Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing the Implicit and Explicit Cognitions Underlying Behavioral Inhibition System-Related Drinking in Young Adults.

BACKGROUND There is great interest in the role of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and the behavioral approach system (BAS) in the etiology of alcohol use because of the strong links of these systems to neuroscience and cognitive models of addiction. The revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory suggests that the strength of the BIS and BAS jointly influences behavior, so-called the joint systems hypothesis. Yet, relatively little work has examined this hypothesis, particularly with respect to alcohol information processing. Grounded in dual-process theories of alcohol information processing, this study aimed to clarify the roles of implicit (i.e., automatic processes) and explicit (i.e., controlled processes) cognitions in BIS-related drinking. When anxious and presented with an alcohol (vs. neutral) cue, we expected those with an elevated BIS to have increased implicit and explicit alcohol cognitions related to tension reduction, but only at elevated BAS. Shifts in cognitions following cue exposure were expected to positively correlate with alcohol misuse. METHODS Students (N = 110) completed baseline measures followed by the Trier Social Stress Test. This was followed by a cue exposure (random assignment to alcohol or water cue), during which participants completed postmood assessments of implicit/explicit alcohol cognitions. RESULTS Overall, participants' implicit alcohol cognition was negative. The effect of BIS on implicit and explicit cognitions was moderated by BAS; however, results were not as hypothesized. In the alcohol condition only (when controlling for baseline implicit cognition), BIS predicted relatively weak implicit negative alcohol cognition, but only at low BAS. Interestingly, in the alcohol condition only, BIS predicted increased explicit reward (but not relief) expectancies, but only at high BAS. Changes in explicit reward expectancies positively correlated with alcohol misuse. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that explicit cognitions may be relevant to drinking among anxious individuals who are also reward responsive. Cognitive behavioral interventions should target reward expectancies to reduce anxiety-related drinking.
Improved detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii infection in a tertiary care reference hospital in India

We prospectively examined 143 clinical samples from 115 patients including both HIV infected (n=53) and HIV uninfected immunocompromized (n=62) patients, with lung infiltrates and with clinical features suggestive of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia/ PneumoCystis Pneumonia (PcP), using both microscopic techniques as well as PCR assay. Clinical samples in the present study consisted of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), tracheal aspirate (TA), nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA), sputum and gastric aspirate (GA). Another group of 21 individuals with other respiratory diseases not compatible with PcP served as control during the study period of 15 months. Overall, P. jirovecii positivity rate by PCR was 12.17% (14/115 patients) compared to 3.4% (4/115) by microscopy. None of the specimens in the control group was positive by any of the techniques used. All PCR negative patients including cases and controls showed no evidence of PcP. After resolution of the discrepant results upon review of the clinical data, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 99%, respectively, for PCR and 30.7% and 100%, respectively, for microscopy by GMS staining. Thus, our data support the significance of PCR assay for confirming and improving the diagnosis of PcP in high-risk patients.
Early Adolescent Latinas and Non-Coital Sexual Behavior: Individual, Social, and Parental Variables

Unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI) are increasing at a faster rate among young, low income Latinas as compared to other low income groups of girls. However, little is known about the noncoital behavior that early adolescent girls may engage in, which puts them at risk for initiation of intercourse. This study examines the frequency of a particular non-coital behavior, being touched below the waist on top of clothes, and investigates how girls who engage in this behavior differ from those who do not with respect to individual (biologic and cognitive), social (peer norms and acculturation), and parental (single versus dual parent home) variables. Fortyfour English-speaking Latinas completed an electronic survey assessing demographic and key study variables. The survey was conducted in a middle school computer lab before and after school, under adult supervision, as part of a larger study testing a pregnancy prevention program. Almost one third of the sample (31.8%) reported being touched below the waist with their clothes on. Those who reported this behavior differed from those who did not with respect to one individual (sexual agency) and one social variable (peer norms) (p < .05). Study findings indicate that early adolescent Latinas are engaging in non-coital behavior that put them at risk for initiating intercourse. These findings argue for the power of peer norms in this age group.
A Neural Language Model for Query Auto-Completion

Query auto-completion (QAC) systems suggest queries that complete a user's text as the user types each character. Such queries are typically selected among previously stored queries, based on specific attributes such as popularity. However, queries cannot be suggested if a user's text does not match any queries in the storage. In order to suggest queries for previously unseen text, we propose a neural language model that learns how to generate a query from a starting text, a prefix. Specifically, we employ a recurrent neural network to handle prefixes in variable length. We perform the first neural language model experiments for QAC, and we evaluate the proposed methods with a public data set. Empirical results show that the proposed methods are as effective as traditional methods for previously seen queries and are superior to the state-of-the-art QAC method for previously unseen queries.
rTMS of the occipital cortex abolishes Braille reading and repetition priming in blind subjects

To study the functional involvement of the visual cortex in Braille reading, we applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over midoccipital (MOC) and primary somatosensory (SI) cortex in blind subjects. After rTMS of MOC, but not SI, subjects made significantly more errors and showed an abolishment of the improvement in reading speed following repetitive presentation of the same word list, suggesting a role of the visual cortex in repetition priming in the blind.
Significance of multiple carcinoid tumors and tumorlets in surgical lung specimens: analysis of 28 patients.

BACKGROUND The clinical significance of multiple carcinoid tumorlets in surgical lung specimens has not been systematically analyzed. We reviewed our experience to determine the range of clinical circumstances associated with this finding. METHODS We reviewed clinical records, available imaging, and pathology materials from patients evaluated at Mayo Clinic Rochester (from 1987 to 2000) with two or more carcinoid tumors or tumorlets in lung specimens. RESULTS Twenty-eight of 294 patients with a diagnosis of carcinoid tumor or tumorlet had two or more lesions. Twenty-six patients (93%) were women; mean age was 65 years. Patients were categorized into three groups: multiple nodules (n = 17), solitary lung nodules on preoperative imaging (n = 7), and airflow limitation (n = 4). Approximately half of patients with multiple nodules had respiratory complaints; two patients had Cushing syndrome. Ten patients (58.8%) were suspected of having pulmonary metastases, including 7 patients with previously diagnosed malignancies. Intrathoracic lymph node metastases were present in three patients, none of whom had recurrent disease. One patient had a carcinoid tumor resected 8 years later. Extrathoracic metastases developed in another patient 3 years after presentation, and the patient was alive with disease 2 years later. Only one patient with airflow limitation had a syndrome resembling diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS Our series represents the largest compilation of multiple carcinoid tumors or tumorlets. Our analysis reveals that multiple carcinoid tumors or tumorlets occur most commonly in patients with multiple nodules resembling metastatic disease. Significant airflow limitation is rare. Long-term survival is excellent, although patients have persistent disease.
Low Insulin Secretion and High Fasting Insulin and C-Peptide Levels Predict Increased Visceral Adiposity: 5-Year Follow-Up Among Initially Nondiabetic Japanese-American Men

Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia occur more frequently in subjects with greater visceral adiposity, but it is not known whether these metabolic abnormalities precede or follow visceral fat accumulation. We prospectively studied the development of visceral adiposity in relation to fasting and stimulated insulin and C-peptide levels. We followed 137 nondiabetic, second-generation Japanese-American men for changes in visceral adiposity over 5 years. Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) area (square centimeters) was measured at the umbilicus by computed tomography at baseline and after 5 years. Plasma insulin and C-peptide levels were measured after an overnight fast and during an oral glucose tolerance test, β-cell function was measured by the insulin secretion ratio (30–0 min plasma insulin difference)/(30–0 min plasma glucose difference). After adjustment for baseline IAF in multiple linear regression models, baseline fasting insulin (coefficient = 0.241, P = 0.048) and C-peptide (coefficient = 38.538, P < 0.001) levels were positively correlated, while the baseline insulin secretion ratio was negatively correlated with IAF change (coefficient = −0.099, P = 0.027). With IAF difference coded as a dichotomous variable (<0 cm2 vs. ≤0 cm2), the highest versus lowest tertile of baseline fasting insulin (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0, 95% CI 1.0–9.7) and fasting C-peptide (OR = 8.1, 95% CI 2.4–26.8) levels and the lowest versus highest tertile of the insulin secretion ratio (OR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.0–10.0) were associated with higher odds of IAF gain. Greater insulin resistance and reduced insulin secretion precede visceral fat accumulation in nondiabetic Japanese-American men.
1513A/C polymorphism in the P2X7 receptor gene in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: absence of correlation with clinical outcome

Purinergic P2X7 receptors are ligand‐gated cation channels expressed on the cells of the immune and hemopoietic system which have been shown to mediate the ATP‐induced apoptotic death of monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes. A common single nucleotide polymorphism within the P2X7 gene has been described in exon 13 (1513A/C), the gene products encoding fully active and non‐functional proteins. We genotyped the P2X7 1513A/C polymorphism using DNA from 111 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 97 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by Hha1 restriction analysis. We found no significant difference in allele frequency between CLL patients and controls. Time periods from diagnosis to initiation of chemotherapy, a surrogate marker for disease progression, were not different in patients displaying the combined 1513A/C and C/C or the 1513A/A genotype (P = 0.97). Similar results were observed in a subgroup analysis of prognostically more favorable CD38‐negative and ZAP‐70‐negative CLL patients. In conclusion, our data do not support a role of the P2X7 genotype as a prognostic marker in B‐cell CLL.
THE MEASUREMENT AND MODELLING OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HUMAN SKIN IN VIV 0-- I . THE MEASUREMENT

The mechanical properties of human skin in uiuo are studied by means of uniaxial strain measurements. In order to obtain a stress-strain relationship which is independent of the in oico measuring configuration. values for the effective width and effective length of the loaded skin strip have to be known. By variation of tab width and tab distance in a few series of experiments on the same subject, these cffecti~e values are found. In order to obtain a time independent stress-strain relationship a correction procedure is introduced. In this procedure the time dependent (viscoelastic) effects are described and subtracted from the total response.
Exogenous HGF Prevents Cardiomyocytes from Apoptosis after Hypoxia via Up-Regulating Cell Autophagy

Background: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is widely known as a protective factor in ischemic myocardium, however HGF sensitive cellular mechanism remained ill-defined. Autophagy at early stage of hypoxia has been demonstrated to play a role in protecting myocardium both in vivo and vitro. We performed this study to investigate the association between the protective effect of HGF and autophagy. Methods: Ventricular myocytes were isolated from neonatal rat heart (NRVMs). We evaluated cardiomyocytes apoptosis by Hoechst staining and flow cytometry. Autophagy was assessed by transmission electron microscope and mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus infection. Mitochondrial membrane potential was estimated by JC-1 staining. Western blotting and ELISA assay were used to quantify protein concentrations. Results: We found that autophagy in NRVMs increased at early stage after hypoxia and HGF release was consistent with the change of autophagy. Exogenous HGF enhanced autophagy and decreased apoptosis, while neutralizing HGF yielded opposite effects. Besides, inhibition of autophagy increased apoptosis of myocytes. Furthermore, exogenous HGF induced Parkin, the marker of mitochondrial autophagy, indicating increased clearance of injured mitochondria. Conclusions: Our results revealed a potential mechanism in which exogenous HGF prevented NRVMs from apoptosis after hypoxia. Upregulation of Parkin through administration of exogenous HGF may be a potential therapeutic strategy ptotecting myocytes during ischemia.
Interventions with retailers to reduce cigarette sales to minors: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract: We aimed to determine the relative effectiveness of an education intervention and a threat–of–enforcement intervention in reducing sales of cigarettes to under–age youth by randomly allocating 300 retailers in a nonmetropolitan region of New South Wales to: a control group with no intervention; a minimal–intervention group, which received an educational letter; and a maximal–intervention group, which received a threat of enforcement followed by a visit from a public health officer. Retailers were checked for compliance at pretest and post–test, six months apart, by twelve 18–yearolds who were judged by independent raters to look younger. The retailers were surveyed by telephone at both times for knowledge, attitudes and self–reported sales practices. Neither intervention achieved significant improvements for the two key behavioural outcomes: requiring proof of age and display of a warning sign. Neither was there an intervention effect on knowledge about the law. The greatest improvement in the proportion of retailers who believed that the legal age should be 18 or over was in the minimal–intervention group, and both intervention groups were less likely than the control group at post–test to think that it was acceptable to sell to a person who was nearly 18. There was poor overall compliance with the revised legislation at pre–test. The finding of a pretest–to–post–test improvement but no differential intervention effect highlights the methodological difficulties of such research. The interventions may, however, have been pardy successful in modifying the attitudes of retailers. (Aust N Z J Public Health 1997; 21: 590–6)
Beneficial effect of aqueous root extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra on learning and memory using different behavioral models: An experimental study

Background: In the traditional system of medicine, the roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Gg) (family: Leguminosae) have been studied for their ability to improve a variety of health ailments. Aims: The present study was designed to investigate the beneficial effects of Gg root extract on learning and memory in 1-month-old male Wistar albino rats. Four doses (75, 150, 225, and 300 mg/kg) of aqueous extract of root of Gg was administered orally for six successive weeks. Materials and Methods: The aqueous extracts were evaluated for their effect on spatial learning and memory in rats using the elevated plus maze, Hebb–William maze, and Morris water maze tests which served as the exteroceptive behavioral model. Diazepam-induced amnesia served as the interoceptive behavioral model. Results: Results showed that all the doses of aqueous root extract of Gg significantly enhanced the memory; however, in the doses of 150 and 225 mg/kg, it showed a significant (P < 0.01) enhancement in learning and memory. Furthermore, Diazepam-induced amnesia was reversed by the aqueous root extract of Gg (150 and 225 mg/kg, p.o.). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the memory enhancement effects of Gg may be mediated by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, Gg appears to be a promising drug for improving memory in the management of impaired learning, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders.
OccBin: A Toolkit for Solving Dynamic Models with Occasionally Binding Constraints Easily

We describe how to adapt a first-order perturbation approach and apply it in a piecewise fashion to handle occasionally binding constraints in dynamic models. Our examples include a real business cycle model with a constraint on the level of investment and a New Keynesian model subject to the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates. We compare the piecewise linear perturbation solution with a high-quality numerical solution that can be taken to be virtually exact. The piecewise linear perturbation method can adequately capture key properties of the models we consider. A key advantage of this method is its applicability to models with a large number of state variables.
High-Latitude Ionospheric Irregularity Drift Velocity Estimation Using Spaced GPS Receiver Carrier Phase Time–Frequency Analysis

The conventional spaced-receiver approach uses amplitude scintillations to estimate equatorial ionospheric irregularity drift velocities. This approach is less applicable at high latitudes where there is a lack of substantial amplitude scintillations. This paper presents a method to estimate ionosphere irregularity horizontal drift velocities based on GPS signal carrier phase measurements. Joint time-frequency analysis of the carrier phase measurements using an adaptive periodogram technique generates time-varying spectrograms of ionospheric irregularity-induced phase fluctuations. Cross correlation of the spectrograms between antenna pairs provides time lag information on propagating radio signals through the same ionospheric structure. The time lag information is combined with known positions of the receiver array, satellite orbits, and assumed irregularity altitude to infer ionospheric irregularity horizontal drift velocity. This paper presents the methodology and demonstrates its feasibility using data collected by a GPS receiver array at Gakona, Alaska. The potential error sources of this method are also analyzed.
Substrate Specificity of Purified Recombinant Human β-Carotene 15,15′-Oxygenase (BCO1)*

Background: The human enzyme β-carotene 15,15′-oxygenase (BCO1) produces vitamin A from carotenoids in food. Results: BCO1 catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of the 15–15′ double bond of major dietary provitamin A carotenoids, β-apocarotenals, and lycopene. Conclusion: BCO1 reacts only with carotenoids and apocarotenoids that yield retinal or acycloretinal. Significance: Elucidating the substrate specificity of BCO1 is crucial for understanding how humans metabolize carotenoids. Humans cannot synthesize vitamin A and thus must obtain it from their diet. β-Carotene 15,15′-oxygenase (BCO1) catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of provitamin A carotenoids at the central 15–15′ double bond to yield retinal (vitamin A). In this work, we quantitatively describe the substrate specificity of purified recombinant human BCO1 in terms of catalytic efficiency values (kcat/Km). The full-length open reading frame of human BCO1 was cloned into the pET-28b expression vector with a C-terminal polyhistidine tag, and the protein was expressed in the Escherichia coli strain BL21-Gold(DE3). The enzyme was purified using cobalt ion affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme preparation catalyzed the oxidative cleavage of β-carotene with a Vmax = 197.2 nmol retinal/mg BCO1 × h, Km = 17.2 μm and catalytic efficiency kcat/Km = 6098 m−1 min−1. The enzyme also catalyzed the oxidative cleavage of α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-apo-8′-carotenal to yield retinal. The catalytic efficiency values of these substrates are lower than that of β-carotene. Surprisingly, BCO1 catalyzed the oxidative cleavage of lycopene to yield acycloretinal with a catalytic efficiency similar to that of β-carotene. The shorter β-apocarotenals (β-apo-10′-carotenal, β-apo-12′-carotenal, β-apo-14′-carotenal) do not show Michaelis-Menten behavior under the conditions tested. We did not detect any activity with lutein, zeaxanthin, and 9-cis-β-carotene. Our results show that BCO1 favors full-length provitamin A carotenoids as substrates, with the notable exception of lycopene. Lycopene has previously been reported to be unreactive with BCO1, and our findings warrant a fresh look at acycloretinal and its alcohol and acid forms as metabolites of lycopene in future studies.
Effect of age and sex on the induction and elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis

This article reviews the effect of age and sex on the induction and elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). We found that the incidence of ACD in childhood is lower than in adults: this may be explained by less exposure to allergens, lack of immune response and limited patch test studies in this age group. In the elderly, there is an age‐dependent decrease in the incidence of ACD, with decreased sensitization to new allergens and waning responses in previously sensitized subjects. There is extensive controversy about the effect of sex differences in ACD. The induction phases of ACD in both sexes are different due to differences in exposure to the allergens from occupations, habits and cultures. Differences in elicitation phases of ACD in both sexes are not confirmed. Women tend to have a higher incidence of ACD and higher immunologic response to exposure allergens than men. Thus we can only imprecisely define the effect of age and sex on the induction and elicitation of ACD. Further prospective studies should be done to answer these question.
Contrasting effects of myeloid and endothelial ADAM17 on atherosclerosis development

Emiel P. C. van der Vorst1,#; Zhen Zhao1,#; Martina Rami1; Lesca M. Holdt2; Daniel Teupser2; Sabine Steffens1,3,*; Christian Weber1,3,4,* 1Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany; 2Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany; 3DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Germany; 4Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands