Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arginase Inhibition Reverses Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous disorder associated with a poor prognosis. Thus, the development of novel treatment strategies is of great interest. The enzyme arginase (Arg) is emerging as important player in PH development. The aim of the current study was to determine the expression of ArgI and ArgII as well as the effects of Arg inhibition in a rat model of PH. PH was induced in 35 Sprague–Dawley rats by monocrotaline (MCT, 60 mg/kg as single-dose). There were three experimental groups: sham-treated controls (control group, n = 11), MCT-induced PH (MCT group, n = 11) and MCT-induced PH treated with the Arg inhibitor Nω-hydroxy-nor-l-arginine (nor-NOHA; MCT/NorNoha group, n = 13). ArgI and ArgII expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVPsys) was measured and lung tissue remodeling was determined. Induction of PH resulted in an increase in RVPsys (81 ± 16 mmHg) compared to the control group (41 ± 15 mmHg, p = 0.002) accompanied by a significant elevation of histological sum-score (8.2 ± 2.4 in the MCT compared to 1.6 ± 1.6 in the control group, p < 0.001). Both, ArgI and ArgII were relevantly expressed in lung tissue and there was a significant increase in the MCT compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Arg inhibition resulted in a significant reduction of RVPsys to 52 ± 19 mmHg (p = 0.006) and histological sum-score to 5.8 ± 1.4 compared to the MCT group (p = 0.022). PH leads to increased expression of Arg. Arg inhibition leads to reduction of RVPsys and diminished lung tissue remodeling and therefore represents a potential treatment strategy in PH.
The Openness of Open Learning

In 1969, in Lord Crowthers inaugural address as chancellor of the Open University, he stated that it was open as to people, as to places, as to methods, as to ideas. If, in the same year, your had looked for a definition of open learning in the fifth edition of the Encyclopedia of Educational Research, the only mention you would have found is see distance education. In fact, when in 1975 Norman MacKenzie, Richmond Postgate and John Scupham published at the Unesco Press the book Open Learning, all the case studies described in it concerned systems of education at a distance.
Accommodating Students With Disabilities in Large-Scale Testing

Many students with disabilities are provided accommodations to enable their participation in statewide assessment programs; however, there is concern that accommodations may invalidate test results. For test administrations to be considered valid for all student groups, there must be comparable measurement across groups. This can ensure that decisions based on test results are made in a fair manner for all students. In this study, measurement comparability for two groups of accommodated students with disabilities (i.e., accommodated students with physical disabilities and accommodated students with mental disabilities) was examined using differential item functioning (DIF) analysis, in which item-level characteristics of the test for these groups were systematically compared with those for a reference group of nonaccommodated students without disabilities. A relatively large number of DIF items were identified for both accommodated disability groups, suggesting that more attention to the testing needs of students with disabilities is warranted. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Grammatical Knowledge and Memorized Chunks: A Response to Ellis

Ellis (1996) discusses the place of memory in both first and second language acquisition, evaluating its importance in the acquisition of phonology, lexical form, grammar, and discourse. That memory is in large part responsible for lexical acquisition and that those with better memories have larger vocabularies can hardly be disputed. However, the claim that the acquisition of syntax and discourse result from "learning particular sequences of words in stock phrases and collocations" (p. 92) is unwarranted for both first and second language acquisition. Ellis argues that grammatical knowledge develops from knowledge provided by the distributional properties of words. Words, in turn, are acquired through longterm storage of sound sequences. The most important constant in the language acquisition process is the knowledge derived from memorized chunks; it is through the acquisition of sequential patterns that knowledge of grammar develops, as the learner abstracts regularities from word sequences. Likewise, the acquisition of discourse structure is claimed to be primarily the result of learning how familiar phrases group together. Relative frequency is the key: The more frequent the pattern in the input, the earlier the grammatical structures contained therein will be acquired (p. 100). More complicated sequences arise from analysis of simpler, more basic sequences. According to this account, the ability to retain phonological sequences underlies vocabulary acquisition and the acquisition of collocations that in turn underlie the mastery of syntax and discourse structure: "Grammatical development is a process of gradually assembling knowledge about distributional and semanticdistributional relationships between words" (p. 98).
Heat stress and dehydration in adapting for performance: Good, bad, both, or neither?

ABSTRACT Physiological systems respond acutely to stress to minimize homeostatic disturbance, and typically adapt to chronic stress to enhance tolerance to that or a related stressor. It is legitimate to ask whether dehydration is a valuable stressor in stimulating adaptation per se. While hypoxia has had long-standing interest by athletes and researchers as an ergogenic aid, heat and nutritional stressors have had little interest until the past decade. Heat and dehydration are highly interlinked in their causation and the physiological strain they induce, so their individual roles in adaptation are difficult to delineate. The effectiveness of heat acclimation as an ergogenic aid remains unclear for team sport and endurance athletes despite several recent studies on this topic. Very few studies have examined the potential ergogenic (or ergolytic) adaptations to ecologically-valid dehydration as a stressor in its own right, despite longstanding evidence of relevant fluid-regulatory adaptations from short-term hypohydration. Transient and self-limiting dehydration (e.g., as constrained by thirst), as with most forms of stress, might have a time and a place in physiological or behavioral adaptations independently or by exacerbating other stressors (esp. heat); it cannot be dismissed without the appropriate evidence. The present review did not identify such evidence. Future research should identify how the magnitude and timing of dehydration might augment or interfere with the adaptive processes in behaviorally constrained versus unconstrained humans.
Perceptual expertise and the plasticity of other-race face recognition

In this paper, we argue that our ability to recognize own-race faces can be treated as a form of perceptual expertise. Similar to object experts (e.g., birdwatchers), people differentiate own-race faces at the subordinate level of categorization. In contrast, like novices, we tend to classify other-race faces at the basic level of race. We demonstrate that, as a form of perceptual expertise, other-race face recognition can be systematically taught in the lab through subordinate-level training. When participants learn to quickly and accurately differentiate other-race faces at the subordinate level of the individual, the individuating training transfers to improved recognition of untrained other-race faces, produces changes in event-related brain components, and reduces implicit racial bias. Subsequent work has shown that other-race learning can be optimized by directing participants to the diagnostic features of a racial group. The benefits of other-race training are fairly long-lived and are evident even 2 weeks after training. Collectively, the training studies demonstrate the plasticity of other-race face recognition. Rather than a process that is fixed by early developmental events, other-race face recognition is malleable and dynamic, continually being reshaped by the perceptual experiences of the observer.
Overcoming the self‐image incongruency of non‐cyclists

Purpose – The image of cyclists has been increasingly recognised as an important factor in social marketing programmes aimed at increasing cycling. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a multi‐stage research project exploring image incongruencies between cyclists and non‐cyclists in the UK.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical framework of self‐image congruency was used to explore a possible “image gap” between the current image(s) of cyclists and the self concept of the GB population. The first stage of the research was a quantitative nationally representative survey of 3,855 British adults. The second phase involved a qualitative study involving ten in‐depth interviews and nine focus groups (n=60) exploring the image of cyclists with groups of non‐cyclists, lapsed cyclists, occasional cyclists, sports cyclists and utility cyclists.Findings – Quantitative findings indicated that a gap exists between the perceived image of cyclists by GB adults and their collective self concept. Q.
Modulation of host immune defenses by Aeromonas and Yersinia species: convergence on toxins secreted by various secretion systems

Like other pathogenic bacteria, Yersinia and Aeromonas species have been continuously co-evolving with their respective hosts. Although the former is a bonafide human pathogen, the latter has gained notararity as an emerging disease-causing agent. In response to immune cell challenges, bacterial pathogens have developed diverse mechanism(s) enabling their survival, and, at times, dominance over various host immune defense systems. The bacterial type three secretion system (T3SS) is evolutionarily derived from flagellar subunits and serves as a vehicle by which microbes can directly inject/translocate anti-host factors/effector proteins into targeted host immune cells. A large number of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens possess a T3SS empowering them to disrupt host cell signaling, actin cytoskeleton re-arrangements, and even to induce host-cell apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways. All pathogenic yersiniae and most Aeromonas species possess a T3SS, but they also possess T2- and T6-secreted toxins/effector proteins. This review will focus on the mechanisms by which the T3SS effectors Yersinia outer membrane protein J (YopJ) and an Aeromonas hydrophila AexU protein, isolated from the diarrheal isolate SSU, mollify host immune system defenses. Additionally, the mechanisms that are associated with host cell apoptosis/pyroptosis by Aeromonas T2SS secreted Act, a cytotoxic enterotoxin, and Hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hcp), an A. hydrophila T6SS effector, will also be discussed.
The spatial ordering of care: public and private in bathing support at home

Domiciliary care takes place in a special social space: that of the home. Focusing on the provision of bathing in the community, the article explores the spatial ordering of care at home, unpacking a series of interlocking contrasts between the public and the private, and their consequences for the power dynamics of care. These are explored in terms of the ideology of home; the spatial ordering of privacy within the home; and the treatment of the body. Carework trespasses on and re-orders these divisions. The article also explores the contrasting site of the day centre. Baths at day centres are private acts in public places, and in reversing the symbolism of home, they reveal some of the wider meanings of bathing.
The Bio-Culture of Parenting: Evidence From Five Cultural Communities

Objective. This study analyzes culturally formed parenting styles during infancy, as related to the sociocultural orientations of independence and interdependence. Design. Free-play situations between mothers and 3-month-old infants were videotaped in 5 cultural communities that differ according to their sociocultural orientations: cultural communities in West Africa (N = 26), Gujarat in India (N = 39), Costa Rica (N = 21), Greece (N = 51), and Germany (N = 56). The videotapes were analyzed using coding systems that operationalize the component model of parenting with a focus on 4 parenting systems, including body contact, body stimulation, object stimulation, and face-to-face contact. Results. 2 styles of parenting (distal and proximal) can be related to the sociocultural orientations of independence and interdependence. It is apparent that they express parenting priorities in particular ecocultural environments. Conclusions. Infants participate, from birth on, in sociocultural activities that are committed to cultural goals and values which inform parenting behaviors.
Scoring Pairwise Genomic Sequence Alignments

The parameters by which alignments are scored can strongly affect sensitivity and specificity of alignment procedures. While appropriate parameter choices are well understood for protein alignments, much less is known for genomic DNA sequences. We describe a straightforward approach to scoring nucleotide substitutions in genomic sequence alignments, especially human-mouse comparisons. Scores are obtained from relative frequencies of aligned nucleotides observed in alignments of non-coding, non-repetitive genomic regions, and can be theoretically motivated through substitution models. Additional accuracy can be attained by down-weighting alignments characterized by low compositional complexity. We also describe an evaluation protocol that is relevant when alignments are intended to identify all and only the orthologous positions. One particular scoring matrix, called HOXD70, has proven to be generally effective for human-mouse comparisons, and has been used by the PipMaker server since July, 2000. We discuss but leave open the problem of effectively scoring regions of strongly biased nucleotide composition, such as low G + C content.
03 PERSONALITY AND SELF-PERCEPTION OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH AMONG FIRST-YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The aim of this study was to determine the four personality traits: psychoticism (P), extraversion (E), neuroticism (N) and lie tendencies (L) measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, depression symptoms measured by the Zung Depression Scale (ZDS) and self-perceived health-related well-being measured by SF-36 in a sample of 430 healthy first-year university students of both sexes. We also wanted to determine which personality variable best predicts depression symptoms (ZDS) and well-being (SF-36). The obtained results showed that students rated their health and health-related quality of life as good, although they scored lower than same aged adults from the general population. Women had significantly higher scores on ZDS, N and L than men, while men scored higher on P and six out of eight SF-36 scales. N, among all of the other included personality variables, best predicts depression symptoms on ZDS and self-perceived physical and emotional health on SF-36. We also found that gender was not a moderator in any of the personality traits in their influence on well-being, but that N in females only adds significantly to the expression of depression symptoms. We concluded that personality plays an important role in subjective health-related well-being together with objective life circumstances.
Simultaneous enlargement of SRAM read/write noise margin by controlling virtual ground lines

The SRAM operating margin in 65nm technology is analyzed. The peak characteristic in the read margin versus the supply voltage was found to be caused by the channel length modulation effect. Controlling the memory cell virtual ground line proved to be effective in enlarging the operating margin simultaneously in the read and the write operations. A simple optimum circuit which does not require any dynamic voltage control is proposed, realizing an improvement in the operating margin comparable to conventional circuits requiring dynamic voltage control.
The Stability of Personality: Observations and Evaluations

In this brief passage, Emerson an ticipated modern findings about the stability of personality and pointed out an illusion to which both layper sons and psychologists are prone. He was also perhaps the first to de cry personality stability as the enemy of freedom, creativity, and growth, objecting that "temperament puts all divinity to rout. " In this article, we summarize evidence in support of Emerson's observations but offer ar guments against his evaluation of them.2
The Frequency, Clinical Correlates, and Mechanism of Anosognosia after Stroke

Objective: To review the frequency, clinical correlates, and mechanism of anosognosia after stroke. Methods: We searched the most recent relevant literature on anosognosia after stroke and carried out a critical analysis of the main findings. Results: Anosognosia is present in about 10% of acute stroke patients and its diagnosis is relatively simple. Nevertheless, a valid and reliable standardization of diagnostic instruments and criteria for research purposes is more difficult to achieve. This limitation may partially account for various instruments available to assess anosognosia and the different strategies used to diagnose this phenomenon. Anosognosia is a fleeting phenomenon and chronic cases are infrequent. There is a robust association between anosognosia and right-hemisphere lesions involving cortical (insular, temporal, and parietal lobes) and subcortical structures (thalamus and basal ganglia). The main clinical correlates of anosognosia are the presence of neglect, cognitive deficits, previous strokes, and older age. Anosognosia has a negative impact on the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The mechanism of anosognosia remains unknown but was explained as owing to psychological denial, disconnexion between left and right hemispheres, and dysfunction of a system that monitors the intention to move and actual movements. Conclusion: Anosognosia is a relatively frequent complication of acute stroke and may become an excellent model to understand the mechanism of human awareness.
Activation of Natural Killer T Cells Potentiates or Prevents Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Natural killer (NK) T cells recognize lipid antigens in the context of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class 1–like molecule CD1 and rapidly secrete large amounts of the cytokines interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 upon T cell receptor (TCR) engagement. We have asked whether NK T cell activation influences adaptive T cell responses to myelin antigens and their ability to cause experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis. While simultaneous activation of NK T cells with the glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and myelin-reactive T cells potentiates EAE in B10.PL mice, prior activation of NK T cells protects against disease. Exacerbation of EAE is mediated by an enhanced T helper type 1 (Th1) response to myelin basic protein and is lost in mice deficient in IFN-γ. Protection is mediated by immune deviation of the anti-myelin basic protein (MBP) response and is dependent upon the secretion of IL-4. The modulatory effect of α-GalCer requires the CD1d antigen presentation pathway and is dependent upon the nature of the NK T cell response in B10.PL or C57BL/6 mice. Because CD1 molecules are nonpolymorphic and remarkably conserved among different species, modulation of NK T cell activation represents a target for intervention in T cell–mediated autoimmune diseases.
Ionic determinants of atrial fibrillation and Ca2+ channel abnormalities : cause, consequence, or innocent bystander?

Over the past several years, there has been increasing interest in understanding the basic mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation (AF). The rise in interest is partly related to the prevalence of AF, which is presently the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice, and partly to the fact that the treatment of AF remains inadequate, making new insights into basic mechanisms essential for improving therapy.1 Of great importance, as well, has been the development of new, clinically relevant animal models of the arrhythmia2 3 and advances in scientific methodology, including high-density mapping, patch-clamp recording, and molecular cloning of ion channels, that have permitted much more sophisticated approaches to defining AF mechanisms at very basic levels. The studies by Van Wagoner et al4 reported in this issue of Circulation Research provide important information about the potential role of Ca2+ channel abnormalities in clinical AF and at the same time, raise some intriguing questions. To appreciate the results of these findings presented by Van Wagoner et al, it is important to place them in the context of preceding work on the ionic determinants of AF. The discovery by Wijffels et al2 that AF alters atrial electrophysiology in ways that promote AF maintenance was a substantial advance in understanding the arrhythmia. Not only did it reveal previously unrecognized fundamental and clinically relevant aspects of the physiology of the arrhythmia, but it also permitted investigators to prepare animals with great susceptibility to AF in a clinically relevant model. It was subsequently shown that the remodeling caused by AF is primarily a function of very rapid atrial activation rates,5 and that atrial tachycardia produces a substrate for multiple circuit atrial reentry on the basis of decreased atrial effective refractory period (ERP), slowed conduction, and increased heterogeneity in atrial repolarization.6 7 …
On Interocular Transfer of Motion Aftereffects

A brief history of quantitative assessments of interocular transfer (IOT) of the motion aftereffect (MAE) is presented. Recent research indicates that the MAE occurs as a consequence of adapting detectors for relative rather than retinal motion. When gratings above and below a stationary, fixated grating are moved in an otherwise dark field the central, retinally stationary grating appears to move in the opposite direction; when tested with stationary gratings an MAE is almost entirely confined to the central grating. The IOT of such an MAE was measured in experiment 1: the display was presented to one eye with a black field in the other. The IOT was about 30% of the monocular MAE. Similar values were found in experiment 2, in which the contralateral eye received an equivalent central stationary grating during adaptation and test. The dichoptic interaction of the processes involved in the MAE was examined by presenting the central gratings to both eyes and a single flanking grating above in one eye and below in the other (experiment 3). The MAE was tested with either the same or the contralateral pairing. Oppositely directed MAEs were found for the central and flanking gratings, but they were confined mainly to the conditions in which the configurations presented during adaptation were present in the same eyes during test. In experiment 4, the surround MAEs were compared after adaptation with two moving gratings in one eye or with a similar dichoptic configuration, and they were of similar duration. In a final experiment the MAE was tested either monocularly or binocularly after alternating adaptation of the left and right eyes and was found to be of the same duration. It is concluded that the MAE is a consequence of adapting relational-motion detectors, which are either monocular or of the binocular OR class.