Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Active roles of glial cells in neurodegenrative disease

Dominant mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene lead to a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although ubiquitous expression of mutant SOD1 provokes progressive, selective motor neuron degeneration in human and rodents due to an acquired toxic property (ies) of the mutant, the distinct roles of mutant toxicity within motor neurons and non-neuronal cells are recently established by our cell-type specific gene ablation from mutant SOD1 mice. The toxicity(ies) within astrocytes and microglia accelerates disease progression, indicating that glial cells contribute to non-cell autonomous neurodegeneration. Misregulated genes within glial cells that we isolated from symptomatic mutant SOD1 mice indicated the involvement of innate immune system. The inhibition of innate immune pathway in SOD1 mice significantly accelerated disease progression. These results indicate the active role of glial cells in modifying disease progression in ALS models.
Generalizability of the Proportional Recovery Model for the Upper Extremity After an Ischemic Stroke

Background and objective. Spontaneous neurological recovery after stroke is a poorly understood process. The aim of the present article was to test the proportional recovery model for the upper extremity poststroke and to identify clinical characteristics of patients who do not fit this model. Methods. A change in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity score (FMA-UE) measured within 72 hours and at 6 months poststroke served to define motor recovery. Recovery on FMA-UE was predicted using the proportional recovery model: ΔFMA-UEpredicted = 0.7·(66 − FMA-UEinitial) + 0.4. Hierarchical cluster analysis on 211 patients was used to separate nonfitters (outliers) from fitters, and differences between these groups were studied using clinical determinants measured within 72 hours poststroke. Subsequent logistic regression analysis served to predict patients who may not fit the model. Results. The majority of patients (~70%; n = 146) showed a fixed proportional upper extremity motor recovery of about 78%; 65 patients had substantially less improvement than predicted. These nonfitters had more severe neurological impairments within 72 hours poststroke (P values <.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that absence of finger extension, presence of facial palsy, more severe lower extremity paresis, and more severe type of stroke as defined by the Bamford classification were significant predictors of not fitting the proportional recovery model. Conclusions. These results confirm in an independent sample that stroke patients with mild to moderate initial impairments show an almost fixed proportional upper extremity motor recovery. Patients who will most likely not achieve the predicted amount of recovery were identified using clinical determinants measured within 72 hours poststroke.
Muscle–epidermis interactions affect exoskeleton patterning in Caenorhabditis elegans

The C. elegans hypodermis is a single epithelial cell layer separated from the musculature by a thin basement membrane on its basal surface. The hypodermis secretes the extracellular material of the cuticle from its apical surface. The regulation of cuticle synthesis and apical secretion is not well understood. UNC‐95 is a component of the muscle dense bodies and M‐lines, which are integrin‐based adhesion complexes required for force transduction to the cuticle. Using gene expression profiling and in vivo assays, we show that, in unc‐95 mutant worms, there is an increase in expression levels of a group of hypodermal and pharyngeal genes related to cuticle structure and molting. Moreover, the cuticle structure of unc‐95 mutant adult is impaired. Our findings suggest that aberrant force transduction from the structurally impaired muscle attachments across the basement membrane to the underlying hypodermis elicits intercellular signaling that plays a role in regulating cuticle synthesis and patterning. Developmental Dynamics 236:3129–3136, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sustained Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia: A Single Electrocardiographic Expression of Different Patterns of Reentry

Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT) can be the electrocardiographic expression of a reentrant impulse in the ventricles. In this study we analyzed the different types of reentry that might lead to SMVT, Methods: The pattern of activation of 73 episodes of SMVT induced in thin sheets of epicardium in 50 Langendorff perfused rabbit hearts were visualized with high resolution epicardial mapping (248 points). Results: Five different patterns of reentry resulting in SMVT were identified: (1) Single‐loop reentry around a fixed obstacle (n = 40); (2) Single‐loop reentry around a functional arc of conduction block (n = 17); (3) Double‐wave reentry around a fixed obstacle (n = 9); (4) Figure‐of‐eight reentry around two areas of functional block (n = 5); and (5) Multiple synchronized circuits around multiple areas of functional block (n = 2), Conclusion: SMVT is a single electrocardiographic expression of different patterns of reentry. Accurate mopping is mandatory to identify the reentrant pathway and the pathophysiological substrate of the arrhythmia.
Expression of the mosquitocidal toxins of Bacillus sphaericus and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis by recombinant Caulobacter crescentus, a vehicle for biological control of aquatic insect larvae

In the quest for effective control of mosquitoes, attention has turned increasingly to strains of the bacteria Bacillus sphaericus and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, which produce potent toxins with specific mosquitocidal activities. However, sedimentation of the bacterial spores limits the duration of effective control after field application of these bacilli. We describe here the cloning of genes encoding the 51.4- and 41.9-kDa toxins from B. sphaericus 2297, the 100-kDa toxin from B. sphaericus SSII-1, and the 130-kDa toxin from B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis into the broad-host-range plasmid pRK248 and the transfer of these genes for expression in Caulobacter crescentus CB15. The recombinant C. crescentus cells were shown to be toxic to mosquito larvae. Caulobacter species are ubiquitous microorganisms residing in the upper regions of aquatic environments and therefore provide the potential for prolonged control by maintaining mosquitocidal toxins in larval feeding zones.
The effect of patient reminders and gas station gift cards on patient adherence to testing guidelines for diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Analysis of the effectiveness of a small financial incentive and a written reminder to encourage test taking among persons with diabetes who have missed glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) screenings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The analysis uses data from the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation medical records of persons diagnosed with diabetes who had not received an HbA1c screening or had not received an LDL-C screening over the previous year (prior to October 2005). This study uses a quasi-experimental design comparing 464 diabetic patients (cases) who received a letter reminder of screening and financial incentive for undergoing screening, and 693 controls who did not receive a letter or financial incentive. The treated patients (464) all were seen in 1 of 4 clinics while those not treated used different clinics within the same system of care. Propensity scores served as the matching procedure using the following covariates: age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, number of HbA1c tests and number of LDL-C tests in the year prior to pilot program, mean HbA1c levels in the year prior to the pilot program (when available), census income data, and a comorbidity measure. RESULTS During the 2 years following the pilot program, on average the target or "treated" population received significantly more screenings--3.34-compared to 2.69 screenings for the matched comparison group, and a far smaller proportion of the target population had no screening at all. CONCLUSIONS The results provide evidence that a small financial incentive coupled with a written reminder work to increase test taking (especially the HbA1c screening) and suggest greater control of HbA1c levels among persons who had previously missed screenings.
An Examination of the Long Run Performance of UK Acquiring Firms

This study examines a comprehensive data set of large domestic takeovers by UK listed companies between 1984 and 1992. The contribution of this paper is to show, by using a series of models of abnormal returns, together with the Ibbotson (1975) 'Returns Across Time Series' model and a simple cross-sectional model of returns across all listed UK companies, that the average abnormal return for up to two years post-acquisition is unambiguously and significantly negative. In particular, acquirers financing a takeover through equity, and single (as opposed to regular) acquirers exhibit significant negative performance. There is also some evidence to suggest that diversifying acquirers perform worse than non-diversifying acquirers and that recommended bids are associated with poorer subsequent under-performance by acquirers than are hostile bids. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1997.
Panel Stratification in Meta-Analysis of Economic Studies: An Investigation of Its Effects in the Recreation Valuation Literature

Abstract Statistical summarizations of literature review databases using meta-regression analysis provide insight into the differences in past estimates of economic variables such as benefits and price elasticities. The panel nature of the data is an issue that has not received adequate attention in past meta-analyses. This paper conceptually and empirically explores the complexity of stratifying data into panels that model the potential correlation and heterogeneity of past outdoor recreation benefit research. Although our tests of three stratifications of the data did not discern panel effects, the inherent complexity of the data maintains a strong presumption of heterogeneous strata.
The 4 th International Conference on Ambient Systems , Networks and Technologies An Enhanced Bio-Inspired Trust and Reputation Model for Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are designed to perform a variety of information processing functionalities. Security is one of the major concerns for WSNs. This study focuses on trust and reputation system management. The proposed approach entitled Enhanced Bio-inspired Trust and Reputation Model (EBTRM), is Bio-inspired and extending Trust and Reputation Model (BTRM-WSN) and Peer Trust System. The objective of the current proposed system is to provide an efficient security solution to WSN which can provide a high level of security taking into account energy conservation. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of [name organizer] Keywords— wireless sensor network, security, trust and reputation system, client sensors, server sensors, Bio-inspired Trust and Reputation System (BTRM-WSN), Peer Trust System, Enhance Bio-inspired Trust and Reputation System (EBTRM), accuracy, security level, path length, energy efficiency.
ERP Customization Failure: Institutionalized Accounting Practices, Power Relations and Market Forces

Purpose: This paper examines a detailed case study of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) customization failure in an Egyptian state-owned company (AML) by drawing on new institutional sociology and its extensions. It explains how ERP customization failure is shaped by the interplay between institutionalized accounting practices, conflicting institutions, power relations and market forces.Methodology/Approach: The research methodology is based on using an intensive case study informed by new institutional sociology, especially the interplay between conflicting institutions, power relations and market forces. Data were collected from multiple sources, including interviews, observations, discussions and documentary analysis.Findings: The findings revealed that the inability of the ERP system to meet the core accounting requirements of the control authorities (the Central Agency for Accountability) was the explicit reason cited for the ERP failure. The externally imposed requirements of the Uniform Accounting System and planning budgets were used to resist both other institutional pressures (from the Holding Company for Engineering Industries) and market and competitive pressures.Research limitations: There are some limitations associated with the use of the case study method, including the inability to generalize from the findings of a single case study, some selectivity in the individuals interviewed, and the subjective interpretation by the researchers of the empirical data.Practical implications: The paper identifies that the interplay between institutional pressures, institutionalized accounting practices, intra-organizational power relations, and market forces contributed to the failure to embed ERP in a major company. Understanding such relationships can help other organizations to become more aware of the factors affecting successful implementation of new ERP systems and provide a better basis for planning the introduction of new technologies. Originality/value of paper: This paper draws on recent research and thinking in sociology, especially the development and application of new institutional sociology. In addition, the paper is concerned with ERP implementation and use and management accounting in a transitional economy, Egypt, and hence contributes to debate about exporting Western accounting practices and other technologies to countries with different cultures and different stages of economic and political development.
Conjuring clean energy: exposing green assumptions in media and academia

Purpose – This research presents uncomfortable questions about the viability of alternative energy technologies, which arise during economic contraction and degrowth but are scarcely addressed within media and academia. Design/methodology/approach – The author identifies and graphically illustrates differences between media expectations for renewable energy production versus energy reduction strategies. The author contrasts green energy expectations with material factors to develop unasked questions about potential: urban myths (e.g. solar cells are made from sand), assumptions (e.g. alternative energy is of comparable quality to fossil fuel energy and can offset its use), strategic ignorance (e.g. solar cost drops reflect Moore’s law), and trained incapacity (e.g. solar and wind energy is low- or zero-carbon). Findings – Compared to energy reduction coverage, journalists cover energy production using 1) more character-driven storytelling, 2) about twice the promising language, and 3) far more references .
The Long-run Impact of Bilateral Real Exchange Rate Volatility on Malaysia's Bilateral Trade Balance with its Major Trading Partners

The objective of this paper is to analyse the long-run impact of bilateral real exchange rate volatility on Malaysia’s bilateral trade balance with its major trading partners, comprising the United States, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, and Republic of Korea over the monthly period 1990:1 to 2002:12. The long-run impact will be analysed using the cointegration analysis and a vector error correction model (VECM) framework which treats all variables in the model as potentially endogenous. In this study, the GARCH model is employed to measure the bilateral exchange rate volatility. Our findings revealed that there is a positive long-run impact of exchange rate volatility on the trade balance of Malaysia with the United States, a negative long-run impact on the trade balance of Malaysia with Singapore and no impact on the trade balance of Malaysia with the other three countries.
Vertical and Horizontal Intra-Industry Trade : A Cross Industry Analysis for the United Kingdom

A large theoretical literature has emerged directed at explaining the presence of intra-industry trade (IIT). One of the distinctions which comes out of these models is that between horizontal IIT (where goods are differentiated by attributes) and vertical IIT (where goods are differentiated by quality). In this paper horizontal and vertical IIT in U.K. trade are disentangled using a unit value dispersion criterion and a range of industry characteristics. The paper not only points up the relative importance of vertical and horizontal IIT in the United Kingdom, it also demonstrates how a failure to separate them out can impact on the interpretation of empirical results. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.
Balanced Caloric Restriction Minimizes Changes Caused by Aging on the Colonic Myenteric Plexus

ABSTRACT Aging can promote significant morphofunctional changes in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Regulation of GIT motility is mainly controlled by the myenteric neurons of the enteric nervous system. Actions that aim at decreasing the aging effects in the GIT include those related to diet, with caloric restriction (CR). The CR is achieved by controlling the amount of food or by manipulating the components of the diet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate different levels of CR on the plasticity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate– (NADPH-) reactive myenteric neurons in the colon of Wistar rats during the aging process using ultrastructural (transmission electron microscopy) and morphoquantitative analysis. Wistar male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were distributed into 4 groups (n = 10/group): C, 6-month-old animals; SR, 18-month-old animals fed a normal diet; CRI, 18-month-old animals fed a 12% CR diet; CRII, 18-month-old animals fed a 31% CR diet. At 6 months of age, animals were transferred to the laboratory animal facility, where they remained until 18 months of age. Animals of the CRI and CRII groups were submitted to CR for 6 months. In the ultrastructural analysis, a disorganization of the periganglionar matrix with the aging was observed, and this characteristic was not observed in the animals that received hypocaloric diet. It was observed that the restriction of 12.5% and 31% of calories in the diet minimized the increase in density and cell profile of the reactive NADPH neurons, increased with age. This type of diet may be adapted against gastrointestinal disturbances that commonly affect aging individuals.
Interleukin-1beta, interleukin-12 and interleukin-18 levels in gingival fluid and serum of patients with gingivitis and periodontitis.

INTRODUCTION Cytokines are of major importance in periodontal disease progression. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) stimulates interferon-gamma production by T helper type 1 (Th1) cells while IL-18 induces Th1 responses when present with IL-12 but Th2 responses in the absence of IL-12. IL-1beta has been correlated with periodontal disease destruction. This study determined the local concentrations of these cytokines in sites of gingivitis and periodontitis. METHODS Gingival crevicular fluid was collected from two sites in each of 10 gingivitis patients and from two gingivitis sites and two periodontitis sites from each of 10 periodontitis patients. Serum samples were also collected. IL-1beta, biologically active IL-12 p70, the IL-12 p40 subunit and IL-18 concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. RESULTS IL-1beta and IL-18 concentrations were higher in the gingival crevicular fluid from periodontitis patients than in that from gingivitis patients; IL-18 concentrations were higher than those of IL-1beta. Very little IL-12, either p40 or p70, was detected in the gingival crevicular fluid samples. In the serum, very low levels of cytokines were found. The level of serum IL-12 p40, however, was higher than in the fluid from periodontitis sites of periodontitis patients. CONCLUSION The local production of IL-1beta and IL-18 in the gingival crevicular fluid increased with increasing inflammation and IL-18 was the predominant cytokine at both gingivitis and periodontitis sites. Very little IL-12 was detected with levels decreasing with increasing inflammation. These results suggest that there is an association between severity of periodontal disease and levels of IL-1, IL-12 and IL-18.
Dance therapy improves motor and cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of Dance Therapy (DT) and Traditional Rehabilitation (TR) on both motor and cognitive domains in Parkinson's Disease patients (PD) with postural instability. METHODS Sixteen PD patients with recent history of falls were divided in two groups (Dance Therapy, DT and Traditional Rehabilitation, TR); nine patients received 1-hour DT classes twice per week, completing 20 lessons within 10 weeks; seven patients received a similar cycle of 20 group sessions of 60 minutes TR. Motor (Berg Balance Scale - BBS, Gait Dynamic Index - GDI, Timed Up and Go Test - TUG, 4 Square-Step Test - 4SST, 6-Minute Walking Test - 6MWT) and cognitive measures (Frontal Assessment Battery - FAB, Trail Making Test A & B - TMT A&B, Stroop Test) were tested at baseline, after the treatment completion and after 8-week follow-up. RESULTS In the DT group, but not in the TR group, motor and cognitive outcomes significantly improved after treatment and retained after follow-up. Significant changes were found for 6MWT (p = 0.028), TUG (p = 0.007), TMT-A (p = 0.014) and TMT-B (p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS DT is an unconventional physical therapy for PD patients which effectively impacts on motor (endurance and risk of falls) and non-motor functions (executive functions).
An examination of Australian news coverage of Papua New Guinea

This paper examines Australian news coverage of Papua New Guinea (PNG), a country with which Australia shares geographic proximity and strong historical ties. Drawing on the results of a content analysis examining coverage of PNG by The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers from January 1 until June 30, 2010, this paper aims to demonstrate that PNG is a neglected news region. This neglect ‐ in terms of quality reporting ‐ has produced a limited and fragmentary portrayal of PNG in the Australian media, where the majority of news stories about PNG tend to lack analysis and contextual background. The key methodologies used in this paper are content analysis and in-depth interviews with a selected number of Australian journalists currently or previously based in PNG. The paper hopes to provide insight into a much broader examination of the changing trends in international news coverage of developing countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific.