodial performance correlates with paternity success. Other traits that show inbreeding depression are offspring viability (δ = 0.06) and maturation time of males (δ = 0.19) and females (δ = 0.14). Outbred matings produced a female biased sex ratio whereas inbred matings produced an even sex ratio.
Does new media technology drive election campaign change?

In the last decade or so the influence of the new information and communication technologies has received increasing attention in studies on election campaigning. However, little has been done to link the influence of ICTs on campaigning with the extensive literature on the impact of technology on society. My main concern in this paper is to relate a discussion of technological influence on society to a discussion of campaign change. In so doing I emphasize that the influence of new media technology is constrained by countervailing forces that restrain and shape the effects. Furthermore I argue that such countervailing forces will differ from one political system to the next depending on the features of the campaign environment. Hence, I relate the influence of technology in general and the influence of the new ICTs in particular to the hybridization perspective of campaign change, and discuss the influence of technology on the essential features of the so called third stage of campaigning in this perspective. I argue that new technologies shape and are shaped in interplay with existing campaign practices and traditions - maintaining distinct national patterns of campaigning.
IL-12 Enhances CD8 T Cell Homeostatic Expansion1

The size of the T lymphocyte pool is maintained by regulation of T cell production, proliferation, and survival. Under the pressure of a T lymphopenic environment, mature naive T cells begin to proliferate in the absence of Ag, a process called homeostatic expansion. Homeostatic expansion involves TCR recognition of self peptide/MHC ligands, but less is known about the soluble factors that regulate this process. Here we show that IL-12 dramatically enhanced the homeostatic proliferation of CD8 T cells. In contrast, IL-2 had no beneficial effect on homeostatic expansion and, in fact, inhibited T cell expansion induced by IL-12. Using gene-targeted mice, we showed that IL-12 acted directly on the T cells to enhance homeostatic expansion, but that IL-12 cannot override the requirement for TCR interaction with self peptide/MHC ligands in homeostatic expansion. These data indicate that inflammatory cytokines may modulate T cell homeostasis after lymphopenia and have implications for regulation of the T cell repertoire and autoimmunity.
Estrutura da propriedade e desempenho econômico: uma avaliação empírica para as empresas de capital aberto no Brasil

A estrutura da propriedade das empresas e determinada pela concentracao da propriedade e pela identidade do acionista majoritario. A concentracao da propriedade refere-se ao percentual de acoes do acionista majoritario ou de um grupo. Esse acionista ou grupo pode ser uma familia, o governo, um banco, um investidor institucional ou uma companhia nao-financeira, sendo essas as categorias utilizadas para definir a identidade. O objetivo neste artigo e avaliar em que medida a estrutura da propriedade afeta o desempenho organizacional. Avaliaram-se essas relacoes por meio de regressoes multiplas, configuradas na forma de paineis. O artigo esta dividido em cinco topicos, incluindo a introducao e a conclusao. No segundo topico, discutem-se as relacoes entre a concentracao da propriedade e a identidade dos acionistas e o desempenho organizacional. No terceiro, apresenta-se a metodologia da pesquisa que investiga essas relacoes. Por fim, no quarto topico, apresentam-se os resultados da pesquisa empirica.
Dark Photo Reconstruction by Event Camera

Imaging in low light environment is a challenging problem due to the limiting number of the photons gathered by the traditional camera. To tackle the problem, this paper introduces a novel deep learning method for intensity images reconstruction in low light with event cameras. Event cameras are biologically-inspired sensors that capture brightness changes in the form of asynchronous “events” instead of intensity frames. They have significant advantages over conventional cameras: high temporal resolution, high dynamic range, and no motion blur. This method exploits the high dynamic range characteristic of event cameras, and bridges the gap between the intensity image and event data stream. The main challenges in our approach are that it is very hard to build paired low/high exposure event/intensity data for training and event data captured in dark are very noisy and sparse. Even if we have paired event-intensity data captured in the daytime, the models trained on it cannot generalize well in low light condition. In this paper, we combine paired and unpaired data and propose a novel GAN-based hybrid learning framework to get over the difficulty and improve the quality of reconstructed images. Experimental results on both synthetic and real data demonstrate the superiority of our model method in comparison to the state-of-the-art.
The influence of gender roles on health seeking behaviour during pregnancy in Turkey

Objectives To explore the impact of gender roles in relation to health seeking behaviour during pregnancy and childbirth. Methods The study was conducted in neighbourhoods with low antenatal care rates in three provinces of Turkey. The study population consisted of pregnant women who never got or discontinued antenatal care and their peers, families and community leaders. Sixteen focus group discussions and 125 in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 239 participants. Results Pregnancy and childbirth are interwoven strongly with gender roles. Since the patriarchal system acknowledges women through the means of childbirth, women are expected to have many children. Hence women experience pregnancy as a burden and are not motivated to seek antenatal care. During pregnancy, only ‘serious’ conditions are considered as legitimate reasons for accessing care. However, the decision regarding whether a pregnant woman is seriously sick or not belongs to the responsibilities of elder women, which delays service use. Conclusions Providing information regarding the value of antenatal care also to elder women is essential in increasing the demand to the services. Incorporating gender perspectives into daily health practice and maintaining access to high quality reproductive care services are vital in reducing the gender based barriers to care.
Transformation and stimulation of DNA synthesis in NIH‐3T3 cells are a titratable function of normal p21N‐ras expression.

A plasmid has been constructed which contains the normal human N‐ras proto‐oncogene under the transcriptional control of the steroid‐sensitive promoter of the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat. This plasmid has been introduced into NIH‐3T3 cells producing a clone of cells, T15, which is phenotypically normal in the absence of the transcription inducer, dexamethasone, and transformed when treated with high levels of the inducer. At lower levels of dexamethasone, both morphological transformation and stimulation of DNA synthesis are titratable functions of p21N‐ras levels. T15 cells have been used to demonstrate that: (i) a 20‐ to 50‐fold over‐expression of normal p21ras is required for complete cellular transformation, (ii) p21N‐ras expression induces DNA synthesis and the effect can be amplified by epidermal growth factor, (iii) moderate increases in normal p21ras expression can influence cell behaviour.
Hedgehog pathway signaling in cervical carcinoma and outcome after chemoradiation

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling was assessed in patients with primary cervical carcinoma who were receiving chemoradiation. Because the up‐regulation of Hh has been reported in response to hypoxia, the authors examined associations between Hh gene expression and measurements of HP5 (the percentage of oxygen pressure readings in each tumor <5 mm Hg) and interstitial fluid pressure (IFP).
Induction of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 gene expression in liver of protein-restricted rats and in rat hepatoma cells limited for a single amino acid.

Restriction of the dietary protein intake of young growing animals results in a rapid cessation of growth. In order to gain further insight into the molecular mechanisms for metabolic adaptation to protein restriction, the expression of the insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) gene was examined in 4-week-old male rats fed isocaloric diets containing 20%, 8%, or 4% protein over a 10-day period. Expression of the IGFBP-1 gene was strongly induced in the protein-restricted animals. Animals on the 8% protein diet exhibited a 14-fold increase, and animals on the 4% protein diet exhibited a 33-fold increase in hepatic IGFBP-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance relative to the abundance of IGFBP-1 mRNA in animals on the 20% protein diet. Expression of the IGFBP-1 gene was also strongly increased by severe energy restriction: IGFBP-1 mRNA abundance was increased 15-fold in animals maintained for 10 days on a diet with energy restricted to 50% of the ad libitum intake rate. In animals fasted for 24 h there was a 6-fold increase in IGFBP-1 mRNA abundance, a lower induction than was observed in either of the two chronic nutritional restriction models. To determine whether limitation for substrate (i.e. amino acids) might have a direct effect on IGFBP-1 gene expression, we examined the effect on IGFBP-1 gene expression of limitation of H4-II-E rat hepatoma cells for a single essential amino acid (phenylalanine, methionine, leucine, or tryptophan) for a period of 24 h. The abundance of IGFBP-1 mRNA was increased by approximately 4- to 5-fold in cultures limited for any of these four amino acids as compared with its abundance in cells incubated in medium containing all essential amino acids. To study further the molecular mechanism for induction of IGFBP-1 gene expression by nutritional restriction, probes specific for intron 3 or intron 1 of the rat IGFBP-1 gene were used to quantify levels of the IGFBP-1 primary nuclear transcript in protein-restricted rats and amino acid-limited cultured cells. The level of the IGFBP-1 primary transcript was increased by 8-fold in animals on the 8% protein diet and 14-fold in animals on the 4% protein diet, suggesting that the induction of IGFBP-1 mRNA was caused largely by an increase in transcription. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Should sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms be included in the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of including sluggish cognitive tempo items on the factor and latent class structure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes in boys and girls. METHOD Parent report of two sluggish cognitive tempo items on a population-based sample of 1430 female twins and 1414 male twins were analyzed along with parent report of the 18 DSM-IV ADHD items using principal components analysis and latent class analysis. RESULTS The inclusion of the two sluggish cognitive tempo items resulted in distinct factor structures for boys and girls. For boys there were separate inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and sluggish factors. For girls there were separate inattentive/sluggish, hyperactive, and impulsive factors. In contrast, sluggish cognitive tempo items had minimal impact on the latent class structure of ADHD for both boys and girls. CONCLUSIONS The inclusion of sluggish cognitive tempo items markedly changed ADHD symptom associations for boys and girls in a factor analytic framework. In contrast, latent class subtyping of ADHD shows limited impact of the inclusion of sluggish cognitive tempo items, emphasizing the very different assumptions about underlying continua of behavior rather than discrete classes that distinguish the two approaches.
Cell death induced by TNF or serum starvation is independent of ErbB receptor signaling in MCF‐7 breast carcinoma cells

The ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase family consists of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (ErbB1) and three related receptors (ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4). Their intrinsic tyrosine kinases can be activated by receptor‐dimerization induced by numerous ligands or overexpression. ErbB receptors are frequently overexpressed in breast cancer, and their overexpression is associated with protection from apoptosis. To directly assess their role in apoptosis sensitivity of breast cancer cells, we established MCF‐7 breast carcinoma cell lines overexpressing each ErbB receptor alone or in all possible pairs. Overexpression of ErbB1, ErbB2 and ErbB4 receptors was enough to activate them as judged by their phosphorylation, whereas co‐expression of other ErbB receptors was necessary for the phosphorylation of the ErbB3. Surprisingly, overexpression of the ErbB receptors even when combined with treatment with their ligands (EGF, transforming growth factor α, betacellulin, neuregulins) failed to protect the MCF‐7 cells from cell death induced by either tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or serum starvation. During starvation TGF‐α, however, increased the cell size of the ErbB1 overexpressing cell line, and neuregulin1‐β1 increased that of all cell lines. In conclusion, our data does not support the role of ErbB receptors in the regulation of cell death induced by TNF or serum starvation, and the observed association in breast cancer may be due to other concomitant changes. Int. J. Cancer 86:617–625, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lung cancer mortality in stainless steel and mild steel welders: a nested case-referent study.

The association between welding and lung cancer has been studied in a nested case-referent study within a cohort of 8,372 metal workers. Lifetime exposure data on welding and other occupational exposures, as well as alcohol and smoking habits, were obtained by interviews of spouses and colleagues. Analysis was based on 439 deceased referents and 94 deceased cases. There was a 70% excess of lung cancer associated with "welding exposure ever" (OR +/- 95% C.I.: 1.68, 1.02-2.78). Overall OR for "mild steel (MS) welding ever" was 1.64, 0.99-2.72. The risk estimates for welding exposures showed an increasing tendency up to 15 years of exposure. The pattern of stainless steel (SS) welding resembles that of mild steel with an estimated OR of 1.65, 0.88-3.0. The general conclusion is that MS welding as well as SS welding seems to be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Further followup of the cohort will enhance precision of the estimates.
PENGARUH KEJELASAN SASARAN ANGGARAN, PENGENDALIAN AKUNTANSI, DAN SISTEM PELAPORAN TERHADAP AKUNTABILITAS KINERJA INSTANSI PEMERINTAH DAERAH KOTA JAMBI

Abstrak Penelitian ini berjudul Pengaruh Kejelasan Sasaran Anggaran, Pengendalian Akuntansi, dan Sistem Pelaporan Terhadap Akuntabilitas Kinerja Instansi Pemerintah Daerah Kota Jambi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh kejelasan sasaran anggaran, pengendalian akuntansi dan sistem pelaporan terhadap akuntabilitas kinerja instansi pemerintah daerah Kota Jambi. secara simultan dan parsial. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian survei dengan responden bagian keuangan, dua orang tiap instansi sehingga jumlah responden sebanyak 26 orang. Hasil Penelitian memperlihatkan secara simultan pengaruh kejelasan sasaran anggaran, pengendalian akuntansi dan sistem pelaporan terhadap akuntabilitas kinerja instansi Pemerintah Di Kota Jambi mempunyai pengaruh positif signifikan. Secara parsial yang memiliki pengaruh negatif yaitu variabel variabel X1(Kejelasan sasaran anggaran) dan X2 (Pengendalian akuntansi). Variabel yang mempunyai pengaruh positif yaitu variabel sistem pelaporan (X3). Besarnya pengaruh variabel independen terhadap variabel dependen yaitu sebesar 66,4%. Berarti sebanyak 33,6% ada variabel lain yang mempengaruhi variabel dependen. Kata kunci: kejelasan sasaran anggaran ; pengendalian akuntansi ; sistem pelaporan akuntabilitas kinerja
Paradoxical changes in cystatin C and serum creatinine in patients with hypo- and hyperthyroidism.

In the ongoing search for improved serum markers of impaired renal function (1), the low-molecular-weight protein cystatin C has been advocated as a promising and probably superior alternative to creatinine when used to assess glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (2)(3). Cystatin C possesses most of the properties of an ideal GFR test in that it is produced by all nucleated cells at an apparently constant rate, is freely filtered at the glomerulus, and is then fully destroyed in the proximal renal tubule (4). Its rate of production is not influenced by inflammation or malignancy and, unlike creatinine, is unaffected by the muscle mass, sex, or age of a patient (5). Indeed, studies to date would seem to confirm the potential of the marker in many clinical situations in which an accurate estimate of GFR is required in both adults (5)(6)(7) and children (8)(9). Before cystatin C measurement became widespread, another low-molecular-weight protein, β2-microglobulin, was promoted as a marker of GFR for similar reasons (10)(11)(12), but in contrast to cystatin C, its usefulness was subsequently found to be limited by the increased serum values found in inflammatory and neoplastic conditions (13). Thyroid disease …
The Effect of Spiritual Retreat on Nurses' Spirituality: A Randomized Controlled Study

This study tested whether two 1-day retreats focused on spiritual self-care would positively change nurse participants' spirituality. A total of 199 critical care nurses were accepted into this study; 87 were randomized to receive the retreat intervention. All 199 nurses were tested preretreat, 1 month and 6 months postretreat. Retreat participants demonstrated increased spirituality.
ENVIRONMENTAL CUE‐DEPENDENT DOPAMINERGIC NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION AND FUNCTIONAL EFFECT OF GRAFTED NEUROEPITHELIAL STEM CELLS IN PARKINSONIAN BRAIN

OBJECTIVETo physiologically repair damaged neural circuitry using neural transplantation, the donor cells must be able to differentiate into the optimal type and number of neurons for the host brain environment. They must also be capable of functional regulation by the host brain. These features are important to optimize functional outcome and to minimize side effects. In this study, the differentiation of grafted mesencephalic neuroepithelial stem cells in the normal and parkinsonian brain was assessed morphologically and behaviorally to confirm the influence of the host brain environment after neural transplantation regarding functional outcome and side effects of transplants. METHODSGreen fluorescent protein-positive mesencephalic neuroepithelial stem cells were dissected from early rat embryos and transplanted into normal (n = 20) and Parkinson's disease (PD) rat model striata (n = 30). The differentiation pattern of grafted cells was precisely monitored immunohistochemically, and the functional effects of grafted cells on behavior were assessed using an amphetamine-induced rotation test. RESULTSThe grafted cells survived in both normal and PD rat striata and differentiated into tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells. In 8-week-old grafts, the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells was 3-fold higher in parkinsonian brains than in normal brains. The donor-derived tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells exhibited a mature morphology with long, well-branched cell processes and large cell bodies, especially in parkinsonian brains. Also, the process lengths of these cells in parkinsonian brains were 3.4-fold longer than those in normal brains at 8 weeks after transplantation. The grafted PD rats exhibited a complete recovery from their behavioral defects, and no obvious contralateral rotation to the lesioned and grafted side suggestive of overdose supply from the graft was observed. However, the grafted normal rats did not exhibit any contralateral rotation to the grafted side suggestive of dopamine unbalance. CONCLUSIONGrafted mesencephalic neuroepithelial stem cells can differentiate into optimal neuron types in response to environmental cues and can affect the behavior of PD rats without any side effects.
Toll-like Receptor Signaling Pathways in Cardiovascular Diseases: Challenges and Opportunities

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), a family of surface molecules, are involved in innate immune responses. Recent studies indicated that TLRs play a critical role in inflammatory responses to exogenous and endogenous triggers. This article focuses on probable effects of TLRs in the morbidity of cardiovascular events, e.g., ischemic reperfusion (I/R) injury and atherosclerosis. TLR2 and TLR4 have been shown to have the most fundamental role in promoting cytokine production and subsequent inflammatory damages in these states. Blockade of these receptors may be beneficial in both preventing the occurrence and decreasing the complications in cardiovascular events. However, controversies exist on the certainty of this beneficial effect; therefore, additional studies are needed.
Endothelium: Interface between coagulation and inflammation

ObjectiveTo review the involvement of endothelial cells in the pathogenesis of coagulation abnormalities during severe infection, the differential role of proinflammatory cytokines in these mechanisms, and the cross talk between coagulation and inflammation. Data SourcesPublished articles on experimental studies of coagulation activation during inflammation and clinical studies of patients with sepsis and associated hemostatic abnormalities. Data Synthesis and ConclusionThe endothelium plays a central role in all major pathways involved in the pathogenesis of the hemostatic derangement observed during severe inflammation (i.e., initiation and regulation of thrombin generation and inhibition of fibrinolysis). Rather than being a unidirectional relationship, the interaction between inflammation and coagulation involves significant cross talk in which the endothelium seems to play a pivotal role.
Escherichia coli flagellar serotyping is as reliable as it has always been!

In a recent paper in this Journal by Marshall et al. (1985), which described the bacterial endonuclease DNA analysis (BRENDA) of several Escherichia coli 0126 strains, the following statement was found in the summary: ‘The isolates from the outbreak produced indistinguishable DNA electrophoretic patterns in spite of their assignment to seven different H serotypes… These results support the epidemiological evidence that a single-strain outbreak had occurred, and they cast doubt on the value of H typing for this particular investigation. ’ The same 0126 strains that were enterotoxigenic (ST) were treated in two earlier papers (Bettelheim & Reeve, 1982; Bettelheim, 1984) and also on these two earlier occasions the authors raised doubt about the stability of E. coliH typing results.