Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
University of Birmingham Participatory populism:

Online media have transformed the political news landscapes, changing not only professional journalistic practices but also the way in which citizens participate in political communication. In the debate about the impact of the Internet on democratic practices, some scholars emphasize the potential of digital media platforms to establish a medium for deliberative and inclusive democratic participation, whereas others underline the development of fragmented ‘echo chambers’ driven by the interests of mainstream news organisations. We point to an alternative scenario in which online political communication develops in the direction of ‘participatory populism’, involving an unrepresentative group of users actively engaging in the delegitimization of democratic institutions. This engagement results in a collective voice that expresses high levels of negativity towards mainstream democratic politics. Through a study of user comments relating to the 2014 European Parliament election in Germany and the UK, we show how commenters express predominantly negative views towards not just the EU but also national government and mainstream opposition parties. We find, however, that the relationship between user comments and news platforms is highly contextualized. The nature of the relationship between comments and news platforms across countries thus warrants further investigation.
Methods for assessing DNA hybridization of PNA-TiO2 nanoconjugates

We describe the synthesis of peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoconjugates and the several novel methods developed to investigate the DNA hybridization behaviors of these constructs. PNAs are synthetic DNA analogs resistant to degradation by cellular enzymes, which hybridize to single strand DNA (ssDNA) with higher affinity than DNA oligonucleotides, invade double strand DNA (dsDNA), and form different PNA-DNA complexes. Previously, we developed a DNA-TiO2 nanoconjugate capable of hybridizing to target DNA intracellularly in a sequencespecific manner, with the ability to cleave DNA when excited by electromagnetic radiation, but susceptible to degradation which may lower its intracellular targeting efficiency and retention time. PNA-TiO2 nanoconjugates described herein hybridize to target ssDNA, oligonucleotide dsDNA, and supercoiled plasmid DNA under physiological-like ionic and temperature conditions, enabling rapid and inexpensive, sequence-specific precipitation of nucleic acids in vitro. When modified by the addition of imaging agents or peptides, hybridization capabilities of PNA-TiO2 nanoconjugates are enhanced which provides essential benefits for numerous in vitro and in vivo applications. The series of experiments shown here could not be done with either TiO2-DNA nanoconjugates or PNAs alone, and the novel methods developed will benefit studies of numerous other nanoconjugate systems.
Harnessing the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Bamboo in Nigeria

Calisma, Nijerya'nin bambu maddesinin ekonomik ve cevresel faydalarina etkilerini incelemektedir. Calisma ayrica tekstil endustrisi, mobilya endustrisi, kagit endustrisi, dokuma endustrisi ve cevreye karbon lavabo olarak rolu gibi pek cok alanda bambu urununun genis kullanim alanlarini ortaya koymaktadir. Cok amacli bir bitki olarak ve ayrica lifli kok ve toplu gelisme modelinden dolayi, bambu toprak erozyonunu kontrol etme kabiliyetine sahiptir. Calisma, bambunun bir cok alanda yararli oldugunu, ancak arastirma, gelistirme ve kullanimda onemli bir yatirim yapilmadigi takdirde cok fazla ilerleme kaydedilmeyecegini ifade etmektedir. Calismada sonuc olarak, Bambu'nun cesitli kullanimlari konusunda daha fazla farkindalik yaratilmasi onerilmektedir .
Randomized Trial of a Dissonance-Based Group Treatment for Eating Disorders: An Evaluation of Target Engagement

Objective: Test whether a dissonance-based transdiagnostic eating disorder treatment reduces valuation of the thin beauty ideal and high-calorie binge foods, the intervention targets, relative to waitlist controls, and eating pathology. Method: Women with DSM-5 eating disorders (N = 100) were randomized to an 8-week groupimplemented Body Project Treatment (BPT) redesigned to encourage rapid symptom reduction or a waitlist control condition, completing fMRI paradigms assessing neural response to thin models and binge foods, questionnaires, and diagnostic interviews at pretest and posttest. Results: Compared to controls, BPT participants showed greater reductions in responsivity of regions involved in reward valuation (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, caudate) to thin models but not binge foods, pursuit of the thin ideal (d = .72), palatability ratings of binge foods (d = .78), and greater increases in attractiveness ratings of average-weight models (d = .44), the intervention targets, as well as greater reductions in body dissatisfaction (d = .83), negative affect (d = .76), and eating disorder symptoms (d = .59), and marginally greater abstinence from binge eating and compensatory behaviors (39% vs. 21%). Conclusions: Results provide novel evidence that BPT affected the hypothesized intervention targets and reduced variables that are putatively secondary to pursuit of the thin ideal, including body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and eating disorder symptoms. Symptom reductions were smaller than in past trials, suggesting that it may be optimal to reduce valuation of the thin ideal before asking participants to reduce disordered eating behaviors that are used to pursue this ideal.
Estimating brain age based on a uniform healthy population with deep learning and structural MRI

Numerous studies have established that estimated brain age, as derived from statistical models trained on healthy populations, constitutes a valuable biomarker that is predictive of cognitive decline and various neurological diseases. In this work, we curate a large-scale heterogeneous dataset (N = 10,158, age range 18 - 97) of structural brain MRIs in a healthy population from multiple publicly-available sources, upon which we train a deep learning model for brain age estimation. The availability of the large-scale dataset enables a more uniform age distribution across adult life-span for effective age estimation with no bias toward certain age groups. We demonstrate that the age estimation accuracy, evaluated with mean absolute error (MAE) and correlation coefficient (r), outperforms previously reported methods in both a hold-out test set reflective of the custom population (MAE = 4.06 years, r = 0.970) and an independent life-span evaluation dataset (MAE = 4.21 years, r = 0.960) on which a previous study has evaluated. We further demonstrate the utility of the estimated age in life-span aging analysis of cognitive functions. Furthermore, we conduct extensive ablation tests and employ feature-attribution techniques to analyze which regions contribute the most predictive value, demonstrating the prominence of the frontal lobe as well as pattern shift across life-span. In summary, we achieve age estimation performance comparable to previous studies but with a more heterogenous dataset confirming the efficacy of deep learning and the added utility of training with data both in larger number and more uniformly distributed than in previous studies. We demonstrate the regional contribution to our brain age predictions through multiple routes and
Arhgef1 Regulates 5 1 Integrin-Mediated Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression and Is Required for Homeostatic Lung Immunity

Pulmonary immunity depends on the ability of leukocytes to neutralize potentially harmful and frequent insults to the lung, and appropriate regulation of leukocyte migration and adhesion is integral to this process. Arhgef1 is a hematopoietic-restricted signaling molecule that regulates leukocyte migration and integrin-mediated adhesion. To explore a possible regulatory role for Arhgef1 in pulmonary immunity we examined the lung and its leukocytes in wild-type and Arhgef1-deficient animals. Here we report that the lungs of Arhgef1 / mice harbored significantly more leukocytes, increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), airspace enlargement, and decreased lung elastance compared with wild-type lungs. Transfer of Arhgef1 / lung leukocytes to wild-type mice led to airspace enlargement and impaired lung function, indicating that loss of Arhgef1 in leukocytes was sufficient to induce pulmonary pathology. Furthermore, we showed that Arhgef1deficient peritoneal macrophages when either injected into the lungs of wild-type mice or cultured on fibronectin significantly increased expression and activity of MMPs relative to control macrophages, and the in vitro fibronectin induction was dependent on the 5 1 integrin pair. Together these data demonstrate that Arhgef1 regulates 5 1-mediated MMP expression by macrophages and that loss of Arhgef1 by leukocytes leads to pulmonary pathology. (Am J Pathol 2010, 176:1157–1168; DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2010.090200)
The Effect of a Hypertension Self-Management Intervention on the Unintended Targets of Diabetes and Cholesterol Control

Background—Most patient chronic disease self-management interventions target single disease outcomes. We evaluated the effect of a tailored hypertension self-management intervention on the unintended targets of glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb A1c) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C). Methods—We examined 588 patients from the Veterans Study to Improve the Control of Hypertension (V-STITCH), a two year randomized controlled trial. Patients received either a hypertension self-management intervention delivered by a nurse over the telephone or usual care. Although the study focused on hypertension self-management, we compared changes in Hb A1c among a subgroup of 216 patients with diabetes and LDL-C among 528 patients with measurements during the study period. Changes in these lab values over time were compared between the two treatment groups using linear mixed-effects models. Results—For the patients with diabetes, the hypertension self-management intervention resulted in a 0.46% reduction in Hb A1c over two years compared to usual care (95% CI: 0.04% to 0.89%; p=0.03). For LDL-C, the self-management intervention arm resulted in a reduction of 0.9mg/dl over two years compared to usual care (95% CI: -7.3mg/dl to 5.6mg/dl; p=0.79). Conclusions—There was no evidence of a hypertension self-management intervention effect on LDL-C, but there was a modest effect of the intervention on the unintended target of Hb A1c. This effect was similar to that seen in self-management interventions specifically targeting diabetes management. Chronic disease self-management interventions may spill over into patients’ comorbid diagnoses.
in cultured human endothelial cells

The brain capillary endothelial cells are responsible for the permeability properties of the blood-brain barrier. Natriuretic peptides are conside to play an important ro1e in the volume regu1ation of the brain by affecting the function of capillary endothelia1 cells. The rat brain capillary endothelial cells were isolated and cultured and the effects of natriuretic peptides on them were studied. The brain capillary endothelial cells were isolated from Spraque-Dawley rat brain cortex the method of two step enzymatic treatment and cultured in the collagen-coated dishes. The effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) on cul tured brain capillary endothelia1 cells werθ studied by the cyclic guanosine 3' ， 町田 monophospate (c-GMP) production method. The cu1tured brain capillary endothelia1 cells showed cobble stone appearance and retained an endothelial specific marker ， Factor VJs -related antigen. The cells constant1y produced PGI2 after 10 passages. The cells rapidiy 10st r -GTP activity by passages. In the cultured endothelial cells ， ANP stimulated c 心 MPproduction at the dose higher than 10 … 7M. On the other hand ， CNP at the dose between lO- lO M and 10-5M showed no response. Brain capillary endothelial rats were isolated and cultured with maintaining their physio10gical activities. Response to ANP which is considered to p1ay an important ro1e in the volume regulation of the brain was preserved after passages. Response to CNP of which ro1e in the vo1ume regulation of the brain is controversia1 was negative after passages.
DEPLETION OF INTRACELLULAR GLUCOSE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

constant per unit cellular surface area and is accompanied by a constant 6 pmol of glucose transport systems/mg of membrane protein in the plasma membrane fraction. Maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity decreases from 3.16 to 1.05 fmol/ cell per min and from 0.26 to 0.12 amol/,Lm2 per min, and is accompanied by a decrease from 25 to 15 pmol of glucose transport systems/mg of plasma membrane protein. These diminished effects of insulin on glucose transport activity and the concentration of glucose A preliminary report of this work was presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, 25 April 1981, San Francisco, Calif. Received for publication 7 May 1981 and in revised form 19 June 1981. transport systems in the plasma membrane fraction are paralleled by a 45% decrease in the basal number of glucose transport systems per milligram of membrane protein in the low density microsomal membrane fraction, the source of those glucose transport systems appearing in the plasma membrane in response to insulin. Thus, the "insulin resistant" glucose transport of the adipose cell in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat appears to be the consequence ofa depletion ofglucose transport systems in the intracellular pool.
Developing logic models to inform evaluation: An example from tobacco control

Background The evaluation of large-scale public health policy interventions often relies on observational designs where attributing causality is challenging. Logic models – visual representations of an intervention’s anticipated causal pathway – facilitate the analysis of the most relevant outcomes. We aimed to develop a set of logic models that could be widely used in tobacco policy evaluation. Methods We developed an overarching logic model which reflected the broad categories of outcomes that would be expected following the implementation of tobacco control policies. We subsequently reviewed policy documents to identify the outcomes expected to result from the implementation of each policy, and conducted a literature review of existing evaluations to identify further outcomes. The models were revised according to feedback from a range of stakeholders. Results The final models represented expected causal pathways for each policy. The models included short term outcomes (such as policy awareness, compliance and social cognitive outcomes), intermediate outcomes (such as changes in smoking behaviour) and long-term outcomes (such as mortality, morbidity and health service usage). Conclusions The use of logic models enables transparent and theory-based planning of evaluation analyses and should be encouraged in the evaluation of tobacco control policy, as well as other areas of public health.
-Smooth Muscle Actin Is Crucial for Focal Adhesion Maturation in Myofibroblasts□V

Cultured myofibroblasts are characterized by stress fibers, containing -smooth muscle actin ( -SMA) and by supermature focal adhesions (FAs), which are larger than FAs of -SMA– negative fibroblasts. We have investigated the role of -SMA for myofibroblast adhesion and FA maturation. Inverted centrifugation reveals two phases of initial myofibroblast attachment: during the first 2 h of plating microfilament bundles contain essentially cytoplasmic actin and myofibroblast adhesion is similar to that of -SMA–negative fibroblasts. Then, myofibroblasts incorporate -SMA in stress fibers, develop mature FAs and their adhesion capacity is significantly increased. When -SMA expression is induced in 5 d culture by TGF or low serum levels, fibroblast adhesion is further increased correlating with a “supermaturation” of FAs. Treatment of myofibroblasts with -SMA fusion peptide (SMA-FP), which inhibits -SMA–mediated contractile activity, reduces their adhesion to the level of -SMA negative fibroblasts. With the use of flexible micropatterned substrates and EGFP-constructs we show that SMA-FP application leads to a decrease of myofibroblast contraction, shortly followed by disassembly of paxillinand 3 integrin-containing FAs; 5 integrin distribution is not affected. FRAP of 3 integrin-EGFP demonstrates an increase of FA protein turnover following SMA-FP treatment. We conclude that the formation and stability of supermature FAs depends on a high -SMA–mediated contractile activity of myofibroblast stress fibers.
EFFECT OF ALKALI ON THE SIZE DISPERSITY OF MAMMALIAN DNA MEASURED BY FILTER ELUTION

DNA from unirradiated and irradiated cultured 9L rat brain tumor cells was held for varying times in low ionic strength solutions at pH 1 1.0, 12.3, or 12.9. The effect of this exposure to alkali on the DNA size distribution was determined by comparing the DNA filter elution profiles obtained experimentally with those theoretically predicted for monodispersed and random distributions. At pH 12.3 or 12.9, DNA from cells irradiated with 300 rad eluted with first-order kinetics corresponding to a random DNA size distribution. The median size of the distribution decreased if the irradiated DNA was exposed to pH 12.3 for 24 h. At pH 12.3 or 12.9, DNA from unirradiated cells eluted initially with complex kinetics that later became linear (18-21 h for pH 12.3 or 13-15 h for pH 12.9), characteristic of a monodispersed DNA size distribution. Holding either unirradiated or irradiated DNA at pH 11.0, below the critical unwinding pH, produced no effect on the elution profiles. Analysis of these filter elution data indicated that after sufficient exposure to pH 12.3 or 12.9, undamaged DNA molecules from mammalian cells elute as a single-stranded monodispersed size distribution of -1 x 1010 daltons. While the possibility cannot be completely eliminated that this monodispersed size represents an upper limit determined by physical forces, these results, in conjunction with those obtained using other techniques, lend credence to the existence of a nonrandom higher-order structure in mammalian
Molecular Features of the Zn 2 D Binding Site in the Prion Protein Probed by 113 Cd NMR

The cellular prion protein (PrP) is a zinc-binding protein that contributes to the regulation of Zn2þ and other divalent species of the central nervous system. Zn2þ coordinates to the flexible, N-terminal repeat region of PrP and drives a tertiary contact between this repeat region and a well-defined cleft of the C-terminal domain. The tertiary structure promoted by Zn2þ is thought to regulate inherent PrP toxicity. Despite the emerging consensus regarding the interaction between Zn2þ and PrP, there is little direct spectroscopic confirmation of the metal ion’s coordination details. Here, we address this conceptual gap by using Cd2þ as a surrogate for Zn2þ. NMR finds that Cd2þ binds exclusively to the His imidazole side chains of the repeat segment, with a dissociation constant of 1.2 mM, and promotes an N-terminal-C-terminal cis interaction very similar to that observed with Zn2þ. Analysis of Cd NMR spectra of PrP, along with relevant control proteins and peptides, suggests that coordination of Cd2þ in the full-length protein is consistent with a threeor four-His geometry. Examination of the mutation E199K in mouse PrP (E200K in humans), responsible for inherited Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, finds that the mutation lowers metal ion affinity and weakens the cis interaction. These findings not only provide deeper insight into PrP metal ion coordination but they also suggest new perspectives on the role of familial mutations in prion disease.
Glutamate/metabotropic glutamate receptor-5 signaling in hepatic stellate cells drives endocannabinoid-mediated alcoholic steatosis

Won-Mook Choi1,2, Hee-Hoon Kim1, Myung-Ho Kim1, Resat Cinar3, Hyon-Seung Yi1,4, Hyuk Soo Eun1,4, Seok-Hwan Kim5, Young Jae Choi6, Young-Sun Lee1,7, So Yeon Kim1, Wonhyo Seo1,10, Jun-Hee Lee1, Young-Ri Shim1, Ye Eun Kim1, Keungmo Yang1, Tom Ryu1, Jung Hwan Hwang8, Chul-Ho Lee8, Hueng-Sik Choi9, Bin Gao10, Won Kim11, Sang Kyum Kim6, George Kunos3,*, Won-Il Jeong1,12,* 1Laboratory of Liver Research, Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
Clinical Utility of Universal Broad-Range Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplicon Sequencing for Pathogen Identification: A Retrospective Cohort Study

1554 • cid 2020:71 (15 September) • BRIEF REPORT Received 16 September 2019; editorial decision 6 November 2019; accepted 2 January 2020; published online January 7, 2020. Correspondence: A. D. Kerkhoff, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, 1001 Potrero Ave, 409 San Francisco, CA 94110 (Andrew.kerkhoff@ucsf.edu). Clinical Infectious Diseases 2020;71(6):1554–7 © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz1245 Clinical Utility of Universal Broad-Range Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplicon Sequencing for Pathogen Identification: A Retrospective Cohort Study
The revised AJCC Staging System (7th Edition) improves prognostic stratification after minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophagogastric adenocarcinoma

Background—Staging for esophagogastric adenocarcinoma lacked sufficient prognostic accuracy and was revised. We compared survival prognostication between American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) 6thand 7th-editions. Methods—We abstracted data for 836 patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) for esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (n=256 neoadjuvant). Monotonicity and strength of survival trends, by stage, were assessed (log-rank test of trend chi-squared statistic) and compared using permutation testing. Overall survival (Cox regression) and model fit (Akaike Information Criterion (AIC)) were determined. Results—A greater log-rank test of trend statistic indicated stronger survival trends by stage in AJCC-7th (152.872 vs. 167.623; permutation test p<0.001). Greater Cox likelihood chi squared value (162.957 vs. 173.951) and lower AIC (4831.011 vs 4820.016) indicated better model fit. Superior performance was also shown after neoadjuvant therapy. Corresponding author: Katie S. Nason, MD MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery, 5200 Centre Ave, Suite 715, Shadyside Medical Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. nasonks@upmc.edu; Phone: 412-623-2025; Fax: 412-623-0329. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. This work was presented as a poster at the 2014 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium on January 16, 2014 at the Moscone West Building in San Francisco, California, and at ASCO Annual Meeting 2014 on May 31, 2014 at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Am J Surg. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 October 01. Published in final edited form as: Am J Surg. 2015 October ; 210(4): 610–617. doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg. 2015.05. 010. A uhor M anscript