Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Cytosolic Androgen Receptor Binding in Rat Striated Muscle Following Denervation and Disuse

Abstract: We investigated the effects of denervation and disuse on cytosolic androgen receptor binding by rat striated muscle. Denervation of the extensor digitorum longus and tibialis anterior muscles caused a 40–50% increase in cytosolic androgen receptor concentration with no change in apparent binding affinity. This effect was evident at 6 h postdenervation, maximal at 24 h, and declined to 120% of the control level 72 h after denervation. A 40% increase in cytosolic androgen receptor concentration was also noted 24 hr after denervation of the hormone‐sensitive levator ani muscle. The effect of denervation on androgen receptors was not blocked by in vivo injection of cycloheximide; therefore, de novo receptor synthesis probably is not involved in the observed increase. Disuse, produced by subperineurial injection of tetrodotoxin into the tibial and common peroneal branches of the sciatic nerve, mimicked the effect of denervation on androgen receptor binding, suggesting that neuromuscular activity is important in regulation of receptor concentration. Possible mechanisms subserving this effect are discussed.
Clinical predictors of disease progression in multiple sclerosis patients with relapsing onset in a nation-wide cohort

Background: Predicting disease progression over time is challenging despite the available literature data. Aim: To assess whether baseline clinical variables of MS patients would predict the conversion to progressive phase of the disease. Materials & methods: Utilizing the national MS registry, patients who had relapsing onsets and had confirmed EDSS score at baseline and follow-up visits were included. Primary progressive MS and CIS patients were excluded. Clinical variables (gender, age at onset, disease duration, number of relapses, EDSS score) were collected. The end point was conversion to secondary progressive MS. Chi Square and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine the influence of clinical variables on disease progression. Results: Data of 803 MS patients with relapsing onset were analyzed. Eighty five (10.6%) patients reached the end point. The risk of disease progression was significantly higher in men (p = 0.015), in patients who developed MS ≥ 40 years of age (p = 0.041) and who had ≥ 3 relapses during their disease course (p < 0.001). Spinal cord presentation at onset was predictive of progression (aOR = 2.01; p = 0.06) while optic neuritis at onset was associated with lower risk of progression (aOR = 0.30; p = 0.03). EDSS score at first visit did not influence disease progression when tested at 2 different cutoffs (EDSS < 4 vs. ≥ 4 and EDSS < 6 vs. ≥ 6) using multivariable logistic regression analysis (p = 0.960 and p = 0.866), respectively. Conclusion: Men and patients who presented at age 40 yeas or beyond had increased risk of MS progression. Spinal cord symptoms at onset and 3 or more relapses were predictive of progression.
The Participation Illusion: Questioning Community Participation in a REDD+ Pilot Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo

SUMMARY This paper investigates the introduction of REDD+ in two pilot sites in the Équateur province of the DRC, focusing on the issues of community participation. Using information collected through household questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions, the paper shows that community participation at both sites was characterized as ‘tokenism’ whereby the communities were consulted and informed, but never achieved managerial power or influence over the REDD+ pilot project. The decision for the communities to join REDD+ was not democratic and the information provided during the process of introducing REDD+ was not sufficient for the communities to make an informed decision to join or not. The project organizer had full control over the dissemination of information. Community participation in the REDD+ project did not extend beyond labour supply in activities and attending meetings for per diems. The institutional basis for enabling ‘full and effective community participation’ is weak and excludes women. The paper argues that ensuring meaningful participation as defined by the REDD+ social safeguard guidelines might be difficult to achieve if social inequalities and local power relations are not acknowledged and addressed in the implementation of REDD+.
Generation of a tumorigenic milk-borne mouse mammary tumor virus by recombination between endogenous and exogenous viruses

Two novel exogenous mouse mammary tumor viruses (MMTV), BALB2 and BALB14, that encode superantigens (Sags) with Vbeta2+ and Vbeta14+ specificities, respectively, were found in the BALB/cT mouse strain. BALB/cT females were crossed with AKR/J males to generate F1 females. Foster nursing of BALB/cT mice on (BALB/cT x AKR/J)F1 mothers resulted in the generation of a new mouse strain, BALB/cLA, that had acquired a new exogenous MMTV (hereafter called LA) with a Vbeta6+/Vbeta8.1+-T-cell-specific Sag. Sequence analysis of the long terminal repeats of the BALB2, BALB14, and LA viruses indicated that LA virus resulted from recombination between BALB14 and the endogenous Mtv-7 provirus. Mtv-7 is expressed only in lymphoid tissues but not the mammary glands of Mtv-7-containing mouse strains such as AKR. In contrast, LA virus was highly expressed in the mammary gland, although it had the sag-specific region from Mtv-7. The LA virus, as well as different recombinant viruses expressed in the mammary glands of (BALB/cT x AKR/J)F1 mice, acquired a specific DNA sequence from BALB14 virus that is required for the mammary-gland-specific expression of MMTV. Since the Sag encoded by LA virus strongly stimulated cognate T cells in vivo, selection for recombinant virus with the Mtv-7 sag most likely occurred because the increased T-cell proliferation resulted in greater lymphoid and mammary gland cell infection. As a result of the higher virus titer, 80% of BALB/cLA females developed mammary gland tumors, although the incidence was only 40% in BALB/cT mice.
World Development Report 2018 : Learning to Realize Education's Promise

Korea understood that education was the best way to pull itself out of economic misery, so it focused on overhauling schools and committed itself to educating every child, and educating them well. Coupled with smart, innovative government policies and a vibrant private sector, the focus on education paid off. Today, not only has Korea achieved universal literacy, but its students also perform at the highest levels in international learning assessments. It’s a high-income country and a model of successful economic development. Korea is a particularly striking example, but we can see the salutary effects of education in many countries. Delivered well, education, and the human capital it creates, has many benefits for economies, and for societies. For individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, and health. It raises pride and opens new horizons. For societies, it drives long-term economic growth, reduces poverty, spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion. In short, education powerfully advances the World Bank Group’s twin strategic goals: ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Given that today’s students will be tomorrow’s citizens, leaders, workers, and parents, a good education is an investment with enduring benefits. But providing education is not enough. What is important, and what generates a real return on investment, is learning and acquiring skills. This is what truly builds human capital. As this year’s, World Development Report documents, in many countries and communities learning isn’t happening. Schooling without learning is a terrible waste of precious resources and of human potential. Worse, it is an injustice. Without learning, students will be locked into lives of poverty and exclusion, and the children whom societies fail the most are those most in need of a good education to succeed in life. Learning conditions are almost always much worse for the disadvantaged, and so are learning outcomes. Moreover, far too many children still aren’t even attending school. This is a moral and economic crisis that must be addressed immediately. This year’s Report provides a path to address this economic and moral failure. The detailed analysis in this Report shows that these problems are driven not only by service delivery failings in schools but also by deeper systemic problems. The human capital lost because of these shortcomings threatens development and jeopardizes the future of peopleand their societies. At the same time, rapid technological change raises the stakes: to compete in the economy of the future, workers need strong basic skills and foundations for adaptability, creativity, and lifelong learning.
Association of interleukin-17A and -17F gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms with autoimmune thyroid diseases

Th17 lymphocyte and its relative cytokines have been shown to play an important role in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between IL-17A and IL-17F gene polymorphisms and two main types of AITD, Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Whole blood specimens and clinical data were collected from 508 AITD patients (326 with GD and 182 with HT) and 224 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, respectively. IL-17A (rs2275913, rs8193037, rs3819025) polymorphism was determined using DNA sequencing method and IL-17F/rs763780 polymorphism was assayed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR -RFLP). The results indicated that the frequencies of IL-17F/rs763780 genotypes in patients with GD and HT differed significantly from their controls (P = 0.013 and P = 0.005, respectively); the G allele frequencies were also significantly higher in the patient groups than the control groups (P = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). For IL-17A/rs2275913 and rs8193037 SNP, no significant difference was observed in patients with either GD or HT compared to the control groups (P>0.05). Interestingly, for rs3819025, the frequency of A allele was lower in patients with GD than controls (P = 0.011). The frequencies of haplotype AGGG and GGGG in patients with GD and HT were significantly higher than in controls (P = 0.012, P = 0.019, P = 0.017 and P = 0.029, respectively). In conclusion, the results indicate that IL-17F/rs763780 polymorphisms may affect the susceptibility to AITD, and IL-17A/rs3819025 SNP is likely a protective factor to GD in the Chinese population.
New Data on Wealth Mobility and Their Impact on Models of Inequality

Using data on families' wealth over time, we calculate changes in relative wealth mobility; that is, how likely families are to move up or down the wealth distribution, relative to one another. We find families have become less likely to change their position in the wealth distribution over time, and those that do move are less likely to go very far. We also look at the savings behaviors that are associated with more mobile families and find that families that make large movements through the wealth distribution appear to be more likely to own some form of a risky asset.
Involvement of G‐protein αil subunits in activation of G‐protein gated inward rectifying K+ channels (GIRK1) by human NPY1 receptors

This study investigated the type of G‐protein a subunit(s) that human neuropeptide Y (NPY)1 receptors preferentially utilize when activating G‐protein gated K+ currents. Two electrode voltage‐clamp recordings were made from Xenopus oocytes that had been injected with cDNAs encoding either human NPY1 or D2(short) dopamine receptors, and GIRK1 a cloned rat brain K+ channel. These receptors were also co‐injected with G‐protein αil, αi2, αi3 and αol subunits to determine which subunit(s) modulate the efficiency of signal transduction. In NPY1 receptor injected cells neuropeptide Y (100 nM) caused a 53+10 nA inward current (n=14; EC50=3 nM) and this effect was blocked by pertussis toxin (500 ng ml−1 24 h). Activation of GIRK1 currents by neuropeptide Y was selectively potentiated by αil subunit cDNA whereas coupling dopamine of D2 receptors to this channel was not.
From teacher-regulation to self-regulation in early childhood: an analysis of Tools of the Mind’s curricular effects

The aim of my DPhil is to identify educational practices predictive of students' self-regulation development during early childhood. Specifically, I will analyze the Tools of the Mind preschool curriculum (Tools), which emphasizes students’ self-regulation cultivation as its paramount aim. Since its development in 1993, Tools has spread to schools in the United States, Canada, and South America. In the face of Tools' proliferation, two questions emerge: does Tools significantly improve children's self-regulation skills? And, if so, then which of its effective elements could be applied across various educational contexts? This dissertation contains two studies. In the first, I will systematically review extant Tools research and then execute a multilevel meta-analysis of the quantitative results. Study one serves three purposes: 1) to identify all studies in the existing Tools evidence base, 2) to estimate an aggregate curricular effect, and 3) to determine how that effect varies across contexts and student characteristics. Thus, study one will assess whether Tools, at the curricular level, improves students’ self-regulation. By contrast, study two will involve more granular analyses of the discrete learning activities that collectively comprise Tools. Specifically, study two will analyze child-level self-regulation and teacher-level Tools implementation data for 1145 preschool children in 80 classrooms across six American school districts. I will employ multilevel structural equation models to assess which Tools activities are associated with students’ self-regulation growth, which are associated with decline, and which exhibit no association at all. Ultimately, this dissertation features the first Tools meta-analysis as well as the first analysis of specific Tools instructional activities. It is hoped that these analyses will identify educational practices predictive of self-regulation development both within and beyond the Tools curricular context.
Probing silicon quantum dots by single-dot techniques

Silicon nanocrystals represent an important class of non-toxic, heavy-metal free quantum dots, where the high natural abundance of silicon is an additional advantage. Successful development in mass-fabrication, starting from porous silicon to recent advances in chemical and plasma synthesis, opens up new possibilities for applications in optoelectronics, bio-imaging, photovoltaics, and sensitizing areas. In this review basic physical properties of silicon nanocrystals revealed by photoluminescence spectroscopy, lifetime, intensity trace and electrical measurements on individual nanoparticles are summarized. The fabrication methods developed for accessing single Si nanocrystals are also reviewed. It is concluded that silicon nanocrystals share many of the properties of direct bandgap nanocrystals exhibiting sharp emission lines at low temperatures, on/off blinking, spectral diffusion etc. An analysis of reported results is provided in comparison with theory and with direct bandgap material quantum dots. In addition, the role of passivation and inherent interface/matrix defects is discussed.
Are the Pathobiological Changes Evoked by Traumatic Brain Injury Immediate and Irreversible?

Traumatic brain injury has long been thought to evoke immediate and irreversible damage to the brain parenchyma and its intrinsic vasculature. In this review, we call into question the correctness of this assumption by citing two traumatically related brain parenchymal abnormalities that are the result of a progressive, traumatically induced perturbation. In this context, we first consider the pathogenesis of traumatically induced axonal damage to show that it is not the immediate consequence of traumatic tissue tearing. Rather, we illustrate that it is a delayed consequence of complex axolemmal and/or cytoskeletal changes evoked by the traumatic episode which then lead to cytoskeletal collapse and impairment of axoplasmic transport, ultimately progressing to axonal swelling and disconnection. Second, we consider the traumatized brain's increased neuronal sensitivity to secondary ischemic insult by showing that even after mild traumatic brain injury, CA1 neuronal cell loss can be precipitated by the induction of sublethal ischemic insult within 24 hrs of injury. In demonstrating this increased sensitivity to secondary insult, evidence is provided that it is triggered by the neurotransmitter storm evoked by traumatic brain injury, allowing for sublethal neuroexcitation. In relation to this phenomenon, the protective effect of receptor antagonists are discussed, as well as the concept that this relatively prolonged posttraumatic brain hypersensitivity offers a potential window for therapeutic intervention. Collectively, it is felt that both examples of the brain parenchyma's response to traumatic brain injury show that the resulting pathobiology is much more complex and progressive than previously envisioned, and as such, rejects many of the previous beliefs regarding the pathobiology of traumatic brain injury.
Quantifying the variability of potential black carbon transport from cropland burning in Russia driven by atmospheric blocking events

The deposition of short-lived aerosols and pollutants on snow above the Arctic Circle transported from northern mid-latitudes have amplified the short term warming in the Arctic region. Specifically, black carbon has received a great deal of attention due to its absorptive efficiency and its fairly complex influence on the climate. Cropland burning in Russia is a large contributor to the black carbon emissions deposited directly onto the snow in the Arctic region during the spring when the impact on the snow/ice albedo is at its highest. In this study, our focus is on identifying a possible atmospheric pattern that may enhance the transport of black carbon emissions from cropland burning in Russia to the snow-covered Arctic. Specifically, atmospheric blocking events are large-scale patterns in the atmospheric pressure field that are nearly stationary and act to block migratory cyclones. The persistent low-level wind patterns associated with these mid-latitude weather patterns are likely to accelerate potential transport and increase the success of transport of black carbon emissions to the snow-covered Arctic during the spring. Our results revealed that overall, in March, the transport time of hypothetical black carbon emissions from Russian cropland burning to the Arctic snow is shorter (in some areas over 50 hours less at higher injection heights) and the success rate is also much higher (in some areas up to 100% more successful) during atmospheric blocking conditions as compared to conditions without an atmospheric blocking event. The enhanced transport of black carbon has important implications for the efficacy of deposited black carbon. Therefore, understanding these relationships could lead to possible mitigation strategies for reducing the impact of deposition of black carbon from crop residue burning in the Arctic.
Intestinal helminths in Luweero district, Uganda.

BACKGROUND Intestinal helminthiasis is a debilitating parasitic disease found in many parts of Uganda including Luweero district. In the district, the disease causes as high as 9% morbidity in children below five years. There was very scanty district information on the disease based mainly on hospital records despite this figure. The current study was carried out to provide data to plan for its effective control. OBJECTIVE To investigate risk factors that promote helminth infections among children under five years of age in Luweero district. METHODS Stool samples from 727 children were examined for presence of helminth ova using Kato-Katz technique. The subjects' parents or guardians were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire to establish their demographic, social-cultural characteristics; information on water accessibility and usage; child toileting practices and knowledge about helminthiasis. RESULTS Risk factors strongly associated with helminth infections included methods of anal cleaning, how compounds and latrines were maintained, keeping of pigs and age of the subjects, (P <0.001). In addition, methods of hand washing after latrine visits, the respondents' education level, type of house floor and household compound as well as accessibility to water were associated with worm infection. CONCLUSION The hygiene practices of the parents/guardians and environmental surroundings in which the child grows play a big part in determining his or her helminth status. The District Health workers, community leaders and extension staff should educate the community on the importance of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation to minimize the risks of helminth infections.
Study on the relationship between CXCR4 expression and perineural invasion in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND Recent reports have shown that C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) plays an important role in metastasis. Despite a clear understanding of the protein's structure and properties, its functional role remains elusive. We conducted the present study to evaluate the expressions of CXCR4 in pancreatic cancer, and to investigate its relationship with clinicopathological parameters, especially perineural invasion(PNI). MATERIALS AND METHODS The association between CXCR4 expression and perineural invasion was determined by immunohistochemistry in pancreatic cancer patients (n=51). RESULTS CXCR4 expression was correlated with the existence of PNI and the type of PNI (p=0.042, p=0.040). TIMP-2 expression was also correlated with the existence, the pathway and degree of PNI (p=0.000, p=0.006, p=0.000). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest an association between PNI and expression of CXCR4 and TIMP-2 in pancreatic cancer. CXCR4 may promote the occurrence of PNI in pancreatic cancer cells by decreasing the inhibition of TIMPs on MMP.