Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overwintering Cost Associated with Resistance to Transgenic Cotton in the Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Abstract Fitness costs associated with resistance to transgenic crops producing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) may have important effects on the evolution of resistance. We investigated overwintering costs in pink bollworm, Pectinophora gosypiella (Saunders), strains with different degrees of resistance to Bt cotton. Frequency of resistant individuals in a strain was not associated with induction of diapause or emergence from diapause in early winter. Emergence from diapause in the spring was 71% lower in three highly resistant strains than in two heterogeneous strains from which the resistant strains were derived. This underestimates the overwintering cost because the frequency of the resistance allele was relatively high in the heterogeneous strains. Emergence in the spring in hybrid progeny from crosses between the resistant and heterogeneous strains was greater than in resistant strains but did not differ from susceptible strains, showing that the overwintering cost was recessive to some extent.
Inhibition of p70S6 Kinase during Transforming Growth Factor-β1/Vitamin D3-induced Monocyte Differentiation of HL-60 Cells Allows Tumor Necrosis Factor-α to Stimulate Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Synthesis*

We investigated intracellular mechanisms involved in the up-regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor I (PAI-1) synthesis by human recombinant tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) during monocyte differentiation of HL-60 cells triggered by the transforming growth factor-β1/vitamin D3 (TGF/D3) mixture. TGF/D3-treated cells expressed surface monocytic markers and produced noticeable amounts of PAI-1 but stopped to proliferate. A reduced p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K) phosphorylation was also observed and, in this situation, TNF dramatically enhanced PAI-1 synthesis. Similarly, TNF significantly up-regulated PAI-1 synthesis when p70S6K phosphorylation was inhibited by rapamycin. This phenomenon was not due to a general decrease in protein synthesis but involved the activation of gene transcription rather than PAI-1 mRNA stabilization. The level of the transcriptional regulator factor E2F1, a repressor of PAI-1 gene expression, was shown to be down-modulated in TGF/D3- as well as in rapamycin-treated cells. Furthermore, the apoptotic effect of TNF in HL-60 cells appeared to be prevented by the addition of either TGF/D3 or rapamycin. In conclusion, these results indicate that inhibition of p70S6K phosphorylation during TGF/D3-induced monocyte differentiation of HL-60 cells is a determinant factor that allows TNF to exert its up-regulating effect on PAI-1 synthesis while protecting cells from apoptosis.
Identification of Ferrous-Ferric Fe3O4 Nanoparticles in Recombinant Human Ferritin Cages

Abstract Recombinant ferritin is an excellent template for the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles. This paper describes carefully performed experiments both to identify ironoxides within nanoparticles and to measure the number of iron atoms in the cores of recombinant human H-chain ferritin (HFn), based on spectroscopy techniques. Using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis, magnetite (Fe3O4) has been unequivocally identified as the ironoxide formed within HFn cores under special preparation conditions. Atom counting analysis by EELS and high-angle annular dark-field imaging further allowed the correlation of the particle sizes to the real Fe atom numbers in a quantitative manner. These results help clarify some structural confusion between magnetite and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), and also provide standard data for the number of Fe atoms within Fe3O4 particles of a given size, whose use is not limited to cases of magnetite synthesized in the cores of recombinant human ferritin.
Characterization of Bovine Parainfluenza Virus Type 3

Bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV‐3) has a buoyant density of 1.197. The RNA of PIV‐3, like that of Sendai virus, is a single continuous chain which lacks polyadenylic acid sequences and tends to self‐anneal to a marked extent. It has a sedimentation coefficient of 42S and a molecular weight of 4.5 × 106, being slightly smaller than Sendai virus RNA (47S, 5.3 × 106).
Skills mismatch, productivity and policies: Evidence from the second wave of PIAAC

This paper extends earlier OECD work exploring the link between skills mismatch, productivity and policies to include the countries in the second wave of OECD Survey of Adult Skills, with a special focus on New Zealand. We find that the percentage of workers who are mismatched in terms of skills is 28% in New Zealand, slightly over the OECD average of 25%. The share of over-skilling is at the OECD average of 18%, while the share of under-skilling - at around 10% - is also above the OECD average of 7%. The results suggest that improving the allocation of skills to OECD best practice could be associated with an increase in productivity of around 7% in New Zealand.
Consumption of Argan Oil Improves Anti‐Oxidant and Lipid Status in Hemodialysis Patients

Objective: Virgin Argan oil (VAO) is of interest in oxidative stress and lipid profile because of its fat composition and antioxidant compounds. We investigated the effect of VAO consumption on lipid profile and antioxidant status in hemodialysis patients after a 4‐week period of consumption. Methods: In a crossover, controlled trial, 37 patients (18 men, 19 women) with end‐stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis, were randomly assigned to a 4‐week VAO diet. Fasting plasma lipids, vitamin E and oxidized LDL (ox‐LDL) were analyzed. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined before and after hemodialysis session. Results: There was no significant change in serum total cholesterol and ox‐LDL. However, VAO consumption decreased the levels of triglyceride (p = 0.03), total cholesterol (p = 0.02) and low‐density lipoprotein (p = 0.03) and increased the levels of high‐density lipoprotein (p = 0.01). Plasma vitamin E contents significantly increased from baseline only in VAO‐group (p < 0.001). Hemodialysis session increased MDA levels, but the increase in VAO group was less than in control group. Conclusion: VAO consumption improved lipid profile and oxidative stress status in hemodialysis patients. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Primary headache disorders in children under 7 years of age

Background and aim Research on headache disorders in young children is limited. This study aims to determine causes and clinical presentations of headache in young children attending a specialist clinic. Methods and results All children attending the headache clinic over 9-year period were included. Data were collected prospectively on demography and clinical presentations of headache at every attendance. The diagnosis of headache disorders was based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II (2004). Of the 921 children (491 male) who attended the clinic, 73 children (8%) were under 7 years of age at presentation; 34 children had migraine, 11 had tension-type headache (4 chronic), 4 had mixed types of headache and 16 children had unclassified headaches. Anorexia, nausea, vomiting, light intolerance and noise intolerance were common during migraine attacks and forehead was the most common site of maximal pain. Conclusions Migraine is the most common headache disorder in young children attending a specialist clinic. Headache presentation is often atypical and in 20% of young children headache disorders are unclassified. Chronic tension-type headache, often considered a disease of adolescents and adults, is shown to present in early age.
Daycare Attendance, Stress, and Mental Health

Objective: Daycare stress can be indexed by cortisol, and elevated levels of cortisol have been implicated in the onset and development of mental health disorders. Our objective was to quantify the associations between daycare and cortisol and to identify individual and environmental conditions under which daycare attendance is associated with cortisol concentrations. Methods: We used Cohen effect size statistics to quantify these associations and to compare them across 11 published studies that were identified with MEDLINE and PsycINFO. Results: Cortisol levels increased during the daycare day, whereas they decreased when children stayed at home. The mean effect size was d = 0.72. The magnitude of the daycare–stress relation seemed to vary under 3 specific conditions. First, the effect size was larger for children in low-quality daycare (d = 1.15), whereas there was essentially little or no effect for children in high-quality daycare (d = 0.10). Second, the effect size was larger for preschoolers (aged 39 to 59 months) (d = 1.17) than for infants (aged 3 to 16 months) (d = 0.11) or school-aged children (aged 84 to 106 months) (d = 0.09). Third, children with difficult temperaments in daycare were more likely to exhibit a rising pattern of cortisol, compared with children who were not difficult. Conclusions: Our review suggests that daycare attendance in relatively low-quality daycare conditions and for children with difficult temperaments may result in atypical cortisol elevation. Although the link between atypical cortisol elevation and mental health requires further study, programs aimed at improving the quality of daycare services during the preschool years are expected to lead to better physiological adaptation to daycare and to reduce the risks of mental health problems.
Federal Tax Policies, Congressional Voting, and Natural Resources

What determines legislatorsvoting behavior over federal tax policies? Conventional wisdom points primarily at party a¢ liation. This paper presents a novel mechanism of voting patterns across state-levels of scal advantage. We construct a political economy model of scal federalism with state scal asymmetries that originate in heterogeneity in natural resource abundance, representing a non-mobile source of income that provides a scal advantage in the inter-state scal competition. The model shows that representatives of natural resource rich states are more willing to vote in favor of federal tax increases, despite the lower net scal bene ts their states receive. This occurs because these states can reduce their tax rates as a response to an increase in the federal tax rate, and hence attract capital from the rest of the nation to the extent of increasing their pre-shock tax base. Data on roll-call votes in the U.S. Congress over major changes in federal tax bills in the post WW-II period support the predicted voting patterns. Speci cally, we nd that elected o¢ cials of resource rich states are more (less) supportive of capital-related federal tax increases (decreases), controlling for their party a¢ liation, ideology, federal transfers, and economic conditions. Our results indicate that the scal advantage channel is as dominant as party a¢ liation in driving legislatorsvoting decisions over federal tax policies.
Surface electromyographic analysis of the low back muscles during rehabilitation exercises.

STUDY DESIGN Prospective, single-group, repeated-measures design. OBJECTIVE To analyze the longissimus thoracis and lumbar multifidi muscle activity with surface electromyography (EMG) during exercises used in back rehabilitation programs. BACKGROUND Physical therapists use a variety of exercises when rehabilitating patients with low back pain (LBP). EMG analysis of exercises can provide a measure of muscle activation so a clinician can have a better idea about the effect the exercise may have on the muscle for stabilization, endurance, or strength training. METHODS AND MEASURES Surface EMG analysis of the muscle activity of the longissimus thoracis and lumbar multifidi was carried out bilaterally on 3 different experimental groups while performing a variety of exercises commonly used in low back rehabilitation programs. Groups 1 and 2 each had 30 subjects and group 2 had 29 subjects, ranging in age from 21 to 35 years. All EMG data during exercises were normalized to percent of the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). RESULTS The lumbar multifidus and longissimus thoracis muscles were most active, with EMG amplitudes of greater than 92% +/- 12% MVIC during prone lumbar extension to end range with resistance applied. Prone lumbar extension to neutral, resisted lumbar extension while sitting, and prone extension with the upper and lower extremities lifted (Superman exercise) produced EMG amplitudes ranging from a mean +/- SD of 77% +/- 13% to 82% +/- 12% MVIC. Exercises that produced EMG amplitudes of less than 50% MVIC were bridging exercises, the side-bridge exercise, and upper and lower extremity raises in either the prone or quadruped positions. CONCLUSION The findings from this study may be helpful for physical therapists in selecting exercises when progressing patients with LBP from low-intensity exercises to those that require more muscle activity.
How Reliable are the Marginal Totals in Cooperation Experiments in the Laboratory

How Reliable are the Marginal Totals in Cooperation Experiments in the Laboratory? Subjects in laboratory experiments are prone to effects of social desirability. This reactive behavior is due to the subjects perceived anonymity in the entire experiment. Especially, socially desirable behavior is also triggered by assembling and/or payment procedures that are not anonymous. Indeed, in a laboratory experiments with a one-shot prisoner’s dilemma (PD) and perfect stranger anonymity subjects (n=174) showed significantly different cooperation rates depending on the anonymity conditions during assembling and the payment procedure, ranging from 33.3% to 19.9%. In addition, a first experiment with the PD and anonymous payment and double blind experimenting lead to a cooperation rate of 33.3%. Only after the same subjects (n=34) took part a second time in same, entire experiment, the cooperation rate fell to 8.8%. Therefore this measurement of the cooperation rates in a laboratory experiment failed the test-retest check on reliability. This happened though all manipulations used fulfilled the standards of fully anonymous experimenting. This means that such processes could go unnoticed and bias the results of any standard laboratory experiment on cooperation in one shot decisions. Therefore, in accordance with the textbook logic of laboratory experiments, but in contrast to a common practice (cf. Behavioral Game Theory) marginal totals from cooperation experiments in the laboratory should not be interpreted.
A new methodology to define the equilibrium value function in the kinetics of (in)activation gates

&NA; A voltage‐gated ion channel is fundamental in generation and propagation of electrical signals in the excitable membranes. Dynamics of (in)activation gates of the ion channel is modeled by first‐order kinetics. The equilibrium value function is crucial in the kinetics of the (in)activation gates for fitting experimental data. We present a new methodology to define the equilibrium value function based on the lowest approximation of the cluster variation method and the static properties in the molecular field approximation. The methodology allows for exploration of the gating dynamics.
The Role of Subtotal Petrosectomy in Cochlear Implant Surgery–A Report of 32 Cases and Review on Indications

Objective To report and review 32 cases of subtotal petrosectomy (SP) in cochlear implant (CI) surgery and to define the indications and contraindications for this procedure Study Design Retrospective case review + case reports. Setting Tertiary skull base center. Patients Cochlear implant database: 32 subtotal petrosectomies in 31 patients. Interventions Subtotal petrosectomy with blind sac closure of the external auditory canal, closure of Eustachian tube, and abdominal fat obliteration in combination with cochlear implantation. Results Indications for SP in CI surgery were as follows: chronic otitis media (n = 4), previous radical cavity (n = 13), previous subtotal petrosectomy (n = 4), ossification of the cochlea (n = 5), malformation of the inner ear (n = 2), and temporal bone fracture (n = 4). One patient was simultaneously bilaterally implanted; 2 cases were revisions. All procedures were performed in 1 stage. In 2 cases, complications were encountered (6%), one of which lead to reoperation (3%). None of the patients was explanted. Conclusion Subtotal petrosectomy combined with cochlear implantation is a procedure required in specific situations and lowers the risk of repetitive ear infections, CSF leakage, and meningitis by closing off all connection with the external environment. Additionally, it gives excellent visibility and access in difficult anatomy or in drill-out procedures. The complication rate of 6% is comparable with normal cochlear implantation. Preservation of residual hearing can be considered the only absolute contraindication as an open external meatus is necessary for use of electroacoustic stimulation. Risks of the SP+CI procedure are infection of the abdominal fat, breakdown of the blind sac closure, and entrapped cholesteatoma. Follow-up with CT imaging is therefore mandatory.
Which bacteria are found in Belgian women with uncomplicated urinary tract infections in primary health care, and what is their susceptibility pattern anno 95-96?

Dysuria is a frequent reason for encounter in general practice and also gynaecologists and urologists will be frequently confronted with it. In female patients 1/2 to 2/3 of dysuric episodes are due to urinary tract infections. In nearly all cases therapy is started before the results of a culture is available. Therefore it is very important to know which bacteria are most prevalent in the treated population, and what their susceptibility pattern is . Because most available information is based on retrospective data issued from very mixed populations, we performed a prospective study including the most frequently involved population: symptomatic adult women without any symptom of complicated UTI. Among 279 urine specimens collected in general practices, 164 were positive (59%). The most frequent micro-organism found was E. coli (78%), followed by S. saprophyticus (9%) and Proteus spp. (4%). In the 15 remaining specimens, 8 different bacterial species were found. Overall resistance to ampicillin was 30%, to cotrimoxazole 14%, to nitrofurantoin 7%, to fluoroquinolones 1%. The E.coli resistance to ampicillin was 27%, to co-trimoxazole 17%, to nitrofurantoin 1% and to fluoroquinolones 1%. In this population the same bacteria, in the same proportion, are found as in earlier studies in other countries. The susceptibility pattern confirms a substantial resistance level to ampicillin and co-trimoxazole. On the contrary, resistance to nitrofurantoin and fluoroquinolones is negligible. Resistance data from Belgian regional laboratories in their outpatient population were significantly different from ours.
Birth cohort, ageing and gender ideology: lessons from British and Australian panel data

Individuals’ gender attitudes influence their behaviors, and adherence to traditional gender ideology is an important mechanism contributing to the (re)production of gender inequalities. In developed nations, the ‘gender revolution’ was accompanied by marked societal shifts towards gender-egalitarian attitudes, but these trends have recently stalled. In this paper, we re-examine the role of birth cohort and ageing in influencing gender ideology through the lens of life-course theory and leveraging panel datasets from Britain and Australia. We contribute to the field by considering cohort-differences in ageing effects on gender ideology, documenting within-cohort variability in such effects and extending the analytic focus beyond the US. We find that (i) people from older cohorts hold more traditional gender attitudes, (ii) the effect of ageing on gender ideology is positive in Britain but negative in Australia, (iii) there are cohort-differences in these ageing effects, (iv) gender-attitude trajectories are less predictable in younger than older cohorts, and (v) factors capturing life-course experience explain little of the cohort differences. Our findings highlight important avenues for future research on gender ideology change, and offer insights into the likely pace and direction of social movements towards gender egalitarianism.
IMMUNIZATION OF MICE WITH PLASMID DNA CODING FOR NcGRA7 OR NcsHSP33 CONFERS PARTIAL PROTECTION AGAINST VERTICAL TRANSMISSION OF NEOSPORA CANINUM

The purpose of the present study was to use direct plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) injection to identify specific antigens that confer protection against congenital transfer of Neospora caninum. Inbred BALB/c mice were vaccinated before pregnancy with a recombinant plasmid containing sequences encoding N. caninum antigen NcGRA7 or NcsHSP33. The mice were challenged with N. caninum tachyzoites at 10–12 days of gestation. Whereas 100% of pups born from dams immunized with control plasmid contained detectable levels of N. caninum DNA in a Neospora-specific polymerase chain reaction assay, only 46% of pups from pCMVi-NcGRA7–immunized mice and 53% of pCMVi-NcsHSP33–immunized mice were N. caninum positive, and none of the mice immunized with tachyzoite extract contained N. caninum DNA. Thus, immunization of mice with plasmid DNA expressing N. caninum antigens conferred partial protection against congenital neosporosis.
First-class airline travelers’ tendency to seek uniqueness: how does it influence their purchase of expensive tickets?

ABSTRACT This study explored first-class airline travelers’ need for uniqueness and its impact on their ticket purchase intentions. More specifically, the study investigated the roles of the three subdimensions of the need for uniqueness (i.e. creative choice, unpopular choice, and similarity avoidance) in the formation of travelers’ attitudes toward first-class flights. Consumer attitudes toward first-class flights are hypothesized to increase status value, first-class attachment, and willingness to pay a premium. Based on theoretical relationships between conceptual constructs, the study proposed and tested a model using data from 202 first-class passengers in the United States. The results indicated that all three dimensions of the need for uniqueness positively affect airline travelers’ attitudes toward first-class flights and thus enhanced outcome variables. Furthermore, it was found that materialism moderated the relationship between status value and first-class attachment.
Organisational merger and psychiatric morbidity: a prospective study in a changing work organisation

Background Prospective studies on the relationship between organisational merger and mental health have been conducted using subjective health indicators. The objective of this prospective occupational cohort study was to examine whether a negative change during an organisational merger is an independent predictive factor of psychiatric morbidity. Method Survey data on organisational characteristics, health and other factors were collected prior to (1996) and after the merger (2000); register data on psychiatric morbidity were collected at baseline (1/1/1994–30/9/2000) and during the follow-up (1/10/2000–31/12/2005). Participants were 6511 (77% men) industrial employees aged 21–65 years with no register-based diagnosed psychiatric events prior to the follow-up (the Still Working Study). During the follow-up, 252 participants were admitted to the hospital due to psychiatric disorders, were prescribed a psychotropic drug or attempted or committed suicide. Results A negative self-reported change in the work organisation during the merger was associated with increased risk of postmerger psychiatric event (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.14). This association was independent of mental health-related factors measured before the merger announcement, such as demographic characteristics, occupational status, personal orientation to life, self-rated health, self-reported psychiatric morbidity or chronic disease. Conclusion A negative change in work organisation during an organisational merger may elevate the risk for postmerger psychiatric morbidity.