Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zooming in: A Microanalysis of Couples’ Dyadic Coping Conversations After Experimentally Induced Stress

Growing evidence that social support in times of stress is crucial for well-functioning relationships raises important questions about how intimate partners elicit specific forms of supportive behavior. To explore the process of support elicitation, we exposed either the male or female partner in a relationship to a standardized laboratory stressor (N = 127 couples), videotaped their subsequent reunion, and then coded those interactions at a microanalytic level to investigate links between expressions of stress and partner responses to those expressions. Multilevel analyses indicated that the type of stress expression served as a cue for the dyadic coping reaction of the partner. For example, problem-oriented stress expression within a 10-s interval of the conversation was strongly linked to problem-oriented dyadic coping in the same or following time sequence, while emotion-oriented stress expressions were associated with emotion-oriented dyadic coping reactions. These findings enhance the understanding of the link between different stress expressions and dyadic coping reactions and offer important implications for couple interventions.
A nationwide survey of hepatitis E virus infection in the general population of Japan

To investigate nationwide the prevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in the general population of Japan, serum samples were collected from 22,027 individuals (9,686 males and 12,341 females; age, mean ± standard deviation: 56.8 ± 16.7 years; range: 20–108 years) who lived in 30 prefectures located in Hokkaido, mainland Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu of Japan and underwent health check‐ups during 2002–2007, and were tested for the presence of IgG, IgM, and IgA classes of antibodies to HEV (anti‐HEV) by in‐house ELISA and HEV RNA by nested RT‐PCR. Overall, 1,167 individuals (5.3%) were positive for anti‐HEV IgG, including 753 males (7.8%) and 414 females (3.4%), the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of anti‐HEV IgG generally increased with age and was significantly higher among individuals aged ≥50 years than among those aged <50 years (6.6% vs. 2.7%, P < 0.0001). Although 13 individuals with anti‐HEV IgG also had anti‐HEV IgM and/or anti‐HEV IgA, none of them had detectable HEV RNA. The presence of HEV RNA was further tested in 50 or 49‐sample minipools of sera from the remaining 22,014 individuals, and three individuals without anti‐HEV antibodies tested positive for HEV RNA. The HEV isolates obtained from the three viremic individuals segregated into genotype 3 and were closest to Japan‐indigenous HEV strains. When stratified by geographic region, the prevalence of anti‐HEV IgG as well as the prevalence of HEV RNA or anti‐HEV IgM and/or anti‐HEV IgA was significantly higher in northern Japan than in southern Japan (6.7% vs. 3.2%, P < 0.0001; 0.11% vs. 0.01%, P = 0.0056; respectively). J. Med. Virol. 82:271–281, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The structure of RbmB from Streptomyces ribosidificus, an aminotransferase involved in the biosynthesis of ribostamycin

Aminoglycoside antibiotics represent a classical group of antimicrobials first discovered in the 1940s. Due to their ototoxic and nephrotoxic side effects, they are typically only used against Gram negative bacteria which have become resistant to other therapeutics. One family of aminoglycosides includes such compounds as butirosin, ribostamycin, neomycin, and kanamycin, amongst others. The common theme in these antibiotics is that they are constructed around a chemically stable aminocyclitol unit referred to as 2‐deoxystreptamine (2‐DOS). Four enzymes are required for the in vivo production of 2‐DOS. Here, we report the structure of RbmB from Streptomyces ribosidificus, which is a pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate dependent enzyme that catalyzes two of the required steps in 2‐DOS formation by functioning on distinct substrates. For this analysis, the structure of the external aldimine form of RbmB with 2‐DOS was determined to 2.1 Å resolution. In addition, the structure of a similar enzyme, BtrR from Bacillus circulans, was also determined to 2.1 Å resolution in the same external aldimine form. These two structures represent the first detailed molecular descriptions of the active sites for those aminotransferases involved in 2‐DOS production. Given the fact that the 2‐DOS unit is widespread amongst aminoglycoside antibiotics, the data presented herein provide new molecular insight into the biosynthesis of these sugar‐based drugs.
Ligand-induced desensitization of interleukin 1 receptor-initiated intracellular signaling events in T helper lymphocytes

Although interleukin 1 (IL-1) receptor signaling events in T helper lymphocytes are incompletely characterized, events associated with translocation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B are receptor- proximal assays of ligand-initiated responses. In this report we demonstrate that the transient nature of IL-1-induced NF-kappa B nuclear translocation occurs as a consequence of ligand-induced receptor desensitization. Other receptor-initiated events including induction of I kappa B alpha phosphorylation, expression of c-jun and junB mRNA, and costimulatory effects on IL-2 synthesis also are altered by IL-1 receptor desensitization. IL-1 receptor desensitization is not initiated by tumor necrosis factor, which also stimulates NF-kappa B translocation, and is not a consequence of alterations in either IL-1 receptor expression or binding affinity. In the absence of IL-1, the effects of desensitization are completely reversed within 18 h. Since IL-1 desensitization is initiated under conditions of low receptor occupancy, it is likely that receptor desensitization results from alterations to a receptor-proximal transducer, rather than from direct modification of the IL-1 receptor. These results suggest that the cyclic nature of the events in the T helper lymphocyte activation program can be controlled, in part, by the reversible desensitization of cell surface IL-1 receptors.
A dynamic analysis of womens employment exits

This paper examines womens rates of leaving a job to become nonemployed using a stochastic continuous-time model. Family status variables included in the model are marital status number of children less than 6 years old number of children 6 years or older and husbands income. Data used are from the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS) of Labor Market Experience of Young Women 1968-73. 3499 white respondents work histories were used to create the data set of job-to-nonemployment transitions. Some results are: 1) socioeconomic status (SEI) and wages have negative highly significant coefficients in the model; the higher the rewards a job offers the lower the rate of leaving the job; 2) education has a positive significant relationship to rates of leaving employment; 3) intelligence quotient (IQ) does not have a significant effect on employment exit rates; 4) marital status and number of children less than 6 years old have significant positive coefficients; 5) the number of children a woman has who are older than 5 years does not have a significant effect on her rate of leaving employment since child care needs for school age children are much less than for younger children; 6) husbands income has a highly significant negative coefficient so that employment exit rates decline with increasing income from a husband possibly since women whose husbands earn low incomes need to look for better jobs more often than those whose husbands earn more income; 7) SEI does not have a significant effect on pregnancy employment exists; 8) marital status has a larger positive effect on rates of pregnancy employment terminations than on nonpregnancy transition rates since pregnancies usually occur within marriage; 9) wages of a job not SEI have a highly significant negative effect on rates of leaving employment involuntarily since high wages appear to reflect some degree of protection from firings and layoffs when other factors are controlled; 10) the presence of children increases the rate at which a woman is fired or laid off from a job; and 11) there is a highly significant negative duration dependence. It is concluded that fertility influences leaving employment at least in the short-run and that having young preschool age children significantly increases the rate at which women leave employment voluntarily or involuntarily. Having school age children however does not have significant effects on rates of voluntary employment exits. This study also documents the importance of the structure of the economic sphere in influencing womens labor force behavior and that women with children are either less productive than childless women or that they are discriminated against by employers. In future research event histories for blacks need to be compared with those for whites and comparisons with men would also be useful. Also event histories need to be constructed for womens fertility behavior as well as their labor force behavior.
Expression of a dominant‐negative mutant TGF‐β type II receptor in transgenic mice reveals essential roles for TGF‐β in regulation of growth and differentiation in the exocrine pancreas

Using a dominant‐negative mutant receptor (DNR) approach in transgenic mice, we have functionally inactivated transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) signaling in select epithelial cells. The dominant‐negative mutant type II TGF‐β receptor blocked signaling by all three TGF‐β isoforms in primary hepatocyte and pancreatic acinar cell cultures generated from transgenic mice, as demonstrated by the loss of growth inhibitory and gene induction responses. However, it had no effect on signaling by activin, the closest TGF‐β family member. DNR transgenic mice showed increased proliferation of pancreatic acinar cells and severely perturbed acinar differentiation. These results indicate that TGF‐β negatively controls growth of acinar cells and is essential for the maintenance of a differentiated acinar phenotype in the exocrine pancreas in vivo. In contrast, such abnormalities were not observed in the liver. Additional abnormalities in the pancreas included fibrosis, neoangiogenesis and mild macrophage infiltration, and these were associated with a marked up‐regulation of TGF‐β expression in transgenic acinar cells. This transgenic model of targeted functional inactivation of TGF‐β signaling provides insights into mechanisms whereby loss of TGF‐β responsiveness might promote the carcinogenic process, both through direct effects on cell proliferation, and indirectly through up‐regulation of TGF‐βs with associated paracrine effects on stromal compartments.
Three-Dimensional Electromagnetic Model-Based Pose Estimation Using Fully Polarimetric Wideband Radar

The pose of a rotational symmetry target in a wideband radar is the angle between its symmetry axis and the radar line of sight. It is a required parameter for target absolute attitude measurement using the bistatic radar measuring system. In this letter, a 3-D electromagnetic model (3-D EM model)-based method is proposed for estimating the target pose from fully polarimetric wideband radar measurements. The 3-D EM model is established offline based on the target geometric structure. Scattering features at different target poses can be accurately predicted by this model. In the proposed algorithm, a synthetic high-resolution range profile (HRRP), which is proved to be only related to the target pose, is first generated from the sum of echoes in radar copolarization channels. Then, by matching this synthetic HRRP with the synthetic HRRPs recovered by the 3-D EM model, the target pose is obtained. Experiments using both data predicted by a high-frequency electromagnetic code and data measured in an anechoic chamber verify the validity of the method.
Evaluation of a cognitive behavioural intervention (ThinkSmart) aimed at encouraging young people to engage in higher education

he persistent patterns of under-representation of certain social groups at higher education (HE) identified that the current strategies used as part of the widening participation agenda required revising. Outreach activities are the main strategy used by the widening participation agenda to address the under-representation of certain groups of young people such asthose from disadvantaged backgrounds at HE. owever, a shortage of robust evidence made it difficult to determine the actual mpact and effectiveness of these outreach activities. This thesis addressed this gap n knowledge by establishing robust approaches to designing and evaluating outreach activities. To achieve this, a different perspective was taken; this hesisdemonstrated howpsychology can improve the design and evaluation of outreach activities.The use of psychological theories such as cognitive behavioural herapy and attribution theory were demonstrated indevising the outreach ntervention ThinkSmart as being valuable for outreach activities. The evaluationof ThinkSmart showed a short-term practical significance, thus the intervention did have an impact on the recipients, this however, was not sustained. To support the evaluation of ThinkSmart a measure of intention to engage with HE was devised and validated, 'Students Intentions Towards University' (SITU) due to one not currently existing in the literature, despite progression to HE being a key outcome for outreach activities. To understand the effectiveness of ThinkSmart, unique to the thesis a process evaluation was undertaken to explore the implementation process. The approach showed that the components required for behavioural change were ignificantly under implemented, which impacted on the overall success of ThinkSmart explaining to some degree the small short-term gains of recipients. inally to support the development of well-designed interventions to impact on the evident disparities in the patterns of participation in HE, as well as providing a ramework for further research in this area, an ecological model of educational progression was devised. The model established the importance of the individual in understanding how best to address the objective of the widening participation; as this an explain why despite their background young people can achieve. Therefore in summary outreach activities need to consider the individual but in light of the contextual factors presented in the model. This thesis hasdemonstrated that it is important to evaluate outreach activities robustly and to do so principles ofpsychology should be incorporated to improve the design and evaluation of outreach activities, to positively impact on the likelihood of non-traditional students, i.e. those from disadvantaged backgrounds engaging with HE, addressing the widening participation agenda objectives.
CPT-11-Induced Delayed Diarrhea Develops via Reduced Aquaporin-3 Expression in the Colon

While irinotecan (CPT-11) has a potent anti-cancer effect, it also causes serious diarrhea as an adverse reaction. In this study, we analyzed the pathogenic mechanism of CPT-11-induced delayed diarrhea by focusing on water channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) in the colon. When rats received CPT-11, the expression level of AQP3 was reduced during severe diarrhea. It was found that the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and the loss of crypt cells were increased in the colon when CPT-11 was administered. When celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug, was concomitantly administered, both the diarrhea and the reduced expression of AQP3 induced by CPT-11 were suppressed. The inflammation in the rat colon during diarrhea was caused via activated macrophage by CPT-11. These results showed that when CPT-11 is administered, the expression level of AQP3 in the colon is reduced, resulting in delayed diarrhea by preventing water transport from the intestinal tract. It was also suggested that the reduced expression of AQP3 might be due to the inflammation that occurs following the loss of colonic crypt cells and to the damage caused by the direct activation of macrophages by CPT-11. Therefore, it was considered that anti-inflammatory drugs that suppress the reduction of AQP3 expression could prevent CPT-11-induced delayed diarrhea.
A MATTER OF SIZE: DOES ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE PREDICT JOB SATISFACTION IN SMALL ORGANISATIONS?

This paper examines executive perceptions of organisational culture and job satisfaction in small organisations (<100 employees, N=655). Despite extensive research on corporate culture, very little empirical research has examined the culture of small organizations. An updated version of the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP, O'Reilly, Chatman and Caldwell, 1991) and a single measure of job satisfaction were used in an Australia-wide survey. (N=1918). The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicate that innovation, stability, and emphasis on rewards predict job satisfaction in small organizations. Suggestions for future research are discussed. This paper is a work in progress. Material in the paper cannot be used without permission of the author.
Recognition of Arabic (Indian) check digits using Spatial Gabor filters

Arabic (Indian) check digits recognition is useful in a variety of banking applications. The same technique is applicable to postal zip code reading, and handwritten forms processing. In this paper we present a technique for the automatic recognition of Arabic (Indian) check digits using Spatial Gabor filters. A database consisting of 7390 samples of Arabic (Indian) digits for training and 3035 samples for testing extracted from real bank checks is used. The data was tested with and without preprocessing. When preprocessing is used the digits are normalized to a height of 64 pixels and maintaining the aspect ratio. Spatial Gabor filters with several scales and orientations are used to extract the Spatial Gabor-based features. Average recognition rates of 97.99%, 97.37%, and 92.76%, using 1-Nearest Neighbor, 3-Nearest Neighbor, and Nearest Mean classifiers, respectively are obtained. These results are comparable and better than published work using the same database. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the Spatial Gabor filters for practical Arabic (Indian) bank checks digits' recognition.
Quality Management in Public-Sector Organizations: Evidence from Six EU Countries

ABSTRACT Although there is considerable evidence for the hypothesis that an efficient use of management techniques is the key to a good public service delivery, a lot of studies come to the conclusion that there is only partial, reluctant implementation or even a general lack of the use of such techniques by public managers. This paper examines the determinants for the use of quality management techniques in public sector organizations from six EU countries. It turns out that especially more organizational autonomy and result control appear to be of importance while, surprisingly, the combination of these variables leads to negative results.
Allergies are associated with reduced pancreas cancer risk: A population‐based case–control study in Ontario, Canada

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest cancers with mortality rates almost equaling incidence rates. Each year, approximately 3,500 Canadians are diagnosed with this disease. Although somewhat inconsistent, epidemiological studies have found that allergies are associated with a reduced pancreas cancer risk while there appears to be no association with asthma. These associations were evaluated in a population‐based case–control study conducted in Ontario. Incident cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, identified through the Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR), and diagnosed April 1, 2003 to June 1, 2006, were recruited by the Ontario Pancreas Cancer Study (OPCS). Controls were recruited from the Ontario Familial Colorectal Cancer Registry (OFCCR). Data on 276 cases and 378 controls were available for the current study. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to obtain age‐adjusted odds ratio (AOR) estimates. Ever having allergies or hayfever was associated with reduced pancreas cancer risk (OR = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29–0.63). There was no association observed between a history of asthma and pancreas cancer risk. Findings are of great importance to understanding the biological mechanisms involved in pancreas cancer development. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bacterial Lymphadenitis at a Major Referral Hospital in France from 2008 to 2012

ABSTRACT Lymph node enlargement is a common medical problem, and in a large number of patients, the causes of lymphadenopathy remain undiagnosed. We report a thorough microbiological analysis of 1,688 lymph node biopsy specimens collected in our bartonellosis reference center. We studied lymph node biopsy samples from patients with suspected regional infectious lymph node enlargement from January 2008 to December 2012. To evaluate a useful strategy for the diagnosis of infectious lymphadenitis, specimens were cultured and subjected to molecular assays. Histologic analysis was done when possible. A total of 642 (38%) biopsy specimens were infected with a bacterial agent, and quantitative PCR (qPCR) was significantly better than 16S rRNA gene PCR (rrs) for the detection of Bartonella henselae (P = 0.05), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (P = 0.05), and Mycobacterium avium (P = 0.007). Molecular assays were significantly better than bacterial cultures for the diagnosis of Francisella tularensis (P = 0.017) but were less effective for detecting M. tuberculosis (P = 0.004) and M. avium (P = 0.001). Histologic analysis was done for 412 lymph nodes, and 20% of these were compatible with an infectious lymphadenitis, whereas a neoplasm was found in 29% of these lymph nodes. M. tuberculosis was detected significantly more in female than in male patients (P = 0.01), and patients with cat scratch disease (CSD) were younger than patients with M. tuberculosis, Tropheryma whipplei, and F. tularensis. Negative rrs PCR does not exclude the diagnosis of infectious lymphadenitis. Histologic analysis of lymph node biopsy specimens is critical, as a diagnosis of infectious lymphadenitis does not preclude other concurrent diseases.
Antipsychotic drugs and risk of venous thromboembolism: nested case-control study

Objective To determine whether antipsychotic drugs are associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, and to examine risks by type of antipsychotic, potency, and dose. Design Population based nested case-control study. Setting The UK QResearch primary care database. Participants Patients (cases) with a first ever record of venous thromboembolism between 1 January 1996 and 1 July 2007; each was matched with up to four controls by age, calendar time, sex, and practice. Main outcome measures Odds ratios for venous thromboembolism associated with antipsychotic drugs adjusted for comorbidity; concomitant drug exposure. Results There were 25 532 eligible cases (15 975 with deep vein thrombosis and 9557 with pulmonary embolism) and 89 491 matched controls from a study population of 7 267 673. Individuals prescribed antipsychotic drugs in the previous 24 months had a 32% greater risk of venous thromboembolism than non-users, despite adjustment for potential risk factors (odds ratio 1.32, 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.42). Patients who had started a new drug in the previous three months had about twice the risk (1.97, 1.66 to 2.33). The risk was greater for individuals prescribed atypical rather than conventional drugs (adjusted odds ratio 1.73, 1.37 to 2.17, for atypical drugs; 1.28, 1.18 to 1.38, for conventional drugs). It also tended to be greater for patients prescribed low rather than high potency drugs (1.99, 1.52 to 2.62, for low potency; 1.28, 1.18 to 1.38, for high potency). The estimated number of extra cases of venous thromboembolism per 10 000 patients treated over one year was 4 (3 to 5) in patients of all ages and 10 (7 to 13) for patients aged 65 and over. Conclusions There is an association between use of antipsychotic drugs and risk of venous thromboembolism in a large primary care population. The increased risk was more marked among new users and those prescribed atypical antipsychotic drugs.