Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Making sense of dementia and adjusting to loss: Psychological reactions to a diagnosis of dementia in couples

The current emphasis on early detection and disclosure of a diagnosis of dementia highlights the need to examine couples’ shared constructions of, and responses to, the diagnosis, and to explore the appraisals that couples make about the illness at an early stage. While the experiences of carers and of people with dementia have mostly been considered separately, further investigation of the shared experience of couples where one partner is developing dementia is required. This study adopted a family systems perspective to investigate psychological reactions to a diagnosis of dementia in nine couples where one partner had received a diagnosis of either Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia, with particular emphasis on the possible relevance of psychological responses to loss. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore participants’ experiences of receiving a diagnosis of dementia, which were compared and contrasted across couples. Ten themes were subsumed under two higher-order themes, ‘Not quite the same person, tell me what actually is wrong’ and ‘Everything's changed, we have to go from there’, and linked through the overarching theme of ‘Making sense and adjusting to loss’. A model is presented that encapsulates the oscillating processes couples appeared to go through in making sense of the experience of early-stage dementia and adjusting to the losses and difficulties evoked by the illness, which appeared to be similar to the process of adjustment outlined in dual-process models of grief. The findings suggest that couples who receive a diagnosis of dementia may be supported by helping them to create a joint construction that enables them to make sense of their situation, find ways of adjusting to the changes experienced in their roles and identity, and manage the losses they face in the early stages of dementia.
Identification of CHIP, a Novel Tetratricopeptide Repeat-Containing Protein That Interacts with Heat Shock Proteins and Negatively Regulates Chaperone Functions

ABSTRACT The chaperone function of the mammalian 70-kDa heat shock proteins Hsc70 and Hsp70 is modulated by physical interactions with four previously identified chaperone cofactors: Hsp40, BAG-1, the Hsc70-interacting protein Hip, and the Hsc70-Hsp90-organizing protein Hop. Hip and Hop interact with Hsc70 via a tetratricopeptide repeat domain. In a search for additional tetratricopeptide repeat-containing proteins, we have identified a novel 35-kDa cytoplasmic protein, carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP). CHIP is highly expressed in adult striated muscle in vivo and is expressed broadly in vitro in tissue culture. Hsc70 and Hsp70 were identified as potential interaction partners for this protein in a yeast two-hybrid screen. In vitro binding assays demonstrated direct interactions between CHIP and both Hsc70 and Hsp70, and complexes containing CHIP and Hsc70 were identified in immunoprecipitates of human skeletal muscle cells in vivo. Using glutathione S-transferase fusions, we found that CHIP interacted with the carboxy-terminal residues 540 to 650 of Hsc70, whereas Hsc70 interacted with the amino-terminal residues 1 to 197 (containing the tetratricopeptide domain and an adjacent charged domain) of CHIP. Recombinant CHIP inhibited Hsp40-stimulated ATPase activity of Hsc70 and Hsp70, suggesting that CHIP blocks the forward reaction of the Hsc70-Hsp70 substrate-binding cycle. Consistent with this observation, both luciferase refolding and substrate binding in the presence of Hsp40 and Hsp70 were inhibited by CHIP. Taken together, these results indicate that CHIP decreases net ATPase activity and reduces chaperone efficiency, and they implicate CHIP in the negative regulation of the forward reaction of the Hsc70-Hsp70 substrate-binding cycle.
Does taking the shadow economy into account matter when measuring aggregate efficiency?

We analyse how adding the shadow economy to official output figures affects the estimated technical efficiency at the country level. We find that this not only slightly affects the ranking of efficiency scores, but also increases average efficiency in a sample of 87–97 countries, both developed and developing. Our results are robust to the functional form of the production technology and the adjustment of labour to account for years of schooling.
Micro Credit as a means of Socio Economic Empowerment–A Survey in Andhra Pradesh

The provision of credit to the poor and underprivileged sections of the society is an important aspect of the larger mandate of social banking today. In India, the institutional credit delivery system of banks has been aptly complemented by the growth of self-help savings and credit groups. This has resulted in bringing together the banking system and the poor for mutual benefit. Irrespective of the model of credit delivery, the availability of loans often brings about a change in the household welfare of the borrowers and makes a significant impact on their empowerment and socio economic status. The present article which is based on an empirical study of responses from a survey conducted in a district of Andhra Pradesh provides an insight into how the availability of credit and membership in Self help groups brought about a change in the socio economic status of the borrowers thereby contributing to their empowerment.
Towards a Clean Vehicle Fleet: from Households’ Valuation of Fuel Efficiency to Policy Implications

This paper investigates household behaviour with regard to vehicle fuel efficiency. We propose to approach the Willingness to Pay (WTP) for better fuel efficiency through the Hicksian compensating variation in income. Specifically, we distinguish the Willingness to Pay or to Accept (WTA) buying a more fuel-efficient car from the theoretical WTP for a reduction in fuel consumption without changing one’s car. Then by assuming that the household has to replace its car, we estimate a WTP for the cleanest car. We also analyse what effect a fuel tax and/or a feebate scheme (e.g. a bonus-malus scheme) have on the WTP for the cleanest car and on the driven mileage. We find that the WTP for the cleanest car decreases following the implementation of a fuel tax. To the contrary, a feebate system leads to an increase in this WTP. But we also find that reducing the market price of the new vehicle (i.e. through a bonus) is not worthwhile in the light of the rebound effect. However, a fuel tax – as soon as it exceeds a certain level – is able to nullify the rebound effect.
Characterization of ZO-2 as a MAGUK Family Member Associated with Tight as well as Adherens Junctions with a Binding Affinity to Occludin and α Catenin*

ZO-2, a member of the MAGUK family, was thought to be specific for tight junctions (TJs) in contrast to ZO-1, another MAGUK family member, which is localized at TJs and adherens junctions (AJs) in epithelial and nonepithelial cells, respectively. Mouse ZO-2 cDNA was isolated, and a specific polyclonal antibody was generated using corresponding synthetic peptides as antigens. Immunofluorescence microscopy with this polyclonal antibody revealed that, similarly to ZO-1, in addition to TJs in epithelial cells, ZO-2 was also concentrated at AJs in nonepithelial cells such as fibroblasts and cardiac muscle cells lacking TJs. When NH2-terminal dlg-like and COOH-terminal non-dlg-like domains of ZO-2 (N-ZO-2 and C-ZO-2, respectively) were separately introduced into cultured cells, N-ZO-2 was colocalized with endogenous ZO-1/ZO-2, i.e. at TJs in epithelial cells and at AJs in non-epithelial cells, whereas C-ZO-2 was distributed along actin filaments. Consistently, occludin as well as α catenin directly bound to N-ZO-2 as well as the NH2-terminal dlg-like portion of ZO-1 (N-ZO-1) in vitro. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the second PDZ domain of ZO-2 was directly associated with N-ZO-1. These findings indicated that ZO-2 forms a complex with ZO-1/occludin or ZO-1/α catenin to establish TJ or AJ domains, respectively.
Prostaglandin Analog Treatment of Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To review available data related to the use of prostaglandin analogs (bimatoprost, latanoprost, travoprost, unoprostone) in the management of ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma. DATA SOURCES: Primary and review articles were identified from a MEDLINE search (1966–May 2001) and requested information from product manufacturers. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All available information, including that published in articles and abstracts, which was deemed relevant was included in this review. Limited data have been published to date. DATA SYNTHESIS: The prostaglandin analogs appear to be effective, well-tolerated agents for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. This drug class offers an alternative for patients who do not achieve control with another topical antiglaucoma agent or for those with a contraindication to first-line therapy with β-adrenergic antagonists. Based on preliminary clinical data, bimatoprost, latanoprost, and travoprost appear to be at least as effective as timolol, while the effectiveness of unoprostone is similar or slightly less. Prostaglandin analogs may be used in conjunction with other antiglaucoma medications, although further studies must establish the optimal combination. Whether clinical experience will yield outcomes in favor of one of the prostaglandin analogs remains to be determined. Patients should be educated on adverse events associated with prostaglandin analogs, particularly the potential for changes in the pigmentation of the iris and eyelashes. CONCLUSIONS: Bimatoprost, latanoprost, and travoprost appear to be equivalent to the current standard of therapy in the topical treatment of elevated IOP. Further clinical data published in article versus abstract format is required to better assess potential differences among these 3 agents.
Counterfactual thinking and impact evaluation in environmental policy

Impact evaluations assess the degree to which changes in outcomes can be attributed to an intervention rather than to other factors. Such attribution requires knowing what outcomes would have looked like in the absence of the intervention. This counterfactual world can be inferred only indirectly through evaluation designs that control for confounding factors. Some have argued that environmental policy is different from other social policy fields, and thus attempting to establish causality through identification of counterfactual outcomes is quixotic. This chapter argues that elucidating causal relationships through counterfactual thinking and experimental or quasi‐experimental designs is absolutely critical in environmental policy, and that many opportunities for doing so exist. Without more widespread application of such approaches, little progress will be made on building the evidence base in environmental policy. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MedRefSNP: A database of medically investigated SNPs

Genetic association studies and linkage analyses using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are rapidly increasing in number, and the results are important for evaluating the utility of SNPs in the biomedical sciences. Although many SNP databases have been established, there is no database focusing on published SNPs, where the research results of scientific investigations are available. To enhance the utilization of such SNP data, we have developed the MedRefSNP database (http://www.medclue.com/medrefsnp) to provide integrated information about SNPs collected from the PubMed and OMIM databases. The RefSNP identifiers are automatically identified and are linked to various information sources such as the dbSNP, the HapMap database, the Entrez Gene database, the UCSC genome browser, the CGAP Pathway Searcher, and genetic association databases. And, each SNP is checked to determine whether the PolyDoms, SNPs3D or PolyPhen databases predicts that the SNP affects the phenotype of the protein encoded by the gene carrying the SNP. Also, neighboring SNPs showing strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with published SNPs are included, using HapMap data. Currently, 36199 unique SNPs (including 31368 neighboring SNPs) collected from 25906 PubMed abstracts and 590 OMIM records are stored along with 2491 human genes related to 466 molecular pathways. The MedRefSNP database will help researchers to review previously investigated results more efficiently, and will expand knowledge by using the genomic and functional contexts of the SNPs. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Managerial efficiency and human capital: an application to English association football

The problem of hidden action in organizations makes direct measurement of managerial performance problematic. But in English association football hidden action is unlikely to be as serious a problem because the owner observes the manager's performance each time the team plays. In this situation production frontier analysis may be used to measure managerial performance and analyze the variation in performance across managers in terms of manager human capital. Having some kind of prior affiliation with the club and achieving international recognition as a player are especially important. Overall, initial experience matters more than specific and general managerial experience. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adoptive immunotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme using lymphokine activated killer cells and recombinant interleukin‐2

Thirteen patients with recurrent glioblastoma were treated with adoptively transferred autologous lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells and recombinant interleukin‐2 (rIL‐2). Patients' blood mononuclear cells (MNC) obtained by leukapheresis were cultured at 2.5 million MNC per ml for 3 to 5 days in media containing 1000 U rIL‐2/ml. After incubation, the nonadherent MNC from all cultures (0.5–5 × 109) were combined and concentrated for infusion in 5 to 10 ml saline containing 106 U rIL‐2. Nine patients received one injection of LAK cells and rIL‐2 into the brain tissue immediately surrounding the tumor cavity during craniotomy for subtotal tumor removal (Group 1). On each of the 3 days after surgery, patients received boosters of 106 U rIL‐2 delivered into the tumor cavity through a skin flap or via an Ommaya reservoir. Approximately 1 to 2 weeks after this series of injections, these patients were treated with a second cycle of LAK cells and rIL‐2 injected into the tumor cavity using the reservoir. Four patients received both adoptive immunotherapy cycles by intracavitary injection (Group 2). In this relatively small patient pool, neither age, sex, Karnofsky score, treatment history, nor anticonvulsant and steroid dosage appeared to influence a patient's ability to make LAK cells. The therapy, itself, was well‐tolerated by all patients although they all displayed symptoms of aseptic meningitis and increased intracranial pressure, i.e., headache, fever, malaise on the days of LAK cell and/or rIL‐2 infusion. The therapy did not appear to have a significant impact on patient survival (mean, 30 weeks) especially for those patients with a high postsurgical tumor burden. As the therapy is safe, the authors believe its efficacy can best be tested in patients with a newly diagnosed or recurrent glioblastoma which lies in an area where a near‐total resection is possible.
Entrepreneurship and technology education: Finnish initiatives

Future demands with respect to expertise will be extremely high. It will not be enough to have qualified for some occupation; securing a job will require a lot more. As a member of society, each pupil in compulsory education should have the right and opportunity to study technology and entrepreneurship in a broad-based manner to the best of his or her ability. The syllabus should correspond to the educational and instructional needs, experiences, interests and values of every one of the pupils. The first step is to create a syllabus that is based on the expertise that will be called for in the future and will enable the boys and girls to develop and strengthen the skills that will be essential for mastery over their own lives and help them to apply these skills to other essential areas of learning. Essential areas of this kind within the field of entrepreneurship and technology are interactive skills, mathematical skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, self-guidance and evaluation skills, group working skills and the skills of working with and producing technology. Outlines of syllabuses used in the Kainuu region of Finland for education in entrepreneurship and technology are given. Descriptions are given of syllabuses tailored to the needs of particular schools or education authorities and of projects carried out by pupils.
Growth and Phylogenetic Properties of Novel Bacteria Belonging to the Epsilon Subdivision of the Proteobacteria Enriched fromAlvinella pompejana and Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents

ABSTRACT Recent molecular characterizations of microbial communities from deep-sea hydrothermal sites indicate the predominance of bacteria belonging to the epsilon subdivision of Proteobacteria(epsilon Proteobacteria). Here, we report the first enrichments and characterizations of four epsilonProteobacteria that are directly associated withAlvinella pompejana, a deep sea hydrothermal vent polychete, or with hydrothermal vent chimney samples. These novel bacteria were moderately thermophilic sulfur-reducing heterotrophs growing on formate as the energy and carbon source. In addition, two of them (Am-H and Ex-18.2) could grow on sulfur lithoautrotrophically using hydrogen as the electron donor. Optimal growth temperatures of the bacteria ranged from 41 to 45°C. Phylogenetic analysis of the small-subunit ribosomal gene of the two heterotrophic bacteria demonstrated 95% similarity to Sulfurospirillum arcachonense, an epsilon Proteobacteria isolated from an oxidized marine surface sediment. The autotrophic bacteria grouped within a deeply branching clade of the epsilonProteobacteria, to date composed only of uncultured bacteria detected in a sample from a hydrothermal vent along the mid-Atlantic ridge. A molecular survey of various hydrothermal vent environments demonstrated the presence of two of these bacteria (Am-N and Am-H) in more than one geographic location and habitat. These results suggest that certain epsilonProteobacteria likely fill important niches in the environmental habitats of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where they contribute to overall carbon and sulfur cycling at moderate thermophilic temperatures.
Limitations of Certification and Supply Chain Standards for Environmental Protection in Commodity Crop Production

Motivated by recent increases in water pollution in major US agricultural watersheds and by the shortcomings of government programs to control non–point source pollution, this paper examines the prospects for using product certification (ecolabeling) and business-to-business supply chain standards for environmental protection in commodity crop production. We introduce the sources of demand for certification and supply chain standards and the political and economic context in which they have expanded since the 1990s. We explore how various agrifood certification and supply chain standards have been used to achieve changes in production methods and/or in product attributes to meet social goals, and we discuss the prospects for applying these models to commodity crops. We conclude that the nature of corn and soybean production, distribution, and consumption—with numerous sales outlets and invisible consumption as part of processed foods and other products—makes certification schemes to limit agricultural pol.
Journalists’ twitter networks, public debates and relationships in South Africa

Journalists at major media houses in South Africa use Twitter as a journalistic tool for crowd sourcing, breaking news events, live blogging and to balance, check and cultivate sources. This paper analyses the use of the social network platform by the top 500 South African journalists. The findings suggest that pluralism and openness are important characteristics of the South African Twitter network. Although two strong sub-networks can be detected, we conclude that they give structure to the network and enhance the role of journalists in public debates and democratic decision-making. This is shown in the analysis of three trending news topics related to politics and crime. The last trending topic of the study questions the process of the individualization of journalism through Twitter. The paper concludes by confronting its generic findings from the perspectives and opinions of leading journalists and editors.
Elevated soluble ICAM‐1 levels induce immune deficiency and increase adiposity in mice

Elevated soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (sICAM‐1) levels have been found in many pathological conditions, including obesity. To determine the effects of elevated sICAM‐1 on immune responses and metabolism, we generated a transgenic mouse model overexpressing the extracellular domain of mouse ICAM‐1 in the liver. The mice, showing 10‐fold higher sICAM‐1 levels than wild‐type mice, presented elevated neutrophil count. Despite this, after intraperitoneal injection of thioglycollate, neutrophil recruitment into the peritoneal cavity was reduced, and the delayed macrophage recruitment was also affected in the transgenic mice compared with wild‐type mice. Inhibition of contact hypersensitivity response in the sICAM‐1 transgenic mice was comparable to ICAM‐1‐deficient mice and characterized by significantly less ear swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration than in wild‐type mice. sICAM‐1transgenic mice were more susceptible to weight gain on a Western‐type diet than wild‐type mice, and older animals showed excessive fat accumulation, again reminiscent of ICAM‐1‐deficient mice. Together, these data indicate that sICAM‐1 interferes with ICAM‐1‐mediated cell‐cell interactions, which could produce immune‐suppressant effects and alteration of metabolism in persons with high levels of this soluble adhesion receptor.
Modeling and analyzing low frequency noise of offshore wind turbines with acoustics vector sensors

Low frequency noise is the main noise sources of wind turbine, causing annoyance for daily life. This paper proposes a simplified model for wind turbine low frequency noise sources through three elements: noise sources, propagation paths and perceived signals of acoustic vector sensors(AVS) array. AVS array is utilized for far field source localization, offering a key advantage with respect to conventional acoustic pressure solutions due to their vector nature. Due to doppler effects, time-dependent Green functions are hereby used to extract information about the physical characteristic of different elements. Two time domain beamforming methods (de-dopplerized and conventional method) are utilized for locating the model noise rotational sources with AVS array, along with several simulations and their performance analysis in different situations. The results show that de-dopplerized method outperform than the conventional method.