Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The hydrodynamics of swimming at intermediate Reynolds numbers in the water boatman (Corixidae)

The fluid forces that govern propulsion determine the speed and energetic cost of swimming. These hydrodynamics are scale dependent and it is unclear what forces matter to the tremendous diversity of aquatic animals that are between a millimeter and a centimeter in length. Animals at this scale generally operate within the regime of intermediate Reynolds numbers, where both viscous and inertial fluid forces have the potential to play a role in propulsion. The present study aimed to resolve which forces create thrust and drag in the paddling of the water boatman (Corixidae), an animal that spans much of the intermediate regime (10<Re<200). By measuring the force generated by tethered water boatmen, we found that thrust is generated primarily by drag on the paddling appendages, with a negligible contribution from the acceleration reaction force. Based on these findings, we developed a forward-dynamic model of propulsion in free swimming that accurately predicted changes in the body's center of mass over time. For both tethered and free swimming, we used non-linear optimization algorithms to determine the force coefficients that best matched our measurements. With this approach, the drag coefficients on the body and paddle were found to be up to three times greater than on static structures in fully developed flow at the same Reynolds numbers. This is likely a partial consequence of unsteady interactions between the paddles or between the paddles and the body. In addition, the maximum values for these coefficients were inversely related to the Reynolds number, which suggests that viscous forces additionally play an important role in the hydrodynamics of small water boatmen. This understanding for the major forces that operate at intermediate Reynolds numbers offers a basis for interpreting the mechanics, energetics and functional morphology of swimming in many small aquatic animals.
Molecular characterization of a cancer‐related single nucleotide polymorphism in the pro‐inflammatory interleukin‐1B gene

Interleukin‐1β is a key pro‐inflammatory cytokine that has been associated with chronic inflammation and inflammation‐related cancer initiation and progression. There are inter‐individual differences in IL1B expression which may be due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the regulatory regions of the gene. We have previously shown that a SNP located in the promoter of the IL1B gene (the IL1B T‐31C SNP) was associated with lung cancer risk. Interestingly, the presence of the C allele was also associated with reduced IL1B expression in normal lung tissue of lung cancer patients. In the present study, we found that differential binding patterns of nuclear proteins to oligonucleotide probes containing the IL1B ‐31C allele compared to those with the T allele were due to specific binding of the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1). We further found evidence that specific recruitment of YY1 to the ‐31C region of the IL1B promoter regulated IL1B gene expression using siRNA directed towards YY1. The results indicate that the presence of a C allele at the ‐31 position may lead to decreased expression of the IL1B gene due to a specific binding of YY1 in lung epithelial cells. Our study provides functional significance of allelic variation at a single locus in the IL1B promoter and contributes to understanding the regulation of IL1B in inflammation‐related carcinogenesis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Control of macrophage homeostasis

Tissue resident macrophages are extremely heterogeneous, which reflects their unique microenvironments and tissue specific functions. They are a constituent of all tissues, and are involved in homeostatic processes and inflammatory disease. Recent studies have shown that select tissue resident macrophage populations, such as Langerhans cells of the skin and microglia of the brain, are able to self-renew independently from the bone marrow. This is contrary to the prevailing model macrophage origins, the ‘mononuclear phagocyte system’, which dictates that all macrophages are derived from bone marrow monocytes. The work carried out in this thesis investigated the self-renewing potential of peritoneal tissue resident macrophages, and its control. Several novel discoveries were made: i) peritoneal resident macrophages proliferate at low levels to maintain their numbers during homeostasis, at higher levels during neonatal growth, and undergo a burst in proliferation during acute inflammation to restore their depleted population; ii) renewal of peritoneal resident macrophages during an acute inflammatory episode was found to be independent from the bone marrow, and dependent upon macrophage colony stimulating factor, but importantly, not interleukin-4; iii) Monocyte-derived macrophages could also proliferate within an inflammatory lesion. Collectively, these observations challenge the dogma of the mononuclear phagocyte system: they demonstrate that in vascular tissues, tissue resident macrophages could self-renewal independently of monocytes, and that monocyte-derived cells are not terminally-differentiated. Additional work leading up to these studies implicated Gata6 as a peritoneal macrophage-specific transcription factor. In this thesis, Gata6 was found to be necessary for peritoneal macrophage phenotype, normal proliferation, euploidy, and normal responses to inflammation. In summary, these studies demonstrate not only are macrophages capable of self-renewal, but this is dependent upon discrete transcriptional control. Understanding the molecular controls of tissue macrophage heterogeneity and renewal could provide novel avenues for the therapeutic manipulation of their activities.
[World Real Interest Rates]: Comment

magnitude of the responses should also be equal. The authors' reject the hypothesis of equality but find the rejection reflects significant differences for only two of the nine countries. The integration hypothesis does less well in the case of investment. The coefficients on world and country stock returns are about equal and half the magnitude of world returns in the world rate equation. World money, lagged world investment and real rates are all insignificant. Tested jointly, world variables are insignificant; yet all three countryspecific variables are highly significant. The authors are puzzled by the importance of own-country monetary expansion given the world rate is insignificant and own money has the wrong sign in the rate equation. One possible explanation is that investment shocks, with resultant increases in the country's income, are partially accommodated by the monetary authority. The significant, and "wrong" signed coefficient on own money in the rate equation could be similarly explained; since own investment does not appear to affect interest rates the shocks to income would have to be from another source. In some respects the paper is quite successful. The authors have clearly identified important comovements of real rates, investment, stock returns, and oil prices during this 30-year period. Furthermore, they have shown that salient features of economic performance during this period are worldwide, and that some phenomena are best explained from a world perspective. The results, however, do not give strong confirmation of the model. As the authors suggest, there is room to interpret the coefficients on the two major "exogenous" variables-stock prices and the relative price of oil-in alternative ways. Their work does add to the evidence that the movements of the stock market are intimately connected with investment and real rates-further whetting the profession's appetite for a satisfying explanation of the market's own behavior. The authors promise to continue working in this fruitful area and I look with anticipation to reading their future work.
Rejection is less common in children undergoing liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma

To compare the incidence of acute histologically proven rejection in children who have had a liver transplant for hepatoblastoma with a control group of children transplanted for biliary atresia (EHBA). A retrospective case notes based study was performed. Twenty patients were identified with hepatoblastoma who were transplanted at a single unit between 1991 and 2008. These were matched as closely as possible for age, gender, year of transplant and type of immunosuppression used to the control group transplanted for biliary atresia (n = 60). There was a significant decrease in rate of acute rejection as assessed by the rejection activity index (RAI) in the hepatoblastoma group (75% vs. 50%, respectively, p < 0.04). Chronic rejection was rare in both groups, but twice as common in the biliary atresia group. Equal levels of immunosuppression were achieved in both groups. Renal function was noted to be reduced one yr post‐transplant in both groups, as previously reported. A modified immunosuppression regimen could be considered in children with hepatoblastoma undergoing liver transplantation.
Intracellular water homeostasis and the mammalian cellular osmotic stress response

The cellular response to osmotic stress ensures that the concentration of water inside the cell is maintained within a range that is compatible with biologic function. Single cell organisms are particularly dependent on mechanisms that permit adaptation to osmotic stress because each individual cell is directly exposed to the external environment. Mammals, however, limit osmotic stress by establishing an internal aqueous environment in which intravascular water and electrolytes are subject to sensitive and dynamic, organism‐based homeostatic regulation. Recent studies of NFAT5/TonEBP, an essential mammalian osmoregulatory transcription factor, demonstrate the unexpected yet critical significance of cell‐based osmotic regulation in vivo. These results highlight the fundamental importance of maintaining intracellular water homeostasis in the face of varying cellular metabolic activity and distinct tissue microenvironments. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Executive Compensation and Legal Investor Protection: Evidence from China's Listed Firms

This paper seeks to relate the increases in executive compensation observed in China to improvement of the legal environment. We build a simple model and demonstrate that improvement in legal investor protection reduces the manager's private benefits of control; in order to make the managerial incentives compatible, some of the forgone private benefits have to be compensated in the form of increased executive pay. Using a large dataset on Chinese listed corporations, we find strong evidence that improvement of the legal environment is significantly associated with both the rise in executive compensation and the reduction in agency costs, which is consistent with our model predictions.
Validation of the Ambivalent and Purposeful Engagement – Trait Measure

The Ambivalent and Purposeful Engagement-Trait Measure (APE-TM) was developed to assess two ways that people may react to stressful social interactions: ambivalent engagement (AE: counterproductive attempts to avoid thoughts and feelings) and purposeful engagement (PE: effortfully approaching and working through thoughts and feelings). We carried out three studies in undergraduate and clinical populations to (i) test the robustness of previous psychometric findings and (ii) determine whether AE and PE are specific to social anxiety. Across three studies, our results indicate that the APE-TM is a psychometrically valid measure of ambivalent and purposeful engagement. However, PE appeared less specific to social anxiety and may represent a more general tendency toward adaptive coping. In contrast, AE was specific to social anxiety in both undergraduate samples and clinical samples of individuals with a variety of anxiety disorders and depression.
Clear Cell Sarcoma. An Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Study

The histogenesis of clear cell sarcoma was investigated by immunohistochemical examination of five tumors (two melanotic and three amelanotic) and electron microscopic examination of two of these tumors (one melanotic and one amelanotic). Melanin production was observed histologically in two of the tumors. The cytoplasm of ceils in both types of tumor contained various numbers of melanosomes. Melanoma‐specific antibody (HMB‐45), anti S 100 protein, and anti vimentin antibodies gave positive reactions in four tumors, while all tumors showed Leu 7 immunoreactivity. No cytokeratin or epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) was detected immunohisto‐chemically in any tumor. The immunoreactivity of this type of tumor with HMB‐45 antibody strongly suggests melanocytic differentiation rather than schwannian or synovial differentiation. The reaction of the cells of one tumor with only Leu‐7 indicates the existence of undifferentiated clear cell sarcoma of neuroectodermal origin that does not show definite melanocytic differentiation. Acta Pathol Jpn 39: 321 327, 1989.
Alternative approaches for studying humanitarian interventions: propensity score methods to evaluate reintegration packages impact on depression, PTSD, and function impairment among child soldiers in Nepal

Background. Ethical, logistical, and funding approaches preclude conducting randomized control trials (RCTs) in some humanitarian crises. A lack of RCTs and other intervention research has contributed to a limited evidence-base for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPS) programs after disasters, war, and disease outbreaks. Propensity score methods (PSMs) are an alternative analysis technique with potential application for evaluating MHPS programs in humanitarian emergencies. Methods. PSMs were used to evaluate impacts of education reintegration packages (ERPs) and other (vocational or economic) reintegration packages (ORPs) v. no reintegration programs on mental health of child soldiers. Propensity scores were used to determine weighting of child soldiers in each of the three treatment arms. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate adjusted changes in symptom score severity on culturally validated measures of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and functional impairment from baseline to 1-year follow-up. Results. Among 258 Nepali child soldiers participating in reintegration programs, 54.7% completed ERP and 22.9% completed ORP. There was a non-significant reduction in depression by 0.59 (95% CI −1.97 to 0.70) for ERP and by 0.60 (95% CI −2.16 to 0.96) for ORP compared with no treatment. There were non-significant increases in PTSD (1.15, 95% CI −1.55 to 3.86) and functional impairment (0.91, 95% CI −0.31 to 2.14) associated with ERP and similar findings for ORP (PTSD: 0.66, 95% CI −2.24 to 3.57; functional impairment (1.05, 95% CI −0.71 to 2.80). Conclusion. In a humanitarian crisis in which a non-randomized intervention assignment protocol was employed, the statistical technique of PSMs addressed differences in covariate distribution between child soldiers who received different integration packages. Our analysis did not demonstrate significant changes in psychosocial outcomes for ERPs and ORPs. We suggest the use of PSMs in evaluating non-randomized interventions in humanitarian crises when non-randomized conditions are not utilized.
Selected Rorschach Variables of Psychopathic Juvenile Offenders

Despite the widely accepted utility of assessing psychopathic personality features in forensic and clinical settings, the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991) stands virtually alone in its ability to do so with adequate reliability and validity. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the Rorschach Inkblot Method in assessing psychopathy in adult samples, but almost no studies are currently available investigating the Rorschach's ability to assess the condition in younger samples of precisely defined psychopathic groups. In this study, 66 male juvenile offenders, ages 14 to 17, were placed into 3 groups according to level of psychopathy as measured by the youth version of the PCL-R (PCL:YV; Forth, 1995). Nine Rorschach variables conceptually related to various psychopathic features were investigated. Two of the variables (Reflections and Texture Responses) demonstrated statistically significant differences across groups (p < .05). Two additional variables (Vista and White Space) were produced in patterns consistent with existing research, although only to a weak degree. The remaining variables (Egocentricity Index, Form Dimension, Pure Human Content, Inanimate Movement, and Diffuse Shading) did not differ across groups in the predicted directions. Overall, these results offer some support for the validity of the Rorschach as a method of detecting certain psychopathic personality features, including pathological narcissism and interpersonal detachment, in adolescent male offenders.
Mobility of the First Ray in Various Foot Disorders

Background: Instability of the first ray has been proposed by Morton and others to be a major cause of several foot disorders, including hallux valgus, transfer metatarsalgia, lesser metatarsal stress fractures, and second metatarsophalangeal diseases. However, there are few studies to support these theories. In this study, we have used a simple device to measure first ray elevation and translation in a consecutive series of foot and ankle patients. We propose that mobility of the first ray will be increased in patients with hallux valgus, metatarsalgia, hallux rigidus, lesser metatarsal stress fractures, posterior tibial tendinitis, and interdigital neuromas. Methods: Measurements of first ray translation and elevation were made in 345 feet in 315 patients. One or more pathologic diagnoses were recorded for each foot, and data was analyzed by a statistician. Results: First ray mobility was increased in females compared to males. Patients with hallux valgus and metatarsalgia had greater mobility than other patients. Those feet with low arches showed greater mobility than those with high arches. Patients with hallux rigidus showed decreased mobility. We failed to find any differences for patients with stress fractures, posterior tibial tendinitis, or neuromas, but some of these groups may have had insufficient power. Conclusion: First ray translation and elevation are two different measures of medial column instability. Although they are distinct measures, they closely paralleled each other in this series. An association was found between increased first metatarsal elevation and several foot disorders. Although such an association does not prove causation, and it is likely other factors may play a role in many patients, this data does link instability of the first ray to some diseases. The decreased mobility seen in patients with hallux rigidus may offer new insights into the etiology of that disorder. Level of Evidence: III, Comparative Study
Neurologic aspects of traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury is a common neurologic condition that can have a significant emotional and financial burden. Neurologic injury is classified on the basis of initial clinical status by the Glasgow Coma Scale, and also by the type and location of head injury. Complications in the management of these patients are reviewed, ranging from intracranial pressure management and stroke to post-traumatic epilepsy. In addition, predictive prognostic variables that can be used to predict outcome based on a patient‘s presentation at the time of a head trauma are discussed. Finally, interventions such as induced hypothermia that can be undertaken to try to optimize outcome, are discussed along with current data in support of or against such techniques.
Amperometric TNT biosensor based on the oriented immobilization of a nitroreductase maltose binding protein fusion.

The preparation and characterization of an amperometric 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) biosensor based on the surface immobilization of a maltose binding protein (MBP) nitroreductase (NR) fusion (MBP-NR) onto an electrode modified with an electropolymerized film of N-(3-pyrrol-1-ylpropyl)-4,4'-bipyridine (PPB) are described. The MBP domain of MBP-NR exhibits a high and specific affinity toward electropolymerized films of PPB with the immobilized enzyme retaining virtually all of its enzymatic activity. Under similar conditions, the wild-type NR enzyme (i.e., without the MBP domain) loses most of its enzymatic activity. The kinetics of the catalytic reaction between the biosensor and TNT and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) were characterized using rotated disk electrode and cyclic voltammetry techniques, and values of 1.4 x 10(4) and 7.1 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) were obtained for TNT and DNT, respectively. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constants (KM) for MBP-NR in solution and on the surface, using TNT as substrate, were determined to be 27 and 95 microM, respectively. The corresponding value for "wild-type" NR in solution containing TNT was 78 microM, which is very close to the value obtained for MBP-NR on the surface. The limits of detection for both TNT and DNT were estimated to be 2 microM, and the sensitivities were determined to be 205 and 222 nA/microM, respectively.
How Economic Laypeople Perceive Economic Growth and Inflation

The present dissertation focuses on biases in the perception of the economy and the stability of peoples� concepts on the economy. In Chapter 2, in a series of four experiments, the accuracy of economic laypeoples� and experts� estimations of economic growth in the long run, what influences the accuracy of their estimations, and which procedures they use were examined. It was found that, for growth rates higher than 1%, the true values were clearly underestimated. The estimations became slightly better when the task was presented in a financial investment scenario. The effect of underestimation was lower for experts compared to laypeople. There was no effect of incentives on the accuracy of the estimations; however, a positive influence of the need for cognition was observed. Male participants provided more accurate estimations than female participants. The common application of different and inappropriate solution procedures accounted for the underestimations. In Chapter 3, using the framework of the Theory of Lay Epistemics, 156 replies to a newspaper article which contradicted the belief that the introduction of the euro was inflationary were content analyzed. As a consequence of the need for cognitive closure 5 different reactions were expected to occur which promote high Perceived Inflation despite counterpersuasive evidence. As expected, the reactions Two-sided Examples and Two-sided Arguments appeared less frequently, Self-centeredness, Emotionality and Discrediting of Statistics more frequently, when subjects were convinced that the introduction of the euro was inflationary. Three clusters of replies were identified, which differed in their pattern of argumentation. It is suggested that lay beliefs on the economy remain stable over time, even in the light of counterpersuasive evidence from a credible source with a high level of expertise. Chapter 4 examined the confirmation bias in a real-world setting, using the example of a value-added tax increase in Germany at the beginning of 2007. Using a within-subjects desing, two surveys were carried out two months before and after the value-added tax increase, where N = 307 participants had to judge the actual, prospective and past prices for eight products. In the first survey, no significant difference for the expected price increases between the products affected (M = 10.14%, SD = 8.41) and not affected by the tax increase (M = 10.42%, SD = 10.31) was observed. In the second survey, again no significant difference for the preceived price increases between the affected (M = 5.00%, SD = 9.14) and the non affected products (M = 5.49%, SD = 7.06) was observed. The results indicate that the real price development was not considered and argue in favour of a top-down approach of the confirmation bias in a real-world setting, which is mainly based on expectations. In Chapter 5, practical and theoretical implications of the previous findings are discussed.