Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of superantigen‐induced T cell proliferation and monocyte IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and IL‐6 production by acute ethanol treatment

Alcohol use has been shown to decrease monocyte antigen presentation capacity and inflammatory cytokine production, thereby increasing susceptibility to infections. Here, we demonstrate that in vitro acute treatment of normal monocytes with pharmacological doses of ethanol can decrease superantigen [Staphylococcus enterotoxins B (SEB) and A (SEA)]‐induced T cell proliferation. Furthermore, ethanol treatment (25–100 mM) significantly inhibited SEA‐ or SEB‐induced production of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), and IL‐6 in monocytes. Ethanol‐induced down‐regulation of monocyte TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 occurred at both the protein and mRNA levels. Additional data suggest that ethanol can decrease IL‐1β mRNA stability. Furthermore, experiments using cycloheximide indicate that de novo protein synthesis is required for the inhibitory effect of ethanol on SEB‐induced IL‐1β mRNA production. Finally, ethanol treatment decreased HLA‐DR expression in monocytes, suggesting that ethanol treatment can compromise monocyte stimulation by down‐regulating the SEB‐binding capacity of monocytes. These results suggest that acute ethanol treatment can interfere with monocyte activation by SEB at multiple steps. Consequently, decreased superantigen‐induced polyclonal T cell activation and inflammatory monokine production would contribute to an impaired immune response to bacterial challenge with superantigens after acute alcohol intake.
Discretion on the Frontline: The Street Level Bureaucrat in English Statutory Homelessness Services

This article employs Michael Lipsky's street level bureaucrat conceptual framework to explore the exercise of discretion in frontline homelessness service delivery. It is the first to apply Lipsky's model to English homelessness services at the outset, and builds on earlier investigations which have uncovered how the use of illegitimate discretion can potentially lead to detrimental outcomes for service users affected by homelessness. This topic is particularly salient in light of the current politically austere climate, whereby statutory homelessness services have experienced an increase in service users, yet resources, if anything, are declining. Interview findings from twelve local authorities found evidence of unlawful discretion, which was attributed to a complex mesh of individual, intersubjective, organisational and central-led factors. However, the use of negative discretion was chiefly underpinned by higher level pressures around resource scarcity and strict targets.
Digital control of single-phase power factor preregulators suitable for smart-power integration

This paper proposes a fully digital control of boost power factor preregulators (PFPs) with input voltage estimation that is suitable for smart-power integration. The proposed solution features a minimum pin count by avoiding direct sensing of the input voltage for the construction of the internal current reference signal and by sensing the output voltage through a direct sampling of the voltage across the power switch during its off interval at the line voltage peak. The control algorithm requires the estimation of the rectified input voltage, that is simply done by exploiting the integral part of the current loop PI regulator, and a PLL (phase-looked-loop) synchronization with the estimated line frequency for sampling the output voltage and rejecting the low-frequency output voltage ripple. The provisions needed to ensure correct output voltage sensing, even during transient and light-load conditions, are also discussed. Experimental results on a single-phase boost PFP show the properties of the proposed approach.
Binding of Anionic Phospholipids to Retinal Pigment Epithelium May Be Mediated by the Scavenger Receptor CD36*

The specific recognition of negatively charged phospholipids in cell membranes has been suggested to play an important role in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Recent work (Rigotti, A., Acton, S. L., and Krieger, M. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 16221-16224) has described specific and tight binding of anionic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol (PI), to the class B scavenger receptors, CD36 and SR-B1. We have previously reported that CD36 is present on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and plays a role in the phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments (ROS), a function critical to the normal visual process (Ryeom, S. W., Sparrow, J. R., and Silverstein, R. L. (1996) J. Cell Sci. 109, 387-395). We now report that phospholipid liposomes PS and PI, but not phosphatidylethanolamine, bind specifically to RPE. Cross-competition experiments suggest that PS and PI recognize the same receptor on RPE, while immunoinhibition studies indicate that the receptor is CD36. RPE cells isolated from a mutant rat strain, the RPE of which does not express CD36 (Sparrow, J. R., Ryeom, S. W., Abumrad, N., Ibrahimi, A., and Silverstein, R. L. (1996) Exp. Eye Res., in press), did not bind PS or PI, further confirming the role of CD36. We also showed that purified ROS blocked binding and uptake of anionic phospholipid liposomes by RPE and that PS and PI liposomes blocked ROS uptake by RPE, suggesting that PS and PI on the ROS membrane may be the ligands on ROS recognized by CD36. This is the first demonstration that CD36-phospholipid interactions may play a role in normal physiology.
The monetary transmission mechanism in Brazil: evidence from a var analysis

This article presents evidence on the interest channel of the monetary policy for the Brazilian economy of the 1990s analyzing the effects of an unexpected change in the baseline interest rate on output, prices and the exchange rate in a vector autoregression system. Our main results are: a) a tightening in the monetary policy affects economic activity immediately, reducing the rate of growth of real GDP; b) the exchange rate and prices are affected only after a time interval, with inflation assuming a downward trend only two months after the monetary shock; c) results do not change when the specification is controlled for international conditions, commodity prices or other measures of inflation and economic activity; d) monetary shocks have a significant impact on the volatility of output and inflation in the benchmark model e) monetary shocks have a significant impact on the volatility of the debt/GDP ratio in the control-model.
Melatonin sees the light: blocking GABA‐ergic transmission in the paraventricular nucleus induces daytime secretion of melatonin

Despite a pronounced inhibitory effect of light on pineal melatonin synthesis, usually the daily melatonin rhythm is not a passive response to the surrounding world. In mammals, and almost every other vertebrate species studied so far, the melatonin rhythm is coupled to an endogenous pacemaker, i.e. a circadian clock. In mammals the principal circadian pacemaker is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), a bilateral cluster of neurons in the anterior hypothalamus. In the present paper we show in the rat that bilateral abolition of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA), but not vasopressin, neurotransmission in an SCN target area, i.e. the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, during (subjective) daytime results in increased pineal melatonin levels. The fact that complete removal of the SCN results in a pronounced increase of daytime pineal mRNA levels for arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase (AA‐NAT), i.e. the rate‐limiting enzyme of melatonin synthesis, further substantiates the existence of a major inhibitory SCN output controlling the circadian melatonin rhythm.
Serotonin Receptors: A New Epilepsy Imaging Modality?

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) there is involvement outside of mesial structures and that this involvement affects serotonin systems, thus suggesting a mechanism for affective symptoms in this population. METHODS: Serotonin 5-HT1A receptor binding was studied with positron emission tomography (PET) and [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100 635 in 14 patients (six with left-, eight with right-sided mesial temporal lobe focus) and 14 controls. The 5-HT1A receptor–binding potential was calculated for hippocampus, amygdala, orbitofrontal, insular, lateral temporal, and anterior cingulate cortex, in raphe nuclei, and in two regions presumably uninvolved in the epileptogenic process (parietal and dorsolateral frontal neocortex). RESULTS: The binding potential was reduced in the epileptogenic hippocampus (p = 0.0001) and amygdala (P = 0.0001) in all patients, including the six with normal [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It also was reduced in the anterior cingulate (P = 0.002), insular (P = 0.015), and lateral temporal cortex (P = 0.029) ipsilateral to the focus, in contralateral hippocampus (P = 0.025), and in the raphe nuclei (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe MTLE show reduced 5-HT1A receptor–binding potential in the EEG focus and its limbic connections. [11C]WAY-100 635 PET may provide additional information to EEG, [18F]FDG-PET, and MRI when evaluating patients with intractable seizures. Reductions in 5-HT1A binding in the insula and cingulate suggest a mechanism by which affective symptoms in MTLE may result.
A New TDDB Degradation Model Based on Cu Ion Drift in Cu Interconnect Dielectrics

A new physical model of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) in Cu interconnect dielectrics is proposed. TDDB occurs due to the drift of Cu ions under an electric field E. An activation energy analysis of the leakage current demonstrates that these injected Cu ions affect the conduction mechanism of electrons. The dominant electron conduction mechanism changes from Poole-Frenkel electron current through the Cu barrier dielectrics to Fowler-Nordheim current due to the Cu pile-up at the cathode end. We assumed two possible types of Cu ion drift mechanism, Schottky type or Poole-Frenkel type. The field acceleration model (radicE model) of the Poole-Frenkel type fits both TDDB lifetime and activation energy very well. The TDDB lifetime is proportional to the exponential of the square root of the electric field radicE
Water cooling study of natural convection heat transfer from simulated electronic chips during power-on transient period

Experiments are performed using water to study the natural convection heat transfer during power-on transient period from in-line four simulated flush mounted electronic chips. The heat flux ranges from 0.1 W/cm/sup 2/ to 0.6 W/cm/sup 2/. The effect of heat fluxes, geometric parameters such as chip numbers are investigated. Correlations are presented for individual chips as well as for overall data in the transient regime.
To Do No Harm: A Journey Through Medical School

chapters. Throughout the book, hemoglobin disorders are employed as a model of molecular pathology. Profusely illustrated, the volume will be invaluable for those seeking to become familiar with the basic concepts of molecular biology and its application to medicine, especially if, like me, you have had difficulty in following the scientific literature and words such as probes, gene cloning, gene libraries, introns, and restriction length polymorphism are foreign. This book provides a simple and inexpensive introduction to that complicated field. I recommend it without reservation.
Point-by-point responses to the two Referee ’ s reviews Responses to Referee

Responses to Referee #1 Scientific questions 1. ln 32-33 – ‘. by iono-free combination techniques’: a citation about such techniques should be useful, given the general audience to which the journal refers to. Response: Thanks for your comment. We have added a citation about iono-free combination techniques as you suggested.It is ‘Spilker, J. J. (1980). GPS signal structure and performance characteristics.Global positioning system, 1, 29-54. ’
The effects of green tea polyphenols on drug metabolism

Introduction: Tea, made from the dried leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis Theaceae, is a very popular beverage consumed worldwide. Recently, green tea extract-based dietary supplements have also been widely consumed for the acclaimed beneficial health effects, such as weight reduction. Although tea consumption is considered to be innocuous, the potential interactions between tea polyphenols and drugs have been demonstrated in studies in vitro and in vivo. Areas covered: This article reviews the current literature on the chemistry and biotransformation of tea constituents, mainly catechins from green tea. The article also provides a review of their effects on the absorption, efflux, metabolism and elimination of different drugs. Expert opinion: Tea catechins may bind to certain drugs to affect their absorption and bioactivities. Tea catechins may inhibit the activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters or affect the expression of these proteins, either upregulation or downregulation. Although these effects have been demonstrated in studies in vitro and in animal models, such effects have only been observed in limited cases in humans at common doses of human tea consumption. The ingestion of tea catechins from dietary supplements, which could be in large bullet doses, may produce more profound effects on drug metabolism, and such effects with drugs need to be further investigated.
Citizen adoption of e-government: a literature review and conceptual framework

The study extensively reviews various models that have been used for studying citizen adoption of e-government. The study also presents a comprehensive review of factors that influence e-government adoption in the contexts of different developed and developing countries. Based on the literature review, the paper proposes a tailor-made conceptual model for examining citizen adoption of e-government in India. The proposed model integrates the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model with trust and citizen satisfaction, to form a model of factors that could influence citizen adoption of e-government services in India. To test the proposed model, the study has selected e-government services offered by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The findings suggest that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, provided facilitating conditions, available facilitating conditions, trust in government, trust in technology and citizen satisfaction are the main factors related to e-government adoption.
Intramammary infections in dairy goats: recent knowledge and indicators for detection of subclinical mastitis

Euterinfektionen, eins der vordringlichen Gesundheitsprobleme bei Milchziegen, fuhren zu Veranderungen der Milchzusammensetzung, zur Minderung der hygienischen Wertigkeit, zu Beeintrachtigungen der Kasereitauglichkeit und verursachen hohe wirtschaftliche Verluste in der Milchviehhaltung. Ein groser Anteil intramammarer Infektionen (IMI) tritt in der subklinischen Form, also ohne Anzeichen klinischer Symptome, auf. Staphylokokken stellen bei Milchziegen die haufigste Erregergruppe innerhalb subklinischer Mastitiden dar, wobei die Haufigkeit des Auftretens stark variiert. Die vorliegende Studie versucht einen Uberblick uber Erkenntnisse zu Euterinfektionen bei Milchziegen zu geben und mogliche Parameter zur Diagnose subklinischer Mastiden aufzuzeigen. Die bakteriologische Untersuchung stellt den Goldstandard fur die Erkennung von Mastiden dar, diese Form der Analyse ist jedoch zeitaufwandig, teuer und wenig praxisgeeignet. Die Eignung von Zellzahl (SZZ), California-Mastitis-Test, elektrischer Leitfahigkeit, Milchinhaltstoffen (Fett, Protein, Laktose), N-Acetyl-s-D-Glucosaminidase, Lactoferrin, s-Glucuronidase oder Lactat-Dehydrogenase zur Erkennung von Euterinfektionen bei Milchziegen werden in dieser Studie untersucht. SZZ, der am besten etablierte Parameter zur Einschatzung der Eutergesundheit bei Kuhen, scheint wenig geeignet fur den Nachweis subklinischer Mastiden bei Milchziegen zu sein. Die SZZ zeigt bei Ziegen grose Schwankungsbreiten (z. B. im Verlauf der Laktation) und oft werden Werte >1 106 Zellen ml-1 ohne Anzeichen einer Euterinfektion gemessen. Die SZZ kann allein aufgrund physiologischer Faktoren (Rasse, Laktationsstadium, -nummer, Brunst), des Hygienestandards oder der Melktechnik ansteigen. Die Auswirkungen IMI auf die oben genannten Parameter, sowie die Eignung der untersuchten Parameter als diagnostische Methode soll in diesem Beitrag diskutiert werden.
Differential Expectations and Realities: Race, Socioeconomic Status and Health of the Oldest-Old

Comparisons by race indicate that African Americans are significantly more disadvantaged than whites in their socioeconomic status. Despite complaints about their situation, however, African Americans report that their situation is better than they had expected. Although they perceive their health as poorer than whites, they are no more disabled functionally, and they have significantly better morale. Within-group correlations find the predictable associations between socioeconomic status and physical, psychological, and social outcomes for both groups. Nevertheless, both qualitative and quantitative data indicate that economic well-being is related to the congruence between expectations and the realities of life in advanced old age, making objective and subjective factors of similar importance.
Health insurance coverage and health care access in Moldova.

BACKGROUND In 2004, the Moldovan government introduced mandatory (social) health insurance (MHI) with the goals of sustainable health financing and improved access to services for poorer sections of the population. The government pays contributions for non-employed groups but the self-employed, which in Moldova include many agricultural workers, must purchase their own cover. This paper describes the extent to which the Moldovan MHI scheme has managed to achieve coverage of its population and the characteristics of those who remain without cover. METHODS The 2008 July-October enhanced health module of the Moldovan Household Budget Survey was used. The survey uses multi-stage random sampling, identifying individuals within households within 150 primary sampling units. Numbers and characteristics of those without insurance were tabulated and the determinants of lack of cover were assessed using multivariate regression. RESULTS 3760 respondents were interviewed. Seventy-eight per cent were covered by MHI. Factors associated with being uninsured include being self-employed (particularly in agriculture), unemployed, younger age and low income. Respondents who were self-employed in agriculture were over 27 times more likely to be uninsured than those who were employed. Agricultural workers in Moldova are responsible for purchasing their own cover; most respondents cited cost as the main reason for not doing so. CONCLUSION While being uninsured has an impact on utilization, financial barriers persist for those with insurance who seek care. The strengths and weaknesses of the MHI system in Moldova provide valuable lessons for policy makers in low- and middle-income countries addressing the challenges of achieving equitable coverage in health insurance schemes and the complex nature of financial barriers to access.
Rivastigmine: a placebo controlled trial of twice daily and three times daily regimens in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rapidly titrated rivastigmine administered twice (BID) or three times (TID) daily in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: This was a 26 week international, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study in which 678 patients with probable AD received placebo or rivastigmine 2–12 mg/day BID or TID. Primary outcome measures included the cognitive subscale of the AD Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) and categorical analysis of the Clinician Interview Based Impression of Change incorporating caregiver information (CIBIC-Plus). Secondary outcomes were the CIBIC-Plus change from baseline, Progressive Deterioration Scale, ADAS-cogA, Mini-Mental State Examination and Global Deterioration Scale. Results: At week 26, mean rivastigmine dose was 9.6 (2.76) mg/day in the TID group and 8.9 (2.93) mg/day in the BID group. Mean ADAS-cog changes from baseline in the TID and BID rivastigmine treated groups were −0.2 (SD 7.3) and 1.2 (SD 7.2) versus 2.8 (SD 7.2) for the placebo group (p<0.05). Differences between rivastigmine TID and placebo on the CIBIC-Plus categorical responder analysis were significant (31% vs 19%; p<0.05, intention to treat). No significant differences were seen between BID and placebo for this outcome measure. Adverse events were predominantly gastrointestinal, occurring mainly during dose titration. Withdrawal because of adverse events accounted for 17% of BID, 11% of TID and 9% of placebo patients. Conclusions: Rivastigmine administered as a BID or TID regimen significantly benefited cognitive, function and global performances in AD patients. The TID regimen showed a tendency for superior tolerability and permitted titration to higher doses, an outcome that is significant as the efficacy of rivastigmine is dose related.
Listeria monocytogenes Activated p38 MAPK and Induced IL-8 Secretion in a Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain 1-Dependent Manner in Endothelial Cells1

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (Nod) proteins serve as intracellular pattern recognition molecules recognizing peptidoglycans. To further examine intracellular immune recognition, we used Listeria monocytogenes as an organism particularly amenable for studying innate immunity to intracellular pathogens. In contrast to wild-type L. monocytogenes, the nonpathogenic Listeria innocua, or L. monocytogenes mutants lacking internalin B or listeriolysin O, poorly invaded host cells and escaped into host cell cytoplasm, respectively, and were therefore used as controls. In this study, we show that only the invasive wild-type L. monocytogenes, but not the listeriolysin O- or internalin B-negative L. monocytogenes mutants or L. innocua, substantially induced IL-8 production in HUVEC. RNA interference and Nod1-overexpression experiments demonstrated that Nod1 is critically involved in chemokine secretion and NF-κB activation initiated by L. monocytogenes in human endothelial cells. Moreover, we show for the first time that Nod1 mediated activation of p38 MAPK signaling induced by L. monocytogenes. Finally, L. monocytogenes- and Nod1-induced IL-8 production was blocked by a specific p38 inhibitor. In conclusion, L. monocytogenes induced a Nod1-dependent activation of p38 MAPK signaling and NF-κB which resulted in IL-8 production in endothelial cells. Thus, Nod1 is an important component of a cytoplasmic surveillance pathway.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Cleft Lip and Palate

Objective The use of ultrasound for the prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip and palate has aided considerably in the early diagnosis of orofacial clefting. The impact and consequences of this need to be considered as the reliability and validity of ultrasound diagnosis increases. This review article considers a number of these issues as well as up-to-date information on the quality of the technique.