Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CTGF expression in mesangial cells: involvement of SMADs, MAP kinase, and PKC.

BACKGROUND The induction of excess matrix in renal fibrosis seems to be mediated, at least in part, by the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)-mediated induction of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in mesangial cells. METHODS By examining CTGF protein and mRNA expression and promoter activity in the presence or absence of TGF-beta or inhibitors, the signaling pathways controlling basal and TGF-beta-induced CTGF expression in mesangial cells were investigated. RESULTS TGF-beta enhances CTGF mRNA and protein expression in mesangial cells. Mutation of a consensus SMAD binding element in the CTGF promoter completely abolished TGF-beta-induced CTGF expression and reduced basal CTGF expression. The previously identified basal control element-1 (BCE-1) site, but not Sp1 contributes to basal CTGF promoter activity. Ras/MEK/ERK, protein kinase C (PKC) and tyrosine kinase activity also contribute to basal and TGF-beta-induced CTGF promoter activity in cultured mesangial cells. CONCLUSIONS The TGF-beta-induction of CTGF in mesangial cells requires SMADs and PKC/ras/MEK/ERK pathways. SMADs are involved in basal CTGF expression, which presumably reflects the fact that mesangial cells express TGF-beta endogenously. TGF-beta also induces CTGF through ras/MEK/ERK. Inhibiting ras/MEK/ERK seems not to reduce phosphorylation (that is, activation) of SMADs, suggesting that SMADs, although necessary, are insufficient for the TGF-beta-stimulation of the CTGF promoter through ras/MEK/ERK. Thus, maximal TGF-beta induction of CTGF requires synergy between SMAD and ras/MEK/ERK signaling.
Population Graphs: the graph theoretic shape of genetic structure

Patterns of intraspecific genetic variation result from interactions among both historical and contemporary evolutionary processes. Traditionally, population geneticists have used methods such as F‐statistics, pairwise isolation by distance models, spatial autocorrelation and coalescent models to analyse this variation and to gain insight about causal evolutionary processes. Here we introduce a novel approach (Population Graphs) that focuses on the analysis of marker‐based population genetic data within a graph theoretic framework. This method can be used to estimate traditional population genetic summary statistics, but its primary focus is on characterizing the complex topology resulting from historical and contemporary genetic interactions among populations. We introduce the application of Population Graphs by examining the range‐wide population genetic structure of a Sonoran Desert cactus (Lophocereus schottii). With this data set, we evaluate hypotheses regarding historical vicariance, isolation by distance, population‐level assignment and the importance of specific populations to species‐wide genetic connectivity. We close by discussing the applicability of Population Graphs for addressing a wide range of population genetic and phylogeographical problems.
Offspring from endogamic vs. exogamic matings: Absence of anthropometric differences among Sardinian children (Italy)

This study evaluates possible differences in body dimensions among children from matings of different exogamy levels. The cross‐sectional sample consisted of 867 children, 435 males, and 432 females, 6–10 years old, attending elementary schools in the metropolitan area of Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia (Italy). The children were divided into two groups according to the level of exogamy. The first group consisted of children of parents born in the same Sardinian municipality and was considered endogamous sensu stricto. The second group included children of parents born in municipalities from different Sardinian linguistic domains and was considered exogamous. The Mann–Whitney test did not reveal significant differences between the two groups of children in the mean rank values of the 36 anthropometric variables considered, with the exception of cephalic circumference in males and chest depth in females. In particular, there were no significant differences for anthropometric variables considered to be indirect indicators of nutritional status: sum of skinfolds, waist/hip ratio, body mass index, total upper arm area, upper arm muscle area, and upper arm fat area. The results indicate that Sardinian children from marriages of different exogamy levels do not differ in body dimensions if they grow up with similar nutritional and socioeconomic conditions. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
WISC, WISC-R, S-B L & M, WRAT: Relationships And Trends Among Children Ages Six To Ten Referred For Psychological Evaluation.

Thirty children ages 6-10 were selected who had been referred for psychological evaluation from the public schools. WISC-R was significantly lower than WISC FS IQs and similar to S-B L&M IQs (1972). Each scale predicts reading, spelling, and achievement in a significant manner. The use of the WISC-R over the WISC will rosult in greater numbers of children being classified as retarded.
The evolution of culture : an interdisciplinary view

This book explores the ways in which contemporary evolutionary thinking might inform the study of the peculiarly human phenomenon of symbolic culture, including language, ritual, religion, religion and art. It draws together contributions from biologists, linguists, anthropologists and archaeologists in order to establish common ground where collaboration and interaction will be especially productive and challenging in the study of those fundamental aspects of our biology that makes us human. * Multidisciplinary * An evolutionary approach to culture
Elevated plasma homocysteine levels in L-dopa-treated Parkinson's disease patients with dyskinesias

Abstract Background: Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations are associated with increased risk of systemic vascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Several cross-sectional reports and two prospective clinical studies have recently reported elevated plasma Hcy levels in L-dopa-treated Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and Hcy has been proposed as a possible mediator for the development of long-term L-dopa motor complications (such as wearing off and on-off phenomena, and dyskinesias). The aim of the study was to elucidate a possible role of L-dopa-related hyperhomocysteinemia in the development of dyskinesias. Methods: In this cross-sectional study we compared Hcy, B12 and folate levels in 53 PD patients treated with L-dopa (29 with dyskinesias, 24 without dyskinesias). Results: Mean plasma Hcy levels were higher in the group of PD patients with dyskinesias (19 vs. 15.4 T: 2.12; p=0.04). After taking into account potential confounding factors, analysis of the data revealed that the occurrence of dyskinesias progressively increased with plasma Hcy levels (relative risk 1.2, 95% CI 1.015–1.4; p=0.03). Conclusions: Our results raise the possibility that Hcy plays a role in the development of dyskinesias, through its toxic effects on both dopaminergic neurons and non-substantia nigra, non-dopaminergic neurons. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:863–6.
Toward a Better Understanding of Attrition: The Korean and Vietnam Wars

This article attempts to provide a historically accurate description of attrition as an operational strategy. The Korean and Vietnam Wars contain prominent and commonly recognized examples of attrition. These examples clash with the popular image of attrition as a futile and bloody slogging match in which a commander ruthlessly trades the lives of his men in order to weaken the enemy at a relatively favorable rate. In these conflicts, attrition was a basic process of warfare, characterized by a variety of methods. Although not necessarily optimal, it was a useful alternative to other operational strategies that were too costly or risky. Accordingly, the popular image of attrition—shared by many historians, political scientists, and military officers—may not reflect the actual history of attrition.
Psychobiological Influences of Stress and HPA Regulation on the Human Fetus and Infant Birth Outcomes a

There are critical periods during development when profound changes in brain organization can occur.1 These critical periods relate to developmental periods when the brain is undergoing transformations such as cell migration or receptor development.2 Because many of these events transpire in utero, the fetal nervous system is especially vulnerable to a variety of influences, including subtle environmental (uterine) stress. Pregnancy provides a unique opportunity to study fetal exposure to certain neurochemical influences because of the maternal influence on the fetal environment. Evidence indicates that fetal exposure to abnormal levels of peptides can have profound influences on growth and development. For instance, post implantation mouse embryos exposed in vitro to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) increase growth fourfold, increase somite number, increase embryonic volume, and increase DNA and protein c ~ n t e n t . ~ ~ Central nervous system (CNS) studies4 of embryonic and fetal mRNA indicate that the influence of VIP is entirely extraembryonic (i.e. maternal). It is established that fetal exposure to either maternal or exogenous peptides produces changes in the brain and behavior that are greater and last longer than alterations in neonates or adults with similar exposure. "1° In addition to the "visible" effects described above (i.e. growth), some maternal peptides have influences on the fetus that are subtle, but have significant consequences for development.9*11 Substantial evidence documents the influence on braidbehavior development of peptides from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and P-endorphin (PE) (see Refs. 2, 12, and
Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Operationally Defined as Time, Work, and Intensity

This study was designed to examine whether different determinants exist for expressing leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). LTPA was operationalized to represent time, work, and intensity to determine whether these variables measure the same construct. The theoretical model chosen to investigate LTPA was the theory of planned behavior. Rating scales assessed the perceived control (PC) and the intention to engage in LTPA (Int) among 129 high school girls. Using a compendium of physical activities with MET values, LTPA was assessed with a 21-day physical activity diary. LTPA behavior was operationally defined as duration in minutes (PA-time), work in total METs × minutes (PA-work), and average intensity per minute (PA-mean intensity). Pearson correlations, reliability analyses for rating scales, and hierarchical multiple regression procedures were used. Correlational analyses showed a strong relationship between PA-time and PA-work (r = .89, p < .001). PA-mean intensity was significantly related to PA-time (r = .36, p < .001) and PA-work (r = .53, p < .001). The total explained variability for the predictor variables of Int, PC, and the interaction of Int × PC was 9.8%, 18.0%, and 13.1% for the criterion variables of PA-time, PA-work, and PA-mean intensity, respectively. In conclusion, it appears that PA-time and PA-work are measuring the same construct, whereas PA-mean intensity measures possibly a different construct. Within the framework of the theory of planned behavior, the three LTPA determinants explicated substantially different amounts of variance explained with PA-work, predicted better by theory expectations.
N Semantic Classes are Harder than Two

We show that we can automatically classify semantically related phrases into 10 classes. Classification robustness is improved by training with multiple sources of evidence, including within-document cooccurrence, HTML markup, syntactic relationships in sentences, substitutability in query logs, and string similarity. Our work provides a benchmark for automatic n-way classification into WordNet's semantic classes, both on a TREC news corpus and on a corpus of substitutable search query phrases.
Candida parapsilosis candidaemia in a neonatal unit over 7 years: a case series study

Objective To evaluate Candida parapsilosis candidaemia in a neonatal unit over 7 years. Design Case series study. Setting A 2000-bed tertiary-care university hospital at São Paulo, Brazil. Participants Neonates hospitalised in a 63-bed neonatal unit. Primary and secondary outcome measures We evaluated the incidence of C parapsilosis fungemia in a neonatal unit from 2002 through 2008 and the main microbiological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of this disease in neonates. During the study period an outbreak occurred, an infection control programme was implemented, and isolates from blood and hand healthcare workers (HCWs) were submitted to molecular typing. Results During 7 years, there were 36 cases of C parapsilosis fungaemia and annual incidence varied from 0 to 19.7 per 1000 admissions. Evaluating 31 neonates with fungemia, the mean age at diagnosis was 19 days. All children except for one were premature; all had received total parenteral nutrition and all but one had used central venous catheter. Three neonates had received antifungal treatment previously to the diagnosis. Thirty-day mortality was 45%. Only lower birthweight was associated with mortality. C parapsilosis species complex was isolated from hand cultures in eight (11%) of the HCWs (one isolate was identified as C orthopsilosis). By molecular typing no HCW isolate was similar to any of the blood isolates. Conclusions The incidence of C parapsilosis fungemia in a neonatal unit varied widely over 7 years. We observed in our series a higher death rate than that reported in European countries and the USA.
Just How Different? Loïc Wacquant's Chicago-Paris Comparisons

Addressing Wacquant in the symposium on the book Urban Outcasts, the commentator (Western) notes in introduction certain parallels in both their academic approach and their international experience, and expresses admiration for Wacquant's work. Then, a summary is provided of Wacquant's comparison of the U.S. inner city with the French banlieue (suburban zones of public housing), in particular of two neighborhoods in Chicago and Paris. Strong contrasts emerge along five dimensions: scale/location, race, relative deprivation, criminal violence, and state intervention/inaction. In conclusion, Wacquant's call for engagement, his insistence on agency, and his refusal to submit to seemingly determinant structural-historical factors is appreciatively noted.
Robust H∞ Control of Networked Controol System

This note considers Hinfin control of networked control system with norm-bounded uncertainties and Markov communication delays. The system can be modeled as discrete-time Markov jump linear system with stochastic time-delays. Stochastic stability of networked control system is studied, Hinfin norm is used to measure system performance, a synthesis method to robust Hinfin controller is presented by finding optimal solution to a coupled linear matrix inequalities. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach
Preference Among Female Army Recruits for Use of Self-Administrated Vaginal Swabs or Urine to Screen for Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Infections

Background Use of self-administered vaginal swabs (SAS) for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by nucleic acid amplification tests simplifies specimen collection and transport, especially for women in nonclinical settings. Goal We investigated the preference and comfort level of military women for the collection of SAS, compared with urine, for the diagnosis of genital chlamydial infections. Study Design During March through August 1999, female Army recruits in basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, were invited to participate in the study. Participants were requested to complete a questionnaire after providing both first-void urine (FVU) and SAS specimens. Participant characteristics, preferences, and comfort levels were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results From 4496 eligible female recruits, 1403 (31%) completed questionnaires and 1382 provided both specimens; 11.8% (166 of 1403) of participants were infected with chlamydia. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the C. trachomatis Ligase Chain Reaction test on SAS in 1382 matched pairs was 81.1% and 98.6%, respectively, using the test result on urine specimens as the comparison standard. Most of the participants (90.8%) reported that they felt comfortable collecting the FVU specimen, and 69.6% indicated that they felt comfortable collecting SAS. Either specimen collection type received high acceptability at home and in the field, and more women reported that they would collect FVU than reported they would collect SAS in the future (in the field: FVU: 79.4%, SAS: 68.8%, P <0.001); at home: FVU: 90.9%, SAS: 82.9%, P <0.001). When questioned about ease of use, 60.4% of women reported that urine was the easier method. Preferences for SAS were associated with being white and having had sexual risk behaviors in the past 3 months. Conclusion A study of preferences for urine versus self-administered vaginal swabs for the detection of C. trachomatis in military women showed that women generally found SAS acceptable. SAS should be a feasible alternative to urine collection in situations in which specimen storage or transport is an issue.
Effect of Extraneous Cognitive Activity on Dissonance Reduction

The hypothesis was rested that cognitive work in the form of reevaluation of alternatives is necessary for post-decision dissonance reduction. It was predicted that magnitude of dissonance reduction would be less when the relevant cognitive work was prevented by keeping the person cognitively occupied with an irrelevant task. Female Ss rated the attractiveness of art prints and were given a choice between two of them. During the post-decision period, Ss either were kept cognitively occupied with an extraneous task or did nothing. A second rating of attractiveness of the prints was then obtained. As predicted, less dissonance reduction occurred when the post-decision period was occupied with extraneous cognitive activity.
Evaluation of a leukocyte dip-stick test used for screening urine cultures

A 2-min leukocyte esterase dip-stick test for pyuria was used to screen 409 consecutive clinical specimens received for culture. The leukocyte esterase dip-stick test proved to be a sensitive and inexpensive means of screening urine specimens for the absence of leukocytes and, by inference, for the absence of significant bacteruria.
Report on Individualized Reporting

In recent years there has been a tendency to substitute a system of marking on the basis of the child's ability for the more conventional system of marking on the basis of class standards or standardized norms (10). Under individualized marking, as the approach is called, a child is evaluated, not on the basis of some objective norm, but on the basis of the type of classwork he produces in relation to his ability. This relativistic approach to evaluating pupil achievement is an outgrowth of findings of psychological studies concerned with individual differences in mental ability. The approach assumes that it is impossible for all pupils to attain certain levels of development at the same time. Proceeding from this assumption, advocates of individualized reporting maintain that this approach is more conducive to the child's social, emotional, moral, and academic development. Supporters of the approach further contend that it has advantages for all pupils-the slow, the average, and the gifted. The slow pupil, competing with himself, no longer has the im-
Development of Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone Neurones

This review concentrates on some of the recent discoveries and future questions relevant to the development of the neuroendocrine luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) cells. Neuroendocrine LHRH cells originate outside the central nervous system, in the nasal placode, and thereafter migrate into the forebrain during prenatal development. It is this population of LHRH cells that is responsible for reproductive function, becoming integral members of the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐gonadal axis postnatally. Disruption of the development of this system results in reproductive dysfunction. Increasing our understanding of LHRH neuroendocrine cells establishes conditions where we can look with greater precision at the mechanisms controlling reproductive development, both activation and failure. In addition, the ability to manipulate the molecular and cellular biology of the LHRH system opens the route to understanding critical neurobiological issues such as phenotypic commitment, axonal path finding and mechanisms involved in neuronal migration. Each of the topics is discussed in turn and potential mechanisms controlling the development of the neuroendocrine LHRH system are indicated.
The psychotic hinterlands or the fringes of lunacy.

A growing literature and the continued lack of success in determining the aetiologies of the psychoses attest to the importance of mapping out and identifying those conditions which may either herald a future psychosis, or indicate (mark) a presumed genotype relevant to determining the mode of transmission of one of the psychoses. 1-10 Phenocopies, 11 genocopies, 12 and a too crude nos-ology all conspire to frustrate the would-be cartographers of major psychopathologies. Disagreements and inconsistencies between the two major classificatory schemes on both sides of the Atlantic (ICD and DSM) are a further impediment to understanding the results of empirical investigations into the so-called schizophrenia spectrum and affective spectrum disorders. The issues we shall grapple with in this essay are different from the problems broached by Crow 16 in his discussions about the continuum of psychosis, but not entirely so. As the daylight changes to twilight, then dusk and then night followed again by dusk, twilight and day, we can observe an analog to the nosological problem faced by those who would attach names to those sets of behaviours alleged to be on the fringes of the psychoses proper. Almost everyone will agree on classifying night and day or psychosis and normalcy. Where could or should the rational taxonomist place the boundaries to demarcate on the one edge, a psychosis and on the other edge, normalcy? Is there some helpful 'point of rarity' to help, 13 some qualitative change, or is there indeed a phenotypic continuum from sanity to insanity? Alternatively, there may be a continuum with one or more threshold effects at a physiological (and possibly genetic) level leading to a qualitative change at the behavioural level. Gowers, concerned about the subtle indicators of epilepsy in 1908, introduced the notion of the 'borderlands' of epilepsy, a region which included migraine, syncope, bedwetting, and night terrors. 21 The lack of high sensitivity for predicting epilepsy from such symptoms was ignored and indicators associated with a so-called ictal personality were even added to the borderlands. Such inefficient indicators of an impending overt case of epilepsy have now been replaced by insights into the aetiological heterogeneity 22 of the disorder-which, in turn, have been aided by technological advances in neurochemistry, LEG, BEAM, MRJ, and regional cerebral blood flow. Absent such technology for the 'functional psychoses', how do we go about detecting the valid indicators or the candidate psychopathologies that belong on the …