Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new lamin in Xenopus somatic tissues displays strong homology to human lamin A.

The nuclear lamina of vertebrates is composed of several major polypeptides that range in mol. wt from 60 to 80 kd. In mammals, the three major lamin proteins are designated A, B and C. Two major lamins have been described in Xenopus somatic tissues; two other lamins are expressed primarily in germ cells. We have analysed a cDNA clone encoding a Xenopus lamin that is highly homologous to human lamins A and C. The predicted protein has the carboxy‐terminal domain characteristic of human lamin A and is thus a lamin A homologue. Surprisingly, the lamin encoded by the cDNA clone is not one of the known Xenopus lamins. The encoded protein is distinct in size from the oocyte lamin LIII and the two somatic lamins LI and LII. Monoclonal antibodies specific for LII, LIII and LIV (the lamin of male germ cells) do not recognize the protein encoded by the cDNA clone; conversely, a polyclonal antibody against the encoded protein does not recognize any of the known Xenopus lamins. This lamin is expressed late in embryonic development, and is present in all adult somatic cells examined, except erythrocytes. Thus frogs and mammals are similar in having three major somatic lamins that fall into distinct structural classes.
"That Stinks": News Framing of a Corruption Scandal

“That Stinks”: News Framing of a Corruption Scandal Monique Myriam Nasrallah Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Dr. Sara Curran Professor of International Studies at Jackson School of International Studies; Director of Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Whereas political scandals expose the corrupt nature of a society’s public affairs, media play a central role in publicizing a scandal and influencing public opinion. The summer 2015 garbage management scandal in Lebanon offers a news coverage case of a corruption scandal and its public reaction. While the Lebanese media outlets heavily covered an event that triggered a nationwide anti-corruption movement named “You Stink”, questions arise on the movement and its underlying scandal’s framing. Examining such an event’s framing offers insights into frame construction of corruption scandals. Drawing from the concepts of news framing, political scandals, and disgust, this research project examines a newspaper’s framing characterization of the garbage scandal. A content analysis of 57 images was conducted over the first two weeks of reporting on the scandal from Lebanon’s second most circulated newspaper. Research findings offer insights on the pre-movement conditions laid out by the newspaper, opening the door for future research into the Lebanese news media framing of corruption scandals and their role in influencing public reaction. Acknowledgements and Dedication I am grateful for those individuals who helped me in this research project: my advisors Sara Curran and Scott Fritzen for their continuous feedback, for their guidance and support in this process, and for their encouragement, as well as my mentor Theophilus Yu for his wise, sharp, and inspiring advice. There are many reasons why I am generally interested in corruption studies. Perhaps, what motivates most is seeing how much suffering corruption causes to its victims. In Lebanon, absence of rule of law—under which corruption thrives—produces countless victims. The majority are ordinary citizens trying to make ends meet: from those who died or were injured from the absence of impunity to the bystanders of political rivalries. We hear of their stories when they are so outrageous as to become news headlines and talks of the town. This research project is part of a personal lifelong goal to better understand the phenomenon that is corruption and how it impacts people, so that we can collectively come up with solutions that help in not producing victims, however that may be.
Retinal and Optic Nerve Ischemia

Purpose of Review:This review focuses on aspects of retinal and optic nerve ischemia that may be encountered by neurologists. Recent Findings:Recent guidelines have emphasized the similarities between cerebral and retinal ischemia in terms of etiologic workup, acute management, and subsequent stroke risk. However, although ischemic optic neuropathies reflect optic nerve ischemia, they result from local small vessel disease and are not associated with a higher risk of cerebral infarction. Their management is therefore very different from acute cerebral ischemia. It is essential to rule out giant cell arteritis in all patients with acute retinal or optic nerve ischemia. Summary:Because the eye is vascularized by branches of the internal carotid artery, retinal ischemic symptoms are common in patients with anterior circulation ischemic strokes. Patients with central retinal artery occlusion, whether permanent or transient (responsible for transient visual loss), need to be evaluated and managed emergently similar to patients with cerebral ischemia, while anterior and posterior ischemic optic neuropathy are more concerning for giant cell arteritis.
Ryanodine stores and calcium regulation in the inner segments of salamander rods and cones

Despite the prominent role played by intracellular Ca2+ stores in the regulation of neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis and in invertebrate photoreception, little is known about their contribution to the control of free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the inner segments of vertebrate photoreceptors. Previously, caffeine‐sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores were shown to play a role in regulating glutamate release from photoreceptors. To understand the properties of these intracellular stores better we used pharmacological approaches that alter the dynamics of storage and release of Ca2+ from intracellular compartments. Caffeine evoked readily discernible changes in [Ca2+]i in the inner segments of rods, but not cones. Caffeine‐evoked Ca2+ responses in cone inner segments were unmasked in the presence of inhibitors of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPases (PMCAs) and mitochondrial Ca2+ sequestration. Caffeine‐evoked responses were blocked by ryanodine, a selective blocker of Ca2+ release and by cyclopiazonic acid, a blocker of Ca2+ sequestration into the endoplasmic reticulum. These two inhibitors also substantially reduced the amplitude of depolarization‐evoked [Ca2+]i increases, providing evidence for Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release (CICR) in rods and cones. The magnitude and kinetics of caffeine‐evoked Ca2+ elevation depended on the basal [Ca2+]i, PMCA activity and on mitochondrial function. These results reveal an intimate interaction between the endoplasmic reticulum, voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels, PMCAs and mitochondrial Ca2+ stores in photoreceptor inner segments, and suggest a role for CICR in the regulation of synaptic transmission.
Baseline Goblet Cell Mucin Secretion in the Airways Exceeds Stimulated Secretion over Extended Time Periods, and Is Sensitive to Shear Stress and Intracellular Mucin Stores

Airway mucin secretion studies have focused on goblet cell responses to exogenous agonists almost to the exclusion of baseline mucin secretion (BLMS). In human bronchial epithelial cell cultures (HBECCs), maximal agonist-stimulated secretion exceeds baseline by ~3-fold as measured over hour-long periods, but mucin stores are discharged completely and require 24 h for full restoration. Hence, over 24 h, total baseline exceeds agonist-induced secretion by several-fold. Studies with HBECCs and mouse tracheas showed that BLMS is highly sensitive to mechanical stresses. Harvesting three consecutive 1 h baseline luminal incubations with HBECCs yielded equal rates of BLMS; however, lengthening the middle period to 72 h decreased the respective rate significantly, suggesting a stimulation of BLMS by the gentle washes of HBECC luminal surfaces. BLMS declined exponentially after washing HBECCs (t1/2 = 2.75 h), to rates approaching zero. HBECCs exposed to low perfusion rates exhibited spike-like increases in BLMS when flow was jumped 5-fold: BLMS increased >4 fold, then decreased within 5 min to a stable plateau at 1.5–2-fold over control. Higher flow jumps induced proportionally higher BLMS increases. Inducing mucous hyperplasia in HBECCs increased mucin production, BLMS and agonist-induced secretion. Mouse tracheal BLMS was ~6-fold higher during perfusion, than when flow was stopped. Munc13-2 null mouse tracheas, with their defect of accumulated cellular mucins, exhibited similar BLMS as WT, contrary to predictions of lower values. Graded mucous metaplasia induced in WT and Munc13-2 null tracheas with IL-13, caused proportional increases in BLMS, suggesting that naïve Munc13-2 mouse BLMS is elevated by increased mucin stores. We conclude that BLMS is, [i] a major component of mucin secretion in the lung, [ii] sustained by the mechanical activity of a dynamic lung, [iii] proportional to levels of mucin stores, and [iv] regulated differentially from agonist-induced mucin secretion.
In vivo transcript profiling of Candida albicans identifies a gene essential for interepithelial dissemination

Candida albicans is the most common oral fungal pathogen of humans, but the mechanisms by which C. albicans invades and persists within mucosal epithelium are not clear. To understand oral pathogenesis, we characterized the cellular and molecular mechanisms of epithelial–fungus interactions using reconstituted human oral epithelium (RHE). We observed that hyphal formation facilitates epithelial invasion via both active (physical penetration) and passive (induced endocytosis) processes. Genome wide transcript profiling of C. albicans experimental RHE infection was compared with that from 11 patient samples with pseudomembranous candidiasis to identify genes associated with disease development in vivo. Expression profiles reflected the morphological switch and an adaptive response to neutral pH, non‐glucose carbon sources and nitrosative stress. We identified several novel infection‐associated genes with unknown function. One gene, upregulated in both RHE infection and patients, named EED1, was essential for maintenance of hyphal elongation. Mutants lacking EED1 showed transient cell elongation on epithelial tissue, which enabled only superficial invasion of epithelial cells. Once inside an epithelial cell, Δeed1 cells could proliferate as yeasts or pseudohyphae but remained trapped intracellularly. Our results suggest that the adaptive response and morphology of C. albicans play specific roles for host–fungal interactions during mucosal infections.
Evidence that anoreceptive intercourse with ejaculate exposure is associated with rapid CD4 cell loss

ObjectiveTo determine whether ejaculate exposure through anoreceptive intercourse is associated with rapid CD4 cell loss. DesignSelf-reported behavioral, demographic data and blood samples were gathered longitudinally at ten semiannual visits from individuals participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Patients/participantsA group of 937 HIV-seropositive men who were continuously followed for four to ten semiannual visits. Outcome measuresA loss of 10% or more in CD4 cells between the first two of any three consecutive semiannual visits that was followed by a 10% or greater loss between the second and third visits. ResultsA period of rapid CD4 cell loss over three semiannual visits occurred in 389 of the 937 (42%) HIV-seropositive men studied. Men who reported one or more anoreceptive intercourse partners with whom they were exposed to ejaculate (RAI-E) during the 12 months immediately preceding their visits were more than twice as likely to show this rapid CD4 cell loss compared with men with no such partners. ConclusionsThe association between RAI-E partnerships and rapid CD4 cell loss suggests factors associated with ejaculate exposure (e.g., sexually transmitted diseases) may hasten the clinical progression of HIV disease. It is suggested that infectious diseases, which are known to be associated with ejaculate exposure, may be the causal factor underlying the association between RAI-E partnerships and rapid CD4 cell loss in these men, although the presence of these diseases was not ascertained in these data. HIV-infected individuals should be cautioned against unprotected anoreceptive intercourse.
Mi‐2 chromatin remodeling factor functions in sensory organ development through proneural gene repression in Drosophila

Mi‐2, the central component of the nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylation (NuRD) complex, is known as an SNF2‐type ATP‐dependent nucleosome remodeling factor. No morphological mutant phenotype of Drosophila Mi‐2 (dMi‐2) had been reported previously; however, we found that rare escapers develop into adult flies showing an extra bristle phenotype. The dMi‐2 enhanced the phenotype of acHw49c, which is a dominant gain‐of‐function allele of achaete (ac) and produces extra bristles. Consistent with these observations, the ac‐expressing proneural clusters were expanded, and extra sensory organ precursors (SOP) were formed in the dMi‐2 mutant wing discs. Immunostaining of polytene chromosomes showed that dMi‐2 binds to the ac locus, and dMi‐2 and acetylated hisotones distribute on polytene chromosomes in a mutually exclusive manner. The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay of the wing imaginal disc also demonstrated a binding of dMi‐2 on the ac locus. These results suggest that the Drosophila Mi‐2/NuRD complex functions in neuronal differentiation through the repression of proneural gene expression by chromatin remodeling and histone deacetylation.
An Innovative Strategy for Correctly Interpreting Simultaneous Acquisition of EEG Signals and FMRI Images

Cognitive event-related measurements of the human brain are performed by measuring electrical signals and electromagnetic fields (electroencephalography, EEG, and magnetoencephalography, MEG) and hemodynamic responses (measured by fMRI and PET). The EEG and MEG reflect synchronized electrical activity of neurons, and then show the same timescale as neurocognitive processes. The fMRI is related to the power consumption of groups of neurons and registers a signal on a timescale of several seconds. Unlike fMRI, MEG and EEG are not imaging methods. It is our opinion that the combination of MEG or EEG with the fMRI therefore would be very useful to reach a high resolution, both in time and space, of brain functions. It is not assured however that all measured events during an EEG acquisition and cognitive process-related produce measurable changes of the BOLD signal-and vice versa. In this paper, a new strategy of combining signals (electric and hemodynamic responses) simultaneously acquired from different clinical methodologies is performed and tested in order to produce more reliable information about brain activity. Two different algorithms are explored and compared via repeatability standard deviation estimations of fMRI images.
Liquidity Management in Islamic Banking: Issues and Challenges

As a financial intermediation, banking industry has and will always be bound with mismatch maturity problem between asset and liabilities which leads to liquidity issue. This article uses a literature study to observe the current liquidity trend in Islamic banking, the issues faced by the existing Islamic liquidity instruments and ways to overcome it. It is found that the common issues associated with Islamic liquidity instruments are sharia issue, inactivity of its secondary market, key issues on short term sukuk issuance and difficulty of cross-border transactions. A better management on liquidity position and a more robust liquidity infrastructure are needed for a better liquidty management in Islamic banking industry.
Improvements in quadriceps sensorimotor function and disability of patients with knee osteoarthritis following a clinically practicable exercise regime.

OBJECTIVE Quadriceps sensorimotor dysfunction may be important in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and a determinant of disability. Exercise regimes can increase quadriceps strength, but whether this improves proprioception and reduces disability is uncertain. Moreover, research regimes involve protracted treatment which is clinically impracticable. METHODS We compared quadriceps sensorimotor function and disability in 60 patients with knee OA, before and after an exercise regime, with a control group (n = 37) who did not exercise. RESULTS Exercise improved quadriceps strength (mean change, 95% CI; 73 N, 26-19 N), voluntary activation (14%, 5-20%), knee joint position sense (0.6 degrees, 0.1-1.8 degrees), and reduced the Lequesne Index (3.5, 0.5-4) and aggregate time of four activities of daily living (8.4 s, 0.2-16.7 s). At 6 month follow-up, these improvements were maintained. The parameters of the control group were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS These results substantiate the association between quadriceps sensorimotor dysfunction and disability, emphasizing the importance of quadriceps exercise in the management of knee OA. The regimen is relatively brief and clinically practicable, but could be adapted to make it more cost effective.
Factors That Contribute to the Improvement in Maternal Parenting After Separation From a Violent Husband or Partner

The authors test the hypothesis that separation from a violent husband or partner improves maternal parenting in Japan and examine how childhood abuse history (CAH), experience of domestic violence (DV), mental health problems, husband or partner’s child maltreatment, and other demographic factors affect maternal parenting after such separation. A self-administered questionnaire survey is conducted for mothers (n = 304) and their children (n = 498) staying in 83 mother-child homes in Japan to assess the mothers’ CAH, DV experiences, current mental health problems, and exposure to a husband or partner’s child maltreatment. The authors also assess maternal poor parenting (physical and psychological abuse, neglect, no playing, and no praise) before and after admission into the mother-child homes. The total poor parenting score (specifically for neglect, no playing, and no praise) significantly reduces after separation from a violent husband or partner (p = .001, paired t test). However, scores for psychological abuse significantly increase after admission (p < .001, paired t test). CAH, DV, and mental health problems are not associated with a reduced total poor parenting score after admission. Husband or partner’s child maltreatment is independently significantly associated with a reduced maternal poor parenting score: A 10% increase in such maltreatment is associated with a 5% reduction in the poor parenting score after separation. Marital status also contributes to the score reduction: The reduction is less in married or divorced mothers than in those who did not marry the partner. Mother-child homes might be useful for improving maternal parenting. Further study is needed to elucidate the mechanism of the impact of separation from a violent husband or partner on maternal parenting.
Glenohumeral joint laxity and stiffness in the functional throwing position of high school baseball pitchers.

CONTEXT Repetitive overhead throwing has been theorized to result in chronic adaptations to the capsuloligamentous restraints of the glenohumeral joint. OBJECTIVE To compare glenohumeral joint laxity and stiffness between the throwing and nonthrowing shoulders of high school baseball pitchers. DESIGN Repeated measures. SETTING High school athletic training facilities. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Twenty-two asymptomatic high school baseball pitchers (age = 16.50 +/- 0.74 years, height = 178.51 +/- 7.66 cm, mass = 75.43 +/- 13.24 kg) from a sample of convenience. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE(S) We used computerized stress arthrometry to measure glenohumeral joint laxity and stiffness. Anterior glenohumeral joint laxity and stiffness measures were obtained with the shoulder in 90 degrees of abduction and both neutral rotation and 90 degrees of external rotation. Posterior laxity and stiffness measures were obtained with the shoulder in 90 degrees of abduction and neutral rotation. RESULTS No clinically significant differences were found for glenohumeral laxity or stiffness between sides. However, a statistically significant main effect for position was present for both laxity and stiffness. Anterior glenohumeral joint laxity in the 90 degrees external rotation position was significantly decreased and stiffness was increased in this position compared with the anterior at neutral and posterior at neutral positions. CONCLUSIONS Glenohumeral joint laxity decreases and stiffness increases in the functional throwing position of 90 degrees of abduction and 90 degrees of external rotation. No clinically significant side-to-side differences or directional differences were found in high school baseball pitchers.
The usefulness of a structured questionnaire in the assessment of symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) rests primarily on recognition of symptom patterns that are classical for reflux disease, but little attention has been paid to the use of a formal questionnaire for identifying such symptom patterns. METHODS A self-administered questionnaire was developed which has seven items that focus on the nature of the symptoms and the precipitating, exacerbating, and relieving factors. The diagnostic validity of the questionnaire was tested against endoscopy and 24-h pH monitoring. A further evaluation was undertaken in patients with symptoms suggestive of GERD and in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia, to identify factors that might predict symptom relief during treatment with omeprazole. RESULTS When endoscopic esophageal mucosal breaks and 24-h pH data were used as criteria for the diagnosis of GERD, the questionnaire had a sensitivity of 92% but a very low specificity of 19%. Symptom relief during treatment with omeprazole was predicted by the presence of heartburn, described as 'a burning feeling rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the neck' (P = 0.004), and 'relief from antacids' (P = 0.02). In non-ulcer dyspepsia a positive response to omeprazole was confined to the subgroup of patients who identified their main discomfort as heartburn as described above. CONCLUSION The present questionnaire using descriptive language usefully identified heartburn in patients presenting with upper abdominal symptoms, and this symptom predicted symptom resolution during treatment with omeprazole.